Kanu Sanyal.... Lal Salaam

Kanu Sanyal.... one of the founders of Naxalbari movement with a clear ideology and principles is no more... His body was found at his residence. He committed suicide by hanging himself.

Even though, I am nowhere related to Communist ideologies, Kanu's ideologies, somewhere at some corner of my heart I felt very bad about a revolutionary who was so dedicated to what he wanted to do. His principles were good but the way his successors followed were quite dirty politics and dirty games...

He almost became silent after he lost his comrade friend Charu Mazumdar with whom he started Naxalbari movement in West Bengal.

Such a sad ending for such a great leader.... All yechuris, Bardhans, Basus, Bhattacharyas, should learn from Kanu as to what a communist is supposed to be.

Dip into Music.......

One more round on music... but this time, it's Hindi film music.

For me, it's always an interesting fact that how music gets generated in one's mind, gets passed on to another one and also many people from there. This process of music reaching the last level, that is we fellows, is a long journey.

Initially, when I was listening to Madan Mohan or Salil Chowdhary, I wanted to become like them. But very soon realized that it is not like you just become a music director. One need to have lots of thought process about how the music should originate, what shape it should take and what is the satisfaction one gets out of composing the music. More than anything, getting drowned in music !!!!

For example, people like Madan Mohan were so perfectionists that they could not tolerate even single "besur" in any of the instrument or voice. Ilayaraaja, can find out one besur in 40 piece orchestra where 20 violins are there. He can find out which particular violin is creating the problem.

Now, to get to that level of detailing is not possible if you just wish to become a music director. It needs lot of meditation about music. It needs lot of sense of listening to the music. It needs hell a lot of power to identify the mistake and more than anything, to prove what was identified as a mistake.

Salil Chowdhary was one music director who could literally play any musical instrument. In most of his compositions, he has taken charge of the highlighting instrument and delivered it perfectly. Again, it needs lot of guts to provide an outcome which is equivalent to a master artiste. Salil Chowdhary had that guts.

Also for him, language really did not matter to create those "all time, never to come" gems. Be it Choti si Baat, Aanand, Parakh, Jaagte Raho in Hindi or Chemmeen and Manasvini in Malayalam, it was that creative element which created history.

Even today, I find just one tune of a line of his song "baag mein kali khili bawra nahi aaya" repeating in the songs of Chemmeen, an amazing thing. What is the language has to do here? It's sheer music and sheer creativity and the passion which has worked. I do not think there are these kind of experiments from any music director.

For great souls like Salil Chowdhary, Madan Mohan and Ilayaraja, apart from the nuances of music rather technically perfect music, it is the music which just oozes out of their heart and soul, is what is important.

Listen to Madan Mohan's "Yun hasraton ke daag" from the movie Dastak in Lata Mangeshkar's voice. You will be zapped at the violin pieces... wov... it creates such an amazing graphics in your mind when you listen, that you can never escape from it. These are the things which makes music directors like Madan Mohan, a unique composer. Even today, I get goosebumps when I listen to "Maayi re...." in Madan Mohan's voice. Just one sharp note in a stanza is enough.... it changes the entire pattern of the song creating myriad colors !!!

With all these, I decided that I do not fit the bill of a music director. I always felt that there is a complete life ahead for me to listen, listen and listen. Leave those compositions to the GODS !!!

Aditi Upadhya - A Musician or A Magician !! ??

Listening again to Aditi Upadhya after a long time .... What a divine voice!!!

Be it Bhajans, Be it Khayals, Be it Tumris, even Ghazals, she always delivers her best....

I still remember our show Bhaav Yaatra at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall / Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai / NCPA, Mumbai. I was part of Sunaad which she started along with Tara Kini.

One of the situations was about Meera and her life. Shabnam Virmaani speaks about Meera, which had set the mood. Aditi started singing the meera Bhajan.

I felt chill running in my spine. What was I experiencing? I was not sure. But it was something very strange which I had not experienced till then. I had listened to meera bhajans umpteen number of times in different voices. But this was something mesmerizing and I was almost lost in those waves. Automatically, I could sense that I was failing to control my tears listening to Aditi. I had to force myself to be back into the real world as I was on stage and I had to join my voice with others in the program. Very strange that every Bhaav Yaatra show I was part of, it was similar kind of emotion I went through.

What is that these kind of musicians do to you? I think they just evoke those thoughts which you were never even aware that it was within you. Aditi is one such singer. Even today, I feel those emotions. I think that's the power of Indian music and artistes like Aditi, takes it to a different level.

One more interesting thing is that once you are finished listening to Aditi's songs, you feel so light !!! I think that's the power of music which flows through the voices of artistes like Aditi Upadhya.

Just for curiosity, here is the website about Aditi

http://www.aditiupadhya.com/

Eyes

It's been eyes, eyes, eyes all the way...

In this hot summer, those eyes definitely cools me off... but where are those eyes?? Searching... .Searching.... Searching... :)

What all happened !!!!

ok..ok... I am back again... But this time, for sure I will stay long and dump my thoughts everyday....

It's been very strange how things are changing in life....

• Daughter is already in 7th standard, she is 12 years old !!!
• My cousin's daughter is expecting a baby in few months.... that's going to make me a Thaatha.... :)
• All those folks who were kids in our marriage have grown up and have bought cars, houses, got married, and it's all in this 15 years.....

The only one thing which has not changed is the indescipline in me.... :)

But, life should change, I should change, people should change, world should change... and of course for good..... !!!