Dec 19

An instrument of thy peace!

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis (13th Century)

Dec 19

Top 10 Reasons to Cast Meghana Naidu in a movie!

Now for all those of you who are fed up of me talkin’ about Meghana Naidu… well.. just go and watch a movie of hers!! You will start liking my blog better!! Now lets be fair to her.. and to make up for the grave injustice I have meted out to Ms. Me”ghana” Naidu by so vociferously voicing my pleasure of watching her do, what she believes is to be “acting”, I list for you all the top 10 reasons for casting her in a movie! So all of you people who downplay her role in a movie, shall realize her true worthiness!

10. Her movies offer a change from the other dreary movies churned out by the Johar and Barjatya Co. Inc. with oh-so-purrrfect hero, heroines and mummies and daddies and designer sleazy clothes, and ofcourse a dog, or a cat, or a kabootar; whose only big problem in life is to choose a variety of people to fall in love with, and what locales to sing their mushy songs, and what designer clothes to wear to show how dreary our life styles are!!

9. The director for one doesn’t have to bother about a story! All that needs to be present is a couple of love making scenes thrown along with, the often beaten, washed, dry cleaned, and torn story plot of a rich boy and poor girl, or a way ward wife/husband, or a misled girl (Oh! Woebegone).

8. She is not as bad as Payal Rohatgi in terms of looks, and not as costly as Mallika Sherawat (who by the way I hear, has decided to keep her clothes on for the time being!)

7. Her movies have been proven effective in treating people with mental disorders and has effectively replaced the painful shock treatments!

6. Her movies are used to educate people on 101 ways of undressing in less than 10 secs.

We now take a break for an important announcement.. zandu balm zandu balm.. peedaa haari balm.. zandu balm.. zandu balm!!

T-Series presents the startling actor cast and re-cast once again! *bada boom.. music playing in the background* sitaaron ka sitaara.. aa rahe hain.. Kishan kumar!!! Ek nayee movie mein.. “Main Amitabh Bacchan banna chahta hoon” – music playing in the background.. “toink toink..( a pig goes oink oink).. toink toink.. aaaa… aaaa… aaaa… bada booom*

We now resume our program once again!!!

5. While her movies can be used under limited circumstances to treat depressions, it has been established that an overdoze of the same can amount to a 3rd degree torture that has been proven worthwhile in extracting the truth from hardcore criminals and terrorists.

4. The production cost of the movie is obviously going to be extremely low! The hero can be supremely forgotten as obviously it is a one-woman show. That the story writer hasn’t been paid is evident by the story line, and so is the case with the dialogue writer, and editor! The only person who seems to have enjoyed would be the cameraman (for obvious reasons!) and the male lead!

3. In case of an alien attack, which reliable resources have confirmed to me would be imminent, it can be used as a self-defence mechanism, to fool them into believing that the earthlings are supremely retarded and infectiously mediocre species, and before long they shall be running for their brains!!

2. There is no need to spend thousands on the clothes, as she quickly manages to get out of them! For the same reason it doesn’t even matter what she wears! (That should offer Salman and Govinda a challenge).

1. I would have lost a wonderful topic to write about in my blog!!!

PS:- And they said this blog was pensive and philosophical!!!!

Dec 16

Aruna Sairam: A Miracle beyond words!!!

This is the 10th time I am replaying the Kalinga Nartana Thillana composed by Sri OOthukudi Venkatasubbiyer and sung by Aruna Sairam. To say that she is splendid would be downplaying her performance, to say she is divine, may sound hackneyed! To say that she is a match unto herself, would also not put into words my feelings.. so what can one do?! But remain silent and enjoy the bliss of pure singing! The irony is that, it is hard to remain silent too!! The heart is upbeat, floating in clouds! The feet are tapping. The whatever little bit of classical dance I had learnt is playing havoc on my senses.. they are invariably tapping to the tunes set by her, and the head sways! The lips curve involuntarily in a smile even as she goes on.. “taga jaga taga jaga diRg jaga nandam… …. …. nanda sukumaara navaneeta dadhi chora…… jaya vijayeebhava nanda kumaara.. braja jana paramaananda kishora.. ” Dear Dudaas and Dudees… for heaven’s sakes.. do not miss out on this rendition! You will never realize what you have missed out on in your life all the while!
You can listen to the song here. It is the last song in the list. But obviously, you can listen to the others too! But It would be a crime to miss out on this particular rendition. Ok, let’s settle down.
So who is Aruna Sairam! Daughter of the famous Karnatik vocalist Rajalakshmi Sethuraman. She learnt Classical music under many note worthy gurus primarily, Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. T. Brinda, Veena Dhanammal, and her own mother. What really distinguishes her from many other artists is her clear diction and command over the raagas and swaras. The Alapana, the saahitya and bhaava are impeccable! The way her voice modulates as she passes through the various nuances is just mesmerizing!
Especially in this particular rendition, observe her unfaltering voice..even as she goes on a high pitch.. “taam dheem taranna taam..”, the way her voice dips even as she passes from a mode of sangeeta to saahitya.. or prose.. “nir taka nir taka taam”.. and then again.. very smoothly picks up and gains the stability, immediately picking pace on “alaka sindhoora alaka shringaara.. vadana gambheera”.. and then again slows down, “jaya vijayeebhava nanda kumaara”… and all this inspite of the immensely complex words, and with perfect diction!! Whew!! The voice dips and ups as if she is swimming deftly like a fish, diving into the water, and popping up again, in a rhythmic style of (vocal) motion, especially when she comes to the point of “mandassssssssssmitakara.. ” the momentary pause she gives is so tactical.. in the entire rendition that would have flown continuously till then.
Some of the other beautiful songs sung by her include “pillangoviya chelva krishnana”, “Anandaamruthaakarshini” by Muttuswamy Dikshitar, “venkataramanane baaro” by Purandara daasa (in this she tragically pronounces “kOmalaaMga” as “kOmaLaaMga”!!wonder why its so tough for artists to maintain their diction in other languages! Waaaaaah! I am disappointed), “Kanakashaila vihaarini” by Shyaama Shaasti (she is an exponent of the composition of Sri Dikshit, and Shri Shyama Shastri), “Himagiri tanaye hemalathe” by Muttaiah Bhagavathar, and “Enagu aane ranga” by Purandara daasa. On the flip side, if she is able to maintain her diction even in other language songs, she shall be unparallelled. One of the newspapers, I guess it was the Hindu/Indian Express, had put her status on par with Smt. M S Subbulakshmi. With all due respects, I beg to differ! Aruna Sairam is a magnificient singer, but no one can ever equal M S Subbulakshmi.
Days may seem insufficient when one is constantly lost in the waves of music, flowing so affluently from such talented artists. What say you?

Dec 15

More on love…!!!

While all you guyz are still reeling in the effects of the beautiful song “Alaipayuthey”, here is another shot in the arm of love! It has been commonly misconceived that the daasa saahitya was full of only devotion and vairagya (asceticism, renunciation, etc). Contrary to the same, we do find innumerable compositions that celebrate the love of the gopika women with Lord Krishna. It is a pity that the daasa saahitya of kannada language has not received its due exposure and appreciation as the similar works in other languages, which indeed derived a lot of inspiration from the Haridasa movement in Karnataka. One other aspect is also the fact that the amount of credit given to the works of Purandara daasa is not given to other equally brilliant composers – Kanakadaasaru, Jagannatha daasaru, mahipati daasaru, vijayavitthala daasaru, etc.
Well matters aside, the point I am trying to make is that inspite of all these people having renounced the worldly pleasures, they were still touched by the feeling of love! Even if it was towards a divine entity! It is this feeling of intense love towards God, that enabled them to compose songs that were full of the yearning of their heart, and cries of their soul! A signal of distress for their Lord to arrive quickly and provide them the pleasure of his divine company!
One of my all time favorite songs in this genre would be “ninnanagali hogalaarevo” by Vijaya Vitthala daasaru. It has been beautifully sung by Vidyabhushana. The song is mesmerizing in its effect and fills the heart with myriad of emotions ranging from love, devotion and finally supreme submission!
 
ninnanagali hogalaarevo neerajaakSha
ninna sEri suKisabaMdevO pallavi
mannisade mamateyiMda bhinna nuDigaLADi namage
haNNu tOri kALakUTavannu koDuvarEno krishna? anupallavi
 
 
 

[We (the gopikas) cannot leave you O! Lotus eyed one! We came here to enjoy the bliss of your company! Whilst thou, without affectionately fulfilling our desires, are imploring us to leave! After luring one with fruits, is it just to feed them the Kaalakuta poison?! (Krishna who would have lured the gopika women with the divine sound of his flute, tempting them with the pleasure of his company is now, by asking them to leave, feeding them the terrible poison of viraha or separation!)]

ariyuvudake shakyavallada apramEya
Adi puruSha amara sannuta
shreeta namma kaiya biDade aadarisabEku
pararAdarEnu ninna charaNa dAsaraada mEle biDuvuduMTe? 1
 
 
 

[Thou art the one immesurable and unfathomable by the human mind (Aprameya), the primal being, and the one devotedly worshipped by the Gods. O! benevolent one, do not abandon us. We may be strangers to you, but having taken shelter under your lotus feet, can you now desert us?]

baMdhu vargavannu biDuvudu
strIyarige viMdyaveMdu shaastra pELvudu
eMdigeMdigemage neene baMdhuveMdu baMdihevo
siMdhu shayana emmanyaake iMdu pOgireMbe neenu? 2
 
 
 

[It is instructed in the shaastras (sacred scriptures) that women must not leave their relatives and family. We have now come to you, thinking of you as our relative for now and ever! O the one who sleeps on the mighty ocean, why do you ask us to leave you now? (The gopikas very cleaverly maneovre the argument using the scriptures too that have asked them not to leave one’s family and relatives! They regard Krishna as their family and relative, and hence refuse to leave him!]

 
shama damAdi guNagaLiMdali sajjanaru
kramadi ninna mUrti manadali
mamateyiMda pUjisutta gamanisuvaro ninna purake
namage mAtra patisutAdya ramita suKava koDuvarEno? 3
 
 
 

[The blessed people worship you with various attributes having established your form deep within their heart! Having worshipped you with such devotion they attain your abode! Whilst you give us such an ephemeral pleasure! (The gopikas point out the bias that they feel the Lord is doing to them. Compared to the other blessed individuals who worship him in the depths of their heart, who are immediately taken to his supreme abode and enjoy his constant company, the gopikas (who ardently long for him) are being given only a momentary audience by Lord Krishna!)]

mOkSha icceyiMda ninnanu bhajipa janara
pakSha vahisidaMte nammanu rakShisade
biDuvare kaTaakShadiMda eekShisade
lakShmi dEvi ninage bahaLa necceyiMda bOdhisidaLe? 4
 
 
 

[The way you rush to the side of the people who sing your praises for the attainment of salvation, why don’t you protect us too by looking at us with your most benevolent sight? Is this something that Godess Lakshmi has taught you with much fervor? (The gopikas go further in imploring Krishna, suspecting that he is being a puppet in the hands of his wife, and doing her behest! The call upon him to come to their aid the way he does for his devotees, the ones who wish of salvation from his hands! They feel that it is his wife Lakshmi who has with great warmth taught him not to entertain other women!)]

anagha ninna nODi mOhisi aMtarAtma
tanuvu manavu ninage arpisi
janana maraNadiMda janaru daNivareno kAMta
namma manasinaMte olidu salaho vanaja nAbha vijaya vittahala 5
 
 
 

[O faultless one, we have fallen in love with you at the mere sight of yours, and have devoted our mind, body and soul to you! The mundane people suffer from the pains of birth and death! Why don’t you fulfill our wishes the way we want and protect us O thou who bore a lotus in your naabhi!]

Isn’t this such a beautiful composition that encircles the various emotions of the gopikas deprived of their love and longing for it! The plead, they accuse, they suspect, and finally in full submission call upon their Lord, to fulfill their desires! The epitome of devotion is supremely visible in the compositions! Wonder how many more such gems are yet to be explored and realized to the modern man!
 

Dec 13

Surprise of Surprises!!!

Woah!!!! Know what I was in my last birth!! A GIRAFFE!!! Hmm… seems like I have lost quite a lot of things.. the tail for instance 😉 and not to mention the loooooooooong neck!! Well.. ok.. my friends tend to disagree! They say I was more of a primate!! Oh well!!

You Were a Giraffe

You are a high achiever – able to reach things others can’t.
A great communicator, you are good at getting past superficialities.

Dec 13

Me and My Birthday!!!

Ok.. the reason I am posting this.. hehehehe.. is not to know what my birthday would mean to me.. but to let u all know when my birthday is.. so start buying the PRESENTS!!!!! 😀 😀 😀

Your Birthdate: March 19

You are resilient, and no doubt your resilience has already been tested.
You’ve had some difficult experiences in your life, but you are wise from them.
Having had to grow up quickly, you tend to discount the advice of others.
You tend to be a loner, having learned that the only person you can depend on is yourself.

Your strength: Well developed stability and confidence

Your weakness: Suspicion of others

Your power color: Eggplant

Your power symbol: Spade

Your power month: October