Road to Rancharda

rancharda is a small village near ahmedabad with a picturesque lake view......

Sun as it were standing there
Clouds covering all its flair
The roads shining with heaven’s love
And claiming to be the path to heaven

Heaven’s love is pouring down
Giving a new look to the town
Tainted grass revamp their sheen
Covering the earth with a new gown

The mud is sweating after long
Fragrance striking my heart’s gong
Reverberating, resonating
The hysteria strikes me strong
And I listen to nature’s song

The modernity flourishing at the left
And sheep gazing at the right
As I pass through the
Boulevard of this confluence
Nature and men both exist!!!!!

To a dying poet-something really random

Read not your pain
through the pangs of your verses
fall not thy esteem
don't weep, don't curse
shy away not oh poet
from reality

A tabla virtuoso

India has been a prominent player in bringing up new music maestros and giving them a platform to perform. Indian classical music,from its inception has a cultural confluence of both Indian and Pakistani cultural both being quite similar but interestingly different. we have seen maestros like ustad bade ghulam ali khan moving from Pakistan to India and many of them still find a lot of space to perform and create their on niche in the indian music minds. But some like ustad tari khan have come up in spite of not foraying into the indian music arena. He hails from the popular Punjab gharana, one which also belongs to the legendary ustad zakir hussain khan sahib. Lets not fall in a debate over who is better in them. Enjoy this video of ustad tari khan with pundit ramesh mishra on sarangi. You will be dumbfounded to see his command over "terekit" in this gharanedar peskkash.i hope you will like it!!!

darkness

For he who believes in darkness is courageous. Close your eyes and enter the world of darkness, which may be black or brown. Darkness gives space to your imaginations and thoughts; you foresee the unpredictable future and cast your expectations and dreams at the place you want without demur. For the darkness which symbolizes grief, pain, distortion, death and mystery; it also symbolizes light, which in every age had widened a man’s horizon. In the Dark Age people were subjected to atrocities and the vanguards of radical thinking were suppressed and their theories were falsified. But it gave rise to the “radical thinking” which forced people to start a revolution and stand upright against the tyrants. The necessity to gain freedom from the controlled thoughts gave rise to a new age. After every night comes a day leaving the night’s grim. Darkness symbolizes failure and the courage to fight back. You arise a profound feeling-“I shall rise and resurrect…”

Darkness is patience, perseverance, strength and the very essence of life. So I say

“Darkness I adore you

For you, arise a hope

For a death, to stand and resurrect”

Interest on realization

The answer was so simple

But didn’t struck my mind

And then it came to me

Spoke aloud, but still an answer to find

Hey boy! It whispered

Thought was it, I realized

It is not your interest, I heard

Not a passion, neither your pride

It is just a path you followed

Path so simple, trodden and smooth

At my eye’s wink, all was gone

I woke up to realize, it was a dream

Got up and looked at the sun

Trying to re-collect what was the question

What is your interest? It said

With a heart full of regret

I got the answer, it was

Music, my interest on realization…

a rough layout...

Not long back i was in search of doing something creative, so penned down this superficial incomplete story. as one may read it, they'll find that i've drawn some inspiration from the movie rock on!! and mixing it with some love aspects and my knowledge of indian classical music...i find the last paragraph quite pathetic and i am trying to refine it.....the story is still incomplete...post in your comments....

He was still feeling drowsy and day dreaming as he woke up after a short sleep. This had been Sid’s routine since the day he came to Mumbai. It was hard for him to give up the frills he got in Delhi living in a bungalow situated in a posh locality. But he has been living in Mumbai or Bombay (the name which he prefers more) since past two years adapting to the change quite fast. It was 10am in the morning, his mind was still occupied and immersed in the tunes of raga kirwani, as if he was still playing his guitar and trying to give western tunes a classical touch. Raga kirwani to the western ears is the harmonic minor scale, a matter of interest for most of the HCM maestros interested in fusion music. He had forgotten to switch off his music player which was lying amidst the plethora of records which he had collected all these years. It was still playing the recital by his favorite artist Ustad Rashid khan sahib

“Tore bina mohe chain nahi brij ke nand lal…………… “ .

He felt closer to god while listening to Indian classical music then visiting a shrine and offering prayer to God which he would seldom do. He got a divine feeling every time he listened to classical music, understanding each and every nuance and harkat (movement) by the artist pertaining to the values of the raga very well. He felt as if he transcended all the boundaries of time and moved to a world of notes where he could conjure an image of the thought put forward by the verses. Be it radha’s suffering due to the biraha(separation) from lord Krishna or dadur’s (frog) galloping in the monsoon season, every notion made him feel divine. His bachelor’s at the saint Stephen’s college in Delhi had helped him a lot in meeting people of his interest, music. He would regularly attend concerts at the India habitat centre and other prominent places and remain attuned to the new developments in the field of classical music.

His room partner Rohan who was a student at the Sir J.J School of arts had not showed up since past two days but Sid didn’t care to call him as was sure that he must have ventured into some sinister activity again. He enjoyed the time he spend alone at his flat with the sea shore in the front and books to read. He remembered how he had saved rohan from a doping racket last year, when police had raided a suburban farm house in Pune. This was the India’s new youth, smoking and doping, a generation awakened.

Sid really had a tiresome session yesterday night at his friend’s studio gallop. He had not slept for past two days, so coming back home at 5am he went to bed without much ado. But as he woke up he suddenly realized “Aah“He had to call jenny in the morning.

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He helped himself with a cup of coffee and sat on a charpoy placed at a corner of his well furnished room. He was not a mobile freak and would often search for his mobile around his place. He checked the voice messages:-

“Hello, this is Jenny here. Waited a long for your call, but……anyways I have got your answer, Best of luck to you.”

He felt a deep inside his heart, tears rolled down his cheeks and he closed his deep blue eyes as if he was going back in a yesteryear’s dream. How beautiful it was to be with her!! The quality time they spent together at Uncle Joseph’s farmhouse last summer. He suddenly realized something and with a deep sigh tapped his feet and went across to put the television on. He turned on to news; it was jenny’s first day as a news reader at a local news channel stationed few streets away. There came she, live on a national television as beautiful as ever and her charisma had flourished. Her hair was cut short but still she looked amazing. He gave way to his whims and was back in time. He got nostalgic getting a glimpse of her after such a long time. But regaining his sense, he realized his decision “I won’t budge”.

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“Where the hell are you? “asked Asim. He has known Asim, a techno geek and a recluse since past three years, meeting for the first time at a college competition in Delhi where both of them were part of different bands. Asim earns his living by composing jingles and music for short films at his studio gallop. Sid jumped of his bed to realize it was 2 pm in the afternoon and he had failed to turn up on time for his session again. He got ready and left a message for his missing room mate. Sid was a band member of “raga to rock” since he came to Bombay. The band was influenced by the music of Pink Floyd and the fusion acts of the group like Shakti and tabla beat science both being niche players. Sid’s band played rock ballads based in classical without undermining the nuances of psychedelic rock. They focused on blending traditional Indian styles of music with rock music. After a couple lounge acts and stage shows they were immerging as a popular rock band in the Mumbai rock scene. They called themselves a “psychedelic fusion rock band”.

He reached the studio at ten past four. He moved silently across the corridor and entered the studio, he felt as if he suddenly went deaf. He took his guitar before anyone could react. He was an excellent guitar player with a prowess over flamenco style. Asim took the lead vocals, a trained classical singer and guitarist. His friends called him the new age “curt cobain”. Sameer took the drums and Aaron on the bass guitar. They still needed a full time guitarist.

The other three had already started working on their last night’s composition written by Sameer. Sameer was a six feet tall robust guy with a protruding nose and long hair. He has been writing poetry since his days at Xavier’s, where he met Asim. This one was written for his last girlfriend who broke off with him after hearing the tails of his amorous adventures. He looked elegant in his usual gear, a Levis jeans and a khadi kurta. This was becoming an alternative fashion in metro cities.

“Start from the eighth bar and sameer you be alert don’t miss the train…” called asim. After a three hour long session they suspended for a tea break and went to the nukkad.

“So, Sid you lookin quite numb today, any problem?” inquired asim. Everyone was eager to know about his new stand on his relationship with jenny. “Cut it off guys, I haven’t slept a wink since past two days and have been surviving on cups of tea and Benson….” He bluffed. “Come on dude call jenny and tell her sorry, after all it was your mistake. Kaka ek aur cup….” demanded Aaron, gulping his last bit of tea.

Sid was in grade 3 when his school teacher first realized his inclination towards music. His parents anticipated his urges and put him in a local music school where they taught him guitar. Being a fast learner, he learnt scales faster then his batch mates and started playing Hindi songs on his guitar. Guitar wasn’t a common instrument those days amongst the youngsters. It was for the elite people who wanted to add one jazzier element to their repertoire. Money was never a matter of thought for Sid but he was always respected the power money.

Music And Lyrics-way back into love

"way back into love" is a song from the movie -music and lyrics, sung by hugh grant and haley bennet. Both of them star in the movie as well!! hugh grant plays alex fletcher ,member of a yesteryear's band "POP" . The song is touching and melodious....treat to ears...


I’ve been living with a shadow overhead
I’ve been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I’ve been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can’t seem to move on

I’ve been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need them again someday
I’ve been setting aside time
to clear a little space in the corners of my mind

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
Oh oh oh

I’ve been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I’ve been searching but I just don’t see the signs
I know that it’s out there
There’s got to be something for my soul somewhere

I’ve been looking for someone to shed some light
not just somebody just to get me through the night
I could use some direction
and I’m open to your suggestions

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I’m hoping you’ll be there for me in the end

There are moments when I don’t know if it’s real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart to you
I’m hoping you’ll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I’ll be there for you in the end