Sunday notes
A lot happened on Sunday and I have been aching to write about it ever since.
I woke up with two SMSes. Both from Sanjaya informing me about the bomb blast on Saturday in Colombo where ShahRukh Khan was performing. A hand grenade was apparently flung towards the stage and it landed on the VIP area. Two people died and several injured.
I was happy to know that I was one of the first few people to know about all this thanks to sanjaya. Wonder what kind of SMSes await when he goes to Afghanistan. Wonder if he's left already. Lost boy sanj.
The other big news was the death of MS. Felt like my grandmother died all over again. Its amazing how both these women played such a role in bringing music into my life. In most south indian families children are expected to learn any form of fine art, be it music or dance. I started with Bharatanatyam but discontinued when my grandmother discovered that I could sing. Not that I was planning to become the next Rukmini Devi Arundale...but still dance is always more glamorous. So I basically started singing at somewhere around 5 with Vande Vasudevam and Srimannarayana not knowing that I had picked half of the songs from my grandmother and the other half from MS's tapes and record player discs.
There are musicians and then there is MS. I can feel goosebumps even before the tape starts when she strums the tanpura. The alapanais, the kalpanai swaram, Namaramayanam and my favourie Annamacharya kritis especially Entamatramuna. Fair, stocky, diamond studs, diamond nose studs, jasmine flowers around her little bun. Radha Vishwanathan on the side.
I have the entire Hanuman chalisa by heart thanks to hearing that tape everyday of my life. No exaggeration. Even if I didn't pay attention to it some part of it would filter through my head and stay. So one day I just sat with a copy of the chalisa and to my surprise I could just sing without looking at the book.
Then there is her rendition of the Viriboni varnam. Everything about it is a little difficult. Its an Ata talam varnam. And to sing it with so much perfection needs something more than just plain interest in carnatic music. When I used to practice and sing people told me that I have a beautiful voice and that I should never discontinue. I felt like music was shoved down my throat. But it wasn't. I sang because it made me happy.
There won't be an MS ever again. Infact I don't think anyone will be able to sing like her ever.
Bhakti-years of practice-divinity all in one ....super woman. God of music.
I woke up with two SMSes. Both from Sanjaya informing me about the bomb blast on Saturday in Colombo where ShahRukh Khan was performing. A hand grenade was apparently flung towards the stage and it landed on the VIP area. Two people died and several injured.
I was happy to know that I was one of the first few people to know about all this thanks to sanjaya. Wonder what kind of SMSes await when he goes to Afghanistan. Wonder if he's left already. Lost boy sanj.
The other big news was the death of MS. Felt like my grandmother died all over again. Its amazing how both these women played such a role in bringing music into my life. In most south indian families children are expected to learn any form of fine art, be it music or dance. I started with Bharatanatyam but discontinued when my grandmother discovered that I could sing. Not that I was planning to become the next Rukmini Devi Arundale...but still dance is always more glamorous. So I basically started singing at somewhere around 5 with Vande Vasudevam and Srimannarayana not knowing that I had picked half of the songs from my grandmother and the other half from MS's tapes and record player discs.
There are musicians and then there is MS. I can feel goosebumps even before the tape starts when she strums the tanpura. The alapanais, the kalpanai swaram, Namaramayanam and my favourie Annamacharya kritis especially Entamatramuna. Fair, stocky, diamond studs, diamond nose studs, jasmine flowers around her little bun. Radha Vishwanathan on the side.
I have the entire Hanuman chalisa by heart thanks to hearing that tape everyday of my life. No exaggeration. Even if I didn't pay attention to it some part of it would filter through my head and stay. So one day I just sat with a copy of the chalisa and to my surprise I could just sing without looking at the book.
Then there is her rendition of the Viriboni varnam. Everything about it is a little difficult. Its an Ata talam varnam. And to sing it with so much perfection needs something more than just plain interest in carnatic music. When I used to practice and sing people told me that I have a beautiful voice and that I should never discontinue. I felt like music was shoved down my throat. But it wasn't. I sang because it made me happy.
There won't be an MS ever again. Infact I don't think anyone will be able to sing like her ever.
Bhakti-years of practice-divinity all in one ....super woman. God of music.
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