A concert...with a difference!

With TM Krishna, we expect the unexpected! May be, if we had a traditional concert by him, we would feel terribly cheated! We need some conversation, some discussion at the end of it. It has to provoke us in some way, stir some debate, ruffle a few feathers, raise some questions at least.  As they say, agree with, disagree with him....we can do all that, but for sure, we cannot ignore him! End of the day, the differences if any, are about packaging- packaging Carnatic music. TM Krishna questions the packaging...if I understand him correctly. Let him package music whichever way he wants. It's entirely his choice and mission. As far as we are concerned, we care about the content! We go to listen to his sublime Thodi, to his expansive Kedaragaula....to his soulful Yadukula Kambhoji. In that, he has never let us down! The rest....as they say....is detail!


It was a concert with a difference. It was a veena, violin, vocal trio...with ghatam and mridangam for percussion. And this time, none would follow the vocalist. That was the whole idea. They would each be on their own, creating their own music-scapes.....and feeding off each others' ideas.
The concert started with "mallaari"- a composition traditionally played when the temple-deity is taken around in a procession. It is set to the raga Gambhira-naattai. You can feel the rhythm in the composition- it's as if the deity is being gently rocked...a swerve here, a little toss there....as it makes its way through the streets of the temple-town! If we were edgy about what kind of musical fare would be dished out in this concert, we settled down....comfortable....wrapped in the arms of mallaari! "Augurs well...", a voice chuckled through the darkness of the hall, "to open the concert with Gambhira-naattai. Isn't Gambhir the opening batsman in the ongoing Test match!!?"


The next composition started off with a string of short raga-forays. It started with Shanmukhapriya played on the veena and covered several raga-terrains by the trio, before settling on Thodi raga. Some of the ragas weren't easy- there was Saalaka Bhairavi and Manirangu and some....which couldn't be fully deciphered. The more informed in the audience....reeled out ragas which couldn't be authentically verified. Multiple options floated around in whispers and hushed voices, and settled down only when the next raga was unfurled. It would be more obscure than the previous one. Thankfully, there was Desh and Kapi and Dwijavanti.....with their indelible signature. You can't miss them. And finally....the raga Thodi....stately as ever!


The Dikshitar kriti "Shri Krishnam bhaja maanasa" was presented elaborately. As the lines "guru pavana pura" was sung, our minds traveled to Guruvayur. "Guru-pavana-pura" is "Guru-vayu-oor". Dikshitar composed this magnum opus at Guruvayur.


The main piece of the concert was a varnam (traditionally, the opening batsman in a concert)! Yes, an opening batsman can bat lower down the order too! Why not!! The trio took up the nava-raga-maalika varnam and dealt with it elaborately. All the nine ragas were detailed, there were mini-thaanams played, followed by the actual varnam and kalpana swaras to round it off!


In fact, this opening batsman batted so low down the batting order, that there was time only for a tail-ender! The varnam was actually followed by a Thillana- Lalgudi's thillana in the raga Mohana Kalyani. If ever there is a raga which exudes happiness....undiluted, unalloyed, concentrated happiness...it has to be Mohana Kalyani! There is no other! And Lalgudi's thillana is a treat!


The concert came to a close with one of Dikshitar's "note-compositions"- a scottish tune with Sanskrit lyrics. When Dikshitar stayed at Manali (near Madras), he was influenced by the English band. We have about 38 compositions of Dikshitar in this genre. Needless to say, these compositions are a big hit with the audience! It's like tucking a "beeda" after a hearty meal!


It was time to head home. The night was still young....and cars whizzed past the road. Saturday night has a relaxed feel to it. Monday is still very far away!
People hung around..... in animated conversation... with an acquaintance here, an old friend there....a rather barmy atmosphere you can say.

You cannot slink away from a TM Krishna concert quietly. Soon, we had a huddle of our own. "So..... gentlemen! Gentlemen!.....A varnam...a varnam... as the main-item! Of course, it was brilliant....most undoubtedly. Don't get me wrong on that. But.....but... a varnam. Next, what are we going to hear.....as the piece-de-resistance......may I ask? A mangalam...may be... in the next concert? May be...the National-Anthem...with a raga-alapana....and a thaanam ....while we all stand in attention for two hours?" We cleared our throat to find an answer. Someone shot back, "Why not! Why not.....!? And who said varnam was the main piece? To me, all the pieces were equally important!"


Evidently, this debate could go nowhere! TM Krishna had made his point! I took the easiest option out. "Cheerio! Getting late... mate! Catch you another day!" As we got onto the main-road with a left-turn at the lights, the mind was on a high. A dash of Mallaari, a dollop of Thodi, a scoop of Mohana Kalyani, the finest Scottish brew....all blended effortlessly.... to make it the most engaging cocktail! Now, now...who is complaining!!!?

Vignettes of Chennai

There is little to match the pleasure of the aimless stroll- you  go where your legs take you! You can start from anywhere. I did just that each day....took an auto-rickshaw and got down at the "tank"- Mylapore tank. From then on, I let my feet take complete control- choosing this lane over the other, turning into a little street here at the roundabout, an alley there....and simply soaked in.... the sights and sounds of Chennai. The smells couldn't be missed too- the fragrance of jasmine, the aroma of rich, freshly-ground coffee and the heady pull of "masaal-vadai" from the wayside hotels! 


But....the aimless stroll has one cardinal rule- you don't pause and get caught-up in any particular topic. That's the trick. You "observe" with a keen eye.....and register all the details...the cyclist, the auto-rickshaw, the car, the cow, the crow, the people, the tiffin-menu.... but you let-go each time...and walk past. You walk, observe, walk, observe...walk....
It's therapeutic....I tell you... and the perfect antidote to break the tedium of routine, the routine of our lives....the "triteness of being"!


It was thus that I found myself at Ramakrishna Mission as I turned the corner. The location changed...but not the approach-  I didn't rush to the main structure- the prayer hall, spend the ten-minutes and dash out! That routine will wait another day. Instead, I chose to linger around the satellite buildings.  The foundation stone went back to 1906 and the "Old-Temple" came up in 1916! Sri Ramakrishna's direct disciple, Swami Ramakrishnananda was sent by Vivekananda to Chennai...and the mission's activities in the south started from this very site.....a hundred years ago! The plaques were informative and marked key spots around the entire campus.
I selected a spot facing the Library. To the right is the "Old Temple". To the left is a park with a monument. The sky....in swirls of grey...and the ground...damp...with a hint of overnight drizzle and strewn with yellowed leaves. A canopy of trees spread its gnarled fingers...over the entire pathway.

Perfect setting! Sitting down on the steps....I took out the sketch book and the sharpened, 2B pencil and drew. 

Just a rough, loose, breezy sketch....an attempt to convey the mood of the moment, without worrying about exactness or detail. In an hour, I was done....the outlines inked in black. It was time to head home. Later in the day, I faired it up, with water-colors and color-pencils.


The next day, my stroll took me to the Kapaleeshvara Temple, one of Chennai's most celebrated temples. I selected a remote spot, facing the shrine of "Punnai-vana-natha". Lord Shiva is Punnai-vana-natha....the Lord (natha) of the forest (vana) of "punnai" (punnaga, "Alexandrian Laurel" in English) trees. As per the Temple-Purana, Parvati, in the form of a peacock ("mayil") worshipped Lord Shiva at this very shrine. That's how "Mayilaapore" got its name!

 


People thronged the temple premises...to form queues to get to the main-sanctum and to see the "vahanas" on display. I chose to "observe".....the place, the people..... and a little cat which stretched itself on the stony-corridor...mindless of the commotion around!
And that's when the sketch was born...I drew what I saw....till it got so dark that I couldn't see any more! The next day, I faired it up at home, with black-ink and a quick, water-color wash!


Ultimately, Chennai is about having oodles of time on your hands. It's about that inexplicable feeling of leisure; it's about reconfirming from the clock that it's only 7:30 in the morn but you felt it should be 11 am,  it's about taking your time over a cup of hot filter-coffee tucked with the morning Hindu, it's about overhearing Carnatic music from the neighbor's, it's about the raucous caw of the crow at the window-sill, it's about the eye-piercing dazzle of the afternoon sun!!!

That's how the other home-sketches came up. Just drew what I saw each day. It's all about a box of colors and time....that's all you need!

Flight Plight

Flight journeys are not for the squeamish...for the faint-hearted I mean. The human mind may soar, but the human body is intrinsically, firmly anchored to the earth. Little wonder, air travel is somehow not natural. There is an element of the bravado in it, almost like bungee-jumping!


Let's face it- we all go through it.　Our denial is not going to change the fact about Air Travel. It is just　not as easy as stepping inside a train compartment. We naturally relax into the environs of the train- slip our suitcases below the berth, kick-off the footwear in a hurry, change into some relaxed pajamas and have the liberty to stretch our legs in full　or sit cross-legged or even do a head-stand if　we chose to! The ease, the freedom and the informality of it all!

Air Travel presents a contrasting picture of sorts. It's a tight-fit from the moment you step in- like squeezing yourself in a size-0 skinny-pair of jeans, when you actually belong to a commodious extra-large and beyond!
The seat is compact and so is everything else.　A single　posture into which you compress your　whole frame and have to hold it for 16 hours flat! Every movement has to be measured.　　One　careless move and you would have jabbed your neighbor’s sides with your elbow or knocked his spectacles off...when you tried to stretch your arms. When food is served, it needs a different skill altogether- the table is miniscule, the items many and space at　an absolute　premium. It's like a Mumbai chawl.　Elbows tucked to the body, you nibble at it- as a squirrel would. Attention has to be full and complete- else,　you could topple and bring down the entire food-pyramid topped with a coffee-cup....and watch it helplessly run down your trousers, your neighbors and into the aisle! At the end of the journey, there is confirmation that you can successfully do another job- the job of a contortionist!


Part of the problem of Air-Travel is the fear-factor. Already the mode of travel is unnatural. The exaggerated safety-instructions kick off a few more butterflies in the belly! The seat has to be upright, the waist-belt fastened and the mobile switched off.　The cabin lights have to be dimmed and windows open in full. It's as if...if we got even one of these things wrong, the plane wouldn't take-off....or worse...leave it!　It needs just one non-compliant person to forget to switch off his mobile- it could completely upset this delicate apple-cart!


If we watch the safety drill, it's as if anything and everything　could happen. Forewarned is forearmed one might say....but the safety-information lets our imagination run riot!　Oxygen masks could rain down, the plane could land in water, you may have to bob around in the middle of the ocean on a　floatation-device (which is of course placed under the seat)..... and sometimes, use an enormous slide to slip out of the plane in a tearing hurry!
"Sir, are you ok sitting at the emergency-exit seat?" asks a polite airhostess. Ruffled as we already are, it's tough to give a cogent answer. Our gut-reaction is often, "Madam, am I at a greater risk　in sitting here?　Would I need to hold the door-shut if it were to accidentally open in mid-air? Is there any such possibility...and if there is, I am out of here...for sure!" Unfortunately, there is no exit-strategy, strapped as we are, to our safety-belt. We mumble a　quick yes...and resign ourselves to fate and a few prayers!


But once you are 20000 feet in the air, you're not edgy anymore. The jangled nerves relax, the seat-belt sign is off and　life is balmy once more! The dazzle of the sunshine, the ink-blue sky...and occasional wispy, cotton-like clouds floating by- air-travel has its unique window-shows!
You've eaten the choicest of chocolates of the world. It doesn't matter. When the airhostess gets the tray with the toffees.... all nicely arranged....and lights up the display with a brilliant smile, it's a different feeling altogether. It's suddenly tough to make a selection of one or two. There is an irresistible urge to reach for the candies by the fistful...or taking possession of the entire tray!
You hear the swish of the coke-cans　being opened, the orange-juice poured out, the aroma of fresh coffee and an occasional "Tomato-Juice, no ice please!"


The background sound fades away　to the　crisp voice of the pilot from the cockpit. "We've begun our descent...." He ends　his short speech with elan.　"As part of the crew, we thank you for flying our airlines. We wish you the very best in　your journey ahead!" Such elegance, such poise! Surely, train-travel cannot match this sophistication by a distance!


As the plane prepares for the final-landing, I can see my neighbor scrutinizing my features- my knuckles going white, my clenched jaw. "Relax...relax!! I told you　Air Travel is the safest means of transport! Haven't you seen the numbers? Getting knocked down when you are walking on the footpath has a higher probability!" The argument is compelling. I relaxed till he threw in the rider. "But yes, I do agree. It's a boolean!"　 "What do you mean...it is a boolean?" I shot back. "Well....it means the answer is 1...and sometimes, a 0...but never in-between!" he trailed away...before breaking into a fit of wicked laughter!

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

In the making....

This year's Ganesha....seated gingerly over mooshik!

Weekend doodle: Ganesha at Meenakshi Temple, B'ghatta Rd

Ganesha- Pencil-color sketch... Saturday morn..done on location!

Weekend breezy sketch - ink and pencil-color

View from Narasimha Temple, Bannerghatta Rd



Last month's sketch- At sister's place, Detroit!

Of bags and baggage!

The baggage-claim area is a great leveler. Prince or pauper, business-class pampered mogul or the economy-class huddled software engineer, regardless of your tag, you have to jump through the same hoops when it comes to picking your baggage. It is inescapable.


If you land in India, the great Indian mela starts right here, at the baggage-claim area. It's a lot like our traffic, never a dull moment. Carousels, running conveyor belts, suddenly-stopped-running belts, baggage on the belt, baggage outside the belt, baggage-about-to-tip-over from the belt, travelers, attendants, side-kicks, everything choc-a-bloc...you name it! It isn't easy for the flight-weary or the faint-hearted. Regardless of how we are built, our baggage for sure, is made of sterner stuff.


They say that a home-raised village-cow is equipped with its own biological Google-map!  Even if you were to abandon it miles away, it will make its way back to the owner with unerring accuracy. 
Our baggage does even better. We are challenged when it comes to our multi-leg international flights-  to find the correct flight, the correct gate and wade through miles of airport-terminals, corridors and security-scanners. Surprisingly, the baggage manages to do all this, that too unaccompanied with effortless ease! It's baffling. Little wonder, we question and repeatedly, "Does the baggage go all the way to San Francisco or do I pick it up at Dubai?". "No sir! It is checked all the way to San Francisco!" We are forced to confirm one more time. "You mean I pick it up....er...er....at San Francisco directly?" "Yes sir", comes the blunt reply.
And sure enough, it's there for you at the carousel at San Francisco- blinking with the same beady eyes, just the way you left it at Bangalore! It's simply unbelievable!


If ever our baggage had a catwalk of their own, their two minutes of fame, where a hundred eyes stayed glued to them, it has to be at the conveyor belt. Unlike a regular catwalk, you don't have to be an eye-candy to be a head-turner here. In fact, the more unconventional your looks, the more points you get. Just think about it- all your branded suitcases file past...prim and proper. And suddenly, out of the blue, stumbles along.....this box of Alphonso mangoes! Just a simple cardboard box, wriggling its way, with a vernacular script scrawled all over, from some nondescript place on this planet. It has no zips, no handles, no bells or whistles! If you have to lift it, it is by the scruff of the neck- by the coir-rope which keeps the box together. As make-shift and raw as that, but it invites all attention! And as it floats by, through the crack in the cardboard lid, you spot the little yellow of the ripening Alphonso mango! You break into a smile, run your tongue over your lips- it's so overly inviting, standing right there at the carousel! The Alphonso mango gets more shutter-bugs than anyone out there!


A 14-hour flight is grueling. It's hard on the body for sure, but it takes a greater toll on the mind, reducing you to an absolute zombie. Suddenly, you can't recall anything about how your luggage looked! It's a state of total blankness. You can't recall if it was black or navy-blue or red, rectangular or triangular. As the pieces of luggage float past, your sleepy brain gives you opposite messages. Either it urges you to reach out for every piece out there because they all look familiar or it tells you to stay aloof because none of them seem vaguely related. You kick yourself. At least, you could have spent that one minute to tie a friendship-band of sorts, some terribly ugly ribbon which would have made life simple. Now, it's a lost cause. You drift off and think about Rama. The other day, he would have felt just as helpless, reduced to a mute spectator, watching Vali and Sugriva clawing at each other! They both looked alike, much like these suitcases so that he couldn't tell one from the other.  The solution was simple. Sugriva wore a garland the next day and now, Rama could unerringly aim his arrow at Vali. It was a simple and effective plan.
I took a leaf out of this episode.  On my way back, I tied this most eye-piercing green, fluorescent ribbon at the handle of the black suitcase. But life isn't as easy as the Ramayana narrative. To my utmost surprise, at the Bangalore airport, a dozen black suitcases all landed up, with the same ribbon at the handle! Imagine what Rama would have done had Vali also turned up with a garland the next day? For sure, he would have broken his Kodanda bow in two, and moved on... to other vocations in life!!!


Sometimes, an enormous waiting game gets played out. The last few get to play this game, and yes, you are one of them! Suddenly, no one wants to pick up suitcases from the ring any more. The suitcases keep spinning and spinning for eternity. Each time, you look at it expectantly, only to realize that it's the same one which picked your curiosity the last time too! "Why are they even there in the first place...if no one wants them!" you feel like yelling. The problem is- all the players out there... are equally affected by a sudden bout of amnesia. No one remembers his suitcase anymore. Each one is waiting for the other to blink first, take his suitcase and move, so that the last man standing can take the left-over and leave!! This war of attrition can be terribly draining, and played out at a point when you can barely stand.


Suitcases are like us. Each one has a distinct personality. I believe, we deserve the suitcase we get! There are party-animals out there, who have hit it off with other suitcases, in the course of their journey. It is evident that they have had a great time- they come bunched up, all heady and excited, tumbling down.....almost falling over each other...and off the conveyor belt!! And then, there is the loner. The rest of humanity has walked away with its bags and you stand alone at the carousel. It is terribly lonely out there.....with carousels stretching till the horizon and not a soul in sight. (This is of course the US). You feel you could get mugged. That's when the loner ambles along, shuffling his feet, on the conveyor belt, with not a care in the world! You have half a mind to give him a nice kick in the back. He richly deserves it, but you restrain yourself. At least, he showed up. Otherwise, you would have had to file a missing claim, which would be another headache!


Gently, I open suitcase flap and peer into the contents for confirmation. There is an overwhelming sense of relief- to spot a bright-red jockey brief! It is surely mine! I yank out a trolley, stack-up the suitcase, wheel it past the sliding door......and melt into the sunshine! I have just one thought running in my mind. The next time, I am going to play it real safe. My suitcase will be easiest to spot. He's going to be dressed like Superman, with my red-jockey on the outside! Surely, no one would have thought of that!!




San Francisco Airport- Sketch done on location! (Air Alaska in foreground)