A Listless Wait

A listless morning on a May Saturday. Will it rain today? What shopping, eating, roaming is on the cards? What IPL tamasha is in store? What else......?

Listless waiting marks my life. Have you thought how much our technology world has added to our listlessness? Waiting for downloads, googling for news,surfing channels, wheeling through iPod tracks, scanning FB, Twitter, waiting for others to like our posts...a marked listlessness, a sure sign of utter boredom desperate for some excitement...not unlike old neighbours prying into the neighbourhood windows hoping to catch some action.

We read in the epics how Rama waited out 14 years in the forest. No real action except some rakshasa battles and an abduction. And some monkey business. That's all. It seems he did not even get to listen to stories from sages like Yudhisthira did. Not to mention that his brothers and wife gave the latter more colourful episodes to recall later.

In Bhagavadgita, Krishna says that the realized one is indifferent to goings-on around him. There is no more that looking outward for happenings. No Dil Mange More. Of course these days the cult symbols of 'asking for more' like Sriman SRK get into all sorts of trouble. In fact all the news around us instruct us constantly that greed and avarice and lust always lead to trouble. But that seems to be no deterrent as we are also equally beset with bombardments of how we should seek more...male face whitening creams, herbal oils that make hair grow on even old baldies, and 'eat all you can' buffets. Buy One and Get One Free culture.

But the corollary to asking for more is waiting. Listless waiting. Not waiting for the rain clouds to bring news of your long lost beloved. Not waiting like Shabari. Not waiting for your loved ones to come back after decades of wandering away. But waiting for things to happen to fulfill your unstated, undeciphered, vague, amorphous, ambiguous, inexplicable, desire for more.

Sorry. Even God can't fathom what I want. It seems to apply to all our listless waiting.

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My cup of coffee

There is a reason I put this picture here, rather than that of only a frothy stainless steel tumbler. South Indian coffee is a religion, and just as you don't understand much of any religion by merely visiting a temple, you don't understand our passion for coffee by just seeing the tumbler or even sipping our coffee a bit.
To make you understand how ingrained our passion is, let me tell you of a visit to Srirangapatna about 50 years ago. My mother was a traditional lady who did not even drink water taken from anywhere outside our home. But that day, after the amblings around the temple town, in the hot afternoon, she needed her coffee fix. Not knowing anybody in that place, not of course ever going to drink coffee in a restaurant, we bought coffee powder, a vessel(?), milk, sugar, and made coffee on the roadside by burning dry leaves and sticks. Finally my mother got her drink of a darkened suboptimal concoction from a blackened vessel, but that was enough of a fortifying fix to continue the trip.
Coffee is to us what soma rasa might be to gods or wine to nabobs. Or scotch and rum to soldiers and sailors. Or beer to Germans, Britishers and Aussies.
I recollect the heady aroma of coffee in the trade-fair grounds in Saba Saba Fair in 1976. That was my first trip abroad and I was representing Government of India in the Tanzania Fair. Like a homing bird, or Captain Haddock to his bottle, I ran towards where the coffee was brewing. It made my day to drink a strong brew, and my delight was to know how coffee was a passion all over Africa and Arabia. In fact they explained how East African economies sorely depended on coffee exports.
I confess my attendance at International conferences is somewhat motivated by the thought of those shiny copper coffee machine stalls that generous trade booths install, where you can get a fresh brew served by smiling attendants.
Some more evidence. Many years ago, when a Madrassi friend married a Delhi Punjabi girl, his mother packed all the pathos of her disapproval into a pithy question, "Can she make coffee?"
And my sister-in-law, who surely will remember this: a strappling teenager decades ago, she came rushing out of her hostel at Rukmani Devi's Kalakshetra on the first day, a picture of rude shock, shedding copious tears and exclaiming, "They don't serve coffee here!" Sagely advice alone didn't suffice, I had to take her and get her two ice-creams on Mount Road to make her stay back in her chosen dance school.
Coffee is more than anything else. It is only next to mother's milk for us.
I have found the American way of drinking 'Starbucks' watery, black, tepid coffee from large mugs totally incomprehensible. It's somewhat like a ritual that drains all feeling from a sacred experience and leaves behind only a nominal diluted remnant of the hoary tradition.
I find the ways of the Europeans who sip a spoonful of strong black coffee, sometimes laced with alcohol, also difficult to appreciate. Give me any time coffee with milk, and no sugar please! because I think it is sacrilegious to sweeten a drink with its unique taste straight from heaven. Make it from a fresh brew in a coffee filter, pour milk till it froths, and serve it in a tumbler or a cup. And make sure it is hot.
Wherever I have lived, in Hyderabad, Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Erlangen, Sydney, Singapore, Mysore, Bangalore....we first located the sacred spots where we could get good filter coffee powder. That determined our love for that place. It gave us after all meaning in life.

My dalliance with coffee machines, percolators, French presses, all have convinced me that there is only one right way- that of using a coffee filter. Of course even more fanatic purists say that coffee should be strained with a cloth. Well. That is how my father made coffee. And he drank it from a silver tumbler.
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Mausiqui ek Khoj

Dear friends,
Last Friday I saw a beautiful programme called Mausiqui ek Khoj at 4:30 pm on DD Bharati.

How I wish Charulata Mani's excellent "A Raga's Journey" could take shape like this one...

The programme is presented by Ustad Shujaat Khan every week and explains the nuances of a Hindustani raga, with beautiful video examples. Last Friday it was Tilak Kamod, which he described (rightly I think!) as a raga of "innocence". Shujaat is the son of Vilayat Khan, and Ustad Shahid Parvez, one of my favourites, is his cousin I think. The programme is beautiful and reminded me of the short and sweet "Sangeet Sarita" on Vivid Bharati that I used to enjoy in olden "golden" days.
I would now like to share with you a piece from my CD collection of Ustad Shahid Parvez here. It is a Thumri in Tilak Kamod... it is incredible:


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New iPad- how good?

Here is my Picasaweb photo viewed  zoomed up on iPad 1 using Web Albums:

The selfsame photo viewed on the new iPad or iPad 3 (slightly different zoom and placement, sorry)

Better, don't you think, mate?

Product Life Cycle in Carnatic Music

Today's Hindu reports that Ilayaraja congratulated classical music students and said that their pursuit of music would take them closer to God. This is an oft-repeated idea I can easily resonate with. If you're sensitive to music, you can feel its impact deep inside, something nothing else has been able to match in my case.
While music is therefore an inner journey towards the Anaahata or Om or God, we see that classical musicians also have an outward journey in the market place of audiences, sabhas and concerts. I am yet to come across a musician who is indifferent to audience response. It is therefore a very external world phenomenon, much like any other aspect of our life.
Since musicians perform as professionals, they are also 'selling' their music. This is hard to swallow when you're thinking of a Thyagaraja composition saying money is nothing, or dwelling in Rama confers ultimate bliss. But the real world of musical performances have audiences, tickets, promos. If this is not marketing, what else is it?
When you start thinking of a Carnatic musician's marketing or branding, the idea of a product life cycle seems relevant.

I have come across two interesting studies of celebrity/artiste life cycle here:
Indie_music.pdf
celebrity life cycle

Now, let me add my two pennies. I think the attributes that make CM artistes successful vary in the different product life cycle phases. Novelty, euphony, presence, virtuosity, authenticity (=adherence to tradition, repertoire etc.) all have varying roles in making artistes successful, depending on the phase they are in. This also makes it all the more important that they do not launch prematurely and/or burn out. After all today's audiences are notorious for craving new entertainments and we will never again see 30-40 year celebrity careers.

So here is a spider chart on attributes for Carnatic music success in different product life cycle phases- launch, growth and maturity.
So dear artiste, don't launch early, do benchmark your success attributes, and reinvent yourself!

(click the graphic to view in better resolution)

Comments are more than welcome!
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Rasaanubhava - ಬೀದಿ ಹೂವು

ಬೀದಿ ಹೂವು
ಹಳೆ ಊರ ಮುಖವನೆ ಮರೆಸಿ ಭೂಮಿಯಲಿ ಮಳೆ ಹೊಡೆದು
ಮನೆ ಎಂದು ಹೆಸರಿಟ್ಟು ಕನಸ ಲಿಫ್ತಲಿ ನನ್ನ ಹತ್ತಿಸಿದೆ.
ನಾನೊಬ್ಬ ಬೆಪ್ಪಣ್ಣ ಈ ಊರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾವುಲಿಯಂತೆ ಜೋತು ಬಿದ್ದೆ.

ಈ ತೋಲಾಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ರಸಾನುಭವ?
ಈ ಜಂಜಾಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ಹೂವಿನಾಸ್ವಾದ?
ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆಯ ಮಾಧುರ್ಯವೆಲ್ಲಾ ಬರೀ ಒಂದು ಸ್ಕ್ರೀನ್ ಸೇವರ ಚಿತ್ರ.
ಚಂಪಕದ ಕಂಪು ಬರೀ ಒಂದು ಅಗರಬತ್ತಿಯ ಧೂಪವಷ್ಟೇ.

ಹೀಗಿರುವಾಗ.

ಅಚ್ಚರಿ! ಅಚ್ಚರಿ!
ಇಂಥಾ ಬರಡು ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲೂ
ವಿಧಾತನ ಕೈವಾಡ.
ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ರಸಾನುಭವ.
ಹೂವಿನ ಹಸಿ ಹಸಿ ನಗೆ.
ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಮೊಬೈಲ್ ಫೋಟೋ.
ಅದನ್ನೇ ವರ್ಣಿಸಿ ಬರೆದ ಕವಿತೆ.

ಎಂಥಾ ರಸ ಮಿಂಚಿನ ಅನುಭವ.
ಎಂಥಾ ಚಿಂತನ.
ಎಂಥಾ ಸಿಂಚನ.

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IPad - some way to make a pitch!

See the magic that iPads can do in clever hands:

Why did Rama break Shiva's Bow?

The year is 2014. The scion of the first family has been anointed as the new PM. But all is not well. BJP is clamouring, with renewed support from the people, that Rama's temple should be built and Ramrajya should be ushered in. The opposition is taking pot shots at the young PM saying he does not represent the true spirit of India and has no knowledge of Indian scriptures.

The young PM decides to bone up quickly on Indian epics and starts reading Amar Chitra Katha Ramayana. (highly recommended).

When he comes to the chapter of Swayamvara, a quaint story where Rama weds Sita after breaking Shiva's bow, he is intrigued. How come Rama won the maiden's hand when he just broke a bow rather than show his mastery of it by stringing it and shooting an arrow? After all, Arjuna (another Amar Chitra Katha) actually won Draupadi's hand by shooting the fish yantra by merely seeing its reflection. And then there was one more episode where Buddha (Siddhartha then) won his bride by shooting an arrow through seven saal trees. So Rama looks a bit clumsy or what?

He quickly summons his core cabinet and asks them to explain the significance of the story. He gets many sagely answers:

• Defence Minister : Since Rama already had a powerful bow and sacred arrows bestowed by Vishwamitra, he just didn't want extra baggage. And like the US Forces rountinely destroy armament so it doesn't fall into enemy hands, Rama broke the bow.
• Culture Minister : Well, that is only partly true. The actual reason is that Ravana, being a Shiva bhakta, could always do some penance standing on one finger or such and then Shiva would have been forced to grant him the bow, which would make Ravana truly invincible. So better to break it before Ravana gets some ideas.
• Telecom Minister : We Dravidians think Rama did something hasty. The bow could have been used for advanced telecom technologies, given that it had the biggest vibration spectrum in all creation. But Rama, like Subramanya Swamy, basically destroyed a means to Indian telecom modernisation.
• Science and Technology Minister : the story is actually proof that Vedic people had a mastery of all advanced software techniques. The bow represented an encryption technique, and Rama basically broke the code, not the actual bow. That is how he became so powerful.
• Space Minister : We have to remember that all scientific experiments have some initial setbacks, like the early missiles we launched. Rama broke Shiva's bow, but the second time, when he was tested with Vishnu's bow by Parashurama, he was able to string it. That means we should get an adequate budget for the space programme.
• Russian Expert : It is a design fault in the bow. The materials testing employed was not very advanced. That is why we have significantly improved the technology in Kudankulam and our reactor is unbreakable.
• The President Dr Kalam has the final say. He says, "Rama should have read the operator manual. That shows education is important for the future generations of India."

Surf Excel - your path to progress

This graphic appeared in the Hindu today, with much 'tchey tchey' about how India's topsy turvy priorities focus on giving people 2G/3G smart phones rather than toilets and bum washers. This also reminds me of Shri Jayaram Ramesh raising his voice recently about the need for prioritizing rural hygiene and ecology. All is well said, sir. But Indians have once again proved in the recent elections that they know what to do and what to throw out. Believe me, Indians whether uneducated or unwashed, always make the right choices. Let me give you some examples:

1. In the whole of our Puranas and epics, there is never any mention of hygiene or cleaning. If ever someone went at dawn to the river or the seashore, it was to offer prayers and seek powerful boons.


2. Remember what haalaat befell gopikas going to bathe in the river or bringing water in pots on their heads?


3. Remember Adi Shankara going to bathe in the river? A crocodile caught him.


4. Remember Shakuntala idly running her hand in the river? She lost her wedding ring, the only thing that could remind her kingly spouse that indeed he had got her pregnant.


5. Remember that funny story that made the rounds long back about a village bumpkin left behind by his train as he went to 'commit nuisance' - the entire story is funny because of his lack of mastery of English, not that he went to the open spaces to relieve himself.


6. Now look at Surf Excel, the soap. It is a strong detergent, with chemicals that will pollute rivers and destroy the fertility of our mother earth. On the other hand, if a young man is surfing on his mobile and watching interesting and informative stuff, not only does he become better informed, but will surely make a good impression on anyone around, a young maiden or even a neta. Apart from surfing, if he can also do some excel spreadsheets, it is only a short hop skip and jump to the silicon valley of India. Therefore India needs more of the second Surf+Excel rather than your polluting Surf+Excel. By the way I am equally against Santoor and Shikakai also, because a wise nation does not waste money on cosmetics. Don't believe the thousands of TV ads that show celebrity after celebrity using shampoo, whitening cream or toothpaste.

Nobody really cares, you see. You can start grooming yourself after you acquire the basic weapons of competition- a cell phone, an accent, and an attitude. How well you are washed and clothed underneath is really unimportant, something that you need to bother about after you have climbed the social ladder.
Did you notice a 18% of Indians, rural+urban, don't possess any of the assets listed? I was told by a reliable source that many of these unfortunate brethren are political netas. No wonder that the recent exposé of some interesting browsing in Karnataka assembly by netas showed how some of them had to look over others' shoulders to watch the video. Obviously they belong to the 18% hapless Indians who don't own even cell phones. Naturally we are a long way off from providing latrines and clean drinking water to these people!

Coconut Climbers- upwardly mobile Indian women!

The Hindu Feb.26, 2012:

Women of Kerala are scaling new heights. Meet Reena, who has been trained to pluck coconuts.

Those crossing the Pallikkara railway gate in Kasaragod cannot but notice this entrepreneur, surrounded by heaps of tender nuts, most of which she herself plucks. She sells about 200 nuts daily and earns around Rs. 1,000.
“After attending the coconut-climbing programme, I'm able to pluck nuts myself and save on the harvesting cost of Rs.3 apiece,” the mother of two, who has studied up to Class X, says. She plans to form a women's self-help group to make coconut-based, value-added products such as tender coconut lassi.
Secure & independent
“Apart from making me financially secure and independent, this helps me gain self-confidence and self-esteem,” she says. Her average work-day lasts 12 hours. Whenever she gets the opportunity, she works as a bus driver as well.
Indeed, with traditional coconut-pluckers turning a vanishing tribe in the State, getting the nut down from atop had in recent years turned out to be a headache. There have been efforts by individual inventors, aided by government agencies, to design and commercialise mechanical climbers that would enable virtually anyone to go up the trunk. And some models have indeed proved themselves up to the task.
The tougher part was to get people interested in acquiring the skill. The Coconut Development Board, working through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of the Kerala Agricultural University and Krishi Bhavans, recently came up with a scheme to train groups of people, including women, to use the devices to climb and pluck the nuts.
Women are better
And, belying expectations, women have proved to be quite good at it. In recent months, a large number of women, primarily in the northern parts of the State, have been trained in going up the tree using the mechanised climbing devices.
Women who complete the programme have also been trained and encouraged to take up coconut-related small businesses that they can run on their own. Several of them have started tender coconut parlours – confident and competent enough to harvest the nuts themselves and sell them from roadside units, often with some value-addition.
The KVK in Kasaragod, attached to the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), has organised nine training programmes in which 180 rural youth have participated. The fifth batch of the programme gained media attention as it was an all-woman batch.

Emmae Swami

I was sitting next to a large, bushy mustached, Kannadiga on my flight to Detroit. For me it was a routine boring trip, but this man was obviously having the time of his life and it seemed this was his first flight abroad. We struck up a conversation as soon as the lunch trays had been cleared, and when I asked him what he was going to America for, he produced a flashy business card. The card had a large picture as above, and the words, Emmae Swami. On the back was a Mysore address and a long title, which said:

Abhinava Mahisha Chakravarthy, Shastraartha Visharada, Jyothishvarenya

Emmae Swami, M.A.,

23, Palace Agrahara, Mysore 570013, India

I was curious. My sister-in-law had told me how there was a steady stream of spiritualists and temple-mongers to India's culture-hungry American diaspora-agglomerations, in Toronto, Chicago, Pittsburgh, LA and so on. But this guy was even more extraordinary than I had imagined. I asked him how long he had been active as a swami.

He told me his story: His parents had named him Swami, and as a boy, he had little interest in books or degrees. He chose to join Hanuman Akhada and became a successful wrestler, and earned some money carrying drinking water uphill to Chamundi temple. After he grew that smart mustache and hung around Chamundi temple, looking for tourists, he was often complimented for his resemblance to the hero whose statue welcomes visitors to the hill temple. Soon, he was advised by the temple priest that if only he could get to talk smartly about mythological stories and stuff, he could start earning a fortune as a tour guide. So he did a correspondence course in MA Indology, and promptly printed a card Swami, MA.

But fate had bigger plans. One charming white lady tourist asked him to narrate the story of Mahishasura, and when he concluded the story of how Durga Ma had vanquished the demon, the lady had remarked, "is it true, that all these demons were in fact great saints, born to take part in a mythical drama that showed the victory of good over evil, and they would then return to heaven?"

Eureka! Well, why not become Emmae Swami? And so was born the new Swami. That lady had sponsored his trip to US of A and he was going to start a Emmae movement there.

(By the way Emmae in Kannada means a buffalo).

I asked Emmae Swami what was his spiritual teaching? His words had profound insight:

You see, Mahisha (means the same as Emmae) was no ordinary hero. Goddess Durga, with infused energies of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, was needed to deal with him. Even the buffalo who carries Yama, the God of Death, is a saint. He is constantly in the presence of Death, and such intimacy confers deep spiritual insight. Of all the animals in creation, the only animal who has conquered all the six enemies- Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya is Mahisha. He can withstand any attack, rain and storm, or fire and flood. He can face any raging bull or even an escaped Mysore Zoo tiger or elephant. He will not move off the road even when KSRTC buses honk like crazy. He will not mind raiding any garden and eating up all the tender leaves and flowers. Such equanimity is possible only for a realized master.

The moral is very simple. Live like a buffalo, be impervious to worldly worries, and you shall reach heaven.

I was truly moved. I asked Swami what was the day of consecration of the Emmae temple in Detroit. He said it was on the next New Moon, and the temple had the biggest statue of Mahisha in the world.. a 100 ft. fibre glass marvel.

Glory to Emmae Swami!!

Flipkart vs Seventymm: Dev Anand, ''Kala Pani''

Eulogies poured in after Dev Anand's recent demise at 88. I had to change my opinion of him: from that as an actor with laughable mannerisms who never liked to age or die, to that of someone who had some rare intelligence for Bollywood actors and a combination of business acumen and

talent for acting, directing, and knowing what makes a movie click.

In '60s, Dev Anand stormed Mysore when he came to sign up for movie rights to R K Narayan's 'The Guide' . I heard stories how his fast talk had made the writer sign up in a hurry and get a raw deal. I also heard how from Hotel Metropole in Mysore Dev Anand cast a roving eye for beauties from Maharani's College across the road. 'The Guide' itself was a huge success albeit with an ambiguous end.

I therefore read up more about Dev Anand and how after being cast opposite superstar heroines he finally attained his own star status with his role in 'Kala Pani' in 1958. I decided to get the movie DVD and watch it.

My attempt to get the DVD from Seventymm.com (where I regrettably took a 90 day membership for rentals) was a failure. This company has proved to be one of the worst in customer service. Not only do they have almost no good movies for rental immediately, they also do not update you when you make wish-lists. They further claim they came to deliver the DVD and you were not at home (they never ring up in advance) and so you lose your turn. They send wrongly labelled DVDs and poor quality DVDs. They don't pick up returns. They don't answer calls to Support well. All in all something totally avoidable.

In contrast, my experience with online shopping with Flipkart.com has been wonderful. I placed an online order with Flipkart.com for payment on delivery for this DVD. It came within 3 days. and my total cash payment was Rs. 92/- including RS. 30/- delivery charges!

Let me give you a great movie song clip on You Tube:

teaboy

The vicissitudes of corporate life warrant some vital measures to stay alive and awake through a torturous day, wondering how one could kill time a little more efficiently.

That is where the cup of coffee or tea, somewhat mandatory in an Indian office to be served piping hot at your desk at least twice a day, comes in. When the American CEO visited us in 1993, he was amused how religiously coffee, tea and cookies were served at every meeting and how it seemed somewhat more substantial a ritual than the actual deliberations.


Now do you remember your teaboy? I ask with no hyphens or capitals so I avoid giving any false sense of importance to this minion. He is but a minor underling in a pecking hierarchy where your own position is not really that high unless you are able to see the rumbling clouds at the top of the corporate echelon and are already talking to some head-hunters.

If you are, like I have been most of my life, a hard-working manager attacking competition and pushing useless products to skeptical customers, you may not have had much time to notice too many things in the office. You would also not remember when the teaboy changed but would surely notice that the taste of coffee or tea changed when they introduced a new coffee machine or tea brand.

So imagine when someone starts talking about the teaboy in their office, his life as a human being, and his own imponderable issues of dealing with money or health problems. Or when someone states how their teaboy's son got admission into engineering, or just starred in a vernacular movie. Then you start wondering, what is this life, so mechanical, so indifferent to our social space, and how our lives are ruled by Power Point pitches full of exaggerations, extrapolations, and obfuscations, in a pyramid of imbecility that passes off as corporate excellence. And the teaboy? He also dreams that one day, his bright-eyed son or daughter will also be a big executive, in a big office, big enough to ignore the teaboy there.

Uh oh. Is this my cup of tea?

"Time to dream" 2012 New Year Fireworks

Music - the only useful aspect of Time?

Dear folks!
I wish you a great 2012.

This is the season of Carnatic music. There are more than a thousand concerts that happened in Chennai in the last few weeks alone. The Hindu has a wonderful coverage of all the happenings and thoughts on CM. I am enjoying these things without actually being in Chennai...thanks to digital access.

Read this fine article in The Hindu.

I am giving you three musical links. Each features the same main artiste, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. The mridangam is played by the maestro Palghat Mani Iyer, but the versions differ, renderings separated by decades perhaps. The song is the swarajati masterpiece of syAmA sAstri. He is my favourite composer. This song is very difficult to sing, as it plumbs the depths of the scale and challenges the singer to bring out the beauties of Bhairavi, a typical heavy raga of Carnatic music. The composition seems to have been created for great rhythmic accompaniment. We have here the GREATEST mridangam player thus far in history, playing in very creative ways to embellish the song. (Rightclick and open the Soundcloud track in a new window).

Link- best audio

Link-average audio

Link- poor audio

Those gifted with an ear for Carnatic music would not tire of listening to these items any number of times. After all, I cannot think of anything greater than music to occupy time!

Photographing the Moon

What I learnt, photographing the moon, has been quite interesting.
You need a lens like 600 to 1000 zoom length. You need a very good SLR. You need a very steady hand, as even mounting it on a tripod and using remote exposure has many tricky issues, the reason? Getting the moon in the centre of the view is a challenge, since at that zoom, the moon is moving very fast!

The moon is a very bright object. You need to set a fast exposure, a large aperture, and work on getting the focus right. Take many shots. Only one of them will be good.
Finally, some post-processing doesn\'t harm the photo. I used my favourite, Photoshop Express.

Here is a shot just the other night, right one day after the Lunar Eclipse.
Camera Canon 5D Mk II, Tamron 28-300 VR, 2X doubler, hand-held. exposure 1/320, F6.3, Manual focus.

"Nobody wants to buy the world's cheapest car!"

Why is Nano a failure? Why do I not see the clogged Indian urban arteries displaying vast numbers of the gleaming pea-shaped wonder car?

I read the FT story which says Tata's success with Rover and everything else meant that they would defocus and demote the Nano. Some expert predicted way back that the Nano was "value-destructive".

We of course know of the expensive relocation of the plant from Bengal to Gujarat. But what really is the problem? When I asked my son, who's in the know about cars in general, he said Tata can only build trucks and not cars: their cars lack quality and style.

I got a demo of the Nano seven months ago as we were hoping to get inspired by the Nano for our own internal Super-Value medical device. The demo was pathetic, as the car had a cluncky, dirty and tacky look and feel. The salesman was so inept that he did not know how many Nanos had been sold by the dealer in Bangalore. He was also quick to tell us that one could spend more and get the A/C Premium Deluxe version for well over USD 5K and he wouldn't recommend the basic config. All in all a bad impression.

Today I read another article: Tata Nano Failure

I personally think we have a few reasons for the failure of Nano to take off.

1. Indians want cheap, but at the same time intuit that cheap=poor quality.

2. The car is an Indian middle-class aspiration. The word cheap is not in any aspiration vocabulary.

3. No one, not even Ratan Tata, told the story of the Nano as a wonder car. It was always dubbed a cheap car. Add to that Tata's image of poor quality cars, and you have a killer combo.

4. When Hyundai came in with their ugly cars a decade back, they used SRK to call it a "Tall Boy". SRK being himself of modest altitude, there was a beautiful Indian aspiration built into the theme of a "Tall Boy". All the buttons that would start off a dream for the middle-class. Today there are many small cars costing not too much more than the Nano, coming from famous brands, and having mega ad budgets.

5. Finally, in a cruel irony, Tata themselves advertise a fancier and better car all the time, by using words which pretty much say, "Why settle for less? Go for more!"

How can Tata and India promote the Nano to be the global super brand? I think they need to do some basic marketing stuff here:

1. Promote Nano as the SMART way to drive, not a cheap car.

2. Make it high quality.

3. Avoid feature creep and price upward creep... keep it as a DISTINCT 2.5K$ car.

4. Rope in some smart scientists and techies to advertise.... why it is more intelligent to drive the home-grown Nano and not some far import of technology. which leads to

5. Appeal to the national pride in the famous small car Nano, born in India.

Brilliant, Mr. Branson!

Kudos to the Economic Times for featuring this opinion by the 'other' high flying billionaire entrepreneur, Mr. Richard Branson. I continue to be impressed by this man.

25 NOV, 2011, 06.24AM IST, The Economic Times

Not enough to invest in protecting tiger, but invest in local communities: Richard Branson

The day the United Nations announced that the seven billionth person entered the world, I had made my way to Jim Corbett National Park to learn more about the situation facing India's wild tigers. As the global population grows, we face an unprecedented challenge of maintaining balance in our ecosystems and protecting our limited natural resources while sustaining humanity itself.

With a seventh of the world's human population, India is at the nexus of this challenge. I came to the subcontinent with a group of entrepreneurs together with conservation organisation WildAid and Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group. We experienced the contrasts of India from the sophistication and glamour of the Formula One Grand Prix to unaffected rural life, from bustling cities of millions with constantly honking horns to the tranquility and alarming beauty of Corbett National Park with serene bird calls and the hum of insects.

While India's economic tiger continues to grow unabated despite severe global setbacks, India's wild tiger population is perilously low in number estimated at around 1,600 - and they face threats from deforestation, habitat encroachment, mining and poaching. These threats are not new.

But with tremendous development pressure, few around the world have been able to find room for so powerful a neighbour. My friends at WildAid were fortunate enough to meet President Pratibha Patil during this trip, who confirmed her support and commitment to preserving India's icon. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has also increased resources to coordinate and boost efforts, but key responsibility lies with the states. In Panna and Sariska parks, tigers are being reintroduced and are starting to come back. But perhaps most important of all is the tolerance and understanding of the local communities that surround tiger reserves.

Contrary to popular belief, human development and conservation are not at odds. Wildlife conservation has been a long-standing passion of mine, and I've had the fortune of spending time in South Africa near Krueger Park as well as many other special places in the world. Near Krueger, we have taken steps to support the wildlife as well as help sustain local communities with economic and health services. We've also partnered wonderful frontline organisations like Peace Parks to create national reserves across borders and with the Ocean Elders to protect ocean habitats and biodiversity globally. Virgin Unite and I have also joined Wild-Aid in their work, which has leveraged iconic Indian personalities such as Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to raise awareness about conservation.

Because the trade in tiger parts is international, we are also working with WildAid beyond India's borders to appeal for an end to all trade in these majestic animals. The Chinese government has also come on board, donating millions of dollars of media space to get that message across. But even that's not enough. Saving the tiger is not just about raising awareness. To save the tiger, you must invest in the surrounding community. And this is where business has a key role to play. By mobilising resources to protect the tigers' migration corridors and supporting the health, education and even the electricity of the surrounding communities so they can lift themselves out of poverty, conservation can be good - not only for the soul - but also for business.

If we can harness even a tiny proportion of the entrepreneurial drive that has continued to create tremendous economic growth here in India to conserve nature and the tiger, India will keep its wonderful natural heritage, lead the world in conservation and remain a force for good amidst positive economic growth. I came to India for the chance to catch a glimpse of my favourite animal for the first time in the wild.

Sadly, I wasn't lucky enough to see one, but the gravity of their situation became more evident. It is a great achievement of global importance that a nation of 1.2 billion people has managed to maintain half the world's surviving wild tigers - truly a tribute to the tolerance and foresight of the Indian people. But 1,600 is a low number. When I asked my local guide at Corbett why the numbers are so low, he replied, "The tiger has no voting rights." We must still make sure the tiger and nature have a voice in our decision making and a place in our future. Entrepreneurs need to support the country so that it has the power and the resources to make sure that the tiger population is rebuilt back to safe levels within the next 10 years.

From my experience this week, India will be at the forefront of the human experiment in planetary survival. As our world becomes ever more crowded and frenetic, the value of the tranquility of nature will be ever increasing, but ever more threatened. Despite not seeing a tiger, I left India encouraged and optimistic that India, fuelled by its economic strength, can save the tiger and, with it, an important part of its national identity.

( Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group)

Vastu and the Rupee

The governor of the Reserve Bank of India made a trip early this morning to Mahalakshmi temple in Mumbai. Just outside is the famous Vastu-Numero-Astrologer Pundit whom everyone consults on everything today- naming your baby, changing your movie title and pretty much turning your front door around so fortune favours you.

The Gov asked the Pundit to do something. The rupee was falling! It was touching 53/USD , a prime number, no less, but what next?

The Pundit whispered sagely that the much publicised symbol of the Rupee was the main culprit. Whereas the economy had been buoyed up with so many factors, the economy was being hit by two evil forces... the devas or gods robbing the country of its wealth by stoking up inflation from above and the asuras from the netherworld sucking up wealth from everything,

including red airlines flying in the sky. These events had happened because the Indian Rupee symbol was evil and fostered extravagance. Goddess Lakshmi never likes anyone who goes on a spend binge.

Look at the Rupee Symbol. It has a flat roof but a sliding floor. So all wealth goes down the drain! It has a loft, but the loft is open on both sides. It is ALL WRONG AS PER VASTU!

The flustered Gov asked the Pundit what was to be done. He might lose his job today if the Rupee moved beyond the prime number of 53.

The Pundit had a a ready suggestion. Change the Rupee Symbol. That was emblematic, emphatic and ecstatic.

The new symbol showed a saving mentality, encouraged people to fight inflation and evil robbers. It will be a great way to begin 2012 and make India the world's most powerful economy.

Also considering that Indian economy has four components:

1. The taxed middleclass white money.

2. The rich Swiss black money.

3. The gold in every home that never is seen outside.

4. The infinite wealth among the 850 million poor who don't know that all they need is Rs. 32 per day per person to have a happy life. It is only a question of time before they hit the jackpot on KBC.

The Ultimate Singing Star - Barbra Streisand

Wikipedia says:

Barbra Joan Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award.

Streisand holds the record for the most top ten albums of any female recording artist - a total of 32 since 1963. Streisand has the widest span (48 years) between first and latest top ten albums of any female recording artist. With her 2009 album, Love Is the Answer, she became one of the rare artists to achieve number-one albums in five consecutive decades.

These two clips are from the movie Funny Girl (1968). I think it is the most powerful performance by a female artist I have seen, and she sings these songs like there is no tomorrow. She won the Oscar.

Photoshop Express - the best for iPhone/iPad

Raw iPhone photo

Photoshop Express output

Simplifly into bankruptcy

We live In a country where politicians are willing to sell the promise of Khadi Gold, a kind of 24-carat gold sold to Aam Aadmi at 10% of normal gold prices stating that our sarkari scientists have used Vedic sciences and Gobar gas to mine gold from Hiranyagarbha or mother earth that is extraordinarily pure and cheap.

We live in a country that saw airlines auction off tickets in the middle of the night so people were able to fly from Delhi to Bangalore for the price of the autorikshaw fare from Jayanagar to old Bangalore airport. We honour those entrepreneurs who ushered in loss-making unsafe airlines that they later sold off to liquor barons who can dream in only one colour, red.

We live in a country quite comfortable seeing (extremely rich) civil aviation ministers solving economic equations involving loss-making airlines, unprecedented airport taxes and 25% rises in fuel costs so people can fly cheap; scamster ministers who when in power secreted away mobile spectrum licences to benefit dubious businessmen, and who later fault, sitting in Tihar jail, auditors for raising the bogey of notional losses to the government of Rs 1,760,000,000,000.-

We live in a country where Aam Aadmi wants to fly CHEAP. So he can save money for his daughter's dowry. Or his wife's gold. And then we watch fly-by-night financiers offer (on TV and in newspaper ads) incredible cash loans against your GOLD!

We live in a country where huge debates in all media clamour that gas prices should be subsidized, cheap airfares be mandatory, and airlines should go bankrupt and die. After all, we are a free market economy built on subsidy and gold!

Remember we worship Rama. He flew first class on a chartered golden heavenly aircraft from Lanka to Ayodhya FREE!

Spielberg's Tintin!

Imagine an experience more fascinating than any action hero film thus far, characters as lovable as Dickens', period scenes straight from the '20s and '30s, action that would put Bond to shame, 3D effects that would give Avatar a complex, a story line that makes you a boy once more, characters so real that you can touch them and feel their spirited breath, and the comfort of a familiar adorable boy hero and his cute dog and swearing sailor of a friend, and you have Spielberg's Tintin. For me Tintin= 1000 x (Harry Potter+Bond+Avatar+Indiana Jones). The 3D effects make you duck flying coins, hide from surging seas, raging fires and sword fights and motorcycle chases that are simply simply edge of the seat for over a couple of hours. No movie makes such an impact before the interval, and carries on merrily afterwards too.
Spielberg's genius is he makes 3D characters come to life, and then assume a doll-like texture so you can play with them almost! Toy Story was toys come to life. Tintin is life made into toys.

Go see it NOW.

I am not just a chair.

If you think I am a cute little chair, think again. Or better, look again.
Yes, I look cute, a cane chair meant for some little angel, to sit by the window and munch nice roasted peanuts or mangoes or something equally delicious. A chair that also witnesses fights and quarrels among children and adults. To be pushed about in the 'goings-on' of grown-ups, or worse get kicked about by kids upset about not getting what they asked for.

So this is what you think, right? Well you're wrong. First,I have belonged to someone for over 50 years. I have been tended and repaired a few times. I sport a new coat of paint (a bit garish in my opinion). I also have a soft pillow with some summer-colour designs. But I don't just sit around, mind you. I record history.

Like when my mistress took me from town to town, using me as the only support for her emotional relief against the constant onslaught of change. Like when the little son of the house did his home work. Or when the little daughter was playing with her dolls standing on me, unmindful when her back was a bit exposed by a loose pyjama.

I have seated my mistress when she read huge tomes written by Tulsidas and Tolstoy. Of late she reads all things spiritual, journals from several ashrams and dead and alive masters. She looks out of the window and reveries about Himalayan masters and psychics and yogis. She also sits in family gatherings of three or more generations, a little quaint amidst fat and slouchy people like my chronicler, who sink into ugly recliners or sit on stuffy stylish wooden chairs. Seated in me, my mistress gives other-worldly views on everything, like cell-phone toting drivers and loud music.

I don't really have any opinion, but I think she's always right. Anyway she never pushes me away from my pretty window or lets anyone take me for granted. So much so that some of the nails sticking out of my cane work makes the casual sitter take notice and walk away, careful not to complain to my doting mistress that I am in disrepair.

You see, I am not just another cute cane chair. It's all about attitude. Where you stand in life depends on where you sit.

Namma Metro Bombat!

I took the Metro today!PS my wife and I were not the only grandparents showing off toothless smiles on the train.

If you want to enjoy my photo in panoramic detail, click here.
Namma Metro is drawing lots of happy revellers. People enjoy the smooth ride, the snazzy stations, and the process of buying and surrendering travel tokens.

Namma Metro makes me proud. Bangalore looks greener than most other cities of the world, the Metro gives you a view of only tree tops, with minimal intrusion of high rises next to the tracks. The stations come and go in a jiffy. In fact the total travel from Byappanahalli to M.G. Road took only 14 minutes! With stops at Vivekananda Road, Indira Nagar, Halasuru, and Trinity Circle. A car ride on a normal day would take 30-40 minutes.

Imagine how many great souls you remember:  Vivekananda, Chinmaya (=Indira Nagar), the Trinity and Mahatma Gandhi. Halasuru means the place where you get juicy jack fruit. That is Bangalore for you!

Byappanahalli is also appropriate. All rulers need to be kept on a leash and those who do bad-mouthing (Byappas) serve a good cause. After all, the last stop for politicians nowadays seems to be Central Jail! I am not talking of the Metro stop.

Have fun in Namma Metro. It is indeed Bombat.

When it rains for more than six months

Dear friend who live outside Bangalore,
Do you now that this picture is from last April? As one who grew up in Bangalore, I was so happy that when temperatures were rising all over India, Bangalore welcomed April showers, delightfully adorning the resplendent Gulmohur trees.
And now it is Nov.4. We had good to heavy downpours three times today. I was thinking it must be raining in Chennai, as it does in Nov., and this sympathetic rain in Bangalore is to cheer up the folks who install statues of Valluvar and frequent Murugan Idli Stall. And what if it rains again in December? I ask you, what next!!!???

When it rains in Bengaluru for six months, it has major global consequences.

- cricket matches are washed out.
- people eat too many bondas and bajjis.
- people like me have excuses for avoiding morning walks.
- people come late to work and leave early.
- the smelly drains are subdued and take their revenge sooner than later.
- roadworks are never completed.
- vegetable prices go up (I don't know why, they always go up anyway).
- Autos raise their expectations.
- umbrellas fold up, unable to weather the onslaught.
- the mood in the office is one of dreamy or sleepy chattiness as work seems a trivial issue.
- Children get wet, get sick and give big business to the million medical shops.
- adults have hoarse voices and ask for lots of coffee which irks the womenfolk at home.
- Bangalore is compared to Ooty etc.and we feel we are in a heavenly hill station.
- Street vendors and beggars are dismayed by poor income.
- mosquitoes are miserable and the only creatures more miserable are street dogs.
- Deepavali is a wet sop.
- Independence day is spent watching TV.
- Bangalore scares me that there is global wetting apart from global warming.
- I write such inane blogs.

Happy Deepavali!

Happy Deepavali! I shot this photo at 40k ft from an Airline magazine ad for Abharan with my iPhone. The best piece of Indian jewellery I saw in a long time.

I am ruminating about Bhakti Yoga Ch. 12 of the Gita for the past few days. How do I really pray to the personal God when I know that everything in this universe seems to be on a kind of Autopilot and everything turns out always right, yes, but nobody seems to be listening to my prayers?

This morning, while listening to Osho on Kabir, I got some answer.
All our love and attachment  and felt need in this world is to expand our being into infinity... this is a primordial urge. The real expansion comes from leaving my petty self, ALSO leaving my petty attachments, my petty prayers (=demands) and then connecting with the Infinite. That process of connecting with the Infinite CAN ONLY BE through love as stated in the Gita... or Bhakti Yoga!

Let me share Edwin Arnold's wonderful translation here (click to see big)... no better way to celebrate Gita, Deepavali and Life!

Garbage, India's symbol of progress

I am struck as I walk along Bengaluru roads by the mounds of garbage strewn at every street corner. Most of it is plastic, and shows how India is progressing economically rapidly. Here are some proofs.

1. Lots of food packaging like Haldiram pouches : food revolution!
2. Lots of wrappers of chocolates, sweets, Pan Parag and chewing gum: youth revolution!
3. Pizza leaflets. Colourful, modern, westernisation!
4. Cheap paper leaflets that spill out of daily newspapers, selling pure silk Punjabi sarees for Rs.130 and so on. Consumerism!
5. Lots of thermocol packaging, the electronics revolution!
6. Lots of carry bags. That is the Mall culture.
7. CD Roms (not many yet): shows that we have moved to the download & piracy era.
8. Just the volume of garbage. Urbanisation!
9. Shikakai Shampoo pouches - Indian women woo beauty products!
10. Disposable Tea cups - by millions - catering revolution indeed.

Now remember, the garbage as a symbol of progress is more ubiquitous than mobile phones, electricity or television, it is from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from Himalayas to Arabian Sea.

Jai Ho India!!!

Mahishasuramardini Mural, Mahabalipuram

Happy Vijayadashami!

Time: Steve Jobs, Technology's Great Reinventor

 

"You put soul into technology. Thank you, Steve!"

I bought my first Apple iPod Nano with Nike Sensor kit at their wonderful store on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago 7 years ago. It increased the joy of walking to music, urging me to achieve greater distance and speed, as I walked listening to my beautiful music collection.
I managed to get an iPhone in Sydney a year before it was officially launched there. These products and the iPad I write this on, add a spark to my everyday.
My tribute to Steve Jobs: "You put soul into technology. Thank you, Steve!"
Without adding religious overtones, I can compare what Steve did to technology to the event of Brahmopadesha which makes a man twice born, adding a soul to his body, so he can begin his journey towards liberation. So I really like the Time title "reinventor".

Steve Jobs The Time article link

Wednesday, Oct. 05, 2011
Technology's Great Reinventor: Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
By Harry McCracken
Steve Jobs, whose death was announced on Wednesday night, wasn't a computer scientist. He had no training as a hardware engineer or an industrial designer. The businesses that Apple entered under his leadership — from personal computers to MP3 players to smartphones — all existed before the company got there.
But with astonishing regularity, Jobs did something that few people accomplish even once: he reinvented entire industries. He did it with ones that were new, like PCs, and he did it with ones that were old, such as music. And his pace only accelerated over the years.
He was the most celebrated, successful business executive of his generation, yet he flouted many basic tenets of business wisdom. (Like his hero and soulmate, Polaroid founder Edwin Land, he refused to conduct focus groups and other research that might tell him want his customers wanted.) In his many public appearances as the head of a large public corporation, he rarely sounded like one. He introduced the first Macintosh by quoting Bob Dylan, and took to saying that Apple sat "at the intersection of the liberal arts and technology." (See photos of the long and extraordinary career of Steve Jobs.)

NSC Bose Airport Kolkata - Didi, please do something!

I am waiting for my Spicejet flight to Bengaluru. I came more than 3 hours before departure as I got SMSs and calls telling me of the huge Puja rush. Since I already had a very bad experience of this airport in last May transiting to Bhutan I wanted to take no chances.

Everyone tells me that Ms. Mamata Banerjee or Didi has fixed a number of things including getting banks to serve the Puja rush without downing shutters for 5 days at a stretch. I hope she can fix this airport. Here is my list of things:

1. The airport wears a decrepit look like many other buildings in Kolkata.
2. As usual you find many people coming to see off their beloved ones and like in Sahar or IGI, you can be put off by the milling humanity.
3. The airport check-in counters wear a scraggy look and show the staff as harried, perhaps exhausted dealing with crowds.
4. This airport handles LOTs of flights, from the Seven Sisters, Bhutan and Sikkim, and all metros etc. So you generally find lots of passengers waiting.
They do not have enough seating, eating, clean toilets or easy security checks. The air-conditioning was working today, but last time was ineffective.
5. Such crowds and poor ambience allows people to show their 'lower' side chucking foil wrappers and snack packaging here and there.
6. There are not enough seats, and some of them are stained with food/vomit not cleaned for a long time. Many cushions are damaged.
7. There is lousy eating. Budget travel means you eat before the flight. Given long waits for flights, one has to make do with some overworked cafeterias selling wraps and sandwiches. There is no sense in limiting catering facilities.
8. There is hardly any shopping and I did not see any bookshop after security.
9. The international airport is woeful and much worse than the domestic terminal. I also found last time loud-mouthed staff making a huge racket about something, totally impervious to the irritation this caused passengers. Add to that overflowing dust bins into which staff and passengers alike spit their pan masala stuff. What a poor advertisement for incredible India.

Pretty bad experience. I wonder where international travellers and airport rating agencies rate Kolkata. Cannot be very high.

Happy Durga Puja!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Worshipping the Mother - Navaratri

Navaratri is the auspicious time for Hindus to worship the Mother. Not only are the northern and eastern parts buzzing with Durga Puja and Chandi Homa, the south is equally busy with beautiful temple rituals for Devi. Many great Carnatic songs celebrate the Devi, and Swati Tirunal and Dikshitar are famous. The Vibhakti (correction: Kamalamba Navavarana) kritis of Muthuswami Dikshitar are extremely popular during Navaratri festivities.

Meditating on these aspects, I was struck by some thoughts. The western civilization since the Greeks has extolled the pursuit of beauty, goodness and truth as the goals of human existence. We Hindus on the other hand speak of Purusha and Prakriti, as the Father Creator and Mother Creation, by whose grace man pursues the four goals of life: right living (Dharma), economic prosperity (Artha), emotional well being (Kama) and finally Liberation (Moksha or Nirvana). Creator and Creation, the male and female principles, somewhat combine into the Mother Worship idiom, where the Mother is everything.

Let's even concede that the Mother principle is just a spiritual idiom, for an aspirant intent on a path of devotion and aesthetic appreciation of all creation's bountifulness and beauty. Almost immediately we also think of the fearsome aspect of Durga, vanquishing evil. So Mother has a corrective power too. So how is this relevant in a basic sense, devoid of ritual and legend?

I think man is essentially waking up to the connectedness of the universe, and how there is a harmony woven by Mother Nature such that man will prosper through harmony rather than conquest. By elevating Nature to Motherhood, we seek to approach life with love and grace. We also accept its fury, be it a tsunami or an earthquake or a flood, as an Omnipotent will that corrects man's course in ways that cannot be understood. Such an attitude removes tension and allows us to enjoy and partake of life's plenty without rancour. And then we can also become inventive and creative, to make this world even more beautiful and comfortable, fully aware that what we accomplish is much less important than just the attitude of creativity. So all this becomes an art, like music and dance, which cannot be measured in terms of money but more in terms of its inner joy. By cooperating with Nature, we also accomplish better utilisation of its generosity, rather than a plunder that lays low everything in ravage and ruin.

Don't you agree that this seems to be the core of our Mother worship? Come, let us enjoy the famous Dikshitar Dhyana kriti in Todi, with wonderful thoughts and even better music. Over to Smt. Seetha Rajan. Kamalambike


rAga: toDi (8) tALa: rUpaka
muttusvAmi dIkshita viracitam (source Carnatica.net)

pallavi

kamalAmbike Ashritakalpalatike caNDike kamanIyAruNAMshuke karavidh.rtashuke mAmava

anupallavi

kamalAsanAdipUjitakamalapade bahuvarade kamalAlayatIrthavaibhave shive karuNArNave

caraNam

sakalalokanAyike saN^gItarasike sukavitvapradAyike sundari gatamAyike
vikaLebaramuktidAnanipuNe aghaharaNe viyadAdibhUtakiraNe vinodacaraNe aruNe
sakale guruguhakaraNe sadAshivAntaHkaraNe akacaTatapAdivarNe akhaNDaikarasapUrNe

Word by word meaning:

Oh Goddess kamaAlmbika (the Lotus mother) who is like a Kalpaka tree (that grants all boons) to those who seek refuge in you; fierce one, one of the ten aspects of shakti, attractive wearing the red robe, holding a parrot in the hand, protect me!

Worshipped by Brahma and other gods, possessing lotus feet, showering plenty of boons (to devotees), imparting greatness to the tank KamalAlaya, auspicious one, ocean of mercy, ruler of all the worlds, delighting in music, granting the boon of poetic genius, beautiful one, who has transcended the illusion, adept in granting salvation, one who dispels all sins, who emanates the five elements, space, air, fire, water and earth, with enchanting feet, reddish full, complete, mother of Guruguha, inhabiting bespoke godliness of Lord Shiva, the embodiment of all letters, a, ka, ca, Ta, ta, pa etc, one filled with matchless bliss!

The demanding rasika in Carnatic music

These thoughts have been crowding my mind ever since I attended a concert featuring an upcoming youngster, with a good friend. On the way back home we both remarked how demanding we are as rasikas and therefore are not easily pleased even when the musicians seem to put in a very sincere attempt.

The icon shown above is the (welded?) mural on the wall of Madras Music Academy. That hoary institution symbolizes power and influence in Carnatic music and getting their Sangeetha Kalanidhi award is commonly taken to be the peak of a musician's journey to success. I think the thousands of music concerts held every December in Madras, or Chennai if you prefer, demonstrate how Carnatic music is actively appreciated in our land. The musicians work very hard in the season and make or break their reputations. The enthusiasm of the musicians or rasikas is the same whether they are old or young. By the way rasika is the Sanskrit word for a listener=audience=appreciator=aesthete in Indian art. Rasa means originally juice and implies the aesthetic mood in performing arts. Rasika is the one who enjoys the art form, in a live or broadcast or recorded performance.

Now why do I think we rasikas are too demanding in Carnatic music? I merely give a summary list because I could go on ad infinitum on each point:

1. We like good, robust, pleasant voices. We want a full range of three octaves. We want the singer to perform with full throated ease, but with the perfect sruthi alignment of a pitch pipe.
2. We want good diction. Our music is made up 80% of compositions of "saint composers". We want the musician to enunciate all the words, especially in our own languages, to perfection. By the way we expect a minimum of three or four languages to be covered in a concert. The more versatile performers today cover Telugu, Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and if possible Hindi.
3. We want everything in the right measure. We don't want hour-long alapanas, we don't want concerts packed with 25 numbers delivered at break-neck speed.
4. We want the performers to be well groomed and well presented. We prefer them to look like gods and goddesses. Or at least like well-groomed cine stars in mythological extravaganzas of the '50s and '60s.
5. We want good accompaniments. The violinist should show anticipation, innovation, moderation, subordination, restoration (when the main performer is off-colour) and good preparation. We don't care if the vocalist is spinning a googly. We want the violinist to bat like a Tendulkar facing Warne. At the same time we don't want the main vocalist to have nightmares like Warne did thinking of Tendulkar.
6. We want sonorous, soft, soothing, superlative mridangam. We want a good tani, full of fireworks, but it should be short and sweet. And the mridangam artiste should not grimace if we walk off for a short break during the tani. He can be sure we will be back to applaud at the end.
7. We actually don't care for ghatam or khanjira etc. except for some delightful skirmishes during the tani. The ghatam makes an impact when the artiste launches it into the air at the end of the tani.
8. We want good mikes. The mike should not be too loud, for heaven's sake.
9. We want no mosquitoes or screeching chairs. We don't mind loud banners selling bank FDs and stainless utensils or even divine pooja materials. But we don't want speeches.
10. We want the concert to start before we walk in (this is a common practice for Carnatic rasikas) and still want prime seats. We may exercise the right to walk off any time. By the way, please note we prefer free concerts.
11. We will bring children, and some of them will do home work, some will sleep, and sometimes some will make loud sounds. All like baby Krishna.
12. We like to sing a bit during our favourite songs. We will keep (or destroy) the tala. It is not for nothing that I have passed a Diploma in music.
13. We hold the right to constantly compare the present performers to our old favourites, whom we refer to by initials only like MMI, SSI, GNB, BMK, DKP, MLV, MSS, MDR, KVN, LGJ, TNK, MSG, VVS, PMI, UKS.....