Dad completes 62 today :)

Two years ago when I shared this with you, I had prayed for his good health and for his songs to continue. Life has been kind, the last couple of years have just zoomed past - lot's of travel, fun and singing has kept us all engaged.

Please continue to send you good wishes and blessings for his good heath, lots of fun travel, and lots more songs. Music is his life and dad's been learning to play the harmonium for nearly a year now. He has many 'Very Good' and 'Very Very Good' remarks from his teacher, who raves about his technical understanding - the fingers are still coming to tune.

I recorded a short rendition of the "Gayatri Mantra" that he played this morning:

However, he was more keen to sing one of his favourite oldie numbers: "Ye hawa ye raat, ye chandani" from the movie 'Sangdil', originally rendered by Talat Mahmood.

Do leave your comments and may our parents always remain in good health. Amen.

Walking in home after school - and later, after work - I would often be greeted to a lovely voice, more often than not singing a Hindi film oldie... I would sometimes think of it as emanating from the radio, only to realize it was dad indulging in his favorite pass-time.

Dad sang at family gatherings, office recordings, in the kitchen or any corner of the house, pretty much anywhere...most of the time. He wanted to sing professionally, only I was too embarrassed at the thought and would constantly dissuade him and push away such ambitions.

Then a couple of years ago a few setbacks had the voice slurring, lyrics forgotten and there was nothing more that I could desire than to have his songs back...

The voice is back, so are the songs and as we celebrate dad's 60th birthday today, there is nothing more that I want than good health for him, for his songs to continue and who knows a new career in singing may be around the corner. Amen.

Recorded this in the morning:

Click here to get your own player.

Thanks, all, whose support has allowed us to reach here. Eternally grateful!

Cheers.

"You see my five fingers(pause)but somebody can see the five gaps between my fingers(long pause)but ordinarily you will not the gaps you will see five fingers(pause) but the gaps are more real - fingers may come and go, gaps will remain.

Between sounds of music, there are gaps of silence(long pause)The authentic music consists not of sounds but of the gaps- sounds come and go those gaps remain(long pause) and music can make you aware of those gaps more beautifully than anything else(long pause)Hence I have to say that music comes next to silence."

I have done away with punctuations completely mostly and just gone with pauses as I heard them. You can also listen to the original audio recording here- Five Fingers- track 6. I was hoping to upload the file here but haven't heard back on a mail seeking permission that I wrote to the Osho International Foundation a few days ago.

More about the art of listening, here I need to visit :).

I discovered Screenplaying (Mark Knopfler) in 1996, via a music recommendation in India Today (?). I usually don't buy music because a magazine asked me to do so, but something about that little review prompted me to go out and do so with this one. Screenplaying went on to become my all time favourite (Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits being favourites anyway). I often joke that I am perhaps the single largest individual buyer of the album in the country, having gifted a copy to all those who are dear to me. Copies have increasingly become difficult to locate and I just pick them up when and where I find them. They come in handy! Screenplaying is a complition of Mark's works from the movies - among those rare works that can make people cry, smile or laugh just depending on their mood at the moment.

Listening to Pt. Ravi Shankar play, as I work on my computer, I am reminded of a performance that I attented recently at Sirifort - Pt. Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka in concert.

I hadn't heard Anoushka perform earlier and had so far written her off as a much hyped, pretty face, in news because of her legendary father (not that I understand Indian classical music and its intense depths and soft subtleties, but I believe that I can tell good music from bad when I hear it).

The auditorium full to capacity - it was an ICCR event. Anoushka appeared in her shiny pants, short kurta attire, lending further credence to my aforementioned opinion of her. I quickly realised how biased AGAINST looks and how unfair to genes you were born with can one be.Her fingers moved effortlessly as they matched her father's and the accompanists in their rendition. Her sitar didn't quite sound the same as Panditji's. It had a unique, young, sound to it.

There was energy in how she sat erect, held the sitar and played it, or in pointing technicians to manage the sound, she kept the rythm even as Panditji would pause momentarily to adjust his sitar. The accompanists and her father would challenge her by increasing the pace and she would join the game, much to everyone's delight.

Genes? Talent and training? Perhaps all, either ways I stand corrected and she has earned herself a new fan. I am going back next time she is in town or I am in one where she is performing!

Original post here.