H’low folks!
I’m sorry to have vanished for the last two weeks. I’ve been having exams and this time has been surprisingly bad. After 4 exams, it feels as though I’ve given up on my course altogether. As I flop down after a draining, unproductive 3 hours session in a stuffy classroom I realise that I barely touch my books these days. And that I get easily carried away by 1) the net- okay I take complete responsibility for this. and 2) Mundane gossip. Just imagine! Of all forms of escapism I have to go for gossiping -.-
So generally life has been sliding down again and before the D-phase can set in I’m desperately trying to get myself up with MUSIC!
I discovered http://www.dhingana.com/ a fortnight ago. It is quite surprising because I’ve been trawling the net for good music websites/ Youtube- alternatives for as long as I can remember.
Anyway, I discovered that Dhingana sports one helluva hindustani collection, and I started exploring with http://www.dhingana.com/raag-tilak-kamod-song-classical-vocal-vol.-2-manjari-asanare-hindustani-2a094b1, a delightful recitation by the oh-so-lovely Manjiri Kelkar. This is where my love for Tilak Kamod begins. And that isn’t all, check out the Adana link on the page! Rang rang mat pheko Banwari- Wah! I just everything about that rendition from her voice, her accent, the bandish…

Just when I thought I had started getting acquainted with Hindustani music, it springs another surprise at me: Ragamala paintings! So far Wikipedia has been my most exhaustive source of information, but I’d really to know more about this form of art. It literally is a representation of music, a personification, in ink and paint! Thus begins another adventure. And tagging along comes a retinue of distractions, but hey, distractions aren’t distractions unless you call them that, no?
Where can I learn more about the history of the Ragamalas?

Exquisite! A new world within music…

Karchikai- the highlight of this diwali’s fare

Thin, crispy, crust fried to the right shade of light brown. A succulent filling of sweetened coconut, a sweetness not jarring and obnoxious but mild and sophisticated. The Karchikai, for me, is symbolic of the rich gastronomic heritage of Kannada culture. Yet this, and many other delicacies: chirote, mandgi and even the humble alhitt are disappearing from the banana leaves on festive days in the recent past. The reason is fairly obvious: the qualities that are prerequisites for Indian cooking, patience, skill, passion and unconditional, motherly love are quite asynchronous with the ideals of the global village. And that’s the way the Karchikai crumbles.

A rare treat indeed!

Lacrimal suhaag

Behind that innocuous, overt embellishment, a flash of vermillion, lies an eternity of suppressed remonstration. A facade. But a red dot is an ineffective dam when the storm comes.

Home Homer Homest

After an insanely intense journey last night I thought I was ready to drop dead with lack of sleep. But everything starts working differently at home. You no longer feel fatigue or desperation or urgency of any kind… Long lazy days, filled with conversations and punctuated by liberal helpings of delectable festival fare. This is life!

I now need to read about thermosensation in C. elegans. Fun fun!