The pied-piper

It was 2 past 10 in the afternoon and the weather was kind of sultry. A divine enchanting melody which was heard from a furlong distance fell on my ears and pulled me to the room window. As I stood by, I could distinctly make out the captivating tune which was plain but emotive. The microtonal inflections, ornamentation and glissando this bansuriwala achieved by varying his breath and the way he beautifully changed his embouchures which made the higher and lower octaves was mind-blowing. I could identify that he played “jinke mari na” which was followed by “ninna nodalentho” (tracks from the latest kannada movies). And I now could see the melody maker who came down playing his tunes on the woodwind pipe! So very soothing and sublime! Fascinated, I stood and wished he kept playing all day long. It was truly enthralling. I was transcended to yet another world. An oasis of calm was instilled in my mind!

For this wonder flautist, who renders some incredibly alluring tunes, road is the stage and people on the road (and some like me who listen to him standing behind the blinds) are his audience (devoid of the appreciation though). He plays songs, one after another. A few kids on the street watch him keenly. Some dance. Some sort of a “bitti entertainment”!! But the irony behind is that this self-taught artist (who stays blessed by the God of flute, Lord Krishnaa) is here to showcase not his talent but the bamboo reed columns which are beautifully arranged in a quiver like container worn on his back which he intends to sell for a mere 10 bucks to feed his family, who eagerly wait for his arrival in the evening. ‘Ellaaru maaduvudhu hottegaagi genu battegaagi’! Heartrending and tear-jerking!

I was pulled back in the moment as I realized that the piece of music had now started fading in the air while I was engrossed in deeper thoughts. He had travelled to another street in search of a buyer!! As the thoughts crept, I was reminded of the last few lines of William Wordsworth’s poem “A solitary reaper”

Whate'er the theme,
the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.


This few minutes of song kept lingering in my mind through the day. Shall cherish this in the time to come. And I shall recollect “Once came a pied piper on my street neither to chase the rats away nor to abduct the children but to rob the hearts”.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Have been listening to this song for over a year now. It seriously is so good tat I can neva get enough of this song. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is the Grammy Award winning track from Green Day's studio album, American Idiot. I love to listen to this song HIGH volume, every time! One of my fav Green Day’s song.

You truly gotta read between the lines to understand the vital signs and get the essence of this song! Not everyone is fortunate in their journey called life to walk on the “boulevard of broken dreams”. You get to do this only when you hitch-hike. In fact, it is the Road less travelled that am speaking about. And I must say I am much destined to have had an opportunity to go thru such a road. Trust me, It’s fun! And remember, its “you and only you” who has to travel this road and none (mind you none!) shall accompany you, no matter how exciting the journey is!! And hence this song stands closest to my heart. Now, Go ahead and enjoy this song… Awesome lyrics and an awesome rendition.

Link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxfpMGLMZ7Y

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleepsand
I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk aloneI
walk alone
I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signsT
o know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I walk alone
I walk a...

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...

Jus get started!

As everyone in the world of blogging, I too had my share of apprehensions about creating my blogsite. My dearest friend kept pushing me (thanks to her! It may well be the reason why you are reading this). I din know how to start, where to start and when to start. As usual, swalpa starting problem!! [wink] But I had to do it. I cleared my table. Sharpened my pencil. Started jotting (a rough work before I could put it on!). Now because it was the first one I had to sneak up on my thought, the flow and look at it from several angles.

Not knowing when or how to begin is a problem we’re all quite familiar with. Be it any just anything that you aspire to do, taking the first step is the most difficult aspect of any creative task. Somewhat sardonically, it has to be admitted! It’s a declaration of intent and getting started can feel like the end of a period of free and endless thinking. Giving shape and form to ideas and thoughts can feel like you are selling them short or limiting them in some way that feels uncomfortable. You have your own fears of being accepted by the audience of interest. You dont really know how well people could receive you. The fear of rejection is all that a man cannot take and hence the “starting problem”, “oh! What-if” or “Oh! What-if-not” kinds.

Now as I say this, I get a lil nostalgic. I still remember the day I submitted my first painting. The jitters I had when I enacted my first role as a child artist. The trembling voice with which I sang the first song. My faltering footsteps of the first dance to the tune of “merry-go-round-the-mulberry-bush”. I remember the first few lines of the poem I scribbled. Or as with most of us, it could be the first job interview we have all given, the boy/girl that we have or have wanted to propose [wink].Everything that you wanna do and have done has to have or has had its “first”. You jus gotta make the move. I do agree that it needs a vital mental and emotional preparation. Some times you tackle the most difficult and challenging problem first. Usually this is coz you have already sussed out how to solve it, or you’re so bursting with energy and excitement that you need something major to attack and venture on! Your instincts and creative intelligence shall definitely help at some point.

My dear friend, as you read this, I only have to say that, “If you have an urge to do that ‘something’ in the corner of your heart, push for it”. You must have your adrenaline rushing. Each one of us has a list of “1000 things to do before we die”. But only a few succeed in doing them all for they either do not know where to begin or too bothered about what-will-others-think-about-me. Seems like tats a syndrome! Sometimes you gotta be a dare devil. Have the I-Don’t-care-what-the-world-thinks-about-me attitude. After all you cannot impress everyone on this earth. N mind you, you gotta live your life. Have no apologies for the vanities. ‘Just-Do-It’. For its only one life you have to realize your dreams. We can’t leave our lives in the ‘Fill-in-the-blanks’ state. There are often some things left undone, some words left unsaid, some feelings left unexpressed, some dreams left unrealized about which we crib and feel sorry about and end up thinking at the later part of your life, “if-only-I-said-it”, “if-only-I-did-it”. Why have regrets? Wake up and do it. Ask questions. Apart from asking ‘why’, ask ‘why-not’. Start anywhere. But start now. Right here. Right now. No excuses. No prevarication.

Unleash…”U”! Get set and Go! Rock on! All the best!! [Thumbs up]

The aura of invincibility

It poured. It lashed. Drama unveiled! The beauty of the game was graced with the two great men on grass. U know what I am speaking about. True! Tennis it is. Wimbledon 2008 Men’s single - finals! A 4 hour, 48 minutes of ‘test of wills and calibre’. The longest and the greatest in the history of Tennis. What a match! The captivating five-set duel and the quality of tie-breakers. Nerve wrenching. Nail biting! Nothing short of spectacular.


Hailing from a family which religiously follows tennis, I have grown up with the game. Now, neva before had I witnessed a match of this sort (Will I eva?). The unbeatable Roger Federer (The ‘god of Tennis’ of the present era) on the one side and the new matador, Rafael Nadal, on the other side of the net. Eyes of the men were truly enigmatic. The energy they dissipated was colossal. Tough one it was. Both deserved to be the winners. It could be Fed’s hardest loss by far but what’s a game if there are no wins and losses? That’s called sportsmanship. The spirit has to stay! Its only but fair to have a winner and a loser. Wilma Rudolph quotes “Winning is great, sure, but if you are realy going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday”.


I could barely breathe during the third set. Lo and behold! I was tucked in my seat. But Yo! hold. I got back my breath. Fed was back in the game. He ought to stay! Though Fed is a genius, he is a human. And for a human it’s only but natural to err and falter. Nadal’s resistance was magnificent which was underlined by the fact that the world number one was able to convert only one out of his 13 breakpoints he generated over the course while sending down 52 unforced errors over Nadal's 27. This truely set the standards for the man. It’s after all a game. And it happens! I am not playing any favoritism here. Nadal has been the toughest contender to Fed. And he truly “deserved” to WIN. But yet, the supreme shall reign. Federer possesses the sublime skills that most players can only dream of. Nadal can neva be a threat to Federer. Nadal is to Federer as Agassi is to Sampras.

Never the less, the Swiss star shall always Shine bright. Undoubtedly, Federer is a champion. And time shall reveal this. As Jack Dempsey quotes “A champion is the one who gets up when he can’t”. Like the phoenix bird**, Fed too will have the time to prove, he is “The Invincible”!

**(It has a 500 year life-cycle, and near the end the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamom twigs or aromatic wood that it then ignites; both nest and bird is consumed by the fire and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection and life after death)

A post...

No acknowledgement. No post. Am lost! So many memories, linger in my mind. I’ve travelled to a world of darkness. Guess I have gone blind. No acknowledgement. No post. But I am lost.

Entwined I am, signing the treaties of my heart. “Is it stagnation or a grinding halt? Questions my mind, with heights of fear. And then, I suddenly wake up. I realize, am here! Present in the present! I decide, to ‘treat’ my life than to retreat. Hoping the consequences to be sweet. Leaving behind the old rag, I move on, yet again! But now, with an acknowledgement. And a post!

Life is definitely a roller coaster ride and I seem to be enjoying it to the fullest! Losing in life and regaining what u have lost makes u the most confident person coz u r no more afraid of losing as u now realize your ability to regain.

Twist in the tale...

A novelist, an ex-politician, an artist, a teacher, an army man, a sportsperson. What an exuberant and a multi-faceted personality. Lord Jeffrey Archer! So simple, yet so rich like his works. He truly walks what he talks.

I have grown up with his “Kane and Abel” and “Not a penny less, not a penny more”. These are truly his best books. Certified page-turners. He has always captivated his audiences with his intriguing characters. He has never stopped enthralling his fans since then. He always gets a surreal, overwhelming response for all his works, which of course he deserves and about which the Lord is extremely delighted!
Happened to listen to this legendary writer on the ‘walk the talk show’ on NDTV the last Sunday. I was awe inspired by his art of dealing with details on the topics he was shooted. Colors of India came alive from Jeffrey Archer on this show. Be it the rock concert he recently attended, politics or IPL cricket. He says that he has always enjoyed watching India and England playing Test cricket at the Lords, minus the cheerleaders of course ;) (He is right. Why would you want these so called cheerleaders when there are 40,000 highly energised crowd cheering you. The essence and spirit of the game dies with this. This kinda cricket with the so called cheer leaders shall least be called 'bikini cricket'!). He was so much in appreciation for the Indian batting line up (need I say anything??)!
I realized that Jeffrey Archer and I do share somethings in common. He likes RK Narayan and so do I. He has the same opinion on Indian woman and traffic as I do. He says, “It’s high time they appoint some Indian woman as ministers. The next generation of women in India are going to the very top”. Watch for it!! ;) Wonder what changes Jeffrey could bring in if he is appointed as the Transport minister. I would definitely wanna look forward to that day though! Wish it could be a part of my probables list(Now, I know that’s too much to have said)[Wink].
Can’t wait to read his upcoming book which is in its draft version - 'Parts of glory'. “For the first time I am writing a story that is true. It has references to India as well”, he says. There are many “twists in the tale” he promises.

ಸ್ತಬ್ಧತೆ

ನಿಂತಿಹುದು ಅಚಲವಾಗಿ, ಅಲುಗಾಡದೆ ಭದ್ರವಾಗಿ. ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ .... ಕಲ್ಲಾಗಿ! ಎತ್ತರದ ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಗುಡ್ಡಗಳ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಇಹುದು ಗಾಢ ಮೌನ, ಬಲಿತ ಮನ. ಅವುಗಳ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಅಡಿಯಲಿ ನೆಲಸಮವಾಗಿಹುದು ಸಾವಿರಾರು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಹೆಪ್ಪುಗಟ್ಟಿದ ನೂರೆಂಟು ಮಾತು. ಆ ಸುಪ್ತ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನೊಳಗೆ ಏನು ಅಡಗಿಹುದು, ಬಲ್ಲವರು ಯಾರು? ಪ್ರಾಯಶಃ ಪ್ರತಿಧ್ವನಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ, ಮರುಗಿದ ಹಾಡು, ವೀಣೆಯ ತಂತಿ ಮೀಟಿದ ಹಾಗೆ. ಕೇಳಿಸಿದರು ಕೆಳದಂತಹ, ಕೇಳದಿದ್ದರೂ ಕೆಳಿಸಿದಂತಹ ತರಂಗಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳುವ ಕಿವಿ, ಆಲಿಸುವ ಮನ ಎಲ್ಲಾದರೂ ಇದೆಯೇ?