ILAYARAJA'S SRIRAMARAJYAM...

It is easy to tell people not to be cynical and yes we all need to be positive and always hope for the good. But in the war between honesty and being positive, i think honesty and truth should prevail and will prevail. Coming to the point, it is not just in the matters of competition, war, or achievements but injustice is prevalent everywhere. These days largely it is the hype, noise, sensation that attracts the eye and only those who succeed in all that is bound to walk away with recognition and achievement. This is not just true of politics, media or business but also percolated to music and film industry.

Can we imagine, Shankara bharanam songs becoming popular today, the way it reached people then in early 80’s. The answer seems a perfect No as if that would happen,then the same should have happened to Sri Ramarajyam songs and music. Its very unfortunate and disgraceful that the music has not reached as much as it should have. i do not want to scribble any adjectives to express the divinity of the music in that movie. It deserved far greater recognition, appreciation than any other music in the last few years. It did register in music lover’s minds and heart, but did not make an impact as much as it should have. The effort of the Great Maestro is wasted in that sense. Every song and every music bit if heard in the right frame of mind and system is bound to take to a different world and when u come back, either you don’t want to live in the same world or you are transformed and you are willing to forgive everyone and everything. The complete serenity engulfs you and you just want to keep listening to the same music.

Even to say that this song is better than the other one is insulting the album per se. But my favourite is Sree Rama lera. The voices of shreya ghosal and Ramu don’t seem that of humans. It is clearly like the voices of the angels or goddess if there ever were such reality as them. The lyrics propound the value of what an ideal relationship and love between husband and wife should be. It’s beyond subtlety, expectation or any other feelings which are impermanent and ephemeral. The feelings and expressions are something that one should possess and they seem so right and achievable. There is no intension of gyan but everyone married and unmarried should listen and digest this song. After listening to this song, we feel like childishly fighting with god to make such a relationship permanent in life.

The other favourites are Seetha seemantham, ramayanamu and it can’t be a coincidence that all these songs have shreya ghosal as the singer. This lady will surpass all the greats in the singing world and if someone says she already has, i will be the first one to buy the argument. One can’t stop wondering at the making of this song. What must have happened to Raja garu before the composition and after the recording? What bliss, what divinity he must have experienced is only what he can feel and probably will never be known to anyone? For me it is more than worship in any temple, to be able to be there during such recordings. It thinks these opportunities can come only as a blessing and god knows when will that be?  Of course jagadadanda karaka is also a good song and has got the popularity it deserves unlike the rest of the songs.

One experience which is very unique is that, no other music seems enjoyable beyond few moments when ever i listen to this song. Especially in the telugu songs of late this magic isn’t in any music. Impatience is felt for other telugu songs and automatically we tend to get back to listening to Sri Rama rajayam music and more particularly sree rama lera. But one thing is certain ... forgetting the clichéd hit or miss discussion in success terms, if one listens to sriramarajyam 3 times, we are bound to get bliss and tranquillity. They say about rama katha, rama smarana that it is very soothing and we get stuck there and nothing else interests or excites. I haven’t experienced that,  but surely felt the same about the music of sriramarajyam.

Ilayaraja is a music god and one needs to touch his feet just for this music. One way of extending the happiness is to continue to listen to Geetanjali, anveshana songs of Raja garu... There is lot of sadness and unhappiness when i have to conclude writing about this piece but i will continue to revel in listening to the same. Special mention of thanks to Jonnavittula garu also for writing to suit this generation.

I will be glad if someone tell me the raga of sree rama lera song.

still loving you....from scorpions

Any piece of art or creation appeals differently to people is a known and understood reality. But how it impacts individuals depend on so many factors. Some influence in the child hood, or extremely popular art form, or something connected with one’s own experiences can be the determining factor. When it comes to music, all of us have fond memories and associations with many songs. For instance when i listen to Bhanumati songs, Geetanjali songs or Sajan songs.. i vividly remember my dad and all the memories come back stark to me and it’s almost like re living those moments with him in my child hood and in my youth.

There are hundreds of songs which strike a nostalgic chord and each of us has many experiences and memories associated with them. One such song for me is still loving you of Scorpions. Every time i listen to the song, i instantly remember my dear friend shakeel khader who went away to USA and he is not even on the face book. I tried to trace his parents place near basher bagh but failed. I and he used to revel on this song during 1990 when both of us were working in OMC computers. Listening to music to both of us was like religion. We used to talk and indulge for long. That happiness of involvement is just indescribable. I even remember how well he used to sing john denver’s song.. You fill up my senses.. Where are u shakeel? Can someone help me find him ?

Today i was going to my daughter’s school for investiture ceremony. It’s a long drive to Indus international school in Shankerpally. Good one hour and 20 minutes drive time and 70 percent of the drive is on the unpolluted roads and areas. Myself and Manas were listening to my collection of the English numbers which range from beetles to john denver to eagles to phil Collins to rainbow to led zep etc. But what was out of the world experience was listening to still loving you. I didn’t want the song to get over. It simply immerses you deeply in it and all the pain and misery just vanishes from life.

The original song itself is par excellence and belongs to all time best categories. But the new version (hate to call remix ) which is philharmonic in nature and format is just mind blowing. One has to experience this. If you are a james bond music fan, if you are A.R rehman fan, if you like Ismail darbar kind of Hum dil de chuke music, if you like zubin Mehta, Beethoven..  just imagine if all of it comes as a single master piece... can you believe it? You can’t and should not miss this master piece.. its a great work which seems like all these people sat together and created this music. IT has to be heard in an excellent music system in a decent volume in a car or in an absolutely acoustics treated studio or in a quiet place with the best i pod and a head phone.  It’s a magic and divine, real work of the best music. I always wonder how one creates this kind of music. How do they start, where do they end and how do they weave. And the conglomeration of all instruments in a very big number and perfect coordination and the rhythm sync harmony, and astounding riches of sound which is so out of the world.

No no .. one just can’t narrate the experience. One must listen to this. If you are not used to listening to these kind.. but you are a music lover.. just listen as a work , a job for 5 times and then sail along the endless timeless journey of ecstasy.

Hats off scorpions and still wonder how did they created this new version and would rehman ilayaraja have heard and if yes how do they feel?

COMMON LEARNINGS AND UNCOMMON SITUATIONS

Many a time, for the most average person like me, the distinction between thinking and worrying is not very clear and is blurred. Attitude towards everything will determine the difference. We worry if we seek benefit, if we are attached and we do not get the bigger picture. We think, i think if we have the bigger perspective, the one outside us and not for ourselves. There are 3 experiences which inspired me and want to learn from them.

1)    Few days ago, in one of my walking time early in the morning, i started strolling at the pizza hut point on the Raj bhavan Road. What caught my attention is one sight with someone looking like the lord Krishna, the one we know in the movies, television and pictures. I knew i was hallucinating and i thought so what? I just stood still and looked carefully. It was the beggar or someone who didn’t have a home or the relatives, who was waking up from the sleep or going back to sleep on a cold winter morning keeping himself warm from whatever he had. From then, i started walking just thinking about the guy, what seemed like an arrogant state of mind where i am better off than him. Then i really focussed on the thought and questioned myself.. Am i really better off than him? If yes in what way? What was bothering me was that, how would his day start? What hope does it have for the day? What will he looked forward to? How can he be normal, happy etc?

Then it occurred to me that, there are all my stories about him and not necessarily what he might feel.. Then what about me? I felt after all that i am fortunate to have in life ... every time there is some issue, some problem, some tension which keeps on bothering and worrying me. Each time the newer situation, the new issue seems bigger, difficult to handle and the older one silly and avoidable. This means that i have created a compartment in me which has to be fed with issues, problems and worries.. What if that is broken by good thoughts? Yes the habit of worrying has to be broken and thoughts have to be replaced. I have to destroy the compartment which needs to fed with negatives. After this crossed my mind, i felt he was indeed lord Krishna who made me think and realize. God has his own way of making us realize and we just need to keep our senses open.

2)    The second incident touched me very deeply. Shiva, the office boy once, supposedly took some decent money from me and he kept calling me to return the money. I was ignoring for sheer lack of time to coordinate and did not know how much money also. In one of the calls, he quoted a quite a good sum and said he has to return the same day His determination made me say ok. He came and returned first 5 figure amount and i was just baffled with his integrity and what not. If he wanted he could have easily avoided returning especially since his needs were very dear and sensitive. I remember his hardship in working as a newspaper delivery boy, pizza hut delivery boy to study and support family. His attitude to money and life has taught me indescribable lessons. Hats off shiva and you are my teacher. Such people have to be honoured always.

3)    Just yesterday, i was getting to ready to go to office and as i was locking the door, one of the servant maids of the apartment did not wait for me and she just closed the life door and went down. For a moment i felt she is so impatient and her wait would have saved some energy of power. But i decided not to take the lift and as i was walking down the stairs, i felt we all expect so much from the poor and the vulnerable. Why should i expect her to be so socially conscious when she has so much suffering in life? Are we, the so called educated and decently privileged behave and act responsibly all the time? We can afford to talk about several things because we can simply afford several other things in life. We don’t realize how fortunate we are.. Ok i correct myself and remove the plural and tell myself very strongly that i need to learn a lot from all situations around.

Humility every second, gratitude to god every moment and openness all the time enables learning and makes us richer and happier. This is my experience and i will convert these thoughts to implementation and not leave it at worrying about it... God bless all who have read this. Happy are all those who smiled after this ..