Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Have been listening to some music from Pakistan and Punjab. And am blown away by the beauty of the lyrics. 
And the more I listen to some notes that come from some musicians the more I see the musician and his song are so entwined with each other that maybe after a point, for me, I do not see the two different entities. The song becomes the songster. The songster becomes the song. 
The beauty of the words that have been strung together by fingers holding a pen or, if I may be dreamy, a quill perhaps, with fingers stained dark from the ink. Maybe like the delicate fingers that play on a stringed instrument, where long after the notes have ceased to resonate, the strings have left a mark  on the fingers that played them out. I also wonder how did the poets who were men understand the sentiment of a woman, especially the wedding songs of Punjab, so much that he goes to describe how she would feel when she leaves her father's home.
I, was thinking today that I am blessed to be born a musician more than anything else. And so thankful that I was not born a Gandu who did not understand notes or tones. Or music at all. 
The Sufi, it is said, pehle hi sab kucch haar ke aata hai. That he has already lost everything. He has lost his people, his home, his wealth, his mind even, in search of the Ultimate One. In search of the One with whom he could be one with for eternity. For the One whom he pines for. The same way Meera pined. Or how Aandal pined.
(At this point I remember how there are times that I pine for a good monitor on stage. That's a different sort of pining altogether, anyway :) )
I wish today, that some day I'll sing like the Sufi. Or I be like Meera or Aandal.
And to you, the reader (not sure if you can sing or play or an instrument), I wish for you that you experience the pure emotion of your eyes welling up as an expression of that which wells up within you. Like maybe, a beautiful flowery creeper that twines around your soul and squeezes it enough to make you shed tears but leaves you with a fragrance that you could get a whiff of, every time you close your eyes. Its a wonderful feeling. May you also pine for something but I won't wish that for too long for you though, and may you get what you pine for, if that makes you happy. May you be joyous.
May you be blessed, on this Krishna Jayanti. May Lord Krishna bless you.

Tathaaastu.

20 comments:

Matangi Mawley said...

i had enjoyed the lyrics of pak music too... some of their voices are out of the world!

happy janmashtami to u too!

n happy to have the "thathaastu" back! missed it in the previous few posts!

Manaswini.K said...

What a heartfelt and emotional post. The topics you write on and the ease with which you flow through the lines shows you as skillful a writer as a singer. God bless you.

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO_qgmQe-kg&feature=related

Special someone dane order pannel......ido vanduten!

On a serious note, ungaluku enna poise, enna elegance.....a rare attribute to find with ppl in our generation.

Chicago ku epayavdu attendance poduvela....! unga autogrph thevai...!!
tc

Koushik

okbutnok said...

Hi sis.

Another gr8 and commendable post. It shows ur taste and the way u admire each and every micron in music and d lyric.. What surprises me often is the way u present(flow) the post. Ur writing style n singing is equally top-notch :)Gr8 :)
regards,
Manirathnam Hari

Arunram said...

Hi Chinmayi,

For some people, it is harder to concentrate on closely written text for a long time. Also, there are chances to miss the line you are reading!

It would be better if you can leave a line between the paragraphs. It will help the readers a lot.

The overall post may look more beautiful and appealing.

-Arunram.

Unknown said...

I am disappointed at the last Sangeetha Maha Yuddham. Anupama's team outdone Madhu's team today in the first two rounds. In the last round I think the gap is too much against Anupama. I don't think the scoring is fair.
Arun

ramlakmi said...

"I wish today, that some day I'll sing like the Sufi. Or I be like Meera or Aandal." This is a great wish. Let your wish come true dear sis. God bless.

salo said...

hi chinmayi.....
On Sunday 5-9-2010 sangeetha maha yudham was superb .
madhu sir is sang well.
me also like madhu sir team only.
You also looking nice on that.You too Krishna Jayanti wishes .
take care.

Anonymous said...

BEWARE! dun fall in love with the songwriter ;)

-Vjay

Kranthi said...

can one wish others this heart-warmingly? You are good.

(I cannot sing or play an instrument but I FEEL music )

Buena suerte !!!!!

Chitra said...

chinmayee,you did a wonderful job in chote ustaad.I loved yr compering.Why did u leave tbe show? I must say that you wore lovely clothes and were very decently dressed.Wish,we could see you in more shows.keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

I am not a musician, but I am a serious appreciator of music. And I am captured by yours.

Krishna has blessed you with the gift of music; may this Blessing of His be with you always.

valli said...

many many happy returns of the day chinmayi...
may God shower his choicest blessings on you...

i'm very happy ...
my son too was born on sep 10th...

roopesh kamalanathan said...

Hi Chinmayee,

how are u. Im a regular watcher of Sangeetha Mahayudham. You rock in this program. And advance Pillayar Pandigai vaazhtakal.

Roopesh Kumar
Bangalore

bash said...

Many many Happy Returns of the day...Chinmayi!...God is Blessing and be with YOU all the time!...cheers...

Fanatico said...

Chinmayi, Although my grandfather was, and my mother is, a musician, unfortunately, I did not share their passion for Carnatic music as I was growing up. I did my best to avoid the lessons they tried to thrust upon me and instead picked up the jazz drums and bongos. Today, I regret that big time and wish they had wielded the big stick to give me a good foundation. For music is almost my sole companion these days (though there are moments when I prefer the sound of silence to any form of music). I feel one doesn’t need to understand the lyrics to feel the joy of good music. A good singer can evoke emotions by the power of his expression. I don’t know Urdu or even Hindi and yet when I listen to Hariharan sing a ghazal, I can weep. Once, I wept when he sang the words “ah soo” or something to that effect. Only later did I find out, to my amazement, that those words mean “tears”. I don’t know Malayalam (though I am a half-Malayalee) and yet when Madhu Balakrishnan hits the low notes in his baritone, I feel I have attained nirvana. When Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sings a Qawwali, I feel like a Sufi searching God. When Sanjeev Abhyankar sings a Hindustani number, I want to leap with joy. When Andrea Bocelli sings an Italian aria, I shut my eyes as I don’t want any visual image to mar the beauty of this blind artist’s voice. Music is opium to the soul.

Ramya said...

Hi chinmayi, I am a fan of rahet fateh ali khan n sufi music. I guess they r the one of the most emotional n soul stirring kinds.. enjoyed this post, absolutely loved the last para, mirrored my feelings. Here is a link tat u might enjoy, a mind blowing fusion by rahet n co of a popular song..dont miss teh alaap in between.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iTDaBXsLhM

Ramya said...

Hey actually landed here to tell I loved the serial song of 'Meera'. It immediately reminded me of 'Deivam thandha poove' , the same kind of emotion:) Beautiful compostion sung soulfully n smoothly by u.. kudos.,. felt shades of kaapi, desh, charukesi..its going to be a super hit serail song among current ones. My fav after 'snehidhi snehidhi','aadugiran kannan'.

cheers:)

sandeep18march said...

hey...heard the maiyya yashoda song from Jhootha Hi Sahi sung by you....beautiful composition by ARR and beautifully sung by u & Javed Ali.....Keep up the good work... :)

1325 said...

If you like sufi....listen to the lyrics of this composition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3imN5pCDQQ

Lemme know what you think :)