Three songs that are significant to you.

Music is the essence of all beings. We find music and rhythm in everything that we do. The birds chirping, the water falling, the sounds of cooking…… there is music all around as and in everything that we do. Music is a great mood uplifter for me. I can’t imagine my life without music. I would probably shrivel and die if I was denied music.

I was introduced to music at a very young age and since then my day has started with songs sung by my mother and ended with her humming a tune. Strangely my mother never required a source of music to listen to……. no iPod….. no stereo. Sometimes she would listen to the radio as she went about her daily chores….. but that was about it. I was introduced to a rather serious form of music….. Hindustani classical. It was supposed to fine tune my voice after which I was supposed to have branched into Rabindra Sangeet. I didn’t go that far as to become a maestro but enough to understand the delicacy and movements in music. I simply didn’t have the commitment and discipline required for the training….. but music remained my passion. My choice of music is eclectic. I can be happy listening to pop or disco and be equally comfortable listening to a rendition of  Raga bhimpalasi.

I am an Indian so my choice of songs will essentially be Hindi or Bengali the language that I am comfortable with.  I love so  many songs that I am not able to decide which one to put up. The crazy thing is that the top ten on my charts keep changing so often that I really can’t keep track of it.

So I am going to go with my first song being my all time favorite. Its a song by Pankaj Udhas from the album “Aman” : Song is Abhi ghar na jana.….. This song gets me nostalgic every time I hear it. This song is something of a blast from the past that I have not been able to shake off till date. I don’t know whether it is the slow tempo or the lyrics or maybe the piano used as the main musical instrument…… the song always has me in a sort of nostalgic and melancholy mood. I remember when I first heard the song I was in college and I must have replayed the song a hundred times.  The song really has no significance just that it is a beautiful piece of music by a great singer that I had come to adore. The music is light and it is soothing to hear. The lyrics are meaningful and there isn’t much as far as instruments….. just a piano.  I am posting the video of the same. (Courtesy You Tube)

 

The second song that I chose came to my mind as soon as I read the post. It is a very strange choice of music. It is a bhajan by Saint Kabir. Why it was my choice I wouldn’t be able to tell…… just that it was something my mother left in some corner of my mind. My mother would often sing this song. More often than I can remember. It made quite an impact on me. (Courtesy : YouTube )

LYRICS

Maati Kahe Kumhar Se, Tu Kya Rundhe Mohe
Ek Din Aisa Ayega, Main Rundhungi Tohe…

Aaye Hai So Jayenge Raaja Rank Fakir
Ek Sinhaasan Chadh Chale, Ek Bandhe Janjir
Durbal Ko Naa Satayiye, Jaaki Maati Hoye
Bina Jeev K Shwas So, Loha Basam Ho Jaye…

Chalti Chakki Dekh Ke, Diya Kabira Roye
Do Patan Ke Bich Me, Sabut Bacha Naa Koi
Dukh Me Sumiraan Sab Kare, Sukh Me Kare Naa Koi
Jo Dukh Me Sumiran Kare, To Dukh Kahe Ko Hoye…

Patta Tuta Dal Se, Le Gayi Pawan Udaye
Ab Ke Bichade Kab Milenge, Door Padenge Jaye
Kabir Aap Thagiye, Or Na Thagiye Koi
Aap Thage Sukh Upaje, Aur Thage Dukh Hoye

TRANSLATION

Clay asks potter why do you knead me
one day it will be my turn to knead you
( it refers to the day when the potter will be dead and would be buried in ground).

Everyone who is born will die some day, be it a  king or a poor man.
one goes on a throne and another one goes with chains on its body.
Don’t harass the weak, there is a lot of power in curses.
just like a lifeless dhokni can melt a strong thing like iron. 
( Dhokni is a hollow cylindrical tube used to blow air in furnace to make it hotter) 

On seeing the grinding stone (which grinds the flour), Kabir cries
nobody can survive between the two stones of karma and family 
Everyone remembers god in bad times, no one remembers god in good times.
if you remember god in good times, then you would never have bad times .

A leaf  falls off the branch and is carried away by the wind
Now that they have got separated who knows when they will meet
Kabir says don’t con others and don’t get conned by others as well ,                
You cant con anybody and get away with it.

The third song is by Frank Sinatra “My Way“. I love all his songs but this one especially for the lyrics. He kind of talks about my motto in life. I love the song simply because it is a very meaningful song and a very beautiful rendition.  I identify myself with the song and the way he has sung it. He has encompassed his whole life in the song. It is a beautiful composition. (Courtesy : YouTube)

Life as it gets

Disclaimer: This is a potentially depressive post. All who are happy please don’t read it. People on the verge of suicide read it. It will definitely push you off the edge. Terminally ill people please don’t read it. It will make your last journey just as bad as my current journey.

I guess this is a a disclaimer that I should put up on my blog because lets face it…….. I am a big time pessimistic rondu. I even hate reading my own blog these days. It just depresses me too much.

I have been having a rough time with my life since last year. First it was my life that was falling apart now it is my health. I know I am not dying but believe me at times that seems such a better and faster option. So much for being STRONG. Well believe me I am not feeling strong at all.

I have read about all the motivational books that I could fathom. Nothing helped. Even Dale Carnegie (which was my bible for a very long time) does not make me see light. These days I don’t even want to write my blog. I draft up so many posts which I never post for the simple reason that I just don’t like them after I read the draft. The draft usually sounds utterly DAFT to me.

For years I was THE STRONG ONE. I never ever fell sick. Believe me for years at a stretch I never fell sick…….. not even fever or a runny nose, which is a very uncouth phrase to be used these days very dangerous and fatal word. Something that kills people. Bird flu was so cool specially for a vegetarian like me. I was totally cool with that……… This one is bad. We have to wear masks, treat all people who have red eyes with suspicion……….. earlier it was just about anybody with crazy looking luggage (after the terrorist attacks). Now everybody with a different colored eyes is strange because they may be carriers. If they have a runny nose……… runnn!!!

I went to Pune last week and the pigs had totally destroyed my beloved city. It looked like I had landed in some Muslim country with everyone wearing a burqa. We did have women earlier wearing masks trying to evade heat sun and pollution for the skin but now it is a necessity that will save your life!!! Irony isn’t it ???

piggy flu

People are dying everyday like nobody’s business. Every morning the number seems to go up a few notches. I know people die everyday but never so many in my city alone. I just read that though almost 45,000 and 25,000 people were infected with the virus in the US and the UK respectively, only 0.6% and 0.1% actually died.

You can read the article here.

So what is it that is making the piggies so strong here? Could it be the administration or maybe the health facilities in Government hospitals. I am not playing the blame game here just that when I was young we all knew that anybody who ever went to Sasoon never came back alive. Guess the reputation still stands!!! Can’t the administration and Health Officials for once WORK and SAVE lives……. that is what they are supposed to do after all!!! aren’t they?

While I sit at home and mope for being sick and in my hubby’s words “being insulated”, I ponder over how much I hate pigs and worry if my family will breathe in the wrong air!!! I tried convincing ma and pa to come and be with me but they don’t like me either. I mean who wants to live with a moaner???? Do you know in Rajasthan women are actually paid to cry and moan…… Rudaalis (saw a movie once with the same concept). Guess I have an alternative occupation.

Anyway I am not going to start raving and ranting about the killer piggies/piggy flu simply because this blog is all about MOI not some PIG!!!

People talk about life having tunnels and times being bad and sade saati etc etc!!! But me I seem to be living in the poles where you just don’t have sunlight for months. In my case for years!!! What can I say I am at my brink and every moment I just pray that I can live the next without any catastrophe!!!

What was it : Tough times don’t last………… Tough people do !!! Well I don’t feel tough for sure.

Leaving you with “ONE DAY AT A TIME”…… listen to it : It is inspirational……… at least for ME……. Currently my chant!!!

Oh I forgot Happy Janmashtami………… Birth of Krishna !!!!