Love thy thoughts…

    This one is a poem… a poem about thoughts… thoughts that command love and not the superficial beauty that entices…

It’s my attempt at playing with archaic language, meter and in essence thought… a genre sometimes described or misnomered as ‘Shakespearen’  or ‘Shakespeare like’… would like to know what people feel about it- good, bad, ugly and hence I post it on the blog…

Love thy thoughts

I loveth you not dear one,

just for thy beauty fine,

But the thoughts of thyne…

For it’s these thoughts of great refine,

that can take you beyond  the barriers of me and mine…

And (in the long run)even beyond the thought regime…

These thoughts tell you, that ye art none…

And yet they teach ye, how to be the best amongst every one.

They help you mix in any crowd…

Be it, quiet, abusive or aloud…

It’s these thoughts that dare you to stay astern,

even when the ship seems to be about to overturn…

They don’t let ye lose hope,

when you are slipping over the edge of a cliff and there is no where to grope…

These thoughts make ye try again…

even when your previous attempts went invain.

And even when ye success gain…

These thoughts don’t let ye get vain…

So my dear one,

Loveth me not just for fun…

But for these thoughts, due to which hath our love begun…

The_Word.

What Next???

   Today I have for you a poem- What Next??? A question that probably strikes all minds some or the other time and some minds all the time…
     In a country like India, we solve this question by several means, not quite yet understood by the western world…
      We have, A Bhrigu Samhita,  written by a Mr Bhrigu and his students, supposedly in the Vedic Period, which is stated to have lasted from 1500 BC to 500BC(1)… and it reportedly gives exceedingly accurate bits of information about one’s life based on the birth date, time, the planetary formations at the said date, time etc...
     We also have scores of gods, goddesses, demi gods (360,000,000 to be precise), devils, jinns (genies) and a host of other para-normal creatures who can regulate our future if we perform specific rituals to appease them…
     Besides these, we have a host of god-men, living embodiments of the above mentioned gods who can forecast and at will, change the futures of us mere mortals…
     One such gentleman, Mr Satya Sai Baba, whom I respect greatly for the philanthropic work he has done in the state of Andhra Pradesh, (details of some of which can be read on the following link: (2))… this esteemed gentleman has reportedly saved lives of n number of his disciples at the Shri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital and at other corners of the world (stories of which are abounding online, one such example of Baba’s grace in Trinidad, CO, USA can be checked on this link: (3)… The tragedy of it is, Mr Baba, the saviour of millions across the world, had predicted that he would leave this AVATAR at the ripe old age of 96 and re-incarnate as  Prem Sai 8 years post the demise of this AVATAR (at 96)… Now, the Divine Baba decided to skip this mortal frame at 84, without much ado… with multiple organ failures and several other malaise… his decision  or rather the change of decision that he obviously didn’t convey verbally or for that matter through any of his other multifarious miraculous ways to any of  his close disciples has left a population of several millions (including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar)  across the globe in a limbo… each one probably asking this very question-

WHAT NEXT???!!!

     Having been born in a way of life where so much is left for other’s to predict and regulate, I took to reading palms at a very early age…
      Earlier it was just limited to imitating my grandmother, Sheila Patil, who was an expert in this art or science or whatcha may ya call it…
     Later it became a fancy fashion- being the centre of attraction of large crowds (generally female) in school and in college, who would willingly will their tender hands to the safety and comfort of mine and being the pin point of jealous thoughts of several of my male friends…
         In the long run, it became a study of sorts, having gone through several books, the basic ones like Cheiro Palmistry and the more detailed ones like the Little Giant Encyclopedia: Palmistry (Little Giant Encyclopedias) by Nathaniel Altman, The Complete Book of Palmistry: Includes Secrets of Indian Thumb …  by Richard Webster etc.. and well nigh a thousand palms, of scientists, doctors, engineers, businessmen,  students,
farmers and people from nearly every walk of life…
     The very basic thing that I  understood was that, this question of What Next?… was a question that virtually everyone asked… It didn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful, rich or poor, educated or other wise, one was… and none could answer it for his or her own self… They needed somebody, anybody to answer for them,probably to re-enforce their  belief in themself or create one where it was lacking…
     This poem speaks about just this… the fact that our future is from what we make and not for someone else to dictate…

What Next???

Every one wants to know his or her fate,

What their life holds at a yonder date???

In anticipation of a future state,

Everyone, their excitements abate;

Will they own a large estate

Or have they really been in love of late…

They are ready to quickly put all their faith,

On any Tom, Dick, Harry’s absurd dictate…

Forgetting this (present) day, the joy of being in this moment,

Their egos instantly inflate or deflate…

Depending on the soothsayer’s momentary whim and taste…

When will we realise, that our future is from what we make

And not for any demi-god’s fancy’s sake…

And all that is really in our hands(read palms)

Is living this moment completely and in full wake…

Is living this moment completely and in full wake…

-The_Word

P.S.>> May the holy soul of beloved Satya Sai rest in peace… and mine in pieces… in life and in death…
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Bharat Ratna Pt Bhimsen Joshi- ATribute… Part2

 
     Sangeet Manthan 2001… Another tribute to Pt Bhimsen Joshi was organised just a few days after the Dagdu Sheth Sangeet Mahotsav.
                                                   
      On the eve of April16 2011, at the College of Engineering Auditorium, Shivajinagar, Pune… we had Kree Media Solutions presenting three of the finest Contemporary Maestros of Hindustani Classical Music: Pt Jaiteertha Mevundi, Dr Dhananjay Daithankar and Pt Vijay Bakshi paying a  tribute to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi with  their performances.    
  

     Pt Jayteertha Mevundi was splendiferous as he opened the evening with spell bounding renditions of the Ragas- Marwa and Chhayanat and a thumri in Kafi that set the mood of the evening. The eve was intended as a tribute to Bharat Ratna Pt Bhimsen Joshi and Jayteerth‘s ease of flow of musical notes and his Bhim Anna like swar lagav (note stress) which is a speciality of Kirana Gayaki deported the audience into a time and space the music connoisseur Punekar’s seemed to have missed…

     Dr Dhananjay Daithankar’s mellifluous rendition of the teevra and shudha madhyam Raga Maru-Bihag reminded us of his Guru Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma. His, precision of note, immaculate sync with the tabla (tabla by Satyajeet Talwalkar s/o Taal-yogi Pt Suresh Talwalkar) and his mastery over the santoor made it an unforgettable experience.
                                                                
     It was special moments indeed when  Pt Vijay Bakshi the renowned Guru from Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune whose name is synonymous to Anvat Ragas for those in the know, gave the audience a grand surprise by taking up Raga Bihag and Jog enthralling the connoisseur and the novice both... Over the years, Panditji has amalgamated and blended several (styles) gayakis of Hindustani Classical Music, predominantly the Gwalior, Kirana and Patiala Gharanas and has evolved a very distinct style of his own… The audience was glued to their seats as he unfolded the two Ragas using Khandmer patterns and extremely complex sargam patterns, etching an everlasting impression on one and all.
      The notes of  the Pandit Bhimsenji’s   Bhairavi ‘Jo Bhaje Hari Ko Sada’ that was played towards the end of the Sangeet Manthan-2011 eve still  linger in my ears as I wind up this post…
These were two of the -Bhim Anna tribute- events that I attended… I have also seen event organisers using to –Bhim Anna tribute- tag as a marketing gimmick… in fact, a lot of the tribute events are using it as a cash cow… well to each one his own…
The_Word…
P.S. >> Just two, probably three days ago, we lost to nature’s mercy yet another singing great- Sangeet Ratna Madhav Gudi- one of Bhim Anna’s best disciples, someone whom Bhimsenji thought would be the torch bearer of the Kirana Gharana post Panditji…
Pt Bhimsen Joshi's Bhajans