In the footsteps of a wandering monk ..

Fri Sep 13, 2002 ...
(Note the subtle (No more now:) ) reference to the program on BBC "In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great", a must watch though) ..

She looks completely underfed and neglected but for the serenity on her face ..
sitting with her back erect like a ramrod she shuffles her feet just when sitting becomes unbearable with numb feet and she is really cross with herself for being so weak .. Her feminity is shown only during those instances when she raises her tenor to a surprising degree and gets a nod from the old violinist and happy for it... It is really a quaint team if there ever was one .. A mallu muchhad on the Mridingam a wiezened Tammu scratching on the violin and a motu struggling to accomodate two ghatams on his lap. A mad main stealing away the drinks offered to them and three or four disinterested onwatchers complete the scene. The stench from a nearby broken latrine gives the perfect finishing touch making life miserable if not unbearable.

But they keep on caring little abt what is going on around. Suddenly in the middle of the song she stops; looks at the Mridingam and Ghatam guys mischievously and it all break loose ...Ppl might not remember much but it was sure the Mridingam guy who starts it with two raps on the mridingam and looks at the Ghatam. Ghatam is ready with an answer. Next comes a sound that is humanly impossible from a Ghatam; just a piece of burnt mud after all; I mean goddamn it there has to be some difference between range of tones coming from leather tightly wrapped over a box and from a piece of earthenware. But surprisingly no; whatever the Mridingam throws at it; Ghatam repeats it. The attacks become more severe; the questions more direct; the smiles more mischievous almost bordering on demeaning;Mridingam is more celebrating his win than attacking. But all the advances are replied with stern resistance. Ghatam is a good fighter but he is sure retreating under the onslaught.


Mridingam thunders long thinking he has Ghatam down and out and this is the last blow and there is deadly deafening sielence for a split second.
Then Ghatam repeates the thunder; now that it has withstood the attacks it goes on the rampage with its counter attacks. The battle fluctuates madly; the flurry increases; frequecny of turn arounds increases the scene is really ecstatic. Stop,stop please otherwise it'll be impossible to breathe. Somehow suddenly one olympic ad comes to mind .. "I might be your adversary but U r not my enemy. U bring out the best in me. Without u I'm not complete; u r my brother, my competitior ..."

Fingers are not supposed to move so fast for such a long time. These sounds are not sposed to come outof Mridingam /Ghatam. The battle finally leads to a crescendo. now it is no more attack and defence. Everybody is going for others throat; like a boxer in 13th round; reeling like a drunkard; not bothering what's hit them but giving it all they've got; really hurling a sinc and a washing basins at each other ....

It gotto end sometime and it does in a flurry ... Ghatam and Mridingam exchange smiles and almost congratulate each other;; No, not so lucky; a rich tenor picks up the tune where it was left ... no siree, u can not leave something so divine just like that and I got something to add to it .... Whole stage becomes a halo; who is this ?? That frail underfed lasse .. It has suddenly became free for all and the wailing violin also joins it ... Everybody is smiling and then it comes down as it had gone up so fast it makes u dizzy ...

Some question linger, why ??? Why here ?? is the top most of them ... Why would somebody play such great music when there is nobody to listen?? Is this the land that does that ?? We won't wonder if it does .. Just 200 meters past somebody jumped into the sea to search for the truth after searching the whole country for it ...More surprising is he came back after he found that to give it to the less unprivileged .... That can be counted as one of the two most famous jumps into the sea in Indian history. One at Marselleies being almost of same importance; at least to some ppl ..
Is it Karma ?? Did they do it because they were sposed to ?? We beg to differ ...
Common sense:"Viveka" says stop;desist; get lost BUT the pleasure in it:"Ananda" says do it ("Just Do It " if u would ...). It is not done 'cos somebody is sitting in the heaven and watching over all of us but it is done because I like it ...
U were never doing it for the listeners; for the money and for the applause. U were always doing it for ur self... Ur pleasure .. Is this selfishness ?? May be ,but is is divine ... Not much different that the wandering monk ...

Anyway; "Gentlemen ; it was an honour performing with u" ... As the head musician on the Titanic says to his fello musicians ..