John B Higgins is Kumbakonam degree coffee !!

I'm blogging after a gap of two weeks, just done with a much-needed break from writing *wink*. Not as if am a prolific writer but sometimes I have to admit,I get tired of myself.Anyways,am back after this vacation with a firmer resolution to write more on things close to my heart rather than mushy stuff on my feelings,on morals, sentiments and the like.In short,am tired of being the moral police of my blog.

Sitting down to blog on a lazy Friday with MIOL playing in the background,I reflect on 'Carnatic music'.John B Higgins is singing 'Krishna Nee Begane Baaro' with a voice as sweet as the Dabur Honey I purchased this afternoon from Fab mall, diction resembling that of any Sanskrit-knowing Indian and musical prowess unparalleled in our sangeetham. John Higgins is probably the best exponent of 'Krishna Nee Begane Baro' in my opinion.

What an achievement his was! Being the foremost of westerners to delve into the mystics of our divine music, he opened up this art to the vastly methodical west.
It is more commendable how Americans and Europeans have successfully understood and appreciated this art. No other community collectivly boasts of such a wide internet participation in a global sense as Indian music does. Some of the best answers on rec.india.music.classical and research on Indian music comes from there.

Cut to the scene back home and I get disappointed quite a bit.Not that there has been a stark decline,so long as we have Chennai,Mysore,Bangalore and other places on world map,am assured of Carnatic music in this world,however it is sad to note that our people - children,teenagers and youth in particular do not like Carnatic music. Attend a concert and most of the people out there are middle-aged barring a few of us whom the rest of junta have dubbed as 'old , boring' and 'not-so-cool' types. I find this damn irritating.

Some of those who have atleast tried to learn this formally are easily put off in a couple of days. I have had people come up and ask me :-
'so once i learn this, can I compose songs ? ' or
'You see,I dont want to sing pre-composed songs',
'In western music, people write their own songs,so isn't that far superior?'
'Ragas - whats in them ? Can I not use a computer and simulate all the possible combinations,what's the big deal ? '
'Why is Pa a Pa, why cant I sing it as Ma' ?

To such questions, I can only say what my Mom says at times to an inexperienced silly me - 'Adhika Prasangi'!! When one has not patience to pursue something that has evolved for ages, one is just being nonsensical. I try to tell them 'my dears,our music is not instant coffee that you can mix,pour water,stir and sip. Rather,it is a slowly percolated strong and sweet,stimulating cuppa 'Kumbakonam degree coffee' :) Hope you get the difference, my friends! And if you don't,do ask the West, will you ?
And if you thought the head-banging,power stuff that rocks us is 'fast-paced music',try listening to 'Vara Raaga Laaya' from GNB!

Learning to sing a raga or a kriti is like doing something repeatedly till you start doing it subconsiously, until it becomes a habit. This takes TIME, PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE and CONCENTRATION. You have gotta chase it!, no shortcuts as I have understood! Above all,this requires a "GURU",the teacher who brings out divine music from our otherwise-tormented souls. Solfa notation says 'ShankaraBharanam' is 'Sa Ri2 Ga3 Ma1 Pa Dha2 Ni3 Sa' but it can never show us the "beautiful way of singing" the 'Ga'.

P.S :- This blog is not an attempt to degrade any other musical form. Absolutely not!, once someone has "truly understood Carnatic music",appreciating any other form is implicit and automatic. This blog only tries to bring CM to the level of the others in terms of popularity! It would be perfectly ideal if every Indian who appreciates rock,pop, jazz,blues etc can also feel proud of the music from their backyards.


Damn, can I nver write shorter blogs ? I need to resolve that as well :)-