I just got back from the concert put up by a band which calls itself Aukro. (Google them for now, I'm not very good at HTML to use the link thing. If someone does know, Help accepted:)) Anyway,it was a very grumpy me that went in, I actually wanted to watch the movie Rock on, but with no company and more importantly no tickets, I had to choose between watching half downloaded FRIENDS (season 8) episodes or attend a concert by a band I had never heard of (who supposedly have released two videos), I choose the latter. Contrary to the advertisement in the papers, it was not exactly a “rock” show- the mention of “rock” conjures a picture of head banging, torn jeans, rebel, dance till you cant stand, scream till you’re sore, etc but this was nothing like it. What the band members lacked in attention to detail, they made up with the cheery smiles and the fantastic energy-despite the low spectators.
Aukro played a few popular hindi numbers, hum bewafa being the one i liked most. They started the song with the chords and leads of Bryan Adams’ summer of 69!! It made for a nice change. But what the crowd particularly enjoyed was Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani… the band stuck to the original tune of this one, but the drums did the magic here.
Their original compositions were note worthy too. I liked this one song they played, I fail to recall the name, but it was in assamese and of course Nadiyaan, their first solo,really nice.
One striking quality about the band was the understanding between the members, maybe I read too much between the lines-thanks to the Beatles, but I found the band members constantly looking at one another, smiling, sometimes talking while on stage, it felt like they were just “there”, it was like Richard Bash whispering into my ears-“here and now”!!
I wont say I don’t have a favorite member from the band, but as someone said everyone is equally important in a band- the lead singer with a subtle East Indian accent, the bass guitarist from Goa/Mangalore(cute goatee!!), the lead guitarist, the IITan guy on some instrument(WOW!!), the guy on the tabla who personifies-the best things in life come in small packages(he’s a li’l over 5 feet I think), the guy from some other band who liked the music of Aukro that he joined them, the lady band manager from Delhi who could not stop taking pics of the band members, I’m sure they’ll all be on the official site by tomo :) and then my two favourate- the dummer and the keyboard player. The drummer’s a Shetty (if I remember right), and OH MY GOD!! What energy!! I was in total awe. The only reason I like live music is the drums, and this guy did full justice to it… and my other favorite- Rrituraj (yes, the only one whose first name I recall:)) I’m not very good at distinguishing one musical instrument from the other, and when its orchestrated so well-practically impossible, so I really cant comment on his playing skills, but this guy had this smile on his face… the smile that I have right now, of enjoyment, satisfaction, of fulfillment… I could not take my eyes off him!! The passion, energy, the enjoyment shown by them on stage made me forget the reason for my grumpiness all together. Of course, the best thing about the band, though most of the members are from East India, they call themselves a “Bangalore Based band”. I believe in bengaluru:)
To summarize, a decision well made, 100 bucks well spent, pleasant Saturday evening. If u do know of any other bands performing or have an extra pass, do not hesitate to invite me, I officially am into live music as of today. And if the Aurko band members are reading this, great work people, sorry about the low turn over, but if it helps you did make me really happy!! Rock on!!(no pun intended) LOL!! :)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Krishna Janamashtami:)
“At least not today” I muttered under my breath to my friend Pinky as she ordered a fish thali for lunch.
“Why, what is today?” Soni asked me lazily across the table.
“Janmashtami” Pinky and I chorused. She looked at me, I wonder if I saw a little bit of guilt on Pinky's face. The scene is, Pinky comes from a Brahmin family, from Mangalore, for those who don’t know what that means, lets just say-the best of all the cascading events that will occur if her folks find out she’s been eating non veg is that she’ll been disowned.
“Big deal man”, she justified, trying to convince her self more than us, “I’ll go have a bath before the puja.”
Soni added, before she smiled at me, “Anyway Krishna was a non vegetarian himself, so its not as bad” Making a mental to verify this new bit of information I looked at Pinky as she relished on her fried fish, cooked in mustard oil, garnished with spices, as though the creature was just meant to meet this end.
“Better eat fast or we’ll be late for the puja” Pinky punctuated in the midst of her chewing, “amma wont like it if we’re late”
Pinky’s mum had invited us for puja, not that they do it on a grand scale, the puja prasadams was too good a deal for me to resist. So we accepted. As promised, as soon as Pinky reached home, she took a bath, in her mind she had compensated and paid penalty for eating non veg by the bath, while the fish probably not even had digested fully. She changed into a salwar kameez and her mum dressed in a pink saree, the attire saved for days like these.
The last janmashtami that I celebrated was two years ago when my folks were in the city, my mum was working on janmashtami day too (yes, the pits of working for an international school), she came back around five, clad in a loose Fab India short Kurti and my dad’s old jeans, altered about five inches waist and length.
Quick as she could, she washed up and draped the red Pattu saree, the one with the golden border… ah… she looks wonderful in that one. Next, she targeted the kitchen, made the batter for Nai Appams and while waiting for it to ferment, she mixed the Kollam powder in right proportions with water and the Kollam was drawn-from the entrance to the puja room the design being the foot steps (padam- a simple 8 structure with toes) of baby Krishna-a ritual going back to ammu-patti times.
I remember watching her prepare for the puja, single handedly, whilst I was plunked in front of the computer drooling over the FRIENDS star cast, turning a blind eye to every attempt by my mum to entice me into helping her, to draw the Kollam or make appams, and a deaf year to the stridently loud shlokas she played. We were both used to it, its’ our ritual.
Finally the appams were made, the time of completion coincided perfectly with my dad’s grand entry, the weariness of his long day of work having been drowned away in a refreshing bath, the actual aarti started, and then the navediam (offering the prasadams-the appams in this case-to God first) After the navediam and namaskarams we were permitted to dig into the nai appams, and my sister to break her fast. We sat, as a custom after every puja, around the dining table and talked- about office, school, college, this and that and munched on the amazing prasadams.
I painfully dragged myself into the present and left the Nai Appams behind as aunty called for us puja. Maybe it was because I had not seen a puja at home in so long or because of the phase I’m going through or the Shantaram-Shankaran effect, or the Beatles, but suddenly the entire “puja” concept seemed so beautiful, filled with love and purity, with devotion, innocence, with bonding. Pinky’s dad started the puja, reciting Sanskrit shlokas written in the Kanada script, loud and clear he read them, the puja essentials gleaming in the light of the lamps. There’s something about the light from the lamps, the valak, it makes the surrounding look fresh and new… the flowers-the jasmine garland, the fruits, banana, apple, pears, the milk, the water, the betel leaves, the tulsi(basil), the small silver containers filled with red vermillion and haldi(turmeric powder), the rice colored red with kumkum which will later be showered on the idol…there’s some significance in each of these items, I thought, a significance and reason lost somewhere during evolution. Now it’s just a ritual, I thought-no one knows why we do it.
The Aarti essentials
As uncle proceeded with the puja, aunty prepared for the aarti, the camphor, and the incense sticks in the right place and Pinky’s sister with the bell. The aarti, it makes you feel so many things at the same time, just if you let it, the sound of the bell ringing, then smell of the aggarbatti, the lit camphor moving, its yellow light leaving its trail due to the momentum combined with gravity, giving it a lazy look, it is like two minutes of settlement.
The essentials of the puja
Once done with the aarti, Pinky’s sister started singing, classical songs, as the entire family joined in, smiling and enjoying themselves; filling in unknown words with aalaps and “mmmmmmmmmm…”, tunes ranging from ISKON’S Hare Rama Hare Krishna to Payo ji Maine to Krishna ne begane baro. I was overwhelmed. Aunty concluded with a shloka-krishnaaya vasudevaya… as everyone looked on, and somewhere it struck me, I chorused –
Krishnaaya Vasudevaya Devaki Nandanaayacha
NandaGopa Kumaaraya Govindaaya Namo Namaha.
I was filled with emotion. I had just realized the reason behind Amma’s constant teaching me these shlokas. It’s a quest, to find out the meaning, to decipher it and connect with it. An omen if one may say. I was filled with gratitude towards my folks who tried to keep it alive within me. I’ve said it before, and I quote again-the eyes will see only what the mind can comprehend.
Sometimes we learn stuff without any reasons, sometimes we find no need for reasons and sometimes the reasons presents itself in due course, however it goes, as long as the deed spreads love and makes one feel good, it becomes abstract.
As aunty filled our plates with the numerous prasadams she had made, I asked Pinky, making sure we were safely earshot from her mother, “you know, there’s this new restaurant opened at koramangala, they specialize in coastal cuisine, prawns and crabs, wanna go? My treat…” we both smiled.
“Why, what is today?” Soni asked me lazily across the table.
“Janmashtami” Pinky and I chorused. She looked at me, I wonder if I saw a little bit of guilt on Pinky's face. The scene is, Pinky comes from a Brahmin family, from Mangalore, for those who don’t know what that means, lets just say-the best of all the cascading events that will occur if her folks find out she’s been eating non veg is that she’ll been disowned.
“Big deal man”, she justified, trying to convince her self more than us, “I’ll go have a bath before the puja.”
Soni added, before she smiled at me, “Anyway Krishna was a non vegetarian himself, so its not as bad” Making a mental to verify this new bit of information I looked at Pinky as she relished on her fried fish, cooked in mustard oil, garnished with spices, as though the creature was just meant to meet this end.
“Better eat fast or we’ll be late for the puja” Pinky punctuated in the midst of her chewing, “amma wont like it if we’re late”
Pinky’s mum had invited us for puja, not that they do it on a grand scale, the puja prasadams was too good a deal for me to resist. So we accepted. As promised, as soon as Pinky reached home, she took a bath, in her mind she had compensated and paid penalty for eating non veg by the bath, while the fish probably not even had digested fully. She changed into a salwar kameez and her mum dressed in a pink saree, the attire saved for days like these.
The last janmashtami that I celebrated was two years ago when my folks were in the city, my mum was working on janmashtami day too (yes, the pits of working for an international school), she came back around five, clad in a loose Fab India short Kurti and my dad’s old jeans, altered about five inches waist and length.
Quick as she could, she washed up and draped the red Pattu saree, the one with the golden border… ah… she looks wonderful in that one. Next, she targeted the kitchen, made the batter for Nai Appams and while waiting for it to ferment, she mixed the Kollam powder in right proportions with water and the Kollam was drawn-from the entrance to the puja room the design being the foot steps (padam- a simple 8 structure with toes) of baby Krishna-a ritual going back to ammu-patti times.
I remember watching her prepare for the puja, single handedly, whilst I was plunked in front of the computer drooling over the FRIENDS star cast, turning a blind eye to every attempt by my mum to entice me into helping her, to draw the Kollam or make appams, and a deaf year to the stridently loud shlokas she played. We were both used to it, its’ our ritual.
Finally the appams were made, the time of completion coincided perfectly with my dad’s grand entry, the weariness of his long day of work having been drowned away in a refreshing bath, the actual aarti started, and then the navediam (offering the prasadams-the appams in this case-to God first) After the navediam and namaskarams we were permitted to dig into the nai appams, and my sister to break her fast. We sat, as a custom after every puja, around the dining table and talked- about office, school, college, this and that and munched on the amazing prasadams.
I painfully dragged myself into the present and left the Nai Appams behind as aunty called for us puja. Maybe it was because I had not seen a puja at home in so long or because of the phase I’m going through or the Shantaram-Shankaran effect, or the Beatles, but suddenly the entire “puja” concept seemed so beautiful, filled with love and purity, with devotion, innocence, with bonding. Pinky’s dad started the puja, reciting Sanskrit shlokas written in the Kanada script, loud and clear he read them, the puja essentials gleaming in the light of the lamps. There’s something about the light from the lamps, the valak, it makes the surrounding look fresh and new… the flowers-the jasmine garland, the fruits, banana, apple, pears, the milk, the water, the betel leaves, the tulsi(basil), the small silver containers filled with red vermillion and haldi(turmeric powder), the rice colored red with kumkum which will later be showered on the idol…there’s some significance in each of these items, I thought, a significance and reason lost somewhere during evolution. Now it’s just a ritual, I thought-no one knows why we do it.
The Aarti essentials
As uncle proceeded with the puja, aunty prepared for the aarti, the camphor, and the incense sticks in the right place and Pinky’s sister with the bell. The aarti, it makes you feel so many things at the same time, just if you let it, the sound of the bell ringing, then smell of the aggarbatti, the lit camphor moving, its yellow light leaving its trail due to the momentum combined with gravity, giving it a lazy look, it is like two minutes of settlement.
The essentials of the puja
Once done with the aarti, Pinky’s sister started singing, classical songs, as the entire family joined in, smiling and enjoying themselves; filling in unknown words with aalaps and “mmmmmmmmmm…”, tunes ranging from ISKON’S Hare Rama Hare Krishna to Payo ji Maine to Krishna ne begane baro. I was overwhelmed. Aunty concluded with a shloka-krishnaaya vasudevaya… as everyone looked on, and somewhere it struck me, I chorused –
Krishnaaya Vasudevaya Devaki Nandanaayacha
NandaGopa Kumaaraya Govindaaya Namo Namaha.
I was filled with emotion. I had just realized the reason behind Amma’s constant teaching me these shlokas. It’s a quest, to find out the meaning, to decipher it and connect with it. An omen if one may say. I was filled with gratitude towards my folks who tried to keep it alive within me. I’ve said it before, and I quote again-the eyes will see only what the mind can comprehend.
Sometimes we learn stuff without any reasons, sometimes we find no need for reasons and sometimes the reasons presents itself in due course, however it goes, as long as the deed spreads love and makes one feel good, it becomes abstract.
As aunty filled our plates with the numerous prasadams she had made, I asked Pinky, making sure we were safely earshot from her mother, “you know, there’s this new restaurant opened at koramangala, they specialize in coastal cuisine, prawns and crabs, wanna go? My treat…” we both smiled.
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