Final Transit

Busking: Busking is the practice of performing music, dance, juggling, magic, and similar activities in public places to entertain passersby and solicit tips. People engaging in this practice are called buskers. Busking is a British term used in many areas of the English-speaking world and in former British territories. In the United States, buskers are more often called street performers or street musicians. Some buskers only work part time, while others make a full time living performing on the streets…. Read more on Wikipedia

I had a Sitar gig last night and by the time it ended, it was past midnight and it was also raining. I was standing outside the Queen subway station, waiting for the streetcar (tram) for almost 20 minutes, not quite enjoying the drizzle. My Sitar was tucked away under some large window frame.

2 moderately drunk white boys arrived at the streetcar stop and looked curiously at my Sitar bag. It was past midnight on Friday, I wasn’t surprised.

“Hey, what is that?”
“Its a Sitar”, I said non-enthusiastically. I get this question often.
“Woh! I thought so, but never thought I would see a Sitar for real!”

And then they spent next 5 minutes asking me questions about the instrument. I was surprised that they knew so much already. I promised to show them how it looked like once we were in the streetcar.

“You must play it too”, he said
“HUH ??”, sounded like a crazy idea to me.
“Yea man, and I will pass my hat around. You can get your bus money back!” (he took off his hat to show me how)

So we got into the streetcar, full of sweet party people. The guys couldn’t wait to see how a sitar looked and I showed them rightaway. I am always ready to play and so I did what they wanted me to. After I was done, there was some clapping and the guy took his hat off and passed it around.

Nobody put any money in it.

The guy was disappointed more than me. I guess he didn’t want me to be a musician who doesn’t get tips after he plays. Then the sweetest thing happened. His buddy put in a buck. And they passed the hat to me.

“Here!, Great show!”

And folks, thats how I earned my first dollar on the street playing music.

Related posts

• The Blue Chatur (42)
• Talent and the Tool (47)
• Purple ink, smudged finger and EVM (1)
• Love story of a nine year old (29)
• Bhangra music on Sitar (15)

Often I experience something that leaves me with more questions than answers. Music, especially, is like a supernatural force that transports me into some unknown dimension, and I lose sense of everything,… repeat, everything. It has happened more than once. Particularly memorable were listening to pandit Shivkumar Sharma playing Santoor at Sawai Gandharva 2003, pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia playing Bansuri at his residence during Janmashtami 2005, and pandit Jasraj at Malhar 2006.

Yesterday was fourth such occasion. I was at Indian Ocean’s live concert at Toronto. (Indian Ocean is a music band, if you didn’t already know - not many people do.)

I hate stuff that makes me pause and think. It disrupts my schedule. Last time Indian Ocean music did that was in April, about which I wrote here.

So, back to the music concert. The guys started with a Vedic prayer (’From the Ruins’), and the next moment I had goose bumps. This was followed by 2.5 hours of blissful music - ‘Jhini’, ‘Kya Maloom’, ‘Ma Rewa’, ‘Bandheh’, ‘Hille Re’, ‘Bhor’, ‘Kandisa’ and my favorite - ‘Kaun‘

Indian Ocean, playing live in Toronto (I know its not the best photo, but I had no interest in focusing on taking pictures )

Indian Ocean for me is in the same league as Pink Floyd, Nirvana and Tool. Listening to this music is a spiritual experience, and multi tasking seems impossible.

Take this song Jhini for example. Composed by saint Kabir, the lyrics seem simplistic on first glance.
झीनी रे झीनी रे झीनी चदरिया, झीनी रे झीनी रे झीनी चदरिया
के राम नाम रस भीनी चदरिया, झीनी रे झीनी रे झीनी चदरिया
अष्ट कमल दल चरखा डोले, पांच तत्व, गुण तीनि चदरिया
साइँ को सियत मास दस लागे, ठोंक-ठोंक के बीनी चदरिया
सो चादर सुर नर मुनि ओढ़ी, ओढ़ी के मैली कीनी चदरिया
दास कबीर जतन सो ओढ़ी, ज्यों की त्यों धर दीन चदरिया

This is fine, this is fine cloth.
It is been dipped in the name of the lord
The spinning wheel, like an eight-petal lotus, spins,
with five tatvas and three gunas as the pattern.
Lord stiched it in 10 months (the gestation period)
The threads have been pressed to get a tight weave.
It has been worn by gods, people, and sages
they soiled it with use.
Kabir says, I have covered my self with this cloth with great care,
and eventually will leave it like it was.

(Sample file, from the band’s website)

It’s the complex interpretation of these simple words that I love so much, makes me want to hate it. And yesterday after a an hour long debate with my darling friend, I got freshly criticized for my Howard Roarkish approach. LOL!

PS: I think the website is back on track

Related posts

• कौन.. Who..? (13)
• YorkU Fine Arts Festival (2)
• Uptown Monsoon Waves (0)
• SwarGanga Music Festival 2005 (0)
• Sitar on Sunday (2)

Inspired by Krish Ashok’s masterpiece, I attempted playing the same [tag]Punjabi music[/tag] on my [tag]Sitar[/tag]. This is a [tag]bhangra[/tag] song, I don’t remember the name, but if you do then let me know. (I hope it sounds like what it is supposed to.)

Here is the result:

If you are unable to see the player above, here is the mp3 file:

bhangra_on_sitar.mp3

The piece is played on my Sitar which is dying but still manages to produce some sound. I had a crude mic to record this (and somewhere in the clip you can hear birds chirping.) The clip has 3 sound tracks, mixed in Goldwave.

I think the clip is not great but I enjoyed playing some non-classical stuff for a change and then mixing the tracks

Related posts

• A buck, a busker (42)
• YorkU Fine Arts Festival (2)
• Uptown Monsoon Waves (0)
• SwarGanga Music Festival 2005 (0)
• Sitar on Sunday (2)

Instrumental and Vocal versions of our National Anthem [tag]Jana Gana Mana[/tag], another awesome Bharatbala production. I especially loved the instrumental version

Happy 60th [tag]Independence Day[/tag], everyone.

Related posts

• YorkU Fine Arts Festival (2)
• Uptown Monsoon Waves (0)
• Tale of two airlines (0)
• SwarGanga Music Festival 2005 (0)
• Sitar on Sunday (2)

“कौन बीज बोता है यारो, फल ये कौन चखे,
ये जग जंतर मंतर माया कौन ये खेल रचे…
कौन चढाए रोज ये सूरज, पवन कौन फूंके,
ऋत् जो आए जाए निरंतर, कौन हिसाब धरे…”

Loosely translated: “[tag]Who[/tag] sows the seed, who tastes the fruit? the world is full of mysteries and puzzles, who sets the game? Who makes the sun rise everyday, who blows the wind? Who makes the seasons occur, who keeps track of all this??”

With a clear sky like that, and listening to [tag]Indian Ocean[/tag]’s song “Kaun” from the album Kandisa, who wouldn’t get into a [tag]trance[/tag]? It rained few hours back and miraculously the sky is now clear as crystal. The air is filled with an aroma that reminds me of the rainy season back home and the large moon is beaming through dry trees as if it is greeting me.

For some time I lost track of everything. [tag]Time[/tag] seemed to lose its importance as I forgot everything about the pressing deadlines, hungry stomach, empty bank accounts and such worldly concerns. It was so fulfilling to simply stand there on the open field outside my apartment, bathing in the soothing moonlight. Don’t we all need such [tag]spiritual[/tag] cleansing once a while? And such things occur unplanned. Wonder who does it…

I must thank Vaarun for infecting me with this amazing music. At the same time, I must blame him for the deadlines I missed due to this new addiction.

Highly recommended albums of Indian Ocean band: “Black Friday”, “Desert Rain”, “Jhini” and “Kandisa”

Related posts

• Jhini (18)
• YorkU Fine Arts Festival (2)
• Uptown Monsoon Waves (0)
• SwarGanga Music Festival 2005 (0)
• Sitar on Sunday (2)