KAHIHI

People affect our lives and some are our life. One of them is an angel, our own personal guardian fairy, a bulb that lightens up our lives, our mother. One person who is our reason to live, the very first reason we exist and a never-ending love. Words and words are all we have, to describe her.

Numerous songs have been written on her, words uttered and emotions spoken out. From the Arrangement in grey and black to “tujhe sab kuch pata hai na maa” mother has been immortalized in the world! But recently I had a hit upon a song, ‘Angel’ by a hiphop band, ‘Flipsyde’ and I knew nothing sums up a mother’s unconditional love, her struggle like this song.

By far the best lyrics to be found in a song, maybe born out of personal experiences, a heart-rending music and magical voice just make it the best song one can dedicate to his mother. The mother, her love, her words are remembered through one of the most tough times in a man’s life and that’s during his teenage. The time when he grows out of her cocoon, when he flies with his own wings and stumbles, this mother looks from above. When he shouts around that he longer needs her, when he comes home late night, stays out for days to come, she waits waiting for the bell to ring, for the door to open slowly. This is the love that the song describes. With some of the most heart touching lines ever written by man on earth it moves the very centre of your heart. “Though I maybe sinning, you keep me living coz of that love you givin.” Pure rap but still it is soothing and touching, telling that hard facts of life, those situations through which our ‘momma’ stands besides us. Those situations when you did all those you shouldn’t have done, made mistakes, got angry on her and yet in your lowest point of life all that rushes to your brain are her words, softly spoken, and your heart swells because you know that if others may not there’s your ‘momma’ who loves you yet.

According to ‘piper’ the rapper, the  only reason he raps, the only reason we do what we do is her, the very reason we still believe in this life even after thousands of ups and downs is that one angel. The angel who will be with you through the darkest days, through the tested times, when the world will be coming at you, believe in her to be there beside you. The angel who will work on you throughout her life and yours, the star that will guide you through the night, who will leave the sky at last to see if you are safe, the diamond through the rough, your very own Sindbad’s treasure. The angel to whose arms you would return through those hectic, messed up days, trying to carve a niche for yourselves in the society, to feel the divine love.

She is not only our reason of existence but the reason that there’s a God out there somewhere. The only angel who will stand by you, love you, hope for you, pray and till the end of every moment just think of you.

And yesterday celebrating my momma’s birthday, I knew the real meaning of that song. A beautiful rendition as the person it describes. Mother, a wine that tastes beautiful whenever, a flower that blooms through the winter and all year along, a heart of gold that keeps you warm, a hand that rows your boat through the storm, not expecting anything then a small ounce of love, and what’s a life without a mother!! It’s no life at all; she’s the letter that completes our sentences, the drops that fill our pond, and the colors that make up our rainbow of life!!

And all this jus coz she’s an angel! My momma!

Niladri Kumar – a name to beckon, a musician to be devoured! One of the world’s leading sitar players, considered to be an innovator of music, has pioneered latest trend of fusion music.

A performer true to his art, his every performance has been an epoch making remembrance for his audiences. He makes every moment nostalgic – purely by exquisite music, magical fingers that profusely move over the strings to create musical waves as subtle as ripples on a pond, every song crafted as a masterpiece that enriches with greatness with every note he strums – and this majestic fusion of greatness is all due to his stout devotion to the instrument – his sitar. He strikes a conversation with the instrument and the musical contrivance responds politely. He is engrossed and enthralled in the music as much as his audience with every soul at the zenith of musical amalgamation.

Listen to his song “Priority” that he composed and improvised for over 5 years and you will know about his clairvoyance; the song is as beautiful and mystifying as the city it describes – Mumbai! Recently Niladri Kumar performed at the 73rd birthday of the great composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Undoubtedly he cast his musical-magical spell there as well. “What a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday,” Mangeshkar must have rejoiced in his thoughts and smiles.

Sivamani, A. R. Rahman, Louis Banks, may have enticed you with their respective skills, Niladri Kumar is no different; he resonates through his instrument. His live performances stir your soul into a rich blend of melody and tranquility that mellifluously promulgates the ‘kalakaar’ inside him.

He reminds us of one another greatest showman, a performer of unmatched parallel, Michael Jackson. He made his audience go swaying at his peppy music, fall at every tap of his feet, left his audience jaw-dropped; Niladri twangs a similar specter. Niladri grips people to his plunking, keeps them gazing at the movements of his fingers reverberating off the sitar strings.

Young and talented, Niladri Kumar is energetic in his performances, fresh in his approach and always wanting to experiment. He is a youth icon to follow and definitely among those young artists who will go on to become a legend! This again reminds us of one such charismatic person, Sachin Tendulkar – a marvel to wonder, who is defining cricket every single day for most of today’s youth! Ask any toddler about his aspirations in life and pat comes a reply, “Be Sachin Tendulkar”. Sachin and Niladri are similar in the manner they define new master strokes with each passing day. Like Sachin creating and redefining cricket, Niladri Kumar too is gradually defining fusion music.

This restless soul with his zest for music, devised an instrument called ‘Zitar’, a unique combination of guitar and sitar. Giving rock effect to the instrument, he is creating ripples in the music world! Performing at Sivamani Mahaleela, he played a segment which can certainly be defined as a ‘metal rock piece’ played on a sitar. Even Sivamani, the legendary percussionist, himself was perplexed for moments with Niladri’s illusion of music. It was better than most of the hand plucking done on guitar by modern metal bands. To compare, Niladri gives these bands a run for their money single handedly.

An obsession with ‘kala’ is a primary factor in making of a legend. Niladri Kumar possesses that. He has music running through his hands, through his fingertips and he speaks volumes through each of his pieces. He has conversation with the audience in his performances, they miss a heartbeat sometimes, at times they just let their heart dance to the rhythm he creates. And that’s how you precisely win people’s heart!

Images Courtesy: www.niladrikumar.com

“God bless us everyone…” Imagine what a song that starts like this would be! Rhythmic, fast paced, ideological, peppy lyrics and what else? In one word, an Anthem! A song from ‘A Thousand Suns’ by Linkin Park , after its launch become the most heard song in two to three days. A great start for a great song.

The music progresses gradually, gets a little fast, then faster, then gradually sets your heartbeat at its pace and takes us for a ride.  At a point it drops to dead zero, then goes on to its highest level just to give you a shiver at the sheer pleasure of hearing the base. The drums resound with the base beautifully and the vocals are amazingly done. The song, as sure as bells, keeps ringing in our ears for a long, long time.

The lyrics are peppered with metaphors all over the length of the song. The video has reference to Bhagvad Gita and J. Robert Oppenheimer according to bassist Phoenix.

The other line in the song that strike the most to the common man, “We are broken people…living under a loaded gun.” This sounds so most apt when heard in a Churchgate local during office hours. Images of everybody hanging on one another’s shoulder, pushing each other, heads down, giving in to the situation, perfectly personify the song. Had the video been shot in our Mumbai local trains it would have gained more prominence. The lines suit the morning rush hour and when a train cruises through the air that blows in, the rumble that’s made, all just fit with the song like a solved jigsaw puzzle. The words “broken people” and “loaded gun” exactly describe the present situation wherein we live our daily lives, considering that there could have been a possible outrage ahead of Ayodhya verdict, possibly disguised as a constant threat to blow up a train. Like in the movie “Wednesday”, the “common man” says “When a man leaves his house, there is no guarantee that he might come back” (of course that sounds better in Nasaruddin Shah’s resonating voice) – that is the “loaded gun” we live under. This ‘Anthem of Mankind’ makes us prospect about the direction in which we are heading? What our future has in store for us? What is the consequence of our actions of our wars? We are leaving under a shadow of dark clouds. It is a prayer reaching above them, to Him. But will He hear? Not unless we change. And change is not fast, it’s gradual like, the trance of this song.

The music near the ending part has a quirky resemblance to a very unique feature of our locals: The Bhajans.

The fast locals that pass by with the Bhajans going on have a superb trance to them! The “dhad-dhad” of the trains and the “tin-tin” of the taals have an air of magic around them. When we hear this standing on a platform we are left astounded as to what was that? It’s a trance, a prayer, like this song which we have failed to notice over the years of tradition. It is powerful and it is the original ‘Anthem of the Mankind’. We needed this newer version to remind us where we are heading. Will this one be enough or should another ‘Catalyst’ be released? Will even that ensure a change in us? It’s a hope for the best!

It’s only “Us” who can lift ourselves above this “Gun”. Just to show that we are still humans, that we still not have forgotten this fact.

Catalyst criticizes our actions, prays to Him, and gives us hope. A song worth remembering, for the whole of humanity, indeed.