ExtraBed

I was really surprised to find this site by name ExtraBed.in - Its a new site created by Kiruba using Peanut Butter Wiki [PB Wiki] - a wiki tool online which is called so since its as easy as making a Peanut Butter sandwich. As the site exclaims - Why ExtraBed?

It's simple. You offer your extra bed to a fellow blogger who visits your city. And in return, when you travel to his/her city, you have a place to stay. Cool, Huh!?

when someone echoed...

goonja koi, mere naam kar diya
saaki ne phir se mera jaam bhar diya

tum jaisa koi nahin, iss jaahaan mein
subah ko teri zulf ne, shaam kar diya
hosh bekhabar se huey, unke bageyr
woh jo humse keh na sakey, dil ne keh diya

the effect of integrity

jalti dhoop mein, halki hawaa chal gayi
mila barosa yaar ka, jaan phir sambhal gayi

khwaish sa sahi, zanjeerein pigal gayi
sabah neend ko maathe pe umal gayi
sunee sehraon ke hasrat pali hai
har toofan mein aaj yeh shamma jali hai

shaayad hai yeh dosti
yaa imaan kaa asar
aagey kya likha, humko kya khabar

why is it so?

rishtey, barose, chahat, yakeen
un sab ka daaman ab chaag hai
samjhe the haaton mein hai zameen
mutti jo kholi bas khwab hain

dil mein yeh shor hai kyun
imaan kamzor hai kyun
naazuk hai dor hai kyun

the wait...

choti raatein hain
kitni baatein hain
ab jo aaye ho, ab bathathe hain

thaamo hamein ab ek baar
thaamo hamein ab ek baar
intezar... aitbaar...
tumse pyaar itnaa karoon

A distinct musical dimension

Say Lounge music, call it contemporary, call it fusion - but nah, those names just dont fit this genre. Its just way past all that! In this case therefore- "Listening is believing" - I would say the ultimate in Indo-Global Fusion. Prem Joshua rocks! Start with the much acclaimed album MUDRA and then move on to AHIR and TARANGA. This is music which is truly captivating!

Just drive on...

Destination Hitz - I just happened to pick up this new album this week and I must say, for a drive down 'da city' this one is worth the rokda. Its a random mix of funky numbers, with vocals ranging from Kailash Kher to Shafqat Amanat Ali

The Top 5 being:

Chak de Phadde by KAILASH KHER
Bhula doh by RAETH
Jeena by SUKHWINDER SINGH
Yeh honsla by SHAFQAT AMANAT ALI
Chua Mere Dil Ko by SHAAN

Remember Shakti

Remember Shakti - a fusion music concert was held at Kamarajar Arangam on December 7. For the first time in Chennai (for a fusion concert) the hall was totally packed and the police had to divert vehicles coming in due to the parking lots overflowing. Needless to say, the show was simply fabulous! At the end of the show, the audience gave a standing ovation for a couple of minutes to all the artists!

John McLaughlin who originally belonged to the band shakti, created a whirlwind of fusion with carnatic and indian strains on his guitar. The eclectic blend of instruments and artists created a totally different musical ambience which was truly distinctive. Besides McLaughlin, the band had percussionist Ustad Zakir Hussain on the tabla and drums, the prodigy U. Shrinivas on the mandolin, V. Selvaganesh (Vikku Jr.) playing the kanjira, and Shankar Mahadevan on the vocals.

The surprise package was (who else but) Vikku Vinayakram himself! One of the veterans in Shakti. Vikku was pacy and totally rocking on his Ghatam with energetic rhythm. It was an aural and visual treat for any connosieur of music. Selva Ganesh, Vikku’s son proved that he is an undisputed master of the “kanjira” albeit he also performed on the mridangam and ghatam.

Zakir created new strains, thumps and beats with his repertoire of instruments. The best part came when he was playing two different rhythms at the same time, one hand generating one rhythm and the other a different beat altogether and it seemed as he was doing it with such an “ease of expertise”! - and as he ended his solo, the audience shouted back “WAH USTAD”!

Shrinivas was the fastest among the lot when it came to speed and fast-paced strains. His hands moving as fast as a speeding bullet! That was simply stunning to watch! Shankar amazed the audience with his speed, voice modulation and perfect timing with the rest of the group.

“The music was heavenly” danseuse Shobana told Shankar as he and the team came out backstage to meet some of us gathered there. Starting from Chennai, the group will perform in four other cities — Mumbai on December 9, Pune on December 10, Bangalore on December 13, and Goa on December 15. John McLaughlin’s `Mahavishnu Orchestra’ was an electric band that established fusion as a new and growing style within the jazz and rock worlds. After the band split McLaughlin worked with a low-key acoustic group called `Shakti’. This group combined Indian music with elements of jazz. Shakti was formed in the mid 1970s and has fans across the globe.

The Chennai Concert Circuit

Heartbeat Ensemble

"Heartbeat" is an ensemble of carnatic music and fusion styles pioneered by Ghatam Karthick and is a regular feature during the kutcheri season. Karthick is accompanied by Embar Kannan on the silent violin and by Raju on the Mandolin. This is one concert a connosieur shouldnt be missing out on! - Watch out for Heartbeat in the coming weeks in the city - Check out their show timings on Kutcheribuzz. [More on Heartbeat]

Remembering Rafi

It was a mammoth event. One which diehard fans of Mohammed Rafi, Kishore or Lata ought not to have missed. `Nostalgia,' the show featuring Mohammed Aslam (Paatshala/RDB) and a few other artists at the Kamarajar Hall, Chennai, had an imposing 40-piece orchestra with Raguraj Chakravarthi as conductor. You just had to close your eyes to be transported to Rafi's duniya. [More on Remembering Rafi]

nocturnal thoughts

At night
At night I gaze and think of you
At night I wonder can this be the end or is this all that's left
At night I wish we could go to the way things were
At night I lay and think of us
At night I realize there's no more us
At night I dream of us together again
At the break of dawn I realize it was all
At Night

That don't impress me much!

The Chennai police will now go after lawbreakers in Hyundai Accents. Hundred upgraded Accents have been gifted to the police force by Hyundai. - Yahoo News.

That sounds great. But the alarming levels at which traffic rules are being violated is what makes it look wasted! Moreover, the cops are taking this as a ‘publicity stunt’ - even this morning, a cop in a hyundai pulled up at a bank premises near a signal, having no sense whatsoever that he would be blocking vehicles coming at the back. Now, why did he do that? “well, ahem, just to talk to the security guy casually on some rules and the usual blah blah stuff”.

So much for the ‘makeover’. This makeover comes in as the sales of cars like the Hyundai Accent and Tata Indigo are dipping into red. So to speak, was it really a makeover/friendly gesture - or just “good riddance” for the automobile major.

Whatever, one thing’s for sure, not only are the CCP gonna burn up more gasoline via the exchequer, they would pretty well add spice to the existing ’cacophony’ on Chennai roads.

As Shania Twain would croon - “Okay, so you got a new car eh, that dont impress me much!”

Bloggers' Park !

...a unique and exclusive event for Bloggers, this weekend at the TIDEL Park, Chennai.

Check it out!

Pyar ke side effects

09/06. Rahul Bose is back.
The OST of this flick is truly 'bindaas'.

The new composer on the block 'Pritam' and lyricist 'Mayur Puri' create an offbeat mileau with a distinct blend of genres.

Other films from Team PNC

Jhankaar Beats
Chameli
Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi
Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena
Ankahee

and it so happened....

Four people try to make things happen desperately in their Life.
Later on, they would wish it never happened that way.
What if it just happened otherwise?
What if ? - well, thats what this movie is all about.

Yun Hota To Kya Hota?

A couple of scenes which I really admired:

- shots of the Golden Gate bridge (over titles)
- state of helplessness portrayed by Irrfan Khan
- remarkable characterization – Tilottama and Rajubhai

Only if:

- The movie had a better background score
- Better songs

I wonder:

- whether the director was in a hurry to end the film (or)
- was a substantial part scissored on the editing table

From great acting to directorial debut, Naseer certainly has come a long way. Naseer's son Imaad Shah debuts in this movie.

Krishna - in a different shade

Mystique myths

Manikanthan's mind wavered a bit. In front of him stood a beautiful woman. With hair that touched the ground; in the wind that was blowing, it swayed like a wave. Her eyes white, as white as milk. Her eyes enticing, one could get lost it the depth of them. Her eyebrows an absolute arc, as if it belonged to an apsara. She was no less than an apsara.

'Now I know why the devas fight over women,' thought the young prince. As he took in the beauty in front of him, his mind wavered a bit. "Who are you? What are you doing here? This place is not safe," he said. She turned her head towards him. She had a smile on her face, and a look of admiration. In awe of the young warrior, she replied, "You do know me. Moments ago you were in a battle with me. I am the Mahishi, the one with the face of a buffalo. You killed me and the devas celebrated by showering flowers on you, by hailing you as the saviour. If you are as kindhearted as they say, if you are the saviour indeed, now is the time to prove that."No, you can't be Mahishi. You have such a sweet voice, you are such a beauty."

"Of that, let there be no doubt. I became Mahishi after the gods cursed me. My name is Leela."

"And how can I help you?" "Marry me, you must. For it were you who saved me from the curse.

And you cannot leave me here in the forests, on the banks of the Azhutha, where tigers and leopards roam freely. And death hides in every nook and corner." Ayyappa stood there in thought. Deliberating. She was asking for the impossible. I have pledged to be a brahmachari. Not for me the pleasures of love and comfort of wealth. I was born a prince, but I will live like a sanyasi. Not even Bhishma did that. And then my mother wants her son to be become the king, not me. "The Sun rises only in the east. It is a truth that can't be changed. As is my brahmacharya," said Ayyappan, the prince who knows only giving, like Karna of the Mahabharata. Leela was madly in love with him. She could think of only one life, with him by her side. She begged and cajoled, then she insisted. "If I ever have a husband, it will be you. My word is as precious as yours. There is no life for me without you," when she said this, her face was filled with sadness, but determination. And that swayed Ayyappan, the prince who knew only to give. 'My birth was an improbability. I had to be born of Hari and Hara, two men. But it happened. Now I have to give a similar boon to Leela, the woman in love with me, whom I can't ditch, for I am responsible for her plight,' so thought Ayyappa.

And then he said, "If I ever marry anybody, it will be you and only you. The year no new devotee comes to see me, I will marry you. Till then you will live here by my side, right next to my hut. My devotees will come to see you as they come to see me. To them you are the Malikapurathamma. And I give you my word, I won't look at any woman other than you."

* * * *

Leela is in a bad mood. But she has no one to turn to, no one to confide in. In this isolated hill, she has been staying alone, alongside Ayyappan, for many years now. In solitude, in the hope that one day her love will meet success. But a news has come that troubles her. And she doesn't know whether to believe it or not.

"Lord, have you heard what I heard? All these years I lived trusting your word. Never did I trespass into your quarters. Now, a woman says she came here, and even managed to touch you," Leela blurted out. Ayyappan didn't know what to say. He also had heard the news. Now, some people are fighting for entry of women into his home. Television channels are holding debates, so are newspapers. Some talk of gender justice, some others of belief. In the din everybody has forgotten about Leela. Nobody respects her love for him. How sad.

Ayyappan was lost in his thoughts. And Leela was complaining. And her voice grew louder and louder. Even the divine are not immune to domestic quarrels.

satire in a different blend

chaste tamil - cenn tamizh
digs at cola wars, celebrity endorsements, psu jobs, riots
commendable dialogue delivery, a weird moustache!
shades of mgr and shivaji ganesan
pulikesi is simply satire in a different blend

thoughts over the week

....some of the things that we have to live with, in our country.

thunderstorms
riots
bombings
power cuts
heat wave
heavy traffic jams

When the mind slips away

a glimpse into the life of a professor and a great pandit, an intellectual individual challenged by bipolar disorder. he becomes a nomad, is taken to be deceased by his kith and kin, only to be later found by his mother at Haridwar.

a poignant portrayal by Mohanlal, myriad expressions, splendid cinematography, shot at beautiful locations in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Padmapriya makes her presence felt. raveendran's music is soft and easy on the ears. shajun karyal keeps the viewer engrossed in this gripping tale of emotions and strife.

vadakkumnathan is true to its name.

Ragasiyam

"yeano unnul thayakkam, unn mounam kollum
udhattyil poi-yai maraithaal, unn idhayam sollum"

why do you hesitate, your silence just kills
hide the truth in your lips, and your heart reveals them

beautiful verses from Ragasiyam

OST by The Sound Junction