The Marriage of Symphonies

Siddhartha

2010-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

During his visit to Chicago, my brother gave me two books to imbibe and ponder over- The Stranger by Albert Camus and Siddhartha by Herrman Hesse. Both were absolutely profound and the best part (or worst depending on how you take it) is the scope of these works. The Stranger talks about absurdity of life, and facing death. I was more enamored by Siddhartha. I hear Siddhartha is text book material for high school kids in the US. Which is very surprising because in my mind, the content is difficult to grasp for teenagers. Maybe 25-30 is a good age for a first time reading. Im sure I will need to keep revisiting the book as I age. Here are a couple favorite passages from the book. I wish I could fully understand the essence. But understanding is not enough if one is unable to realize from within or act on it....
1. Indeed his soul was not with trade. The business was good enough to provide him with the money for Kamala, and it earned him much more than he needed. Besides from this, Siddhartha's interest and curiosity was only concernd with the people, whose businesses, crafts, worries, pleasures, and acts of foolishness used to be as alien and distant to him as the moon. However easily he succeeded in talking to all of them, in learning from all of them, he was still aware that there was something which separated him from them and this separating factor was him being a Samana. He saw mankind going through life in a childlike manner, which he loved and also despised at the same time. He saw them toiling, saw them suffering, and becoming gray for the sake of things which seemed to him to be entirely unworthy of this price, for money, for little pleasures, for being slightly honoured, he saw them scolding and insulting each other, he saw them complaining about pain at which a Samana would only smile, and suffering because of deprivations which a Samana would not feel.

2. Siddhartha bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and weighed it in his hand. "This here," he said playing with it, "is a stone, and will, after a certain time, perhaps turn into soil, and will turn from soil into a plant or animal or human being. In the past, I would have said: This stone is just a stone, it is worthless, it belongs to the world of the Maja; but because it might be able to become also a human being and a spirit in the cycle of transformations, therefore I also grant it importance. Thus, I would perhaps have thought in the past. But today I think: this stone is a stone, it is also animal, it is also god, it is also Buddha, I do not venerate and love it because it could turn into this or that, but rather because it is already and always everything— and it is this very fact, that it is a stone, that it appears to me now and today as a stone, this is why I love it and see worth and purpose in each of its veins and cavities, in the yellow, in the gray, in the hardness, in the sound it makes when I knock at it, in the dryness or wetness of its surface. There are stones which feel like oil or soap, and others like leaves, others like sand, and every one is special and prays the Om in its own way, each one is Brahman, but simultaneously and just as much it is a stone, is oily or juicy, and this is this very fact which I like and regard as wonderful and worthy of worship.—But let me speak no more of this. The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly—yes, and this is also very good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this what is one man's treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to another person."

Here is a link to a free online copy http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2500/2500-h/2500-h.htm#2H_4_0014

Interior with Girl at the Clavier

2010-01-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Of late, art and music have begun to assume a greater importance in my life.

Creation and appreciation of art are critical to the progression of the human intellect. With this lofty ideal, I enrolled for oil painting lessons in the Evanston Art Center last summer. During the final few lessons, one is expected to copy a master from a big Art book of acclaimed paintings. As I was browsing through pages of Van Gohs, Pollocks and other big names I had never heard of, one painting by Vilhelm Hammershoi caught my eyes- Interior with girl at the Clavier (do google for this image). Now, I love the piano and believe that some of the most beautifully complicated pieces are written for the piano. The painting is a serene composition centering a woman playing the piano in a room. Very realistic and its almost like you are behind her in the room listening to music. A table (ceramic plates and clean white table cloth) is placed between the observer and the subject and this gives a sense of perspective. Interestingly enough, I found the backdrop of the painting most captivating. The light (source on top left is not revealed) suffuses the wall with dabs of purple and blue (making the painting almost impressionist) and gradually fades away as we reach the right side. Notice the play of light on the picture frames, the woman's neck and lamp...Without second thoughts, I asked my instructor if I could paint this in 4 classes (3 hrs each). He said it would take him about 15-20 hrs. I insisted on moving ahead and started putting brush on canvas sometime in May/June. During mid October, I was in a frenzy to finish it before and almost got tired of making revisions and adding layers and layers of paint. Till date I haven't had a chance to complete it (table cloth fold running right through the plate!). Presenting my girl at the clavier and hoping I will be able to revisit her at some point...

Drama in the Desert

2009-10-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Its been three years since I first watched the English Patient. I was in my final semester at school and had armed myself with loads of free hours to explore the award winning flicks. Then there was a second viewing..then a third...last week was probably my seventh..I show it to friends and try to sense if the movie strikes a chord with them. I am a compulsive channel changer while watching TV - always chasing what I may be missing rather than stop and indulge in the present. Yet it is almost an obsession for this movie that stops, when I read the title, my fingers from seeking the next-best-thing to watch. Till the last of the credits trickle in , for as long as it takes, I sit there watching, mesmerised and drawn into Almachy and Katherine's world - A world of deserts, storms, betrayal, war and strong poetic love..Its cinematography is complemented by soul stirring music - a blend of classical and folk , thought provoking dialogues match the calibre of its outstanding cast -thats perfect cinema for you. The plot, though appears complex, is deflty handled and seamlessly moves between flashback episodes and the end of WW2. Ralph Fiennes is the English Patient, severly burned and miraculously revived, waiting for the air to leave his lungs while memories linger. Juliette Binoche is the unlucky nurse ( that decides to stay in a ruined Italian villa taking care of Almasy (Ralph). Kip (a fine, subtle portrayal by Naveen Andrews) is an Indian sapper with the British army who falls in love with Juliette. Willem Dafoe plays a Canadian spy seeking revenge against Almasy. Almasy's love affair with Katherine, a married woman, is the central theme of the movie with the WW2 serving as a fitting backdrop. The movie talks about the insignificance of boundaries on maps and that the only boundaries that really matter are emotional and are embedded deep within. An interesting line from the movie: A supremely possesive Almasy accuses Katherine of betrayal after their break-up- "I've watched you - on verandahs, at Garden Parties, at the Races – how can you stand there? How can you ever smile? As if your life hadn't capsized?". To which Kathrine retorts "Do you think you're the only one who feels anything? Is that what you think?". English Patient- A treat for drama lovers.

Basically

2009-08-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Let's go for dinner, its getting late! * How's the lassi, the sun has no mercy * Just a sec, I need to use the restroom * ...and the wise king drank the poisoned wine * These idlis are soft as pillows * I dropped dead in bed last night * Ah this is so filling * Go wash your feet, its not hygenic! * How much sugar? * 30 seconds on the microwave * Ma'am, there is a 50% discount on this bed * How was the food last nite? * I can't stop craving chocolates! * Oh! what a relief! * Don't move around, I wake up every time.. * Can you pass the water and.. what were you saying? * Gents * It is a painting of an old man sitting on the mud floor with his mouth eager, open and about to take in a handful of rice * Why did you stop? * ...and when you drink the last glass, thats when it hits you... * He loved the payasam with cardamoms and now I can never make it for anyone else * Damn, there is no bathroom tissue * One large pizza with Jalapeno and pineapples, easy on cheese * The next time you spill, I'll make u stand in the corner facing the walls for an hour * Coffee, Coffee, Coffee * Come outside soon!! * Oh god, can you do that again? * Last nite I had the same dream * I'm so full I can’t walk * Hold on for some more time * ...and what happened to your table manners? * I love the shape of the top half of the bread * Excuse me, where is the nearest restroom? * U should either sleep or walk * Some cant go in without a newspaper * I need some rest, I can hardly keep my eyes open * That tastes so much like vadaam ille? * Ill be a just a minute * ..and whenever we ate those Hersheys, me and my brother hugged each other * Im sitting and you are standing..pleese get some water! * Never slept in anything like this before * Im a hungry boy. * But there was too much salt! * Drink tonnes of water * Come let's grab some food * The line ouside is so long!! * Incoming cheap outgoing free * The aroma fills the air * Yes, just a little higher * zzzzz *

Whispers and the moon

2008-12-04T22:31:00.001-08:00

Yes he thought and no he said lest she should burn his hands
Free the mind with love behind and put the pain in sand
Lost in woods with stones in pants he went searching for water
Eyes in tears and growing fears she ran her body after

One last look was all it took to pick his soul and soar
Breathing fresh with mint inhales he felt the river roar
Filled with moon and light and breeze she knot her raven hair
Feet in cold and waves in her she tucked her thoughts with care....

Cooligadgeous hot piper

2008-04-09T20:02:00.001-07:00

Somewhere in the middle of it all lies caramel delights with swivel mops and milk’s favorite cookie. The rules of the games are dangerous enough that I will not participate. Tonight we are having our own circus of “When the prices are right”. Smile is a teeth whitener. The wider the whiter. As the news was heard, the worse weather conditions became worser and later severely persisted in the cereberum. Till the cooling mint of the good news flowed through the bloods and cooled. Babies open their mouths and gasp for no apparent reason. Soft innocence brutally shattered by awareness of the id. A straight line is only as straight as the orientation. The shadow of the moon on the black waters by the dreamy island is there. Re-exhibiting sophisticated dimples always works to your favour. The ultimate accomplice I have got at 3:45 was to herald the new visual era of audio visual relief through triple effect genres.
Sparkling feathers and mystical might, wont heave you of delight.
Hickory dickory dock, hickory dickory dock.
Sparkling feathers and mystical might, wont heave you of delight.
Hickory dickory dock, hickory dickory dock ( and so on….)

August it will be

2008-03-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Charismatic leaders don’t need pizza to prove their meticulous design of tower sweeping ant hills down the blank document. Record breaking rummaging was never the actual socio geo politico agenda for the charming humming hippos of middle eastern cuisines. What size are you in the inter galactic special light cones of the humongous red bell pepper hummous?
Perched high below the bottom, one cant ask for lack of forgiveness.
The greatest problem with Gandhi was that he left his followers aeons behind.
General templates of networking agencies copy colors in black widows.
As she blinked, her lashes swept the gust of wind that blew him to the depths of joy and pain.
Smoooth with an extra makes it smooother. Envelops carrying antelopes are designing ball point pens as a meaningless pursuit of red scarves. Now read the previous line once more. Actually if you are following the rules, you should never get to this line. Since you cheated, read the previous line once more.
Alright now it is crystal that since you are a non-conformist, once ridden on the wild winds of August and hence August it will be.

On the lingering anger of schizophrenic elephants

2008-02-17T23:03:00.000-08:00

Promotional antics by untoward line backers often capitalizes on the weakened valedictory force of gravitation. When she left, she took her eyes and the left ear with her.
It is impossible to drink acai juice from an inverted glass unless you are inverted.
Troubled hearts often weep more than pump. The joy of plutocracy coexists with animosity of judicial door knobs to open a new avenue of alma mater.
The tribulations and trepidations in your mind give way to reckless bourbons of cookie makers in the platform of Hawaii. Brinjals don’t think twice before squatting on their grandmothers. The corner store in question was never part of the original constitution. Fat birds wake up sharp at 3 AM. Did the sweet ropes of Jupiter ever figure in the incarnation of palpable districts in the lions firmament? Gargling is a noun. In the effort to tighten a flask never flinch once till you are successful. The worm success has too many doublets for one’s digestion. It is hence considered increasingly difficult to control the ramifications of human effort in trying to copy meaningful rings of aspersions to a more basic version of the advancing troops in the borders of books.
The village of roses is spread in peanuts of manufactured alloys once every cycle of consummate chains.

Expanding on the realms of characteristics and then of course, contracting

2008-02-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

Prepositions in conjunction with dry towels emanate a weird flavor of sadism. Simply put, the formidable jungle of Troy houses computers with sachets of uranium. The young boy barked back at the talking dog. Secretively, she lifted the veil from the pencil box revealing a wondrous universe of floating thoughts.
Each grain of thought weighs as much as one molecule of thoughlessness plus zero.

The philosophy of vibrating murmurs can be illustrated using chopped onions. Verdant crass comedy was indeed a preferred delicacy for the famished moans. Looking back at the past is no longer craved by the forward pedaling bicyclist. Can you spot a perfect circle circling in circles? If yes, then start from the start. If starting from the end was possible would ending from the start begin with an end? Stripes of yellow and a white buffalo were married in a local drain.
Buffalo stripes is the name of their kid.

Turn on the knob of your concentration cause what follows will always follow.
Your insignificance in this universe is powered to infinity but is your insignificance less than zero? Some jerk told me that some infinities are greater than the others. Brilliance of a thousand black holes are hidden under his pillow.
A slight misunderstanding is enough to bring joy and happy dwarves to your den in the garden. Iswearallofthisisnotoneword. Last night my mom said “Go to bed”.

Simplicity of complexity in the suburbs of king who fishes

2008-02-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

The prism of the world is to be in the darkness of the mind irrespective of the hazardous nature of mankind forever being tumultuous enough to elicit a response from the kangaroos that have to connect to Microsoft office online to get the latest news about using word power called rogets thesaurus in the greek world of Athena.
Chapter two begins with the words chapter two and that is precisely on the tongues of endless ants that swarm into the ant hill to earn their livelihoods just like little red riding hood who was gobbled by the monster grendel. Jolie in French means pretty poe pretty. With hands akimbo the Eskimos hunted for seals. San fransico cisco systems conjures images of routers in a capitalistic economy that is headed for a recession. No that makes too much sense. San fransico looms overs the waters of London to be too pricey about Champs Elsyee. Deconstruction of the language as mastered by the masters. Kings of Kung fu often prejudiced about becoming Jane, notwithstanding the ever lasting effects of pranayama, the art of eating oxygen and spreading the molecules of air in the lungs which are the only source of life in the art of living. Maharshi Mahesh yogi who passed away up up and away as red and blue combination of the wardrobe. Toby Maguire and tom cruise scienceotology or something to that effect??? Are u still reading this crap?
It is alright to be addicted to something pathologically wrong about the destruction of logic and hence the existence of god as proved by Immanuel kant. NOT to mention the philosophy of proving the inadequate measures in our measure to be measured? Or measure ? the gravitational levitation of god and sex the. The next few lines are classic in that they are going to end with the. Isn’t that classic enough the? I guess three should amount for a few here the. But what if the first one did not count the? Now that was surely enough the. Take a break fly a kite period.

The Second Impression

2006-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

It was a hectic day for the Ramans at the city. Crowded bazars, smell of sweat and the blinding sun. They were almost thankful to hit the road towards Pandalur, where Mrs. Raman’s father lived. The driver had not turned up that morning and so Mr.Raman had found himself at the wheel of the battered and noisy Ambassador. It was a two hour drive back home and Mr. Raman spent the first few minutes whistling a melody from an old Hindi song for his pretty wife. Then he gave up exhausted. After a while, the Ambassador indicated an overheated engine. “We have to stop for a while” declared Mr. Raman.
“Can we go and have a look in that mansion? It seems to be old.” said Mrs. Raman. She was referring to a huge building a few hundred yards to their left.
It was twilight and the mansion’s beige walls played with the sunlight to display a brilliant mixture of colors. Mr. Raman obliged with a smile. He had promised his wife to take her wherever she wanted for a full week and today was the last day. He had lost a bet when Brazil failed to reach the Semi finals of the world cup. The Ambassador ambled past the open gate when they heard an old man ordering them to stop from behind. Mrs.Raman lowered her window and said “ Namaste Babuji. I lived in these parts as a kid for a few years. Twenty five years back I think. We now live abroad. This is my husband and I wanted to show him around a bit". The old man peered into the back seat where a little girl was fast asleep. ” Ok Memsaab",he said," But don’t take too long. No one has lived here in 35 years.”

Sheila was seven years old. As they entered the monstrous hall, Sheila’s luminous eyes lit. She crossed the doorstep holding her father’s hands but thereafter the brat was on her own. She ran to her right and stopped to inspect the stationary inmates of the mansion.
“Father! Look here!",exclaimed Sheila These huge lamps! Aren’t they beautiful? Please can I take these home?”
Mr. Raman said “Honey, now be careful with them. They are heavy and sharp.”
“But they are really beautiful.",said Mrs.Raman." Look at the design. Isn’t it exquisite? I would love to put them near our patio.” Her eyes were twinkling with excitement.
The Ramans had recently purchased a house in San Diego. The word “patio” took Raman back to his house and then straight to the bank from where he had taken a massive loan. Raman sighed at the thought but hid his feeling well.
The hall was imposing by any standards. There were high ornate glass windows with wooden frames. All the woodwork was made from teak was intricate. “Must have cost a lot to whoever got it done “thought Mr. Raman.
There was a huge wooden swing in the center of the hall. Sheila jumped onto it and urged her father to push as hard as possible.
The sound from the rusted swing reverberated the whole place as Mr. Raman gave it a gentle nudge. The sound sent shivers up her spine and so Mrs. Raman said,”Enough. Look at this show case!“, pointing to a large collection behind the swing.
Before her father could stop her, Sheila was at the show case lifting a bronze statue of Lord Ganesha, her favorite god. She felt it was strange for some reason. She caught it by the statue’s head. Then, a part of the statue detached itself and fell.
Mrs. Raman shrieked in pain as the statue pierced the toe of her right foot. Blood started oozing out and Raman was quick to tie a hand kerchief over the wound.
Sheila's eyes were swollen with tears. Quietly sobbing she said “I will not repeat it. I am sorry…” “It was just an accident. Now we have to get back home. It is getting dark.” said Mr. Raman, replacing the Ganesha on the showcase They walked out slowly with Mrs. Raman limping and taking her husband’s support. As soon as they climbed into the car, Mrs. Raman fell asleep.

A sharp pain awoke Mrs. Raman. They were still driving. She reached for the switch above her head and turned the light on. She lifted her leg slowly and put her right foot on the leather upholstery with considerable effort. The blood had stopped flowing. She removed the kerchief knot slowly and inspected her wound.
Mr. Raman chuckled and said “Dear Madam, it will be gone in a couple of days. Now you don’t expect me to carry you around till then…” looking into the eyes he had fallen for. But Mrs.Raman was silent. She let her fingers run around her wound. It was very close to a mark from another wound. She could not remember how or when it happened. " Ram, I have this funny feeling in my head. This whole mansion visit seems to be the biggest deja vu in my life", said Mrs.Raman shaking her head in disbelief. She turned back. Hema was still sleeping peacefully in the back seat. Mr.Raman wanted to whistle an old hindi song but switched on the radio instead as the car sped into the night....

The Moral high horse

2006-06-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Canterbury Park
About 3 miles from where I live, there is a famous horse race track called Canterbury park. It wasn’t too hot this morning... so after watching the French open finals I decided I would give it a shot. After a fifteen min ride on my cycle, I reached there. The parking lot was full indicating a big turnover today. I must mention here that I have always been curious about horses but haven’t had a chance to have a close look. Once I think I did ride a pony when I was a kid..at Mahabalipuram I think..Horses are magnificent beasts and they are truly a spectacle to watch when they are in top gear.. So I walked inside and found a seat on the upper level which promised a good view. I was thrilled to see all the horses strut past us with jockeys high above the saddles and feet in the stirrup irons..The first race was really thrilling…the second was ok.. after a while I found myself losing all excitement and only then realized what sustained everyone else’s.

Betting and money
So I went to one of the “Wager” counters and asked for a “How to play with horses” brochure. The lady at the counter gladly handed me one with a smile. Maybe she thought another bakra was in the net…So here I was – a first time better with 2 dollars on me ( incidentally tht was the minimum bet) . I quickly went through the rules. There are many types of bets. Ones which require you to bet on a horse which has to win or take one among the first 3 places or betting on winners in many races and so on…Now how do I pick a horse? People usually use news papers or other sources. I was interested in one parah which mentioned observing the horses minutes before the race to check its body language. Of course I can do that cant I? The horses are marched along a circular route in a park outside the race track and the betters can “observe” from close quarters.

The Moral High Horse
These were my observations
Horse 1- Stares at me as if I am 666 from omen. Not my type.next
Horse 2- Has rabid skin. Next
Horse 3. Shows me all its teeth as if for a colgate ad.. and I am not very impressed. Next
Horse 6 . This one is real aggressive. The horsmen have a tough time bridling it. I thought maybe I should go for this one. But sth stopped me.
Horse 7. Now he is the one. Steady composed march. Head held high, dignified composure. I looked into its eyes and could sense the fire..it was sth I cant explain. So for unexplained reasons, I went to the nearest counter and placed my bet on no 7 for a cool 2 dollars. If I won, id get 4. The Id buy myself a quarter of a cheese pizza and get back home a more “complete” man.
The trumpets blared and the horses made a grand entry and went for their traditional warm up around the track. After a while, from a distance we saw one particular horse going berserk and break free from the jockey. He came galloping to the finish line ( from the opposite direction) and went straight ahead ....to the fences. The kids jumped with joy and everyone started laughing. I was concerned only with one thing. The number. It first looked like a 1. Then I saw my dignified-calm-confident no.7 speeding away like crazy, taking my 2 dollars along with him. The cheese pizza vanished into thin air...I cursed my luck....mmm so much so for an exciting sunday afternoon!!!

Shakopee

2006-05-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

If you ever get on a jet plane which takes you 35000 feet above the suburbs of Minneapolis and looking through a powerful pair of binoculars u find a guy wearing an off white jerkin casually pedalling through the lush verdant countryside, that would be me.
Shakopee is a beautiful small town with neatly arranged houses (Edward Scissor hand types) and empty roads. I stay on the first level of a town house. My room has a big glass door overlooking green fields and I can see the stars when I sleep. On a typical day (there have been exactly 3 so far) I start out on my new Jaguar at around 7:30 for a half hour ride to my work place (about 4 miles away). My town house mate( a 26 yr American ) thinks i am crazy cause I take the freeway on my bicycle. But I always turn up the volume on my ipod when loud cars whiz past me. Today, after work (or no work) I was pedalling home and when I was close, I saw an innocuous hand written sign post which said "neighbourhood sale". I stopped for a moment and considered the alternative. I had pedalled 3.5 miles and was tired. But of-late I have taken up window shopping as a serious full time hobby (thanks to Target, Kohls , Cub, Rainbow which are a stones throw away) and I was curious what this "neighbour hood sale" could possibly have to offer because I hardly see any people here. I tossed a biased coin in my mind and went on to explore what lay ahead. After a while I saw a huge green playground to my right. There were kids playing soccer and baseball while watchful parents supervised from a distance. I stopped for a moment and enjoyed the sight.Cloudy sky with shafts of sun rays lighting up the roofs beyond the vast grass fields. Should I join them and ask to be allowed to play? But I had to find out what I could buy from the neighborhood sale and so I moved on after a failed attempt to click a snap on my Razr (not cause its not sexy but cause it was getting dark). To my left I could see the sun setting and and dark clouds casting huge shadows on a combination of brown earth and green grass. After a while the big road came to an abrupt end with just miles of fields and trees ahead of me. I t urned back and saw another small sign directing me to my left. I followed the sign through that neighbor hood for sometime. There were occasional signs and again groups of neatly laid cream houses with red roof tops. I pedalled for a long time in the winding roads and finally decided to get back home cause droplets of rain had started to fall. I reached home sometime back.Outside my place, my mexican neighbours kids showed me that smile which is permanently stuck on their chubby faces. I came straight to Joe's comp and started typing this.

And by the way, that neighborhood sale refered to the sale of the neighborhood itself. Most houses were empty.