It's been almost two months since I've been thinking of this post, but then as always, there's that "something" which prevents me from actually putting finger to keyboard! It all started when I went for the Notes of Hope 2009 program organized by ASHA. As the distinctive tones of the violin stalwarts from the Lalgudi school of music started to mellow my senses, I was suddenly transported to days past. The violin-mridangam-ghatam magic was familiar, and I was already flowing back in tune with their expressive bani.
I was back loitering the streets of R. K. Narayan's Malleswaram, the refreshing fragnance of the jasmines coalescing with the whiff of freshly boiled corn wafting past. The evening prayers had just begun in the innumerous kovils...the mild pitter-patter of footsteps on a rainy day..as the Adi Tal resonated through Thyagaraja's lyrics, I was reminiscent of the first time Deepu had guided me all the way through my first steps experiencing a Thyagaraja couplet...of the tepid bitterness of Coffee Board coffee on a vapid Wednesday noon after futile battles with staying awake in the Total synthesis classes...there was the Summer of 2006, complete with Monoda's smile, bike-rides in the rain, more interviews than I cared for, dabbling in retinal hyperpolarizability, and late night Tea Board addas!
The violin notes took me through the gullies of the city I forgot to appreciate when I was there...relationships broken over friendships forged...CTR dosas...bisi bisi sambar vada...Prof. Guru Row assisting me and Dipsy through a wayward crossword...the music reached a crescendo as I mourned the fact that the one person I was so keen on, would in fact never learn to play the violin...really, Bengaluru, I never thought I'd have to say this, but I already miss you!
I was back loitering the streets of R. K. Narayan's Malleswaram, the refreshing fragnance of the jasmines coalescing with the whiff of freshly boiled corn wafting past. The evening prayers had just begun in the innumerous kovils...the mild pitter-patter of footsteps on a rainy day..as the Adi Tal resonated through Thyagaraja's lyrics, I was reminiscent of the first time Deepu had guided me all the way through my first steps experiencing a Thyagaraja couplet...of the tepid bitterness of Coffee Board coffee on a vapid Wednesday noon after futile battles with staying awake in the Total synthesis classes...there was the Summer of 2006, complete with Monoda's smile, bike-rides in the rain, more interviews than I cared for, dabbling in retinal hyperpolarizability, and late night Tea Board addas!
The violin notes took me through the gullies of the city I forgot to appreciate when I was there...relationships broken over friendships forged...CTR dosas...bisi bisi sambar vada...Prof. Guru Row assisting me and Dipsy through a wayward crossword...the music reached a crescendo as I mourned the fact that the one person I was so keen on, would in fact never learn to play the violin...really, Bengaluru, I never thought I'd have to say this, but I already miss you!
