Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Dasara

बाले त्वमन्नपूर्णासि मीनाक्षी सुन्दरी सती |
गायत्री छन्दसां मातः ललिता त्रिपुराम्बिके ||
ऐश्वर्यदा महालक्ष्मी विद्यादात्री सरस्वती |

आर्तानां साधकानाम्च दुर्गे दुर्गति नाशिनी ||
शिवागात्री हृदिस्था मे अविद्या महिषं हर |
राजराजेश्वरीख्यता सच्चिदानन्द रूपिणी ||
नवरात्रीशु संपूज्या दशम्यां विजयप्रदा |
अनन्त कृपया मातुः त्राहि मां
 शरणागतम् ||

Deepavali

రామేణాభిమతం మోక్షం కృష్ణేన నరక చ్యుతిః |
గోవింద స్మర ణాత్ప్రాప్తాః శ్రియో దీపావళీ రివ ||

Pray Sri Rama and be sure of Moksha. Pray Sri Krishna - he had eliminated naraka (pun - naraka=hell and naraka=the demon narakasura.) Chanting the Lord's name "Govinda" will ensure good tidings in life, just like the series of lights - Deepavali.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Posts to come..

I have to post my travelogues and experiences of my recent (?) trips:
Kukke Subrahmanya and Dharmasthala - August 9-10, 2008.
Mysore (Mahati Aksharabhyasam) - August 20, 2008
Thrissur - Valapad - August 30, 2008.
Guuvayur - August 31, 2008.
Athirapally Waterfalls - August 31, 2008.
Alwaye - September 01, 2008.
Kalady - September 01, 2008.
Cochin - September 01-02, 2008.
Tiruvannamalai - September 14-2008.

Muskura ke jiyo

Yes, I dropped a tear on hearing the news that Mahendra Kapur passed away.

I have a special place for him though he was as much/good a Rafi clone as Mano is of SP Balu. Special place, because the first Hindi song I learned was his. "Yye... neele gagan ke tale.. dharti pe pyar pale.." from Hamraz. Another solo from the same film also, I have learned. I have sung both the songs couple of times during my 11th and 12th classes.

"Na muh chupake jiyo
Aur na sar jhukake jiyo
Ghumon ka daur bhi aye to
Muskura ke jiyo"
is a great song from the same movie.

His face was always as if he was smiling; at times as if frowning.

By the way, I didn't study Intermediate.. it is one more peculiarity of my life. While most of my contemporaries went to school, studied state syllabus and after 10th class went to college for Intermediate.. I didn't go to school, passed 10th in state syllabus and joined class XI in CBSE syllabus. The school was a little cosmopolitan of those times.. my class had people from Kerala though Kashmir. It was a complete change of ambience.. from being a veda-student to being a student in a public school.

It was "school", so one prayed in the morning 'assembly', wore uniform, and had extra curricular classes every week. I had to learn and sing songs among other things and Mahendra Kapur entered my life through an audio cassette (of the songs of the film Humraaz.)