Music and Mind, and Architecture

Its not often that we will find Indian classical music program being conducted open air. Indian classical music is less about percussions, beats, speed, volume and more about finety and purety of tunes and their interplay. Sound resonating from surrounding structures play an very important role in creating the whole effect. Artists would bring their instruments pre-tuned but that is only approximate tuning. Final, fine, perfect tuning is done on the spot just before singer starts singing. Many artists take emmense efforts to ensure all instruments are properly tuned, resonating with each other and with singer's onw voice. This is reflection, resonance, feedback is very important to create wholesome, harmonious effect of music.

Isn't it same with our human mind. Left by ourselves, in isolation we tend to feel disconnected, lost, confused, disinterested .... We are constantly checking for reflection, response, resonance from surrounding human structures. Sometimes we even choose a particular structure for a particular feedback.

For our mental harmony it is important that we choose and cultivate proper resonating humans structures around us. It is important that we fine tune our ability to listen and understand and respond to resonance.

For architects of human mind its a continual challange, while building a human structure, that they take immaculate care also to design surrounding human structure.

All this together makes our emotional environment, ecology, harmony or whatever word you choose to relate to such fascinating interplay.

- Naren

Imagine A Woman .... or A Man .... or A Human

This poem was shared on FB by a friend. She had tagged her woman friends. After reading this I felt, as a man, that it applies to me too. Some details may not apply but essence sure does. I reread it replacing 'woman' by 'man' and then again by 'human'. Hope you all enjoy this lovely poem.

- Naren
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Imagine a Woman by Patricia Lynn Reilly


Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

मनचुंबक

दोन ध्रुव, त्यांची विरुद्ध तोंडं
एकाच शरीरात त्यांचा ३६चा आकडा
भिन्न शरीरांत अनादी आकर्षण
एका शरीरात मात्र अनंत प्रतिकर्षण
नियतीच्या मृत्यूनंतरच संपणारं

लोहपुरुष थोडा मऊ झाला
स्वभावाला मुरड घातली
मनाची सुंदर बांगडी केली
विरुद्ध ध्रुव समोर आणले
अनोखी गळाभेट आपसूक झाली

आकर्षण प्रतिकर्षण
नाण्याच्या दोन बाजू
जराशी नम्रता लवचिकता
नव्हत्याचे होते झाले
सुंदर कडे हातात आले.


- नरेन

P.S.: १) प्रतिकर्षण शब्दा्बद्द्ल खात्री नाही. I have used it as 'repulsion'. attraction x repulsion २) शब्द विस्कळीत आहेत पण मनात विचार आले ते मांडले आहे

माझी लोकशाही, तिचं इलेक्शन

महान लोकशाही झोपलीय
तिच्या बंद डोळ्यातल्य़ा
भिरभिरत्या बुबुळांमधल्या
स्वप्नांच्या गर्दीतल्या
माणसांच्या गर्दीमधला
एक माणूस मीच आहे
सगळ्यांच्या मागून
लपून, डोकावून
नाकर्त बघतोय
एखादं स्वप्न वाट्याला
येतय का माझ्या हळूच

तिच्या निद्रीस्त हृदयाचं
एक सुप्त स्पंदन
माझ्या नावचं होतं.
तिच्या जड झालेल्या
हातापायांची न झालेली
गर्भार हालचाल
माझीही होती.
तिची झोप
माझ्या पत्थ्यावर पडली हो्ती.

तिच्या झोपेमध्ये लपून
डोक्याव पांघरूण घेऊन
तिच्याकडे बोट दाखवतोय
मी.

हृदयेन अपराजितः

सुखं वा यदि दुःखं
प्रियं वा यदि अप्रियं
प्राप्तं प्राप्तं उपासिते
हृदयेन अपरजितः

- कुठेतरी वाचलेलं मनाला भावलेलं सुभाषित

फ़लाचि इच्छा न धरता कर्म करत रहा, मन सदोदीत प्रेसन्न ठेवा इत्यादी वाक्प्रचार, सल्ले आपण अगदी गीतेपासून चावत, ऐकत, सांगत असतो. पण इथे काहीतरी वेगळं भावलं. चिमण्यांच्या चिवचिवाटात दयाळाची एक शीळ अलगद येऊन हृदयाला भिडावी तसं झालं. पहिल्या दोन ओळी वाचताना वाटलं आला नेहमीसारखा एक सल्ला. मग तिसरी ऒळ आली, हळूच सुचवून गेली. काही तरी वेगळं आहे हे. नुसतं मान्य करण्याचं म्हणत नाहीये .... उपासिते !!!!!! जे येईल ते घ्या, आपलंसं करा, त्याची उपासना करा, त्याला आदर, प्रेम द्या. वाहव्वा !! आणि सगळ्यावर कळस म्हणजे शेवटची ओळ. सर्व बॅटसमनमध्ये सचिन वेगळा ठरतो ते उगाच नाही, तसंच या शेवटच्या ओळीच< आहे. हे सर्व तर कराच, पण कसं करा, हे करताना स्वतःचं काय करा.... ’हृदयेन अपरजितः’. यावर अजून पुढे काय बोलायची गरज आहे !!!!!!!!

Yog .... not Yogaa

For once I read an article where yog was granted its due pronunciation. Misbelief about yog is not restricted to its pronunciation, but engulfs its basic philosophy. Yog is taken equal to yogasana and that is equaled to physical postures for workouts or some form of aerobic exercise.

Yog word originates from Sankrut word 'yuj' which means 'to unite'. It is an experience, a methodology which helps a person to achieve oneness with with the universe. It propagates importance of being in unison. It may be seen as science which deals with harmony of body, breath, mind, soul, and ultimately, the universe.

Its bodily part or aasanaas (yogaasanaas) are important. But it should be understood that these aasanaas are not gymnastic, acrobatic or flexibility. The bodily postures need to be harmonised with breathing, concentration, meditation to evolve and harmonise and evolve our deeper self.

काय सांगायचंय मला .....

काहीतरी म्हणायचंय मला
काहीतरी सांगायचंय....

अतीव वेदना की अत्युच्च आनंद
बेभान वासना की अथांग समाधान
माहीत नाही नक्की
काय सांगायचंय मला
पण एव्हढं मात्र कळतंय
काहीतरी म्हणायचंय मला
काहीतरी सांगायचंय....


बेधुंद दग्ध कामाक्षीचा
अस्फ़ुट हळवा हंकार
प्रसूत वेदनेतून प्रसवतो
आशेचा रडता अंकूर
प्रत्ये्क जन्मासह जन्मते
मृ्त्यूची अनिवार्य घटिका
मरणामधून उमलते
नियतीची आवर्तनलतिका

जन्मलेल्याचा मृत्यू नक्की
मेलेल्याला जन्म निश्चित
जन्माआधी काय अ‌‌न‍‌
मरणानंतर काय
उघडझाप, आकुंचन प्रसरण
अनादी अनंत अविरत आवर्तन
अर्थ अनर्थ कशाला अर्थ
काहीही म्हटलं तरी
काय त्याला अर्थ
तरी एव्हढं मात्र नक्की
काहीतरी म्हणायचंय मला
काहीतरी सांगायचंय

आज जे कोमेजलंय
उद्या हिरवं उमलेल ते
आज जे बहरतंय
उद्या मान टकेल ते
काही नाही स्थिर, ना काही स्पष्ट
अद्भूतातून असा निघतो अर्थ
स्पंदनं आवर्तनं अविरत चालू
किती त्यांना पाहू आणि किती जाणू
जेव्हढं केव्हढं उमजलंय
त्याने सारं मन भारलंय
ते व्यक्त करायचंय मला
तुमच्यापर्यंत पोहोचवायचंय
माहित नाही जमलं किती
जे मला म्हणायचंय
जे मला सांगायचंय

.... तू माझा सांगाती .....

जेथे जातो तेथे
तू माझा सांगाती

भक्ताने परमेश्वराला, विठ्ठलाला हे म्हटले आहे. प्रत्येक जागेमध्ये, प्रत्येक गोष्टीमध्ये, प्रत्येक मा्णसामध्ये भक्ताला भगवंत दिसतोय. माझीही काहीशी तशीच अवस्था झालीय. पण काहीशीच. थोडा फ़रक आहे. म्हट्लं तर थोडा, म्हटलं तर मात्र अगदी मूलभूत. मला प्रत्येक देवात माणूस दिसतो. असा एकही देव मला सापडला नाही की ज्याच्या पायाला माती लागलेली नाहीय, की ज्याचा पाय कुठे कधी घसरलेलाच नाहीये, की ज्याच्य़ा देवचंद्रावर कुठे डाग पडला नाहीये.

एखाद्या महर्षीला वाकून नमस्कार करावा तर त्यांचं लक्ष पडणाऱ्या पदराकडे, अस्वस्थ मनाला आधार देण्यासाठी एका साधूकडे जावे तर तो स्वतःच इनसिक्यूअर्ड होऊन गर्दीच्या मागे लागलेला, विद्याध्यासाने गुरुसमोर बसावं तर त्यांची दृष्टी माझ्या खिशाकडे खिळलेली, मनःशांती शोधत स्पिरीच्युअल मास्टरकडे जावं तर तोच मानसोपचार तज्ञाकडून उपचार घेतोय. आदर्श म्हणून कोणाला समोर ठेवावे तर त्याची कृत्ये न कळली तरच बरे असे वाटावे. जंगजंग पछाडले पण संपूर्ण देव मला कुठे भेटलाच नाही.

माझे छोटे अनुभव व्यासांनी वैश्विक पाहिले होते. महाभा्रतभर त्यांनी देवत्वातले माणूसपण ्मांडले आहे. काही हरकत नाही, त्यांच्या समुद्रातला एक थेंब मी अनुभवतोय.

हे माणसा ....
जेथे जातो तेथे
तू माझा सांगाती.

कधी नव्हे ते हिंदू संस्कृतीचा माझा काही संबंध आहे असे वाटले. नाहीतर हिंदू संस्कृती म्हणून जे काही पहावे लागते ....

Oppressed Men

American man Mansfield Fraizer says about what happened after he heard the news of his beloved wife in a car accident, "I don’t remember much after that. I had the mental breakdown I so needed and deserved." (More about him can be found onhttp://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-04/confessions-of-a-man-who-almost-went-postal/3/)

I HAD THE MENTAL BREAKDOWN THAT I SO NEEDED AND DESERVED -- what a statement! What courage a MAN would need to feel, accept and express this way.

And look at all those women complaining about oppression and all. You are lucky ladies, you can put blame on something/someone outside yourself, other than you. You would never need to realize how it feels to be frozen inside an iceberg, that is yourself. May God bless you.

Thank you Mr. Mansfield Fraizer

Faith, love and hope

A young girl met with a severe road accident. The accident was so bad that nobody expected her to survive. But she did, just enough. Just enough for doctors to make a try. Lots of tubes, lots of scopes and meters covered her. Days went by. She was on the border line, her balance all tilted towards other side. But all these devices, all these tubes, all these injections had barely managed to hold her on. Doctors had almost lost any hope, her parents too were loosing hope very fast. It was extremely painful to watch that lifeless body breathing though the ventilator, eating through those tubes and fighting through those frequent piercing injections.

The accident had occurred just at a major turning point in her life. She was engaged and was to get married in a few days. She and her fiance had made all the plans to last details. Only the auspicious ceremonies were remaining and they would enter into a new life. A life full of love, full of hope just waiting to unite. Both of them were floating in dreams of a lovely future they were to going live together.

And now, all of a sudden, all that love, all those dreams were threatened to get crushed under a stroke of destiny. The young boy seemed a man of grit, man of faith, man full of love. Everyday after his working hours he would come to the hospital and sit by her side. Touching her, looking into her closed eyes, talking to her, conversing with her. He would be there late into the night. Every night it was difficult for him to make himself retire. He would say good-bye with a gentle sqeeze of her hand, with a light kiss and a soft bye-bye and walk away calmly.

Days passed by in this routine. Her medical condition did not improve. Doctors had declared her beyond recovery. Parents had lost all hope. It was a matter of single decision. All the gadgets, devices, pricks and tubes would step aside. She would quietly float into the other side. This young man had different ideas. All through the ordeal he was calm and quiet and assured. He refused to accept the 'expert' advise, he accept to listen to the destiny. He said that I am talking to her and she has told me she is going to come back to me. Right now she is feeling confused and can not find her way back. But we are talking and she will come.



There is a Kannad poem by poet Puttappaa. Its free tranlation goes something like this:
hope hope hope ,
my soul
till you yourself become God