And God said. Let Music be!

 I have always wondered how man created music. My musings over this question have led me to believe that though this is the only art form which does not have a physical form to emulate, it should have been, and is still there in nature, esoterically though. Identifying or extracting music from nature could not have been the result of any concerted effort with well defined targets. It might have "occurred" to the "selected few" while in some divine meditation. But then, how can various forms of music evolved independently  in totally unconnected places over the earth at different points of time have the same basic structure.Any form anywhere in the world evolved during any era in history is built on the seven basic notes. How can this happen?God might have sung those seven notes into the ears of someone in ascetic meditation, perhaps in an inadvertent pursuit of the unknown. This might have happened to the "selected few" as God might have thought that his creations are incomplete if those seven note remained sublime beyond the human perception. And He might have allowed those note to trickle down from the heavens into the human ear and He might have proclaimed, "Let Music Be". ...........and it might have been all music! Whatever happened after that might be a product of human intelligence.
My belief that music exists in nature is a consequence of some personal experiences. Hearing a well rendered Sreeragam, I bow my head and with folded hands, I feel like standing in some divine presence. Kaapi ragam takes me to Vrindavan. A slow Tabla, accompanying the Sarod, takes me to the Akbar's court and the Veena and the Mridangam take me to Kailasm. Such experiences do not occur always. Mridangam should be by Karikkudi Mani. Great if it is Mysore Doraiswamy Iyengar on the Veena. Zakir Hussian on the Tabla and Amjad Ali Khan on the Sarod..........you are sure in the Akbar's court. And Hariprasad Chaurasia after midnight in dim light or lights off .......... look out through the widows. You can "see" the confluence of swaras from the heavens. While watching the snow fall in Kashmir don't you "see" Pandit Shivkumar Sharma sprinkling those Santhoor notes? And isn't it the Bhoopalam that makes the sun rise in the east? Any doubt?

ANN EYE OPENER !!!

Kottayam,
2nd December 2012

My dear Ann,

I concede defeat. It suffices to write just this. Here I can conclude this letter with the customary "Yours lovingly..."

But since this letter is in the public domain, I think I should elaborate for those very few of my students who unreasonably yet staunchly believe that their Sir cannot falter.

The Kottayam "Mixed Voices" is in existence for 27 years. Over these years their programmes were  hugely appreciated by the music lovers here and elsewhere.  But for a variety of reasons this never enthused me. This time when you invited me I thought I should attend. How can one say no to someone as affable as you are?  Today's carol programme  was a curtain riser to this year's Christmas in Kottayam. The grandeur of the evening needs no description. Ann, I came there in time and could spot you in the front row of the singers. The songs were presented with utmost perfection. May I tell you that this time too, the songs didn't enter my heart. I do not know whether it is my ignorance or some innate dislike, I could never hear western classical music through my heart. So it were not the songs but the singers who defeated me. I remained awe stricken by the mastery of the singers. A really spellbinding performance. Simply superlative.  So much of artists in a small town is unbelievable. Yes Ann, till this evening Kottayam remained a small place for me. The "rubberised" vanity and extravaganza was always nauseating for me. The aromatic pepper or the seductive fragrance of tea or coffee never mesmerized me into respecting Kottayam. But today Kottayam rose to astronomical heights in my esteem and the aftermath was my steep fall in my own esteem. Talent is God's gift. With so much of God gifted singers in this town I felt dwarfed despite my six-one frame.  Ann, in our discussions I had questioned  the spirituality of this kind of singing. I regret. Spirituality being such a personal experience, how can I question somebody else's means of spirituality or its expression? Ann, most of the things I have told you during our talks remain the bedrock of my faith. But I should confess that I learned quite a few things today so that if my views were any skewed they will get corrected.

Having said this much, I think I should say more. As a Physics teacher I have been advocating confinement of mind and convergence of thoughts and have been demanding undivided dedication from students. This was with a view to conquering the world and not even being winners at the national level. I have no regrets and I don't think changing this attitude. Yet Ann, this evening for the first time I have this feeling. "Why should everyone learn Physics? Music being man's greatest extraction from nature (everything else has a physical form) what if someone opts for it? But Ann, was this my real problem? No, I presume. I am confused. I think it can be said like this. For a teacher  and  a student of  Physics, their spirituality is in doing Physics to the best of their abilities. How can anyone tell me that this attitude is wrong? After all, this is not just an attitude. Ann, you may recall that I have talked only to Physics students and any generalization of my arguments may sound ridiculous. With all my humility in place I would like to continue my views regarding teaching  and learning Physics.

Ann, now the funny thing. It is 2 hours past mid night. Yet I thought I will complete this letter lest my views should change with the rising sun of the 3rd of December !!! Tomorrow when I teach somebody Physics, the fanatic teacher in me may overtake my vagaries and my fantasies generated by those beautiful songs of the evening !!! Hope you will excuse me for this last sentence which shows that I am not remorseful despite starting this letter in a different tone and tenor.

With lots of love,

Your Teacher.

ACHAYI

November 30^th 2012. Mr O.K CHACKO (name changed) alias ACHAYI retired from the Kerala PWD after some three decades of meritorious service. Yesterday Achayi telephoned  and invited Susan and me for a small party in the evening at his residence. I was told that the party will begin at 5 in the evening.  On reaching the quiet hamlet of Thottakkad where Achayi lived, we had a big surprise waiting for us. “Small party”, I wondered. Such a big “pandal” for a small party?? More surprises were to follow.  Instead of the close relatives and friends like me, I found the entire Kerala PWD there !!! They all have come there leading Achu to the place where he belonged to. Every one looked very jubilant. Groups of people inside and outside the pandal were engaged in a variety of activities. From bla  bla bla to ‘shairy’ to music, every group was busy, not interfering with the activities of other groups. The Karaoke assisted music group was the most noisy !!! A group of some five ‘musicians’ was valiantly fighting Baburaj, Devarajan master or Dakshinamurthy swamy, .Relentless, the group of five, ‘sang ’in five sruthy, five tunes and a ‘mishra chapala (!)’ tal. There could not have been a better display of unity in diversity. Various groups and the common thread was inebriation !!! Seeing all these celebrations anyone would have loved to retire. Anyway what was on display was the enviable, unmatched and honest PWD Brotherhood. I wanted to bow my head before this unity but I didn't, as those standing there (some were sitting and yet  others were in 'sawasana') were  in obscurity !!!

I turned a little pensive and thought of my retirement. May 31^st, 2012. When I walked out of the Physics department of CMS college at about 4-30 pm on that day, there was none to see me off. While going down the wooden staircase , I thought of the day I first went up those stairs on August 17^th, 1981 following Prof Mohan Kurien. I did not expect anybody there to see me leaving. But today watching in awe the way Achayi was escorted to his place by the entire Kottayam PWD office in a Princely way, I could only envy him.
Did I lament in my mind "at least one of my students of 31 years could have been there"??
Gita Bakshi was my student during 1984-85. A passionate writer, she had wrote to me that she would like to meet me and talk to me. This she did during early 2012 and I wrote back, "Gita, I shall wait for you at the department of Physics, CMS college till 4 pm of the 31st of May 2012. Yes, that will be the time when I will be shown the door". I heard the door  shut behind me, but Gita was nowhere in sight. She could have come, no?? But then, why single out Gita. Any one of those avowed "followers" could have..................

Late News
December 1st.
By mid night even those in 'sawasana' resurrected  to join the mid night rally  through the village road of an otherwise sleepy  Thottakkad with slogans like "Thottakkadin Romancham, O.K Chacko Zindabad".
Now....now, I feel like shouting.....PWD Zindabad !!! I wish I were in the PWD so that I could have retired like a Prince instead of  in desolation.