Painted prayers

They are called mandna in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, rangoli in Maharashtra and Gujurat, sathya in Saurashtra, raipan or aypan in Bihar, aipan in the Kumaon, alpana in Bengal, jhunti in Orissa, chowk in Himachal Pradesh, cauka rangana or cauk purna or sonarakhna in Uttar Pradesh, muggu in Andhra Pradesh, rangavalli in Karnataka, and kolam in south India and Tamil Nadu.In all cases this surprising combination of popular creativity and sacred.


Traditional rangoli motifs were plant life such as flowers, leaves, coconut, lotus, mango, and ashwath (peepal leaf). Animals represented were cows, elephants, horses, parrots and swans. The deities Ganesh, the Shiva Lingam, and the feet of Lakshmi appeared in rangoli.The rangoli provides an object for “fascination” or effortless attention in the sacred space, in an atmosphere without distractions, which results in relaxation and directed attention . The eye follows the orderly pattern of the rangoli. Look it!

Nikhil Banerjee

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (14 October 1931 – 27 January 1986) was one of India's most prominent Sitar masters of the 20th Century.

"My approach to music is very deep. I do not compromise. Indian music is based on spiritualism and was practiced and learned to know the Supreme Truth. A musician must lift up the souls of the listeners and take them towards Space. This is the history of Indian music. "
His interpretation of ragas was usually traditional although he would some times take liberties with the raga in a moment of inspiration.
Nikhil Banerjee,Raag Bhairavi

Raag Malkauns

Raag Malkauns is one of the most beautiful , popular and most ancient of the raagas in Hindustani Classical music. Raag Malkauns belongs to Bhairavi Thaat or scale of Hindustani classical music. It is a pentatonic raag ie its type is Audav Audav and this raag is sung at late night. The notes of this raag corresponds to Bhairavi Thaat ie, komal notes are used.

In raag Malkauns Rishabh and Pancham are prohibitted. When ascending(aaroha) the notes are Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni Sa. While descending(awaroha) the notes are Sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Sa.The vaadi swara of Raag Malkauns is Madhyama. Sanwaadi Swar is Sadaja. These notes in combination portray darkness and secret.

The raag is said to have evolved when Lord Shiva performed The Taandava dance. The raag thus evokes a feeling of vigour or we can say this Raag is a VEER rasa raga. And as traditions in Indian classical music ascribes this vigour and veer rasa is not the veer rasa of the battlefield but a sense of conquering the self and reaching a state of inner satisfaction.
This raga is said to have supernatural powers and can conjure spirits if rendered properly. Though a simple pentanoic raga in structure, it requires great skills to convey and evoke the mood of Malkauns.

Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Raag Malkauns, part 1

Breathless

Shankar Mahadevan is carving a name for himself in the world of music with his debut album Breathless (1998). An album that has made everyone sit up and take note of a man who can apparently sing an entire song in just one breath.
Breathless appears to be a steady stream of a song that goes on without a break, stanzas, verse or even a pause for breath.
"The art of music is so deep and profound that it has to be approached with a bit of intensity laced with great affectionate joy."
Among Western musicians, Shankar has grown up with Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerin and Weather Report.Shankar's career is breathlessly jingling forward with pauses just to bask in new glories.

And now - a breath... breathless!)

Child Goddess

In Nepal, Sajani Shakya, is a living goddess. This small, shy and totally divine girl is one of about a dozen such goddesses in her homeland Nepal who are considered earthly manifestations of the Hindu goddess Kali.Even though she is a Buddhist, she was considered to be the manifestation of the Hindu goddess Kali. It is an ancient traditional blending of the two religions, unique to Nepal.It’s a very ancient tradition. Its roots go back to almost the dawn of time.It’s a tradition where young girls are revered and in many ways this enhances the status of girls within the culture. The goddess Kali is believed to leave the girls’ bodies as they reach puberty. After that, the girls retire with a small pension. They are free to work and marry.

Raga

Raga is a Sanskrit word that has umpteen shades of meaning – from love, affection, desire and infatuation to entertainment, pursuit, disposition, poetry and music. This itself points to the complex nature of musical structure. In form, it does have a fixed number of permitted and prohibited notes following each other in pre-defined order. In practice, a musical Raga is like a fractal that despite a well-defined aspect is neither limiting nor limited. The artiste is free to float, riding atop the buoyant pattern. One finds a close parallal in theater where different actors in separate presentations portray a Hamlet or a Romeo in styles individual and unique, yet none of them ever twists the tale.

As ragas were transmitted orally from teacher to student, some ragas can vary greatly across regions, traditions and styles. There have been efforts to codify and standardize raga performance in theory from their first mention in Matanga's Brhaddesi (~10th c.) Some people approach raga performance from the Vedic philosophy of sound; others from a Sufi perspective; still others approach raga primarily as an aesthetic entity; others approach it as a kind of combinatorics.
Indian classical music is always set in raga, but all raga music is not necessarily classical. Songs range from being clearly in one raga or another to being in a sort of generalized scale. Many popular Indian film songs resemble ragas closely. 

Raag is the modern hindi pronunciation used by hindustani musicians; Raagam is the south indian form used by carnatic music musicians.

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Marwa - Part 1:

Part 2:

Odissi

Odissi traces its origins to the ritual dances performed in the temples of ancient northern India. Today the name Odissi refers to the dance style of the state of Orissa in eastern India. Like other classical arts of India, this ancient dance style had suffered a decline as temples and artists lost the patronage of feudal rulers and princely states, and by the 1930s and 40s, there were very few surviving practitioners of the art.
Like other Indian classical dance forms, Odissi has two major facets: Nritta or non-representational dance, in which ornamental patterns are created using body movements in space and time; and Abhinaya, or stylized mime in which symbolic hand gestures and facial expressions are used to interpret a story or theme.

Girija Devi

Girija Devi is a senior and renowned Indian female classical vocalist, who represents the Banaras Gharana of singers. Born on 8 May 1929 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Girija Devi has been gifted with the most mellifluous voice.Girija Devi's a genius in her sphere of Indian classical vocal rendition.
"I love decorating words with music. Take for instance the line 'rasa ke bhare toreb nain', suggesting the Lord's eyes being a repository of emotions. I imagine a hindered gopis or devotees seeking attention in the eyes of the Lords. Some see in him a tinge of jealousy. Others perceive a hint of pride or carefree abandon. Others see only a divinity; some the playfulness of Krishna. I use notes to suit the mood of the sentiment so that a single line can be sung to at least 25 different interpretations."

Girija Devi & Piya Mukherjee, Raag Bilaskhani Todi, part 2

Hariprasad Chaurasia

Hariprasad Chaurasia, with his mystic flute playing has sent the whole world into a melodic trance. There would be hardly any folks with such magical divine spirit of his kind of music.

Chaurasiaji has pefomred all around the globe, with almost every Indian & foreign instrumentalists. He has also contributed his music in Fusion. Hari Prasad chaurasia is surely an Indian icon.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia & Subhash Dhunoohchand

Shivkumar Sharma

Born in Jammu, pandit Shivkumar Sharma had training in music from his father Umadutt Sharma. Initially, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma learnt vocal music and tabla right from the tender age of 5. At his father’s request Pt. Shivkumar Sharma began extensive research on the then little known folk instrument – Santoor. His eloquent santoor has introduced the freshness and exuberance of the sparkling springs of his scenic homeland to the realm of classical music. Thanks to his effort, the santoor has now evolved a character encompassing “Gayaki” (vocal style), “Gatkari” (instrumental technique), and “Layakari” (rhythmic improvisation).It is due to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, and him alone that the santoor is today a highly appreciated Indian instrument the world over.

Pandit Hariprasad and Pandit Shiv Kumar - Raga Bhopali

Pandit Jasraj

The contemporary performer of North Indian Classical vocals, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj needs no introduction. His status as an unparalleled living legend confirmed by a scholarship instituted by the University of Toronto in his name for deserving young Canadian students wishing to train in Indian music, Pandit Jasraj has made history by being the first living Indian musician to be honored by a foreign university in this manner.Musicians are usually honored with awards, but Panditji is the first musician who has been honored with awards being instituted in his name.

Raag Gurjari Todi

Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan

Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khansaheb inherited the musical parampara (tradition)of Punjab that encompassed the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religions.
A true artist, Bade Ghulam Ali was not interested in political and religious differences. He knew of only two categories of humanity: music lovers and the uninterested ones. "I know only one thing: Music! I am little interested in other things. I am just a humble devotee of God and Music."
His favourite bhajan ever was and will be: "Hari Om Tatsat".

Raag Kaushikdwani

Objects of Desire

Advertising session for Vogue India. A little risky for the Indian consumer, but stylishly, decadent and... surreal)




Models: Lakshmi Menon & Kamal Sidhu

Editorial: Objects of Desire

Magazine: India Vogue, October 2007

Photographer: Prabuddha Gupta

One Love

The great work of A R Rahman created during voting for 7 miracles of world.

Ek Mohabbat = One Love really is a beautiful song.

Romeo-Juliet, Radha-Krishna, Adam-Hawwa, Heer-Ranjha, Laila-Majnu, ShahJahan-Mumtaz...

One Love

La Vie Est Belle

India Couture Week saw designer Pallavi Jaikishan showcase her designs. The wide range, titled La Vie Est Belle (Life is Beautiful) took inspiration right from the sophisticated cities of Europe to the fiery desert of Rajasthan. Gorgeous!






Photographs: Uttam Ghosh

Breathing Under Water

Anoushka Shankar is the twenty-six year old daughter of Ravi Shankar, probably the most famous sitar player of modern times.

Anoushka has followed closely in her father’s footsteps - she gave her first public performance on sitar at the age of 13, and has played often alongside her father. That’s not to say, though, she is a strictly traditional practitioner of her chosen instrument. Take Breathing Under Water. A collaboration with Karsh Kale, best known as the producer of global techno outfit Tabla Beat Science, this is an album which blends Shankar’s skilful, ornate sitar playing with many of the tools of modern electronica production. One more time Anoushka give us heart music.Thanks)

Mujhe Rang De

Mujhe Rang De (which means: 'color me') has united very uneasy and talented people.

This very "simple" song from the bolly-movie Thakshak (1999) has united

 actress Tabassum Fatema (Tabu)

 singer Asha Bhosle

 composer  A. R. Rahman and

 poet Mehboob.

Rang (Colour), Tabu and AR Rahman had an association for me in great qawalli from Meenaxi but this cheerful small song can add to you pair of joyful minutes. Enjoy!

MF Hussain

Maqbool Fida Husain - "Picasso of India". Hussain went on to become the highest paid painter in India. “I am a creative person and feel that there is no end to creativity. Only 10 per cent of what is inside me has found an expression. Even 10 lives will not be enough for me,” says the artist who turned 93 on September 17. Husain’s creativity has often landed him in trouble. After a long, successful career his work suddenly became controversial in 1996, following the publication of an article about nude images of Hindu deities painted in the 1970s. Husain's film Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities was pulled out of movie theatres a day after some Muslim organisations raised objections to one of the songs in it. Perhaps M.F. Husain is guilty. He is guilty of being a genius.




PS: In a recent auction, MF Hussain’s art work, titled “Ganga-Yamuna”, was sold by auction house Christie’s for a whopping $1.6 Mil.

Suphala

“This Indian-American beauty plays those two small drums like Bruce Lee in a fistfight - with fast hands and a furious beauty.” – St. Petersburg Times

Suphala is a artist, composer, producer...  and a rarity as a woman performer on the tabla. In Feb. 2005, Suphala made history when she became the first musician to play in public since the fall of the Taliban.Her music cuts across all classes and cultures.
"I was always aware of the fact that I had these two cultures, but the tabla has given me a deeper understanding more than anything. Oftentimes people who move here from India spend time with other Indians from their own communities. But music brings all sorts of communities together. All those types of musicians are playing together. So it has broadened my education of India."

Beautiful!

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Every Raag has a soul and every musical note is the sound of God. The meaning of Indian Classical Music is freedom within discipline. - Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

One of the things that makes good Indian classical music so appealing is that underneath the discipline and dazzling technique, the master musicians never forget what it's really all about call it 'soul' or 'spirit', whatever it is that transforms ordinary music into magic.

Amjad Ali Khan has developed a unique style of playing the sarod. He imparts a rare aesthetic experience to his audiences with his creative. imagination, consummate artistry and an imposing stage presence.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Master of Sarod, live in Cologne-Philharmonie, 2008-03-15
Amaan Ali Khan-Sarod
Ayaan Ali Khan-Sarod
Anubrata Chatterjee-Tabla
Stephanie Bosch-Tampura

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Voice From Heaven

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948-1997), was a Pakistani musician, primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. Khan’s genius was to encompass other forms of music, making it accessible to followers of different religions and cultures.

This film,"A Voice From Heaven"( director: Giuseppe Asaro) is a tribute to one of the most beautiful voices in the century.The story interweaves excellent Nusrat performance footage and a rare behind the scene glimpse into Nusrat's life. Interviews conducted with the many friends, artists and producers with whom Nusrat has collaborated with, including Rick Rubin, Michael Brook, Bally Sagoo and the Asian Dub Foundation, tell the story of a man and his music of peace and spiritual love.

Maharaj

Pandit Birju Maharaj is a renowned and honoured personality in the field of Indian Classical Dance. The most renowned living exponent of Kathak, he conjures up Lord Krishna’s mesmerising magic the moment he appears on stage. And he has as many talents as the Blue God had wives—musician, drummer and choreographer par excellence, including for films like Ray’s Shatranj ke Khiladi.

It has 70 here. These are lessons at Carnegie Hall with Ustad Zakir Hussain on tabla. Great Duo!

Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916-2006)

He brought the little known shehnai to the centre stage of Indian classical music. When he played the small strange instrument, traditionally played in wedding processions or Hindu religious rituals, it was magic. The soothing sweetness and sublime peace Ustad Bismillah Khan created with the shehnai transcended borders and beliefs. Bismillah Khan has received the highest and most cherished civil awards in India: Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna. Only two other classical musicians have won these honours: Ravi Shankar and M.S. Sabbulakshmi.
He was a devoted Shia Muslim who also worshipped Saraswati – the Hindu goddess of music.
The gentle genius of Bismillah Khan is perhaps single handedly responsible for making shehnai a famous classical instrument from being a common court prop. He believed that music has no caste and he received love and affection from everyone. Ustad Bismillah Khan managed to captivate the audience because his music was true and it was the sound of the people. It's a maestro who made a rather mournful sounding instrument sing songs of joy.

RAAG BHAIRAVI

Angkor Wat

There are two great complexes of ancient temples in Southeast Asia, one at Bagan in Burma, the other at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the 12th century by the king of the prosperous Khmer empire, Angkor Wat was built as a royal temple dedicated to a Hindu deity. After the city of Angkor fell to invaders, Angkor Wat receded into the jungle but continued as a Buddhist temple and a pilgrimage site over the centuries. Angkor Wat is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture in Cambodia and is so grand in design that some rank it among the seven wonders of the world.



Jayavaram VII, spoke of his intentions in erecting temples as being:

“full of deep sympathy for the good of the world, so as to bestow on men the ambrosia of remedies to win them immortality….By virtue of these good works would that I might rescue all those who are struggling in the ocean of existence.”

Kailasa Temple

The Kailasa Temple, it is safe to say, is one of the most astonishing buildings in the history of architecture. This shrine was not constructed of stone on stone, it was in fact not constructed at all: it was carved, sculpted in toto from the volcanic hillside! A squared, U-shaped trench was first cut into the slope to a depth of close to 100 feet. The liberated mass in the center was then patiently carved from the living rock to produce a freestanding, two-story Hindu temple of dazzling complexity. The temple, which is dedicated to Shiva, the often threatening god of the Hindu trilogy, measures 109 feet wide by 164 feet long. It stands on an elevated plinth to attain greater presence in its tight surroundings. The complex consists of entry, Nandi (i.e. bull) shrine, open porch, main hall, and inner sanctum. Variously scaled panels, friezes, and sculpture highlight many surfaces."The late Percy Brown sums up the shrine thus: 'The temple of Kailasa at Ellora is not only the most stupendous single work of art executed in India, but as an example of rock-architecture it is unrivaled....The Kailasa is an illustration of one of those rare occasions when men's minds, hearts, and hands work in unison towards the consummation of a supreme ideal."— from G.E. Kidder Smith " Looking at Architecture".





I love this! OM NAMAH SHIVAYA!

Hagia Sophia

The Church of the Holy Wisdom, known as Hagia Sophia (Άγια Σοφία) in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin, and Ayasofya or Aya Sofya in Turkish, is a former Byzantine church and former Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. Now a museum, Hagia Sophia is universally acknowledged as one of the great buildings of the world.

For over 900 years the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople and a principal setting for church councils and imperial ceremonies. 
And ... Hagia Sophia served as the principal mosque of Istanbul for almost 500 years.

Now, after all changes and thunder-storms, this is wonderful combination of beauty and wisdom in architecture.

The Arabic roundels are painted wooden plaques that were added in the 19th century during a restoration of the mosque. The one on the left, which is nearest to the mihrab (niche showing the direction of Mecca), bears the name of Allah. See this photo for a closer view of an Arabic roundel. 
In the upper left of the photo is the apse, where you can just see the bottom of the wings and robe of the Archangel Gabriel.

Raja Ilaiyaraaja

When you think of Bach , you associate a certain style of music with him. So also with Beethoven or Mozart. If you learn its music , you'll be able to say: This is Ilaiyaraaja!

He has composed over 4,000 songs and provided film scores for more than 800 Indian films in various languages in a career spanning more than 30 years. Is Ilaiyaraaja a classical Estern or Western musician? Or is he a folk musician? Is he just a successful film music director? Or is he an experimenter in Carnatic music? Is he a proponent of popular culture against elitist culture? Or is he simply a cult figure? The honest answer to each of the above questions is a simultaneous yes and no. The Maestro defies characterization and refuses to be ghettoized in any single category.

He is a simply genius)

It is possible to speak long, but to hear is better. Generally speaking , a song based on any raga(s) has at least 5 notes . Here we can see a raaga of j u s t  t h r e e  n o t e s - SA RE GA .The master will create it at your presence:

Wah!)

OM GANESHAYA VIGNESHWARAYA

Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh) : is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in Hinduism. He is son of lord Shiva and Parvati.Ganesha is known also as "sidhi data" or bestower of success in work. Ganesha is worshipped as the lord of wisdom and success, beginnings and as the lord of defender and remover of obstacles ,and patron of arts and sciences.It is very popular all over the world and not only among Hindus.

It's a remarkably stylised picture Ganesha Live from the modern artist Jill Barton (http://www.jillbartonart.com/) Jill said: “Painting, for me is the vehicle by which I explore consciousness and creation. It is a way to look for those elusive characters named Beauty & Truth." agree)

Dancing Twelve Arms Ganesha (Tib: Ganapati) : an excellent art work in Newari arts thanka.

OM Sri Ganeshaya Namah