Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A quick succession of blogs
I think the blogger in me has been denied outlet for too long now, so there is a quick succession of blogs. Blogging is a great way to let out feelings. After all, a blog cannot talk back at you. And it is free ;-)
Half-Bohemian, Half-Bourgeois
Is it possible to be half-artistic and half-materialistic/capitalistic ?
An artistic person has moments of great joy - moments whose joyous intensity
can never be reached by a materialistic person. At the same time, a highly
artistic person can never be assured of the steady and respectable life
of the bourgeois.
Is it ever possible to strike a perfect balance between these two ?
If someone does manage to achieve such balance, his/her life would be
infinitely blessed.
Is it possible for one person to achieve excellence in both the material
and spiritual domains ? I personally know of a few people who have effortlessly
achieved this happy marriage of success in both domains. And I think there is a
really simple way to achieve this.
An artistic person has moments of great joy - moments whose joyous intensity
can never be reached by a materialistic person. At the same time, a highly
artistic person can never be assured of the steady and respectable life
of the bourgeois.
Is it ever possible to strike a perfect balance between these two ?
If someone does manage to achieve such balance, his/her life would be
infinitely blessed.
Is it possible for one person to achieve excellence in both the material
and spiritual domains ? I personally know of a few people who have effortlessly
achieved this happy marriage of success in both domains. And I think there is a
really simple way to achieve this.
Mohanam - the aural delight
One of the more famous carnatic ragas is Mohanam. The grandest of
the Carnatic ragas are the so-called ghana ragas - Kambodhi, Todi,
Kalyani, Bhairavi and Shankarabaranam. These ghana ragas lend themselves
to elaborate alapanas and are vast in terms of the potential for
exploration. On the other extreme are the so-called vakra ragas like
Anandabhairavi, Sahana etc, which are limited in their potential
for elaboration, but are nevertheless quite pleasing to the ear.
Mohanam is somewhere in between on this scale, if I may call it so.
It is a pure carnatic raga, but has a "light-music" flavour to it.
Shankarabaranam and Kambodhi are majestic in a royal sense, Todi and Bhairavi are
soul-stirring, Kalyani is majestic in a sweet way, Sahana is sensuous,
Subapantuvarali is melancholy, Mukhari is plaintive, Bilahari is brisk,
Nilambari is soporific, Kedaram is lively.
As opposed to all these wonderful ragas, Mohanam is joyous. The key word
that comes to mind upon listening to Mohanam is JOY. Pure sowkyam and
santhosham.
the Carnatic ragas are the so-called ghana ragas - Kambodhi, Todi,
Kalyani, Bhairavi and Shankarabaranam. These ghana ragas lend themselves
to elaborate alapanas and are vast in terms of the potential for
exploration. On the other extreme are the so-called vakra ragas like
Anandabhairavi, Sahana etc, which are limited in their potential
for elaboration, but are nevertheless quite pleasing to the ear.
Mohanam is somewhere in between on this scale, if I may call it so.
It is a pure carnatic raga, but has a "light-music" flavour to it.
Shankarabaranam and Kambodhi are majestic in a royal sense, Todi and Bhairavi are
soul-stirring, Kalyani is majestic in a sweet way, Sahana is sensuous,
Subapantuvarali is melancholy, Mukhari is plaintive, Bilahari is brisk,
Nilambari is soporific, Kedaram is lively.
As opposed to all these wonderful ragas, Mohanam is joyous. The key word
that comes to mind upon listening to Mohanam is JOY. Pure sowkyam and
santhosham.
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