After nearly five months of eating masala dosas, bhel puri, and thalis, I am back to eating…dal, rice, and subjis. Hmmm…okay, so not much has changed food wise, but I am back in the US of A.
My time in India was filled with so many wonderful experiences and filled with so many delightful people (India’s best kept secret) that it is hard to find the words to begin. As I begin to type I lose myself out the window…day dreaming…reminiscing of all these newly made memories: uniquely carved temples in Tamil Nadu, the month long Margazhi Music and Dance Festival of Chennai, the street foods of Mumbai, all the sitars, sarods, surbahars, tablas, and musicians of Kolkata, gigs in the Gujarat, and who could ever forget the beaches of Goa.
The reason for going to India is the same reason I go anywhere, Music. On this trip and like many of its kind, it is just simply to continue learning ragas from my Guruji, K. Sridhar. Learning music in India is not too far out of the ordinary from learning music in the US or any other place on the planet. I feel other than changing the back drop and adding some mind blowing adventures, it’s the Same! But since we started out in Mumbai, we’ll have to add a few beep beeps and wonk wonks from the streets.
My Guruji and I always pick up right where we last left off on this never ending musical voyage. However, the focus of my riyaz on this trip began a new raga, Raag Todi. Raga Todi, is a beautiful morning raga with intense yearning and lots of tension yet while being so serene. The shrutis in this raga are strong and potent and nothing that I have experienced before. Imagine trying to grasp something. The closer you get to it the further away it seems. Then when you are sure it is in you hands, you open them only to find nothing…you look up…and there it is…getting away! Now add heart wrenching passion and that is Raga Todi.
It would be impossible to summarize five months of experiences into one blog. So I will leave it here and we can pick up right where we left off 🙂 I do want to thank all that have helped to make my trip possible and to everyone who has hosted me. Without out your love and support, learning and sharing this music would be all the more difficult. Thank you and I am truly grateful!
My schedule is currently riddled with more private gigs then public ones. Keep checking the ‘Performance’ page on my website for new programs. With any luck we may have a morning concert so I can share Todi with you.
Best,
Michael