Reflections of Passions

"Eviday Shaanti Theerum" is a poignant music video filmed for BBC World News. It is one of the rare television commercials made by the BBC which did not get a commercial release. The video features the anguish of sailor Biju Jacob's mother who has started praying more often now since Somalian pirates attacked another merchant vessel. The music video drives home the point that most of us ultimately want the world to live in peace. The mother is asking certain questions through the jingle sung by Hamsika Iyer which goes like when will there be peace, when will a choir sing a positive song? Towards the end, the news presenter from BBC declares that many local stories have global connections.  The next time you see this ad, spare a thought for the sailors who might be captured and held hostage by the Somalian pirates. Of course, not every story related to the pirates is picked up the media hence sailor Biju Jacob's mother might still be praying somewhere for the w...

The living room was slightly dark. Things were visible in their outlines but for 56 year old Nancy, it was difficult to see her reflection in the mirror. There was nothing wrong in her eyesight; she just did not wish to recognize her face. With the passage of time, she turned her back on her previous self when she landed up in an old age home. During the last one year, everything had been wiped off almost like the way a line drawn with a white chalk is wiped off a slate. Similarly, Nancy too had scratched her old memories alive and forced upon her an awareness of her old identity.  It was on a Monday afternoon, a year ago, when her son and her daughter-in-law Diana informed her that they would be moving to Canada in search of better employment opportunities. Her son Ryan had smartly calculated his moves and made his mother to sign the legal documents of the house. He asked her to live in an old age home till the time they are settled there. It was due to this assurance that N...

There are very few instances when someone appears who becomes synonymous with her voice and through creative innovations stretches the boundaries and sings in a way beyond imagination. When anyone talks about Carnatic music, one automatically thinks of legendary singer M.S. Subbulakshmi--such is her contribution to Carnatic music. M.S. Subbulakshmi passed away in 2004, eight years ago and time has not been able to wither her popularity as a singer par excellence. The passing away of M.S. Subbulakshmi in 2004 left a huge void in the lives of thousands of aspiring Carnatic music singers as well as devotees of her music and her near divine aura. It never ceased to amaze me that one person could make a difference to the perception of people in terms of relating to music, womanhood, beauty, devotion and so on. In my opinion, she totally disapproved the myth that in a man's world, one has to adopt aggressive means to achieve success. The values she brought to the table were her music,...

February is just one of those months where we see the power of consumerism in full swing. It is a month with a specific date dedicated exclusively to love. But wait! Said who? I leave you to ask these questions to yourself as I go ahead and explain to you the discovery of an awesome Indian character that surprisingly enough has a lot to do with love! There is a character in our mythology who is very similar to Cupid, I would even go and say that he plays a role very similar to Cupid... he is none other than Kamadeva. Have you heard of him? The name Kamadeva can be translated as "God of Love". Kama meaning longing or desire and Deva meaning love. There are several variations regarding the birth of Kamadeva in different Puranas. One such Puranic story narrates his birth as Kamadeva arose from Brahma's heart and is always portrayed to be serving Lord Indra. He is characterized by a greenish or reddish complexion, decked with flowers and ornaments, armed with a bow made of...