A trip to the Dacha - I

Since we work so hard on our yard over most weekends and the elements have been blessing us mercilessly, sapping every bit of moisture from the dirt that we are made of, we decided to take a break. So we left our unfinished projects and made for the water. We had been invited to go to a friend’s vacation house.

Our friends wanted to pamper us Russian style (somewhat similar to desi style) and even insisted on driving us there themselves. That seemed perfect to us, except we could not leave as planned at 2.00 pm on Friday. After re-arranging the delicate schedules of the various worker bees involved, I, the queen bee was left to water the lawn before we left. The friendly neighbourhood weatherman did say we were going to get some sprinkles, but I was not going to rely on his word. See, for the time being, our baby grass is our baby!!

Now you may be accustomed to seeing men waiting endlessly for the women to get ready and leave. But, most times in our case, I am the one that’s ready and tapping my feet impatiently while the hunk at home takes all the time he needs. And this just happened to be one such time!! In the time it took for my darling to shave, shower and put on some clean clothes, I finished reading a chapter in my book, watered a few houseplants, watched Gilmore Girls, paced the living room wondering what to do, made a couple of phone calls, paced the kitchen wondering how long he would take and almost fell asleep out of boredom. Then I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to paint my toenails. So I leisurely selected the colour of the week and spent the next 10 minutes taking off a certain colour only to paint it a similar shade again. Aaaah vanity!! FYI, I am not vain…I was talking about the Mister!! Bah!!

So then, we eventually found ourselves at our friend’s place, spent another 20 minutes reloading their car with our stuff, said goodbyes to some of their family that was staying back and hit the road!! Off we went with our friends Y & I and their 10 year old daughter Alisa. Thanks to the weekend traffic it only took us double the usual time to reach downtown Seattle. And then we spent the next hour and a half inching slowly towards the ferry…we traveled about half a mile in those 90 minutes. Another 20 minute wait once we got to the dock and finally the ferry tooted to announce it was headed towards Bainbridge Island. Incidentally, Bainbridge has been voted as the 2nd best place to live in the country. It’s a quaint little island offering a quiet life with cute art shops and galleries and wonderful views all around the island.

It was an annoying irony that it took us over 2 and half hours to reach the ferry and the ferry ride was only half an hour. It was over and done with, a bit too quickly for my liking…I love ferries. I have been on a few boats, but the ferry to Bainbridge is something else altogether.

The wind was murderous outside. Our coffees were sloshing about in their cups like the ocean around us was being sloshed about by the ferry’s steady advance. It gave a whole new meaning to ‘a storm in a tea cup’ or a coffee cup in this case. I absolutely love standing in the front watching the wake, bent over the railing, while shivering in the frightful cold with my hands about my body, smelling the salt and sea, breathing the icy air that chills my insides, with the wind howling about me freezing my ears and the sharp sun thawing and burning the frozen ears and making me squint and grin, all of it creating the paradox that makes Seattle what it is.

But the best part is when I lift my eyes and turn around and see the seagulls all around the boat. That is a sight one does not get to see unless on a ferry or a similar large vessel. They are like outriders, gliding alongside the boat without flapping their wings. Ensuring we are safe, announcing our arrival, adding a regal touch to something ordinary. Sometimes, it makes me feel like the boat is held together by strings which the seagulls have in their beaks and they are all carrying us through the skies to some new destination… It reminds me of a psalm, “For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways, in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the stone….” I wonder if angels carry us like those seagulls carry the ferry….oh well!! You know me and my imaginations…but it is a very nice feeling I get, a feeling of absolute peace and a desire to be wrapped in a warm blanket!!

We had to drive through Bainbridge Island and into the Olympic National Forest to reach our destination. After about 2 hours we reached ‘Artek’ the dacha, named after Artek - the famous Soviet Camp. A dacha is a Russian vacation cottage... Here's the wiki version.

After saying hello to the other families that were there (3 families from Moldovia and 1 family from Uzbekistan, all of them Russian speaking) we found our room, settled in, ate dinner and saw the most wonderful moonscape from the newly built deck outside. My attempts to take moon pictures failed yet again and after a while I gave up and enjoyed my tea instead. The moon was full, looked like a blob of fresh butter, that same slight cream colour and she was making a bold statement that night. The reflection on the water was breathtaking!! I knew this was going to be a wonderful weekend and I could barely wait for morning.

Concert in the Park

What can be better than a music concert in a lovely park on a warm summer midweek evening? Every week this couple of months, there will be a concert at a park in my hood. And we decided we’d go at the last minute. After hunting around for almost 15 mins for a parking spot, and thinking aloud about having just walked to the park instead of driving, for the 20th odd time, we managed to find a place.

The park seemed pretty crowded and there were so many children! After finding ourselves a nice spot behind a pretty girl with her dog, I left hubbs to enjoy the view and went off with my camera to another corner. The music was unimpressive. There is no other way to describe it…it was African Rhythms and it was no different from any other African music I have heard. But the crowd went along and danced a bit and showed appreciation for the artists.

It was fun though to watch the kids and adults play and dance. The dogs were all happily wagging tails and begging to be let loose to play with the other dogs. There were a couple of tents under which hotdogs and cheesy unappetizing Papa John’s Pizza were being grilled. Papa’s and Mama’s chased little ‘uns and tossed them up in the air, tickled them silly and threw Frisbees and balls. There were many people sprawled on the grass and some people sitting in camping chairs. I never understood why people don’t sit on the grass…its so much more fun than sitting in a camping chair!!

And somewhere along the edge, Void hung out with his little nephew, watching me and hubbs from afar. After much deliberation and a careful assessment of Hubb’s arms, he decided to ‘A’void us and just spy on us instead. After I was done taking pictures, we got bored and walked back to the parking lot talking animatedly about some thing. We passed a couple of desi guys with orange shirts, wonder if void was one of them…

Of course, all this happened last week and Void is absconding since the confrontation and the gentle suggestion of a friendly nudge by way of using my foot against his backside…or an elbow in the ribs perhaps!!

Oh well, Void or ‘A’void…he is The Void!! Welcome to Seattle Buddy!! [Sadly taking down banners and decorations from the party hall]

The pictures are here...enjoy!!!

Same Difference??

Immie’s blog got me thinking!! I myself have always stood out like a sore thumb. I never wanted to belong or conform to anything, ever. Perhaps my rebelliousness was fuelled by the unconventional parenting I had. Perhaps it was the exposure I was given so early in life. Whatever the impetus was, I became increasingly difficult for the uncles and aunties and cousins and peers around me. After a while I realized that I was actually high on their shock & indignation!! I was not being different to get attention; mercifully I never needed that sort of validation. But I did enjoy dominating their thoughts with my eccentric, ambitious and often unacceptable behaviour!! I could not understand the need for conformity and my school & college teachers will stand witness to that. I was a wild child and proud of it too!! I recollect my grandfather often remark, ‘how are we going to tame this one!!’

And then I got married. Even my marriage and the circumstances I got married in were different. The man I married was another non-conformist. It was almost like I drove the last nail in the coffin as far as my extended family was concerned, except things started changing. The first 2 years of my marriage were extremely hard ones…and to cope with the struggles, for the first time in my life I started conforming….to tradition, custom, mannerisms, behaviour…It was so subtle and I never realized what was happening.
Until one day a cousin said that marriage had changed me for the better. Of course it was true and I was glad for it. But as I watched him repeat those words a second time, it hit me with painful force!! I was now tame!!

A great deal of introspection and tough questioning brought me to an understanding that as happy and content I seemed to be, I was hurting and restless within. I was so lost and devastated!! See, what I did not understand then, was that it was my innate differentness that made me who I am – complete with strength, ability and all other skills needed for my life. To get rid of that would be like locking me up in a prison of dull convention to die a slow, meaningless even boring death! If I removed the differentness, I would loose all the skills I needed to live life.

I am thankful that I noticed my straying on to the beaten path before I encountered some serious damage!! Now I can consciously steer myself to the wild unused path and celebrate me…regardless of whether I have company or not!

When I see people who live life in set patterns I am in awe of them. I have tremendous respect for those cousins & friends who are wives, mothers and want no more of life. From my perspective, it takes tremendous discipline and contentedness to be ‘normal’. Of course, from their perspective, I might seem like the adventurous, sometimes enviable one. Neither way of life is easy.

Everyone fears that which is different. In that sense, every body is similar. While fear (of the unconventional or the conventional, depending on which side of the fence u are on) drives a person to stay away from those that are different, it is maturity and wisdom that induces a certain balance in our thinking. It makes everyone more accepting and open minded. It’s a lot easier to give in to the vagaries of bitterness and cynicism. And it takes twice as much courage, not to…

But all said and done, each person likes to think they are different in some way; everyone wants to be special or unique in some way. To me, that is the same difference!!

Kya Hain Yahaan?

This year by far has been the most rewarding of all for the Indian movie-music lover in me. Just halfway thru the year and we have yet another melody packed movie – Yahaan - all set to release on the 22nd of July. What’s impressive is that Yahaan has already been chosen to be part of a selection of Indian films being shown at the Osian - Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema.

The main plot of the movie itself does not have me terribly interested. From the few reviews that I have read so far, it seems like a regular old love story set in war torn Kashmir. The central theme seems to be about a local pahaadi girl (albeit in this movie the pahaadi is modern) falling in love with a visitor/tourist and in this case an army officer. I can trace this plot all the way back to Madhumita and a whole bunch of similar stories! The cast includes Jimmy Shergil the cutie and a Delhi debutante – Minissha Lamba. Minissha used to live in Kashmir when younger and hence is believed to have added more value to her character. We shall see about that soon!!

There are some things that have captured my attention though. The production house is Red Ice Films, a very prominent Ad agency founded by Sujit Sircar who is also the debutant director for the movie. Then there is the young Swedish cinematographer – Jakob Ihre, whose work has already been noticed in a few festivals – the Berlin Film Festival being one of them. Sujit and Ihre have already worked together in a few ads – remember the Cadbury’s cricket ad - the one with the cute girl dancing on the field in pure ecstasy – that was them.

But here’s where it gets really interesting. Breakthrough, a human rights organization that focuses primarily on women’s issues in India hired Red Ice Films in 2000, to make a music video based on the real life story of a Muslim woman named Shameem Pathan. This was Sujit’s and his Red Ice partner Gary’s very first music video. The music video was Man Ke Manjeere. The strong portrayal of Shameem’s character was done by a strong actress – Mita Vashisht, it was shot in Pushkar and the video became a major hit!!

But the other part that made this video a huge success world over was the music - Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics, Shubha Mudgal’s rendering and Shantanu Moitra’s music.

Is it any surprise then that Sujit would choose Shantanu Moitra for his very first feature film??

Shantanu Moitra has stepped into the limelight of mainstream Bollywood music with the still new Parineeta. And now he is all set to show his versatility and musical genius with Yahaan. Gulzar’s poetry and Moitra’s music complement each other perfectly to create another album that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Naam Adaa Likhna – I am tempted to call this song an AR Rahman in style and execution. It is very similar to Rahman in buildup, it starts with Shaan laying the foundation & mood, minimalistic ‘sounding’ synthesizer work that is actually well detailed, a lone chord creating a tempo, chirping birds, a gentle gush of cymbals, a steady beat that picks up and lifts the song till it soars in your senses and you start snapping your fingers and nodding your head. The smooth Sax is very cleverly tucked into the background. What I love about such songs is that the base rhythm and structure that the entire song carries within is laid bare for a wistful ending. That’s what leaves one humming the tune in his/her head while feeling feathery light and wistful. Shreya Ghoshal is easily one of the sweetest sounding singers and she has done a good job of adding romance and innocence to the song.

Aaoon to subahah jaaoon to mera naam sabah likhna
Barf pade to barf pe mera naam dua likhna

Gulzar uses words beautifully romanticizing mornings and evenings, sunrises and sunsets

Urzu Urzu Durkut – The strings that open the song are of a mandolin and they seem to open the door to a paradise with bubbling brooks and huddled sheep under tall chinar trees.
The guitar work that blends in with the children in chorus creates a carefree mood and that is what this song is about.

Chhann se bole chamak ke jab Chinaar bole
Khwaab dekha hai aankh ka khumaar bole
Khwaab chhalke to aankh se tapak ke bole
Jharna chhalke to pura aabshaar bole

I am unable to say what is more stunning – Gulzar’s lyrics, the music or Shreya’s singing. It is one of the best songs I have heard this year – excellent composition, dramatic & fluid in structure and flute work that adds to the playfulness. It’s almost like watching a river flow through ravines and bouncing off rocks, creating roaring white waterfalls yet forming calm pools in places.

Mere Chaliyan – a solo by Shreya, this is a Punjabi song, through and through. Each song in this album has one instrument featured strongly and this one has the harmonium. Although I am not a great fan of bhangra kind of music, this one is a song I’ll definitely dance to. Perhaps it’s the tiniest bit of sweet pain in the otherwise cheerful tune that makes it so soulful. The little bit of classical swaras/notes that are sung in between are completely out of place in this song.
Some foot tapping Dhol work finished the song with gusto and surprisingly I felt like I wanted more!!

The same song has been cast into the remix mould by Sameeruddin and Abhishek Arora. Even though it is not a run of the mill Bhangra remix it failed to impress me. The funkiness overpowered the romantic sweetness of the song.

Ajmer Wale Khwaja – Nizami Bandhu, the famous Qawwals have composed and rendered this song. It is slightly modernized and can be categorized as fusion. But the integrity of the Sufi style in the song has not been tampered with. The background music generates a certain tension, and the intricate classical high pitched aalaap intensifies the moment. I am certain that if this song is picturized as well as it is rendered, I will have double the goose bumps to deal with.
Kahoon Kaise Sakhi – Also by the Nizami Brothers, this is a love song. There is some splendid guitar, drums that makes this emotion filled song intensely passionate at times. It is a brilliant piece of fusion. This is a perfect example where a classical piece is enhanced by blending it with another style of music. While it might seem easy to do, it is easier to mess it up. It takes a great deal of respect and understanding on part of the musicians and composers towards one another and their respective styles of music, to create a synchronized and tasteful blend - a Jugal-Bandi of sorts. I am in complete awe of this new genre of fusion of classical and contemporary Indian music.

The music for both the qawaali numbers are by Sameeruddin and Abhishek Arora. The background score for the movie is also done by them.

The other remix this duo has made is for the first song Naam Adaa Likhna. This is an unbelievably smart treatment that brings an entirely different perspective to the same sweet song. The original lyrics are interspersed with English lyrics and that liberates the song almost like it just received a gallon of Gatorade. For a disco deewaani like me, the delicate touch of retro music indicates that disco is back!! I must agree with the other critics this is a superb remix!

The album is finished with the Yahaan Theme. The Santoor, Mandolin, Flute, Dhafli like percussion and a soulful Tara create a rather short fusion masterpiece of a background theme for this soundtrack.

All in all a very impressive album and exciting as well!! It is a real treat to hear good, original and innovative music in popular Bollywood cinema. This kind of newness is one I have longed for, for a long time!! And it’s only just begun......