Just about a week ago, I returned to Chennai after an incredibly enriching and inspiring trip. I went out to Bhagalpur to be a part of the wonderful @moitrashantanu’s #songsoftheriver project. For me, this project was a leap of faith. Shantanu and I had never worked together before, but a couple months prior we did a zoom call, where he explained to me the essence of his project where he’d cycle from Gomukh (source of the Ganga) to Gangasagar, making music and telling stories along the way. Even through a video call I could feel that his energy was magnetic, brimming with curiosity and love. When we finally met in person, his energy and perspective were even more powerful/inspiring. As we floated on the Ganga, we spoke about life, music, resilience of the human spirit, the universe. He spoke of the importance of meeting people without an agenda, other than being open and taking in new experiences. The beauty of uncovering and telling stories untold. The whole team he had assembled for this project moved as a family unit. everyone operated from a fundamental foundation of love, and they all embraced my dad and I with pure warmth. The four days I spent with these folks will forever be etched in my heart. The song that was created over the course of these days is a product of this unfettered energy. On our final evening together Shantanu left me with words that have been playing in my head since, “numbers don’t have faces” he said as we watched the sunset, sitting on a small boat swaying on the Ganga.
All love to @moitrashantanu, @moitrasarada, @seen_by_p, @shripad_mudhalwadkar, @windowseattraveller, @ritiksingh99, @suchisuvro, @yogidholakia, @abhrabhattacharya, @debjani441
Images captured by @seen_by_p
Concert for Parthasarathy Swami Sabha this evening at 6:30pm, venue is Vidya Bharathi Kalyana Mandapam in Mylapore (Tickets at venue)
1. Clip of Ullathil Nalla Ullam from last night w/ Vidwans HN Bhaskar, J Vaidhyanathan and Dr. S Karthick
2. Some very kind words from the Mridangam legend Padma Vibhushan Umayalpuram Dr. K Sivaraman from a concert for Partha Sabha back in 2019. Humbled, blessed and excited to be performing with him again at the same Sabha tonight
All love, no hate
Clip 1 captured by Shreyas Shankar
🌊
devotion. Devoted to…what?
The question of why do I do what I do tends to jump into my head from time to time. When I’m busy, it naturally happens less. And when I’m less busy, more. Idle time sometimes leads to destructive thought. But pathways born out of silence sometimes lead to valuable seeds.
Clouds pulling away from each other visually look like a magnified version of mitochondria breaking apart.
I deal in sound. Expression through the medium of sound. Finding sonic resonance points, exploring and dancing around them, arriving at them, moving in sync with resonance points in such a way that they intensify. This is my vision for what I wish to achieve. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. When it happens, there is no other high that can come close. It is primal in nature. Creating sound that shakes things at a molecular level. A process as elemental as any. The ego looks to take thunder and control it, to build a trajectory using it, blazing a path to personal glory.
But one cannot take responsibility for the glory that comes from sound. No one can. This glory can only go to God. the path is spiritual.
As I’m sure is true with most human beings, there’s a constant internal dialog within. Sometimes it’s a fight, other times it’s peaceful, but the dialog never ceases. Are my pursuits selfish in nature or are they indeed in service of existence. God, the infinite, Almighty, everything.
I have instances, when I’m fully wrapt in a musical experience, that confirm to me with no shred of doubt that God’s Grace flows through our universe in abundance. Most of these instances are momentary, but they are deep. They exist above our construct of time. Beyond the agency of intellect. Deep impressions carved into my subconscious, guides.
I bow to my makers, no one else. In service to all. Visions of infinite, complex vibrations towards light. ௐ
All love
Here’s this Tuesday’s piece. Started this idea a couple months ago, had brother @kebajer add some guitar magic to it around then too. Opened this session back up today and decided to set some lyrics, progress the melody. Here’s a demo of a new song I’m working on. All love, no hate
No microphones, just vibes. The energy at the Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram was unlike anything I’ve experienced. To sing in the temple Sannidhi was truly special. Big, big love to Vidwans Sri S Varadarajan, Sri Neyveli B Venkatesh and Sri N Guruprasad for joining in this experience with me. And big love to Dr.su. Aiyyappaadeekshithar for arranging for this wonderful experience at the temple.
Upcoming Carnatic concerts:
Dec. 25th- Tamil Isai Sangam at Raja Annamalai Manram, 6:30pm (tickets at venue)
Dec. 26th- Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha at Vidya Bharathi, 6:30pm (tickets at venue)
Clips 2,3,4 captured by Shreyas Shankar
All love
Always been in love with Luther’s version of this song.
Improv set at @thesultanroom was freeing.
I was joined by @ajabaum, @velvet_negroni, @jesseandforever, and @gdfx. Captured by @arsononly
Shouts out everyone who played that night
All love, no hate
(One of the first things* on slide 3)
I remember when one of the homies put me on to this Deathcab for Cutie song in like 9th grade. Vibes
All love, no hate
Last night felt quite surreal for many reasons. To see an audience back out in full force set such a magical tone. To perform in this Sabha/venue again after two years, with such incredible musicians felt amazing. UKS sir is a legend of the highest calibre, and the energy/intensity he brings to the stage at the age of 86 is honestly nothing short of magic. He’s played with my favourite legendary Carnatic musicians, and you can hear it all in his playing. Humbled and blessed. Clips from last night
1. A final round of Kalpana Swaram for Sri Satyanarayana (Subha Pantuvaralli)
2. A short excerpt of a truly legendary Thani by UKS mama and @ghatamkarthick anna
3. A few rounds of back and forth Kalpana swaram between myself and Nagai Sriram anna (for Arakimpave in Thodi)
4. Keeping with the second clip of my previous post (words from UKS sir in 2019), a clip of some very humbling words from him last night
Next concert is on December 30th at Narada Gana Sabha (6:30pm). I’ll be joined by Vidwans Sri Nagai Sriram, Sri Neyveli B Venkatesh and Sri Dr. S Karthick
All love, no hate
Life is funny. I believe that the source, like the universal source, is pure. And I believe we are all born out of the universal source; we come from purity. Purity not in this straight jacketed, prudish sense of the term. Purity as in being uncluttered by the need for validation, untouched by the impact of the deeply rooted insecurities of the world around us. Pain is inevitable, you’re bound to stub your toe at some points in time. But the reaction to it is so damn telling. Who do you curse when the pain shoots up from your foot and hits the brain? Love, when talked about in the abstract is pure. When experienced, it is filtered through every little, nuanced experience we’ve ever had, and it is expressed through this deeply idiosyncratic filter. It is brilliant just as a vibrant pink sunset is brilliant. Pink sunsets are a product of pollution.
I think love, expressed and experienced the way we do, allows for fleeting moments of witnessing the source.
I don’t think surrender to the Almighty is always quiet. I think surrender can be loud, intensely emotional, sometimes even chaotic. Life is funny, anything but perfect, always beautiful
Carnatic Concert at Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram on Dec. 21st at 6pm •
1. Worked on KaNa Vendamo with my mom this evening. A Saturday night well spent
2. Wrote some stuff
3. Free like eternal waves
4. Guru Dutt the gawd, SD Burman the gawd, Mohammed Rafi the gawd
5. Sail and clouds
An excerpt from last night’s Kalyani Alapana (full Alapana is on IG video)
Put it all into the music
All love, no hate
Had a little time this morning, floated with some Desh vibes
All love, no hate
With brother @leon.james
At @offbeat_mv with @aswin_george_john
Captured by @shreyas.shankar
Vocal improv over Jonny Greenwood chop
//
Dec/Jan Carnatic concerts (all Sabha concerts will be ticketed. Ticket info coming closer to the concert)
Dec. 21- Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram // 6:30pm
Dec. 25- Tamizh Isai Sangam, Raja Annamalai Manram (Chennai)// 6pm
Dec. 26- Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha (Chennai)// 6pm
Dec. 30- Narada Gana Sabha (Chennai)// 6:30pm
Jan. 2- Brahma Gana Sabha (Chennai)// 6:30pm
Jan. 9- Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal (Chennai)// 6pm
Jan. 13- Abbas Kalai Vizha (Chennai)// 6pm
Jan. 30- Purandara Dasa Jayanthi (Mangalore)// 6pm
More details and concert dates/cities coming soon. Can’t wait to see you all!
All love, no hate
Dec/Jan Carnatic concerts (all Sabha concerts will be ticketed, ticket info will be posted closer to concerts)
Dec. 21- Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram // 6:30pm
Dec. 25- Tamizh Isai Sangam, Raja Annamalai Manram (Chennai)// 6pm
Dec. 26- Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha (Chennai)// 6pm
Dec. 30- Narada Gana Sabha (Chennai)// 6:30pm
Jan. 2- Brahma Gana Sabha (Chennai)// 6:30pm
Jan. 9- Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal (Chennai)// 6pm
Jan. 13- Abbas Kalai Vizha (Chennai)// 6pm
Jan. 30- Purandara Dasa Jayanthi (Mangalore)// 6pm
More details and concert dates/cities coming soon. Can’t wait to see you all!
All love, no hate
Music from the soul resonates in deep spaces. On December 29th, I got to attend one of the evenings of Margazhiyil Makkal Isai. As I walked in @nochippatti_thirumoorthi was singing beautifully. I love his tone and the honesty in his voice (he’s in slide 5 doing the amazing Parai). Throughout the night, the joy in the room and the power of the music was so palpable, the energy was magnetic. As the evening went on, I got to experience music that really shook my soul. Every artist, singer, every musician was incredible. I think the part of the night that hit me the hardest was when the absolutely amazing Kidakkuzhi MariyamaL (first slide) graced the stage with such effortlessly powerful vocals. From the first note she sang, I was rapt. There’s so much depth and dimension in her voice and it really does capture you completely. Sincere love and thanks to brother @therukural for inviting me, to @ranjithpa sir for this vision and all those involved in bringing the @margazhiyilmakkalisai festival to life, truly special
All love, no hate
Notes as 2021 comes to a close//////
Interesting times, where a more immersive integration of our lives with the internet (or evolutionary manifestations of it) seem more and more certain every day. An invisible behemoth of constant chaos inserted directly into your brains.
We’re in times where a quiet mind is a thing of the past for most. Some were born right into the chaos and know nothing other than information flying around everywhere, in all directions, constantly.
But some of us still remember the mundane, hot summer days where the rest of the world felt eons away. And one’s only mechanism to escape was the imagination, pathways emanating from one’s own soul outward, growing boundlessly.
I believe that the fundamental core of what makes us human has not changed. Love at our best moments, fear and greed at our worst. A multitude of other emotional spectrums ranging through and between these extremes. All of them mixed into one another swimming around our souls, like a moat. But the soul needs no protection. Only when it’s unfettered do we experience the world, truly.
It’s my deep belief that the internet works in a way that puts us in fight or flight mode so frequently that it’s dulled our ability to be sentient. Like a neon light turned on at full voltage, constantly screaming in the brain.
(Continued in comments section)
I listened to so much of AR Sir’s music today. Started with Kadhal Rojave, then listened to the whole Vande Mataram album, then Enna Solla Pogirai, Yenga Pona Raasa, Phir Se Ud Chala, and then about an hour ago when I got back home, I listened to Naan Yaen Piranthaen. That song specifically has been a true life saver on many occasions. The lyrics, melody and how AR Sir’s voice powerfully digs into the soul and grabs you, man it’s a spiritual experience. Even before I ever worked with AR Sir, his music felt so intimately tied to my life. It exposed me to emotional spectrums I’d never felt before. Growing up, aspiring to be a musician, his music through the years always showed a way towards the future. Within all of his work was a spark that instilled, and continues to instil in me the belief that sound, music have the potential to carry something deeply sacred. To be able to work with a hero, and for that person to become a mentor is nothing short of a miracle to me. Happy birthday and deep love/dedication to the trailblazer of modern music, to an infinitely inspiring artist, thinker, Guru and human being, the greatest @arrahman Sir. And to my brother @arrameen, love you my brother! Constantly proud of you and can’t wait to see you scale heights, you are one of the most genuine hearts I’ve come across. Truly. Happy happy birthday to you!
Vani Mahal concert is now moved to Saturday, Jan 8th morning at 10am (concert is no longer on Jan 9th)
I’ll be joined by Vidwans Sri Trivandrum Sampath on violin, Sri Neyveli Narayanan on mridangam and Sri Giridhar Uduppa on ghatam.
All covid protocols will be followed. Tickets at venue.
Mask up and see y’all soon
All love, no hate
