Thanks to the excessive joblessness in my life these days and multi-touch technology, I am attempting to resurrect a dormant talent in me which was long back lost to Mahabharat episodes (aired on doordarshan) and to the speed of tram.
As a nine year old (I think), I was sent off for singing and harmonium lessons along with my sister and cousin every Sunday morning. The tutorial centre was three tram stops away from my home and I faintly remember my anxiety every time the three of us would board the tram that some evil stranger might kidnap one of us. :) Fortunately for us, Calcutta is not such a happening place, and trams in Calcutta (which now i can easily overtake if i walk briskly) even less so.
In any case, the three of us had just spent a few months doing our music lessons during which my singing teacher had given up on my sister and cousin. But I remember (and I am not making this up) that she was hopeful about me. Said my voice was fine but I needed to practice playing the Harmonium more diligently. The class would get over around 9.30 or so and B.R. Chopra for some reason thought that this time is when the people of India are at their spiritual best. Mahabharat was being aired on Doordarshan. And every sunday morning the three of us would race back to the tram stop, board one, wait restlessly till the tram would cross exactly three stops in about 20 minutes, dash up the stairs and finally settle down panting in front of the tv to see what remained of the episode. One fine day we decide we had missed enough episodes this way and urged our grandmother to cancel our music lessons. I think she must have made a quick calculation and decided that acquiring the knowledge of the greatest Indian epic was far more precious than learning how to sing and play Harmonium. And thus, the doors were closed on a prospective career path for me :-p
Now, not unlike the phoenix, my dormant talent is rising up from the ashes and I have decided to pursue learning music as long as this joblessness lasts :)
Here is an example (note that one hand is occupied holding the camera so it is a bit clumsy) :-p
In any case, the three of us had just spent a few months doing our music lessons during which my singing teacher had given up on my sister and cousin. But I remember (and I am not making this up) that she was hopeful about me. Said my voice was fine but I needed to practice playing the Harmonium more diligently. The class would get over around 9.30 or so and B.R. Chopra for some reason thought that this time is when the people of India are at their spiritual best. Mahabharat was being aired on Doordarshan. And every sunday morning the three of us would race back to the tram stop, board one, wait restlessly till the tram would cross exactly three stops in about 20 minutes, dash up the stairs and finally settle down panting in front of the tv to see what remained of the episode. One fine day we decide we had missed enough episodes this way and urged our grandmother to cancel our music lessons. I think she must have made a quick calculation and decided that acquiring the knowledge of the greatest Indian epic was far more precious than learning how to sing and play Harmonium. And thus, the doors were closed on a prospective career path for me :-p
Now, not unlike the phoenix, my dormant talent is rising up from the ashes and I have decided to pursue learning music as long as this joblessness lasts :)
Here is an example (note that one hand is occupied holding the camera so it is a bit clumsy) :-p
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