O S Tyagarajan - Radio Concert

Shravanam once again!!

Sri O S Tyagarajan - Radio Concert

Let us enjoy great music!!
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Photographs by Swathy

My daughter is taking to photography in a big way!!
She takes so many snaps whenever she holds the camera!
She makes some good framing and depth decisions.

When I was dabbling in photography, it was an expensive affair!
Still, I spent a lot of money and time on it!
Alas, I lost most of my collection!

Here are some good photos made by Swathy during her camp in Karnataka!

These images make good Desktop Wall Papers!!
Let us enjoy good works of art!!
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S Rajeswara Rao - Stage Show

Here is the recording of an interesting stage show by none other than Sri S Rajeswara Rao garu!
He needs no introduction to Telugu audience!
Saluri Rajeswara Rao is "Rasaluru" Rajeswara Rao!!
It features many of his masterpieces!

Sri S Rajeswara Rao - Stage show

Let us enjoy great light muisc!!
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Robert Kanigel on Ramanujan

This man Robert Kanigel was asked to write about the mathematical genius, Srinivasa Ramanujan.
At the first instance, it appears, he asked, "Ramanujan who?"
At last he accepted to write about him.
And, when he wrote, it became a best seller.
"The man who knew infinity" is a forceful biography of a forceful human being.

I am thrilled at the detail Kanigel wrote about Brahmin practices.
It is simply astounding that a westerner took trouble to undersatnd the intricacies of the subject.
It only shows the diligence people exercise in doing their jobs!
I want my friends to read the exerpts and also the book whenever possible.
You will thank me when you do so!

Go ahead and Read!

 


Let us enjoy great works of words!
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Dhammapadam - Quote

Dhammapadam is the sacred text of Buddhism.
I really do not know what it talks about.
I stumbled on this piece.
I liked it.
So, I am sharing it here!

Oh! Man! struggling in the fire place called

permanent anguish!

Where is happiness?

Where is romance?

Even if you pierce the eyes,

in this darkness unending,

not able to see even an atom,

blind and sad,

still, you don't search for

the other world!

Oh! Man! Oh! Man!

M S Gopalakrishnan - Violin

Shravanam is about listening and listening again!!

Sri M S Gopalakrishnan - Radio Concert

 

Let us enjoy great Music!
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Sumati Padyam - Coward Captain

Here is Sumati padyam after a long time.
As usual, it is simple but interesting!

వరపైన చేను దున్నకు

కరవైనను బంధుజనులకడ కేగకుమీ
పరులకు మర్మము సెప్పకు
పిరికికి దళవాయితనము బెట్టకు సుమతీ

varapaina cEnu dunnaku
karavainanu bandhujanulakaDa kEgakumI
parulaku marmamu seppaku
pirikiki daLvAyitanamu beTTaku sumatI

వరపైన = when there are no rains
చేను = the field
దున్నకు = don’t till
కరవైనను = even in famine
బంధుజనులకడకు = to the relatives
ఏగకుమీ = don’t go
పరులకు = to the others
మర్మము = secret
సెప్పకు = don’t tell
పిరికికి = to a coward
దళవాయితనము = captaincy
పెట్టకు = don’t give
సుమతీ = Oh! The wise one!

An excellent poem with some simple truths!

Don’t till the land when they are no rains! On the face of it this looks so simple. Who would try to till the land when there are no rains? No one with the head on the shoulders! I see something deeper here. Baddena wants tell that one should know the timing for doing anything. For every act there is a right time. Like tilling the land is meaningful only after enough rains! When the land id dry, it is meaningless to try tilling it! Even eating without hunger is equally meaningless!

Even when famished don’t go to the relatives is the meaning of the second line. Yes, it is meaningless again to seek help from the relatives, more so if they are close! It is a friend who may be approached for help but not a brother or sister. In Telugu there is a saying which asks not to go to a sister when in bad situations. Sister may sympathise. But not her family members! You should know to whom to turn to when in need, is the advice here!

Don’t divulge your secrets to the others! Can there be a better advice? Who is this other person? Who are the people in his or her inner circle? If you tell something to me thinking I am reliable, I would tell it to another person whom I consider equally reliable. But, does this third person fall in the same circle as you? Once the cat is out of the bag, you do not have any control over it! It is better to keep a secret as what it is! A secret!!

(There is an interesting story about this coward captain!)

(We shall share it later!)

Don’t give the responsibility of leading the army to a coward! This does not need any expansion at all! A coward can never be a leader and not the least to an army!!

Classic wisdom at its best!!

Shravanm - MLVasantakumari - Old Disc

Shravanam, the listening pleasure!

Smt M L Vasanta Kumari - Old Disc

Let us enjoy Vintage Music!
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Catch a Monkey!

Here is an old story that you might even know!
It is always interesting and useful to ruminate over such matters!

కోతిని పట్టడం ఎట్లా

 

అనగనగా ఒక కోతి.

దానికి పళ్లంటే ఎంతో ఇష్టం.

పండు కనిపించిందని కోతి చెట్టు దిగి వచ్చింది.

అయితే పండు ఒక కుండలో ఉంది.

అటూ యిటూ చూచి కోతి తన చేతిని కుండలో పెట్టింది.

పండును చేత్తో పట్టుకున్నది.

కానీ, పండుతోబాటున్న చెయ్యి కుండలోనుంచి బయటికి రావడం లేదు.

పండు, చెయ్యి కలిస్తే, కుండ మూతికన్నా వెడల్పు ఎక్కువగా ఉన్నాయి.

 

ఇదంతా ఒక పన్నాగం.

కోతులను పట్టే ఒకతను పండునూ, కుండనూ కావాలనే తెచ్చి అక్కడ పెట్టాడు.

కోతి బాధనూ, మూలుగులనూ విని అతను ముందుకు వచ్చాడు.

కోతి పారిపోను ప్రయత్నించింది.

కానీ, చెయ్యి కుండలో ఉండడంతో పరుగు వీలు పడలేదు.

వేగం కుదరలేదు.

 

అయినా ఇంకా కోతి పండును మాత్రం వదలలేదు.

వేటగాడు కోతిని పట్టేశాడు.

తర్వాత కోతి మోచేతి మీద గట్టిగా కొట్టాడు.

పాపం, కోతి బాధతో పండును వదిలేసింది.

చెయ్యి బయటకు వచ్చేసింది.

కానీ, కోతి వేటగానికి బందీగా ఉంది.

వేటగాడు వాడిన పండూ కుండా రెండూ అతని దగ్గరే ఉన్నాయి.

 

(ఈ కథను చెప్పినవారు ఖ్వాజా అలీ రమీ)

 

How to Catch Monkeys

ONCE upon a time there was a monkey who was very fond of

cherries. One day he saw a delicious-looking cherry, and came

down from his tree to get it. But the fruit turned out to be in a clear

glass bottle. After some experimentation, the monkey found that

he could get hold of the cherry by putting his hand into the bottle

by way of the neck. As soon as he had done so, he closed his hand

over the cherry; but then he found that he could not withdraw

his fist holding the cherry, because it was larger than the internal

dimension of the neck.

Now all this was deliberate, because the cherry in the bottle was

a trap laid by a monkey-hunter who knew how monkeys think.

The hunter, hearing the monkey's whimperings, came along

and the monkey tried to run away. But, because his hand was, as

he thought, stuck in the bottle, he could not move fast enough to

escape.

But, as he thought, he still had hold of the cherry. The hunter

picked him up. A moment later he tapped the monkey sharply on

the elbow, making him suddenly relax his hold on the fruit.

The monkey was free, but he was captured. The hunter had used

the cherry and the bottle, but he still had them.

This is one of the many tales of the tradition collectively called

the Book of Amu Daria.

 

This version is told by Khwaja Ali Rami

Are you the monkey in this story?
Was there an occassion when you felt like that?
I think I was!!

Let us enjoy good stories!
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T R Subramanyam - Shanmukhapriya

Shravanam all the way!

Sri T R Subramanyam - Nee Dayagalguno - Shanmukhapriya

Let us enjoy great music!!

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Cartoon - Faith!

How do you like this?
Wish people believe in things at least they experience like the feet of the penguins!
They believe in all sorts of things and never in reality!!

I believe the cartoon is thought provoking and not just funny!
This is not faith!!!!
()()()()()()()()()()

Shravanam - T K Ranagchary - Neelambari

Shravanam as usual!!

Sri T K Rangachary - Amba Neelambari - Neelambari
Listen to TKR talk about singing rare ragas!

Let us enjoy great Music!!
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Chinese Paintings

Here are some excellent paintings from China!
I used to by a Magazine named Chinese Literature during the University days!
I still have a few copies of it with me.
These paintings are from one of the issues!

Harbinger of Spring

Eagle

Bamboos

Art is timeless and knows no boundaries!!

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Why is the sky blue?

Sir C V Raman answered this question, if I am right, for the first time!
Am I right for the first time/
Or C V Raman answered it for the first time?

Whatever it is here is the answer for you.
Click on the picture to see it bigger.
That way you can read it better!

Science is interesting as usual!!
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Aruna Sairam - RTP - Todi

Shravanam for your ears!!

Smt. Aruna Sairam - RTP - Todi

Let us enjoy great music!!
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Rajaneeti Kathalu - 1

 

Use the scroll mode to read the story!

A story worth remembering!!
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Sattur A G Subramanyam - Vocal

Shravanam with great songs!

Sri Sattur A G Subramanyam - Kalyani - Etavunara

Let us enjoy the music of great masters!
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Mahiya in Telugu

Mahiya is a Punjabi folk poetry format!
I came to know of  it beacuse of a friend who gave me a book of Mahiyas in Urdu!
Interestingly, I read and write Urdu!

I wrote some Mahiyas in Telugu long back and they are available on my site.
Some poet freinds like Sri Sudhama liked them.

Recently I wrote few more Mahiyas.
In a Mahiya there are three lines.
The first and last lines rhyme.
They even make a couplet.
The middle line adds punch to the piece.

I cannot think of translating these pieces!
The word play and pun will be lost!!

Here are my Mahiyas!!

కొత్త మాహియాలు

కాకర చేదు ఎంతో ఇష్టం

                సంగతి చెలిసిన వారికి

బతుకు చేదు కూడా ఇష్టం

మాటల పందిరి కింద

                మల్లెలుండవేమో గానీ

అబద్ధాలు దొరుకును వంద

అందానికి ఆంగ్లం బ్యూటీ

                    ఏ భాషయినా ఒకటే

ఆ పేరున జరుగును లూటీ

పక్కింట్లో అమ్మాయుంటే మాట్లాడాలని ఒక సరదా

              అంతటితో సరిపోతుందా

పక్కింట్లో అబ్బాయిలతో పోట్లాడాలని ఒక సరదా

పంచుతుంటె తరుగును కలిమి

                  చిరునవ్వులు చిందిస్తుంటే

చిత్రంగా కలుగును చెలిమి

Tell me frankly what do you feel!
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Shravanam - Chittibabu - Veena

Shravanam for enjoying great music!

Sri C Chitti Babu - RTP - Sindhubhairavi

Let us enjoy great performances!
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On thnking - Again!!

Here is what I wrote sometime back!

If you ask what you are doing, you will get an answer "Nothing!" Nothing here, according to me is physical activity. Even if the body is static, there are this mind and heart that work at the speed of a horse after all! If they are also still, that would be an undefinable status. I think there is a method of removing everything from the mind. When some people are struggling to make the mind vacant without ideas, some others are able to say that they are not doing anything, so easily! Would there not be any ideas in the minds of such people? or they are not aware of those ideas? If the work is to the body, thinking is to the mind isn't it?

Are the thoughts meaningful or not is another question! It would be better if the decision about what to think about happens with our awareness. We don't have control on the dreams that occur during sleep. But you get the feeling that the dream is interesting as it keeps happening. That the thoughts that occur during the wakeful times search the corners of the mind in a fleeting moment, is our experience! What is the role of the chemical reactions that happen in our brains, in this kind of activity? When told that the father of DNA research, Francis Crick turned to this subject for his research, I thought it was not at all strange!

I thought that everyone gets ideas. I also thought that perhaps not! I now think that on teh lines of Chaduvulravu, the cartoon strip character, I should create an Alochanlravu! I cannot help! I keep thinking for nothing!!

I need comments on what I thought!

What do you think of me?

Donation

Here is an idea about giving!

Giving means!

Only if you give

to one who cannot repay

it can be called giving!

If you give alms

thinking that you will get

something in return,

It would be called a loan!

How can it be alms?

Great idea it is indeed!
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