the bansuri - indian flute

I am in awe of the bansuri. It's just a piece of bamboo with holes burned into it, how someone can come up with such soul stirring music from such a modest musical instrument is beyond me. I have been listening to these fusion pieces here. I am usually wary when I see 'new age', 'fusion' and 'upcoming artist' in the same sentence. But these are really great. Heck, I actually want to go ahead and learn how to play it. But then again, I have seen how these impulsive urges go, besides I don't have any inkling of hindustani music and I don't think we have any gurus here in midwesternia.

desi women and cell phones

You'd think they were born with that device attached to their ear. Now that we are gracing the local metro bus with our august presence. Case in point:
1. Lady in the first seat shouting in desi language at the hapless cell phone, all the way from the start to the end of the 45 minute bus ride. Actually she was considerate enough, she'd ended the call 5 minutes before the stop. Also she had this really loud frustrated tone, I did understand the language incidentally, which was why I realized it was casual talk. I mean any louder and she probably could have done without the cell phone.
2. Desi lady trying to balance a cell phone with her neck and shoulder, pulling a pullman with one hand, a lap top bag slung over the other shoulder and trying to get the pre-paid ticket to scan with the other hand. WTF. Can't you ask your friend/fiance/husband to hold on for a bit. I mean come on you are not only killing yourself out there but also holding up the line with your gymnastics.
3. The other two desi dames playing you hang up with their boyfriend/fiance/new husband whatever.
4. Then there are these other desi women who are constantly updating their husbands with geopositional information. I mean why don't you just stick a RFID in the wife dude.
It might sound like I am exaggerating, but really I am just seeing a cross section of the desi women in this city and almost all of them always seem to be stuck to their cell phones on the bus. I know it is a 45 minute bus ride, but, whatever happened to old fashioned book reading or catching up on sleep or even bobbing your head to your favorite tune on your ipod.

Maine tumse kuch nahin maanga

I have been listening to this song from 'Katha' (1982) - an off beat movie by Sai Paranjpe (Naseeruddin shah, Deepti Naval, Farooq Shaikh, Malika Sarabhai and a host of Marathi stage actors - regulars in Sai Paranjpe movies). Kishore Kumar's lilting voice is great as usual. Current mood not withstanding, it is in repeat mode. Especially the last stanza: 'kab talak dor kheenchigi mujhko, chod do, mera abhimaan dedo'. Here are the lyrics and a somewhat rough tranlation by yours truly.

Maine tumse kuch nahin maanga
Maine tumse kuch nahin maanga

Aaj dedo, Aaj dedo...
Sau baras se jage in nainon ko
Neend ka.. vardaan dedo, dedo

Maine tumse kuch nahin maanga

Gherti khushbuyen, Phir wohi aahate
Barhan chaunkna, Phir wahi karvate
Wohi baahon ke gheron me bandhna
Wohi nazron ke saaye me tapna

Kab talak dor.. kheenchigi mujh ko
Kab talak dor.. kheenchigi mujh ko
Chod do mera abhimaan dedo, deo

Maine tumse kuch nahin maanga

I have never asked you for anything
But today, give
These eyes that have been awake for a hundred years
The boon of sleep

The fragrances surrounding me, the familiar sound of your footsteps
Getting startled everytime, the same restlessness in the night
The bond of your arms, the burning passion in your gaze

How much more will the bonds of your love pull me?
Leave me, please give me back my pride.

Vizag beach road 2001

This, so much reminds me of an evening on beach road in Vizag. I think it was the day after the wedding. It's either the pillow or the sheets when I reach out tonight and I am thinking it's a bad substitute.