Music and memories

The problem with having a blog for ages is that you forget whether you've written about something or not. I guess it is similar to old people (and some young people too) repeating stories and anecdotes over and over as if they've never narrated it before.

Well, in blog years (12 I think) my blog is as old as can be, and so my blog is going to take advantage of its extreme age and repeat itself and you youngsters can nod indulgently and forgive it. Ok? Ok.

I am listening to Sonu Nigam's Deewana album (don't ask why) and it immediately took me back 19 or 20 years to college, when we went on a field trip to, among other places, Darjeeling. So our jeep driver Jojo played this on his stereo when ferrying us up and down. I loved those songs and that, combined with the vistas and the hills and the valleys, it created a very pretty picture in my head.

So, whenever I listen to Deewana, I just don't hear the songs. I see hills, and valleys. I feel the emotions (friendship and independence and excitement) and the resultant effect on my mind and body is much greater than for somebody who just listens to the album for just its musical worth.

And what surprises me is that even after 20 years, that feeling hasn't faded.

A related story: After I got back home, I begged my friend (who said she had the Deewana cassette at home) to lend it to me.

She kept forgetting, and I kept asking every day.

Finally, on my birthday, I asked her again. "I really really want to listen to it again. Did you bring it today at least?"

She said, "Sort of."

I said, "What kind of an answer is that?"

She said, "Please wait."

"It's my birthday," I whined.

In a few minutes, my other friends landed up, and all three of them ceremoniously gave me my birthday present. A neatly wrapped Deewana cassette.

I wore out the tape in a decade. Right now, YouTube is doing the honours.

Carmina Burana live

Had a new, very beautiful experience last Friday.

Ever since we arrived here, I've been thinking I should attend a western classical music concert in San Francisco. But honestly I never got around to do anything about it. But when a friend told me that the SF Symphony is performing Carmina Burana, I knew the time had finally come.

My love for Carmina Burana began sometime in my childhood when I knew it as the "Old Spice ad music". I can see some of you nodding - if you need a memory nudge, here it is. That bit is called "O Fortuna." It has been used in many movies too, overused, in fact, as I have heard.

Anyway, I play it often on Youtube, and S and Puttachi also developed a liking for it. I have vaguely wondered how it would be to listen to it live. And now I know, because, this Friday, that is just what we did.

And it was goosebumps-inducing indeed. I'd never been to a concert hall before, and both experiences combined -- it was beautiful. I don't claim to "understand" western classical music though I try. I just enjoy it, though.

Also, since it was a choral event, the 99 singers performed several choral pieces. Varnatt by Stenhammer for instance. Andres Hillsborg's Mouyayoum was weird but fascinating. Puttachi particularly was amazed by it, how they produced all those effects without a single instrument. Puttachi fell asleep mid-way through the one-hour Carmina Burana and later claimed that it was because it was so beautiful that she fell asleep, but yet, I'm glad she got this experience too and appreciated it in her own way.

Day 9 - The day I thought on my feet (Keyboard chronicles continued)

Continued from here.

Back in school, I participated in every competition in school. Be it music, art, writing, debate, sport, I was there, entering my name. The only competition I didn't sign up was classical instrumental music, because I didn't know how to play any instrument.

One day, when I was in the ninth standard, the instrumental music competition was on at school, and we were allowed to go to the auditorium and watch. We sat there watching the eighth standard students play their violins and flutes and veenas. And then, the next participant came on to stage with a keyboard. I froze. Keyboards? Seriously, do keyboards count? I had never thought of it. I could have participated! I was so angry and frustrated that I could scream.

Just then, the boy finished playing and stepped down from the stage. Before I knew what I was doing, I got up and went out, and caught hold of him.

"Hey," I said. "My name is Shruthi. What's yours?"

"D," he said.

"Hey, D, can I borrow your keyboard today for the competition?"

"Sure," said D.

So I took the keyboard from him (it was a mini-keyboard) and went to the teachers and asked them to enter my name (the event for our class was to follow.)

But what would I play? I hadn't ever consciously played any classical composition on the keyboard. Yes, I knew quite a few compositions, having learnt to sing them. Yes, I was familiar with the keys on the keyboard, but I had no practice. What do I do? 

But I think, at the back of my mind, I already knew what I would do, even before I went up to D and asked him for the keyboard. Because I knew a little secret. The black keys on the keyboard constitute the notes of the raaga Mohana (called Bhupali in Hindustani). So if I played a composition in Raaga Mohana, using only the black keys, then there would not be a very great chance of my playing the wrong keys.

I took the keyboard a little away from the auditorium, and at a low volume, tried it out. I played a Mohana Varna. It worked. I made next to no mistakes. I was ready.

When they called my name out, I went on to stage and played. And guess what, I got the second prize.

For someone who is not very street smart, and doesn't think too quickly on her feet, this incident stands out, and I'm ridiculously proud of it.

Day 17 - A course on music theory

I'm up to my neck in work and routine stuff. Sometimes it seems like I cannot manage everything.  There are several things around the house that need my attention.  And there are times when I feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the endless chores that I have to do everyday.

And so - I went and signed up for a course on Fundamentals of Music Theory on Coursera.

Yeah, I know, "mental."

I'm learnt Indian classical music, but for years, I've been wondering about the theory of western classical music.  I've listened to, and enjoyed it, just as music - but it always bothered me that there was something deeper out there that I didn't know.  Something that, I was sure, would help me appreciate the music better.

When my cousin V started learning western violin and saxophone, I tried to read up on the theory and notations, hoping that if I didn't understand anything, my aunt or V would help me.   But like with all my self-studying, this petered out due to lack of discipline.

I came across this course on the day it was supposed to start.  So I had no time to worry about how I have no time, and how I'll squeeze this into my schedule.  There was no time to change my mind.  I signed up, and jumped in.

I've finished the first week of lectures, and realized that it needs more work than I thought.  But it is not as difficult as I expected it to be.  I've already understood the very basics, and that itself makes me happy.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the course (only 5 weeks totally, thank goodness) and I'm hoping that I'll hang on and manage to finish it.

Day 24 - Musical child?

When Puttachi was very young, I tried to find out if she could carry a tune.  It didn't seem like she could, initially, and it didn't even seem like she had a sense of rhythm.  I was prematurely worried.  I come from a family which loves music, and a sense and appreciation of music comes naturally to us.  So I was upset that Puttachi probably didn't have it.

In hindsight, I was probably comparing her to my cousin, the only one I had seen at close quarters at that age, who happens to be exceptionally talented.  Anyway, I expressed my doubts to my mom and she said, "Nonsense, just wait a bit."   She also told me that I probably don't surround Puttachi with enough music, and so perhaps she hasn't quite soaked in it enough.

My mother did have a point.  For a few years after Puttachi was born, I avoided music.  It was perhaps because Puttachi talked so much that we were involved in constant conversations.  As a result, my brain was constantly buzzing.  And so I craved for silence and peace, and the last thing I wanted was music to disturb the silence in my head.   [That stage is  past me, by the way.  I again listen to music while I work.]

So, anyway, I waited. Gradually, I saw that Puttachi could indeed carry a tune, and when I tried making her sing with a tamboori, she sang with the correct shruthi.   That gave me some peace.  Then I worried that she didn't have a sense of rhythm.  But that came too.

And then one day, we went into the badminton court, and switched on the lights.  The lights made that soft electronic hum, and Puttachi listened to it, and with that hum as the shruthi, she sang Sa-re-ga-ma-pa correctly.

I told my mother - "Whether she learns to sing or not, whether she likes to sing or not,  whether she'll sing another note in her life or not, it doesn't matter any more.  Just the fact that she sang the right notes with that random hum in that badminton court - that is enough for me."

I'm sure musically-inclined folks will know what I mean, and how much that means to me!

The UK Files - A concert to remember and a taste to forget

I enjoy Western Classical music - I don't understand the nuances, but I like it anyway. But I'd never been to a live concert. My cousin V takes lessons in both Western Violin and Western Saxophone (not to mention Carnatic Violin) and is good at all of them. He wakes up at 5 30 am to practice music, and when at his house, it was a wonderful daily alarm for me - the strains of an instrument from downstairs. Err.. not that I woke up each time to those sounds - half the time it would play in my dreams :O

Anyway, V was a part of a concert, presented by his school along with a girls' school. It was in a church in the city. My uncle was out of town, and my aunt and I left Puttachi with S who had arrived just that day, and went to the concert.

The church is beautiful, old and big. Listening to classical music on an audio system is nice, but listening to it live, with the great acoustics that the size and structure of the church enabled - this was an experience to be savoured. I loved it. There was a choir, which rings in my mind to this day. And it reminded me of the dozens of choirs I have been a part of. I always enjoyed them - the preparation, the rehearsals, the way, with practice, all the voices slowly come together in harmony, and the final presentation, and everything in between - I was so insanely jealous of that group during the concert! I would so love to take part in any choir/orchestra/group music again!!

During the break, there were refreshments. We had eaten dinner before going, but we were already hungry, and so we accepted some refreshments - some juice/wine and some snacks. I took a plate, filled it with a little chips, and something that looked like Kurkure, and brought it for both my aunt and me to eat. The chips got over in a second while we chatted and ate, but the stick-like savouries remained, until both of us realized that we had unconsciously rejected it - we didn't like it.

After we got home, my aunt asked V - "What on earth WAS it?" He listened to the description and said, "Oh, Marmite." Apparently, people either love it or hate it, and he was in the former camp. "Thank heavens we don't have Marmite in India," I said, only to watch a programme on BBC the VERY next day, about how they were trying to introduce Marmite in India - marketing it as a health-food. They even added it to pulao, and people actually seemed to like it. Shudder. Is it here yet? Any idea, people? If not, remember, you heard about it from me first.

About the concert - it has whetted my appetite, and I would so love to listen to more live Western Classical concerts - like for example, at the, ahem.... Sydney Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall....? :)

English and Kannada Rhymes

Almost two years ago, a friend introduced me to a set of Kannada nursery rhymes from Buzzers. The music was excellent, the songs were mostly sung well and the animation was competent. I bought the other volume, and that didn't disappoint me either. I'd recommend it to everybody. It does have its faults, and some songs are downright unsuitable for young kids, but on the whole, both albums are very enjoyable, and well-made. The music - it's worth saying again - is very good. Puttachi enjoys them, and I can say that these songs have aided in her language development.

So when she grew a little older and started getting familiar with English, I decided to try out the English rhymes album from Buzzers. But what a shock! The animation was stilted and robot-like, the music was flat, and the accents were atrocious.

I was on the lookout for good English nursery rhymes. There were western albums available, but I thought that it would be silly to introduce Puttachi directly to American accents, when she doesn't even know the language yet!

Then unexpectedly, I found just what I was looking for. I was actually looking for the heritage collection of Karadi tales, as I thought it was the right time to introduce Puttachi to it, as she has just started showing an inclination to learn English. I then saw it - Karadi Rhymes, it said, Indian Rhymes for Indian Kids. I saw that they were sung by Usha Uthup, and that was enough for me. It was volume 2, though, and I looked for volume 1 (I am very systematic in such useless matters), but I didn't find it. So I bought Volume 2 - audio CD + 1 book.

Oh it is delightful. Very likeable songs, very Indian in both subject and music. The illustrations are particularly delightful. I don't even have to mention Usha Uthup's glorious, flawless, soaring voice bringing it all to life. I'm not sure who enjoys it more - Puttachi or me, but we have the loveliest times, sitting together with the book while the cd plays.

Of course, I had to go and buy Volume 1 too, after that. That is good too, but I prefer Volume 2. It could be because I discovered that first.

There are animated video CDs available too, of the same songs in Volume 1 and 2. I viewed a few samples on Youtube, and they look quite good, but I think the audio CD + book will be a better choice.

Hope you enjoy them! And please give me some suggestions too!

The end of an era.

Pt. Dinkar Kaikini passed away last week. He was one of the greats of Hindustani Music, and was also the father and Guru of my Guru.

He was elegant and dignified, stoic and assured. He had kind eyes, and a tiny smile was always playing on his lips. I was in awe of him in my younger days, but he always made me comfortable with an affectionate word.

His music - where do I start? Before I was introduced to his music, I had a number of albums by the more popular and well-known musicians. I listened to them with great enjoyment and reverence. But after hearing Pt.Kaikini's music, I started classifying those very albums as, to my horror, lounge music. I couldn't even bear to listen to some of those albums again!

But what is it about his music? It is profound and sincere. And very heavy. It's the real thing. It's magical, the way his voice wraps itself around some notes - guaranteed to move me to tears. Listening to some of his recordings is like meditating.

But that is not all there was to him. He was a composer too. Most of the compositions in Hindustani music are small - four-line compositions that form the base for the development of the Raaga. Unlike Carnatic Music, which is rich and brimming with elaborate compositions, Hindustani music doesn't lay much emphasis on the lyrics. But Pt.Kaikini's compositions are magnificent. Like my grandmother once observed, "I thought Hindustani music compositions are all about separation from the beloved, and the occasional prayer to God, but Pt.Dinkar Kaikini's compositions are something else."

Beautiful lyrics, wonderful meaning - about God, nature and philosophy. And not only that - the words themselves are so beautiful that you want to pop them in your mouth, roll them about with your tongue and savour them, if you know what I mean. He was a genius!

He was a music scholar - with immense knowledge about music. He was also well-known for his lecture-demonstrations.

I understand that his music might not have popular appeal. For that, I am all the more thankful that I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to know his music, to have been given the resources to appreciate it and soak in it.

I've hardly met him ten times (he lived in Bombay), but the loss feels very personal.

Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan Schedule - 2008

Continuing with the tradition, here is this year's schedule of Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan concerts. This time, the schedule was sent to my father, on request, by AIR itself! (They seem to have finally become internet savvy :)

I do not have enough time to format this info - but here is the key:

KM - Karnatic Music
HM - Hindustani Music
The number at the end is the duration in minutes.

Happy listening!

25.10.08 (Sat) 9.30 P.M. KM Nagaswaram Chinnamanur A Vijaykartikeyan 60
25.10.08 (Sat) 10.30 P.M. KM Mridangam Solo V. Kamalakara Rao 30
26.10.08 (Sun) 10.00 A.M. HM Guitar Pt. Anup Das Gupta 60
26.10.08 (Sun) 11.00 A.M. KM Vocal Dwaram V J Lakshmi 60
27.10.08 (Mon) 10.00 P.M. HM Santoor Pt. Ulhas Bapat 60
28.10.08 (Tue) 10.00 P.M. KM Vocal Koviladi R Madhwa Prasad 60
29.10.08 (Wed) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Mashkoor Ali Khan 60
30.10.08 (Thurs) 10.00 P.M. HM Sitar Syed Ahmed Alvi 60
31.10.08 (Fri) 10.00 P.M. KM Flute A Chandan Kumar 60
1.11.08 ( Sat) 9.30 P.M. HM Vocal Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty 90
2.11.08 (Sun) 10.00 A.M. HM Sitar Sahitya Kumar Nahar 60
2.11.08 (Sun) 11.00 A.M. HM Vocal Jayasri Patnekar 60
2.11.08 (Sun) 9.30 P.M. KM Violin Duet R Ganesh & R Kumaresh 90
3.11.08 (Mon) 10.00 P.M. HM Dhrupad Dhamar Brij Bhushan Goswami 60
4.11.08 (Tue) 10.00 P.M. HM Clarionet Gopal Das 60
5.11.08 (Wed) 10.00 P.M. KM Veena R Madhuri Devi 60
6.11.08 (Thurs) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Raka Mukherjee 60
7.11.08 (Fri) 10.00 P.M. HM Sarod Pt. Sunil Mukherjee 60
8.11.08 (Sat) 9.30 P.M. KM Vocal Duet Lalita & Haripriya 90
9.11.08 (Sun) 10.00 A.M. HM Sitar Kushal Das 60
9.11.08 (Sun) 11.00 A.M. HM Vocal Ganapati Bhatt 60
9.11.08 (Sun) 9.30 P.M. HM Thumri/Dadra Vid. Savita Devi 60
9.11.08 (Sun) 10.30 P.M. HM Pakhawaj Solo Prithvi Raj Kumar 30
10.11.08 (Mon) 10.00 P.M. KM Vocal G Baby 60
11.11.08 (Tue) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Ajay Pohankar 60
12.11.08 (Wed) 10.00 P.M. HM Sarangi Liaqat Ali Khan 60
13.11.08 (Thurs) 10.00 P.M. KM Mandolin Suresh Kumar 60
14.11.08 (Fri) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Narayan Bodos 60
15.11.08 (Sat) 9.30 P.M. HM Sitar Purbayan Chattopadhyay 90
16.11.08 (Sun) 10.00 A.M. HM Flute Sunil Kant Gupta 60
16.11.08 (Sun) 11.00 A.M. HM Vocal Vid. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande 60
16.11.08 (Sun) 9.30 P.M. KM Vocal S Sowmya 60
16.11.08 (Sun) 10.30 P.M. KM Tavil Solo Tanjore T R Govindarajan 30
17.11.08 (Mon) 10.00 P.M. HM Violin Asgar Hussain 60
18.11.08 (Tue) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Manjari Alegaonkar 60
19.11.08 (Wed) 10.00 P.M. KM Vichitra Veena Vijay Venkateshwar 60
20.11.08 (Thurs) 10.00 P.M. HM Shehnai Pramod Prabhashankar Gaikwad 60
21.11.08 (Fri) 10.00 P.M. KM Vocal M Raghvendra 60
22.11.08 (Sat) 9.30 P.M. HM Sitar Vidushi Manju Mehta 90
23.11.08 (Sun) 9.30 P.M. HM Vocal Pashupatinath Mishra 60
23.11.08 (Sun) 10.30 P.M. HM Tabla Solo Ustad Zafar Mohd 30
24.11.08 (Mon) 10.00 P.M. KM Vocal Nedumkulam Vasudevan 60
25.11.08 (Tue) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Uma Garg 60
26.11.08 (Wed) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Raja Kale 60
27.11.08 (Thurs) 10.00 P.M. KM Veena M R Shashikanth 60
28.11.08 (Fri) 10.00 P.M HM Vocal Sarathi Chaterjee 60
29.11.08 (Sat) 9.30 P.M. HM Rudra Veena Ustad Asad Ali Khan 90
30.11.08 (Sun) 9.30 P.M. HM Vocal Pt. Kaivalya Kumar Gurav 90
1.12.08 (Mon) 10.00 P.M. KM Violin Duet Lalgudi GJR Krishnan & Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi 60
2.12.08 (Tue) 10.00 P.M. HM Vocal Vid. Sumitra Guha 60
4.12.08 (Thurs) 10.00 P.M. KM Saxophone Kadiri Gopalanath 60
5.12.08 (Fri) 9.30 P.M. HM Vocal Pt. L.K. Pandit 90

Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan 2007

I am overwhelmed by the mails requesting me to put up the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan schedule for this year, like I did last year. I am still looking for it. If I find it, I will put it up here. Please watch this space.

Btw, it started yesterday. Tune in to your local station every weeknight at 10 pm, and at 9 30 pm on weekends.

Enjoy.

Update on 29th Nov 2007 - I got the schedule, and here it is. Thanks to Dr. H.R.Krishnamurthy, (Dy. Director General, Prasar Bharati (South Zone), All India Radio, Bangalore), who promptly sent the schedule to my parents.

Date	Time	Artist	Details
29th Nov 2007	10 pm	Jayaprada Ramamurthy	Flute
30th Nov	10 pm	Prof Ritwik Sanyal	Dhrupad Dhamar
1st Dec – Sat	9 30 pm	Charumati Ramachandran	Vocal
	10 30 pm	Haridwaramangalam A.K.Palanivel	Thavil
2nd Dec – Sun	10 am	Kailash Sharma	Flute
	11 am	Debashish Dey	Vocal
	9 30 pm	Vid Poornima Chaudhuri	Thumri-Dadra
	10 30 pm	Faiyaz Khan	Tabla Solo
4th Dec – Tue	10 pm	Pt. Giriraj	Sitar
5th Dec – Wed	10 pm	Seetakadu T.G.Murugavel	Nagaswaram
6th Dec – Thu	10 pm	Shubha Mudgal	Vocal
7th Dec – Fri	10 pm	A.Ananthapadmanabhan	Veena
8th Dec – Sat	9 30 pm	Pt.Vishwamohan Bhatt	Guitar
9th Dec – Sun	10 am	Pankaj Kumar Banerji	Flute
	11 am	Dr. Kumar Das	Vocal
	9 30 pm	D.Sheshachari and D.Raghavachari (Hyderabad Brothers)	Vocal Duet
10th Dec – Mon	10 pm	Keka Mukherjee	Sitar
11th Dec – Tue	10 pm	Dr. K.Vageesh	Vocal
12th Dec – Wed	10 pm	Santosh Kumar Mishra	Sarangi
13th Dec – Thu	10 pm	Suguna Purushottam	Vocal
14th Dec – Fri	10 pm	S.K.Dasgupta	Sarod
15th Dec – Sat	9 30 pm	Palai C.K.Ramachandran	Vocal
	10 30 pm	Srimushanam V. Rajarao	Mridangam Solo
16th Dec – Sun	10 am	Sriram Umdekar	Sitar
	11 am	Meeta Pandit	Vocal
	9 30 pm	Premkumar Mallik	Dhrupad Dhamar
	10 30 pm	Pt. Madanmohan Upadhyay	Tabla Solo
17th Dec – Mon	10 pm	Dr C.A.Sridhar	Flute
18th Dec – Tue	10 pm	Manojit Mallik	Vocal
19th Dec – Wed	10 pm	Prof R.Vishweshwaran	Veena
20th Dec – Thu	10 pm	Padma Talwalkar	Vocal
21st Dec – Fri	10 pm	Satish Prakash Quamar	Shehnai
22nd Dec – Sat	9 30 pm	Vid. Dr.N.Rajam	Violin
23rd Dec – Sun	9 30 pm	M.S.Sheela	Vocal
24th Dec – Mon	10 pm	Pushparaj Koshti	Sitar
25th Dec – Tue	10 pm	Uma and Geeta	Vocal Duet
26th Dec – Wed	10 pm	Satish Vyas	Santoor
27th Dec – Thu	10 pm	Chengalpattu V.Muthukrishnan	Nagaswaram
28th Dec – Fri	10 pm	P.V. Ramaprasad	Vocal
29th Dec – Sat	9 30 pm	Pt. D.K. Datar	Violin
30th Dec – Sun	9 30 pm	Mohanlal Mishra	Vocal
	10 30 pm	Anil Chowdhury	Pakhawaj Solo
1st Jan 2008 – Tue	10 pm	Naresh Malhotra	Vocal
2nd Jan 2008 – Wed	10 pm	Shyamlal Nath	Sarod

Shri S.K.Dasgupta, Sarod (on 14th Dec) is a close family friend. My father learnt from him (Hawaiian Guitar) many many years ago. They were colleagues and remain good friends to this day.

What do we have here?

A couple of days ago, I was slightly preoccupied while changing the Little One. She became restless, and to distract her, I opened my mouth, and out came the song, "Jhalak Dikhlaja"... yes the very same one by Himesh. I have no idea why I had to sing a song by Himesh, considering how much I like him - perhaps I had heard it somewhere and it was playing in my head - whatever the reason is, the fact remains that I did sing it.

And what did the Little One do? She became super-excited! And she laughed out loud and long. Oh yes. She has been doing the loud laugh for about a week now, but it had been something like "Aha ha". But this one was like "Aha Aha ha haaaaaaa Ahaaaa"!

I froze, nappy in mid-air. My parents who were in the next room, lost no time in running to this room.

Dad: Oho, look what we have here, a Himesh fan! And right after you wrote about her refined tastes!

Me: NOooo... Nooooo!

Mom: Did you hear that? She laughed out loud! LOUD! Shruthi, sing again, sing again!

Me: Nooooo wayyy!!!

Mom: So cute! Sing again, please, please!

Me: Nooooooo....

Mom: Please, come on! Just once!

Me: *reluctantly* Jhalak Dikhlaaajaaaaa..... Jhalak Dikhlaajaaaaa....

Little One: *beats limbs excitedly, eyes very very round and shiny, mouth wide open*

Me: Ek baar Aaja Aaja Aaja Aaja Aaaaaaaaaaja!

Little One: Aha ha ha ha ha Ahaaaaaaaaa haaa haaaa!!

Dad: Ha ha ha!

Mom: How cute! Did you hear that, she laughed out loud!

Me: *sniff* yeah....

Dad: She is a Himesh fan, you should tell your readers that. Maybe its time to try and obtain another autograph?

Me: Oh no, she is no Himesh fan, that was derisive laughter. Yes, that's what it was, derision! My baby still has refined tastes!

Or so I like to think. Himesh? Nooooooonnn! *Splutter.. splutter.. cough*

Musical Baby

[This post has been written more as a personal record than anything else. Feel free to skip it!]

I believe that all babies are born with a fascination for music/tune/rhythm. Some react noticeably, or rather, are probably observed more closely. How the baby turns out as an adult depends on how musically s/he is brought up. Genes obviously play a part, but more important than that is the interest and exposure.

I have already spoken about the Little One's ear for music. Probably her exposure to music even before she was born adds to it, and the fact that we play quite a bit of music to her, and sing to her a lot.

It was such a thrill to see her actually "listening" to music for the first time. She even has a "listening face" - her eyes concentrate on a random spot, she stops moving, she pouts her lips, and she listens.

It is fascinating to observe her reaction to different kinds of music. The earliest observation we made was when mom, a Carnatic vocalist, sang compositons in Raaga Reetigoula, a very soothing raaga, to her as a lullaby. Only for this raaga did she fall asleep. She would immediately yawn, her eyes would close, and she would nod off. Now, she has grown and distractions are aplenty, so she doesn't fall asleep to it that easily. Yet, only when this raaga is sung, she yawns and settles down immediately. When mom sings this to her when she is awake and playful, she shoots mom a dazzling smile, as if to say, Hey, I know this!

When mom sings different Raagas to her when she is awake, we can make out distinct preferences - and that is so amazing. Anandabhairavi makes her turn her head away from mom disinterestedly, she smiles a lot for Abheri, Kalyani makes her eyebrows shoot up ... I can go on.

I sing to her everything from Hindustani music to Carnatic Music to Film songs to Naayi Mari to Old McDonald to Pink Floyd to just plain nonsense rap. She loves it all. She smiles her toothless smile and flails her limbs in response, and talks her nonsense baby-talk.

About a month ago, we noticed another exciting thing. When mom was singing to her, she started making noises, which could have been mistaken for a cry for attention, but, only, it wasn't. The noise goes "Ou-wa", "Ou" as in "Out" and "wa" as in "wag". The "Ou" is low-pitched, the "Wa" is a good number of notes higher, in a falsetto. And this noise she makes with her brows knitted in concentration, her little mouth all wide and crooked, and with tremendous force from her lungs. We wondered what it was, and left it at that - and noticed it again when mom sang to her the next time. Then she did the same thing when I sang to her. Was she under the impression she was singing too? [I have videos of this - if we know each other, I will show them to you when you come home]. We then saw that she did it when we played music to her too! She was actually distinguishing between speech and music, and participating in the music! This reaction is dedicated only to slow music. For fast music, she just smiles and gurgles and beats her arms and legs.

Yesterday, I had left her playing with her toys in her crib and was doing some chores around the room. I noticed that she was doing this Song Routine. Since no one was singing and there was no music playing, I concluded that it was just a cry for attention, and so I went to her and talked to her. She continued the Song Routine with that same concentrated expression. I talked and talked, but didn't get the usual responses. Then suddenly something struck me - I immediately sang something - and the response was her million - watt smile, followed by more excited Song-Routine noises. Was she.... was she... singing on her own? :D

If you have read this far, and are inclined to dismiss this entire post as the product of an indulgent mother's crazed imagination, I understand completely. Sometimes even I wonder if I am imagining it all. But all the conclusions (except the last incident, of course), have been reached not after 2-3 incidences, but at least a dozen of them, observed carefully under various conditions. [Reminds me of Chemistry lab. :O]

Wah Ustad!

Ustad Zakir Hussain teaches Indian Music in Stanford. Last quarter, he had called for teaching assistants. My little sis PeeVee sent across her (music) resume. He liked it, called her for an interview, and selected her and two others as his teaching assistants.

And since we are a music-loving lot, the news of PeeVee being a TA to Zakir Hussain spread far and wide in family and friend circles, and she probably got more congratulatory calls for this than when she got an admission to Stanford!

So for three months, she interacted with the Ustad pretty closely. It is quite obvious to anybody who knows of his existence that his is a very charming personality, and according to P, he is a "genuinely nice person, very down to earth, light-hearted, friendly and affectionate. Goes out of his way to help everybody." Heart-warming!

Anyway, during this quarter, the Little One was born, and when she was about a week or two old, when we played music to her, she would go all silent and listen intently. When that part of the rendering began, in which the Tabla dominated, she used to go all round-eyed and would start beating her limbs non-stop. Well, it happened too many times to be a coincidence, and so we decided that she loved the Tabla. And since most of the music we played for her had Zakir Hussain's tabla, we jokingly concluded that she was a fan of Zakir Hussain's.

Well. On the last day of the music class at Stanford, Zakir Hussain, his wife and daughter took PeeVee and the other TAs out for dinner. PeeVee took a printout of one of the snaps of the Little One I had sent to her, took it to Zakir, and told him that this baby, her niece, was his youngest fan and could he please autograph it.

He was fascinated by the snap. (Says PeeVee). He took it in his hands, and said "Oh, what a beautiful baby... beautiful hands....look at her long fingers...touchwood.. touchwood...". Then he asked PeeVee for the Little One's name, and wrote out a little message on the snap, and autographed it.

PeeVee showed it to us through the webcam, and man, am I thrilled! :)

Why am I posting this almost two months later? Coz I have been waiting and waiting for PeeVee to take a snap of that autographed picture which is a printout of a snap that I sent to her and send it to me (confused you, didn't I?), so that I could put it up along with this post. But she is too lazy busy. So I am going ahead with it.

The Sound of Music

The little one is a darling. So far, she has been very cooperative - crying only when she is hungry, wet, uncomfortable, or when she is too sleepy and can't get herself to calm down enough to go to sleep.

Quietening her down is very simple in the first two cases. The third can be difficult, but once you nail what is bothering her, it is ok. The fourth case can be very tricky. Initially I tried singing lullabies to her. But singing a lullaby at a volume a couple of decibels higher than her crying volume is not very easy. I end up sounding like a hard rock lead singer. And it has no effect on her at all.

Now we have a solution. Discovered accidentally, as such brilliant solutions always are. Whenever she cries, and I ensure that she is not hungry or wet or uncomfortable, all we do is switch on the Electronic Tamboori (Tanpura).

The soothing drone of that blessed machine almost acts like a tranquilizer gun. The little one's cries stop as if a sound system has been abruptly turned off. Her big black eyes open wide and focus on some obscure point in space. Her flailing arms and legs stop in mid air. Slowly, very slowly, her arms and legs come down to ground level. Her tiny fingers unclench slowly, and she intertwines her fingers and places her hands elegantly on her chest. Her nostrils flare ever so slightly. Her eyebrows arch just that little bit. A miniscule frown appears on her forehead. Her mouth forms this cute little "O" and her upper lip juts out. She relaxes completely and just seems to listen indefinitely.

She just stays like that until a valid crying reason comes up, or until she falls asleep.

I just hope this fascination for that sound is not just a passing fad and I fervently hope that this solution does not stop working.

Besides, I like to think that this is an indication that she is a musical baby! Hurrah!

Yes, I know that in no way is an Electronic Tamboori comparable to the sound of a real well-tuned Tamboori. We have not one, but two "real" Tambooris too. But we don't have anybody who will drop everything and sit and play the Tamboori endlessly for the benefit of her little royal highness. So the Electronic Tamboori it is.

Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan - Broadcast Schedule

The Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan is an annual festival of music, conducted by All India Radio. Every year, since 1954, it has been broadcasting concerts of known and upcoming artistes as part of this festival.

This is something I look forward to each year, a veritable feast for the soul. Every night for about a month in December, I go to sleep with the strains of beautiful music in my ears - and what could be more relaxing?

This year, the broadcast starts on December 2nd, 2006.

Everytime I get comfortable in the feeling that the whole world is getting net-savvy, there comes a rude realization that it is not yet so. An example in the present context is that I couldn't find the Broadcast Schedule of the Sangeet Sammelan anywhere on the net.

I finally found a handbook of AIR, which gives the entire schedule, and as my own little contribution to the music lovers of India, I have typed out the entire schedule, along with the dates, time, and categories.

Do tune in, and hope you enjoy it!

AKASHVANI SANGEET SAMMELAN - 2006
BROADCAST SCHEDULE

DATE	DAY	TIME	ARTIST	CATEGORY	K/H
2/12/2006	Saturday	9.30-11 pm	Veena Sahasrabuddhe	Vocal	H
4/12/2006	Monday	10-11 pm	Jayanthi Kumaresh	Veena	K
5/12/2006	Tuesday	10-11 pm	Barun Kumar Pal	Guitar	H
6/12/2006	Wednes- day	10-11 pm	Madhav Gudi	Vocal	H
7/12/2006	Thursday	10-11 pm	Trichur V. Ramachandran	Vocal	K
8/12/2006	Friday	10-11 pm	Arvind Parikh	Sitar	H
9/12/2006	Saturday	9.30-10.30 pm	Afroz Bano	Light Classical Vocal	H
9/12/2006	Saturday	10.30-11 pm	Nissar Hussain Khan	Tabla	H
10/12/2006	Sunday	10-11 am	H.C.Verma	Vocal	H
10/12/2006	Sunday	11-12 noon	Nityanand Haldipur	Flute	H
10/12/2006	Sunday	9 30 –11 pm	Kunnakkudi R.Vaidyanathan	Violin	K
11/12/2006	Monday	10-11 pm	Vijaya Jadhav	Vocal	H
12/12/2006	Tuesday	10-11 pm	Rajendra Prasanna	Flute	H
13/12/2006	Wednes- day	10-11 pm	Vishakha Hari	Vocal	K
14/12/2006	Thursday	10-11 pm	Alka Deo Marulkar	Vocal	H
15/12/2006	Friday	10-11 pm	Amarnath Mishra	Sitar	H
16/12/2006	Saturday	9 30 – 11 pm	N.Ramani	Flute	K
17/12/2006	Sunday	9 30 –11 pm	Ustad Mazhar Ali and Javaad Ali Khan	Vocal Duet	H
18/12/2006	Monday	10-11 pm	Niladri Kumar	Sitar	H
19/12/2006	Tuesday	10-11 pm	Cheppad A.E Vamanan Namboodiri	Vocal	K
20/12/2006	Wednes- day	10-11 pm	Shanti Sharma	Vocal	H
21/12/2006	Thursday	10-11 pm	Basant Kabra	Sarod	H
22/12/2006	Friday	10-11 pm	Chittoor G.Venkateshan	Flute	K
23/12/2006	Saturday	9 30-11 pm	AbhayNarayan Mallick	Dhrupad- Dhamar	H
24/12/2006	Sunday	10-11 am	Bharat Bhushan Goswami	Sarangi	H
24/12/2006	Sunday	11-12 noon	Baldevraj Verma	Vocal	H
24/12/2006	Sunday	9 30-11 pm	N.Ravikiran	Chitraveena	K
25/12/2006	Monday	10-11 pm	Mambalam Sisters	Vocal	K
26/12/2006	Tuesday	10-11 pm	Dinkar Panshikar	Vocal	H
27/12/2006	Wednes- day	10-11 pm	Praveen Shevlikar	Violin	H
28/12/2006	Thursday	10-11 pm	Kalyani Lakshminarayana	Veena	K
29/12/2006	Friday	10-11 pm	Nisha Parasnis	Vocal	H
30/12/2006	Saturday	9 30-11 pm	Buddhadeb Dasgupta	Sarod	H
1/1/2007	Monday	10-11 pm	Desur D.S.D.Selvarathinam	Nagaswaram	K
2/1/2007	Tuesday	10-11 pm	Shubhra Guha	Vocal	H
3/1/2007	Wednes- day	10-11 pm	Bahauddin Dagar	Rudraveena	H
4/1/2007	Thursday	10-11 pm	T.V. Shankaranarayana	Vocal	K
5/1/2007	Friday	10-11 pm	Vishwanath	Vocal	H
6/1/2007	Saturday	9 30 – 10 30 pm	Samaresh Choudhury	Vocal	H
6/1/2007	Saturday	10 30-11 pm	Radheshyam Sharma	Pakhawaj	H
7/1/2007	Sunday	9 30-11 pm	Bombay sisters	Vocal	K
8/1/2007	Monday	10-11 pm	Sandipan Samajpati	Vocal	H
9/1/2007	Tuesday	10-11 pm	Saumitra Lahiri	Sitar	H
10/1/2007	Wednes- day	10-11 pm	M. Chandrashekharan	Violin	K

[K-KARNATIC, H-HINDUSTANI]
[Source: All India Radio Booklet (typed out with some corrections).]

Goodbye and thanks for all the bliss.

In a span of a few days - two giants have passed on. One made glorious music, and the other made fantastic movies.

When I heard about Ustad Bismillah Khan's death, I found a tear in my eye. Music does that to you. It touches your inner being, and naturally the musician who gave you that music becomes close to your heart. He stops being a photo on your CD, and becomes "Bismillah". You know - the old man next door. He was a loveable, toothless old man with the toothy grin (Figure that out!), who fondly lifted a Shehnai in his frail-looking hands, put it to his lips, and proceeded to create magic. With that image in mind, at his death, I found that I was feeling very sad. It was naturally made even worse by the plaintive notes of his Shehnai in the background when they were talking about him on television.

Though I cannot recall a particular Raag or piece of his which is my favourite, I can simply say that I loved his music. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes lively - it was always beautiful. Whether you were listening closely or absent-mindedly, it was anyway pleasing. And to think he said something like "Music is an ocean - I have just touched the surface". Humility, wit, and above all - his utter disregard for religion - it is people like him who have the ability to bring people of all religions together!

As for the fabulous Hrishikesh Mukherjee - if I make a top twenty favourite Hindi movie list, I am sure that 6-7 in that list will be his movies. That easily makes him my favourite film-maker. Even though the director is not really visible when you watch a movie, Hrishikesh Mukherjee was the kind whose touch you could feel in his the movies. You could watch a movie and say - that seems like a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie - and you will be right.

And what movies!! Each one of them is a masterpiece. Anuradha, for example, is a favourite of all the elders in my family, and apparently, a certain member of our family was named after the protagonist in the movie. ;) Then Anupama - with Dharmendra looking drop-dead handsome, and Sharmila Tagore exquisite - the music, the settings - the movie.. wow! Anari was one of the first Raj Kapoor movies I watched - and just loved the simplicity and the sweetness of the story. Then there is Guddi - an extremely lovable movie with the young and innocent, starstruck Jaya Bhaduri - a movie that I can watch any number of times.

And then Bawarchi and Chupke Chupke - laugh riots, both of them. Mili and Khubsurat, which I rank a little lower than his other movies, are excellent nonetheless. As for Abhimaan - with the brooding Amitabh Bachchan jealous of his talented wife - a beautifully made movie. And his last one - Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate - I know that not many people liked it - but I wonder why - I thought it was great - with Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla and Amrish Puri at their funniest!

I keep the best for the last - Anand and Golmaal -- one tragic, the other comic - but both of them are right on top of my all-time favourite list, jostling each other for first place. Both of them are priceless, in their own way. No other movie in Bollywood can even come close to these two.

Since I seem to be at a total loss for words, I will just guide you to an excellent write-up on Hrishikesh Mukherjee's movies.

These two stalwarts have given us hours of happiness - and though they are gone, their work is still here. What else can I say to them? Just "Thank You".

At my wits' end.

Somewhere in the world
There is peace of mind
Somewhere in the world
That's what I must find
Somewhere in the world
Himesh must be unheard of.

[with apologies to Boney M].

Friends, foes, fans(?), and fellow countrymen - I can take it no longer. I am going away in search of that elusive place. I was thinking that the worst was over, but now I hear that Himesh Reshammiya is to lend his voice for the song "Mehbooba Mehbooba" in Ram Gopal Verma's remake of Sholay. Probably because he can howl so well. "Oo-oo-oo". Well. I don't want to be here when that happens.

Before I run away, I will leave you with an idea for foolproof, effective torture. Take your subject, tie him up or strap him down, plug his ears with huge earphones, and play Himeshquito's "Aa Aa Aashiqui main teri, Jaa Jaa Jaayegi Jaan meri" in a loop. Before long, your subject will be a blithering idiot and will do whatever you say.

And no, I am not giving you the link to that song. If you haven't heard it yet, good. We need sane people for the future of the world.

Update: Don't miss the comments on this one!! :)

Music has no religion.

Naushad passed away three days ago. His music was unbelievably beautiful. I will not say more, because there is no use in restating the obvious. Anyway, I was watching the reports on TV with my father, and I saw his body being taken out of his house, and I suddenly realized that the men carrying his body were Muslims. "Oh!" I said, "He is a Muslim. I hadn't realized." My father laughed, and recalled an incident that had occurred many years ago.

Back then, I had just observed that some Hindustani musicians were called Pandit, and some Ustad. I had asked my father why that is so. He had told me, "Simple, Hindu musicians are called "Pandit", and Muslim musicians are called "Ustad". See, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Dinkar Kaikini are all Hindus, and are called 'Pandit', whereas Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan are all called 'Ustad'". "Oh!", I said, "I hadn't realized that they were Muslims."

I was not thick in the head, nor was I a kid. I was old enough to know one religion from the other. Yet, this minor detail had escaped me. Just like I had not realized that Naushad was a Muslim. And why should it have crossed my mind? It is just not relevant. They are all the same to me - great musicians. Nothing else matters.

Even as my father and I recalled this incident, the reports showed a file clipping of Naushad, speaking on stage in an assembly, where, I think, he was being honoured. He was thanking everybody, and saying, "....I am very fortunate that .... Mujhpe Maa Saraswati ka Ashirwad hai.. " [I have the blessings of Goddess Saraswati]. Whaaaat??? Saraswati? Naushad? Muslim???

My father reminded me that this was nothing new - Ustad Allauddin Khan was a staunch devotee of the Sharada temple at Maihar, reportedly going so far as to refuse to move away from Maihar for medical treatment, saying that if he had to die, he would rather die close to Sharada (Another name for Saraswati). Ustad Bismillah Khan is also a devotee of Saraswati. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, among many others, sang beautiful compositions in praise of Hindu Gods. Likewise, There are many Urdu compositions which are religious or spiritual in nature, and are sung by all musicians, religion notwithstanding. And why should it matter? After all, it is just music.

No wonder it is said that Music has no Religion.

[Do check out the comments for some more heart-warming examples!]

Kya Jaadu Dala...

More than twenty years ago, a hassled mother wanted to attend a concert by Smt. Girija Devi. But she had no idea what to do with her restless three-year old brat. She finally hit upon the solution. There was only one way in which her little daughter could be kept engaged. Food. She took a bag of seedless grapes to the concert, and proceeded to feed the kid. But the little one did not like the skin on the grapes. So the mom actually spent three hours, skinning each grape, and shoving the soft sweet pulp of the grape into the kid's waiting mouth. The little girl was totally occupied, and the mom got to listen to three hours of wonderful music.

If you have not already guessed, the harassed lady was my mom and the brat was, well, yours truly.

Actually I am surprised that my mom had to resort to this to keep me silent, because she tells me that I was a great fan of Girija Devi even then. If my mom hummed or sang as she moved about the house, I would order her to stop, and play a tape of Girija Devi instead.

Well, that was a long long time ago. Yesterday, I listened to Girija Devi again. Live. At the Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore. And before you ask, no, this time, I did not need grapes to keep me occupied.

I was a little hesitant at first, to actually go and listen to her sing. I knew that she was far into her seventies. I writhe uncomfortably listening to Lata Mangeshkar, who is around the same age as Girija Devi. Lately, even Asha Bhonsle makes me want to clap my palms on my ears and run for my life. And she is younger. Then how would I be able to sit and listen to this seventy-six year old sing?

[Disclaimer: I am a big fan of both Lata and Asha, and mean no disrespect to them. I have spent many happy hours listening to Lata's unbelievably sweet voice and Asha's tantalizing, versatile music. But they should know when to stop. Or, music directors should stop asking them to sing for them. I have lost count of the number of beautiful songs that would have sounded far better if sung by singers who did not sound like they had marbles stuck in their throats].

Before Girija Devi began, she spoke to the audience in a soft, quavering voice. I was now almost sure that it was going to be an evening of respectful squirming in my seat.

Then she began. The first few notes of the beautiful and plaintive Raag Jog. The hall fell silent. My mouth fell open. Her voice filled the auditorium. Rich. Clear. Vibrant. Resonant. Like the tinkle of a rich brass bell. Effortless. Powerful. She sang like the stage was her domain, and the Raag was her playground. The magic in her voice was undiminished. The lady sitting on the stage was no longer seventy-six years old. The power in her voice belied her age. Her range, her effortless movement from note to note, her absolute ease while singing the high notes, the total command over her voice - it was a captivating performance.

I wished she would never stop. I was hungry and tired and it was very late in the night, but I would have gladly stayed on if she had continued. But everything has to come to an end! At the end, of course, she received a standing ovation, and after the concert, the crowd back-stage was unmanageable. But still, my sister and I pushed through the crowd and paid our respects to her.

One of the pieces she sang was a Thumri, the first line of which goes "Kya Jaadu Dala, Deewana kiye Shyaam" [What magic have you played upon me? You have driven me crazy, O Krishna]. Actually, I could sing that about her. She was the one who wrought magic upon the audience. And how!

May her tribe increase.

Music and Memories

"Nasha yeh pyaar ka nasha hai" (This is the intoxication of love) crooned Udit Narayan. I was lost in ecstasy, immersed in the music. I had actually bought an audio cassette of Mann, just for this song, which is totally unlike me. (I rarely buy new Hindi movie albums. I listen to it, but refrain from buying it). I was trying to get my sister to listen to it and enjoy it. She and I have very similar tastes in almost everything, including music.
But she listened to the song with me, and said, "Yes, it's very good, but nothing to go crazy, raving mad about. Why do you like it so much?"
I was stumped. "But it's such a lovely song! Don't you see it? Come on, listen to it again, it has such an atmosphere!" I said, and tried to stuff the notes into her ear.
"You probably have an association with this song. Where did you hear it first?" she asked.
Ah, I said.

I heard it for the first time when I had just moved out of home into the hostel. A very nice couple, our family friends, lived in the same city. They used to pick me up from my hostel, take me to their home, ply me with goodies, and drop me back to the hostel. They realized that I was lonely and missing home, and did all they could to make me feel comfortable.

I heard the song sitting in their car. Cocooned in the comfort of the A/C car, protected from the burning heat outside. "Nashe mein yaar doob jaao" coaxed Udit Narayan (Drown, my friend, in the intoxication). I did. I did drown in the intoxication of that moment. That moment of peace. That moment of cool comfort. That moment where I felt I was not alone any longer. A small drop of home in an ocean of unfamiliarity.

This feeling of comfort, of assurance, envelops me whenever I listen to this song. Each time. Even after all these years. Little wonder that I like the song so much!

Same is the case with Sonu Nigam's "Deewana". I heard it for the first time in Gangtok. While driving in a jeep through narrow winding roads. The chill in the air, the mountains and the greenery. The snow. The feeling of ecstasy, of camaraderie. The thrill of seeing the wheels of the jeep just inches away from the edge of the road, and knowing that one wrong turn means certain death. The feeling of recklessness. Of satisfaction. Of joy.

Even after eight years, the first few notes of any song from Deewana takes me back. Gangtok gets merged with Darjeeling, which we had visited right after Gangtok. I can feel the chill. I can see Kanchenjunga. I can smell Darjeeling Tea, and I can taste hot veg momos. I can hear the chanting in the monastery. Added to it, I can feel the mountains, the clouds, the snow. If I want to revisit Gangtok and Darjeeling, all I need to do is close my eyes and listen to Deewana.

There have been unpleasant associations too. Like the song that was playing early in the morning, when the newspapers came full of the news of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, with gory pictures splattered all over the pages. Even now, that song makes me uncomfortable.

That's why, I never call a song or a piece of music good or bad. I just say "I like it" or "I don't like it". For every person who doesn't like a song, there is surely a person who has a pleasant association and so loves that song.

Google tells me that many Alzheimer's patients have retrieved lost memory through listening to particular types of music. Apparently, processing music involves the use of memory and also aids in the retrieval of past memories. Obviously, there must be a strong connection between memory centers of the brain as well as those that process music.

Continuing with this assumption, listening to music regularly might stimulate the memory centres, and improve your memory! Now that's a great memory enhancer for you!

There must be research going on in this area, somewhere on earth. Wonder if they would like a volunteer? ;)