Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Raga Vachaspati - Unspoken, Vilambit Ektaal

 

कैसे मन सुख पावे?

कैसे कहूँ बतिया, डर लगे जिया को,

अब रोके ना जाए!

 

कोई ना जाने दुःख हमारा,

छिप गयी मन की बतिया,

'नादरंग' अब कहा ना जाए! 


Interpretation:

How will I ever find joy?

Fear shackles my true feelings,

that threaten to burst forth, awoken.

 

No one knows of my pain within,

of bottled emotions and thoughts,

that shall forever remain unspoken!


 

 

 


 

 


 


 

Friday, January 5, 2024

The Silence Song - Na Bolu Na Bolu, Raga Vachaspati, Teentaal

ना बोलूँ, ना बोले वो

ना कहुँ, ना सुने वो

छिप जाए अज्ञान |

 

ना मैं सोचूँ, ना समझे वो

ना मैं चाहूँ, ना माँगें वो  

'नादरंग' मिट जाए गुमान | 

Inspiration:
'Maun' or 'true silence' is when body, mind and spirit withdraw into silence. First, spoken words stop, then mental words and sentences abate. With more practice, thoughts slow down, and then finally, the desire to speak fades away.
This song was inspired by the brilliant talk (in Marathi) on 'Maun' by Mrs. Dhanashree Lele. Interestingly, the song's melody just happened to be composed in Raga Vachaspati. Vachaspati is the Hindu God of Speech!
In the song, the I vs Them (मैं vs वो) can be literal, but also refer to Self vs Ego/Mind.

Interpretation:
I've stopped speaking, and so have they! (If you've had a sore throat and use hand gestures to communicate, you'll notice others use gestures too, even though they can speak!)

I've nothing to say, and they have nothing to listen to.

Silence is the best way to hide your ignorance.
I've stopped thinking, and they don't have to interpret me anymore.
I've stopped feeling the desire to speak, and I no longer conform to their expectations.
'Naadrang' believes that true silence destroys the ego.

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Itanisi binati sunalo - Raga Jogeshwari, Drut Teentaal

 

इतनी सी बिनती सुनलो मोरी
इस चांदनी रात में
ले हाँथो में हाँथ, सपने सजाये |

सुख दुःख में डोर बंधी हो
हार जीत में मन अचल हो
'नादरंग' प्रीत गहरावे |

 

Explanation:

Listen to my tiny request - 

In this beautiful moonlight night, 

let's walk hand in hand, dreaming of our future together.

Let our bond be strong through good and bad,

Let our mind be calm through thick and thin,

'Naadrang' hopes that our love deepens.


Jaya Jaya Shree Jogeshwari - Bada Khyaal in Vilambit Ektaal

 

जय जय श्री जोगेश्वरी माता,

दुख हरनी, जगत जननी, दुर्गे भवानी, 

दया करो माँ!

 

महा माया देवी

मंत्रमयी दयनी,  चरण शरण आयो

'नादरंग' अब तारो माँ!

 

 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

On Naad, Ranga, Sadhana and Moksha

 

  Early today morning, this Sanskrit verse bubbled up in my consciousness.

नादरंगं समाधिश्च साधनायां निरन्तरं ।

साधको मोक्षमाप्नोति नादयोगं समर्पयेत् ॥

 Meaning:

Immersing oneself in ceaseless practice/meditation of internal sound (Naad) and color/light/melody (Rang), the practitioner shall attain self-realization by dedicating oneself to Nada Yoga.

Monday, March 27, 2023

Flight Plight - A song about an irritating flight experience!

 


सुबह सवेरे मिला संदेसा 📱

दिल्ली  उड़ान में होगी देरी ✈️

बदला द्वार चार बार 🚪

और नगर की मारी पूरी फेरी! 🏃🏻‍♂️ || १ || 

निकले थे पुण्यनगरी से 😇,

पर जा पहुँचे जयपुर 🤯

सफ़र (suffer?!) किये, या थी सफ़ारी? 🤬

नादरंग अभी दिल्ली है दूर 🥵!

 

Interpretation:

Early morning I got a message,

My flight to Delhi had been delayed.

Last minute, they changed the gate 4 times.

and made us run all over the airport!

I'd left Pune (Punyanagari 😎) in high spirits,

but instead landed in Jaipur!

Was this a journey or a safari!?

Naadrang says - Delhi is still far away!

 

(Composed in Raga Shuddha Dhaivat Bibhas, Teentaal)

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Vertigo Attack - Ghoom Ghoom Ghoom Jag Ghoome

 

 घूम घूम घूम जग घूमे 

न घटे, न मिठे, न छूटे,

कौन हूँ मैं ? क्यूँ हूँ मैं!? ||

नैन खोल, बिंदु साधे 

संतुलन पावे, संकट जावे

लौट आया हूँ मैं! ||

(Raga Shuddha Sarang, Teentaal)

Backstory:

On Christmas day, 2022, I experienced my very first, very severe, vertigo attack. I woke up with the world spinning around me. I broke into a cold sweat, mouth dry, breathing hard. 

I am truly indebted to Dr. Vinaya Chitale-Chakradeo for opening up her hospital for me on a holiday and performing the Epley maneuver. I'd walked in wobbly, palpitating and panicking, and in a few minutes, I felt calm and normal!

Her advice to me was to keep my eyes open and fix my gaze on a steady point. I thought the vertigo experience and her advice were a great metaphor for life itself. When things are chaotic and you feel the world is spinning around you, helpless to stop it, focus on something steady - a loving partner, your child, a hobby, a God, etc and balance will return to your world.

Interpretation of the song: 

The world spins, spins, spins - ceaseless.

It doesn't abate, it won't stop, I feel helpless.

Who  am I? Why am I!?

I open my eyes, I fix my gaze.

Balance returns slowly -  I breathe again.

I'm me again! I ... am back!