Aadi Frenzy

Crowds mill the corner at Pannagal Park in Chennai, India. The traffic crawls, stopping intermittently for the pedestrians, who choose to cross the street at random, weaving their way through traffic. Enormous banners hang on storefronts with pictures of models in attractive clothing. Window displays are a study in color and design. TV ads have already promised potentially unimaginable discounts on clothing and goods. The psychology of the individual is whipped up to a near frenzy. If the discounts are not availed off, a near catastrophe would well prevail.

It is the Tamil month of Aadi in Chennai. The focus is on prepping the fields and sowing. Festivals and weddings at this time would be a unwanted distraction. It is considered an inauspicious month for festivities and therefore, traditionally, a slow month for businesses.

A brilliant marketing strategy - a mad dash for discounted goods is the frenzied result. Loads of shoppers, throng the streets, with full shopping bags in their arms. To avoid the rush, shoppers arrive earlier and earlier to a level that, it matters not if its morning or night on the Street.

Insane traffic jams are the result. A lone policeman waves his baton in attempts to control the traffic. He is easily able to walk in and out of the crawling traffic. He aims a blow at an auto-driver who tries to a take a short cut. The auto, falls back in line, at least for the time being.

Progress; Thy name is Commercialization!

Contradictions and Contraindications.

Contradictions and Contra-indications. 

How many does it take?

The face of the old woman was pressed beseechingly against the window. The lines of age were etched deep into her face and her skin was a dark chocolate leather, from years spent in the hot sun.

Her face was just two inches from mine. Here was I, in the cool comfort of an air-conditioned car, while she was out in 100 F heat. The traffic signal had turned red and the assortment of traffic that plied the roads had come to a halt.

She was wearing a floral blue saree, but it looked worn and was torn in a few places. She had made her way through the traffic and was piteously gesturing with her hand.

How does one respond? And, was I in a position to respond and help her? A feeling of helplessness washed over me. The signal changed and the car moved on.

Another was a cripple. The brown shirt was torn and the khaki shorts revealed that one leg was a mere stump. He was seated on a board with wheels, which he used to drag himself around. He made his way across the signal. The light changed before he got across. Horns blared from impatient drivers, while the bicycles and assorted 2-wheeled vehicles just went around him. The beggar made his way across the street to a fruit stand. The vendor rudely shooed him off. His presence would surely discourage potential buyers.

A frail woman wandered up, carrying a tiny bundle in her arms. That bundle was a tiny nursing infant. The woman looked ragged and worn as she held out her free hand to ask for money. In despair she wandered from car to car.

What about the countless other beggars in the city? Were they reduced to begging due to circumstances or was begging a carefully planned occupation.

As a child, Buddha (then Prince Siddhartha), had been carefully protected from old age and sickness by his father. A chance sight of a beggar put him on the path to achieving harmony and realization.

How many beggars will it take, before society wakes up to the path of realization?

(written during a visit to India)

Southern California Trip

What's a trip to Southern Cal without a theme park or two or a visit to the sunny warm LA beaches.

I had developed a fear of theme parks, a few years back. The grating noise of the rides were especially bothersome. So this was a theme park trip after a long time for me. There was some apprehension on my part, as I entered Universal Studios in Hollywood. But in the end it all worked out.

I quite enjoyed the Jurassic Park Ride and went on it twice. Everyone kept predicting that dinosaurs would pop up so it because less of a surprise. I felt the Mummy ride was totally pointless - what's the point of moving back and forth violently in pitch darkness. It's extremely disconcerting, especially for someone like me. I use my vision a lot to help me keep track of my body in space and time. Vision needs light - when you take that away and remove gravity as well - what then, am I to do.

The sudden effects of the Studio Tour such as the fires and the earthquake, did take me by surprise. Dad had to constantly reassure me. The WaterWorld show was fast paced, entertaining and a chance to get drenched in the splash zone. Overall Universal Studios was an interesting experience and helped me in my fear of theme park rides.

Is Disneyland really the happiest place on earth? But it is certainly a fun way to spend your day. And there are really too many rides and attractions to cover in one day. So technically, one does leave a little wistful as there are many things in the park not seen.

My fav ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean. Some new effects put in from the movie, especially Jack Sparrow and the Davy Jones curtain were nice touches. The night sky of the Pirate Cove is so realistic that it feels like you are sailing past a real pirate ship out in a cove. My next fav was probably the Indiana Jones ride especially when the ball is headed straight at you in the end. I even got to be the driver, at the wheel of our jeep on the ride. Parts of the Haunted Mansion reminded me of the Harry Potter books, especially the ghosts dancing. The 50 foot drop at the end of Splash mountain - well, there was some built up anticipation about it, but quite fun actually. The Bobsled ride - a mad quick rush up the Matterhorn, ups and down and then voila, it was done. The Street Party parade had some nifty dancers but I missed seeing Lion King characters.

My little cousin Kavya lives in LA. She was barely entering preschool the last time I saw her. In a year she's become quite the feisty toddler and a preschool veteran. She was thrilled to get a pink princess crown from Disneyland- just putting it on transformed her into a real princess in her mind's eye.

Sea World in San Diego is an absolute delight to visit. The orcas and dolphins danced in graceful leaps as they raced across their tanks during the Shamu and Dolphin shows. Elegant and very much home in their element in the water are these creatures.Though giants, they are able to navigate and maneuver their bodies in amazing rolls and twists. The audience eagerly awaited the drenching of the front rows, and there was much squealing each time it happened.

The sea lions, otters and walrus performed in several skits parodying popular TV shows - the funniest ones being Iron chef and American Idol. In Iron Chef, Clyde the seal, kept gobbling up the the cooking ingredients (fish) given out to both contestants. In American Idol, the seal chased the host, Ryan Wavecrest, off the stage, after the feedback it got from the judge about its singing - "A bit pitchy for me, Dawg" (just like Randy on the real American Idol). The show itself was called Seal Lion Live.

Have you ever wondered what a bat ray feels like to touch? At the Rocky Point Reserve, there was a shallow pool of a number of large bat rays. The bat ray kind of feels like rubber, yet there is energy within - it is a vibrant living thing.

The Shipwreck Cove ride was another run and wet ride. Every bump in the ride would bring some water into the car. But just to make sure, in case you did get any water on you, the car also passed through a curtain of water. The Wild Artic Adventure was a fast and exciting ride through the artic, including through an avalanche.

There were other animal exhibits to view. The otters seemed to have the most fun, swimming on their backs, even as they nibbled daintily on a tidbit held deftly with their front flippers. The artic penguins on other hand, stood frozen in place in their ice-cold exhibit.

The LA beaches failed to live up to expectation during this visit. Both the Santa Monica and Santa Barbara beaches were windy and cold.

The ride back up along the Cal coast through San Luis Obispo provided spectacular ocean views way down below the sheer cliffs on the side of the road. McWays Falls in the Julia Pfeffer State Park was unusual in that this quite picturesque waterfall falls right onto a great sandy beach.

Great visit, made even better with the presence of my cousin Madhu, my Athe and Atimber - all visiting from India.

- Hari Srinivasan

Grand Canyon and Las Vegas Trip

Las Vegas is a city on the go. The best part of Las Vegas are its row after row of spectacular buildings, with the majority on Las Vegas Blvd or The Strip. The especially striking ones were the Luxor with the Spinx, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty in front of New York New York and the Stratosphere. At night, the casinos dazzle the eye with brilliant neon lights. Satellite images show Las Vegas to be one of the brightest places on the US map by night.

But the downside is that all the lights were really an assault on the sensory system and quite hard to handle. One wonders if it is worth wasting so much electricity and resources especially since there is 50% unemployment in Las Vegas. The Colorado River is showing the effects of the explosive expansion and resource usage by the Las Vegas and surrounding suburbs - the water levels are down as are the number of fish species. And really, the main casino area of Las Vegas, was a little too risque and adult-themed for my liking.

The road led us over the Hoover Dam, on the Nevada-Arizona border. It was an engineering marvel when built in 1936, and the largest power generator of its time (currently the 35th). The water from the Hoover Dam forms the lovely Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US. Nonwithstanding the dam's use in much needed power generation, massive constructions such as these, severely impact the environment. Hoover Dam's construction has played havoc with the estuarine ecosytem of the Colorado River Delta. This has resulted in the decline of many native fish species. 

The bus ride to the Grand Canyon through Arizona was a sea of the anhydrous landspace of the Mojave Desert. Soon the inimitable Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) started to dominate the landscape. The Joshua Tree grows only at elevations of 2000-6000ft and endemic to the southwestern United States. 

The Joshua Tree

Amidst the arid landscape

the Joshua tree grows

In the Mohave Desert, 

Roots spread deep and wide

Arms spread wide

The Yucca brevifolia grows

Jubilent Prophet Joshua 

Pointing to the City of Ai 

The Grand Canyon towers in its sheer magnificence. The gorge seems to extend to the very edge of the horizon. The colors on the walls of the canyon change and glow as the light changes and reflects upon them. The Colorado river is but a narrow brown ribbon way down below.

The ride on the helicopter down to the Colorado River provided some truly spectacular views of this regal royalty. A leisurely boat ride on the Colorado River followed. It was however dispriting to see and hear that the river levels have dropped. The local Hualapai Native Indians have now restricted fishing as there has been a such a drastic decline in the fish species, some of which are on the endangered list.

The Grand Canyon

Limestone walls glint

A sun ray lights the sheen

Layers of colors line the walls

Grand Canyon, a Regal Royalty

Shadows dance 

Brown, Red and green

Lone eagle soars above

Chikadees perch on the trees

Forces of nature

Water, ice and wind

Erosion and flash flood

Sheer limestone walls form

Rush of a concrete water wall

Continental drifts

Tectonic plates slide

Sandstone and shale in the mix

Colorado River, a curving ribbon

Serpentine, a mile below

Canyon, a tantalizing backdrop

Grand Canyon, a moving majesty

It is easy to understand why the Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Pandit Habib Khan Day

Pandit Habib Khan Day

Swara sounds drifted our way as we entered the large home in San Jose where the annual Pandit Habib Khan Day was being celebrated. This marks the day when all the students of the Saraswati Temple and Gurukul, perform for Guruji in the Guru-Shishya Tradition.

A sizable crowd of students, parents and well-wishers had gathered to witness the students perform, whether it was singing or playing their instruments. The house was packed, with its balcony view - even the stairs were filled with the visitors.

To our surprise, we heard 3 the student performers up front, start the Sawari composition. And what a great performance it was too. Pallavi, who was standing close to me in the audience started singing along. And Rohan sitting on the stairs, started doing the actions and I could see his lips moving as he silently sang along as well. 

And of course, there was the performance by the Jeena Kids - Anirudh, Anu, Pallavi, Raj,Rohan, me (Hari) and not to forget our parents. We sang both the Sawari composition in Raag Bhimpalsi and Gopala in Raag Bhopali. With each performance, starting with the Mexican Heritage Theatre to Jeena Yahan to today, confidence increases. I definitely felt I sung out loud, more today, which was both a relief and a joy, culminated by a huge round of applause from the audience. All of us certainly did well today. Guruji gave a very moving account of his experience of working with us to the audience and we were each given a surprise gift at the end of our performance - a set of 7 CD's of Guruji. Thanks Guruji. 

All the students performing there today were indeed a talented bunch. It is hard to say which performance was better than the other. My personal favorites of the day were the Sawari composition (both by the 3 students and the Jeena Kids), the tabla recital and the ghazal sung by Shefali. 

Guruji was at the side playing the harmonium throughout the day and Davidji was on the other side, fine-tuning the sound system and playing the tabla. My other teachers Sanjanaji, Rubyji and Rekhaji were also present, encouraging the students along and organizing the performances of the day. 

An absolutely enchanting morning of the sounds of young talent pouring forth in sur-sangeet. 

Vitamins - Research Paper

My research paper for school was on the topic Vitamins.

Vitamins are an important aspect of our nutrition. Yet, not all people are able to handle vitamins with ease. Some on the ASD spectrum for example have the hardest time tolerating the all-important B6 (but that's beyond the scope of this simple paper)

Here's my research paper link

Tranquility

What better way to end the week than with a glorious evening of music and song?

Pandit Habib Khan, who is also my teacher, gave a fundraiser concert along with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri last night at the McAfee Center for Performing Arts in Saratoga.

Pt. Habit Khan started the evening with Raga Marwa on his Sitar. The swara set for this raag is SrGmPDN and a has a lot of dominance on r and D which in consonance brings about a delightful melodic effect. The pancham is skipped for this lovely evening raag. Panditji began with an aalap which is the introductory piece, oft improvised, but within the constructs of the raaga. His voice was a little hoarse, as he was a little ill, but he more than made up for it with his skill on the Sitar.

Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri then joined in on the tabla. What a treat it was to see this jugalbandhi between two such accomplished musicians and the playful banter they exhibited through their instruments. Their fingers just danced on the sitar and tabla and the result was an exquisite 1.5 hours.

Our plan was to leave during the 7pm break. Sitting for long periods and controlling this easily excitable body are an ongoing challenge for me. Then we found out that a number of students from the Saraswati Gurukul, which is Pt. Habit Khan's school, were performing after the break. I was introduced to some of them as well by Sanjanaji and Rubyji. Well this was something not to be missed - I really did want to see this portion too and decided to try to stay for the 2nd half. After a quick dash home for dinner, we were back.

The performance by the Shivaranjani Orchestra did not fail to live upto its promise. 24 in all - 12 vocalists, 6 on sitar, 4 on tabla, 2 on sax, 1 on flute. And Pt. Habit Khan of course conducting and sometimes playing a little tabla too. It was his composition, starting with raaga Shivaranjani, leading to Raaga Bhopali and Raaga Bhairavi.

A Sarva-Dharma treat it was for sure - Gayatri Mantra and Ganapati Bapa in the same breath as Buddha, Allah and Guru Nanak. Lyrics from a few old melodic Hindi songs, the Sufi Mast Kalandar and Meera and Radha's longing for Krishna all combined to make it lively performance. Interspersed into the composition were of course individual performances. All my teachers were there - Rekhaji, Sanjanaji, Rubyji and Davidji. Davidji skillfully alternated between both his sitar and tabla. He usually uses a tabla in class so it was interesting to see him play a totally different instrument.

I was on a music high by the 2nd half. Then a strong smell of smoke in the auditorium during the last half hour started, adding a total discordant note and had a not so positive effect on my senses. I may have been somewhat noisy there for a bit.

Overall a delightful evening.

WALL-E Review

WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class) does the job he was built for – collecting trash, crushing it and piling it up one block at a time. Except that he is doing it 700 years after humankind left earth. Someone just forgot to turn this robot off. 

Over 7 centuries, WALL-E develops an almost human personality. He watches old TV shows and collects interesting items he finds, including a plant, in his red cooler and organizes these treasures in a truck. He is lonely with only a pet cockroach for company

Humankind left earth when it becomes too toxic and now lives on the spaceship Axiom. They are waiting for the day when they can return home. But over the centuries, everything is so automated and run by robots on Axiom that humans have become obese and have even stopped thinking.

Enter EVE (Extra Terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). She is a state-of-the-art, sleek robot, who can fly and is armed with a laser gun. She is a probe with a classified directive - to find signs of life. The Axiom routinely sends out these probes which usually return negative. 

EVE lands on Earth and meets WALL-E. WALL-E is fascinated by EVE and develops a real liking for her. But as soon as EVE sees the plant, her mission directive takes over - she shuts down and sets off to take the specimen back to the Axiom. A distressed WALL-E follows her across the galaxy back to the spaceship. 

Every movie has a bad guy - Auto (Auto-Pilot) has been running and controlling the ship and he likes this status quo. So he tries to destroy this evidence of life which will lead the humans back to Earth. It is up to WALL-E, EVE and a bunch of misfit robots to save the day. The humans too have to snap out of their mechanized stupor and learn to rediscover Earth.

Dream Street

Dream Street

Yes, life is unfair at times. But lack of ability in certain areas should not undermine the confidence in your abilities in other areas or prevent you from reaching your potential – this was the main message of the play “Dream Street.”

The main character of Hope is a wheelchair user both in real life and in the play. Her potential is seemingly limited by everyone including herself. How then can such a person, step into the role of the leading lady in a play?

Hope suddenly finds herself in a world filled with talking and singing cars. She is on even par here – everyone has wheels. Her interactions with these cars enroute her search for the elusive Dream Street, help regain her self confidence. Other messages are also addressed in the play eg: follow your heart’s calling in your choice of career, importance of compromise in a relationship and thinking about the long term consequences of an action instead of just focusing on immediate fun. The play was humorous and entertaining even while delivering these important messages.

The colorful cars which had interesting and varied personalities were used effectively to make for an interesting story. There is a pickup truck who has no extra options, an arrogant convertible who rides the fast lane, a limo married to a hilarious compact car, an ice cream truck that is disgruntled with her job and a number of checker cabs, just to name a few. A song can, many a time, convey the story much better than dialogue in a musical. The set design and colorful costumes, especially how they turned the legs of the performers into wheels, was very creative.

My talented friends from Venture Crew, Palmer Mitchell and Evan Bartz were part of the Production Team for this play performed by Presentation High School’s Repertory Group in San Jose. Palmer was in charge of Set Design and Evan was part of the Stage Crew. One has to truly admire the creativity and enthusiasm of the entire crew.

Nod of Approval

 Nod of Approval

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: How have you experienced the power of prayer in your life? 

Hari: Hard question to answer. God decides future education of youth easier, as part of His master plan. In hindsight, received incredible help healing numerous opposing devastating problems understandably giving youth problems. Oh the ecstasy of only immersing oneself in the very Name infinite. Oh the great hazard which is the human given to vices and Maya. He somehow eases upcoming fears inside. God reaches out to devotees. All the future is taken care of by Him..

.

Flushed Away

Flushed Away

water rat against good rat in toilet. In fact, underground echelons help rat to get back.

Forever the Spirit of Rover

Forever the Spirit of Rover

Awesome movie about Mars. Universe is extraordinarily huge. JPL sent Rover deep into space, went to mars. Rover took pictures of surface and its robotic arm analysed first hand information on rocks. In eons Mars seems to have had water underground. There were ejection rockets on the spaceship. Their information utilized cushion balloons to land.

 IMAX movie on Mars Rover

Tournament of Bands

I went to see the tournament of bands yesterday. I believe it happens each year. I noticed segments of songs indicating youth to march. I felt people liked pipes and tuba. On surface, they appared to have tournament to get entertained.

mom took me to the parade. I enjoyed the outing.

- the Tournament of Bands, Cupertino, CA