Friday, July 19, 2013

Local Train or Vocal Train?

                       "Datta Darshanaalaa Jaayaacha Jaayaacha Jaayaacha..
                        Datta Darshanaalaa Jaayaacha Jaayaacha Jaayaacha..
                        Anand potaat maajhya maaina ra maaina,
                        Anand potaat maajhya maaina......."
(Rough translation from Marathi - I go for "Darshan" of Lord Datta. And I just can't contain the happiness.)

There I am, standing in a packed morning local train from Borivali. Waiting for the train to move, reading a book. The horn blows, train starts moving, and suddenly, after a loud "Ganpati Baapaa Morya" and "Pundalik varade, haari vithhal....", the above song starts echoing through the train coach. The "Zaanzaa" (an aarti instrument) start accompanying the song. And I simply stop reading the book and get engrossed with the song(the fact that I stopped reading a damn interesting book says a lot).
Whether I'm a conventionally religious person/a theist or not is irrelevant here, for that is not the reason of closing the book and being involved with the song. It is rather the strength that the song and the music emits. A local train travel at the peak rush hours is a very tiring experience in itself for some, and seldom goes a day when I don't witness a quarrel in the local train journey. In this context, there is often a group in at least some trains that is daily singing these songs lasting their entire journeys. And believe me, I haven't noticed a quarrel in any of such coaches, where the harmony of this music establishes its presence over everything.
At the start of it, you just enjoy the beats, the tunes, the fact that it is not some famous singer but just a common man like you and me who is singing such a beautiful melody. Gradually, you tend to forget the time in which you are supposed to reach a particular station. You become more and more calm and peaceful. I don't know how many of you will agree with me, but it slowly yet surely synchronizes loud voices and silent voices alike. Oh yes, I'm not singing loudly absolutely does not mean that I'm not singing with them in my head. It creates an invisible yet very much present connection with whoever comes within its reaches. It is such a power - a power that does not intimidate, rather, that binds people together! Is that what was the whole purpose behind the concept of singing "aarti" for different gods, in their unique sense of languages/religions/ethnicity? I have always believed so.
Coming back to the train. Whenever I get in such lucky coaches, I forget whatever work/non-sense I have at my hands. Let it be songs that I would otherwise listen to with my earphones, books that I love to read or at times read-up for an exam that I would be facing in few minutes. Whatever I have described above may seem to be a little superfluous or impractical to a few. But then, somehow I have always managed to find that serene place inside me upon closing my eyes when I travel in such trains. The wish - why couldn't my destination be a little more farther - always comes next.

As I conclude, another such song I recently heard keeps repeating itself in my head. Incidentally, Today is "Aashaadhi Ekadashi", and this song kind of relates to this day.
                                        "Hya Vithu cha, gajar hari - naamaacha, jhenda rovila...!!!"

P.S. Pardon the reference to Marathi songs, and days significant to Maharshtrians if you are unable to understand. I just go by the recent most such experience of mine.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

In-class sleep

"Last night I had watched this episode and that
as a kid I had seen a magician, his rabbit, his hat.."
whoa, suddenly I realize, I'm in a lecture deep
and thus I write about in-class sleep...

as I wake up with a sudden jerk,
I extend my neck and try to gather the classwork,
at that I fail miserably, yet I peep and peep,
and thus I write about in-class sleep...

I give up on that and then I look around,
hoping that others are on the same ground,
some fully concentrating, give me creep,
am I the only one with in-class sleep?

But then some nice people are a reassuring sight,
I observe them, with sleep they fight,
the world is still not a place so steep,
some phenomenon it is, in-class sleep...

It's like a world in a trance,
vivid images blow up and around they dance,
it's a state of 'high' without any shot or nip,
and thus I write about in-class sleep...

There's a class to sleeping in class,
it needs some skill, not a job for the mass,
I'm not sure if this poem is classy or cheap,
regardless, I go back to in-class sleep...!!!