Landscape

Drive from Lake Tahoe to Napa

Music- Language of the Soul

Music is the language of the soul it is said. Music in any language does not really require any interpretation. The emotions behind the lyrics can be easily understood if music is an important part of your life and resides in your soul.
As Indians music is also our language...the language of the heart. We are surrounded by music in our lives in joy and sorrow. Music defines us and our culture beautifully. To understand us you have to understand our music and specially the beautiful lyrics of the " Golden era". The songs of the 50s, 60s and 70s are still so close to our hearts as those songs express our emotions so accurately in every situation of life. We have been blessed with great musicians, wonderful singers and poetic lyricists.
Music cannot be separated from us. We listen to music everywhere and as much as we can day and night.
We have songs to represent us in every mood and know exactly which one to choose to voice our thoughts. Through music do we define ourselves...Through music do we live...
Through music do we express happiness and through music do we lift our spirits in difficult times. Through music do we inspire ourselves and through music do we motivate ourselves. Music supports in adversity...
We have to define every moment of our lives through songs and lyrics from songs find their place in our daily conversations with friends and family. My brother, parents and extended family just love singing when going on long drives or at home over tea. We communicate through songs when at loss for words. Every time when family or friends get together music and dance are mostly part of those interactions. "Antakshari" is a favourite game of songs amongst us and in fact in the entire region in that part of the world. As kids and now, it has always been our favourite game and past time under many a starlit nights in summers and around a bonfire in winters. Music connects people and unites souls.
Our songs specially from our movies are famous all around the world. Even in States many times when people from Pakistan and India meet at work or in their personal lives, they relate well to each other through common songs. Late nights when work would be slow my Pakistani friend and I would discuss lyrics of our favourite songs while working or to describe our lives.
In fact in most States girls are taught to sing and learn classical dance from an early age. A man expresses his love through music. In many arranged marriage meetings in some states of India, a girl demonstrates her talent in classical music and dance. Most Indians know all the songs of all the eras by heart as we listen to radio all the time as we grow up at home and outside.
There is music everywhere in our culture. There is music in bells of ladies' anklets and there is music in the numerous bangles we wear. We find music everywhere around us. We find music in the rains and we find music in the wind that caresses the fields. We hear music in the rustling of the leaves... As Indians we are very poetic and find solace in music all the time. Music is balm to the aching heart and peace to tired spirit. For us music is a way of life...We feel curbed if we can't express ourselves through music and dance.

PINK

The True Princess of her times

Sometimes one life is meant to touch millions of lives and not be touched by "the one" in the true sense.

She had so much to give in terms of love and compassion to the world. She touched so many lives and made a great difference in this world through her dedication to causes that she stood up for and firmly believed in.

She had abundance of love as the entire world loved her. But on the other hand , the one kind of love that she was really seeking for endlessly only escaped her every time as soon as she found it. The one and only true love that defines a woman the most was never hers to stay with her or meant to be owned in the life she lived. It is very tragic that a lady who was admired by so many could not be favoured much by destiny which did not give her most of all what she really hoped for and wanted.

 Love is complex...Love as they say has it's own destiny. Some find it forever and for some it finds them only to be lost forever. This is my interpretation of whatever little I saw of the second half of the  movie "Diana" the story of the most famous, loving and graceful lady or true princess of her times, Princess Diana.

She won so many hearts and yet her heart searched forever...Her story as portrayed by this movie stirred many emotions within me and one has to say that love even though the most beautiful emotion in this world can be powerful enough to destroy you as well and being loved by so many can even make you feel so alone.

"Sometimes the best teachers are those who are still learning the lessons of life as they know the cost of not following lessons learnt and the price they are paying for it..."

Words of motivation...

Sometimes in a new environment one needs to find things or writings to motivate you to start a meaningful journey in your new phase of life. You need all the inspiration to make the beginning meaningful and worthwhile. I was just scanning the Horoscope section ( Predictions by Peter Watson)  in an old edition of the Indian magazine "Bazaar Fashion" and I stumbled across some really wise and ever inspiring mottos.These mottos caught by attention and stood out in that page as if calling for my attention particularly at a time when I most needed it. The ones I really connected with are-

"Write kindnesses in stone but injuries in sand"

"Courtesy is the oil that lubricates the daily grind"

I am so glad to have come across these words. When you start out in a new world away from your home,it is the first lot of people who enter your lives then who make the most difference to your new journey as they leave behind deep impressions good or bad that connects you to the new place or alienates you from it. 

Bonsai-The Lives of certain Women(Beautiful yet stunted...)

The past week I have been watching numerous movies and documentaries on women from different cultures around the world. It was not that much of a surprise to discover that many women from different religions and countries share the same fate.  In certain regions, religions or cultures in the east as well as west where orthodox way of life is still prevalent in regard to women, some with emerging times may have risen to find some amount of independence and freedom to express themselves but that too is within limits.

Today women from many such places may have found an independent definition of living their lives or so it appears. In fact many such women it seems may be living their choices and dreams in life but actually those so called choices too are dictated by their families and those around them in their conservative society.

These women may be allowed to grow individually only to a certain extent by their society just so as to keep pace with modernity for the sake of appearances but in the end the decisions of their families prevail. Their dreams are still ruled by others.   Their families decide everything for them from the direction of their education to the choice of career  and from deciding their way of life to the choice of a suitable husband.

These women may be allowed to pursue careers but their ambitions are controlled by others with limited thoughts. They may be allowed to grow but only in moderation. These women remind me somewhat of " bonsai" trees that are not allowed to grow to their fullest potential and their roots are stunted.  As beautiful as their lives may appear like that of a bonsai, such restrictions curb their true identity and hinders their growth in the real sense.  Their world is shrunk in the miniature pots of age-old rigid beliefs surrounding women. These women may have finally found a voice but they still are not allowed to truly express their needs and wants. Their lives are expected to  still revolve solely around fulfilling the desires of others but themselves even in that so called independent journeys they may have been permitted to take.

Everybody has the right to live their choices and not those made by others. Everybody has a right to decide what they want in life as it is their journeys to travel and not that of others. As I say in living your choices does one truly live your life and find a path meant for you. That does not mean that one cannot live a life based on the decision of others but only if it is well within the boundaries of peace, contentment and joy. The day living the dreams of others does not provide contentment, that day life could be burdened with regrets and endless disappointment and pain. There are many modern and highly educated women from conservative backgrounds who may have found an independent path but are still lost in finding the true journey that they could actually live to enjoy.

" Beauty is not found in a place but in the memories you gather there...A beautiful place holds no value if it does not hold good memories for you. "

                                                                                                         -Simrit