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Tomorrow is Krishna Janmashtmi – the day Krishna was born. What else is better than listening to a composition on Krishna,the embodiment of music – Gaanamoorti? This is a composition of Tyagaraja, in which he also includes the rAga signature at the very beginning.
Next is a composition in tODi. A composition of Muttuswamy Dikshita – although some scholars are of the opinion that it is a mis-attribution. Anyway, I like this composition and so here it is 
.
A somewhat rare composition of Muttuswamy Dikshita, in an aptly named rAga called ‘jaganmOhana’ – “the one who mesmerized the whole world”!
A gem of a song in praise of the cowherd flautist who flirts around the girls in Gokula A majestic composition of Muttuswamy Dikshita in rAga kuranji.
Here is a song from a Kannada movie ಕೃಷ್ಣನಾ ಕೊಳಲಿನಾ ಕರೆ that describes the effect of Krishna’s flute on the folks of Gokula. Originally from the play – Gokula Nirgamana written by Pu Ti Narasimhachar.
Any musical discussion about Krishna would be incomplete without the song of VyasarAya about the Krishna in Udupi – krishnA nee bEgane bArO!
-neelanjana
We all have some treasures that we cherish and wish to keep them ourselves. But there are some treasures that multiply when we share them with others!
न चोरहार्यम् न च राजहार्यम् न भ्रातृभाज्यम् न च भारकारि ।
व्यये कृते वर्धत एव नित्यम् विद्या धनम् सर्वधनप्रदानम् ॥
na chOra hAryam na cha rAja hAryam na bhAatr bhAjyam nacha bhArakAri
vyayE krtE vardhata Eva nityam vidyA dhanam sarva dhana pradhAnam
Yes; there is one treasure that grows as you spend it. This treasure can not be robbed by thieves, nor could this treasure be taxed by the government. It can’t be divided among siblings nor is it a heavy load to carry. Unlike other treasures, this one grows when you spend it! This treasure called the ‘knowledge’ (Vidya) is the most important treasure that you could ever possess.
The best way to share your knowledge is by choosing a teaching profession. But do not despair if you are not in a position to do that. If it were a couple of decades ago, it would almost be impossible for you to share with others what you know in a meaningful way, unless you happened to be an author, or a teacher of some sort. Not the same case anymore. The Internet age has made it possible for anyone to spread the knowledge they have much more meaningfully, and also made it easier to target that knowledge very specifically to those for whom it is useful.
Sure, it may be possible for you to market your skills outside your current profession to make some money. But everyone does not have the time and resources such a second vocation demands. So what should you do?
Share. As in freely sharing what you know. The possibilities are limit-less, and confined only by how much time you can spare, and your imagination.
Consider becoming a blogger and start writing about things you care or you know well. You will definitely make new friends who share your interests. You can share information useful to your blog visitors, and you will also end up learning quite a bit in the process. Although blogs were initially supposed to be some kind of web diaries, these days you can see lot’s of ‘how to’ blogs that can teach you anything from planting tomato seeds to installing hardwood floors!
Another good way to share your knowledge is becoming a member of a community blog or a specialty forum. I have been participating in different music related forums for quite sometime. This has enabled me to enjoy it better than what I would have done otherwise. I also have the satisfaction of answering question others with similar interests might have.
A bit more involved way which takes a bit of extra effort from you is going the Wikipedia way. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, available in more than 200 languages. You can a contribute articles to Wikipedia on any subject you good at. If you are proficient in more than one language and you don’t want to be involved in the reference-citing that Wikipedia requires when you write articles, you can translate existing articles in one language into another, thus opening up a knowledge base to new readers.
So, what are you waiting for? Follow my suggestions, and share your treasures the e-way. I promise you won’t be disappointed, and find it very fulfilling.
But if you aren’t faint-at-heart like I am, and want to go the extra mile, you should set someone like my fellow blogger Vidya as an example. Dr P P Narayana Swamy and Vidya, after publishing the English translation of Subburama Dikshitar’s Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarshini (SSP) on the web a few years ago, now have published the first volume of SSP in print!
May their tribe increase!
-neelanjana
p.s: Parts of this post came from a speech I did at my Toastmasters club a while ago.
Valley of Heart’s Delight – Yes, that was the name this place was known as, before the likes of Shockely made it the ‘Silicon Valley‘! There were orchards all over Santa Clara county. The growth of semiconductor industry saw increased demand for housing and many of the orchards gave way to housing development in the decades following Shockley’s invention of the transistor.
What made this place the ‘Valley of Heart’s Delight’? It may be the mild winters and hot summers. It may be the soil. It may be the scanty winter rains. Or a combination of these. But it is a fact, it is a place where one can grow fruit trees much more easily. A walk in any of the older neighborhoods will show you apple, lemon, peach, plum or some other fruit tree in almost every other backyard.
Right now, San Jose is home to about a million people. Although most orchards or gone, it may be the only metro in the USA where there are some functioning farms and orchards within the boundary of the city.
Here are a few pictures clicked on my phone:
Across from N First street, a functioning farm
The housing development was built during the end of 90′s on previously orchard land
A closer view of the orange orchard. Tf you squeeze your eyes, you’ll see plenty of oranges!
Another view of the same orchard, right across the street from where I work
-neelanjana
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