Ustad Zakir Hussain was a magician – for decades, he captivated us with his magic of creating “sur” from “taal”. Music wasn’t just a part of his being; it defined him, it was his essence, flowing through every fibre of his musical soul.
…Just like the rising sun spreads its golden yellow glow over the world as it emerges into the sky, so did this newly-dawned realisation bathe me in a warm glow of joy and love, with the awareness that …
…my thoughts went back to a couple of times during my travels, when I was fortunate to see two of the most gorgeous rainbow sights one could ever imagine – two very different places, two very different settings, both beautiful in their own different ways, both adorned in crowning glory from one edge of the horizon to another, by not one but two parallel rainbows, that is a double rainbow! As I mused down memory lane, I thought I could take a few of you along too, and help you see these beautiful spectacles in your mind’s eye…
“This is not just any musing that I have written about, it is a labour of my love for Lataji’s voice, an avid account of my admiration and adulation for her work and her career. I have not seen God, but I have felt His or Her Divine presence in Lataji’s voice. To me, that golden voice is the best manifestation I know of माँ सरस्वती (Maa Saraswati), the goddess of the arts and learning. This is therefore an offering of my love, my worship, my पूजा, my इबादत, my परसतिश – to the golden voice of Lataji!”
It looks like a hot day; a lot of water is splashing around and the view is not clear. As the splashing subsides a bit, a bunch of kids of varying ages are briefly visible, playing in water, and hold on, this is not a swimming pool, it looks like a lake or a river. Just as I am beginning to recognize the scene, it dissolves, and a new one appears, this one with a bunch of playing cards that kids are playing with.
A bright, sunny, hot morning – I was sitting on one of the beach lounging chairs, feet put up, staring into the endless, azure expanse of the ocean stretched in front of me just across a small stretch of sand. I had been sitting here for a good part of an hour, just looking far out into the water. Sitting at a beach in this manner for hours is not a new experience for me; yet, it was different today.
It’s the end of summer, and as the school year starts post the summer break, we find many of our friends going through the phase of dropping their kids to university for the first time. Emotions that are a part and parcel of this important moment in parents’ lives have been the topic of many…
Tomorrow is Mothers’ Day. As I sipped my tea this morning, the thought of Mothers’ Day triggered a question in my head – what is motherhood? And this set off an avalanche of memories, ideas and thoughts, exploring the meaning of motherhood and how it has impacted my life. The outcome of this morning reflection is this ode (in prose) … to mothers and motherhood …
Diversity & Inclusion (D&I for short) is a hot topic of our times. It is not just a corporate topic any more, but one that is relevant in schools, universities, communities and any group at large. In spite of this, it is not widely understood, and in fact, is widely misunderstood. My D&I journey from…
Diversity adds hues and shades to our world, making it interesting and fascinating. Diversity is not just about outward differences like nationality, ethnicity or gender; it runs deep beneath the surface in differences not always visible or obvious. Inclusiveness is the only way to leverage and harness diversity. My D&I journey from being a…