The call of the mountains

It has now become a routine to spend last few days of the year amidst nature. As our marriage anniversary falls during this time, we have one more reason to end the year on a high.

It was back in September that we zeroed in on Dehradun as it was within driving distance of Delhi and several hill stations were in the vicinity.  The idea was to visit NCR and then travel by road.

While I was exploring the various options, I saw a message on our community group about Saffron Vacations. I contacted them and our trip was finalized within a few days. We had to make changes to the literary at the last minute as Omicron started spreading. We cancelled NCR trip and flew to Doon.

The Jolly Grant airport nestled between the foothills of Himalayas was the perfect appetizer. On way to mussoorie, we covered the Dehradun Zoo and enjoyed glimpses of wild life including leopards that were ready to pose ! By the time we took Rope way down to Bhatta falls and finished boating in Mussoorie lake, it was late afternoon.

Stay at Sterling mussoorie was one of the highlights as we could get fantastic views. The balcony was the perfect spot to soak in the evening sun and observe the sun sinking behind the Shivaliks.
The next morning we got up early to Savor the sunrise. The balcony of the hotel reception gave us a clear panoramic view of the hills, and a dash of orange and red illuminating the sky. The hotel also had various other activities including birdwatching. As the mercury dipped below freezing after sunset, we used to end our outings early. The games room was a big bonus as we could engage Aarohi in the evenings.

The next day we covered Kempty falls, mall road and Gun hill point. What we saw at Gun Hill was only a sneak peak of things to come. Apart from site seeing, we took pictures in traditional Garhwali attire.

Our journey back to Dehradun started the next morning. We checked out of the hotel and took a detour to Dhanaulti. As we were negotiating the sharp bends and and go up the Garhwal range, the moment we were hoping for hit us. Right in front of us, we could see white lines on a blue canvas.

The words of the song “ye kaun chitrakaar hai” started echoing. The lofty snow clad peaks were in full display; from Gangotri group to Nanda Devi they were all there. Several of the peaks like Swargarohini, Banderpoonch have references in Ramayana and Mahabharata. Badrinath and Kedarnath are also in the vicinity. There is so much packed in those ranges that it is Geography, History, Mythology and Theology all rolled into one. The snow tops touching the white clouds gave an ethereal feeling. I was flooded with Memories of school days where we used to identify most prominent peaks on the map.  

There are several other points of interest here including a nature walk in Eco Park and hike onto the top of Surkanda Devi temple which we skipped as it was challenging with a small kid and chilly weather.

Once we were back in Dehradun, we just relaxed and celebrated our marriage anniversary by a visit to the temple and a shopping trip. The exotic Spanish boutique hotel Marbella, added a romantic touch to the day. Christmas trees, lights and Santa Cap ensured that Aarohi found something special wherever we went. 

It was a truly memorable trip and we are eagerly looking forward to the next expedition in the new year.

Down memory lane with P Suseela

As the legendary singer turns 86, here's a recollection of her songs laced with fond memories..

 neevunDedaa konDapai, naa swami..

The divine voice of Gaana Kokila, P.Suseela, literally transports you to heaven and you feel the presence of god.

I had first heard this song  in my Maternal uncles music collection. This collection was the biggest early influence in shaping my interest  in music and I have been a fan of the legend since then.  "mooga manasulu"(remade in Hindi as Milan) got repeated playtime in our household.

My family was partial to it as it evoked strong nostalgia of growing up on the banks of river Godavari and of course the music of KV Mahadevan was a standout.

Nostalgia for me though is growing up in old city of Hyderabad . So I pick another KV Mahadevan song,  picturized in Gyan Bagh Palace. The palace is residence of Dhanrajgirs,  who were richest bankers in the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad.

mutyamanta pasupu

During school days I had gone for a family function. All of us kids surrounded the youngest one and started playing with him. He was just starting to speak and when we asked his name he said Ramesh Naidu (that was of course not his name). I wondered who is Ramesh Naidu and was told that he is a national award winning composer.  I developed an instant linking for the Suseela number from his classic score for Megha Sandesam.

aakulo aakunai 

Those were the days when western boundary of the city was Banjara Hills and perhaps the only reason you would travel further west was for a picnic to Golkonda Fort or Gandipet Lake. Watching movies meant travelling to the heart of  the city (Abids) till Konark theatre in Dilsukhnagar came up. One of the earliest movies I recall seeing there was rerun of the classic "Gul-e-bakavali katha". The following song was among the highlights.

Suseela is accompanied by Ghantasala here.

nannu dochukonduvaTe

Saluri Rajeswara Rao is another legendary composer whose brought a classical touch to the songs.

vinipinchani raagale

My interest in her songs increased due to an interesting incident in college

Our Electronics Head of Dept, Dr. Sastry,  told us about his experience when he was evaluating the practicals. 

A student got the circuit diagram correct,  but the Prof. struck it off and gave a zero. On being questioned, the professor pointed out that it was not "grounded". The student retorted "Sir, if you assume  "ground" is there then isn't everything correct". Dr. Sastry told him the story of movie  "Donga Ramudu" where the hero wants Chicken curry. But he is served plain rice with a live chicken tied before him. He is asked to eat looking at the chicken and feel that he is having chicken curry. After listening to the story , I saw the movie and got hooked to this song... 

anuragamu virisena

The honey laden voice made me longing for more and I started exploring further. Adi Narayana Rao's composition from Suvarna Sundari became an instant favorite.

piluvakuraa alugakura

Anjali Devi literally became Suvarna Sundari after this and the movie was remade in Hindi with same starcast and the the tunes reused.

An even earlier movie of  Anjali Devi features a duet with Vyjayanthimala where P Suseela  playbacks for the latter.

sundaranga maruvagalenoy

That is just a sampling of my favorites from Telugu and Suseela has equally impressive body of work in Tamil, Kananda and Malayalam. That calls for another article, perhaps another day another time but I will leave you with a stunner from the tamil movie Parthiban Kanavu.  Suseela with AM Raja lip-syncing for Vyjayantimala and Gemini Ganesan.

idhaya vaanin

Asha Bhonsle - Birthday Tribute

While we were watching the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at Aparna, we couldn't help notice that people from various parts of India have completely embraced the festivities. 

 It so happened that our friends from the society were visiting. We were talking about the melting pot of Indian Culture and discussion soon turned to Blogs and music. And I realized its been a while since I penned my thoughts. Here's celebrating the recent birthday of legendary singer, Asha Bhosle. She turned 88, on September 8. 

 I grew up being biased towards Lata Mangeshkar. Constant exposure to Hindi Film songs of the yore meant that watching songs picturized on the Heroine in Lata's voice and on the vamp picturized on Asha. Having developed a preference for the pious over sensuous; soft over loud and Indian over western meant that the elder sister always had the edge. But things changed as I explored Bengali and Marathi music. I also became much more receptive of western music. That is when I realized that the younger sister is no less. In fact Hindi music lovers are unfortunate that the softer side of Asha hasn't been tapped enough. 

 Without further ado; here are some personal favorites that showcase her mastery. In Bengali, she has done justice to all the Genres; Rabindra Sangeet, Aadhunik Gaan as well as Film songs. 

 1) aakashe aaj ronger khela 

 This beautiful compositon by Sudhin Das Gupta occupies a space which in my mind has been Lata's domain, and I sometimes wonder what could have been if Asha got more such songs in Hindi especially on the leading ladies of the black and white era. Also if Sudhin Das Gupta was in Hindi films, his path breaking works would have probably gave him as much accolades as RD Burman. 

 2)  aay chole aay

 The orchestration has a Salil Chodhury touch but remains very original. 

 3) It was during my teens that I got introduced to Rabindra Sangeet accidentally. I was tuning the radio and caught a melody in an unfamiliar language. And the love affair is still strong. 

 eso shyamolo shundoro

 Marathi: 

 1) Lets begin with a divine song from the diva ! 

 panduranga kanti

 2) When I first came across this song, I couldn't help listening to it in a loop. I contacted Dr. Suresh Chandvankar and he explained that this is based on Raag Desh. Since it is so steeped in the classical idiom, I could appreciate the melody even though I didn't understand the words. 

 ruupaas bhaLale mi

 Asha Bhosle was accompanied by Sudhir Phadke in that song.

 3) The next composition is by Sudhir Phadke's son Shridhar Phadke from the album Rutu Hirawa. From the effervescent title number to the Poignant "maajhiya mana zara thamana" the songs cover the gamut of emotions. Its tough to pick one favorite but I will settle for "saanjh ye gokuli" because it just paints a picture.. 

saanjh ye gokuli

 Finally its the turn of Hindi. 

 1) A very uplifting song which I typically use to greet friends on Diwali. 

 deepak se deepak jal gaye

 2) This Gaud Sarang piece just blows you off. The piece-de-resistance are the taans at the end of the song. 

 leharon men jhuuluun

 3) Asha brought joie de vivre to her songs, and Ghazals are no exception. Her collaboration across the border; Ghulam Ali and Faiz in this case showcases that music has no boundaries.

yuun sajaa ke chaand

jo dil ne lai badli to maddham hui har saaz ka rang.. 

 On that note, as this article fades into the vacuum of space; I am looking forward to the next celebrations in our community.

Living through memories

 

Recently a colleague mentioned that he was going on a road trip and will be covering Utah. The first thing I blurted out "are you going to see Bryce canyon". As he started looking forward to his trip I started digging back into my old albums.

 It was a decade back that I went to Denver to my friend Nishant Shahs’s place and we then did a 10-hour drive to Bryce. The drive was marked with such amazing changes in landscape and vegetation that school Geography came alive.

 My travel opportunities in India were limited while I was growing up. It was in North America that I could experience what I had read. In fact, staying in Toronto meant that I could visit Niagara Falls whenever I had a free weekend. From Great Lakes to Canyons, Snowcapped Mountains to Deserts it was all encompassing. This was my way to recharge and it continued when I moved back to India. As it turned out, Nishant returned as well and we planned a trip to Sikkim. He was part of a hiking expedition to Himalayas.  I joined them during the last leg for a sight seeing trip.

I landed in Bagdogra a few days before Dussehra and my auto got caught in the procession on Ashtami. I had to abandon it midway as all the roads were blocked. I was able to swathe through the crowd and managed to find a cycle rickshaw. By the time I reached my hotel, I was dead tired. I took an early dinner and crashed.

The next day was going to be long and adventurous as I was supposed to meet Nishant and his group of friends in the middle of the mountains. I rented a car to Gangtok and had to pick Nishant en route. Soon after I passed Siliguri, I was greeted with lush green forests and stunning views of Teesta River. The road to Gangtok was almost a mirror image of the river and kept meandering through the mountain rages providing jaw dropping views. I wondered if the river Tushmia from Dev Anand Starrer "ye gulistaan hamara" was inspired by Teesta. The tune of the song "tushmia ri tushmia" kept buzzing in my mind. My thoughts were interfered by a phone call: Nishant and his hiking gang were only a short distance away.The timing was perfect and when I reached the destined restaurant, they were just around the corner.

 Nishant introduced me to his group and we settled down over breakfast. They all soon bid adieu, leaving behind Nishant and Ranjeet. The three of us thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the drive and we stopped ion the way at Rumtek Monastery. Its location in the backdrop of mountains was a sight to Behold. The place was bustling with monks. We also observed that they domesticated lot of animals and we could observe cats and rats living in harmony!

By evening we reached homestay in Gangtok. It was strategically located uphill giving a panoramic view of scenery below. Our routine in Gangtok was to have breakfast at homestay and leave and come back in the evening. We had lovely conversation with our hosts over scrumptious food during dinner time.

I was surprised that rice was the staple food for them as they are Nepalese. I had the misconception that as we go North rice gets replaced by roti as the staple food. (I am of course aware of the love for rice among Bengalis).

Among the several landmarks we covered in Gangtok were the temples Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tokand Banjhakari waterfalls. The falls had a vantage point, a flat rock downstream spot where you could stand with a view of water from above. It became a "Patel point"; with young guys lining up for their turn and give macho poses. I am sure some of them would have ended as profile pictures in matrimonial websites! The highlight of the journey was a trip to Nathu La Pass; where we could see the India-China border.

Dashami was on October 3, and it was also the birth anniversary of Vividh Bharati and a string of melodies kept us company. As Kishore Kumar's voice started serenading in the mountains "havaon pe likhdo, havaon ke naam.; ham anjaan pardesion ka salaam" we were stopped by the locals and gave us sweets. It was truly the signature of those unknown people who were very hospitable and disciplined.

In fact, if there is one takeaway from my trip to Sikkim, it’s the cleanliness and orderliness of the city and its people. It’s like a foreign country and it was heartwarming to see women shoulder to shoulder with men in all spheres of life.

I did not get a chance to go to the North East again, but my fascination for mountains, water bodies and forests in that order continues...Since Aarohi was born the sequence got reversed and forests (national parks with wildlife) became the focus.

Having already been to Bandipur and Pench in the last 2 winters, we are looking forward to makingnew memories this year; God and Covid willing. Otherwise we can always live through our memories.