Singing is a Devine experience. Singing and hearing, fully understanding the bhAva of the composer and experiencing a bit of his feelings, is an inexplainable anuboothi, experience.
Those interested in Carnatic music should try to understand the bhAvam, the feelings of the composer so that they can enjoy the music, better.
‘Did you come all the way walking, to protect me?,’ asks Thyagaraja to Sree Rama, addressing Him as, ‘nA prAnanAthA!’
‘Nannu pAlimpa nadasivochithivo?’.
In another song, he asks, ‘Ela nEe dayarAdu?’
Only if someone is very close, very familiar, you address him as ‘Ela?’ And’ nee’ . ‘Why your ‘daya’ is not coming to me?’, asks Thyagaraja, as if it was his right to receive the grace of Rama. And complains, ‘this is not the time to ignore me’.
You just can’t do this to me!
Further, with the affection and authority of calling his own son or grandson, The Saint composer invites Rama, to come close to him:
Come, come, you great!’
“rArA dEvAdi dEva! rArA mahAnubhAva rArA rAjIvanEtra raghuvara putrA’
I mentioned only Thyagaraja but every composer gives expression to his feelings, when his soul is soaked in sincere attachment to the gods.
Ability to enjoy music is a gift like the ability to enjoy soft, soft jasmine white iddlies of Megh along with mango- flavored coconut chutney and equally flavored, adequately spiced and ideally salted mulakAi podi or kara podi (in Telugu)
Podi is powder. Podi, poditchu is a colloquial, to mean ‘did extremely well’
After eating a dozen iddlies when I compliment,
‘Podi, poditchu, Megh!, I have made her day.
When the food is good complement every time. Don’t just walk out as if it is the duty of the woman, whether, your wife daughter, DIL, sister or mother to feed you stomach full with little space for air flow, and it is your right to eat. Even to the cafeteria server, you say thanks a dozen times ( smilingly if she is good looking) and pay tips !
During my prime time, I never considered it necessary to thank my wife, though she used to enquire whether salt and spices were adequate. I should have known that behind her enquiry, there was a deep longing to hear a word of complement from me. When our blood flows in jet speed, we don’t realize others’ aspirations, especially our woman’s.
Then, one day my mother watching my wife’s anxious looks and my expressionless face and asked me how the food was.
I told her it was very good.
She yelled at me, ‘Vayai thoranthu aval kittae chollenda?
Why don’t you open your damn mouth and tell her that ?
Many times in our life, we don’t talk ‘Vayai thoranthu