The Little Joys Of MY Life!

EEveryday, before I doze off to sleep, I set an alarm in my mobile to wake me up at 6 in the morning. And every morning, the moment my alarm goes off, I lazily search for the snooze button, and snatch an extra 10-15 minutes of sleep. I could have easily set the alarm for 6:15 and woken up straight, but then, that would not have given me the joy that this gives me. That ‘extra’ something always makes me happy. That ‘extra’ is something which wouldn’t have existed otherwise. Likewise, the last dollop of ghee from the saucer on ‘my’ plate every morning, makes me feel special. That last scoop of nuts on my ice-cream, that last bit of Bhindi on my plate, that last gulp of milk-shake, that last pani-puri …..these things not just make me happy, but they give me the satisfaction that I haven’t missed out on the last part of something that made me feel good. I may sound selfish, yeah; but no, I don’t think I am. ‘Cause,  most of the people whom I have been with so far, are scarcely interested in the last bit. They hugely concentrate on the quantity that they get to have. This definitely does make things all the more easy for me ;) Oh! Am I straying away from the topic I started with? Maybe yes, a tiny bit. But I’m enjoying what I’m writing right now, and I hope you are enjoying reading this as well. Oh yeah!, if you think I am talking of the freebies or the extras that one normally hunts for, nope, I am not. (Though I love them too, my point here is  something else, so I’ll stick to this and take that up another time :P ;) ).  So, how many of you relate to what I feel ? How many of you feel that this ‘feeling’ is probably one of the most awesome ones you have ever felt? I’d love to know what you think. :

MANDOLIN U. SRINIVAS -THE MAN WHO WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE.

I was around 12 years old when I first saw him, he was brisk in his walk, humble in demeanor, and always had a smile on his face. He definitely didn’t know who I was. I was pretty much in awe of his music already, and when my  dad told me that he was the one who played the music I listened to every morning, I was super-excited to catch a glimpse of him. So when I looked in the direction my dad was pointing at, I saw a very simple, carefree person walking towards the place where we were standing. I couldn’t contain my joy, and I automatically had a huge, huge smile on my face. As I stood facing him, he saw my enthusiastic face, and responded with a smile, with his palms folded, to say “Namaste”- to me, a complete stranger! That instantly left  a huge impact on me. His down to earth personality totally humbled me, changed my thought process. I was never too keen on “carnatic” music. It was always my mom who made me go to classes, take part in music competitions, listen to concerts etc. It was always writing, speaking and reading for me, in those terms. I am the kind who switches channels whenever there is a ‘carnatic’ music concert on TV. I am the kind who changes the frequency of the radio stations whenever I hear somebody singing carnatic music there. And that implied for both instrumental and vocal “carnatic” music. But I had exceptions. Two, to be precise. I loved the music created by the ‘Ganesh-Kumaresh’ duo, and of course, U.Srinivas. They had a soothing effect on me, always. And more than that, I just loved the way they played their instruments, so effortlessly, so gracefully. There was something though, about the music, the magic that U.Srinivas created. Just listening to it made me forget all the hitches, the glitches that I had in life. His music always proved to be an elixir to my happiness. Another time, last year, when I was hunting for guests for one of our events at college(TEDx Sairam 2014), I had this opportunity to invite him over. Though his schedule didn't allow him to be a part of our event(as he had already signed up for some other cause), I had one of the most memorable conversations of my life, ever, with him. And now, when I heard the news of his demise, I was unable to take it in, unable to digest the fact that he was no more, no more to create the magic that millions in this world yearn to listen to, no more to charm the billions of people who crave to be a part of his concerts, no more to spread happiness around him with his persona. The emptiness that his death has brought to the world of music, can never be filled. At an age so young, when the world is waiting to listen to his music, he is gone.Gone forever! But his music, will continue to create magic all over the world, will continue to linger in the ears of the millions and billions of music lovers and others, and will forever remain one of the prime sources that offer solace to me. He always had, and will continue to have a special place in the world of music, and in the hearts of people. Rest In Peace, Mandolin U.Srinivas. You will be missed. Forever.