Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
An evening at the ruins
Last night was a perfect Delhi saturday night. It reminded me of why i love the city and why Delhi is Dilli.
Every year Delhi celebrates the Jahan-e-Khusrau, a three day Sufi music festival organized by Mazzaffar Ali and the Rumi Foundation. The festival is held at the fascinating ruins of Arab Ki Sarai at the Humanyun's Tomb. The last time i attended the festival was in 2006.
It was similar evening, but a little more beautiful maybe. I remember being very excited to watch Abida Parveen perform. Even though i dint know the first thing about Sufi music or the program schedule, i knew Abida Parveen and Sufi music had a reputation.
I went with a couple of my friends and we were late. As we passed the security check and stepped into the monument, i felt like i had stepped back in time a few hundred years. As we walked on the pathway towards the Arab Ki Sarai, to my left and right were beautiful green gardens, enclosed in the lit up ruins of the times when emperors must have walked those paths and in those gardens. It din't make me feel royal though.
As we took a right to enter the Arab Ki Sarai, the pathway had been lit up with candles encircled with perfect flower arrangements, genda phool to be more precise. We knew we were late, and there was not a single chair vacant , the seating was all occupied and crowds were overflowing onto the ground, garden, walls, planks, wherever they could find space.
Nobody cared where they sat, they wanted to hear her sing. We eventually found the best place we could have asked for, we sat around the remains of a well, protected by the walls of the tomb. Then on, the otherwise chatty people that we are, we barely exchanged words. The music was mesmerizing, though the language was foreign.
Last night, everything was exactly the same as 4 years ago, the lights, the tomb, the gardens, the flowers, the candles,the music, EXCEPT.....
That we sat on chairs. Beautiful as the evening was, but we, i think, were ill-prepared. The moment we entered the tomb, i wanted to go to the loo, S wanted food, M was excited, A wanted to click pictures and G was just plain disgusted with us.
Within the next 30 min, S had said 'hungry' enough number of times to make us all want to eat.
For the next 3 hours after that, S, M, A and I could actually, honestly, smell kebabs somewhere in the vicinity. S claimed that she could sniff her way to Nizam's.
M tried hard to focus on the music, she even bought CDs to prove her serious interest.M clapped frantically to show her appreciation,at times i think even in the middle of the performance.
A, unsuccessfully clicked a few pictures, blaming it on the lens and the zoom, but we knew better.
G wondered :
1. why the tomb's architect designed the entrance the way he did.
2. and that the stage was in the wrong direction as he couldn't see the moon.
3. and that the shape of my nose matched his.
4. and that the music would sound so much better if there was alcohol to go with it.
I enjoyed the music with interruptions to smell the kebabs, and to look at the moon, to check the pictures, to wonder why M was clapping NOW.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!
Every year Delhi celebrates the Jahan-e-Khusrau, a three day Sufi music festival organized by Mazzaffar Ali and the Rumi Foundation. The festival is held at the fascinating ruins of Arab Ki Sarai at the Humanyun's Tomb. The last time i attended the festival was in 2006.
It was similar evening, but a little more beautiful maybe. I remember being very excited to watch Abida Parveen perform. Even though i dint know the first thing about Sufi music or the program schedule, i knew Abida Parveen and Sufi music had a reputation.
I went with a couple of my friends and we were late. As we passed the security check and stepped into the monument, i felt like i had stepped back in time a few hundred years. As we walked on the pathway towards the Arab Ki Sarai, to my left and right were beautiful green gardens, enclosed in the lit up ruins of the times when emperors must have walked those paths and in those gardens. It din't make me feel royal though.
As we took a right to enter the Arab Ki Sarai, the pathway had been lit up with candles encircled with perfect flower arrangements, genda phool to be more precise. We knew we were late, and there was not a single chair vacant , the seating was all occupied and crowds were overflowing onto the ground, garden, walls, planks, wherever they could find space.
Nobody cared where they sat, they wanted to hear her sing. We eventually found the best place we could have asked for, we sat around the remains of a well, protected by the walls of the tomb. Then on, the otherwise chatty people that we are, we barely exchanged words. The music was mesmerizing, though the language was foreign.
Last night, everything was exactly the same as 4 years ago, the lights, the tomb, the gardens, the flowers, the candles,the music, EXCEPT.....
That we sat on chairs. Beautiful as the evening was, but we, i think, were ill-prepared. The moment we entered the tomb, i wanted to go to the loo, S wanted food, M was excited, A wanted to click pictures and G was just plain disgusted with us.
Within the next 30 min, S had said 'hungry' enough number of times to make us all want to eat.
For the next 3 hours after that, S, M, A and I could actually, honestly, smell kebabs somewhere in the vicinity. S claimed that she could sniff her way to Nizam's.
M tried hard to focus on the music, she even bought CDs to prove her serious interest.M clapped frantically to show her appreciation,at times i think even in the middle of the performance.
A, unsuccessfully clicked a few pictures, blaming it on the lens and the zoom, but we knew better.
G wondered :
1. why the tomb's architect designed the entrance the way he did.
2. and that the stage was in the wrong direction as he couldn't see the moon.
3. and that the shape of my nose matched his.
4. and that the music would sound so much better if there was alcohol to go with it.
I enjoyed the music with interruptions to smell the kebabs, and to look at the moon, to check the pictures, to wonder why M was clapping NOW.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Julie and Julia
I have been off the blogging scene for a while now. But last night i watched a movie that brought back the memories and desires to blog again.
The movie is called Julie and Julia. It is apparently a movie adaptation of a book by the same name.
The movie is about a rockstar cook Julia and a loser Julie who sort of becomes a rockstar blogging
about her experiences cooking Julia's recepies.
Anyway, not that im much of a cook myself. I wouldnt say im bad, more like out of practice... lack of training.. lack of interest.... lack of time.... more into travel.... or does that mean im bad?
But i do think cooking is very creative and can be a stress buster.
So yeah, thanks to Julie or Julia... either of them... im back on the blog scene.
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