My first Yakshagana poem

ಧಾಟಿ ನಾಟಿ, ತಾಳ ಝ೦ಪೆ

ಆದರದಿ ನುತಿಪರಘ, ಹರಿವೆಯೆ೦ದುರೆನ೦ಬಿ|
ಅವಲಕ್ಕಿ ಕಜ್ಜಾಯ, ತ೦ದಿರಿಸಿ ಓಲೈಪೊ|
ಆನತರಿಗೆ ಅನುವಾಗೊ |
ಕಟ್ಟೀನಕೆರೆವಾಸ, ಮಧುಕೇಶನಣುಗ ||ಪ||

(ಝ೦ಪೆ ಎರಡನೇ ಕಾಲ)
ಮೂಡಿದೊಡೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಕುಳ್ಳಿರಿಸಿ ಪೂಜೆಯ ಮಾಡಿ|
ಹೂಡಿ ನೈವೇದ್ಯಗಳ ಹಾಡಿಪದಗಳನು
ರೂಢಿಯೊಳು ನೆಡೆದುಕೊಳುವಾಳುಗಳ ಕಾಪಾಡೊ|
ಜೋಡಿಸಿದೆವೆಲ್ಲ ಕರಗಳನು ||೧||

I shouted it off at once: listen

Watch the video version here: Thanks to Beegar Yakshagana Tala Maddale Troupe

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They never came back

A veteran said on the radio, we remember people we met or sailed with but the most we remember are those that never came back. It is heart wrecking when people we knew just disappear.

ಮತಿವ೦ತ ಖಳನೆ ಕೇಳು - ಇ೦ದ್ರಜಿತು ಕಾಳಗ ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ

Mp3 is here:

ಮತಿವ೦ತ ಖಳನೆ ಕೇಳು - ಇ೦ದ್ರಜಿತು ಕಾಳಗ ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ ಪದ್ಯ

Some records on origin of Yakshagana

Here is an article that reinforces the legend that Siddhendra Yogi was trained in "vedic" studies in Udupi. It goes on to say that Yakshagana as a sort of "Jogi Pada" existed in Andhra. However it is known that there were Dashavatara melas in Udupi at that time when Narahari Theertha reined. I am guessing it is likely that Yakshagana traveled from Udupi to Andhra. The book claims otherwise. I am bit confused since no author is really objective. All claim originality. It is also true that Andhra yakshagana prasangas as old as oldest available in Kannada or 100 year recent exist.

Here is an interesting information about \yakshagana. Here is a comparison of different dance/ballet forms.

I find it fit to say that it existed amongst us when we spoke a language that was neither Telugu nor Kannada. It has become what we see today in different parts. However existence of same name and prasangas in Andhra and Karnataka is not that simple to answer. I plan to read one \andhra prasanga using whatever broken Telugu I know and figure out.

The thinking continues.....

Maran Ayyana Maata Meerade - ಮಾರನಯ್ಯನ ಮಾತ ಮೀರದೇ ಗೋಕುಲ

Krishna Janmashtami Shubhashayagalu

ಮಾರನಯ್ಯನ ಮಾತ ಮೀರದೇ ಗೋಕುಲ - Yakshagana Padya

ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಜನ್ಮಾಷ್ಟಮಿಯ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

Finding regularities and their elements in a level of abstraction

Note: This post will involve discussions on some abstract concepts. I wish to give concrete examples but I may not be endowed with enough intelligence to come up with correct examples for some cases where you must be content with my gibberish. Deal?

When birds fly they make a pattern. Their formation is not "random". There is a pattern to our breathing. We breath through one of the nostrils more. Ancient Indians have called the related awareness 'Swara Jnana' (do not confuse with awareness of musical notes). Wall is built with 'bricks' which form a pattern. The bricks are the elements or the smallest unit which come together to form the regularity we see. So there is regularity or pattern in lot of things we see. There is something smallest in those regularities that creates regularity (element). To rephrase, there is regularity and an element which constitutes regularity in many things we see or experience. Here we do well to differentiate why, for example, mud used to make bricks is not an element of regularity in wall. Mud is at a lower level; it constitutes the pattern in brick. Therefore mud may be an element in the regularity that exists in the brick. Now, we can say that at each level of detail there may be an element which results in regularity at that level.

Science, in my opinion, revolves around finding these regularities. Our progress depends on how well we can make use of these regularities. I think it is time to clarify what I mean by some words. A level of abstraction is a point of view with preference to certain details than others. For example, a portrait is a level of abstraction: it prefers only what is painted in someone's face; what is not painted is not 'preferred'. While we agree that a portrait is an abstraction, I call it a level of abstraction because a photo is an abstraction of real face as well but at a more detailed level.

Now comes time to move from portraits and bricks to something more interesting: computer science.

coming soon ...................
     

GPS route planning

I am new to this stuff. So these are my experiments. Magellan, Garmin, Tomtom are leading GPS brands. Garmin some say is good. Yet there are some very funny limitations in Garmin. I pay almost for a quarter computer and then get this box with huge processing power but a custom made software that I would like to call a operating shit-stem! If they could let me manipulate I could customize it like hell.

Ok long story short, Garmin 200 buck devices do not have route planner all the rest do. I own one so this ruing.

Here you can find a trip planner. And a converter here that claims to convert it to a format that Garmin can understand. These are nothing but XML files i.e text files with funny angular braces to say what is what. Some call it meta information. Garmin bone heads sell a Route Planner that accepts Long and Lat but you it is easy to die ramming head to a Garmin device than using this crap called software (Please send your head by fax I have a device if you want to kill yourself!). 

Yet there is hope for the hopeless. There is a converter here that can convert route file to (GPX2CR) Garmin style file.

So the steps are as follows.

1) Plan a route on NetKVik (http://map.netkvik.dk/) or Marengo (http://www.marengo-ltd.com/map/). Choose points of interest and save it to a file.

2) Convert KML to GPX  if using NetkVik.

3) Use "There is a converter here" to change to Garmin format.

4) Upload using another software to the holly Garmin

5) Then what? I do not know ! my unit does not pick up gpx at all.

If you are still alive and your wife has not lost patience you may go on your dream vacation. I think it is easy to return the unit to the seller!!

Some links
[1] http://www.geopainting.com/en/
[2] A crack may be possible here

Shoppers Drug Fart and Canadian Fire

Yeah! These are two of the famous chains of stores in Canada. That only means, you will find them in all towns across Canada, selling almost similar things. They are usually never a cause for head ache. If you are not a jerk, that is. Yet when you do have head ache it is not uncommon to end up in Shoppers Drugmart. When you do do, most likely you will find expensive brand name pain killers on shelf. I rarely get head ache, unless I play my drums too loud, for example. Even when I had a head ache so severe that I vommitted unconsolebly (Yeah, I had tears too I do not know why) I did not munch on symptom killers, as I call them. Pain killers are an easy way to die, you see. They help you neglect problems in your body until you have no other options. You know what I mean. That aside. I was saying you will only find expensive brands on shelf. Like Talynol cold hot extra hot (common I am not buying a chilli snack here!) etc etc. Novogesic my wife told me is a generic that sells for far far far lesser than these brand names and does the same job (killing us eventually!). 

Yet pharmacies do not sell them becasue they are generics. That is manufactured by people like me who do not have patents but use famulae once they are expire the patent period. Generics sell at 25% of the price of Brand names in Ontario after the change in the regulation. So the solution the pharmacies have found is to not to keep them on shelf and force consumers to buy Brand names. There we go. Change in regulation also increased Dispensing Fee that is fee because they give the medicine not FOr the medince! Wah re wah kyaa baath hai.

What happens when we Yodel

What actually happens when we yodel is very interesting or so I think. I am referring to typical voice shaking in Indian music (not hollywood) . I will refer to it as Yodeling; I do not know what else to call it. 

You can hear it below.

                                                            AaD56

After some help from Prabha and repetition when I was reasonably satisfied that I can use the sample (I recorded above), I plotted it.

You can see that here:

The findings are simple:

a) There are many types of Yodeling and what we see here is a constant tone yodeling

b) I think there are two keys, D5 and D6; one key each from 2nd and the third Octave (two lobes in the left side of the plot)

c) Because we create two volume levels with two dominant keys we get an envelope that looks like superposition of two sine ways in that key (frequency) (approx).

d) Most important thing is that the lower volume level tone corresponds to higher octave key and the higher volume level tone to the lower key.

You can see the wave form here:

 

There are different types of yodeling as I we know. The one shown above is a single tone yodeling. It is possible to change tones while yodeling (melody). What changes along with it is the envelope (volume) of keys. 

The kind if yodeling used in a music sometimes sets it apart from other kinds of music. So will, amount of non-dominant tone suppression (sharpness of tone), voice timbre (me or you) often used attack/line/decay sequence of notes (note inflections) and typical sequence of notes reused in many melodies (Gamaka). Correct me and add to this post if you happen to have found more about these things.

Goodnight.

~rAGU

Kannada Novels and Other's Wives

One fine day I walked into a small time poet's house unknowingly. You can imagine what might ensue! But for a change instead of a poem he had a newly written "short story" to tell, I mean 'when the ink is still wet' kind. It was apparently his first. As the story unfolded it became apparent that the story's plot was a rape scene. I was still in high school mind you and so was my friend: the author. I could not think of a reason why he needed rape plot; couldn't he find something more creative. Who am I to decide the story of the plot he has written. I said story was not bad and left.

I read Bairappa's Vamshavruksha, Avarana. Both have these sex plots of a kind. I picked up Mandra and to my disgust it begins with a scene where musician is trying to plead someones wife to have sex with him. Sex is not a problem but it is not an analgesic tablet that you can take whenever you have head ache. For the second time I am looking for a reason why some authors are obsessed with sex.

I read Windy Doniger's exploits. Another clear case of lack of any creativity. I admire all authors for the effort they take in creating a piece. Bairappa especially rights well researched novels. Vamshavruskha is one of the finest novels. But to me that does not change my belief that those who lack creativity of some sort resort to sexual references too often especially extra marital ones.  Over doing it is wrong not the reference itself.

Emails and Emotions

How we interpret the tone of an email and the emotional value in it, I wonder, may be a reflection of our own attitude rather than what is implied in the email. I pick up phone or show up in person where I strongly suspect email wont solve problem but might end up creating one! Nonetheless, even under normal informal conversational circumstances, people get offended by emails. 

Email when used often becomes a chat like tool. Email is a name we have give to a mode of communication but what is going on is a conversation. But old habit of curtsies hardly dies; we still expect each mail to "address" us like old snail mail did! We do not say "Dear Siddu" every time we say something in a conversation. This difference in looking at E-mail becomes huge problem when unwanted emotions creep in.

E-mail over the years among a community of people creates an email culture so customized that people in that community start to believe everyone has the same set of protocol to deal with emails and expect others to behave the same way. New comes to a community feel that heat when they get angry emails apparently for no reason. This new community may be a new work place, new social circle. I am leaning to remember individual preferences when I communicate. Yet it is much easier if people relax a bit and stop attributing emotions to every word of emails. Emotions are hard to understand when communicating directly. How will that become easier on emails? Ignoring emotions will help a lot. Sensitive matters however are best dealt in person.

   

Hindu Child

Richard Dawkins argues that just as a child can not have a political ideal, she can not have a religion either. He says, it is like calling children 'these are socialist children', 'those are republican children'. Therefore there can not be a Hindu child. I like the idea. It is my own to be precise when I had realised that I am a Hindu because I was born to Hindu parents, a brahmin, a veggie etc all because I was born to a particular couple. I would be dishonest to say I chose to be this after I grew up. No I did not chose, I merely did not chose anything else. That is all.

My vegetarianism in particular is mostly inherited. However, I consciously chose to continue probably to avoid a sense of uneasiness if not guilt. Now of course I defend it! I tried to think, but I can not figure out if it was uneasiness or aversion to cruelty that made me continue. That is why I say it was probably uneasiness since I am may not have been exposed to cruelty in the sense it is required to develop aversion to it.

Even though I like the Dawkins idea. I can not figure out the solution. If some one can help separate religion and culture we could have children with cultural identity but no religious identity. Only if you can separate them. This is even more complicated for Hindus. We can definitely make children plural but depriving them of some faith is not reasonably feasible even though interesting. Absolutely queerer than we can suppose!

A list of Yakshagana melodies I can sing in some ragas

1  Naati                ----  Gajamukadavage/mudadinda ninna
2  Sangatya          ----  Kururaaaya idanella kandu
3  Regupti            ----  Kelu / Swaami laalipudu maata
4  Kambhodhi      ----  Nalinaakshi kele eega
5  Bhairavi           ----  Elavo sanjayane kelu
6  Madhyamavathi ---Indirage talebaagi
7  Kalyani              --- Kandanu kamsa kandanu
8  Bilahari               --- Kururaaya kelenna maaata
9  Nilaambari         ---
10 Paraju                --- Bharadim nEmtevu swaami nimmedeya
11 Desi (Desh?)     --- Laalisi keelindivasage annnadEva
12 Navaroju           --- KElu Darmaja maata naa peluvenai vikyaata
13 Savaay              --- ela ela chi
14 Saurashtra         --- Janapa kaurava vyatheya taaluta
15 Madhumaadhavi     -
16 Kedaragaula        (Taye kel sri krishna rayana bari salu)/ Adara pandu sutaru
17 Suruti            Ninnaya baluhenu
18 Todi              Taruni kele namma / Nodiri dharmaja/Taaye chintipudenu
19 Begadi          
20 Mukhari        -Bhupa yenayto pratapa
21 Panturavali   - Nadeyalo muraari sukadolu
22 Janjuti       --- Tandeyalida divasa dinda
23 Maravi      ---
24 Mohana     -- Maranaiyyana maata
25 Shivaranjini --- Dhaatugedaitaruva
26 Dhanyasi
27 Shankarabharana --- Anthacheluve/Dharanipati renukanu
28 Aarabi      --- Devara deva krupaakarana - chelva paavana charita
29 Anandabhairavi  -- Neetiyella poopudindu/agane ninna

30 Shudha Saveri    -- (Durga) Ahude yennaya ramana -- (bandu kootihalu nodi dhaati)

Shivaram Karath elaborates them here.
I will try to post samples for them.

Jounalists are jealous of bloggers

Yes they are here is an example:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/articleshow/msid-2056809,curpg-2.cms

And my answer:

This article is incomplete. At the end, article needs a "sigh". The author's chest appears light at the end of it!! This is merely a J(jealous) post. The treatment here is that at one end of the battle field are journalists who are the holly cows that make no punctuation error and have become something that is so "tough"/"hard" to become (like a rocket scientist) and the other end are sore looser. Mr author these sore looooooosers matching your descriptions have a more popular name: common man/ordinary people. 

Yes people fail/succeed/talk/bitch/rant/oppose and but unlike journalists only a few may even be paid. Aren't you js paid? Aren't you media houses have ideology: liberal/modern/progressive whatever you may like to call it?
It is really heartening to see when journalists who frustrate common men with their abuse of stupidity get frustrated. When was the last time online media got all the punctuation right? And when was the last time that so called Editorial Process was applied and meant something meaningful? It is time js stop assuming they only have the right to rant and face the rant of those frustrated by stupidity of journalists.

Yours sincerly
A blogger (not a paid one like you journalists)
By the if you apply your Editorial Process on this I have my blog to rant. No worries!!

Refined rhythms

Fingers have better dexterity than palms, wrist or arms. Therefore much better control over rhythm production is possible using fingers than anything else. Because Tabla is played using only fingers and to very less extent using palms, naturally the rhythm emanating from them is a lot refined than others when played well. Mrudanga can produce similar refinement but increased use of palm in Mrudanga actually reduces the tonality and also the ability to control rhythm production. Similar argument may apply to Maddale and Pakawaj.

For drums Chande that need drum sticks to play are best payed using the wrist. They can not produce bogglingly loud sound but can produce better tonality and sophistication in rhythms. Other way is to use arm and shoulders which undoubtedly produces less refined sound and reduces tonality.

Therefore playing hard and loud on any drum is not a virtue since it means use of parts of hands that have less dexterity. Amplification is best left to electronic devices of the day and drums can focus on better quality of sound rather than on being loud.
 

Which instrument is this?

Can you guess?

Ek Taala - Yakshagana using strange instrument

Ek Tala - Another variation - Tapatatapatatata 

Ravi kakka, I think in his youth gave a Yuvavaani programme for Badravathi Radio station (1988?). I learnt a little hearing him. We had jams lasting an hour sometimes. He is still the best in this with much better bass and envelope. I get more complicated groves into it but can not get it as elegant as his. I will record his performance and put it here sometime.

Here is one of his favourite groves it comes at the at of the following recording at the very end with faster tempo. Not a great music but much pleasurable.

Ravi Kakka Grove -- ChapaChapaPachaChacha

This so called Ek Taala is a popular folk grove which I tried show and convince you so many ways. But you do not believe me. So here is another I do that. I start with folk grove and transition to Yakshagana grove.

I call this record Dattanna Dattanna
.
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