Stayed awake from the middle of the night after learning about Malayalam music composer Johnson's death. With his death, the grand trio, Padmarajan-Bharathan-Johnson, who led the golden age of Malayalam cinema are all gone. The TV channels have been paying tribute by playing his hit songs.
The master of melodies had two national awards and numerous regional awards to his credit. But his greatest contribution is the revolutionary change he brought to the field of background music. Before Johnson, background music meant loud, blaring, intrusive cacophony that was meant to drown out any meaningful proceeding on the screen. Background music composition used to be like the software writing in which programmers are paid by the number of lines. So every second of the movie had what passed for music in the background. Johnson changed all that with his restrained, simple, subdued scores and more importantly his reverence for silence. Now he is forever gone into silence.
In the second chapter about Bhrthrhari in his book, M.P.Veerendra Kumar points out that many of the proverbs, idioms and pithy sayings that exist in several Indian languages can be traced back to the three great works of Bhrthrhari. During his reign in the 5th or 6th century, he composed three "shatakams" or collection of hundred verses, each reflecting his philosophy at that particular point in life. When he was the ruler, he composed "Neethishatakam" on governance, law and ethics. Then briefly he renounced everything and assumed that the spiritual path is the true source of happiness. Wandering like an ascetic, practicing austerities, through northern India, one day he rushes towards what appeared to be a shiny diamond on his path. He is horrified when he realizes that it is somebody's spit that was glistening in the sun (Indians remain prodigal road spitters to this day!).
Realizing that all the austerities and penances are not doing him any good, Bhrthrhari comes back to the throne and dives into worldly passions with a vengeance. In this period he composes "Sringarashatakam" (verses on romantic love). This work is supposed to give the Kama Sutra stiff competiton, as competitions in this field must be. I hope to judge for myself one day. The third stage in his life leads to the composition of "Vyragyashatakam" (on renunciation/non-attachment). This time he quits materialistic life for good. The final transformation to renunciation in his life is brought about by a mango. Bhrthrhari gives a great golden delicious mango to his favorite wife (he had plenty! wives, I mean, not mangoes). She gives it to her secret lover. He gives it to his fuck buddy. She definitely didn't need a bloody mango! May be he said something about her gaining weight and needing more fruit in the diet. The legend is silent on those details but we can speculate.
Anyways, that lady (the f-b) passes the fruit to her maid servant. Bhrthrhari, while traveling through the city, sees this servant walking with a basket of cow dung on her head with this golden mango on top of it. He confronts his favorite queen. She confesses. He doesn't get angry and behead her. Instead, he simply quits the royal life.
I mentioned yesterday that Bhrthrhari was a Shudra though his dad was a Brahmin. Caste was determined by the mother. To be specific, according to Manusmriti, determination happens in the egg of the mother. But even in the Mahabharatha there is much confusion about such maternal determination of caste. It is conveniently switched on and off. For example,Vyasa who wrote Mahabharatha is born to a fisher-woman, Satywati. Yet he is considered a Brahmin since his dad is Parasaramuni. Satyawati's other sons, Chitrangandha and Vichitraveera are considered Kshatriyas because their dad is a king. Later Vyasya impregnates Vichitraveera's wives and the sons delivered are considered Kshatriyas and not Brahmins. He impregnates a servant (daasi) and the son born to her, Vidur, cannot become king because he is a Shudra. It is simply a matter of convenience!
Bhrthrhari's era was the time when stuff like Apasthambha's Shrowthasutra which recommends pouring molten lead into the ears of a low caste man if he happens to overhear the Vedas or other spiritually high grade Sanskrit works, were in vogue. It is in such an India that Bhrthrhari became king (twice), became well-versed in Sanskrit, wrote authoritative works on Sanskrit grammar and even invented a new linguistic philosophy. Perhaps fundamentalist crap like Apasthamba's Shrowthasutra were never taken seriously till the Brahmanical ascend to racial supremacy under the British Raj.
Youtube has a badly produced 5 part seminar on the 'Sphota' philosophy of Bhrthrhari.
I like Bhrthrhari because he recorded his fragmented states of mind honestly. He got caught up in the great Indian hype of asceticism but accepted that it was not working for him. He enjoyed his life and wrote beautifully about it. Later, he leaves everything behind, again writes beautifully about it. In total contrast to the great descriptions of female beauty in Shringarashataka, in Vyragyashataka he writes, "The ample breasts compared to golden pots, the faces compared to the full moon and the full hips compared to an elephant's forehead by the poets are nothing but flesh-filled, phlegm-filled and feaces-filled. Once you have known this truth, where is the desire?"
I have heard the same reference to flesh, phlegm and shit attributed to Gautama Buddha also when a wealthy merchant offers Buddha his beautiful daughter in marriage. May be enlightened vision is microscopic and superman-like x-ray vision. We should be glad that only breasts, faces and hips are visible to us!
There is a story about Bhrthrhari trying to commit suicide by jumping into a river because he couldn't explain some grammatical principles to his pupils. The story goes on to say that Lord Ganesh rescues him and teaches him Panini's grammar including its secret meanings in six months. This sounds awfully similar to the Brahmarakshas-Govindacharya story mentioned yesterday. But we can excuse the lack of imagination and focus on Bhrthrhari's commitment to both language and his role as a teacher.
Composer Johnson, like Bhrthrhari, loved sound and played with its essence!
Full page ad in today's newspaper about a new resort opening at Ashtamudi lagoon. Fully constructed in traditional Kerala architecture style, announces the ad. One Bahrain sheikh is in attendence. This is surely a top of the line resort because it is being inaugurated jointly by Shahrukh Khan and Mohanlal.
Read about the Finnish homeopathy student who got captivated by elephants in Kumili and is now training here to become the first lady mahout. I can relate to being dumbstruck by these magnificent creatures. The BBC article said that a mahout can earn up to $10 on a good day. But Laura can make more by having a side business of homeopathy which is still a roaring business in Kerala. Anything unscientific is a great success here. It is the deniability that is the cornerstone of the scientific process that people cannot seem to digest. They want to be cent per cent, 'full complete', correct eternally about every statement they make. There shouldn't be leeways for experiments and amends.
Achan (dad, father, appa, pappa etc) must have boarded his flight from Chennai by now. He will get here in the next couple of hours. These journals are bound to have an overdose of him just as it has had of Amma (mom, mother, ma, mummy etc) till now. Amma and sister return on the 24th.
"Tara undo?" (Is Tara there?) asked a bearded man, who had walked in through the gate, authoritatively.
Her marriage is less than a couple of weeks away....
Bearded men making inquiries like that cannot be good!
But my fears were misplaced. Except for the beard, nothing was savage about this man.
In fact, he had the most harmless name: Kutty (=child)!
Mr. D.S. Kutty, as he wrote on the 'Intimation Form', is the local postman. Tara, my sister, had a registered post from Singapore.
"She's in Bangalore. Will be back on the 24th."
"24th won't work," Kutty shook his hairy head horizontally. Then he paused and shook it vertically, "It will work," he said, "Ask her to come to Sasthamangalam post office and collect it before the 26th".
He handed me the filled out intimation form and left.
As all the dogs in this limitless universe are genetically programmed to, our neighbor's dog also goes absolutely berserk on seeing Mr. Kutty! I am looking forward to getting introduced to this dog through Achan. He told me that they are friends. In the last fortnight, I had been introduced to numerous IAS, IPS officers and banking bigwigs through Amma. Now I can tag along with Achan and get introduced to the local plants, animals and birds. They recognize his voice that I seem to have inherited!
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