Saturday, December 26, 2009

A page from the diary


(This picture has got nothing to do with the post!)
These following words are from my diary of 1981.
The date is April the 17th.

మురళీగానమో, దివ్యనాదస్వరమో వింటూ
జీవితం గడిపేయవచ్చు.
అది పెద్ద కష్టతరమయిన పని కాదు.

కాని కాలే కడుపుకు కాంభోజి రాగమేం
జవాబు చెప్పగలదు

అలా అనడం కమ్యూనిజం.

కథలలో కాంభోజి రాగం చొప్పించి
హీరో హీరోయిన్లను
చెర్వుగట్లలో, చింతతోపుల్లో
పర్వులెత్తించడం మ్యూనిజం.

వెంటనే చీమకుట్టి
ప్రేమ మరిచి అమ్మా అని అరవడం
నిజం.

కవితంటే వింతకత
అలా పొరలుకొస్తుందంతే కానీ
జుట్టు పీకి
అక్షరాలలో దారాలు కుట్టి
దండలల్లి
జనాల కళ్లకు
తెరకట్టాలనుకుంటే
మిగిలేది బట్టబుర్ర.

మురళీగానమో, దివ్యనాదస్వరమో వింటూ
జీవితం గడిపేయవచ్చు.

Whatever that means!
That was what I felt on that day!
I found the diary in my attic yesterday!
$$$$$$$$

Friday, December 25, 2009

Sri M V Ramana Murthy - Vocal

You might not have heard this name at all.
That does not mean anything.
We usually prefer listening well known voices.
Now, here this artist also.

Sri Ramana Murthy used to sing duo with Sri Pemmaraju Surya Rao.
Their rendering of Adhyatma Ramayana songs still rings in my ears.
Sri Ramana Murthy born in 1933 passed away in 1990.
There are many such artits who passed away without much recognition in the real circles.
It is my struggle to get these artists here.
I will be happy even if a few people listen to them.

I profusely thank the Andhra Music Academy for making this recording available.
I earnestly appeal to you to listen to this artist and also make a comment perhaps.
I would also like to know if any recordings of the last three items by other artists are
available.

Team:
Details not known.

Sri M V Ramana Murthy - Vocal
Items:

02-Lalithe-Bhairavi.mp3
03-Daridapuleka-Saveri.mp3
04-Munduvenuka-Darbar.mp3
05-Pahiramachandra-Yadukula_ Kambhoji.mp3
06-Tanavaritanamu-Begada.mp3
07-Sogasuga-Sriranjani.mp3
08-Kamalabhavudu-Kalyani.mp3
09-Dorakuna-Todi.mp3
10-Eppudaina-Aarabhi.mp3
11-Evarikai_Deavamanohari_Def.mp3(Defective in the beginning only)

Duration: 1:10:06 mts

Size: 66 Mb

Courtesy: Andhra Music Academy

LINK:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca53cccceb80756677

Let us enjoy good music.
***********

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A Question

If you ask a question, you will probbaly find an answer.
This is the philosophy in which I believe very strongly.
I remember when my son was very young I travelled on one day with him in a bus.
The journey took two hours or a little more.
We were spending time without much of awareness about what we were doing.
We were about to reach the destination.

Then a gentleman sitting next to us on the three seater gently said something.
Believe me, I was not even aware that there was a man noticing us.
The gentleman said, "Sir, Your son is very intelligent and you ahve a lot of patience."
He said that the boy went on asking questions and I went on answering him!

That is the best a father can do perhaps!
Let us ask questions!

Now, a question and an answer to it!

తెలుగు భాష, సంస్కృతి లేకుండా పోతాయా?


ప్రపంచంలో చాలా భాషలు, సంస్కృతులవారు ఈ ప్రశ్నను తమ భాష, సంస్కృతులను గురించి అడుగుతున్నారు. ఒకాయనను ఆట పట్టించడానికి ‘కోడినిస్తే తింటావా?’ అని అడిగారు. ‘ఓ తింటానన్నాడతను!’. ‘శాకాహారివి గదా! ఎట్లా తింటావూ?’ అని అడిగితే, ‘అమ్ముకు తింటాను!’ అన్నాడట. తెలుగు భాష, సంస్కృతీ ఎక్కడికీ పోవు. కాకపోతే మారిపోతాయి. మారిషస్ వెళ్లిన రంగడు, రింగడయినట్లు, ఇప్పటి తెలుగు తెలిసినవారికి ఇది తెలుగేనా అనిపించే భాష సంస్కృతి వచ్చేస్తాయి.

సంస్కృతి అంటే మాట, తిండి, కట్టూ, బొట్టూ, ఆచారాలూ, వ్యవహారాలూ, వగైరాలన్నీ. తరతరాలుగా ఇవన్నీ కొనసాగుతూ, ఒక ప్రజలకు ఒక గుర్తింపును తెచ్చిపెడతాయి. అది అందరి తెలివి,జ్ఞాపకశక్తి ఆధారంగా ముందుకు సాగుతుంది. వెనకట ఒక్కో పండుగ ఒక్కోలాగ ఉండేది. ఇప్పుడు అన్ని పండుగలూ (ముఖ్యంగా నగరాల్లో) ఒకేలా ఉంటున్నాయి. ఇక గతాన్ని చూడని వారికి, ప్రత్యేకతలను గురించిన తెలివిడి ఉండదు. జ్ఞాపకాలు అంతకన్నా ఉండవు.

జీవుల్లో కొన్ని రకాలు అంతరించి పోయినట్లే, సంస్కృతులు కూడా అంతరించి పోతున్నాయి, అంటున్నవారు ఉన్నారు. వారు, మారిన పద్ధతులను పాత పద్ధతులకు ప్రతినిధులుగా గుర్తించడానికి ఇష్టపడరు. వారిని తప్పుపట్టడానికి లేదు. సంస్కృతిలోని వైవిధ్యానికి గుర్తింపులు చాలా ఉన్నాయి. మతం వాటిలో ఒకటి. భాష అన్నిటికన్నా ముఖ్యమయినది. భాష మారుతుంటే, మొత్తం సంస్కృతి అదే దారిన పోతున్నదనవచ్చు.


కొన్ని భాషలు తామరతంపరగా పెరుగుతున్నాయి. (తామరతంపరంటే తెలియనివారు జాగ్రత్త!). విజ్ఞానం, వ్యాపారం, రాజకీయం, మొదలయినవాటితో బాటు, వసుధైక కుటుంబకం పేరున ఇంగ్లీషూ (మమ్మీ, డాడీ) దినదినం పెరుగుతున్నాయి. మిగతా భాషలు దిగజారుడు వేపున్నాయి. ప్రస్తుత ప్రపంచంలో మాట్లాడుతున్న ఆరువేల భాషలలో సగానికి ఎక్కువ, మరుసటి దశాబ్దాలలోనే మైయమవుతాయని అంతరిస్తున్న భాషల నిధి అధికారి, డగ్లస్ వేలెస్ అన్నారు. సగం భాషలను ఇప్పటికే ఒక్కొక్కదాన్ని పదివేల మందికన్నా ఎక్కువ మాట్లాడడం లేదు. అవి సులభంగా మాయమవుతాయి. పావు వంతు భాషలను వెయ్యి మంది మాత్రమే వాడుతున్నారు. అవింకా సులభంగా పోతాయి. తెలుగు ఈ రెండు వర్గాలలోనూ లేదని గమనించాలి. న్యూజీలాండ్ లోని మవోరీ వారు తమ భాషను నిలబెట్టుకోవడానికి ప్రత్యేకంగా బడులు పెట్టుకున్నారట.

తెలుగు మారిపోతున్నది అని గోల పెడుతున్న నాలాంటివారు ఇంకొందరున్నారు. మీకుకూడా అది నిలబడితే బాగుండును అన్న భావం కలిగితే, తెలుగు ఎక్కడికీ పోదు.

Will the Telugu language and culture disappear?

Culture comprises of the language, food habits, accoutrement, practises and traditions etc. These things continue to exist and impart an identity to a population. Based on the intellect and the memory these practises continue the culture.

As Freedman often says, in the name of globalisation these boundaries are being gradually erased.

There are certain parameters of a culture. Religion is one among them. Language is the main feature. If the language is changing, we can say that the culture also is following the same trajectory. There are certain languages which are growing at fast pace. Along science, technology, business etc. English is growing. There are six thousand languages being spoken in the world now. Half of them are used by not more than ten thousand people. Such languages will disappear. Another quarter of languages are being used by just a thousand people. They will disappear much more easily. Telugu is not figuring in this list. It is being spoken by a large number people.

Telugu will not go anywhere. But, it changes so much that people like me who pine about the changes in the language will wonder whether what is being spoken is their own mother tongue.

If you have also had similar feelings about your mother tongue, it will sure continue, in some form or the other!!
@@@@@@@@

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Sattur Subramanya Iyer - Vocal

There are some artists whose names are not very popular.
Sattur is one such among many!
Probably, for his own reasons he was not very active in concert circuits.
His music is rated as the finest.
You will realise it only when you listen to his music.
Such artists deserve better attention.
We get carried away by the name and charm of popular artists and usually keep away from some real good music.

Here is a small write up about him that I found on the web.

SATTUR A.G.SUBRAMANIAM - DEVOTED VOCALIST.........(1916-1977)



Born in Angarai, Tiruchirapalli district of Ganesa Sastrigal and Thailammal, he obtained his Sangita Bhushanam diploma in 1936 from the Annamalai University. A.G.Subramaniam had the good fortune of having distinguished maestri at the University like Tiruvaiyaru Sabhesa Ayyar and Thanjavur Ponniah Pillai as his preceptors. He was well conversant with Sanskrit, Telugu, Hindi and Tamil and his rendition was rich and soaked in bhava-rasa. A purist to the last, his raga alapanas and pallavi elaboration in different ragas were masterpieces of expertise, lakshana - lakshya elegance, high level artistic exuberance of manodharma which endeared him to the top artistes of his days like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Ayyangar, Madurai Mani Ayyar and G.N.B. He was given the privilege of inaugural concert at Sri Rama Navami Celebrations at Coimbatore consistently. Fortunately, two gramaphone records and three cassettes of his rendition have been retrieved and a beginning to popularise the same was made with the release of a cassette on August 15, 1995.


Subramaniam was a dedicated guru adored by his disciples like Sirkali V.R.Subramaniam, Sirkali R.Jayaraman, Musiri Rangarajan, Tiruchi N.Natarajan, Sulochana Pattabhiraman, Sitamani Srinivasan and a host of others including his musical daughters. His disciples celebrated his Eightieth Jayanti on the Independence Day, 1995 with rare devotion and dedication. Subramaniam had an enjoyable voice and his music was orthodox with laya and sruti suddham. A devoted guru, a gentleman and a good musician, he was lovable. He came of a religious family and was capable of nothing but heed to the Divine Call.

Here is the list of items.
 
01 Chalamela - Natakuranji.mp3
02 Jaya Jaya - Nata.mp3
03 Srisankara - Nagaswaravali.mp3
04 Sakalagrahabala - Athana.mp3
05 Chandram Bhaja - Asaveri.mp3
06 Sogasuga - Sriranjani.mp3
07 Brovavamma - Manjhi.mp3

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca6a0174bc7d4d3b71 

Let us enjoy good music!
***************

Monday, December 21, 2009

Batuku Tadu -- Novel

After the Kapu Rajaiah Garu's painting in yesterdays posting I was pleasantly reminded of this novel, Sri B S Ramulu gave me some time back.

The writer Sri Nerella Srinivasa Goud is a practicing toddy tapper.
He took up to writing because he has the necessary urge in him.
It is neither the language nor the erudition that makes a writer.
It is the urge inside to tell the world about what you feel and it's force that matters.
Entire folk literature has proved this matter alreday.
Though not exactly in folk or folkish style, this writer once gain has proved the paradigm once again.
I thank Sri B S Ramulu for introducing this writer's work to me.
More such works in dialect should come to keep the language alive.


శ్రీశ్రీ గారు కాదేదీ కవితకనర్హం అన్నట్టు, కారెవరూ రాసెటందుకు అనర్హులు అని రుజువు చేసినరు ఈ రచయిత.


పుస్తకం పేరు బతుకుతాడు అని అచ్చేసినరు.
బతుకుతడు అన్నా బతుకుతాడు అన్నా కొంత మందికి ఒకటే అర్థం.
మనకట్లగాదు.
అయినా పుస్తకం పేరు బతుకు తాడు అని ఇరగ్గొట్టింటె బాగుండునేమో అనిపించింది.
ఈడ బతుకు తాడు అంటె గవుండ్ల మోకు.
దానితోనే తాటిచెట్టు ఎక్కుతరు.
అదే ఈ నవలకు ప్రాణము.

నేను ఈ పుస్తకాన్ని శాన శ్రద్ధతోని చదివిన.
రాసినాయినకు శాన ఓపికె ఉన్నది.
చదువుకోవాలంటని శాన కోరికె ఉన్నది.
అట్లాంటని ఆ చదువేదో అయ్యిన దానుక ఆయిన ఎదురు చూడలేదు.
కథ చెప్పేటందుకు చదువు అవుసరం లేదంటని అందరికి తెలిసేటట్టుగ రాసిండు.
ఆ బతుకులు, అందుట్ల కష్టాలు, పల్లె మనుషుల తీరు, చదువుతుంటే రాత బాగున్నది కాని మనుసు కలకలమన్నది.
గవుండ్లంటె శాన బలిసినోండ్లున్న కులమంటని నేను అనుకున్న.
కానీ నాకు అసలు సంగతి అర్థమయింది.
ఆయన కత చెప్పిది గూడ ఇందుకేనేమో అనిపించింది.


శ్రీనివాసులు రాసిన కథలు గూడ కనిపించినయి.
అంటే ఆయిన మానకుండ రాస్తున్నడన్నమాట.
మంచి సంగతి.
ఇట్లంటోండ్లు ఇంకా రాయాలె.
అప్పుడన్న అందరికి నిజము తెలుస్తది.
పుస్తకము ఎయ్యంగనే గాదు.
అది అందరికి తెలువాలె.
ఎట్ల అని నాకనిపించింది.
నా చాతనయిన పని నేను చేస్తున్న.
పది మంది చూచినా నా పనికి ఫలితం దొరికినట్టే.

Sri Ramulu wrote a forceful introduction to the book.
He has all the reason to say what he said.
I have my reason to think that he is too very passionate about the work.
However, his introduction is worth reading.


Let us enjoy good reading!
#######

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Kapu Rajaiah - Paintings

I cannot write much about Kapu Rajaiah Garu.
I only met him once.
I clearly remember that he spoke as little as possible.
The young man escorting him did all the talking.
I am sure Rajaiah Garu believes in his art more than anything else.
Here are two outstanding works of Rajaiah Garu with the rustic theme from the rustic background from which he comes.
I liked them most sinceIi am also a villager like him.



కడగండ్ల బ్రతుకులు
తైలవర్ణం, 1989

ఈ పెద్ద చిత్రం పూర్తిగా జానపదశైలిలో చిత్రించబడింది. ప్రమాదభరితమైన కల్లుగీత వృత్తితో జీవించే గ్రామీణులు ఇందులో చిత్రించబడ్డారు. వస్తువులో సహజంగా కనిపించే శక్తీ, లయా, స్పందనా ఆవిష్కరించడానికి కేవలం ప్రాథమిక వర్ణాలే ఇందులో ఉపయోగించబడ్డాయి. ఏ కోణంనుంచి చూచినా ఇందులో చక్కని సమతౌల్యం, ఠీవి కనిపిస్తాయి.



(Click on the images to see them in original size)
పాలోయమ్మ పాలు
తైలవర్ణం, 1987

ఈ చిత్రంలోని వస్తువు పూర్తిగా తెలంగాణానికి చెందింది. వర్ణసౌందర్యం, మనోభావం, సొగసు, ఆప్యాయత ఇందులో కనిపిస్తాయి. ఈ గొల్లెతలు పల్లెలలో మధురకంఠాలతో క్రేతలను ఆహ్వానిస్తూ పాలు అమ్ముతూ ఉంటారు.

The legends of the paintings are written by the famous art critic Sri A S Raman.
So is the introduction of the artist as seen below.



Let us enjoy the beauty that flowed from the brushes.
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Saturday, December 19, 2009

Tiruvizha Jayashankar - Nadaswaram

There was a time when Jayashankar and Valayappatti regaled audience with their power performances.
I am witness to many of their concerts.

Interestingly Jayashankar was an announcer at AIR Tiruvanantapuram.
I met him there briefly.

I don't know what happened, but, we do not listen much of them.

Here is a recording of these scintillating artists.

Team:


Tiruvizha R Jayashankar - Nadaswaram
Sri Vettikavala Sasikumar - Support
Sri Valayappatti A R Subramanian - Thavil
Sri Subbukrishnaiah - Thavil

Items:

01 Mahganapathim - Nata.mp3
02 Pramapurusham - Lalitapanchamam.mp3
03 Kaligiyunte gada - Keeravani.mp3
04 Dhanasri Swati Tirunal item.mp3

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca3759fd6b86916bf3
 
Let us enjoy good music.
**********

Friday, December 18, 2009

You are not what you think you are!


When you look at yourself in the mirror, it would be perfectly reasonable for you to assume that what you are looking at is mostly you.

Sure, there might be some bacteria living on your skin, maybe a flea that might have jumped off a passing dog, perhaps even some lice from a friendly neighbourhood preschool lice plague, but by and large, you should be mostly you.

But it turns out that hardly any of you is actually you.

Surprisingly, a lot of the science in this story comes from nursery rhymes.

You probably remember the one in which little girls are described as being made of "sugar and spice and all things nice". This is totally correct, because they are indeed made of sugars, fats and proteins.

But, would you believe it, another line from the same rhyme is also kind of correct when it says that little boys are made of "slugs and snails and puppy dogs' tails".

Yep, it's true. We humans are mostly made from other life forms.

So here's the really weird part.

Only about 10 per cent of the cells in your body actually belong to you. These add up to about 1–10 trillion cells.

The other 90 per cent of the cells in your body belong to other living creatures. The vast majority of these other living creatures are the 10–100 trillion single-celled beasties (such as bacteria) living in your gut.

In total, these bacteria and their little friends weigh about 1.5kg. The reason that they weigh so little, even though there are so many of them, is that these cells are much smaller than human cells.

The result is that each of us is a strange bacterial-human hybrid. On a cellular level, we are more microbe than man.

The bacteria started colonising your gut as you came down the birth canal, and were pretty well established by the time you were two years old.

Your gut is surprisingly large. If you rolled it out it would be as long as a bus, and if you flattened it out, it has the surface area of a football field.

There are at least 1000 different species of these single-celled critters colonising your gut.

It's quite a fair and reasonable relationship that we have with them.

On one hand, they do their own thing, in the comfort and safety of the human gut. They make little baby copies of themselves, and they communicate with each other.

And when we eat, they eat. They store and redistribute energy, and they maintain and repair themselves.

But in return, they do stuff for us. They make vitamins for us. They also break down carbohydrates that we cannot digest, and extract energy from them.

We humans have about 98 enzymes that can break down carbohydrates. The bacteria in our gut have over 240 enzymes to turn carbohydrates into energy.

In fact, if it wasn't for the single-celled creatures in our gut, we'd all be a lot thinner.

In one study, mice were delivered by Caesarean section in sterile conditions, so they had no bacteria (or their little friends) living in their gut. The mice were then raised in sterile environments, and fed only sterile food.

Compared to their 'regular' germ-laden siblings (who were fed the same food), they ate 29 per cent more and yet, were very skinny, carrying 42 per cent less fat.

And then, when their mice guts were colonised with the single-celled creatures of their 'regular' siblings, they simultaneously ate less and got fatter.

Back in the old days, when food was hard to come by, having bacteria in your gut was an advantage. They would help you extract extra calories from the food. And both you and the bacteria would benefit.

But these days, food is easy to come by. Even so, there are some people who swear blind that they eat hardly anything, and yet put on weight.

If that's true, maybe they just have super-efficient bacteria, wringing those extra calories out of their diet.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Sheik Chinna Moulana - Nadaswaram

Moula Saheb, as he is dearly called by the rasikas was a great man.
He is one among the five people from Andhra Pradesh to have been the recepient of coveted "Sangita Kalanidhi" title of Madras Music Academy.

Following is a part of the write up about the Maestro in Hindu.
 
Chinna Moula - chinna in this case meant younger, as against pedda or the elder - might have remained a provincial musician had he not learnt to combine the Thanjavur style of music with that of his native school; in the event, he was accepted as a nagaswara vidwan of great merit in Tamil country. His hero was Nagaswara Chakravarti T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai, whose birth centenary was celebrated two months ago. There was poignancy when Chinna Moula, delivering his presidential address at the Music Academy's annual festival last December, said that he would place the Sangeeta Kalanidhi title at the "feet" of the late Rajarathnam Pillai before accepting it; poignancy because the Academy had not deemed it fit to honour Rajarathnam with the title, apparently because he had thumbed his nose at the establishment.


The Academy chose to honour Chinna Moula for a combination of reasons. First, no nagaswara vidwan had been given the title for 37 years. Secondly, Chinna Moula was an outstanding exponent of the nagaswara, a maestro no less, with a large following. Thirdly, he hailed from Telugu country and it would be in keeping with the image of the Music Academy as an all-India organisation to go beyond the boundaries of Tamil land to honour an 'outsider', although Chinna Moula had lived in Srirangam, near Tiruchi, for many years and acquired the status of an honorary Tamil. Finally, as the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of Independence, it was fitting to honour a man who symbolised not only linguistic but religious harmony.



Here is an exceptionally good recording of Maoula Saheb's Nadaswaram.
Not many would do a RTP on Nadaswaram.

Items:


01 RTP Todi Adi.mp3 (30 mts)
02 Jagadoddharana kapi Adi.mp3
03 Murugan Endradume Ragamalika.mp3
04 Magudi.mp3
05 Laali.mp3
06 Note.mp3

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca783dd4fc3c47f6f0

Let us enjoy good music!
************

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tsu

Indian philosophy says,"Let noble ideas come from all sides."
This is what Loa Tsu, the great Chinese master has to say about wisdom.
The Taoism started with him, though he is not the first to moot the idea.
According to legend Lao Tzu was keeper of the archives at the imperial court. When he was eighty years old he set out for the western border of China, toward what is now Tibet, saddened and disillusioned that men were unwilling to follow the path to natural goodness. At the border (Hank Pass), a guard, Yin Xi (Yin Hsi), asked Lao Tsu to record his teachings before he left. He then composed in 5,000 characters the Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power).



అందమయినవాటి అందం గురించి అందరికీ తెలుసు.
అందుకే అనాకారితనమంటే గూడా తెలుసు.
పనితనం గలవారి గురించి తెలుసు.
పనితనం లేకపోవడమూ తెలుసు.

ఉన్నది, లేదు అన్నవి,
ఒకదానికొకటి ఆధారాలు.
కష్టం, సులభం కూడా అలాంటివే.
పొడుగు, పొట్టి అన్నవి,
ఒకటి ఉంటేనే మరొకటి తెలుస్తుంది.
ఎత్తూ, తగ్గూ అంతే.
శబ్దం, స్వరాలూ అంతే.
ముందూ, వెనుకలూ అంతే.

అందుకే, తెలివిగలవారు,
ఏంచేయకుండానే పనులు సాధిస్తారు.
మాట్లాడకుండానే ఆజ్ఞలిస్తారు.

పని జరుగుతుంది.
ఎలాగన్నది తెలియదు.
అస్తిత్వాన్ని కాదనలేనగల శక్తి అందులోనే పుడుతుంది.

What exactly is this?
Help me with some interpretation please!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sri T R Mahalingam with disciples


Mali sir was asked to name his disciples.
He mentioned only three names.
They were Sri Ramani, Sri N S Srinivasan (Hyderabad Srinivasan for whom Sir used to come all the way to Hyderabad) and Sri Natarajan.

Of course, it was a different matter all together that he told me that the Reception Clerck at the Hotel Dwaraka (Hyderabad) as his latest, (perhaps the last also} disciple.
Mali Sir was staying at Hotel Dwraka for almost a month.
The room was booked in some other name.
Not a soul knew that he was there.
That is what exactly he wanted. Peace!
(Of course a few of us were privy to his time almost daily!
Jagan will stand testimony!)

Then somehow the young receptionist got to know that the guest was a flautist.
He mustered courage one day and knocked on the room door.
The jovial man he was, Mali sir accepted the request to teach him playing on the flute.
He asked the youngman to go and buy a flute.
That is all that happened.
The gentleman must be having the flute and the sweet memories with him!
Is that not enough?

Now, to the music!!
Here are two rare recordings for you.

In the first one Mali sir is accompanied by Sri Ramani and also Sri Srinivasan.
Mridangam is by Sri Dandamudi Ramamohana Rao.
Swararagasudha - Shankarabharanam flows!

In the second one only N S Srinivasan follows the guru.
Sri Neti Srirama Sharma on Violin, Sri Yella Venkateswara Rao on Mridangam and Sri P Rama Rao on Kanjira make the team.
A short Evarani and a Kambhoji with Evari mata are the items.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca9b7cceef56ba9513

That is where the files are!!
Enjoy!
***********

Monday, December 14, 2009

Raju Guide - Asha Raju

There are poems and there are poems that make you think,
because they have depth.
There are poets and there are good poets.
Asha Raju is an exceptionally good poet among the contemporary Telugu poets.
His poems strike a blow in your face.
His poems caress you like as if you are a baby.
I like his poetry not because he is a friend.
I like it because I like subtility.
In 2008 Jhari Poetry Circle brought out a small book of his poems.
The title is "Raju Guide"
There are only seven poems, all titled Raju Guide with a subtitile in parenthesis.
I know Asha Raju likes good films and good music too.
He tells in the opening pages of the book that he has written these seven poems under the influence of Urdu Mushairas.



The last poem "Raju Guide (Pakka Hyderabadi)" is the hearts cry of all true Hyderabadis.
This is only one page from the seven page long poem for you!


It looks, Poetry these days, is not read by many people.
Even earlier, there was a feeling that only poets read poetry.
Somebody wrote me recently that only bloggers read blogs.
Neither of the ideas appear right to me.
Read the following lines!
You will feel the strength in them!!
I feel that the other poems in the book are equally forceful.
Here is another for example.

రాజూ గైడ్ (స్వాప్నికుడు)

కలా గంటీ
కలా గంటీ
అయ్యో
ఓయ్ వేమనా

కళ్లమీద
గాజుబొమ్మ
అయ్యో

ఓయ్ వేమనా


భళ్లుమనీ
కిందపడే
అయ్యో

ఓయ్ వేమనా


కిందబడ్డ
ముక్కలన్నీ
అయ్యో
ఓయ్ వేమనా
 
చేపలయ్యి
కొట్టుకునే
అయ్యో
ఓయ్ వేమనా
 
Thus goes the poem!
It goes much further!
Wah! Kya baat Hai?
Yar abki baar miloge na!
P T Paan zuroor khilaoonga!
 
That is our common interest!
Do you know what that is?

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Kapu Rajaiah - Batakamma

Kapu Rajaiah, born in a poor family in a remote place of Siddipet of Medak district, is known for revolutionary changes in the modern Indian art. His work popularized the fragrance of rural breeze moist with the fragrance of earth and sweat of toiling masses.

He made an imprint for introducing folklore and rural traditions of art into Indian modern art. His paintings speak of men and women of varied communities characteristic of Telangana villages.

He developed a style that is a unique blend of Nakashi and other folk art forms. The result is unforgettable colour enriching life of rural folk, Vaddera women, Yellamma Jogi, fishermen, potters, toddy tappers, basket weavers, or fortune tellers or festive mood of Kolatam, vasantha keli. His paintings are a magical interplay of primary colours.

Before making my post ready, I searched for Batakamma and Rajaiah on the net and found the above write up as a part of a post in a blog.

I was bringing a series of paintings with autographs of celebrities on them.
I am not breaking the thread here also.
Here is a painting of Sri Kapu Rajaiah published in the souvenir of World Telugu Conference.


The autograph on the painting is of Smt. Vasireddy Sitadevi, the novelist.

Interestingly Rajaiah Garu personally gave me his portfolio in 1993.
I kept it as a very precious possession of mine, all these days.
Just like classical muisc I kept, these paintings also have gained value over time.
I am happy that I am able to share these art pieces with the world after such a long time.


(Click on the images to see them in full size)
The second painting is from the portfolio and is also titled Batakamma.
Rajaiah garu, being from Telangana must have made this theme dearer to his heart.

There is a lot to be shared here from and about his work.
Keep watching this spacefor more paintings, sketches and a write up by none other than ASRaman, the celebrated art critic and Editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India.

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Sri Nedunuri Krishna Murthy - Vocal

Nedunuri is a great friend.
On his invitation, I spent almost a week with him when he was conferred Sangeeta Kalanidhi by the Chennai Music Academy.
I had to leave before the new year started.
After the Sadas, he went all the way to Kurnool to pay respects to his Guru Sri Sripada Pinakapani garu.
On the way he spent a day at Hyderabad.
Perhaps nobody knew that he was in town.
Nedunuri was alone in his room in Hotel Dwaraka.
I was the lone visitor.
We spent a long time discussing music.
It speaks volumes about his personality.
I cannot forget the Annamacharya song he sang for me alone on the seashores at Vizag.
Nedunuri is another name for simplicity.
His music takes you, on the contrary, to the heights!

This is what Hindu wrote about him when he turned 76.


Nedunuri Krishnamurthy has sung for 52 years at the Music Academy, taking a short break only when his health did not match up to his enthusiasm. His father died in 1959 and his mother in 1968, both happy that their son's dream had been fulfilled. Over the years great honours have been conferred on him. Sangeeta Kalasagara, Swar Vilas, Gayaka Choodamani Sangeeta Samrat, Sangeet Natak Akademi award, the Sangeeta Kalanidhi are but a few in the long list of awards that he has received. In May 2003, he received the Dr. K. V. Rao and Dr. Jyoti Rao Award conferred by the Telugu Fine Arts Society, U.S.



His music has carried him from the by lanes of Pithapuram to distant shores. But, he retains a soft corner for the discerning music audience of Tamil Nadu and considered it a compliment when once long ago someone asked him, "Are you a musician from Thanjavur?"

On another occasion, critic Subbudu admiringly asked, "Has Carnatic music migrated to Andhra?" Andhra-born he certainly is, but Krishnamurthy sings Tamil songs with comparable relish and equal attention to lyrics. "These are not special qualifications but necessary requisites for a singer." Reveals Nedunuri, "while singing, the intention of the composer has to be conveyed and that can only be done by correctly enunciating the lyrics and I do think that many of Papanasam Sivan's songs are comparable with those of the `Trinity'.

I bring to you a radio recording of Sri Nedunuri from the collection kindly sent by Sri Thiagarajan Sir of Chennai.

Team:


Sri Nedunuri Krishna Murthy - Vocal
Sri VVRavi - Violin
Sri RRamesh - Mridangam

List of Items:

01-ORajeevaksha-Arabhi.mp3
02-Lavanyarama-Poornashadjam.mp3
03-Todi-Ragam.mp3
04-RajuVedale-Todi.mp3

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335cae68d7d7422169633

This concert is also available on Sangeethapriya.
The folder link is:

http://sangeethamshare.org/vijayagopal

Great people and Great Music!!
**************

Friday, December 11, 2009

A page from the diary


I am not writing any diary these days.
I used to write and it usually was never about me.
The following page is from 2000.

Here I have kind of done some introspection.
How many days do we do something like that?
In my training classes I usually ask people to spare some time in a day to think about what we have done on that particular day.
But, I am not doing that these days.
I will sure get back into my own style of living again.

Now, about this page.
The last paragraph says,
Why so many ways for your mind?
Why so many avocations?
What do I care about what happens to Telugu poetry?
What do I care about whatever happens to Telugu language?
Why have a feeling that Culture is your fathers property?
Why feel that you breath science?
Is the desire that you should alone do everything driving you forward?
Or, that desire is fettering you?

I think I was right when I asked myself these questions.
That is my problem now!
Too much to do!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi

Whether you accept or not, reading some people makes you think again about teh way you live.
I found Rumi an exceptionally imressive thinker. His prose is compelling. Poetry though sounds simple, is thought provoking.


Rumi’s poetry is wide ranging and encompasses many different ideas but behind all the poetry the essential theme was the longing and searching for the union with the divine. Rumi was himself a great mystic. His outpourings of poetry were a reflection of his own inner consciousness. Ironically Rumi said that no words could adequately explain the experience of mystical union. Yet his words are inspiring signposts which point towards the divine.



In his poetry Rumi frequently uses imagery which may be unexpected. For example although Islam forbids alcohol, he often describes the sensation of being “drunk and intoxicated with ecstasy for his beloved." Here drunk implies the bliss of the divine consciousness. Love is a frequent subject of Rumi's poems, descriptions of seeming romantic love is an illusion to the all encompassing pure, divine love. Metaphors such as this are common to other Sufi poets such as Omar Khayyam, Hafiz, and Attar.


Rumi's poetry is so widely appreciated because it has the capacity to uplift our own consciouness. Reading the words of Rumi can awaken in ourselves, our own spiritual self.

Here is a poem of Rumi.

You think you are alive

because you breathe air?
Shame on you,
that you are alive in such a limited way.
Don't be without Love,
so you won't feel dead.
Die in Love
and stay alive forever.






सोंचते हो के जिंदा हो
सिर्फ इस लिए के सांस चलता है
लानत है तुम पर
इतना सिकडा हुआ डिंदगी जीते हो
प्यार बिना रहो नहीं
के मरा हुआ महसूस न हे
प्यार मे मरो
के हमेषा के लिए जिंदा रहो



బ్రతికున్నాననుకుంటావు!
కేవలం ఊపిరి పీలుస్తున్నావు గనుక!
సిగ్గుగా లేదూ?
ఇంత ఇరుకుగా బ్రతకుతున్నానని?
ప్రేమ లేకుండా ఉండకు!
ఇక చచ్చానన్న భావం కలుగదు
ప్రేమకై చావు!
అలా కలకాలం బ్రతికి ఉండు.
.
Is that not what all great people told?
It need not be esoteric.
Simple facts are enough.

I found only the English version.
Translations are mine.
Gustaqi muaaf
#########

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Music Uploads

Dear Friends and Muisc Lovers.
I have news for you.
I have started uploading music to Sangeethamshare.
I thank the moderators for allotting me a folder.
My first upload was a Nadaswaram Concert of Sri Namagiripettai Krishnan.
My interest in Karnataka sangeetam is because of Nadaswaram.I still remember the decenber night when I heard a Festival concert of Nadaswaram.
Those days Hyderabad AIR also used to broadcast Madras Isai Vizha concerts.

Here are the details of the concert uploaded.

Team:


Sri Namgiripettai Krishnan - Nadaswaram
Sri Namgiripettai Murugan - Nadswaram support
Sri Arumugam and Sri Anguswamy - Thavil

List of Items:

01-Pranamamyaham-Gaula
02-Paripalayamam-Reetigaula
03-NijadasaVarada-Kalyani
04-Chalamelara-MargaHindolam
05-Hemavati-RagamPallavi-Ragamalika
06-Hemavati-Contd

Those who are not members of Sangeethapriya need not go there.
I have also uploaded the concert in mediafire.
Here is the link.
 
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca857b0b108e729c4c
 
I will continue to upload some interesting concerts to mediafire also.
Make it a point to visit my blog regularly for some good music.
***********

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Flu or Flew?

Everyone you talk to, complain about someone who fell a victim of Dengue fever.
My wife suffered from it last year.
Mosquitoes are there nad Malaria is there.
I heard of this new fever when in Delhi.
The scourge has spread all over India.
In this context I bring to you an article I read on the diseases.

We humans might think we're pretty clever because we invented digital watches, colour TV, poetry, and income tax. But as far as viruses and bacteria are concerned, we're just meat.


Over the last 20 years we've seen a few diseases, such as AIDS, pop up from virtually nowhere. And now we're finding more and more diseases that jump from one species to another.

Sometimes, these diseases spill over from domestic animals to wildlife populations. In Australia, a disease called Sarcoptic mange 2 has jumped from dogs to wombats.

Sometimes the disease can jump from one animal to another, and even make it extinct. This happened with the wild dogs in the Serengeti in 1991. Domestic dogs in the area had a canine distemper, which hopped across to the wild dogs, and wiped them out completely.

Sometimes, the disease can spread to many different species. In August 1999, a range of creatures in New York and nearby Long Island were struck with a very strange and unusual viral encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain).

By the time it was all over, the encephalitis had killed several thousand wild crows, nine of the 23 horses that had been infected, and seven of the 60 people who had caught the disease.

After a lot of hard scientific work, the villain was found to be the West Nile Virus. It's carried by mosquitoes. It's well known to cause encephalitis in humans and horses in the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Europe, but this was its first entry into America.

Sometimes, the disease is just a new version of an old disease. In early 1998, there was a very unusual outbreak of influenza A (H5N1) in Hong Kong. H5N1 was known, but had previously infected only birds such as poultry. This was the first time that it had attacked people.

Very quickly, six of the 18 people who were infected died.

The government officials acted with brutal efficiency, and slaughtered all of the millions of poultry birds in Hong Kong.

We'll never know for sure, but many infectious disease scientists say that this quick action stopped the spread of what could have been another killer influenza epidemic.


The last big influenza epidemic — called the Spanish Flu — occurred just after World War I, and killed over 20 million people worldwide. So H5N1 might have been a repeat offender.

But sometimes the disease comes from domesticated animals, and is previously unknown. This happened in late 1994, in the town of Hendra, in southeast Queensland.

Some horses in a stable run by a Mr Vic Rail became very ill. Fourteen of these horses had very high fevers of 41°C. They soon died of lung disease, with frothy blood coming out of their noses.

Both Vic Rail and his stablehand got this disease. The stablehand recovered, but Vic Rail died. The virus turned out to be a paramyxovirus, which had successfully jumped from horses to humans.

The area was quickly quarantined, causing severe disruption to the Queensland horse industry. But thanks to the quarantine, there was very little impact interstate, and the Melbourne Cup was able to go ahead, and stop the nation.

But there could have been a bigger cost. The very first case of this disease was in a mare that had come from Cannon Hill. There's an export meat works in the Cannon Hill area.

Luckily, the paramyxovirus, now called the Hendra virus, did not cause damage to Australia's export meat markets.

But diseases do cost money.

In New Hampshire in 1994, 665 people had to be treated because of a single kitten with rabies in a pet store. That cost $1.1 million.

In Australia, there was a recent infection of pilchards, which left us with dead fish scattered across our southern coasts. That cost the Australian fishing industry $12 million over three years.

Back in the USA, the cost of introduced diseases to the health of crops and livestock, and to humans, is about $41 billion every year.

Sometimes the cost of these viruses or bacteria moving into previously unexposed populations is not measured in dollars, but in human grief.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Spanish Conquistadors bought smallpox, typhus and measles into South America, and 50 million native South Americans died.

Diseases have been with us for millions of years, and there is no easy solution.

There are a few things we can do about it. Domesticated dogs that live near the Serengeti National Park are now vaccinated against rabies. This seems to be stopping rabies in wild dogs.

In a similar way, mountain gorillas in Africa are being vaccinated against measles, while chimpanzees are being vaccinated against polio virus.

But we'll need to look harder at known viruses and bacteria, and look even harder for unknown ones in the environment.

We need to involve many different types of scientists and medical specialists from different fields to work out what is making these diseases spread, so that we can stamp them out.

Because if we don't, the Doomsday Bug might stamp on us.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Rudali - Stories by Mahasweta Devi

Believe me I bought this book in a second hand book shop.
Why do such books end up in wayside stalls and second hand book stalls?


Mahasweta Devi is a celebrated author.
The title story Rudali is made into a motion picture also.
I really do not know how the film is!
The story is moving!
There are five stories and an article on Rudali in this book.
Telugu readers were exposed to lot Bengali literature thanks to Chnadamama groups Chakrapani and  afew other publishers like Desi Grandhamala..
Chandamama groups monthly magazine Yuva used to print a lot of translated novels.
How many people know the name of Panchakadi Dev.
Detective novels from Bengali are very different.
After a long time when I saw this translation published by Hyderabad Book Trust I was excited.
The book is worth reading.
To comment on the author and her works will be like showing a candle to the Sun.
I leave it to you.
Get the book from HBT.
Read it!


Here is some information that will tell you why you should read the book.

This is what the writers says about why she wrote the stories.


 A women who never cries when she is supposed to takes to crying as a business. Rudali means one who cries. The other stories are equally compelling. Go on and read the stories. May be you will cry, at least within.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Paintings and Autographs.

I am bringing two more paintings from the Souvenir of The First World Telugu Conference held in 1975.

There are paintings and there are autographs.
Usually if it is an autograph on a painting, it would be of the painter.
These paintings are a little different in this aspect.
The autographs are of the celebrities who attended the conference.
Thus the paintings have an added value.



(Click on the paintings to see them in bigger size)
This painting is by Sri Varada Venkataratnam.
Not many people know his name.
Not many of his paintings are there in circulation.
I know one thing about him for sure.
He taught painting to my good frined Sri Seela Veerraju.
Sri Veerraju is a great man.
His Guru is greater than him!

The autograph is of a tall man.
Sri Bezawada Goplala Reddy was a tall man in many respects.
He need no introduction either!


The second painting is by Janardhan.
I really no nothing about him.
The painting speaks about his personality.
Majesty, detail and things like that.
The autugraph is of a personality who is well known to all Telugu people.
I was his students for a few days.
Though there were enough chances I have never gone very near to him.
In one of those meetings where we shared the dias, he approvingly nodded at a critical point I made.
That is enough for me.
Do you know Sri, Dr, Prof. Cingireddy Narayana Reddy?
Yes. Cinare for short!
That is how he siged on the painting!

More paintings from many other collections in the pipeline!!
$$$$$$$$$

Saturday, December 5, 2009

T V Shankaranarayanan Concert

T V Shankaranarayanan was a great friend.
I am saying 'was' because we lost contact for a long  time.
I remember the long discussions I had with him on muisc.
He is not just a great musician but a refined gentleman.
After a concert in Muisc Academy when I went on to the stage, he got excited and introduced me to the team saying "look at him! He came all the way from Hyderabad to listen to our performances".
Great man he is!
I cannot forget the gesture he made at me starting a Kanada when he sang in the Vinjamuri Memorial Concert decades back. That morning I told him that I like Kanada!

This is what Hindu wrote about him when he was conferred Padmavibhuashan award.


A lawyer turned musician, he is one of the few classical exponents of an art form that he has carefully nurtured and preserved in all its pristine beauty. His concerts, meticulously planned and modelled on the debonair style of his illustrious uncle and guru, Madurai Mani Iyer, have mesmerised audiences with their rhythm, grace and melody. It could be a raga alapana, neraval or swaraprastharam - they all have the special TVS stamp. An unaffected technique he has honed to perfection. After one such inspired concert, he was heard to remark: "How I enjoyed singing Kapi today." Maybe, there lies the secret of his success. He becomes so totally involved in his music that he forgets himself and his surroundings. It could be an open-air theatre; a 3,000-seat auditorium; or, a cosy hall with the audience spilling over onto his mat. He sings with the same zest and verve. Once, during a concert in this city, when the rain drove away many in the audience, he continued to sing for a handful of listeners without diluting the quality or cutting down the length of the concert. This again a lesson learnt from his guru who used to tell him: "When you sing, don't compete with others. Listen and judge your own music. And sing even if there are only ten listeners." These were lessons in humility that the young disciple learnt at the feet of his mentor.

Thanks to Sri Srinivasan, Mumbai, I bring to you an excellent concert of TVS with eminent accompanists.

Team:


Sri T V Shankaranarayanan - Vocal
Sri M S Gopalakrishnan - Violin
Sri Vellore Ramabhadran - Mridangam

List of items:

01 Rara Ma Intindaka - Asaveri
02 Venkata Ramana - Latangi
03 Paramapurusha - Vasanta
04 Rama Ika Nannu - Shahana
05 Kamalamba - Ananda Bhairavi
06 Kambhoji Ragam
07 Lambodaram Bhavaye - Kambhoji
08 Tani
09 RTP - Kalyana Vasantam
10 Eppo Varuvaro - Jaunpuri
11 Note

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca491dc450e2074889

Heavenly music! Enjoy!!
*********

Friday, December 4, 2009

Smt M L Vasanta Kumari - Old Discs

Continuing our tributes to Great GNB, here is a collection of items by Smt. M L Vasanta Kumari, his principle disciple.
MLV needs no introduction  for the music loving Rasikas.

Here is an excerpt from a write up from Hindu, published on the occassion of MLV's 75th birth anniversary.


Madras Lalithangi Vasanthakumari — this was how a Sabha announced her name for her `solo' concert in Bangalore in 1941. The 13-year-old was substituting for her mother who had taken ill. But the `substitute' was far from a compromise.



On the contrary, she created a tremendous impact on the minds of all her listeners. While many admired her, there were some proud of her too. Amongst them was G. N. Balasubramaniam. Her guru and mentor, GNB taught MLV for ten years. He advised her to absorb all the good aspects of his music but to cultivate her own style. MLV did just that and the `MLV bani' emerged that was a combination of melody, rhythm and intellect. She stunned the audience by making unfamiliar ragas familiar and lacing known ones with new contours. With great alacrity she would just shift the tonic note to another swara and out of this exercise would emerge a kaleidoscopic portrayal of a new raga, another one and yet another. Her Ragam-Tanam-Pallavis were cerebral.

The List of items:

01 Nadatanum Anisam - Chittaranjani
02 Nijadasavarada - Kalyani
03 Srijalandharam - Gambhira Nata
04 Yake Nirdayana
05 Kavava - Varali
06 Tillana - Dhanasri
07 Sudimudi Thevaram
08 Sriganapathini - Saurashtram
09 Emani Pogadudura - Veeravasantam
10 Bagayenayya - Chandrajyoti
11 Kanulutakani - Kalyana Vasantam

The link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca1f5227945c969d83

Let us enjoy good music.
**********

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Sumati Satakam - 12


(The picture has nothing to do with the post please!)
Sumati padyam
కరణముల ననుసరించక

విరసంబున దిన్న తిండి వికటించు జుమీ

యిరుసున గందెన బెట్టక

పరమేశ్వరు బండియైన పారదు సుమతీ


Meaning of the words roughly.


కరణములను = the village account keeper

అనుసరించక = without following

విరసంబున = in confrontation

తిన్న తిండి = food that is eaten

వికటించు జుమీ = will cause distress

యిరుసున = on the axle

కందెన బెట్టక = without adding lubricant

పరమేశ్వరు బండియైన = even the cart or chariot of the supreme lord

పారదు = will not move

సుమతీ = O, the wise one!

We are all now victims of corruption in the administrative mechanism.

Perhaps this was the case even in the days of Baddena who wrote Sumati Satakam.

In this verse Baddena tells the world that people have to go by the wishes of account keepers.

They are now called the revenue officers.

He tells that food eaten against their wishes will not be digested.

Moreover, it will cause illness.

It means without satisfying the officers you cannot keep your wealth.

If you keep it, it will cause you troubles.

As an example he says that the lubricant in a vehicles axle as a necessity.

Even if the vehicle belongs to the Supreme lord, it still requires lubricant!

Bribes have several interesting names and lubricant could be one among them!


All the Bofors and the current Raja case are all a different game.

There also, since the fellows have not taken care of all the concerned people, things get to a wrong position. On the whole the poet says that enjoying wealth all by yourself is not good. That is the positive message we have to derive from the poem. This is not to glorify bribery. But to tell that you have to take care of people who take care of your affairs.


Does that mean you have to pay people for everything?

These days, employees get their wages from the Government. Not satisfied with that they look for additional appeasements. That is out and out bad.

When Baddena wrote these lines village accountants must have had a bad time with low emoluments.


Meaning of verses change with time, I feel!

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