ಎದೆ ತುಂಬಿ ಹಾಡಿದೆನು-- In Memory of a beautiful individual

Hey

Today will be remembered for two important happenings. 

The first one is for the farmers' protest against homogenizing, insensitive globalising endeavours. Well, democracy, irrespective of the end result of this protest, is seemingly alive and ticking. 

The second one is not a celebratory reason. It's the sad demise of the popular singer S P Balasubramanyam (4 June 1946- Sept 2020). This is my very simple tribute that comes from an extremely limited understanding of the 'humble giant' of popular music SPB. 

My earliest memory of listening to songs is on AIR and Radio Ceylon. The popular music time on both the radio channels was compered by Ameen Sayani. At that time, I was on a short stint of forced learning Carnatic music. Not that I had any semblance of understanding of music; but, for me, at that time, this introduction served its purpose of gaining an entry to the world of music. And listening to popular music was comparatively easy as I didn't have to identify 'the raga' (I was introduced to only three ragas at that time!) It was much later, in the late '90s perhaps, that I really began to enjoy film music. Songs by Ghantasala, K L Saigal, Rafi, Geeta Dutt, P B Srinivas and the more contemporary, western-influenced singers Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Kumar, and in Kannada, songs rendered by SPB, P Kalinga Rao and C. Ashwath's rendering of bhavageethe. But, the '80s and the '90s belonged to SPB. He was the predominant voice with the 'name it, you have it' genre singing-romantic, duets, patriotic, linguistic-patriotic, disco, epic, devotional . . . 

   

 And it was only in the '90s that I really re-discovered SPB-the multi-lingual singer. what was amazing for me was his mastery over the languages--Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi-it was impeccable. It was as if he was the native speaker of each one of the languages in which he was singing. That was fascinating. He was the true representative of multilingualism, often discussed and celebrated in literary discourses. The experience of listening to him and his contribution to popular culture, as I saw it, was expansive. He represented that India which celebrated learning as many languages as anyone could and wanted to. There is an interesting song from the film Geeta 'ಜೊತೆಯಲಿ, ಜೊತೆ, ಜೊತೆಯಲಿ, ಇರುವೆನು ಎಂದು ಹೀಗೆ' a wonderful coincidence of multiculturalism coming together to create magic--the song sung by SPB a native speaker of Telugu,  music director-Ilyaraja(Tamil), Kannada Hero and the heroine from the Konkani speaking community!! Music does bring people together! No wonder this is one of the most popular romantic songs in Kannada. Hope the readers will enjoy listening 👉   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru7vdSmXejo

 

As an audience, it was with the Kannada music reality show (which he was a part of for about ten years) ಎದೆ ತುಂಬಿ ಹಾಡಿದೆನು (Ede tumbi Haadidenu) that we got to see the person who was also a singer. Each episode revealed an unknown facet of the singer's individuality. He came across as an admirable singer with an immense knowledge of music, so humble in how he shared his knowledge, his understanding of music, and corrected the singers. I would like to share one instance that is etched in my memory. A young girl- maybe of 10 or 12 years of age- was one of the competitors. She greeted SPB and began to sing a song in which the 'heroine' expresses her longing for an erotic reunion with her 'hero'. Just as she began, SPB sprang to his feet, and asked the girl to stop singing. He came on the stage, very gently asked the girl to come prepared with another song. Very gently reprimanded her mother saying  "ತಾಯಿ, ಕಾರ್ಯಕತರು ಹಾಡಿ ಎಂದ ಹಾಡನ್ನೇ ಮಗುವಿಗೆ ಹಾಡಿಸಬೇಕೆಂದಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ಹಾಡು ಮಗು ಹಾಡುವಂತಹುದಲ್ಲ. ನೀವು ತಾಯಿಯಾಗಿ ಅದನ್ನು ತಡೆಯಬಹುದು, ತಡೆಯಬೇಕು."  ('The program organises select songs according to their understanding and requirement for the program. But, as the mother of the child, you can and should not allow the child to sing this song. It is age-inappropriate") I had goosebumps as I watched this episode. What a man!! How rooted is he in his culture and its do's and don'ts!! Little wonder he is as widely respected as he is!! 

This quality of being rooted in one's ethics makes Balasubrahmanyam a highly respected and loved singer. One just needs to look at his achievements--6 Filmfare awards, an NTR National award, recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan and a record holder for 40000 songs and all this is accepted with such humility!! What a wise man who never allowed his achievements to ruin his talent and his heart!! His presence in this world made honesty, simplicity and humility so real in a society that is taken up by shallow, hypocritical achievements and personalities. 

Wish he had a little more time here but it is a well-earned Rest and may the journey to the Heavenly Abode be a joyous one!! 

 RIP S P Balasubrhamanyam  🙏🙏

     

'

 

ರೇಖೆಗಳ mazeನಲ್ಲಿ

 Hey. 

 ಕಳೆದ ವಾರದಿಂದ ಮರುಕಳಿಸಿತ್ತಿರುವ ಜೀವನದ ಒಂದು ಪಾಠ ರೇಖಾ ಗಣಿತದ ಮೊದಲ ಕಲಿಕೆ. ಅದು ನೇರವಾದ, ಅಂಕುಡೊಂಕಾಗಿಲ್ಲದ, ಸರಳ ರೇಖೆಯನ್ನು, scale ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಪೆನ್ಸಿಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯುವುದು. ಇದು ಬಹುಶಃ 2 ಅಥವಾ 3ನೇ ತರಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಿರಬಹುದು. ಕಷ್ಟ ಎನ್ಸಿದ್ದು ಪೆನ್ಸಿಲ್ ಹಿಡಿಯುವುದು; ಗೆರೆ ಎಳೆಯುವುದಲ್ಲ. ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉಪಾಧ್ಯಾಯರು ದೂರ ನಿಂತು ಗೆರೆ ಎಳೆಯುವುದನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಟ್ತರೆ, ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗೆರೆ ಎಳೆಯುವುದನ್ನು ಕೈ ಹಿಡಿದು ಕಲಿಸಿದ್ದರು; ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರು ಸ್ನೇಹದ ಗೆರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು, ಎಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಈ ಗೆರೆಯೆಳೆಯುವ ಕಲಿಕೆ ಅಸಹನೀಯ ಅನ್ನಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ--ಬೌದ್ದಿಕವಾಗಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಭಾವನಾತ್ಮಕವಾಗಿಯೂ. ಇದರ ಜೊತೆ ಕೀಟಲೆಯ ಗೆರೆಗಳೂ ಇರುತಿದ್ದವು. "ರೇಖಮ್ಮಾ, ನೀನು ಸರಳ ರೇಖೆಯೋ ಅಥವಾ ವಕ್ರ ರೇಖೆಯೋ?" ಎಂದು ಕೀಟಲೆಯ ಗೆರೆಯ ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದ್ದು ಸೋದರಸಂಬಂಧಿ ಕೀರ್ತಿ.ಅಕ್ಬರ್-ಬೀರಬಲ್ಲನ ಕಥೆಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಇದರ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಮಗ್ಗುಲು ಪರಿಚಯಿಸಿದ್ದು ನನ್ನ ತಂದೆ. ಹೀಗಿತ್ತು ಕಥೆ--ಒಮ್ಮೆಅಕ್ಬರ್ ಎಲ್ಲರ ಬುದ್ದಿಮತ್ತೆಯನ್ನು ಪರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಲು ಒಂದು ಸವಾಲನ್ನು ತನ್ನ ಆಸ್ಥಾನದ ನವರತ್ನಗಳ ಮುಂದಿಟ್ಟನಂತೆ. ಅದು, ಒಂದು ಗೆರೆಯನ್ನು ಎಳೆದು ಸಭೆಗೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಅಳಿಸದೆ,ದೊಡ್ಡದಾಗಿಸದೆ, ಅದನ್ನುಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿಸಲು ಹೇಳಿದನಂತೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಭೆ ಬೆರಗಾಗಿ, "ಅದು ಅಸಾಧ್ಯ, ರಾಜ ಕುಚೋದ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾನೆಯೇ?" ಎಂದು ಯೋಚಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಗಲೇ, ಅಕ್ಬರ್ ಬೀರಬಲ್ಲನ್ನನು ಕುರಿತು "ಉತ್ತರವಿದೆಯೇ?" ಎಂದನಂತೆ. ಬೀರಬಲ್ಲನು ಆ ಗೆರೆಯ ಪಕ್ಕ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ದೊಡ್ದ ಗೆರೆಯನ್ನು ಎಳೆದನಂತೆ.

 This lesson of drawing lines as we grow up is learnt and practised in our many relationships. We choose what to share with whom and whom not; we choose our counsellors in personal relationships. This act of choosing is also part of creating, developing circles of relationships. This is done pretty early in life--babies have their preferences (forget outsiders, babies develop their preferences between parents, grandparents, siblings). This construction of personal choice and preference is, perhaps, a reflection of what and how we view and understand ourselves.   

 As we grow up, the act of drawing lines becomes more and more a matter of conscious decisions. Personal life and relationships are defined by these lines of what we share, what advice we seek and get. That decides our frame of personality. Sometimes,out of reluctance to unlearn our attitudes, we begin to draw the lines so rigidly around ourselves that if anyone crosses those lines, they would almost be 'electrocuted'(metaphorically, I mean 😌); nonetheless, if anyone did dare to cross those lines, terms and conditions apply😆. This is surely not a fiction of my mind; Nadine Gordimer's short story Once Upon a Time is a reminder that such lines as these can be dangerous, fatal.   

        Like I believe, a little ego and a little insecurity are fine. If one is willing to recognise it in oneself, they are opportunities for us to grow into a better a person, a well-rounded human being by working on these areas. ಆದರೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತ ನಾವೇ ಅಭದ್ರತೆಯ ಭಾವನೆಗನುಸಾರವಾದ ಅಥವಾ ನಾವೇ ಸರಿ ಎನ್ನುವ ಗೆರೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಸುಭದ್ರತೆಯನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡಾಗ, ನಮ್ಮ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತದ ವಿಕಸನವಾಗದೇ ಇರುವುದು ಒಂದು ಭಾಗವಾದರೆ, ವೃತ್ತಿಪರತೆ -ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಸಂಬಂಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ವ್ರುತ್ತಿಪರತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ-- ಕಳೆದು ಹೋಗುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆಯೇ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಜೊತೆಗೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತ ನಾವೇ ಎಳೆದುಕೊಂಡ ಈ ವೃತ್ತಾಕಾರ, ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ನಾವು ತಿದ್ದಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಅವಕಾಶವನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮಿ೦ದ ದೂರ ತಳ್ಳಿ, ಉಸಿರು ಕಟ್ಟುವ ವಾತಾವರಣವನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಳೇ ಸ್ರುಷ್ಟಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ತಾ ಬರುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತಿಕೆಯು ರೇಖೆಗಳನ್ನು ಎಳೆಯುವ ಮತ್ತು ರೇಖೆಗಳನ್ನು ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿಸುವ ಬದಲು ಎತ್ತರವಾಗಿ ನಿಲ್ಲುವ ಮತ್ತು ಉಸಿರುಕಟ್ಟುವಿಕೆಯ ವೃತ್ತಾಕಾರವನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿರುತ್ತದೆ. 

     Hopefully, the wisdom that Birbal displayed is a happy possibility to create a breathing space for ourselves. Cheers to the native wisdom👍 

Do share your experiences, and observations👇    

Please share your comments directly with me to rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience.

    

The 'August' Month (II) - Happy Teachers' Day

 Hey.

 One stumble into September with the 'Teachers Day' celebrations. Suddenly, everyone is recalling, thanking, and admiring their teachers whom they have pushed away into oblivion for so long. Of course, it is not humanly possible, nor is it requisite, to remember all our 'teachers'.But, it is amusing how one of the most made-fun-of relationships takes centre-stage suddenly! 

 This is an auspicious opportunity to look at the present day situation regarding education and what it presents to both teachers and learners.  

'Education' and issues related to education have never failed to kindle passionate discussions and/or debates. From the feminist struggle for a room of one's own to the Dalit's assertion of the right to education; from a children's right to choose what they want to do to the parents' "I know what's best for you!! because I know the world better than you"; from the teacher/facilitator "You need to listen to me and learn from me. Don't ask questions" to the learner saying "I am the millennial, I use the gadget better than you, and so, Please DO NOT preach"; from news about grumpy, corrupt teachers, fake certificates to the ideal teacher-researchers who light up the learners interest in 'education'; from the ideal notion of 'education' as the requirement of the Soul to 'education' as a means of livelihood, dissatisfactions galore. 

   As parents, we all go through bouts of anxiety about the system of education. The gaps, the inconsistencies and oppressive systems keep surfacing ever so often. For those committed professionals, there are opportunities to innovate and create a conducive learning space. School education opens up scary chasms-the ever-increasing 'tuition fee', the backbone-breaking school bags that children carry, and the uninspiring classroom learning. Higher Education, with the introduction of the Choice Based Credit System, was supposed to have invigorated the education system. It was meant to encourage knowledge-seeking and equip learners with employability skills. But, like all ideal situations, this one too has its points of nemesis that are greater in number than the positives. 

  Even as institutions, learners and facilitators were gaining a semblance of order in the credit system, NEP2020 is announced. The NEP does seem to have its heart in its place-especially with school education. Higher education is always a mixed bag as the pressure to match up to the Western standards of education, especially with research opportunities, is intense. That is a matter of concern. Where School education is all about mother tongue and multilingualism, higher education shifts the focus to globalisation and Western academia. Even as a researcher, this was a major concern for me and my batchmates. Many of our (Indian)texts and methodologies don't fit the 'Western research bill' nor do we get the 'approval' of Western research journals. It is an endless struggle for indigenous research and researcher. So, the problem remains intact--the increasing chasm between indigenous methods and Western methods. 

  Undergraduate programs can make a sure difference in this direction, especially the Humanities and Language Departments. Creating a learner-centric classroom is much more of a necessity than before. It makes learning exciting when it is interdisciplinary, focusing on the complex rather than simplifying. 

     The millennial learner is very different. One, the millennial learner consciously perceives the 'multi-aspect of the world more often. Two, the millennial learners' access to information is almost at the tip of their fingers-like the snap of the famed Thanos. So, the teacher-facilitator has to negotiate with this millennial whose confidence is doubly equipped with access to the most recent information. So, the acceptance and appreciation of the teacher by today's learners are measured by the knowledge negotiated and the kind of person the teacher-facilitator is. The learner is constantly questioning the teacher-facilitator; the millennial learner is that kind of individual. The young learner displays that kind of demand on the teacher, making the millennial learner a very different kind of personality. However, they do look up to the teacher to learn. In fact, such an interaction presents a beautiful opportunity to negotiate knowledge, epistemologies and cultural ethos that are important. The currently fashionable Webinars have brought the academic world a lot closer, in one part at least. There is nothing more beautiful and exciting than interacting with young, intelligent minds to learn a few more things in the world. 

All said and done, finally, what matters is this👇 (pc: cartoonstock.com)

HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY TO ALL MY READERS   

                        

 Please share your comments directly with me to rekhadatta02@gmail.com or message me @rekhadatta1 on Instagram. I shall send the links to you personally. Thanks for your patience.