Steve Jobs No More.

What a news!! News Channels, News Papers and Internet seen a spike!! this is a new trend, when MJ died, it looked surprising to see twitter hanging and Facebook slogging. But i guess that's how new generation puts forth their respect. "Cyber-Time", "Digital-Space". I'm sure every popular person who dies from today, gonna get the same respect. Just that if FB hangs only in a district, or a state or a county or globally, depends on the deceased's zonal impact. I don't really understand how a CEO of a company made this impact. He isn't an entertainer, artist, politician, but he's a top notch business man. He placed his product in a niche market, a segment that couldn't be possibly existing without him. How could that be! 

And his dazzling venture into music industry, which is somewhat alien to then Apple company. And his amazing flight into death. The complete range of Apple Music Products are his creations when he knew he's dying. This is the thing, that made him a Superhero. Someone who knows his death, and kept working on his dreams. Isn't this something we all don't have! 

Happy Independence Day - 15 Years Now!!

Happy Independence Day to All!!

Life isnt miserable in India @ 64. All news channels talking about the perils of India. Anna Hazare was warned on his 'fast' idea. Some media guy termed it 'fast' and furious. PM Manmohan Singh gave his address supporting Lokpal Bill from a bullet-proof glass cabin in capital. India lost 3-0 in their England tour, and Star Cricket filled the 5th day with India's World Cup matches, India trash the Dutch. Coining a match result as A trashed B, or X hammered Y. Indian media isn't 64 years old to be matured for a take on sports. Sports gotta be treated as Sports, for God's sake.

For many reasons today is special to me. 15 years back, I fought with my dad to get me a Music Keyboard. He's too scared to get me that junk (in his terms). My uncle took me out on 14th evening to get me my dream electronic device. Roads to Burma Bazaar were blocked, since then Chennai Mayor Stalin held a parade. I was heart-broken. And on 15-Aug-1996, my uncle's friend, who knew people in Burma Bazaar, took me to the half-shuttered shop and came out my amazing first keyboard, Casio SA-5. I was particularly inspired by Rahman's Ma Thuje Salaam by that time, and I saw this band in my school, St Mary's, playing some patriotic songs with a twist on a Strat (Fender Stratocastor). Its all these combo that pushed me to own a gadget. I played Vande Mataram, the traditional track on the new keyboard, and felt so proud. Ever since, I made it a practice to play Vande Mataram whenever I switch on my keys. The good thing is, the more slow you play, the more emotional this song becomes of. I use to try on Koto, Flute, Celesta, and new Synth. Its my SOP. I stayed with Casio for next 10 years, buying SA-21 and then CTK-651. Only in 2005, I migrated to Yamaha and then M-Audio.

This day is very special to many like me. Too many drama right now. Long live Indian DemoCrazy.

MF Husain takes away few unanswered questions with him!!

Legendary painter, Inventor of alternative impressionism, self-imposed exile, Born Islamic, mostly Hindu art subjects! Who else pops up your memory, MF Husain!!

After his demise, made popular by news channels, in a way of payback to the fumes they spilled to force his self-exile, there had been so many thoughts and opinions on the internet. Many questioning the credibility of this artist, his nobility and religious tolerance.

Yahoo and FB jammed with art enthusiasts, talking about his artistic freedom, that other artist feared to adopt. Some questioned whether pointing on or comparing with Ajanta Cave Sculptures prove nominality on his art. I dont want to register my opinion here. But he is sure in the list of artists, whom we pity for the bad timing of their visit to this planet, especially bad latitude!! May be, we have open trade system, but India is not a free country, when it comes to art!

Long live Hussain’s art, if not by appreciation, by hatred!!

Bring it back to gentlemen!!

The TV screens were flashing cricket news and showing clips of the awards’ ceremony. Most people were indifferent, asking one another in an idle way, “So, boss… who won?” and not waiting for an answer. Even recent controversies ( Gambhir’s injuries and more) did not light any fires. As to which B-Team will piously play test cricket for the country ( heck! We all know those guys are compromise candidates and sure as hell would rather play for big bucks than Bharat Desh, given the chance), the mighty Board needs to wake up and smell the coffee. To what extent can you flog a game and its star players without fatigue ( physical and psychological ) setting in? If it’s only about the money, more’s the reason to stop and assess the excess-factor which is killing the game. Even those energetic, skimpily -clad Cheerleaders have lost their novelty. Nobody ogles them any longer. Commentators in badly tailored kurtas tried hard to pump up adrenaline levels this year by cutting cheesy jokes and making the format more interactive via Twitter. But ‘illey’, nothing worked to break through the apathy of viewers. Empty stands told their own story. Give us ( and those over- worked cricketers) a break, guys… you’ll be doing cricket a huge favour! Let’s get the mojo back into the Gentleman’s Game before cricket itself dies.

The Day Music Died - or started Dying!!!

"Bye bye Ms American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry... day the music die" (lines from American Pie by Don Mclean)... This was one of the regular songs we played in our Rock Band, 6 years back. But today, I eventually see strange things on this IPL4's inaugural ceremony, convincing enough to incline "is music dying today"!! 

IPL4 opening day featured a lot of singers performing. Very talented/gifted singers like Raghav, Kunal and Sunithi, are seen lip-syncing their songs!! Really wondering the need to lip-sync, is that something to do with the pay-check. I've seen musicians negotiating pay based on the number of keyboards they bring for the show. But this IPL4 stage looked a lot awkward, its clearly a fully recorded track running in the speakers and these singers trying their best to move the lips. What a performance.

There are some world-class musicians, who make the best use of such public ceremonal performances, to create variations of their popular songs, tweaking with the instruments, making the intros longer, running in a bass guitar, adding some effects; which is a real treat for the fans, as well as testing the musician's ability to crack the dead-ends of their creativity.

But today seemed so horrible, effortlessly playing already released MP3s and showing some dance steps? Thanks to Shah-Rukh, if not he, it would've been the worst ceremonal party ever. And on the percusion performance: Come on, where's the microphone for the Mirudhangam Players?? Aren't they genuine percusionists?? And where did that synth sound coming from, if only 6 drummers on stage? 

I think today's technology powered musicians and performers are not aware that audience are equally powered with knowledge, if not music, at least the pre-recorded speaker system, and basic idea that you cannot change your voice to a synth-voice live on stage + you cannot sing 2 lines together. Pathetic, that Raghav lip-synced his verse and chorus at a same time.

Audience and Music Lovers, should teach musicians and singers to be true to their fans, if not for their music.

-Arun Prasaad KG, Pianist

[PS. Im not happy the way I had to title this article, but thats how I felt today. Apologies if found offensive]

Art and Engineering

I was going through an article, and there was this beautiful verse, "Art with out Engineering is Dreaming, and Engineering without Art is Calculating", it sounded like one-another twisted modern proverbs framed by a self-proclaiming thinker, for a lighter glory on words. But deep inside it makes a good deal of sense. Something that explains how an engineering mind should be and how an artistic mind should be.

When I was a little boy, I had this physician explaining me that the calculative mind-pulses are generated by the left side of your brain, and the artistic/literatic mind-pulses are generated by the right side of your brain. Interesting enough to think one part of your brain is skilled in one activity. Truly there can't be any measure to separate the engineering values that proves the material possibility of a dream and art propagates the flow of human emotions across generations and tries its very best to implant the scribblings into rocks and waveforms.