Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namasteshwai namo namaha

The Mother Goddess comes home ...

It is that time of the year again, when Goddess Durga descends from her husband's abode on Mt. Kailasha with her four kids to come home to her parents. And the whole of India erupts in celebration to rejoice on her home coming!

I can hardly describe the excitement in my breath, as I remember those days of Mahalaya when the whole family woke up at 4am in the morning to the tune of “Mahisasura Mardini” or “The Annihilation of the Demon” on All India Radio (AIR). The whole of the eastern Indian subcontinent, specifically Bengalis religiously tune in to the radio on this day to listen to the beautiful chants in Sanskrit by Birendra Krishna Bhadra. So much so that 'Mahisasura Mardini' has become synonymous with the term Mahalaya.

And then it is time for new clothes, gifts and lots and lots of sweets! The final 5 days of this event are the most enjoyable for the young and the old. I remember those wonderful times at high-school when the Pujas (that’s what they call the festival in short) were the only time when we the kids could go around the whole town with our small handy fire-crackers (really don’t know what to call those) and even had a convenient amount of pocket money at our disposal! This is one of the biggest festivals in India which culminates on the 10th day with Bijoya Dasami or Dusshera.

The word Durga comes from the Sanskrit word 'Durg', which means a fort. So the name Durga means 'one who is incomprehensible' or 'difficult to reach'. Goddess Durga is worshipped for her gracious nature as well for her ferociousness. She is representative of the female Shakti or female dynamism.

There is a very good article here: http://hinduism.about.com/cs/audiomusic/a/aa092003a.htm

Taraana Special Edition on Mahalaya: Monday Oct 3rd, 2005 at 4 am
Wednesday Taraana: Oct 5th, 2005 rerun of Mahisasura Mardini at 7 pm

Taraana-Wednesday Sep 28, 2005

Play List for Sep 28, 2005 (7-9pm on KEOS 89.1FM)

Album-Varaveena Mrudupani Artist-Smt. Bhagyalakshmi Chandrashekar
1. Kriti-Hamir Kalyani- Adi- Muthuswami Dikshitar

Album- Breath of the Heart Artist- Krishna Das
2. Kashi Vishwanath Gange
3. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasydevaya

Music Reviews- Garam Masala, Iqbal, Yahaan

Film Name- Garam Masala
4. Ada Artist- Sonu Nigam
5. Falak Dekhun Artist- Udit Narayan

Film Name- Iqbal
6. Khelenge Khelenge Artist- Sunidhi Chauhan
7. Paani Artist- Shweta Pandit, Sukhwinder Singh, Suresh Wadkar

Film Name- Yahaan
8. Naam Ada Likhna Artist- Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal
9. Urzu Urzu Durkut Artist- Chorus, Shreya Ghoshal

Film Name- Paheli
10. Dheere Jalna Artist- Sonu Nigam
11. Kangna Re Artist- Shreya Ghoshal
12. Dheere Jalna (Instrumental)

Album- Bhakti Arpana
13. Bhaja Vishwanatham Artists- Jaya/ Karthik Ashwin Thiagarajan

Album- Abhinav
14. Shahana Kanada Artist- Shri Kumar Mardur

Malladi Brothers: the latest carnatic music stars

The Malladi Brothers carved a niche for themselves as successful concert performers singing with perfect unison of sruthi, presenting melodious music, possessing rich voice and musical capabilities appreciated by music lovers all over the world.
When age, training, skill and knowledge are in one's favour, the results are bound to be imposing. Malladi Brothers, Ramprasad and Ravikumar in recent years have created a stir in the music circles with all the above mentioned qualities in right measure.
Their soul stirring renditions are an experience! More Information ...

An intriguing paheli!

800 Bollywood films a year …
1200+ films made in 10+ languages … yet is Paheli the best we have got to offer for an Oscar?

The jury that selected Paheli for a nomination, ought to sit and watch Oscar nominations in the Foreign category from previous years. Have they got it all wrong or is there something else brewing?

Can we please reconsider? The Sourav Ganguli- Greg Chappell episode would make a very good wild card entry!

Being in the moment

MUMBAI, India (CNN) --

"As parts of India's economy boom, and competition becomes more intense at work and at school, more and more businesses and corporate workers are turning to spirituality to find their peace." CNN Eye on India.

Bhakti Arpana- New Release Sep 18, 2005

Bhakti Arpana
A medley of rare melodies
A collection of 16 classical devotional pieces in seven languages. Brief introductions of the artists:

Jaya Thiagarajan
Driven by a passion for music since childhod, Jaya has honed her talents under the tutelage of the doyens of South Indian classical music including Sri. Voleti Venkateshwarulu and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri. D.K. Jayaraman.
Karthik Ashwin Thiagarajan
His innate musical abilities were fostered under the able guidance of his mother and guru, Smt. Jaya Thiagarajan, and shaped by the plethora of renowned musicians.

Check back again for some excerpts of the album ...

Classic Pop- Revisiting the unique

Genre-Semiclassical
Ajay Pohankar/ Abhijit Pohankar: http://www.musicindiaonline.com/l/10/s/singer.1752/
Abhijit Pohankar is the only classical keyboard singer in India. The father-son team of Ajay Pohankar and Abhijit Pohankar brings together traditional compositions in an amazingly refreshing mould, wrapping the conventional and the trendy together in one melodious pattern. Their albums create a fusion of classical ragas and modern keyboard music. And they have experimented fairly successfully with old semi classical compositions setting them to contemporary sounds and feel.

Genre-Pop
Om the fusion band: http://www.musicindiaonline.com/l/10/s/album.2779/
Om is a fusion band with a difference, Their music has touches of folk, carnatic and hindustani classical and western elements like rock and pop too. This album consists of soft songs, bandish tarana & one song in which Bengali folk has been combined with rock music.

Genre-Pop
Strings Album Listing: http://www.musicindiaonline.com/l/10/m/singer.4943/
Everytime someone mentions the name 'Strings' in Pakistan, the ever popular Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar comes to mind. This was the popularity that Strings commanded - and most of it being due to the brilliant, 'fun-filled' tracks that the band produced. To everyone's dismay, Strings disbanded in 1996, and it wouldn't be until 2000 when they would come together again to release the sensational Duur - their comeback album. Source: www.pakistanimusic.com

Lovely Rita meter maid

Lovely Rita meter maid ... or .. should I sing ... My way or the highway?


Right here in the heart of Texas, it has been blues all the way since yesterday for many ... highways are packed with action- only, all of it in slow motion - traffic is moving at a snail's pace if at all moving; stalled vehicles running out of gas after 12+ hours on the road and covering less than 20 miles; may be a million+ vehicles covering every inch of the highway between Houston to every major city in the North of Texas. And gas stations have dried up, grocery stores are struggling to keep up ...

... one may wonder ...

Are we really prepared? Is that the best a government can do for its citizens? Is this the best way to order an evacuation? Is it justified to burn up so many millions of gallons of gas all in a day? And what if the thunderstorms, if not hurricane Rita itself catches up with them out there in the wild? I understand people getting out of Galveston to reach Houston, but why is Houston being evacuated? Houston is not New Orleans? Are there no strong enough structures to shelter people while the authorities take care of their food and water (assuming not all of the 5million plus are in harms way)?

We in College Station, are doing all we can while waiting with open arms to receive evacuees from coastal areas. And while the good folks here are working hard to accomodate the guests ... atleast one thing is certain- KEOS will stand strong and will keep your spirits high as long as it takes ... stay out of harm's way and stay tuned!

Eyeing India

(CNN) -- From September 18--24, CNN broadcasts a special week of programming from India.

This weeklong focus will combine live nightly primetime newscasts from Mumbai, a "Town Hall" discussion before a live studio audience and a CNN documentary on India's relationship with its northern neighbor, Pakistan.

CNN Connects: Dialogue for Peace

India & Pakistan: The Path to Peace

World News Asia

Details:
CNN International Sep 18

Anoushka Shankar's Turn to 'Rise' - NPR

NPR Morning Edition, September 20, 2005 -
Her father, Ravi Shankar, is a sitar master. Her half-sister, Norah Jones, is a Grammy-winning pop-jazz singer. Now, Anoushka Shankar carves out her own sound on a new CD, Rise.
Web Extra: Hear Three Songs from 'Rise'