Last night I was listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan very late. And then chanced upon these three kids from Patiala on Youtube with amazing talent. They are 11, 13 and 14 years old! And the 11 year old is the uncle of the other two brothers! They will be India’s own Nusrat very soon. You can search for “Patiala Boys” or “Ali Brothers” or even “rebirt Nusrat” (with the spelling mistake) on Youtube. Unbelievable talent and rendition.

Some ghazals are best appreciated in a much delayed flight at 31,000 feet after a couple of red wines…

“Aye husn-e-lala-fam zara
Aankh to mila, zara aankh to mila
Khali pade hai jaam zara 
Aankh to mila,
Saqi mujhe bhi chahiye ek jaam-e-arzoo
Kitne lagenge daam zara 
Aankh to mila”

Another relaxing Friday evening by myself – nothing to unwind like a couple of hours of Bengali songs and tabla. I still can’t get Lata’s “Prem ekbari esechhilo nirobey” out of my mind… G’night ya’ll…

This is a gem by Aaga Bismil. The Ghulam Ali version of the rendition is outstanding..

“mehfil mein baar baar kisi par nazar gayee /
humne bachayee laakh magar / phir udhar gayee //

unki nazar mein koi to jaadu jaroor hai / 
jis par padi / 
usi ke jigar tak utar gayee // “

That was one heck of a tough week. Very productive though. Appropriately followed by one heck of decompression. 3 hour session of Bengali music and tabla. Ended with the following unforgettable Nazrulgeeti. (see photo). Do you remember the first line?

So, turns out all the people injured outside the Empire State Building were from police gunfire not the would be assailant. That reminds me of a poem called “Hell’s Bells” by Margaret Fishback, I think.

“The ambulance flies at a furious gait
That registers utter defiance of Fate,
As clanging through traffic quite agile and supple,
It picks up one person and knocks down a couple”

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

(Robert Frost)

Friday evening. Means quiet self time with music. A few hours of Nazrulgeeti and playing on the tabla. A particular lyric rendered by Dr. Debipriya Das is stuck in mind – “Ondhokarey esechhilam, Thhaktey aandhar jai chole // Khonik bhalo besechhilam, Chirokaaler nai holey”

Two hours of playing the tabla (Indian drums) with Bihu songs. These are songs popular in Assam (northeast India) – usually sung this time of the year (spring). My sister used to excel in this style – 30 years back. Last time I accompanied her on the tabla was 20 years back. How I wish she was here thus evening instead of half a world away….