Limited by limitations??

I've seen a lot of people limiting their potential. I used to wonder when I was in my first year and when I was a sophomore, that "Why are these people here, when they have got so much talent? What are they doing here, when they ought to be in a better place than this? Why are they not thinking high?" It has been unanswered for nearly four years now. I understood it myself and now able to answer why people choose whatever job they're given after coming out of their college. The answer goes like this. When I'm in the college, I'm happy because everything right from money to place to food is being provided by my parents. But when you come out, it is payback time. You'll suddenly be exposed to a greater world. A surge of responsibility comes on to your shoulders.

In school days, we're with only the subjects. We've gotto concentrate only on that and score marks(you don't even have to ask if you're in the twelfth standard) . Then when we go to college, it is about the college, friends, our subjects and interacting with other students in various other colleges. But when we come out of the college, it becomes a different ball game altogether. We gotto have a larger picture. Something that includes every walk of our life. First thing is striking a balance between our personal, professional, social and economic lives. Personal, social and economic lives in one hand and your professional career and the future on the other. The point is, there ought to be a decision taken in order to satisfy all these. A job that will not be a problem for your career, one that suits your profile, one that helps you to have a successful career, one that helps personally, one that can be used for social purposes(like the questions asked by the people like "Where are you working?"), and also very good in the economic viewpoint as well.

Only now I understood that people I saw, did not really want to do the job they were doing all these years. But they had no other go. They had to satisfy all walks of their life and that's why they chose it. Anything is better than nothing. That is what makes them choose something lower than their caliber. If their profile is not up to the mark then they've to accept what is given to them, especially in times of recession. The talent is being wasted over there. What can we do for this? What if there is some talent in him or her that can mean so much for this world? Is this what we call as "talent wasted"? Are the limitations in personal life a threat to the professional career of a person?

I don't know answers for these. But there is something really missing. There have been a lot of people like this who have wasted a lot of their potential. So we can always put it like this. Given with different circumstances each time in life for each of them, everybody are good at what they are doing in life. Something makes them deviate from their ideal life they ought to have.

I always feel that whatever we've done in the past affects the future. If we failed in something in the past and we want to have something else great in the future, we really can't get what we want because we are not up to that level wherein we deserve what we want. We will get something less than what we want. But then there will be an inner feeling that if we're given an opportunity to a higher level, we would perform far more better than the others. But the point is who is gonna give you that opportunity? All these remains a question that ought to be answered only by the future. For now it is being optimistic about the future that is needed. I think we're sure limited by our limitations in life. But we would consider someone who overcomes all these and gives something to the world as someone successful, right? I think this is it. Whatever maybe the conditions given, how we manage decides how successful we're. Too much of thinking is a waste of time. Let's not think much about this. But then this is True and is a Fact. This is a point to be noted and that 's why chose to write about it. I would better go for now.

-SATZ

'Maestros' as they call them!!

Music is the integral part of everybody's life. Whether it is a sad person or a happy person. It is everything that a person wants to get motivated, to become peaceful, to forget all his worries. This has been provided by the Indian cinema for quite a long time and it has provided good, indeed very good music for the past 7-8 decades. Starting with the greats like Kishore Kumar, R.D.Burman, Mohammed Rafi, S.D.Burman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Saheb, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Ilaiyaraja, Shankar Jaikishan to A.R.Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Hariharan, S.P.B, Chitra and the list goes on (cause a lot of singers and composers have come into the industry), they have taken music to a level unimaginable. The standard has definitely become high and there is nobody who can question about that.

The team of Asha, Lata, R.D.Burman, Mohd. Rafi, O.P.Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan, Kishore Kumar were able to give good music to their audience. There are so many songs that these people have given to the music world and it is very difficult to incorporate all in one post. They made a mark in the industry by giving the diamond like songs to the industry. Their secret behind the songs was the simplicity with which they made music. They were able to give the feel to the song and the feel had a sync with the meaning of the song. They tried to live the meaning of the song. For example, for the song Khaike Pan Banaraswala, Kishore dha ordered for a pan and had it in his mouth. He sang the song with the pan and that made the song more apt for the video and also gave the same feel. This is originality. They were also so adhered to their basics. Awaara hoon, Kehdoon tumhein ya chup rahoon, Abhi na jao chod kar, Chodd dho anchal, Mere bhole balam mere pyare balam, mera jhootha hai japani, dil dhadak dhadak and it goes on and on. Each one has got its own specialty.

I'm an ardent fan of the songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saheb. He has got the maximum range in his voice and he introduced the qawwalis to the world in a different manner. He was very sound technically. He gave those in such a manner that it was modern as well as was perfect technically as well. His ability to churn out swaras without missing the thala is simply amazing. The power and the energy in his voice makes the audience connect themselves with the Almighty. His supreme collection consists of Mera Piya Ghar Aaya Oh Laalni, which is the most technically sound and modern qawwali, Piya re Piya re, Kinaa sona tenu rab ne banaya, Tere bin nahin lagda dil mera dholna, and the beautiful composition of all Afreen Afreen which has got the ghatam at the back contributing a lot to its beauty.

One promising and but an underrated singer that I give respect more than A.R.Rahman is Shankar Mahadevan. He sounds technically more than A.R. His team of Ehsaan and Loy has contributed so much to the music industry. So much that they get every film nowadays. There are so many songs especially composed and sung by Mahadevan which are so close to my heart. First one is the Koi jo mila tho mujhe(Breathless), and then Chup chup ke from Bunty aur bubli, Kajra re, Mitwa from KANK, Taare zameen par songs, Swades songs, and a lot more to his credit. He is a genius indeed. He has encouraged so many people and got them into the industry which shows his magnanimity. He is good as a person and he feels no competition. He is only for music and that is what makes him a stand-alone in the industry.It is bad to compare but I would say he is a better composer than A.R.

But the maestro takes away all praise from us with his Pachai Nirame, Dil se, Ae Ajnabee, Khwaja mere khawaja(he should have got the oscar for this one), and much more. He is one of a kind-composer and we all know what he can do with his music. His patriotic songs like Maa Tujhe Saalaam takes away most of the awards. His name is in any tamil film you take and that's what he has created. The impact is great. Cannot forget the melody and peace in Vellai Pookal Ulagam Engum Mazharave for sure. He is a maestro when he gets in with the feel.

All these people have worked hard for the music they make and they have overall contributed a lot to the music of India. There are so many like Salim Merchant- Salim Sulieman, Amit Trivedi, Shantanu Moitra, Anu Malik, Monty Sharma, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Jatin and Lalit, Vishaal-Shekar, Udit Narayan, Kunal Ganjawala,Mika Paaji, Shaan, Shreya Ghosal, Indian Ocean, the great Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and so on, when you take the Northern side of India and singers like Chinmayee, Naresh Iyer, Benny Dayal, Karthik, Anuradha Sriram, Saindhavi, Srinivas, Unni Krishnan and a lot more, when you consider the Southern section of India. We can say India is filled with music. Music of different genres for different cultures and all is for the good of the people as a whole. It is music for which we live and will continue to live. It is becoming important for people to encourage good music. There is no worry for composers and singers cause they've got everything. It is for the people to get the maximum out of them by giving the correct feedback to the music produced.

-SATZ

It has given a lot-What is it?

It all started when my mom taught me how to watch it and what are the rules of it. I've been watching and following for so many years. I'm talking about Cricket. I had a dream of becoming a cricketer in my childhood days. I first wanted to become a cricket commentator. I used to watch a hell a lot of matches and used to listen to cricket commentary for hours which made me pretty sound technically(became a reason for showing poor performances in tests). I used to make good technical analysis when I was 17 to 18 years old. Then, when mom was afraid of the big sphere(the kookaburra ball), she didn't allow me to play the game. I wanted to play it, wanted to go for coaching and stuff like that. But I do not regret coz cricket has already given a lot. I still have the passion at this stage. I watch tremendous amount of cricket. I can watch a whole test match ball by ball. It is because I like it. I watched the whole of the Test series(3 matches) b/w India and Srilanka recently and also Australia vs Pakistan (2 matches)and now that of Pakistan vs England(3 matches out of 5). I've become a maniac of cricket. But then there is a lot of difference. The way I was seeing it 5 years ago and the way I'm seeing now has entirely changed. I've now got better understanding of the game and that of the strategies.

After having seen so many matches, it feels like I've lived with the players for some time now. I've tried to know what kind of hardships they ought to undergo. What people see is only the money they get and criticize them. But there is something else in their lives. It is very difficult for each and every one of them out there. It is not at all easy to go out there and perform. It takes years of practice and humongous amount of stamina to go and perform. Bowlers, especially seamers have got more problems than anyone. Seamers undergo sprain in their gastrocnemius muscle after they bowl in different conditions in different pitches. Each time they hit the deck hard they undergo severe muscle work and impact loads onto their leg bones and their thigh muscles. Spinners' fingers need to be the strongest for giving the maximum amount of revs onto the ball. Each time they give the revs on to the ball their fingers undergo a lot of stress. Fingers undergo wear as they bowl a lot of overs. Apart form these the mantra of the bowlers "Line, length, pace and the variations they show using these" takes the maximum out of a bowler. I thought batting was easy but it needs tremendous focus and reflexes. It has got things like footwork, power, hand-eye coordination, concentration, reflexes, and above all technique. They also need the ability to adjust to the odd delivery that bounces or turns. I know that it takes years of practice to have a perfect follow through. What about fielding? For cupping a straight forward shot it takes the stretching of most of your muscles. That too is not easy. It requires sharp eyes, good reflexes and alertness. Wicket keeping requires swift movement of the legs, good judgement and awesome reflexes for sure.

All these doesn't come overnight, but takes years of practice and dedication to get what you want at the right moment. In a pressure situation. Cricket has given me everything. I started to improve my english only because of that.(Thanks to the good work of Harsha Bhogle and Geoffrey Boycott). I got to know about a lot of players. I became an anorak.
I always have found people criticising about India having the no.1 test spot. But it has taken a lot, for them to achieve it. I know it cause I've been watching it. India ought to be at no.1 especially for the greats of cricket namely Sachin, Rahul, Laxman, Sehwag and the underrated Zaheer Khan, if not for anybody else. The patience and perseverance these people have shown has been tremendous. I've always admired the patience of Rahul and Laxman. They do not care even when they are sidelined because of Sachin. But they have really done their job well as cricketers. Nobody can play as that of the Wall, and that of Laxman. They play it with soft hands. Its exceptionally good to watch them play.

Cricket demands energy. Shoaib Akhtar can bowl nearly 50 overs a day and that too with the longest runup(from the boundary ropes). Murali can spin it the whole day.with supple fingers. The point is I learned a lot from a lot of players. They are really good at what they do and that is what makes them special. There are so many cricketers that I know that this post would not hold that much.

This doesn't end with the technical part. There is something that has to be done behind the scenes. Homework. A cricketer has to follow a good diet, hours of workout, hours of practice, have to report periodically for the dope test, and should be out of their family(the amount of cricket being played nowadays!!).

Sachin used to practice by throwing from both the arms to the wicket by being out of the boundary line for hours with Kapil Dev. It shows even now when he throws it to the keeper. Kapil used to rub the ball on the back of his thighs and make it shine. It is actually a technique to make his thigh muscles stronger. Ricky Ponting used to practice a shot, million times and he says it should be done in order to get it right in a pressure situation. Cricket has become a game of hardwork, technique and mindset of the players rather than a game of chance (except for the pitches and conditions). Keywords are thinking and practice. It has given me patience, it has taught me about being a man, it has taught me about what is temperament, and most of all it has given me an opportunity to know about players. The professionals. I may play cricket bad, but nobody else would have tried this far without a coach. I've tried so many stuff myself with the hard ball. It has taken me years analyse each game properly. I wonder what would have taken those players on the field to get to that level. I owe a lot to this game. I show the gratitude by watching it and being passionate about it. I love the game. I'll continue to do so until I've passion for it.

-SATZ

Moments of frustration!!!

I sometimes feel frustrated because of three to four reasons. I think the fundamental reason for which all people feel frustrated on their self is only because they are not motivated enough. Well, obviously a guy or a girl with high aim in life will certainly feel frustrated if he/she is not feeling motivated. It is a reality that he or she would be bad at his/her performance. What should he or she do at that time? What can exactly be done to get self motivated? How can he or she find the interest? What can he or she work on, for the time being?

Sign of frustration!!

There are also other reasons for being slack. One reason is when people don't recognize you even, when you're trying tough. You'll be working hard but it may not show on the outside. People will still feel that "Yeah! You're continuing to be a crap again and again!!" There is always this wrong perception that people have. The other reason for the frustration may be because you know what your potential is and still people mock at you. If you're young it is even worse because you won't have the experience. Since you're unpredictable at that age you'd not be trusted. Employers are not ready to invest in you because they don't go by the potential you've but rather than the performance you give. What if someone who's talented did not get a chance because of a day's performance and his talent not used to the fullest? Frustrating, right? The point to note is that all cannot perform well each time. There are some people who concentrate on only one thing and always work on it. They become masters at what they do.

An unmotivated employee!!

There are also those people who will be Jack of all trades. But they will believe that one day they will become the master of all that they can do. Now, this takes some time. These people take time for mastering all the fields. It will certainly happen but who will invest on them for the time being? Who can wait till they master a lot of stuff? They may have less monetary benefits but in the long run they would have achieved something that other people may not. People with perseverance and patience choose to be like this. But do people around have the same amount of patience is a question? This leads to frustration.

It is even more worse when you do achieve something and do not get the reward you should get. It is not really complaining but this is something that needs an answer. If you're not rewarded, it will make you unmotivated. What you're doing will not be challenging enough. Every person will perform at his best when he is thrown to the bottom most position. When he loses, he becomes a beginner, a novice. This makes him start everything again afresh and though it is hard for him he will do it because he wants to prove something. But what if someone has reached the ends of their field and there is nowhere to go for them? What are they going to prove? How will they react? Will they become the kings or queens of this world? Or will they be humble enough to motivate people around them? My point is persons who have achieved the extremes in life should be careful because they are supposed to be more civilized. Every action they do should be defined by them. It becomes a very difficult situation. They gotto speak each word to perfection otherwise there would be a direct comment on what they have achieved. It all vanishes in seconds. Split seconds. After that they become frustrated at what they've done.

Frustration's saturation point!!

Every person needs a guide at one stage or the other. Each time a person feels frustrated it makes his confidence come down drastically. Frustration on oneself is the most cruel punishment that you can ever give to a human being. We don't give a damn about all these because we don't notice these often. One way of getting out of this is by again reviewing your routine. Trying to make subtle changes in your routine. Make little improvements and become more passionate about whatever we do. There are humans who can understand what you do. They may appreciate. If not, do not care. A person listening to his or her heart can never go wrong or never come down in confidence. But there is the odd downs that ought to be faced by every human. At that time whom do we go and approach? I think it still remains a question. Instead of thinking much about it, it would be good to leave it just like that and keep faith on what you do and do what you can do. But I feel it would be good to have a person who would be able to understand your problem and work on how to cheer you up rather than blaming you for being in such a state. Overcoming the frustration can turn around everything. The question is how we overcome it? Ah! frustrating!!

-SATZ

Engineered to perfection

Something prompts me to ask this question. Did God get a Ph.D in every branch of engineering? Well, the answer will certainly be a yes from me, after having seen so many creatures and a lot more left to see. But I'm totally astonished already to see so many , "Engineered to perfection". Eagles with accurate eyes, sharks and komodos with such a sense of smell, amazing speed of the strike of a snake and that of a chameleon, a snake that can take flight all of a sudden, a blue whale made to an unimaginable colossal best, a sea snake with venom, a jumping croc with its mouth wide open, sloths that can hang from branches with their four legs for hours together and a lot more features in a lot of animals. The list is endless. I'll tell you some of that I admired and the amazing facts these animals have in reality.

OSPREY RAPTOR:

Have you heard about this? If it is a no, then I'll tell you what it is. This belongs to the eagle family. It has got a very good technique of hunting its prey and no wonder it is called an "Osprey". It travels between air and water. Naturally, has got a good body for the technique that helps it survive in the food chain. It preys on the fishes in the sea or the ocean. Its wings are waterproof. This raptor is good at diving into the ocean or the sea and getting its prey. Sometimes it does hunting on the surface of the sea itself. It has got binocular eyes that are far more powerful than that of man. Spots its prey 100-150m above the sea itself. It focuses and adjusts its vision just like how it is done in a video game. It locks its target. Travels downward at a speed of 130kmph and dives in by taking a plunge into the sea. It catches its prey, through the use of its claws known for its grip. The most great feature is its flight out of the sea after catching its prey. It has got flight muscles below its face, which helps it get out of the sea in a flash. The V-shaped wings are designed in such a manner that it doesn't need a run-up for producing lift. The V-shaped wings provide as much air flow as possible making it very easy for taking flight within a split second. This hunting itself takes place in just 3-4 sec. What do you say?
Is it Engineered to Perfection or not?

Osprey raptor at work!!

KOMODO DRAGONS:

These are amazing and dangerous creatures. They almost prey on everything that contains bacteria. It has got such a sense of smell that it can sense it within a radar of 11-12kms. It has got a tongue that takes in chemicals at its tip, to its brain, each time it puts it out of its mouth, from the air. The brain analyzes the composition and finds out whether there are any unusual chemicals or not. Unusual chemical composition means that there is a prey near it. It has also got sharp eyes and a tail which is capable of killing a man with one blow. It has got sharp claws for ripping apart the prey and a rough skin suitable for the terrain. Its mouth is filled with bacteria always as it devours mostly the dead animals and even human dead bodies.

SNAKES:

I've been reading about these for quite a long time. There are nearly one lakh known species and a lot unknown. A lot of variety and with a unique defensive mechanism for each of the species. I'll tell you about some of these. Pythons are known for its muscle power. They've got no venom. But can eat more than the size of its mouth. Thanks to the elastic jaws that can nearly extend up to a 180 degrees. It coils as soon as it bites the prey. The coils exert hell a lot of pressure which constricts the blood flow of the victim. It also has got 100 teeth, razor sharp. There are various other snakes like the adders and vipers. Death adder is the most fastest striking snake in the whole world. It has got a nice technique of attracting its prey. It attracts its prey by a yellow shade at the end of its tail. So it stays at one place but prey comes near it and finds death. It camouflages in such a way that it disappears even if you are taking a close look at it. Pit vipers are known for the same kind of attack. Its deadly neurotoxic venom can kill the prey in seconds. It has got pits near its mouth. The pits are nothing but thermal sensors capable of recording the minute temperature difference. Once the prey comes close, the prey is fanged and left to move away. It knows that after it injects the venom the prey can't survive for long. The prey tries to run away. But can't go far. It leaves a thermal trace which is followed by the snake and finds it without difficulty, enjoys its meal. Patience is always rewarded. For the bite to be on target, the snake has got its tongue, which just like the komodos takes the chemicals each second from the air and transfers it to the brain. The brain then processes the chemical composition and according to that, the attack is launched. Amazing stuff, isn't it?

Flying snakes are also there. It jumps from tree to tree. These are also called as tree snakes. These have got a special mechanism for the flight. After quite a lot of research with the snake, specialists have come out with the reason behind the flight. The snake bends its body like a frisbee, creating a pressure difference which makes it stay in the air itself, by creating a lift. God knows Bernoulli's equation, I guess. He has designed it perfectly for it to have a flight for atleast a 100 to 120 meters.

Flying snake at the time of flight!!

CHAMELEON:

The chameleon has a unique power of changing its colour, as you all know very well, and it has got another feature. It has got double fingered legs, four of them, and it is supported by tail as well. When it sees a prey, it gently moves towards it. It is a very slow movement. It coils its tail to the branch for support. Then after calculating how much distance it has to move to catch hold of the prey, it moves until that point. It has got a tongue which can travel up to a quarter to half feet. The tongue has got a sticky substance that enables it to catch hold of the prey easily. It has got muscles that catapults the tongue at a speed of about 0-60m/s. That's huge right. Indeed it is. It all happens in a flash that the prey will have no idea of how it died. It can reach out to its prey with its tongue about one and a half times more than its own body length.

BLUE WHALE:

No wonder this is the world's mammoth animal. Its colossal structure astonishes the human kind. It is nearly 30m long. Huge size. It has got lungs that are 500times the size of ours. It has got a hydrodynamic body shape, making it capable of diving to the bottom of the sea. It has got a heart which beats only 5-6 times a minute but pumps 1 tonne of blood through its flesh in just one beat. It filters most of the sea water and has been designed to eat most of the sea animals.

The awesome predator of the world!!

SEA SNAKES:

Sea snakes have got a small head and a compressed tail, enabling its body to swim. But do not underestimate it with the size of its head cause it has got a strong composition of venom. It can kill a man in just hours. Venom experts consider this as the most powerful next to cobras and the viper. Appearances are always deceptive.

CUBAN CROC:

The Cuban crocodile has most of its mass at the tail. Nearly three-fourths of its own mass. It has got wide open eyes. It searches its prey in the trees. Rat like creatures, nearly five times the size of our local rats are found in the tree in Cuba. These crocs scan the trees above the water. Waits for the right moment after spotting the prey in the trees nearby. Goes towards it silently without even creating ripples in the water. Suddenly jumps out of the water and opens the mouth wide at the same time, catches hold of its prey, and enjoys a nice meal. It confidently jumps because the tail supports its body and it is almost vertical, when a shot is taken while jumping. Excellent biomechanics, isn't it?

SLOTHS:

Patience personified. These can hang from the trees for hours together without any movement. It is their nature and work. It eats leaves, insects and a lot of vegetation. No other work other than hanging and howling during the breeding season. They can hang upside down for hours and that is what they are made for. Strong legs and claws that holds to the slightest grip available in the trees.

There is so much left to tell, but I guess this post is not enough. But the real matter behind this is as follows.

I chose to post this because, there is a reason behind this. Man has developed so many machines only with nature as reference. I strongly feel that each of the feature that an animal possesses has got something that might be a very useful mechanism that man can try to emulate for his own comfort. God has given all the features only with some reason behind the animal's comfort. The same thing may make man even more comfortable. Only difference is that god has given man the power to think. But he has bestowed the same power in the animals physically through a variety of mechanisms, in the absence of the sixth sense. It is up to man to discover what is useful for him and take it that he sees in the animals around him.

-SATZ

A new world!! A new dimension!!

Not a lot of people have traveled through this path because the tread is not as soft as it should be or it is thought to be. Other thing is, only certain people have gone far and some of them get out of it, not able to be comfortable with the complexity that increases as they go through the different phases. Wondering what I'm talking about? Well, I'm talking about the age old music instrument of India, the one that is getting less importance because of the inclusion of modern day electronic instruments in the music industry, Mridangam. It is frustrating to have done not even one concert after having been with it for a long time. But after a long time I've understood that it has got no bounds. People think that it is only about hitting on both sides of the instrument like crazy. But it is way beyond all that. It is about having the highest level of concentration, speed, agility, hand-mind coordination, mathematics, timing, listening and above all it is about years of practice. It starts with very simple lessons and those simple lessons starts getting combined and becomes more complex.

The magnificent instrument of the South of India that has not lost its value but the popularity.

What makes it difficult?

There are totally 5 jaathis namely: Thisram, Sadusram, Kandam, Misram and Sankeernam which have got 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 beats respectively. There are 7 thaalams. Each of the jaathis can be incorporated without any difficulty in the 7 thaalams. This makes about 35 different kinds of thaalams. There are so many lessons and each of these lessons can be combined and this itself leads to a lot of permutations. Each of the resulted lessons can be combined in such a way that they suit to the 35 thaalams. This leads to further more permutations. Each of the jaathis can be given in such a way that those 5 can be combined and incorporated in each of the thaalams. Gee, this is going like crazy isn't it? This is why I tell you that it has got no bounds. It sure heads towards infinity though some of the lessons when combined and played would be sonorous to listen to. This is not the end though, there is something else. There are various speeds in each of these. There are further division of three speeds namely: Mel kaalam, Madhyama kaalam and Keel kaalam. Each of the above mentioned thaalams can be played in any of these speeds. Maestros play it in combined speeds. So it is like giving the audience a feel of listening to everything, all together.

Even after knowing so much why can't we do it?

This is a simple question to answer. Simply knowing doesn't do the job. We have to play everything we think at the right moment. Execution is very important than anything. To do that. It requires the mastery in everything I told you. First resistance is knowing the lessons. Then getting them right by knowing the right fingering technique. Knowing to play the lessons in a combined manner is next. Then knowing all the thaalams. Our ancestors have experimented a lot and they have come up with some standard lessons. Knowing that and practicing reduces the effort of coming out with our own lessons. That helps a bit at the time of a concert. Then the next thing is to know how to play every lesson at different speeds. After all these, it should be something that would be pleasing to the audience. A very important purpose of the instrument.

தித் தோம் தகஜோனு தாம்(3) கிடகிடதோம்
தித் தகஜோனு தாம் கிடகிடதோம்
தகஜோனு தாம்(3) கிடகிடதோம் தாம்(3)
தித் கிடகிடதோம் தாம்(3)
தித் தோம் கிடகிடதோம்

16 Aksharam Lesson-3 in the middle tell us that there is a pause equal to 3 beats

Most of the time, the instrument is used wherein there is more of classical singing. At the time of the concert, percussionists are given least importance. But they make the song more pleasing. It is easy to sing a song because, the singer has got only two things to do. One is singing and other is maintaining the speed of the song through the thaalam. They are at the freedom of doing whatever they want with the song, especially changing of speeds.(of the song and not the thaalam) But the percussionist has to first work out the mathematics each moment with his lessons to suit the thaalam, before that he has to realise the speed at which the singer is singing, has to get the lessons right, and also the fingering right and has to do all these in a small amount of time. One wrong calculation or one wrong beat here or there can do the song a lot of damage and also the percussionist a lot of insult. It would show up though the audience do not know the subject.

Who have gone to the extreme in this field?

My master knows a lot but still he says he has not done much in the field. But he always says that there is a guy named Prakash in Coimbatore, who can do a lot with all that I've told you so far. Palghat Mani Iyer is one who has mastered in playing different speeds effortlessly. The living legend, Umayalpuram Sivaraman can make you involved to the maximum extent by giving the right combinations of sollkattu. It is simple for these people cause they are strong in their basics and it is their practice that makes it simple for them. It is in their veins. Each beat is in their blood. They need not do anything extraordinary. They use the simplest of lessons to make the concert good.

Umayalpuram Sivaram with his instrument

There are other maestros who are equally capable of doing a lot of things with this instrument like the Palghat Raghu, Lalgudi Jayaram, Karaikudi Mani. Karaikudi Mani is not married and when asked why, he said that he has already got married and said that his wife's name is Mridangam. He is so passionate about it and it shows in his concert.

Karaikudi Mani with his wife(Mridangam)

What I've told you is not the whole story but only a part of an ocean. There is so much in this field that I feel engineering is simpler than this. The one thing I've seen is that it is important to practice nearly for atleast 4 hours a day to keep yourself in the groove and achieve what the maestros have achieved. But with engineering as profession it is really difficult to do it. So what you do is play the instrument whenever possible for the sake of your peace of mind. Whether others have the peace of mind or not? That's a different issue but obviously it is a new world and it takes you to a new dimension wherein there is more peace than the outside world. Comes in handy when you're in the tough times of your profession.

-SATZ

Genius or Magician or Killer-Who is this guy?

Genius or magician or killer? This is the question that arises as I speak about this man. Awesome character and a cool customer. Handles his challenges without any pressure. The man I'm talking about is the spin wizard of cricket, Muttiah Muralitharan. Having followed cricket right from my childhood, it would not be good on my part if I don't tell about this cool headed player. A player who can do wonders when given the kookaburra ball in hand. A spin bowler who has got a unique run up and action, amazes the batsmen with each of his delivery.This guy has got everything in him. Started his cricketing career in the year of 1992, went on to take 1000 wickets in both formats (one day internationals and tests) of the game, retired from the longer version recently after amassing 800 wickets in the same. Absolutely strong in his basics, this man has made proud the small country he represented, Srilanka, though he is from the South Indian origin.

ACTION:

This has been his strength and as well as his weakness. This has made him visit the University of Western Australia more often than the cricket field. He starts off his action by giving some trial revs on the kookaburra from the right to the left arm. Then takes it to his shoulders and then after transferring it to the right, where he finds the grip that he needs , grips it right across the seam and leaves the rest to his wrists. Murali has a bent wrist and a dislocated elbow by birth. It is such that when he bowls, the rotation of the wrists gives the ball some more revs supported by the elbow. It makes his arm straighten up before bowling. This bent arm action of Murali has been a controversy throughout his career of 18 years. It has given some work for the biomechanics to work with their softwares and find what is the thing that makes him the owner of so many wickets? A lot of bowlers in the world of cricket has got an action in which there is a rotation of the arm and the arm straightens up at the point of release. After a lot of expert analysis, his action was forgiven and he has used the maximum of it. His eyes widen as he bowls and that also adds the dread for the batsmen.As he releases the ball, it pitches hard on the turf and takes off at an astonishing speed with maximum turn. This makes it a hell for the one at the receiver's end.

Widening of his eyes as he releases

What makes him so special?

Well, to tell it in one word, it is the quality. Quality of bowling. He has got a lot of variations. Especially, he likes the right hand batsmen of the world playing his delivery. It is good for him to see the batsmen having no clue to his balls. He reads the game well. He is a thinking cricketer. He has got a lot in his bag. The conventional off spinner, the flipper, the arm ball, the away going delivery from the right handers (doosra), the flighted delivery and a lot more. Batsmen have wondered for a while after having bowled through the gate. between bat and pad. The following link contains a video that shows how good he is while doing his business:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU1ffpk-R00

Absolute genius. Butcher has got no clue of where the ball came from. So much of turn. It's unbelievable. No wonder he is the owner of 800 wickets. That man deserves it. Even at the recent test at Galle, Dhoni was bowled in a similar manner wherein he had no clue of how the ball turned from way outside the off stump and hit the top of the leg stump. That also raised the question of why is this man retiring when he's still got so much to show the world?You can see much more including the one above, in the following link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjA3dkoFfPE&feature=related

What else has this guy got?

Temperament and stamina to bowl in whatever condition and whatever situation he is given. He takes it as a challenge. He can bowl for long hours. A number of overs with a great level of concentration. If the batsmen is unyielding to all the above mentioned tricks of Murali, then he seeks his short cover or short mid-off or the slip cordon fielders for his scalps. He flights his delivery and likes when the batsman starts driving through the cover-extra cover region. He knows that the batsmen can't manage the variations in flight for the whole day. It will either land in the hands of short cover or the slip cordon shortly after he starts giving more flight. Variations that he does through the air is as amazing as ever. A truly good cricketer and a good person by heart, who is humble enough to say that somebody will be there to surpass his feat of 800 test wickets. He has been backed by all his captains all through the years, during the bent arm controversy and whenever he was low in confidence. Like adding insult to injury, the bowler also had to face a controversy in 2004 when he started bowling his doosra. It seemed like when he bowled doosra he violated the permitted angle of the arm at the point of release. Again he was sent to the University of Western Australia for that. But after that the bowler has been unstoppable. The breaking of the records of Wasim Akram, achieving the 600 mark, then that of the leg-spinner of Australia, Shane Warne and recently the record of 800 wickets. He has been unbelievable.

Who can chase him?

As a spinner, Harbhajan has got the chance to get close to Murali. Harbhajan lacks the attitude but he has got all the talent and tricks that is needed in the business of spin. Just a little bit of change in attitude and the backing up by some of the senior players will get him going. He has got a good and unique action and knows all the nuances. He needs a strong push from behind as a source of encouragement. But, otherwise I guess spinners have to develop to come to the level of this guy, Murali. He has done so much that it would take years for someone to achieve. As a lot of players in the international arena are on the verge of starting their career it would not be good on my part to tell who would chase it. So far the chances have been high only for Harbhajan as an off spinner. Lot of players are coming up very well. But until they come up, it is going to be Murali for the number of 800. He has left behind a legacy that is indelible. It would be good for people to start thinking of how they can get to that level rather than debating unnecessarily about his action.

Players who managed to play well against Murali:

One of the techniques that batsmen have adopted in the recent times against Murali's bowling is playing the ball as late as possible. Letting the ball come into them until the last moment.The only player who has comfortably played Murali, among the left handers, is Brian Lara. The off spin is a away going delivery for Lara and as he plays it late, it is easy for him. But those batsmen who suffer the most are the right handers. Especially when he bowls to the right handers from around the wicket. He bowls either the away going delivery from the right hander or the one that straightens up after pitching. Batsmen get perplexed whether to show the full face of the bat or to play along the line. But what ever the ball may be the best way to tackle is to play as late as possible.

But most of the time the batsmen had to tell him only this.

The one, every bowler wants is the respect for him from the batsmen and he has won it from all. This guy is not only a cricketer but he has helped so many people by giving education and providing the basic amenities for those victims of the tsunami. He is a wonderful human by heart and true professional.
A true magician or genius or killer, whatever you wanna call him. He is good.

-SATZ