Sandhya Raaga

One fine day, I just picked up my camera and moved out of London. With no destination in mind, I just ambled along, where my feet took me and realised that at the end of the day, I ended up in Greenwich, far from the metropolis, far from hell. The place was absolutely still, giving me a feeling of a totally different world. The evening sky was in all it's golden hues. Bewitching beauty beckoned me yonder. The sky is the limit? Nah, the sky has no limits. No boundaries. The colours had no boundaries. The pristine air had no boundaries. The spirit has no boundaries. How I wish I could soar over these mighty skies and disappear in to that distant horizon?

Even stillness is beautiful. When there are so many beautiful things, why do we look at the despicable ones? When there are good things to hear, why do we tune our hearing to plain rubbish, drivel, nonsense and still relish them? When there are so many good things to talk about, why do we talk gibberish? Reminds me of what the poet saint Tiruvalluvar said - Iniya Ulhavaaga Innadha kooral, Kaniyiruppa kaai kavarndhatru. Nature brings me back in my memories all the great things I read as a kid. It takes me further away from the material world. Further away from the rush and tension of this mechanical mundane existance. It takes to an elevated spiritual level and exhalted status of happiness. Wants me to thank the god for making those colours, for making the skies, for making the vast world, for making me and for making me comprehend and enjoy his creations.

And when I think of all this, there comes a thin stream of music wafting in the breeze. The evening raaga. A distant strain. As time goes and dusk falls, the raaga gets more soothing. It started as Mohanam, vibrant, and changed to mohana kalyani the soothing. When everything else disappeared in to oblivion, and the eyes could see nothing but pitch black, it transformed to neelambari. Sight, sound and breath was now sombre, and my eyes struggling to keep awake, sleep embraced me. Another night. But a more peaceful sleep, to calm the nerves. Sleep, sweet child in me. For the morrow is yet another crazy day in this mundane existance.

Mani