"Almost all creativity involves purposeful play." — Abraham Maslow If you were asked to recall a happy childhood memory, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?  A group of friends coming together, unleashing imagination to play make-believe games, maybe? The joy of being carefree, the anticipation of playing itself, is a happy state of mind. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute of Play, states that play has the power to significantly improve everything from personal health to relationships to education to organizations' ability to innovate., "Play" he says, "leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity". After all, imagination is the source of every human achievement and nothing fires up the brain like play. Between childhood and adulthood somewhere we stopped playing. The unstructured form of playing led to calming our minds and inducing creativity. Today, on the contrary, with the sensory overload of electronic ...

  There are several pleasant memories of visiting my grandparents' house during summer.  From not having a care in the world about school or homework to cheerful cousins, mangoes, TV shows on Doordarshan like Ye Jo Hai Zindagi, Giant Robot, Himalaya ki Darshan. Himalaya ki Darshan was a favorite among all. The snow-capped mountains, the colorful outfits of Kashmiri women, the lakes, the elevation, a mystical calling. Musical memories make a beautiful home in our minds that become a place to visit from time to time. One such vivid memory is of the album Call of the Valley .   Agnostic to Classical Music, Santoor was penetrating even the cousins' brood under the age of 10. Our imagination of the Himalayas was framed with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma's melodic Santoor. We later learned of the trapezoid-shaped folk instrument that was popularized by Panditji in the classical realm with the innumerable raags, and his collaborations with several artists in India and across the glob...

  Niravanashatakam or Atma Shatakam When I was introduced to Nirvana Shatakam a few years ago, my connection to the composition was solely due to the confluence of the majesticity of Raag Darbari & its powerful rendition by Pt. Jasraj. Panditji’s voice is a classic example of how power can be reined in and projected when necessary to make a performance robust. Most Hindustani classical pieces are devoid of lyrics, unlike their Carnatic counterpart. In that regard, when he introduces this composition before the performance by stating – Adi Shankaracharya dwara rachit – shabdon ka poora mazaa.. it speaks piquantly to the listener. The lifecycle of any musical composition begins with listening, learning, singing, understanding, and organically allowing it to become your own. Almost like settling into a comfortable breathing pattern. One can never tell when the transition from admiring it from a window to personalizing it, occurs. Chasing the elusive notes without the support of l...

During our recent trip to Alaska, we stepped out of a restaurant after a wholesome lunch. It was raining, BADLY! As we trotted along, we saw what was probably the remains of a Farmers' Market. I casually took a stroll to see the vendors/stalls  and if I'd indeed find something interesting.  There was this quaint little place that was selling jewelry! Say no more, my friends! As I glanced around, I saw very light, classy jewelry that was displayed inside the little store. The owner was busy assisting customers. I patiently waited until she was available. The nature of the jewelry was quite unique and I always LOVE learning the history behind anything. That is when I was introduced to this sleek,earthy material called the Tagua aka Vegan Ivory.   Phytelephas is a genus containing six known species of palms occurring from southern Panama along the Andes to Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, northwestern Brazil, and Peru. PC: Wikipedia They are commonly known as ivory palms, ivory-n...

There's a defining moment in our lives when an accidental virtuous encounter  becomes a beautiful part of us forever. An experience that takes you through an exploratory journey that eventually leads to the exploration of self. This could be anything.. a technological invention, education of some sort or an introduction to a form of art. In my case, I came across this experience in the year of 2015.  I  consider  myself a grateful beneficiary of being born into a family that has a deep inclination to music. During one of her visits to the US, my aunt had talked about the Havaldars and the glory of their music. As luck would have it, just a few days after her visit, the Havaldar family were scheduled to perform at the Civic Center, a hop, skip and jump from where I live. On a beautiful Fall evening, I attended this concert with absolutely no expectations at all. When I entered the venue, the artists were in the process of tuning the tanpuras.  The concert began w...

“The lack of power to take joy in outdoor nature is as real a misfortune as the lack of power to take joy in books.”- Theodore Roosevelt. "The River of Doubt" by Candice Millard,  neither exhibits a lack of being in nature nor a dull moment as we fly through the pages with nervous excitement.  Although the book is about the Amazonian river, to me it was a testament of leadership, mutual respect among men, progressive indigenous tribe of women, basic civil decencies driven by a strong determination to conquer the massive unknown. After losing the presidential battle for the third term, Teddy Roosevelt sets off on a journey to explore the mammoth, unchartered river, with an entourage that follows him from America. Upon reaching Brazil, TR is assigned a  Brazilian military officer famous for his telegraph commission and exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, as well as his lifelong support for indigenous Brazilians (which is well articulated in the book). T...