Instrument.

My older sister made me turn a little shade of green when she played a Carnatic composition on veena during my visit to India. She started learning a year ago and is already half way thru being above amateur level. The younger sis is already a trained vocalist and as if it is not enough, she is learning, nay - gulping down piano notes like a glutton. Glutton of music notes that is:-) I see that playing an instrument was a age long dream of mine. I used to yearn to learn how to play Violin. I still do actually. Mandolin Srinivas is an idol I seriously worship. Lisa Robertson of QVC makes me admire her that much more just because she is an accomplished violin player. Give me a trained musician that plays on an instrument and I'll be all over him/her.

Just the other day, on the eve of Christmas, I saw a band of young musicians play Christmas carols in the mall. Sarat and Aarti went for a stroll and I tried and captured as many pictures of them as possible with my SLR. I wish I had a camcorder instead of a camera since the former would have captured the sound waves that penetrated the air making it look and feel like Christmas. I listen to Chaurisia's flute and dream of creating music like him. I would actually easily be impressed if someone would as much as whistle. Music, specially instrumental has always been a magnet that attracts a log of iron (that would be me!)

Sneha's sister plays the Tabla, My maternal uncle learned Mridangam and I actually wanted to learn it with him but I was too young and too ignorant of the fact that one day, very soon, I'd be three decades old and would regret, deeply regret, not learning it. Well, I seem to be surrounded with people who are proficient in one thing or another and I sit here, pondering over what soul-stirring music does to me.

The best visual, actually audio visual that comes to mind when I think of my Jaipur vacation is this grand old man, clad in the dirtiest of dhotis, wearing glasses that seemed to be piles of pieces cut out of a Pepsi bottle, playing a tiny, uncomplicated instrument. I captured it in my camcorder and I can re-live the whole experience of being in Ameri palace just by recollecting that soulful melody. So be it the old man begging for alms or Yanni playing accolades of The Taj - instruments have always been instrumental in inspiring me.
For now, I play the keys on my laptop, envisioning it to be a piano...wait, I am Norah Jones! May be I am not playing music, or may be I am - in my own melodious way! And while I am at it, may I actually ask the audience to leave a trace of their effort of listening to my music?