One World, One Culture Series - Erhu and Ravanhattha

I started my analysis of Indian musical traditions 2 years ago. Raagas being combinations of notes rendered in a particular format, it will not be difficult to digest that we will find songs based on Indian raagas, in musical traditions of other countries like China, Arabia etc. This is where i started sensing a Cultural Unity which exists but has not been investigated or established properly. My attempt in the forthcoming posts will be to try and document and share all the ideas i have around this topic.

I happened to hear this lovely Chinese song, played on a two stringed instrument called the Erhu. I love the sound...:)

Taking a look at it, and having investigated quite on Indian musical instruments, i was startled to see that this instrument looks a lot like Ravanhattha, played by street musicians in Rajasthan. The instrument is also a two stringed simple instrument, and its creator is said to be the mighty Dashaanana Ravana himself.

Erhu

Ravanhattha

A performance by a street musician in Rajasthan. Note that eventually the tune starts sounding Chinese...:)

The whole point of similarity here is Chinese music is primarily pentatonic (5 note scales), and we can find songs based on Indian raagas like Malkauns/Hindolam, Bhoopal/Mohanam in Chinese music.

This, I believe, is a significant discovery for me as it hints at the fact that culture spreads gradually, and does not respect the discrete nature of geographical boundaries. Thousands of years of cultural interchange has created an amalgamation, which we can easily enjoy and connect in today's Internet connected age.

We should utilize the unique advantage we have to establish our Cultural Unity...:)

The love of parents...:)

{I havent blogged for a long time and feel its better i share small snippets of my ideas. I feel this will help me finally get back to writing good, long posts.}

The love that you feel for your parents is the most purest form of love you will ever experience in this life, i.e if you love them at all and are fortunate to get amazing parents like i have. As a kid i could never think i could love my father, but then a father's love is of a different kind. They say you will understand a father's love when u become one, but i am glad i am able to understand it now itself. Mothers are generally always loved by their kids, specially when they have a sweet mommy like i have...:) 

Whenever u feel down in life, and think its worthless and the worst; feel like ending it, think that was this the reason why those two lovely people brought you into the world and went through around 20 years of hardwork and sacrifice to make you a person able to support him/herself? They made you so that you could be happy, as much as you were when you were a babe. Being happy in this life is very important for that is the sole reason they brought you here. You are an outcome of their love...

I feel immense gratitude towards my parents and love them a lot, more than when i used to as a child. It was taken for granted in those days but now i know, the love for your parents is the greatest strength one can have in this World.

Love you Aanna and Amma...:)

On the day of dad's 60th birthday shanti. (L-R) myself, mom, sis, dad and bro...:)