Nada Bramham

Nada Brahma Vishwa Swarupa

Since this is a blogsite, there is no opportunity for visitors to know about my penchant for music - that is singing and chanting - almost like a mobile music system. Most often I keep the volume within myself.

When I walk alone in my office corridor, I turn the knob a little higher.

The best place I like to sing is in subways - when there is nobody else but me. I often get such an opportunity when I cross the subway near my office - The Hindu. I like the reverberations that the walls throw back.

The next best place is in the kitchen waiting in front of the four-burner gas stove for the milk and tea to boil - the most meditative moments I often experience, while cutting vegetables, cooking drumstick sambar or inhaling the fragrance of fresh kothumalli sprinkled over ready to serve Thakkali rasam.

Music moves me and now I feel the intensity of singing more these days, but there are times that I just like to remain silent.

I was just singing songs composed by Thyagaraja, Deekshithar or Subramanya Bharathi. But three years ago, when I sang a song to my Guru, Swami Akshara, composed by another devotee, he said, "You sing well, but this is not your song. I want you to compose."

I did not know the import of that statement. But the next day, as I was sweeping the floor the first line of a song happened in Tamil: Nekkurugi Unai Thozhudene Akshara Kannane Karunai Vadivame. And that afternoon, sitting in the meditation centre, then at Bazullah Road, T. Nagar, I composed the rest of the song. I later learnt that the song was in Mayamalavagowla Ragam and Adi Talam.

In the next five days saw the composition some 10 songs in Tamil and Sanskrit - they just happened, when I was travelling by bus, by share auto or just walking. My last composition was just before the Chakra Meditations programme by Swamiji at Kamarajar Arangam in Chennai. I was returning home from office by bike and the song or rather a shloka just happened describing the seven Chakras. I sang it to Swamiji over phone that night and he told me that I would sing it for the programme invocation the next day: Mooladhara Nivasinam - Lambodharam Aksharam, the song moves to Swadhishtana, Manipuraka, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Agneya and Sahasrara.

There is a cassette which myself and volunteers of the Akshara Foundations have worked on guided by Swamiji which is yet to be released. It is 10 verses from the Thirumandiram, sung meditatively with background of instrumental music, Veena, Violin, Mridangam and Talam.

From just singing songs to intensely experiencing the musical being in me - it has been a journey of symphony thanks to the Grace of my Guru.

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