I only have one complaint for that day - and I started out vomiting - but that's not a complaint, just something to get adjusted to. Pizza Hut should be a thing experienced in the U.S. - I knew that.
I'll talk about mrudangam for a moment...as these things are supposed to be "mostly musical" and I'm not sure if I have written anything of music here to date.
It's Navaratri - which for me means that my teacher has been playing concerts ever night for the last week. The highlight has been Gayathri Venkatraghavan - a singer who gives herself to the music in a way that inspires the other artists performing with her. The concert was a venue for the musicians to open their ears, react to one another, and push for everyone to do their best. I look forward to the next time I see her sing.
My teacher here is Erode Nagaraj.
http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2006/10/07/erode-nagaraj/
I call him "Sir" or "Nagaraj Sir." For me it's a sign of respect. There's also a presence of hierarchy here that's unique to India. Although I've taken to interpreting the norm here for something that works for me so that I might be genuine in my intentions.
In the U.S. I call any guy I do not know "Sir." Here I do the same by default. This is usually followed up by: "Ah! Why did I just give undue respect to that auto driver, he is not senior to me." The big realization is that if I DO treat everyone I come in to contact with the respect I would give them in the U.S. - well, I'll be a lot happier here.
Nagaraj Sir is quite amazing. His teaching of mrudangam is central to everything I do here.
It's hard to find words to describe people who are this way. I should be writing an article on Nagaraj Sir so that musicians who have interest should know that there is such a sincere person in Chennai! I do feel blessed to be learning from him, and although sometimes I feel lost in all this, I can count on Sir to patiently bring me back to a comfortable and logical place for me to be. This is probably at the core of my survival here. I say that with some drama, but it's important for me to feel like I am doing something productive here. It's important for anyone, anywhere, right?
It seems to me that the guys at Reliance Netconnect do not share this sentiment. It took me weeks to get internet. Now it is taking weeks to be able to "check usage" - which is to say I don't have unlimited internet. Fine. I don't need unlimited internet - but these guys are infuriating. "Let me call you back." Even though it's a phrase that's rendered in English, it actually means "why are you bothering me calling me for customer support?" That much translation is very clear to me.
Tonight Margot arrives from New York. She'll stay for 5 months and will be looking to do some meaningful volunteer work in her chosen field of Social Work. More on that soon - needless to say, having a partner here to share such experiences with...well - it's what makes this possible for me! I am not here to lose myself in Carnatic music or Indian customs or any of it. I need to maintain an identity and I know Margot's presence completes that task for me anywhere I am.
No comments:
Post a Comment