Music
has always been an integral part of our lives and while being ardent followers
of Carnatic music, we as a family have been enjoying a wide range of Indian music
– from Carnatic and Hindustani music to devotional bhajans, from Kannada Sugama
Sangeetha to ghazals and film music, besides tuning in to a few popular genres
of western music from time to time. While there’s some music playing on one
of our devices at all times, it is mostly Carnatic music that dominates our
household. So much so, it’s a family joke that our house might as well be
branded as the “FM Amruthavarshini house” , with Indian classical music
reverberating from every corner of our house as the FM 100.1 (The Indian
classical music channel of All India
Radio Bangalore) plays on the multiple radios tuned in - on the ground floor at
the kitchen, on the first floor in one of our rooms, and at the terrace balcony
on the second floor…..All thanks to my renewed obsession with Carnatic music!
Anybody visiting our home or calling in between 6 Am to 9.30 Am in the mornings
and between 6PM and 11 PM in the evenings is sure to be treated to some
brilliant music in the background, and any such conversation in person or over
phone is forced to compete with Sudha Raghunathan’s rendition of “Raaga
Sudharasa” or Bombay Jayasri’s “Krishna nee begane baaro”! (I know it’s not
fair but I just cannot bring myself to turn off the radio when FM Amruthavarshini is on) Since Abhay has been training for
Carnatic vocal for some time now, I have
resumed my own training after a long hiatus, and my little one a recent newbie
in Carnatic music, our dinner table conversations often tend to be paused (Mind
you, it’s never an interruption!) over identifying a raaga or noticing the
structure of the “Kalpanaswaras” playing on the radio! Well, that’s when my
exasperated husband asks if Yesudas’s rendition “Vataapi Ganapathim” needs to
be a part of the discussion on our plans for the next day! 😊
So when the previous week’s Saturday Buzzar of Funky Rainbow brought up this book on the
occasion of World music day earlier last week, I knew I had to lay my hands on this one and sure enough this book has been the raagam-tanam-pallavi of this
week’s reads! If my little one loves the book, it’s becomes a family favourite
almost immediately with everyone being asked to read to her – from parents and
maternal grandparents to her older brother and this book has indeed appealed to
everyone who has read to Aadya. Inspired from the early years of Annapurna
Devi, the famous sitar player and daughter of Allaudin Khan, the royal court
musician at the court of Maharaja of Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, “The Magic in My
Fingers” a Karadi tales publication by Nandita da cunha (a pianist herself)
and illustrations by Nayantara
Sundrenath and Kanimozhi A , is an endearing tale that is as much a story of
sisterly love as it is about the discovery of an innate talent heralding an illustrious
musical journey.
Aayan is
once again late for his music practice, much to Baba’s chagrin. Before Baba
loses his patience at his truant son, his younger sister Roohi steps in to search
for Aayan who seems to be more interest in pots and pans than the practice of
Sitar. Roohi cant afford to have Aayan upset Baba which would then ruin her
chances of a new kite that Baba had promised to buy from the market. But
Roohi’s chances of making her father proud of her as she plans to win the
kite-flying competition with the new kite, diminish by the minute as Baba heads
out looking for his errant son, with a cane in hand. So Roohi hits upon a
brilliant but highly risky idea to distract her Baba and soon to her delight
and to the shock of her father, she discovers the magic in her fingers, and
that indeed makes her father swell with pride! Aided by wonderfully striking
illustrations, we love this book as its works on so many levels- from the very
relatable reluctance to music practice (I deal with it every day!) to the wonder
of a prodigious talent, from the intuitive understanding of a sister of her brother's mind to the discovery of one’s true potential and of course the
exhilarating power of music! A must buy for any music loving family!