Music is a moral law.It gives soul to the universe,wings to the mind, flight to the imagination,and charm and gaiety to life and to everything- Plato

It was definitely a star-studded night. No red carpet, no flashy cars, no designer clothes, no frenzy media. No, I am not talking about the Academy awards night. As the twilight set stage to hail the dark goddess. Caravan of revelers sped towards country roads, sign boards led to good ol' Banyan tree. Beneath this huge Banyan, the Mystical musical fiesta was to unfold in to dusk unto dawn.

Fireflies' ashram played host to this musical extravagance on Saturday night. This was none less to any rock concert. Team at Fireflies' ashram had put together a great piece of Musical Collage. There was huge gathering; people from all class, color, creed, age, sex religion, language, race, beneath the night sky, they stood together in support of a cause and in pursuit of soulful music, a true sense of 'Vasudeva Kutumbakam" (The Whole World is One Family)

This colossal musical affair is convened annually. Musical evening is set in the backdrop of a theme. It is "Music with a Reason" I should say. The theme of this year's festival was Plight of the Adivasis. The event righteous to its theme brought the folklore to the mainstream through this forum. The night was settling in, Shabnam Virmani and Dipta Bhog sung Folk songs of Kabir from Malva, this event gave a great incite to subtleties of humanity and spirituality. Jazz music played by Glenn Rogers; a guitarist/composer from Australia was soulful. I witnessed Qawali by Salim Bhai and group, Karnataka folk form Puje Kunita.

Performance that raked every soul under the banyan tree that night was "Oikyotaan" a group of musicians who presented a blend folk and contemporary music centered on Fakiri Bengali Melodies. Their best performance was Radha Krishna Biraha song. Emergence, an acoustic Indo-fusion band from the International Township of Auroville also played into the wee hours of sunrise.

The crowd was raving the fabulous presentation. Music was intoxicating, trance had just then set in and soul sensed a serene bliss, body and mind felt afloat. I sat there reminiscing about similar opulent Music and Dance extravagance, Bangalore played host to one such music festival in the past. Protima Bedi was the one who initiated such elaborate music and dance festival by name "Vasantha Habba" in Nrityagram, which was again dusk to dawn event.

Vasantha Habba was known as India's very own 'Woodstock' of classical dance and music. Bangalore was proud of this cultural event. It is very unfortunate that Protima is not amidst us anymore and her absence is felt. This annual event is Nostalgia for now. Regrettably, this event was called off this year too, due to lack of sponsors.

It is appreciable fact that Fireflies is making an effort to initiate similar event with a different motive although. Fireflies had embellished a musical grandeur; it presented the audience a musical gourmet. It was a prefect blend of Indian folk, classical and international music. Artist and performers sure made best use of this musical forum to exhibit their talents. This was my first visit to the event. This would be memorable one.

Eulogy

Now that the passions deceased,
Sweet congeries of fantsy stashed away
No newfangled ideas about life ahead.

Melancholy, call it obscure musing if u may
I am growing to be a mournful optimist

Destiny has clocked me on the face
looking at the bleak visage of my future,
It's time to sojourn my foregone

Set out on a quest to invoke the dead
Out the black bile, Unbend the twisted soul

Who’s in line to get me hitched?

What inspired me to write this thing, is a bunch of lovely colleagues. Well may be Monday morning my draining face shouts out loud, I am single and available, please get me hitched! Even in the 21st century, world around me has still not come to terms with the fact that an individual can stay alone. Yes! Stay alone without being coerced by the words such as commitment, companionship, relationship, love, romance and of course Marriage (with the big “M”)

I do understand we have come to believe that man is a social animal, always favored being in a community, a society, learn, grow and groom in and around a cultural belief, which in fact is fabricated by man himself. Is it required for us to be bound by things which do not mean the same to you as it means to others? Just because you are a resident of same society

For long now I have failed to understand. Let alone your family and friends, nowadays even your peers seem to have a problem having an unmarried/single individual in and around them. Guess the problem is more out of seer affection towards that individual. To see him/her “settled” (married) in life. At times I felt its due to their guilt of being in a committed relationship or a wedlock and not being able drift out of it or may be they feel threatened having stray stags and gals, what if these sassy singles are set to ruin their fairy tale life and steal their spouses. Why they feel the way they do. Whatever the reason is GOK!

Well mine is a close knit office. We are just about a dozen and four more, in a dingy building in the corner of nowhere. Single status is exactly shared between three men and two women. Reason I am giving the stats, is to understand highly skewed majority of people bound by the holy matrimony around me. I consciously believe they all are Monogamist too. Who sincerely are preaching me what they practice.


My preachers are quite seasoned; few of them have basked in the glory of marriage closer to a decade now and few others are newbies in the wedlock.I get a daily dosage of nuances of marriage or being in a relationship, from each of them. My Darling colleagues have set out on a project on getting me hitched! Well this seems easy for them. I wish them all the luck.

I do feel singled out, fighting the preacher’s league alone. I could tell them to lay off, this is none of their business. But it’s very nice of them to feel and think about their fellow single colleague. After all, they are all so humane bound by fabricated society. They are on the “Hitch Expedition”. I have decided to play along.