Sunday, February 2, 2014

The Sound of Music -- My Daily Write-up

Tanpura
It was the chirping of the birds, very early in the morning, brought such sweet melody to the ears. Birds are very early risers. Before dawn their hustle-bustle and flights take off and in no time their melody reaches the ears. Nature has such a great part to play in our lives. And we, what are we doing, just cutting down the trees where the birds can build their nests and sing to us from and make us rise early.

Music can be good and bad. It’s the ears that can make the distinction. Sweet melodious music is so soothing to the ears. Vocal or instrumental, hardly makes a difference, as long as music is being enjoyed.

Harmonium
Tabla
Music gives a sense of peace and calm to the mind and soul. In loneliness music can be a friend.

Loud music can irritate the nerves. You need not be an expert to love music. The ears can hear, the mind can absorb, and the body can relax…that’s the effect of music.

Sitar
Classical music – vocal and instrumental – is something very special and champions in these don’t make in a day. It takes years of riyaz/practice to expertise in this art form. Most liked is light music, as it suits the tuning of the person’s liking. No harm, for music lives in the minds and heart of the people.

The sound of music creates magic and is appreciated again and again. 


Saturday, February 1, 2014

The Camera -- My Daily Write-up

The word camera immediately strikes the mind about photos. I remember my brother, who was much elder to me possessed a camera. It was a box-type camera, the name…never thought at that time I should know the name. All I was interested in was the camera and take shots though I was a novice, a child who simply loved it and wanted to play with it in reality. The pictures came in black and white…Black & White Era I’m talking about.

Vintage Camera

Sony Digital Camera

 During my childhood, we had so many photo albums at home filled with photos. The black and white images are my memories of my childhood days. There used to be film rolls that were used to take pictures and photo studios did the rest of the job after the roll was complete with snap-shots and given to them for the development process. There used to be a dark room in the photo studios and they made the positives from the negatives. The pictures were washed in some solution and then left to dry. Even there used to be artists in those studios who did touch-up works for some pictures.

By the time I bought my first own camera, it was a Kodak camera, small in size and I chose the yellow colour …maybe the brightness of the colour lured me. By that time coloured reels were used and colourful photos could be got. But the Black & White option open.

With my love for photography from a very young age, I could shoot photos and the end result was mostly good. Even then the finished reels had to go for development to the photo studios.

And now, Digital cameras have taken over. Carry them wherever you go and my small Sony camera is always with me when I go out.      

Photographs are mostly memories which have been captured through the lens and can be perused from time to time…the after effect of that which was caught not only in the mind’s eye and memory but remains as a fact in the form of a photograph.

Cameras have become very common and people spend a lot to buy a good one. Taking pictures has become a hobby for some. The mobile phone hand-sets also have cameras and it has become so easy to take a photograph in the flicker of a second.

Who knows what changes will come with cameras, but photos will always be there to keep reminding as and when we peruse through the photo album.