To simplify the process of learning music, LS Ramesh, after six years of intensive research, came up with the Sri Saraswati Music Chakra.
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The unique music chakra.[/caption]
There are many similarities in the notes played in all forms of classical music around the world. In Indian classical music, a raaga refers to a series of musical notes on which every melody is constructed. Though there are differences in the raagas of the Carnatic style of music and the Hindustani style of music, many musicians have pointed out that some raagas are common to both styles of music and they find similar counterparts in western classical music too.
Carnatic classical music is based on 72 parent (melakarta) raagas. To help simplify the process of understanding the basics of this style of music, Ramesh has developed a chakra chart. There are two circular diagrams on both sides of the chart, with the main keys of 36 raagas marked on each side.
To make it easy on the eyes of the learner, each circular diagram is divided into 12 different segments and 6 different colors are used to highlight the segments.
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The music chakra with veteran Carnatic musician Dr. M Balamuralikrishna[/caption]
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With Dr. S. P. Balasubramanyam[/caption]
Specific keys have to be played for each raaga. Therefore, in the sub segment pertaining to a particular raaga, the specific keys to be played are drawn like how one would see them on a piano – they are marked with dots, making it easy for even a person with no knowledge of music to follow without any difficulty.
“To play music, one must know the basics. The 72 melakarta scheme is the foundation of not only Carnatic music but of any music the world over. The Melakarta Chakra visually helps in laying a strong music foundation. Once introduced to music through the chakra, children generally get over their fear to play music,” says Ramesh.
Ramesh feels that when children learn music following a visual tool they tend to remember more than when they learn music only by listening to tunes.
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Ramesh did six years of research before launching the chakra.[/caption]
When a child follows this chakra, his/her doubts about stringing together the right keys to play the right raaga are allayed and the child becomes confident of not making mistakes.
Ramesh and his wife Sridevi grew up following the Sanskrit saying Manava Seva, Madhava Seva. They have always been involved in being of service to orphans and after marriage it just became easier to do this work as they had the same interests in life.
FACES, an organization to support orphans, was started by them just after they tied the knot. The FACES programme is simple — newspapers are collected from various places and the sale proceeds are used for Food, medical Aid, new Clothes, Education material and Shelter (FACES) for underprivileged children.
They have been supporting a few orphanages in Warangal and Telangana, the place where Sridevi grew up. The Manovikas Kendra in Warangal is an establishment that not only helps orphans but also children with autism, Down’s Syndrome, and speech and hearing challenged children. Ramesh and Sridevi have been involved with this organization for many years now and so it was no surprise that they decided to try the Music Chakra on the children here.
“The Music Chakra is rather interesting. It keeps the children engrossed. With the intervention of music, especially with the ability to play music, maturity levels and confidence levels, especially among the deaf and dumb children, are very visible,” says Mahateja, the music teacher at Manovikas Kendra.
According to Mahateja, when he plays the keys following the chakra, the hearing impaired children watch his fingers intently and when they get a chance to try their hands on the keyboards, they end up playing the right tunes.
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The chakra improves the confidence in children to play the musical instrument.[/caption]
The smiles and applause of the people around make them very happy and make them want to play more music.
Playing music is very therapeutic for persons with autism. Autistic people are very good at visual tasks, especially when they are associated with perception and pattern recognition. Many children with autism respond very well to music, which can be easily used to improve communication skills and helps in dealing with sensory issues too.
“Anxiety is one of the biggest challenges facing individuals in the autistic spectrum. Music helps to calm and relax them. Classical music especially helps to reduce stress, ease frustrations, reduce muscle tension, slow down the heart rate and, in turn, open the mind to learning and communicating with others,” says Ramesh, who has seen how the autistic children at Manovikas Kendra have shown improvement after this unique Music Chakra was introduced for teaching music.
The proceeds from the sale of the Music Chakra are used to fund the FACES initiative, which is very close to the hearts of this couple.
Another very interesting initiative taken on by Ramesh and Sridevi is the 25 year calendar designed on a single sheet of paper. The motto here is: Save a Tree, Help an Orphan.
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Ramesh and Sridevi showing the 25-year calender to Kamal Hassan[/caption]
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The couple also donates trees and asks students to plant it to fulfill late Dr. Kalam's dream.[/caption]
“Dr Abdul Kalam has given the FACES programme a target of planting at least 10 lakh trees in the country, involving only students. For every 15 kg of newspaper brought in by a class of students to support the FACES program, the calendar is donated to the classroom. This calendar reminds the children to bring in newspapers the following month too. Along with the calendar, a tree sapling also is gifted to the students for them to plant within their school premises,” says Sridevi.However, they do sell the calendar in many other schools, as well as to corporate houses. With more newspapers being donated to them, more orphanages can be helped, more trees can be saved and more trees will be planted. “The calendar just reminds people about the promise made to Dr Abdul Kalam. Through this method, more people will be involved in making his dream come true,” she concludes. For more information, log onto www.faces108.com
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
About the author: Aparna Menon is a freelance writer, writing for various newspapers for the past 10 years. Her main fields of interest are wildlife, heritage and history. A keen traveler, she loves to read and write and does a lot of art work too.
Monica Dogra, Shaa'ir + Func[/caption]
Faiz Ali Faiz, Qawwali Singer (Pakistan)[/caption]
Abida Parveen and Ghulam Ali[/caption]
The Niazi Nizami Brothers at the Dargah[/caption]
There are many stories about how RD Burman got the nickname 'Pancham.' Some say that as a child, whenever he cried, he did so in the fifth note (Pa) of music notation. Other stories claim that when he sang for the very first time, it was in the fifth note.
Yet another version of the story claims that when veteran actor, Ashok Kumar, saw the new born Rahul uttering the syllable Pa repeatedly, he decided to name him Pancham.
Burman was truly innovative. His ingenuity in creating the right sound effects could make the best of foley artists envious.
He experimented with different natural musical sounds like the sounds produced by rubbing sand paper and knocking bamboo sticks together.
The opening beats of the song ‘Mehbooba – Mehbooba’ came from blowing into beer bottles, while cups and saucers were used to create the tinkling sound for the song ‘Churaliya Hai’ from the film Yaadon Ki Baaraat. For Satte Pe Satta, it is said that he made the singer Annette Pinto gargle to produce a background sound. The whooshing sound in the song ‘Meri Samne Wali Khidki Main’ came from rubbing a comb on a rough surface!
It is said that in order to record the sound of raindrops, R. D. Burman spent a whole rainy night on the balcony of his house, recording!
When he revealed this to his father S.D. Burman, his father asked him to hum the tune he dreamt into a tape recorder or jot down the notations immediately after getting up and to improvise on the tunes later. It is believed that the tunes of songs 'Kanchi re kanchi re’ (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), ‘Tum bin jaoon kahan’ (Pyar Ka Mausam) and ‘Duniya mein logon ko' (Apna Desh), amongt others, all sprang from his dreams!
The song was ‘Aye meri topi palat ke aa’ which was used by his father S.D. Burman in the film Funtoosh. The song ‘Sar jo tera chakraye’ was also composed by him at a very young age.
RD Burman’s first release as an independent music director was the film Chhote Nawab in 1961. Burman's first hit movie as a film music director was Teesri Manzil which was released in 1966.
The 70s were Pancham's decade. He became highly popular with his compositions for movies like Kati Patang, Hare Ram Hare Krishna, Seeta aur Geeta, Rampur ka Lakshman, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Bombay to Goa, Apna Desh, Parichay, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Aap ki Kasam, Sholay, Aandhi, Kasme Vaade, Ghar, Gol Maal, Khubsoorat & more.
Movies starring Rajesh Khanna brought him a lot of fame. The songs ‘Yeh Shaam Mastani’ and ‘Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai’ sung by Kishore Kumar, became instant hits.
RD Burman married Asha Bhosle in 1980. Their close association started in 1966 with 'Teesri Manzil' and culminated in their marriage in 1980.
In an interview, Asha Bhonsle said that they shared a passion for music and cooking.
Today, decades after his untimely death, Pancham Da continues to inspire music directors and singers alike. In an illustrious career spanning about 4 decades, he worked with the crème de la crème of singers, lyricists and super stars.
Indo-Caribbeans in the 19th century celebrating the Indian culture in West Indies through dance and music[/caption]
Drupatee Ramgoonai - breaking barriers.[/caption]
Even as Pepper Pepper moved up the Soca charts, conservative Indians went on a verbal rampage against Ramgoonai. While it was considered acceptable for East Indian men to poke fun at "their" women, an Indian woman who dared to sing Calypso was said to be bringing disgrace to the community.
International Chutney Soca Monarch Competition[/caption]
Photo Source: 
What would he say, had he been like us?
Seeing our Offerings,
"Only 21 modaks? What big deal sir?"
Would He have said that?
Would he have offered his blessings as packages?
Ganpati& Shankar 'Blessings Combo'
Just Rs. 20,000
We placed him in every corner of our streets...
For a moment, how about placing him in our Hearts?
A Day after the immersion is a sight so awful!
Millions of people who bowed at his feet
The feet are now seen lying somewhere
The hands that blessed all the living
Is badly broken and is somewhere lying..
The Bappa who brings us all together himself is now wrecked and scattered on the beach.
The legendary Kishore Kumar[/caption]
Childhood photo of Kishore Kumar[/caption]
A still from the movie 'Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'[/caption]
Born on August 4, 1929 in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh as Abhas Kumar Ganguly, Kishore went to the Christian College in Indore after his matriculation. His college continues to remember the exploits of the actor-singer who was a prankster at heart. Few know that Kishore Da still owes five rupees and 12 paise (he immortalised this fact in that famous song Paanch Rupaiya Barah Anna from the 1958 film, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi) to his college canteen.
Kishore Kumar with brothers, Anoop Kumar and Ashok Kumar[/caption]
He was known for his trademark outfit: the black overcoat, white pajamas, muffler and leather sandals. He would never take off the coat, as he was very insecure about his scrawny physique.
Kishore Kumar with R.D.Burman, Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar[/caption]
Kishore Kumar with Satyajit Ray[/caption]
From Left: K.L.Saigal, Rabindranath Tagore and Danny Kaye[/caption]
Kishore Kumar with Amitabh Bachchan[/caption]
Kishore Kumar with Dev Anand, R.D.Burman and Yash Chopra[/caption]
Clockwise from Top Left: Ruma Guha Thakurta, Madhubala, Leena Chandravarkar and Yogita Bali[/caption]
Kishore Kumar with Mehmood in the film 'Bombay to Goa'[/caption]
When filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee visited Kishore at his bungalow, he was stopped by the watchman. The watchman had mistaken Mukherjee for another Bengali producer, who Kishore Da refused to let into his home. This was reportedly why Anand went to Rajesh Khanna.
A still from the movie 'Abhimaan'[/caption]
Gouri Kunj, Kishore's family home in Khandwa[/caption]
What made the band take up this cause? Rajeev says, “While there are plenty of ways in which we can celebrate staying together, we realised that on a special occasion we’d like to make a difference. We’ve always been inclined to perform songs for social causes and we also enjoy teaching music at TAAQ Academy. So that’s how the idea of providing music education to underprivileged children struck us.”
Rajeev and Bruce established TAAQ Music Academy in 2010, when they left their corporate jobs to pursue music full-time. Bruce, who was an English professor at Christ University and a music teacher earlier, wanted to sustain a thriving ecosystem for music production to support talented musicians. The academy employs around 30 musicians and Bruce feels it has allowed many of them to make viable careers out of music. The students who are enrolled in this academy have already produced albums and even performed at international venues like Carnegie Hall in New York.
Rajeev says, “It is a premium and exclusive music academy; we conduct music programmes in international institutions and that’s what got us thinking – why should only the rich or privileged benefit from musical training? The advantages of learning music are really huge and shouldn’t be restricted to one section of society.”
How are they going about this project? Bruce says, “Our first move was to contact prominent NGOs that are working with underprivileged kids in the city. This helped us narrow our focus to three schools – Sri Vidyanikethan School in J P Nagar, Drishya Learning Centre in Byappanahalli, and Sri Ayyappan Nursery and High School in Benson Town. This project has a small target group right now but we’re hoping that if it gathers enough momentum we’ll be able to rope in more schools and train the kids over a longer period of time.”
The children will be exposed to both classroom sessions and after school workshops. The classroom sessions will be conducted for classes of 25-50 students each. But, with such a large number, how do the instructors hope to pay individual attention to the students? Bruce says, “If you’re teaching a student an instrument, a large classroom setup doesn't work for obvious reasons. So, during the classroom sessions, we teach music theory, composition, and appreciation, thus exposing them to different styles of music. Once this is done, we’ll conduct auditions in each classroom to identify musical talent among the kids; if they show aptitude for a certain instrument, or if they can sing well. And those kids will be later enrolled in an after-school programme, where they will be given personalised coaching on how to play an instrument. They will also be put in different groups depending on their skill sets, much like the practice at TAAQ Academy, because we do not want to cover just one aspect of musical training.”
Bruce says, “We went on a five-city tour to appeal to young citizens of the country to participate in the elections and we wrote a song called ‘Shut-up and Vote.’ In 2012, when the Commonwealth Games scandal broke out, we wrote a song about that and requested people across the country to send in music videos. Yes, we aren’t activists but artistes, and the way we respond to things is only through our art. We’ve tried to be socially conscious through our art because we want people to receive important messages in an entertaining format.”
And it looks like their approach to activism has been highly popular with the masses – not just because of their huge fan following but also because of the fact that it has only been six days since the campaign was launched and the team has managed to raise 25% of their target already. Rajeev says “The crowdfunding model works perfectly for artistes who want to give back to the world in a meaningful manner. As soon as we came across a credible website like fueladream.com, and an experienced team, we decided that this is how we’re going to raise money.”
The proceeds will cover the salaries of the teachers, musical instruments for every school, worksheets for the children, and the cost of recording songs for the students at the TAAQ studio in Whitefield, Bangalore. If you think music should be more than just an extracurricular activity in the lives of children in need, donate 
When Harpreet was just six, he started playing the toy keyboard that his father had bought for his older brother. Just like any other child, the first song he learnt to play on the keyboard was ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’. But, to everyone’s surprise, little Harpreet soon started playing the keyboard to the tunes of the songs his father sang.
Harpreet continue to enjoy this simple and playful childhood in a joint family in the village, until his father and uncle, in order to give a better education and future to their children, sold off their ancestral land to move to the nearest town Nilokheri near Kurukshetra. Life was no longer easy because the family now faced a financial crunch. By this time, Harpreet was also well-known among his teachers as a good singer but a weak student academically. He would hardly study. All he wanted to do was play music and he played whatever instruments he could lay his hands on.
But academics and Harpreet were not made for each other - he failed the music exams too.
Ghah, which means common grass in Punjabi, is compared to the youth of the day…
“I am grass and I will do my job.
I will grow everywhere, on everything you have done.
You can bomb the universities
You can bring down the hostels to mere debris
But what would you do about me
I am grass…
I will grow everywhere!”
Listen to this terrific song here –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe9HJekJVc
“The band brought together children who came in right from the streets. We have children who were drug addicts, who stole things, who ran away from their homes, etc. But deep within, they are simple fun-loving kids. We wanted Dharavi Rocks to become an educational platform for these children,” says Vinod.
In a tiny room in the Dharavi slums, some of these children started practising. The spirited junk percussion sounds attracted more children who joined in. Soon, Dharavi Rocks became a band of 20-25 children in the age group of 8 to 18.
They started learning together. They made their own musical instruments. Some of their innovations, like soft drink cans filled with rice grains, are very popular.
As they drummed and clinked on the things they collected through the day, they also started stealing the hearts of Mumbaikars. Abhijit Jejurikar, a young musician, was thrilled with Vinod’s efforts and joined the gang to train the children. Soon, the band of bacha log started performing on stage (50 plus events to date). Musicians from across the country and from abroad took time out to mentor the children.
Vinod Shetty with the children of Dharavi Rocks band[/caption]
Apart from the recreation the band provides the children, this musical platform is also where they overcome inhibitions, learn leadership skills, and learn to work as a team. ACORN takes interest in supporting the children in academics and sports. Indeed, there is a tremendous amount of positivity that emanates from the notes of the junk that is drummed and strummed under this unique and heart-warming initiative.
You can contact Dharavi Rocks at dharaviproject@gmail.com.
He founded Lokayan, a non-profit charitable society working for heritage conservation and the revival of folk arts, music, etc. Additionally, he started recording the music of folk performers, understanding their history and culture. During this time, he also came to know about the Kabir Project. It is an initiative to use music to bring together singers, scholars, activists, artists, illustrators, and students. The idea behind the project is to explore how the poetry of 15th century mystic poet Kabir intersects with ideas of cultural identity, secularism, nationalism, religion, and death today.
“It was a nice experience. It was also a community-driven festival so we didn’t have any corporate sponsors. Everyone crowdfunded; the villagers were the hosts and the organisers too. It was a festival for the community and by the community,” says Gopal. But they fell short of funds in the following year and could not continue.
It was here that the Superintendent of Police of Bikaner, Amandeep Singh, came across a video. “When I came to know about the Yatra, the idea interested me a lot and I got in touch with Gopal who said that people weren't coming forward to help organise it because of the lack of funds. We were both interested in it, so we decided to begin again. And this time, we were able to gather strong support and a good number of sponsors. We decided that the police will suggest some places that are in a state of radicalization after recent communal conflicts. There, we would try to have a dialogue with people and engage the youth. This will also give them something new to listen to and enjoy.”
He organised a programme for the eradication of scoliosis in Karauli. He also worked with UNICEF and other organisations for child-friendly policing in Jaipur. This led to the launch a one-stop crisis management centre for children there.
“The police are usually associated with taking reactionary action,” he says. “But if you are self-motivated and if there is a way to engage with society, I think you should do it. One gets a huge kick in doing more than the call of duty. This is my forte and giving back to the society gives me happiness,” he says.
Currently, different NGOs are funding the Yatra and the group also has the support from the tourism department. “Our idea is to travel and show people that this tradition is alive. I am working for the people of Bikaner who should know about their culture and history,” sums up Gopal.
Know more about the Yatra 
Bhaini Sahib[/caption]
Violinist Adrián Varela with Taar Shehnai player Kirpal Singh[/caption]
Jodi Pakhwaj maestro, Sukhwinder Singh[/caption]
Naya village[/caption]
A Patachitra[/caption]
A Patachitra scroll[/caption]
Swarna Chitrakaar, a patua artist of Naya[/caption]
A display at the Pot Maya festival[/caption]
Team Sukhan[/caption]
The Better India spoke with Sukhan’s founder Om Bhutkar on the occasion of the group’s first anniversary.
Bringing a cultural programme in Urdu to an audience that is mostly Marathi-speaking has its unique challenges. Even cultural programmes in Hindi have not gained popularity in Pune. Om himself was introduced to Urdu only seven years ago when he started reading Urdu ghazals and shayari (poetry), often looking up words in the dictionary. Ghalib turned out to be one of his favourite poets and he ended up penning a play based on his life. The play Mi, Ghalib, a contemporary interpretation of Ghalib, was well-received in Pune and the shows went on for over four years.
According to Om, the language barrier is not really a problem; it is mostly a fear of the new and unexplored that makes us hesitant to embrace a new language. In selecting the verses, he says, they usually choose poetry where the meaning isn’t dependant solely on the words.
A full house at Sukhan's show at Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium, Pune[/caption]
The performance often begins with the story ‘Dimakon Ki Malika Se Ek Mulaqat’ by Mujtaba Husain, which sets the tone for the show. It then moves on to recitations of ghazals, nazms, as well as Urdu prose and musical renditions of ghazals and qawwalis. Its format lying somewhere between the realms of theatre and orchestra, offering an amalgamation of musical performances, storytelling (also known as Dastaangoi in Urdu), as well as prose recitation of Urdu poetry, Sukhan’s content varies with every performance. There are some new compositions and musical elements in every show.
This February, Sukhan had the honour of inaugurating Pune’s prestigious Vinod and Sarayu Doshi National Theatre Festival. Apart from doing shows in Pune, the team has performed in Ahmednagar and Daund. The team comprises a dozen 20-somethings, who are incredibly passionate about the language.
Nachiket Devasthali (left) and Om Bhutkar[/caption]
