That’s an idea!

For those of you who may have already read my previous post on Betta fishes, would know that I am a happy fish owner. Bubbles my fish, known for his keen observation skills loves to look at new objects. It is believed that Betta splendens are very fond of hideouts, which is why we placed an enormous white coral for him to swim around and hide away. However, the coral exposed to bright sunlight appeared to have started browning and we had to empty it from his home.

Poor bubbles would just lay on his rock staring back into the living room. Just when I had the  thought of buying an aquarium décor my husband came up with a bright idea. We placed a porcelain flat based cup horizontally on the floor of the tank to see if this piques his interest. The initial reaction from Bubbles was hilarious as he would give a long side way glance at the cup prepared for attack mode. To add on to that, the cup is a shade of dark blue, the exact colour of his scales. Initially he was intimidated by this new object and would slowly swim into the hole of the cup and perform his flare dance. It was great to see him fan out after a while as he was recovering from a fish fight injury with a female betta who shredded his fins off !! ( Oops!!… Feisty fishy)

Within a few hours he got perfectly accustomed to his new retreat and would often swim in to rest and would come out to greet us when we go up to feed or look at him. Our chance DIY plan worked out and we are happy that the idea worked fine. So well…  what am trying to say here is we can always find suitable items within our reach and create a lovely space for our pets. I found the crockery idea for a fish tank to be fun as it also resembles lost treasures in the sea bed and one can also avoid unnecessary expenditure on overly priced fish decors at the stores. Overall, it just feels so wonderful and rewarding to customize our tank with our stuff. Almost feels like we gifted him the cup for his home for being an adorable fish :P. Just make sure any item you place is safe from paint, doesn’t corrode or react to the minerals in the water. We also have plans to put some plants for his home to create an underwater tropics vibe 🙂

Do share any unique aquarium décor tips that are simple and effective. I would love to try them out too

I will share a good picture of it soon 🙂

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A Jay of Hope

How does the word “Monotony” feel like? Back then I didn’t take this word seriously. As long as things are normal and stable what could be the issue is what I thought. All I recall ever being is to wish to have a job, a place to live and a good mate to share a life with. The usual criteria we all have as human beings security and social connection and it so happened that way and Yes!!, here I am leading my stable and secure life. However, certain truths surfaced in the process.

Just as how it takes time to uproot a bad habit that has been a part of your whole life, it takes as much effort to just basically process and understand the invisible lessons that life presents you with. You may not comprehend it at first because these aren’t hard hitting lessons, heck you may still not be able to put a finger on it because they are invisible but the moment you decide to slow down and think….. you are almost there. A lot of “why is this happening to me?” and self-questioning lead me to gather my thoughts more clearly.

I have heard that being self-reproaching, showing resentment and often feeling bouts of regret can be devastating to one’s self esteem. But my constant nagging question was “Why am I feeling this way when everything is going just fine?” “Why am I losing myself over nothing?”

I had some hardships to face during my childhood but nothing effaced me to a point where I felt useless like how I do now. All I could muster from my constant questioning was that Life is just lame. But was I right?

An Urban Monk called Jay Shetty once said “instead of asking ‘why is this happening to me?” ask yourself “what is this teaching me? Everything will change then. That’s when I saw things clearly and this is only based on my personal experience alone however, I am going to voice it in plural to resonate with those who are going through the same Monotony mayhem.

Since the time we were children to the time we graduate from college we are tested although we detest exams, it tests our knowledge and concentration and challenges us to do better, we go through physical education like sports which improves our determination and team spirit, Various art forms like dance and music bring out our talents and motivate us to perform better with every little word of encouragement and appreciation. We had a purpose back then which is to get good education, make friends, make our parents proud, be successful and then we land a job, get married, settle down and all too soon everything come to a sure halt but the years of basking in glory of our milestones as a child to a teen and a young adult carries on for a while, the charm doesn’t wear off so quickly. It keeps you going for a few good years but the magic spell rids itself slowly leaving you with stability and eventually emptiness. The recent years of leading a very stable normal life has locked me up in a prison of some sorts.

Again as Jay Shetty quotes” The most powerful prison is one that you don’t even know that you’re locked up”

Being in a comfort zone for far too long has corroded my nature to such an extent that any small challenges that I may have to face feels like a humongous task. I relate more with fear than with dealing things fiercely, my sensitiveness has reached its maximum point, more fear and anxiety to face a new day has become second nature now and the prospect of attending work is daunting to say the least as work is ridiculously boring as well. Consequently, I built a wall around myself away from the few good people I know, numbing myself down with snacks and TV hoping it would restore my sanity. Monotony is an invisible killer. It saps all the energy from you without your awareness like a parasite!

That’s when it hit me that I needed some adventure, some big change was needed but I didn’t know what to do. I had to do something quick to recover from this insane boredom fast spreading which is when I decided I was going to make a quick vacation. It was just a two day break that I wholeheartedly enjoyed but reality was staring at me back in the face again. I thought meeting my family and friends would boost me from within but the effects of the adventure pill was wearing down. Ecstasy died making way to monotony yet again.

Amidst this invisible pressure, I had to attend an important exam which I performed with utmost low confidence that I forgot what it felt like to be challenged as years had passed since I faced anything difficult!! such as attending competitive exams like how it used to be back in school and all I did was sulk about it relentlessly and eventually not clearing it.

I concluded that my life was just unfair and while I blamed and exhausted every external reason as the cause of my problems it dawned on me that all my issues arose due to my incapability of reacting to them wisely. I decided to dive into a self-help book and also watched more Jay videos to slap myself to get back on track and purify my ill mindset.

Jay’s words are thought provoking and has a powerful influence on anyone who fully absorbs it .His wisdom has indeed gone viral and his teachings are the need of the hour at a time when everything is fast paced including our thoughts that are filled with distracting noises and not voices of self-reflection.

There are a lot of take home message from his videos that I would love to list out on a different day as I am still in the process of self-reflecting and applying it into my life at this very moment. On the bright side all the good energy from his vlogs is allowing me to think positively, move ahead with focus, face my exam with less fear and more determination and I can certainly say that am up and ready for the challenge. In the meantime a few points from myself for all especially for my fellow monotony riders:

1. Please do not go with a flow. Spread your consciousness like an ocean full of energy and vibrancy.
2. If life is normal/good you take up the responsibility to thrill yourself with activities you would love to do and challenge yourself to find the time for it.
3. Transform the way you see other challenges. They can be intimidating but they really beckon us to grow and sharpen our skills
4. Focus on the inner world more than the outer world.
5. Throw away the filter of anger, fear and pain and see everything with love and hope. Your sight is bound to improve.

Although I am still healing from months of accumulated stress and pressure  I can feel the light entering back into me 🙂 as having listened to Jay Shetty has surely brought a certain ray of hope hence a ”Jay of Hope”. He is truly my master.

I would love to conclude the post with yet again one of the master’s lines which went

“Everything will happen for you all of a sudden and you will be thankful you didn’t give up. Blessings are coming. Believe that”

 

Vijaydashmi

On this auspicious day of Vijaydashmi ( the day of learning ) a lot of events unfolded. Apart from the traditional Pooja I performed just as I do every year I was excited about two other important events.

Today is the most important day for my two best friends. One was getting married off while the other was going into labour and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. 🙂

These two wonderful women are very dear to me and I am so happy for them.

On this day of learning we also practiced our art. My husband sketched something different and I did some classical singing. We also went to see the golu ( dolls of Indian tradition displayed on a step formation ) display at my boss’ place.

Those of you who want to learn a new skill, a language, start something today !!..

Lord Saraswati ( Hindu Goddess of Knowledge) will shower her blessings upon you

😀

Happy Vijaydashmi

Note to self

I woke up this morning to an excerpt posted by a friend which said

“You can’t skip chapters, that’s not how life works. You have to read every line, meet every character. You won’t enjoy all of it. Hell some chapters will make you cry for weeks. You will read things you don’t want to read, you will have moments when you don’t want the pages to end. But you have to keep going. Stories keep the world revolving. Live yours. Don’t miss out.

Bam! In an instant my mind was at ease on reading it. It couldn’t have come at a better time, at a time when everything seems to be going downhill. Every waking hour felt like a nightmare. I resented it all. It felt like I was this close to getting what is required but nope sometimes we have to attain something we really want in the hard way to realize its value. Everything comes at the most crucial hour to tease us and test us. Situations like these drive an obsessive thinker such as me insane and furious.

I wasn’t even in the mind frame to phrase things together but I told myself that I am going to write today no matter what. Whether I am out of context or not, it doesn’t matter but I need to plant some sense into myself and this is when I deeply appreciate the strength and clarity in the views and lines shared by other bloggers or self-help books authored by inspiring people like Tony Robbins or Louise Hay.

Note to self:

1. There is only one you and you are unique. Celebrate you.
2. Even at the worst when a person is grateful for the littlest things hope can be restored enormously.
3. Never complain. It is a very unattractive quality
4. Don’t let your anger blind you however justifiable it is. It is a recipe for disaster at any occasion.
5. Never mull over the past at any cost.
6. Always aim for consistency more than success.
7. Never forget to add colours every day to your life.
8. Focus more on your inner beauty which are your thoughts. Your values and your dreams.
9. Always be productive
10. You can always change yourself for the best, be it at 16 or 60. There is no age limit for it
11. Never let a day go by without being awed by the sun and the moon.
12. Breathe… you are alive and ready to kick ass.
13. Prayer is powerful. Pray every single day to warm your soul
14. Only you are responsible for the life you create.
15. Forgive yourself and others to relieve from the pain
16. People are great but people pleasers are not. So don’t be one.
17. Compare your problems to the size of the universe. There it is. You have your answer
18. Never lose your sense of creativity. You will feel handicapped until you have released your talent to the world to see.
19. Thank the creator and the caregivers always. God and your parents
20. There is always light at the end of the tunnel

 

Lunar Eclipse- Bloody Brilliant

The Moon puts on an elegant show, different every time in shape, colour and nuance- Says Arthur Smith, an English writer but what if the Moon gave us a complete cosmic entertainment of its many phases at one shot on a single evening? 😀 such is the brilliant spectacle of a Total lunar eclipse.

Much to my amusement I just realized the director of the moon show is none other than our very own planet, The Earth 🙂 . Just like without the moon we can’t ever have a solar eclipse, without the earth we can’t have a lunar eclipse and of course, the sun is always the star of the show but let’s give some credit to our dearest white and brown rocks too 😛

On July 27^th 2018 the skies were prepping up the stage for a fantastic celestial event to be expected to last nearly four hours. This lunar eclipse was even more special as it was going  to be the longest total lunar eclipse of the century and there was an honorable guest for this year’s show too, the shiny planet Mars which made a re appearance on our skies since its last in 2003. 🙂

So what can I say, on hearing the news I was super excited and was looking forward to this special event. I have always been enthralled by the moon. Its sheer brilliance in the dark night sky is something I never fail to notice every time I step out for a walk or draw the curtains just rightly in to allow a sliver of its light to fill my space with a dull glow eventually calming me to sleep 🙂 .Yes, the relationship I share with the moon is real 😛

Apparently, there is a word for a person who loves the moon like crazy, a Selenophile and both my husband and I are proud Selenophiles 🙂

July 27^th being a Friday turned out perfect as it was the weekend too and gave us enough time to rest and stay awake through the night to enjoy the eclipse. We were all set with our camera focused at the moon through the window and the Jazz radio playing on one side.

The evening was bright and gorgeous with the radiant full moon illuminating the night sky. Wispy clouds drifted along slowly, partially veiling the moon. I kept my eyes peeled to catch the first signs of the beginning of the eclipse but the clouds would deceive me and after about one hour of intermittently gazing at the moon through the clouds, a shadow fell over it slowly smudging away the left hand corner of the moon. Excitement soared and I couldn’t relax anymore, I prodded my husband to grab our camera gears and step out to see it, since the moon was slowly moving out of sight from our window. Not even the sickening humidity in the air could dampen my spirits. I grabbed a bag of chips (nope not popcorn this time) and munched away as I was watching this amazing cosmic show.

The earth’s shadow slowly but gradually smudged away the full moon causing it to almost disappear but the best part was that the earth couldn’t completely overshadow the moon as the moon looked a ruddy shade of brown due to the sun’s light scattering through the atmosphere and turning it into what is called a Blood Moon. It was surreal to see our natural satellite having a hint of pink surrounding it and this was the first time we got to see a blood moon. Although the naked eye couldn’t capture the scene as well as a camera does, the color transformation from bright white to pink was clearly evident. It was fantastic to experience it live with Mars shining brightly below the Blood moon. After 3 hours of patiently capturing every facet of the moon and its many moods we were satisfied and ready to wind up.

What a brilliant show that was…..”Shadow play” produced by Astro-productions featuring the “Blood Moon” :D. A moon struck evening indeed.

Pictures Clicked in NikonD3100 with zoom lens 😀

Yaaaaaay, One down from my wish list and I pray that I get to experience a Total solar eclipse someday and if I do I would definitely post my “Awesun” experience here 🙂

Fellow moon gazers…. Who else enjoyed the Blood moon 2018, post your experiences in the comment section below 🙂

Cheerzzz

 

A White Wedding

They say weddings are made in heaven and nothing could exemplify it better than a Christian white wedding 🙂 I have attended several weddings earlier but have never been to a white wedding. A church wedding is something I have always longed for attending someday and when a close friend announced his marriage date I couldn’t contain my excitement and the best part was it was happening in town. 🙂

I was all prepared to flaunt and was making plans as to what I must be wearing for the big day when my dear husband broke the news to me that the friend requested him to shoot his wedding. I went like “oh that’s great” and continued planning while he went ‘’ very well then!! So we gotta get you a camera soon :)”

I was like “what?? Why For??” 😮 and then he rolls his eyes and tells me that he needs an extra hand to cover the wedding.

For a moment I couldn’t think… I wondered if I could pull this off but I was quite certain that I wasn’t disappointed to be working during the wedding. After all this is for a dear friend and Hey this is even better than just being a boring guest isn’t it? 🙂

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Hell yeah!! I was a nervous wreck. Train of thoughts were running on my mind as to how to learn to mount the camera on a tripod, how to hold It steady, settings that need to be memorized and then the mind goes into sheer blankness. As opposed to the happy excitement I felt initially, I was now consumed with nervous excitement when the wedding date was fast approaching. All I wanted was to get this assignment done properly. Lol!!

Finally my new camera arrived just a week before the big day. To my approval it looked retro, compact, handy and perfectly suitable for me. It was fun to learn the camera controls and slowly my nervousness was replaced with fervent determination to get this done right 🙂

I was all set when the day arrived and not in my wildest dreams had I thought that I could stay energetic for a whole day of shooting without breaks. For the most part, the challenge was to keep the hands steady while filming and be patient even while the shot was interrupted by several passersby.

It felt awesome to be able to observe and capture the expressions of the people behind the lens. The wedding was magical with the pretty bride in her pure white off shoulder ball gown dress and the groom looking suave in a blue suit and a lapel boutonniere. The bridesmaids, the flower girls and the groomsmen were quite exquisite themselves.  I flew to all corners possible to capture key moments and had to fight the urge to get swayed by the soulful singing of the choir situated on the top floor.

Good food and music filled the evening reception in the extravagant Royal Mirage hotel. The best part about the whole event was the fact that I supported and worked with my husband and that gave me more pleasure above the rest 🙂 Both of us love filming and doing it together for a close friend is very rewarding.

One task is done and next is the most painstaking part which is the editing 😛

I shall post a link below once its finished.

Cheers

❤

Cease and Seize

Like any other passing day I was in need of some hard cash and I walked to my trusted ATM which is right behind my house and I was left startled to see it latched. But it is still ok .. hey!  It’s just an ATM go find another one nearby… pfff. As easy as that isn’t it??

But what if every single place you went to was surprisingly shut down or inoperative around the same period?

I could still understand the shutting down of an ATM because how much could I have gotten attached to a cash dispenser besides just stabbing the pin number and waiting for the machine to spit out the banknotes…… but there were other places I am familiar with since the last few years and the end of its era was hardly anticipated.

Declare me odd, but I take pleasure even in doing groceries and always go to a favourite supermarket near my house that I really love to buy my veggies and meat from. Although I live in a city I consider my locality to be a small tiny town and the service lane behind my building to be a happy strip to make a trip 😛 and I have a reason to feel it to be a town loll :D…. The lane is lined with a busy gym, a clinic attached with a brightly lit pharmacy, a sea food joint, a cozy bookshop and then my favourite supermarket 🙂

On any given evening my schedule would be a sunset walk and to do some groceries for the week. Even though we have a huge hypermarket 10 minutes away I prefer the small but neatly organized stores as they are less crowded, easy to navigate and have almost all the necessary items for an average household. So there is this nice supermarket near my place that I go to every week. I love the feeling of entering this store and how effortlessly I can direct my shopping cart without having to swerve past frantic fellow shoppers and with over time we made friends with the cashier, the butcher and the delivery boys. We grew so familiar seeing their friendly faces often for the last few years that they perfectly knew what we wanted and helped us out even without having to request.  Besides their amazing customer service the veggies they sold were crisp and their meat fresh.

But all of a sudden unexpectedly they closed down their meat section and within two weeks they shut down the whole store. 😦

Now the very same lit up corner in the happy strip is dark and dusty with no movements except for the flapping of the hastily glued notice of the shop being closed down and then after a while even the paper notice wasn’t to be found, probably the wind brought it down. The shutter of the store was browning collecting grains of sand and I often found myself standing in front of the store during my evening walk wishfully thinking that one day it will reopen with the same familiar faces.

Likewise, there is this lovely Indochinese restaurant that we always go to with our family and incidentally on our drive from work we spotted it closed for good but on the bright side it is reopened in a different location 🙂 Nonetheless, I would miss this perfect place we often dined in during family get-together when we had people come visit us. Lot of special memories are attached to it 🙂

Don’t take the little things that helped you for granted. All of a sudden things will cease to exist and would feel like something was seized away from you unannounced.

Nothing lasts forever, but we can learn to enjoy it while it lasts…

Have a fabulous rest of the week 🙂

❤

Love at first sight

He was gone… He was taken away from me without a warning. It almost felt cruel and uncalled for. If only I had just caught one more glimpse of his piercing blue eyes I wouldn’t be feeling this low and restless.

I still remember that day vividly. I had to buy something specific from the store quickly and decided to head out into the sun splashed exterior from my cozy house. It was that hour of the day where the blinding sun scorches the back of your head and all you want to do is to seek shelter immediately. Just when I wished I hadn’t set out to shop during this wretched hour and forcefully swung the door open to enter the store, I saw him there right in front of me. He was breathtakingly beautiful and was curiously looking at something while I stood still, dead on my spot with the door gently closing behind me. I tried to focus on what I came there for but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

My hearing ceased. My sight was only filled with him. Time stood still and my heart was brimming with inexplicable pleasure and excitement… The moment I laid my eyes on him I knew we had made an instant connection. He was most visibly interested only in me even though we were surrounded by plenty of people. We were unabashedly gazing at each other. I don’t know why but I just knew he was warm, sweet and caring and that I was deeply arrested by his personality. I know it’s crazy !!…So is this called love at first sight?

He inched closer to me but at that precise moment my husband came up and said we got to get going. I tried to buy some more time but it was all in vain and I turned back wistfully to give one last long look into his eyes and left the store with a heavy heart and a restless mind.

I couldn’t take it any longer I was filled with thoughts of him and I badly wanted to see him again hoping that he would be there in the exact spot I caught him when I entered and hoping that he would be eagerly waiting to see me as well.

To my disbelief my worst fears were confirmed. He was gone. This time my hearing was full and I heard it all …the irritating screeches of the parakeets, the barks of the dogs, the gurgling of the bubbles from the aquariums but was heart-broken to not find him… the cutest ginger colored furry cat with his icy blue eyes staring back at me beseechingly the last time I saw him.

To not be able to touch his tiny paws through the cage again and to not be splashed by drops of water from his water bowl felt so cruel and unfair!!

I clearly heard all the other “MEOWS” but I missed the perfect soft purr from my lovely tufty haired ginger ball of fur. I desperately went to the storekeeper to ask about ginger ball and he said that he was sold few days back. I silently wished he would be in a good house with a loving and caring owner. I still miss him…. He was the perfect furry full of prettiness that I have ever laid eyes on.

Love at anyone’s first sight indeed.

❤

I Bet’a Fish

On March 8th, Women’s day this year I was gifted something. No…. there weren’t flowers or jewelry or sweets. It was even better!! 🙂 …… a betta fish!! 😀  A beautiful bright blue and pink hued male betta splenden was swimming in our fish bowl when I arrived home from work 🙂

I have never owned any other variety of fish other than a fat gold-fish once and a virtual fish tank on Facebook (Happy aquarium). My virtual fishes were taken care of, like as though my life depended on it. Feeding the school from time to time and keeping a check on their health was a pastime my friends and I really enjoyed. We would unlock new fish species at every level and decorate our aquariums with colorful corals and sea weeds 😛

To satisfy the inclination of owning a pet, a lot of pet lovers’ first choice would be a dog or a cat followed by birds, hamsters or turtles. Earlier, I assumed that owning a pet was about being able to remain in close contact with your new animal companion that is to be able to physically play with it, train it, take it out for a walk or bathe it, but soon after Bubbles (name of our fish) came into our lives, I’ve realized that a pet needn’t be petted to feel connected. Betta Fishes can make wonderful pets just as much as a dog or a cat can.

Siamese fighting fish or betta fishes come in vibrant colours and patterns. These are hardy fishes that are found in rice paddies in marshy lands of East Asian countries like Thailand or Cambodia. They are territorial fishes that are naturally aggressive in nature and therefore male bettas prefer to stay unaccompanied and do not like to be in a community.

But interestingly, bettas being solitary fishes still prefer social interaction. They like to observe their surroundings and are mostly curious by nature. No offence to Gold fish owners but I haven’t come across gold fishes having unique personalities. Swimming back and forth and consuming fish food is what a goldfish does but bettas would actually connect with their owners just as much as how a dog would 🙂 I love the way Bubbles welcomes us when we wish him good morning every day. Yes we do talk to our fish 😛

Bubbles is housed in a large terrarium container adorned with a coral and some pebbles. It is said that bettas live better in warm water so we installed a heater to keep him comfy. To me Bubbles is like a third person living with us. He stares at us and flaps his fins happily when food is offered or would otherwise glide slowly like a little mermaid. In recent days I notice him opening his mouth in an “O” shape when hungry and wants to be fed. We store the fish food in a chest and the moment he hears the lid move he would dart towards my direction quickly and does his usual excited zigzag dance. This was a pretty amusing sight to me as I’ve never seen fishes being crazily expressive. They usually mind their own business looking elsewhere and given that they don’t have eyelids, they look all the more disinterested, but Bubbles would actually roll his eyes when you trace your finger over the glass. This is why we feel that he listens when spoken to. The first thing I do when I return home is to greet him and talk to him about my day. He would simply stare back but still be super attentive 🙂 To ensure he is always surrounded by action and not feeling lonely we kept him in the living room on our bookshelf which is a vantage point to catch the happenings of the day. Bettas perform tricks too. You could stick your finger a little above the water with a piece of fish pellet on your finger tip and see it make a calculated jump to snatch his food. They also swim through hoops if trained and can flare their fins if agitated. A happy betta blows tiny bubbles to create large bubble nests too. Turns out bettas love looking at different objects. I place something new every week to engage my fishy and keep him intrigued. Simply sitting on the couch and observing your betta swim effortlessly through the water is relaxing and rejuvenating by itself. We would just look at him and wave our hands to grab his attention :P. Name your fish, talk to him, feed him on time and keep his home clean. He will give it all back to you and will give you much more. 😀

Fishes are less messier, low maintenance, calming, engaging and noiseless. They connect with the owners differently.

Being an enthusiastic fish owner myself,

I can truly bet a fish can make a great pet ! 😀

Happy Fishh’ing! 😀

Ps: Fishing for a good fish to own 😛

❤

Swarnalatha

Music has played an integral part of my life right from a very early age. I do not hail from a family of professional singers or was I trained right from the time my singing capabilities were discovered. We weren’t aware of any musical theories but were bestowed with a natural talent for singing and a flair for tasteful songs. When a lot of other things could drive us apart music was the only force that held us together. As a family we just break into a song while we go on some fun road trip or we croon in full swing at home with our karaoke CD’s popped in, clutching on to our mics excitedly. I have to accredit my interest in singing primarily to my parents because they grew up listening to several old classics and frequently hummed them at home when we were young, or so they claim right from the time I was developing as a baby nestled in my mother’s womb. I am sure I enjoyed the special musical concerts right from those womb days….. It all makes sense now as to why a certain song makes me feel deeply in a certain way.

To me music is a palpable sensation, it is not all about capturing the right tune and ensuring to remain in a steady pitch while delivering a song but it is about giving a form to the emotions you receive from the songs you listen, process and execute. Dad’s mentioned that at the tender age of two, I would tear up instantly when I listened to anything pathos or patriotic and that he would have to hastily shift to a different happy song just to see me giggle and reveal those pink dimpled cheeks as he would put it. I guess I was always quite emotional and I still am.

I am not hooked to a specific artist due to their name and fame. Every artist carries his or her own strengths in their musical prowess and although I do enjoy the work of a couple of renowned playback singers very much, I am not biased to the idea of their fame. If anyone could marvelously justify the concept of a song and deliver it stupendously then I am sold, be it whoever.

So on September 12, 2010 I got the shock of my life when I learnt about the sudden demise of one of the most gifted singer the Indian film industry could ever have. A singer who according to me didn’t share the household names of Lata Mangeshkar, Chitra or Sujatha but who was just as supremely talented as her peers. I have heard a lot about the above listed singers and have seen their pictures appear numerous times on various audio cassette covers and grew very familiar to their sweet lilting voices after having listened to maestro Ilayaraja, A.R Rahman and R.D Burman’s evergreen hits for over a million times already, but the singer who left too soon had a voice that was clearly distinguishable from the rest. Her timbre was unique with a sharp tonal quality carrying a soft clear husk which pierced through my ears in a bewitching manner whenever I listened to it. I didn’t have to see her picture or hear a ton about her for me to associate and connect quickly with her songs. She was just a natural and I wasn’t even curious to know how she looked or who she was back then but I always loved her songs deeply from the bottom of my heart. It was later until I learnt the demise of her that I put a face to that soulful voice. It was none other than the mellifluously sounding humming queen of India, singer Swarnalatha. The moment I read out the list of songs she had delivered it was indeed a blast from the past. I was instantly swooped into a vivid memory of my childhood days recalling all those times I was immersed and lost listening to these enchantingly beautiful songs. A tear escaped my eyes slowly as I felt the pain of her loss as much as the penetrating sorrow felt in her brilliant rendition of Poralae Ponnuthaye, Ennuley and Povoma oorkolam to name a few. She was truly underrated for her astounding talent to deliver any genre of music with ease and to remarkable perfection. Thirty seven is not an age to perish. In her seemingly short but enriching career spanning from 1987 to 2006 she did deliver some of the best songs ever and also won a National Award for the best female playback singer for Poralae. This was a miniscule consolation to the heart wrenching pain of not having to listen to her scintillating soul stirring voice ever again.

Today being April 29^th which is her birthday I wanted to specially sing a tribute cover for her. A song that sounded breathtaking only because she rendered it and a song that bears semblance to her fading out too soon from this world.

To one of my most favourite singer who will always inspire me to sing with life…

Swarnalatha

29 April 1973 – 12 September 2010