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God's
Acre
Kerala is the undisputed tourism hot spot of India, the must-see destination
for heads of states, the wealthy, the tired. This is the story about the
colour and hardsell that have made this state of stunning backwaters,
impossible greenery and great beaches what it is.
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THE
NATION
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No
Chance for Peace
With
the jehadis stepping up their terrorist attacks and the Hurriyat issue
embroiled in confusion, hopes of a breakthrough in Kashmir are receding.
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STATES
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Fear
Factories
As
two senior executives are killed by workers, the persisting violence in
mills is forcing the state's antiquated jute industry to move to the peaceful
environs of Andhra Pradesh.
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BUSINESS
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Home |
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MUSIC:
MUSINGS
Reverberations
Mantra Magic
That
devotional music sold well in India was never a secret. But after
decades of a bhajan glut, every music company seems to be suddenly realising
the power of mantras and shlokas, earlier not considered "geya"
(fit to be sung) in the Sanskritic tradition. Today, the market is flooded
with such music. It is believed that the chanting of mantras influence
both, the environment and self. Shanti: In search of peace ... has been
conceived and directed by percussionist Anuradha Pal for BMG Crescendo.
With vocals, flute, carnatic veena and a range of percussion instruments,
the album puts together sundry shlokas, mantras, bhajans and abhangs in
a loose, eclectic mix. Pal has added her personal view of life and music
to the album's sleeve notes which is touching in its transparent passion
even if it reads a trifle cliched. However, it is an eminently hearable
anthology of Hindu devotional and metaphysical poetry. The music transcends
rhetoric.
-S.Kalidas
Milestone
has released four albums-Chants of Gayatri, Moksha, Surya
and Shiva sung by the well-known musicians of the Banaras school, Pandit
Rajan and Sajan Mishra, along with Ritesh
and Rajneesh Mishra (sons of Rajan Mishra). Chants of Surya includes rare
invocations in praise of Surya, the Sun God, which have been composed
and arranged by Govind Prasann Saraswati. Very beautifully rendered by
Rajan and Sajan Mishra, the album has a commentary in English by Kishen
Bhutani. Each chant is explained and put in context. The other album worth
meditating on is Chants of Moksha divided into three sections-evolution,
existence and celebration. The commentary explains the origin of the word
Om in detail while the tranquil music is based on morning ragas Bibhas,
Bhairav and Deshkar. Excellent background score makes this package worth
buying. Some sleeve notes are in Hindi and some in English. Uniformity
could have been maintained.
-S. Sahaya Ranjit
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 Web
Exclusives |
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COLUMNS |
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 The
Kumbh mela is certain to lead to yet another explosion
of religiosity but is this good for India, asks India Today
Deputy Editor
Swapan Dasgupta in
Day
Dreams.
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INTERVIEW |
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This is just the beginning, V.K. Aatre, who
is at the core of the LCA action, tells India Today Principal Correspondent
Stephen David in an exclusive
Interview.
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DESPATCHES |
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As
the much-dodged liquor policy comes before the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet for
clearance, there are fears that the liquor mafia may continue to have
its way. India Today Special Correspondent
Subhash Mishra
reports in
Despatches.
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