NaPoWriMo: Today, try writing a poem that imposes a particular song on a place. Describe the interaction between the place and the music using references to a plant and, if possible, incorporate a quotation – bonus points for using a piece of everyday, overheard language.
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This needed an understanding of the Ragas. I love music, and I do listen to Carnatic and Hindustani and other soulful music, but I don't have the prowess to use it in depth in a poem. So I had to watch a couple of videos to gather a sense of it. I am adding two videos below, just in case you are curious. Sooryagayathri is one of my favourites, an exquisite gem in the ocean of Carnatic music. Indosoul Academy of Music has videos on Ragas called Know your Ragas and I found them while searching about Ragas. The Raga I had in mind was Hamsadhwani and the composition in Vathapi Ganapathim Bhajeham by Muthuswami Dikshitar (one of the Trinity of Carnatic Music, the other two being Thyagaraja and Shyama Shastri)
My humble attempt:
Day Sixteen-NaPoWriMo-In the Kitchen Steam
-raga in a busy kitchen-
The onions hit the oil—
that’s the resounding shruti*.
A sizzle, a breath—
the first note held just long enough
to stir the soul and the dal.
**The poem has been removed to facilitate for submissions. Thank you for visiting.**
4 comments:
An evocative poem, Deepa, that appeals to all the senses. It made my mouth water. I especially love the lines:
‘A sizzle, a breath—
the first note held just long enough
to stir the soul and the dal’
and the thought of ‘a hymn wrapped in cumin and care’.
Love this!
I am glad it resonated and super glad to have made your mouth water. :)
Thank you!
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