Moksha on the Rocks!!!

“Most of us need a Guru. Some need a spiritual Guru; some need an inner Guru… Whatever you do, don’t find a boring guru! Find a Funky Guru!” said Prem Joshua.

And we all could not stop smiling at the Guru of fusion, as he charmed us not only with his music, but also his humour. I cannot call myself religious, nor can I say that I have music in me. Yet, something as intoxicating as that, knew how to break all barriers and connect with the soul.

His band, a quartet of multi talented musicians, merged various genres of music and complemented each, to produce something so perfectly beautiful. The Indian classical was well synthesised with the jazz and the hip hop. And boy, I was in complete awe as I saw him play the bamboo flute and then the sitar and then the suprano sax, one after the other. Unfortunately, he wasn’t carrying his dilruba:-). Manish Vyas, on the drums, was fantabulous with his many talents ranging from the jazz drums to the tabla and dunno the other kind of random drums. He wove infectious energy into the music which was simply exhilarating.

Prem Joshua pointed out that 2006 has been a chaotic year for most of his friends. I couldn’t agree more, for obvious reasons! I’ve had my share of fluctuations from complete disillusionment with people and life, and then over to resurrection of my faith. The entire year has been a series of strange realisations, irreparable loss, unbearable agony, unexpected discovery and breaking of illusions (for good, of course), shock and confusion, learning and unlearning. But then like he said, “It’s a year to let go, so that you can make way for the new”. And I was smiling.

The realisations have made life easy, it doesn’t weigh on me anymore. The losses have revealed that nothing is permanent and so am I. Hence, I better make the most, and value everyone and everything till they last. Agony is necessary, it keeps one alive. And yeah, shock and confusion is fabulous. It symbolises experiencing something new, something that has never been encountered before, something out of the ordinary.

And yes, so I let go…..let go off everything unnecessary, because I want the new. And how would I, if I am so full of stale emotions that clog me up and suffocate in there. I have numerous lives to live and much to carry forward. It’s easier and lighter carrying the good, and bad weighs you down.

And then they played their last number, ‘Dance of Kali’. Joshua was on the saxophone, and I thought it was the wildest thing I’ve ever heard. You got to hear him play this one, it’s simply divine! Pure and raw, just like pain:-).