2 hrs before take off...

Jai and I went for a carnatic concert featuring the Ranjani-Gayathri combo. The queue outside the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan hall clearly showed thier fan following. The rasikas consisting mainly of 'mama-mamis' with thier trademark filter coffee flasks made the evening lively. The highlights of the concert were the 'Thodi' kirthanai ,the meera bhajan and the tukaram abhang in that order. I thought the crowd lacked discipline , quite few cell phones ringing and people leaving the concert before the mangalam piece. My dad told me about the mylapore 'mess'(mess= restaurant) culture. We went to Mylai mess that was opposite to the B.V.B hall for dinner. The place has hardly been renovated and maintains its old legacy even today. The menu card is also very typical of the Madras tiffin culture . I had Badam halwa , Kichadi and podi dosai for dinner. As usual I must elate... it was Yummm!!! Not the most cleanest place but yes i felt the place has preserved its soul :-).The

I have finished 2 classes with my guru Shree Reji George . I am enjoying the experience, he is very friendly and a true master when it comes to enforcing rules. Guess what, he asked me a few puzzles before we started , caught me on the wrong foot ! His 7 yr old kid Eleena gave all the right answers to those puzzles . I have learnt a small kirthan in the raga Brindavani ( latest avatar of Brindavana Saranga) . I have been practicing the song all week. My grasping of music has come down a wee bit ,have to get that on track.The Chennai music season is in full swing ,I have to make it to some concerts this yr too. The trip to Hyderabad and Mumbai also need to be planned out.Work is happening at snails pace . The yearly trip to Sabarimala was super as usual! This year has been very eventful, i hope it ends well and leads to yet another great one for all!