Date: Wed Jan 31, 2001
Subject: Saraswati Puja, friends from home, earthquakes and the Mela

Hey folks,

I've started the second semester of my lessons with Guru-ji in Varanasi and we've been having a great time.

Varanasi is really packed at the moment. In the wake of the biggest bathing days at the Kumbh Mela, millions have decided to visit Varanasi while they're in the neighbourhood. Many folks are staying on the ghats and in the streets. Apparently there's often a queue 2km long to go into the holy Viswanath Temple!

In the last week I've had a few friends from Brisbane arrive - they're staying in Munna House of course (luckily for them the best room in the house came free just before their arrival). It's been very pleasant having friends from home around to share the Varanasi experience with.

They were very lucky to arrive in time for Saraswati Puja (Basant Panchami) on the 29th. Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of music and learning and her special day is particularly observed by musicians and students. It is my favourite festival of the year because there is a very special atmosphere in my guru-ji's house. For more than fifty years, Guru-ji's family have celebrated Basant Panchami with a music concert in honour of Saraswati. Originally when he started it, he wanted to give his students an opportunity to hear his guru, Ustad Kanthe Maharaj, play tabla solo, and also to give his students an opportunity to play with other good musicians. At that time the place would be packed and they would put speakers in the lane and in the windows to the ghats in front, where more people would be listening.

This year was very special for me because I was asked to play in a performance of five tabla players. The atmosphere was really electric - beforehand there had been three other performances: first an older singer accompanied by Guru-ji's oldest student (63 year old Kripa Shankar), second a sitar performance by Gaurav Majumdar, a student of Ravi Shankar who had come from Delhi especially for the
event - he was accompanied by Tapan, a local lad who now lives in Spain - and third another vocal performance by a younger singer accompanied by Guru-ji's son Bapa. All the musicians were sitting facing a statue of Saraswati with the audience all around them in the front hall of the house. With everyone singing and playing for the goddess of music, the performances were really inspired and the intimate setting really made for something special.

Last was the performance of five tabla players, all students of Guru-ji. There was Kripa Shankar, full of spirit and grunt, myself just starting and doing what I can, Tapan who likes to use a lot of bayan (the bass drum), Manishankar who plays so beautifully, and Bapa who is soooo fast and loud it's crazy. Brother Nick said it well when he said Manishankar's playing sings and Bapa's roars. Anyway it all
went down very well with lots of shouts of appreciation all round - I was given a lot of support and had a great time. It was a great experience.

Of course the really big news around the place is the earthquake in Gujarat. I felt it when it happened - a few seconds of disorientation and swaying. A strange thing... I straight away had the idea that it had been quite big somewhere... Aum Mani Padme Hum

Love to all,
Shen
Aum Mani Padme Hum