The voice within

Naatakuranji Raga is the janya raga of 28th melakartha harikamboji. It's a upanga raga.  Shuddha madhyama, chatushruthi rishabha, antara gandhara, chatushruthi daivatha and kaishiki nishada are the swara sthanas of this raga. Karuna and bhakti rasa are the pradhana raga. Some of the famous kritis are: Manasu Vishaya, adi tala by Thyagaraja. Budhamashrayami, jhampe tala, muthuswamy Dixit. Tripura sundari, adi tala by Subbarama Dixit. Sarasa ninne,adi tala by pattam Subramanya Iyer References: ragas and raginis by gangoly, the story of Indian classical music by Goswami O

1997 was a year of catastrophes for me.  I had already lost my paternal grandma in 96 and I lost my maternal grandpa in 97. I didn't know what was happening. My uncle was kind enough to understand  my mother's and my grief, so we left to my uncle's in October. The memory is still fresh in my mind. When my uncle's family picked us at the airport I was introduced to a petite and affectionate Bichaun Fris é   called "Raja". He jumped on me, licked my hands and feet, sat on my lap and licked my face. He brought a big smile on my face. We both just couldn't live without each other. Raja would curl up and sleep near my feet on bed. If he was not allowed to be on bed, I would sleep on the floor and he would sleep near my head. Me with Raja I gave him a gift I had bought for myself at the airport, orange truffles. It was his favorite and he always finished the entire pack. He had his own routine. Every morning, he used to run in the back yard to keep himse...