A True Story a wonderful experience
A few summers ago a fine gentleman appeared before me. He wanted to learn the bansuri.
His eclectic brilliance, the shine in his eyes, and a semi smile coupled with his free flowing hair and loose attire dazzled me. I could not help thinking to myself how wonderful an experience He has there for me.
This is how the journey started…
We started initial contact , and after a few months of painstaking blowing he started to create swars and we started on our never ending journey of trying to make sense with the various swars.
His control on his breath, his fingers relaxing, his shoulders drooping a bit yet with his spine erect was an excellent posture he attained in his meditation..
Being curious is the only way of learning.
After each lesson he would ask a few questions mostly about where the bans comes from, who makes it , how, why is blow hole where it is; what if its position changes, why is the color of the bans different, does it affect the sound if so how...
He would fold his hands, gather his bansuri in a slow deliberate manner and set out for his home in Pickering.
As the days passed , his questions became more and more focussed on the bansuri , and less on the playing. Which was i believe a normal phenomena , as he was a double engineer by education.
One day i was making a bansuri and he requested if he could stay and watch. I joked that the watching fee will cost him 50 dollars and filming will be 100 dollars.
A few days later when he came he unfolded from his bag a bansuri he made out of pvc. I showed him how he could improve on the next one he made.
How a visit to India help him find his passion?
He was going to visit India and wanted to visit some of my bansuri makers , and he did so in the summer of 2013, made flutes , spoilt flutes, oiled , perforated, put the strings on , the cork etc..
In Aug 2013, he expressed his desire to meet me. His tone was a bit different on the phone and it got me guessing what would happen ...when he came a keen sense of anticipation hung in the air as it sharp 7 pm my door opened and his characteristic namaskar rang through the room.
He stood in front of me with folded hands , After a while he sat down slowly and said 'i have finally found what i want; a smile came to my lips ...
He said dada i am going to paint, i used to paint as a boy and now my heart wants to follow that. I will not be playing bansuri any more, i would like to place it before you , please take care of it.
How wonderful i thought in my mind, Here is a person who actually has realised what he wants.!!!
But he added "the bansuri made me realise and find what i wants. if my fingers had not been released and flowed i would never feel the power of holding a paint brush again!"
Sweet words of nectar reverberated in my mind i closed my eyes and i could see his contented smile.
I told him to keep the bansuri with him beside his easel to remind him...
Every person you meet has something to teach you.
He still comes regularly, he excitedly talks about his paintings and forced me to come to one of his exhibitions,, it was a delightful experience... what struck me was that each of his exhibits were distinctly of different character and unique from the others.
I mentioned that.. he said dada you reminded me that each breath we take is unique and different and cannot be emulated or duplicated ever.....remember with his contented chuckle!
Today he has a lesson as he calls it with me, i will see him at 9 am in the morning.. What a wonderful world HE has given to us.
His beauty his personality is so nice to share, his words he chooses with care, when he closed his eyes he really means to share the silence... a wonderful person to call as a friend indeed!
Each to follow his own path of finding happiness!!!
JAI SHRI KRISHNA
You are reading the blog of Deep Ganguly. Deep teaches the bansuri for beginners. You can take the online online classes, or attend in-class at Mississaugaclasses, or attend in-class at Mississauga, Canada. You can also get flutes, from beginners to concert level' from Deep. Or you can book for events.