Sights and sounds

Sights and sounds #1 - Hariharan Concert, April 6th, 2007, University of Washington

This was something we were looking forward to for quite some time. Hariharan and his troupe enthralled us with their ghazals and film songs. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the function was arranged by the Vedic Cultural Center, it was a subdued event and not as gung-ho as one might expect from a playback singer. Or perhaps, this is how Hariharan performs his concerts normally. In any case, it was a feast to the ears. Not many people in the playback singing field can sing the same way in the studio and at a live concert. Hariharan is one of the few. We enjoyed the evening thoroughly.



Should we look at artists as entertainers or otherwise? I feel that if someone is talented in a field (art, sports, etc), due respect needs to be given. I seem to have a hard time understanding when a game, like cricket is played for entertainment purposes. It really doesn't help much when the artists itself say that they play for the people and for their enjoyment. I feel true art is beyond that.

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Sights and sounds #2 - Tulip Festival, April 7th, 2007, Mt. Vernon area, Washington

This one was long due and was finally done today. With tulip fields straight out of Shankar's movie books, one can capture several hundreds of potential wall papers for their computers. The weather was kind of OK (read as not raining!) and it was only a 45 minute drive from where we live. What we saw was spectacular.


It starts something like this
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And then a bloom...
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Different races living side by side. Vanishing point is an illusion.
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Intrusion of privacy
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Heaven for many a cheesy movie!
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A now-familiar scenario!
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Soil with air pockets. Walking on portions of the field was similar to a metal ball rolling on a suspended net. Fun was had! hee hee!
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Tulip species from various countries. 16, I recall.
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Ok. Let's move on!
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The Tulip festival is in full bloom during April and it is must-see for anyone visiting or staying in Seattle area. And oh, be prepared to see scores of desis!