They were four magical days. The Auroville Film Institute organized a residency with Ustad Bahauddin Dagar from November 7th to 10th, 2022. It took place in the Bhumika Hall, Bharat Nivas Auroville. Dhrupad – The Film (1983). Ustad Bahauddin Dagar is a Rudraveena player. His family has been playing the instrument for 20 generations! His father and uncle (Zia Mohiyuddin Dagar and Fariduddin Dagar) were true masters. There is also the wonderful film Dhrupad by the Indian director Mani Kaul. Mani Kaul…
For many years now, my mind has been filled with emptiness most of the time. My memory isn't good either, and I often repeat words or sentences in my mind without knowing why. Often, it's simply experiences in a word in an endless loop, so to speak, like a mantra. This worried me for a long time. I tried to find excuses and justifications for it. For example, that I've done a lot of mental work and my mind is simply exhausted, down to...
I didn't take much with me to India, just a backpack full, mostly clothes, books, and electronics. However, I did pack good headphones and recently bought an external Hi-Fi sound card from Tempotec for my USB-C port. It wasn't cheap, but it's excellent. I was really happy when it arrived today, and of course, I tried it out immediately. What a mixed experience. The music immediately brought back memories; I remembered listening to it in...
Today I was in a choir lesson. What happened there was a very intense shared experience. I'll try to describe it as objectively as possible. We (about 60 participants) started with breathing exercises, ‚warmed up‘ our vocal cords, sang four-part chords, and scaled the pitch. The choirmaster pointed out that we weren't here by chance. He said we were in Auroville because something had drawn us here. I think most people in the room understood what he meant, for others perhaps...
Today, after many years, I've perhaps arrived at the market here for the first time. There are so many economies here. Shopping – of course – routines also go on… Efficiency – the best thing for the best price. Meeting people, looking out for acquaintances. What I've never seen is the social aspect. People know each other and play music for one another. Share coffee and quiche, stories, and sing together. How does one perceive a market, how does one participate in it? A person who…
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