Not My God

I was born into a Hindu family and just about everyone in the family is at least reasonably, moderately religious. Some – including my wife – are deeply religious. As is common in many Hindu households, we have a small temple in one corner of our apartment, where a small selection of Gods and Goddesses are ensconced – comfortably, I hope – and my wife and parents pay their respects there every day, in the morning, for a few minutes. My wife, a devout Hindu, also goes to a neighbourhood temple every day, in the evening, for a second round of prayers. No harm in receiving a double dose of Godly blessings, I suppose, and she says the 20-minute walk does her some good anyway, which must be true.

Regardless of which religion they follow, I have no problem with the devout. Well, except for the indiscriminate use of loudspeakers, which I wrote about earlier. When it comes to religion, there can’t be one single path that everyone must follow. Godliness can’t be one-size-fits-all. For those who regularly go to temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship – if it makes them feel good, if it works for them, that’s just great. For those who regularly spend a few minutes – or even an hour or two, as the case may be – every day to pray or meditate, if it brings peace to their minds and happiness to their hearts, that’s just awesome.  

Still Here, Still Playing

 

I recently sold my Yamaha PSR E453 (the one on top) and I'm getting a new PSS F30 (the one below the E453). It's like downgrading from a superbike to a moped. But sometimes, maybe a moped is all you really need 

The first time I saw a musical keyboard was probably in 1990-91, when I’d just started going to college, in Lucknow. There was this one time when I’d gone to my friend Shobhit’s house and there, for the first time, saw a small, compact Casio keyboard and immediately liked it very much. With all its lights, buttons, switches and fancy sounds, the little Casio looked quite cool and I absolutely loved it right away. I think that keyboard belonged to one of Shobhit’s elder brothers and I assumed it might be fairly expensive. So, while I wished I could have one too, I didn’t really imagine I’d be getting one anytime soon.

However, I soon got lucky beyond my wildest dreams. A few days after seeing that Casio keyboard at Shobhit’s house, I mentioned the whole thing to one of my best friends, Manish, and told him about how fascinated I was with that Casio and how I wished I could have one, so I could learn to play. Immediately, he said he had one too – his father had got one for him from the US – and that since he wasn’t really very keen on playing music, I could have it for as long as I wanted! The next time Manish came to my place – I was living with my grandparents at that time, since my father had been transferred to Bareilly and my parents had moved there – he got his keyboard along with him and handed it to me. I have to admit, I was very, very happy! This was also a small, compact keyboard, white, and every bit as cool as the one I’d seen at Shobhit’s house. However, I don’t remember if it was a Casio or a Yamaha – this was 35 years ago after all – but I think it may have been a Yamaha keyboard.