Moments with Dasettan during 1998.... Part 3

REMINISCENCES OF THE DAWN HOURS
SPENT WITH DASETTAN.

HARI KOCHAT

When Nature is up with the morning rays putting an end to the stillness of the night, awakening to the cries of crows or the fluttering sound of the feathers of the birds remain as memories of bygone days. But that particular day appeared to be totally unique. As my eyes just opened up in the wee hours, the sweet melody and that deep voice reached my ears, with a queer feeling hugging my senses. My body was infused with energy. My eyes followed the direction from where the music flowed like nectar.

 

Truly, it was difficult to believe. Previous night, after a long conversation, when Dasettan retired to the bedroom, half-asleep, it was past midnight. Yet he was unable to allow any obstacle in his early morning Saadhakam (practice session); it was Dasettan's Saadhakam that woke me up! With that much spiritual intensity he worships music. I was convinced of the truth in Dasettan's words:

 

"My life is music".

After morning chores, at break fast time I considered it a blessing to continue our conversation. I asked him: " Dasetta, between the busy schedules these days do you find it difficult to get enough time for Saadhakam, like you used to get in the earlier days?"

With a brilliant smile that resembled the aura of the sun's rays, his reply to me was this: "near a lake surrounded with greenery, sitting on the branch at the early hours if any bird sings a tune, I will recognize it. Not because I have any knowledge in ornithology. But because, then and now, they have been my friends. When they wake up, I too wake up. They never hesitate to sing; reason is, they know too well, if I am here, I will reply to them in a tune. Once the practice session is over, till this day, with out any break until I offer my prayers, I never even felt the urge for refreshments. That is my devotion. God has given me energy to observe and follow them till this time. I consider it as a great luck. Just because of this alone, I believe Vageeswari is equipping me to complete my mission with out any obstacles.

Music is a blessing from the goddess of learning. It is a gift from Vageeswari. To day if a person wants to become a player, overnight he cannot become an expert. Similar is the case with literary creation. Music is in no way contrary to these. Music is not a child's play. Narrating an incidence he tried to make me understand, the foolishness of people to show the society that one has learnt music. He explained this particular experience he had, when he was returning after a performance in Dubai.

One of the guests who went to Dasettan for an autograph said, more with pride than respect: "Mr. Das, I too learnt music for six years".

 

With the calmness of a saint Dasettan asked him: " Is it? Very good. How much time did you spent to learn music every day?" Holding his head high that person said: " with out break, every day for an hour". Dasettan continued in a pleasant tone: " That means you were learning music for 365 hours in a year. Or in six years 2190 hours. Did I go wrong? From what we have learnt, 2190 hours means 91 days is it not? So is there any meaning in saying that you learnt music for six years?"

Dasettan has always been saying: even if one learns music for innumerable cycles of birth, it will not be the music of a man's entire lifetime. Music is a penance. There is no end to it. From infinity those invocations will continue endlessly. Such ardent expressions!

Dasettan has no great desire to bring up his children dipped in the world of music because of his position or fame. Dasettan has been saying at many occasions that the inborn quality in a person is brought out by one's own efforts. Music is not something that can be bargained for value with wealth. He criticizes the parents who teach music against the aptitude of their children and the music teachers who create the wrong desire in parents in decorating the children with the highest degree in music within a stipulated time. Music is not an illusion. Due to this alone, just because one has a good voice, every one cannot become a master on the steps of that path.

God decides every thing. According to the situations, sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we are happy, some times we get angry. That is life. He reminds us that his life equally transient like others. When Dasettan said that he can not do any thing more than what God has destined for him and like others he too is an ordinary human being, I was observing with admiration the simplicity in that historic man.