The sitar, the tabla and a liberated soul

Date: 31st October 2010
Venue: Out of this world!

It was not a usual day, not usual for an eccentric soul like me. Music is food for the soul sounds like an overstatement but yesterday I got a lesson that requires no more validation to prove this. I along my friends decided to visit this place called The Second Floor aka T2F (an old style coffee house, providing a social hangout place for Karachiites) Enter T2F and the first things that strikes you is the serene environment and mystical aura hovering over the place.

The place is normally in sync with complete calmness. The ground floor has staring paintings insisting the visitors to speak up and break the shackle of mystery bordering the place.  Yesterday along with the paintings were some musicians playing a Sitar and a Tabla. The moment I entered this place the music fascinated me to such an extent that I ended up sitting next to the musicians playing these instruments. It was as if in ancient times people use to go to Sufis to get them rid of evil ailments that they were suffering from. The Sufi use to tap the sufferer with his magical wand as if the wand would free them from all their discomfort and concerns.

There was no magic wand yesterday but each hit on the Tabla and each stir of the Sitar were complimenting the absence of baton. Each hit was acting like a Sufi wand liberating the listeners of their distress and agony. Each hit urging the listener to break free and enjoy independence. Each hit influencing you, to be yourself. After listening to the music for quite some time the feeling was of absolute calmness and peace inside as if the music has done its task of liberating us from all the concerns and had given a go ahead to leave with a liberated soul.

The mystery still surrounds that place but I have got my answer. The mystery is due to all those troublesome souls ready to enter back in you to drag you back in the world of uncertainty and sadness, but, the music is there ready to act as your shield.

People may think of me as totally crazy coming up with this absolute nonsense linking music to liberation. But why don’t you try it, what’s the worst it could do?  The Sitar and the Tabla are still there along with the musicians and so is the mystery waiting for you with its open arms!

- Aaich!

Update: The video below is a glimpse of what i experienced that day.

Illustration credit: Google