My first song

Birth of a song  – Straight from the heart

 

Yes its my first song and it had the find a place on my blog. Wondering how did this happen. Yes I always wanted to learn the guitar , but kept postponing it. Every year it would be a new reason . Then in 2019 summers where I felt I had time and my passion was still alive. I enrolled for a home tutor . After four classes I felt that I was back to school mugging up the textbooks without understanding why I am actually doing what I am doing. I felt the need for a better tutor as basics is very important. Foundation is everything and so my music director friend’s colleague was sweet enough to take to one of the finest guitar teachers in Mumbai. After an hour of conversation, I knew he is the one I want to learn from. It also turned out that he spend his childhood in the  same area I lived – yes coincidences and me go hand in hand. In six months I learnt music theory, strumming, around 10 chords and could play songs as-well. Most important, whatever I did made sense to me.

And then in 2020 came the Coronavirus Pandemic and left everyone stranded at our homes. All of a sudden we had all the time in the world.  So I picked up my guitar and started practicing again. I would play happy birthday songs on the guitar and send birthday wishes to my friends. But soon I wanted to explore something more. I wanted to do something special for my dear friends and so one of my friend’s birthday I send her a video with me singing a short, original birthday song. And from there began my keeda of creating songs - right from singing to writing to composing and of course playing the guitar.  I started with recording on my phone and shared with family and some friends. It was liked and appreciated. And so came the pressure to put it up for public listening. Now being in the entertainment industry I wanted to have a decent quality track. I am blessed with friends who guided me. A friend of mine gave me an hour long crash course on Zoom on recording on garage band software. I had purchased a USB condenser mic . And after several takes I finally had two best tracks of vocals and guitar which I then gave to my mixing engineer to mix . And what a leaning it was! 

So this is how “ Dil ki batatein “ was born and released on 21st June 2020 which happens to be World Music Day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-LmZlMWbOc

Dil Ki baatein By Sharmista Nag  – Guitar chord chart

 

 

Cadd9                          G

Paapa pee pe paapa,   Paapa pee papa

 

Cadd 9                C          G  

Paapa pee papa, paaaa   aaaa

 

C            G

paaaa     aaaa

 

 

Hey

 

G                         C

Dil ki baatein,    dil mein me na rakhna

 

G                         C

soch samajh ke   use tum kehna

 

G                         C

varna samajhme  ayega kaise

 

Am                        Em

yaar  apne dil ka   haal

 

Am                                 D

mere yaar  apne dil ka  haal

 

G                         C

kehne ke hai    sau tareeke

 

G                                  C

 

kam shabdon mein    pyaar se kehle

 

G                             C

 

kehna zaroor  tum   bejhijakke

 

 

Am       Em

 

yaar     apne dil ka hal

 

Am             D

mere yaar  apne dil ka haal

 

Cadd9                          G

Lalla Lara lara,   Lalla Lara lara

 

Cadd 9       C    G       C        G

Lalla Lara lara, Laaa  aaaa , laaaa  aaaa

 

Am                               Em    Am             Em

agar anjaam se dar   gaye    samjho    tum mar gaye

 

Am                               Em

jo pana tha    vo bhi    kho jayega

 

 

isliye kehdo

 

Am                              Em

yaar   apne dil ka       haal

 

Am                                  Em

mere yaar  apne dil ka   haal

 

“Best things happen when you least expect.”

 

It all started with a phonecall from my maternal uncle from Kolkata whose 70^th Birthday was due in a week’s time . I had made arrangements for my mother to attend the occasion , but I did not have any plans to join due to work. However with much coaxing from my uncle I  wrapped up my work and joined him one day before his 70^th Birthday . I not only ended up attending his 70^th Birthday Party , but also joined them on their trip to Arunachal Pradesh.

Now from where did this Arunachal trip crop up . Yes my uncle and aunty in Kolkata are avid travellers.  And since I was already in Kolkata with my mother it made sense to join them .  So a sudden family vacation - Courtesy my uncle.

Well the process to book hotels through apps is rather a task and unreliable.  As most hotels in Arunachal do not have a good equation with online booking apps. So after booking through the apps , I had to cancel and rebook directly with the hotels. Managed to get all the stay sorted before we could land there.

On 5^th Nov  2019 we landed in Guwahati and rested for that day . Next day morning we left for Arunachal  Pradesh . We reached our first stop – A beautiful place called Dirang .  I was very impressed with the clean roads. The view up the winding roads was a visual treat .  From beautiful monasteries  , to resorts , to locals , to kids playing in the open and the infinite mountains staring at you .

We stayed at a resort called Awoo in Dirang.  Apart from the hospitable staff , the heater in the room was a savior . 

Next day we left for another town called Tawang. I came across one of the best Monasteries. I was delighted to step inside and sit for the prayers .  I would say , this experience was one of the highlights of my trip .  The other one being , playing housie with the family while sipping some local wine .

 

Our next  destination was Bumla pass and like many touristy people we too were excited to see the Indo – China border . The icing was the beautiful lakes we came across on our way to the Bumla pass . 

Finally we reached the top which was approx. 15,000 feet high . All the tourists assembled in a holding area where tea and biscuits were served . Then in groups we walked to the point where we supposedly could see the Indo – China border . China toh door door tak nahi dikha but instead got a brief history on Indo China war .

 

After an hour or two and all the photo session , we began our descent to Tawang , we reached our guesthouse – Ugyenling. We rested and next day morning we were on our way to Bomdila , where we halted for one night at a guesthouse called Highlanders . What amazed me that the guesthouse was run only by woman , Right from the porter to housekeeping to cooks – All women .

Finally we reach Guwahato airport and back to Kolkata . For a few days my mind was still in the mountains . It will only be fair to say “Best things happen when you least expect.” 

If only I could fly

I wish I could fly - How many times have we told this to ourselves?

In November 2018, I stepped into the small and serene town of Bir, in the hope to fly - Yes, since a long time paragliding was on my bucket list.

So I reached the hotel a night before with severe cold and thought I would not be able to enjoy my first experience in paragliding . However one of the adventure sports organizers arranged some medicines which made me feel better the next day .

At 9 am in the morning I sat in the car with nothing but my mobile phone in my Jacket pocket. Excited was the best way I could describe my emotions and it was only growing. When will I reach the top and when will my feet leave the ground ?

Finally the car reached the take-off site is Billing. I got out of the car , met the Pilot who put the gear on me and handed me a Go Pro camera on a selfi stick . Well the stick was the most important thing for me at that point. It would have  proof that I finally flew up in the air . It would have memories which I could go back whenever I would sit next to the window pane of my home, sipping a cup of coffee . 

 

So the time had arrived. Out of the dream world and into the reality I was all set to fly . The Pilot instructed that I must run as fast as I can and not stop. Here’s when I remembered all the athletics competitions that I participated in school. On the count of three we ran as fast as we could before setting my feet off the ground.  There came the moment where I was no longer on land. And that was HEAVEN .

I sat on the harness suspended below a fabric wing. Yes I was literally touching the sky. Then when the pilot put the Go pro on, Guess what ! It didn’t work. ( Sound of Broken glass ) .

I thought I could never capture  the premiere of my paragliding experience . Then came my mobile phone to the rescue. At a height of 2400 meters I pulled out my Motorola G5Splus and started recording. Phew ! Well you must be wondering didn’t I fear that the phone would fall and I would never be able to find again . Well the thought of not being able to have a memory of my first paragliding experience was more predominant.

So back to the enjoying and fun part. The pilot glided through the sky to give me a bird’s eye view of different shades of the landscape – mountains, fields, houses, children playing, cattle . All in one picture .

This heavenly experience lasted for only 20 mins and the time came when had to land. Its rightfully said. All good things come to an end. Soon my feet touched the ground and I was back to the land. Back to the real world but with new experiences and memories which will be cherished forever .

If you haven’t done paragliding in your life – then do it now!

 

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Alone but not alone!

 It all began from a film festival at Trivandrum,  Kerela , My journey to explore another new place . After a 45 hour train journey from Kolkata we reached our hotels late in the evening . Had some scrumptious dinner and crashed. Next day we headed to have the local thali in one of the finest restaurants in Trivandrum -   Mother’s Veg plaza . What we did in the morning was insignificant. What’s worth mentioning is the variety of items on a big banana leaf that you have to pull the chain to stop eating. The next day we decided to go to the tip of India - Kanyakumari .  Next on our list was the beautiful and serene Ponmudi hills , 3200 feet above sea level .The greenery and mist made it a divine experience, a photographer’s delight, and a hot destination for pre wedding shoots.

However my thirst to explore a few places continued. While others had their tickets booked back home, I decided to travel to Fort Cochin, perks of not planning . Well the thought that drove me was ‘ How can one come to Kerela and not see the backwaters !’ . So I took a train from Trivandrum to Ernakulum and then and auto to Fort Cochin to I one’s home stay. I had my stay all sorted ,thanks to my batch mate at film school.

As soon as I reach the homestay I was hit by a disappointing news that there isn’t any backwater trip the following day . I had only one day at hand. What to do?? Looking at my keenness , after a while the owner managed to contact one tour group and got me a booking . The next day I was ready at 8 am to be picked up . We sat in a mini bus with an Australian family and two boys from UK and began my voyage to the back waters in Viakom, Kottayam district of Kerela.

Beautiful as imagined, I couldn’t resist the tempting scenery and started capturing everything onto my camera. On route we visited the Lime powder factory and the rope factory , bought some home made taprioca chips.

And once again had the local thali  , after which we shifted into a smaller open boat and went deeper into the narrow streams of the backwaters . The visual treat was the blue Kingfisher which I saw for the first time.

Very tired, yet fulfilled, I returned to my room and after a good nap I went to one of the best ‘tourist’ restaurant in fort cochin – The fusion bay . Never imagined that I would travel alone and meet some interesting people.  However after scanning through the menu I ordered Prawns molly and Appam. While I waited for my dinner to come I began conversing with a lady , Serah from New York who had come to visit the child she sponsored from Munnar . What interested me was , she worked in her family run business . A chocolate shop ! and she started sharing with me her experiences with chocolate lovers. We talked for two hours and as she left another gentleman walked in and sat on the adjacent table. I was finishing my dinner when I heard a voice  “Are you from Mumbai? “ . It was the same gentleman who had just entered. From there I began a new conversation with Robin a drummer by profession . He was in India to teach drumming in a music school in Mumbai .So the topics traversed from Chocolates to Music. Robin was from Amsterdam and starting teaching drumming from the age of 17 . Also I learnt tat abroad boys and girls prefer moving out (staying away from their parents) at quite an early age. Something that was hard for me to fathom .But as he went into details I realized how differently people perceive life and their relationships .Interesting isn’t it?

Such were the perks of travelling alone , we get to meet a bunch of new and interesting people who touch or enrich our lives in a small way . We never know whether we will meet again , but the time spend is worthwhile .

Ponmudi Hills

Viakom Backwaters

http://dnasyndication.com/dna/dna_english_news_and_features/Conquering-the-silver-screen/DNMUM322841

Spasiba! VGIK festival

Little did I know that my first short film made in Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute , Kolkata , INDIA would take me to VGIK , one of the prestigious film schools in the world . It was my first time to Moscow. Well it was the first time for most of us but with the presence of our co ordinators and new friends we never felt we were new to the city .Right from receiving us from the airport to taking us around , they were there with us. I remember the times when I would often get mesmerized by the beauty of the city and stop by suddenly to click a picture or two but I was never afraid of getting lost because two pairs of eyes were constantly looking at me . Like a mother never loses sight of her child our co ordinators too didn’t whenever we would go out.

My next pleasant surprise came at the opening ceremony . The grand opening, I would call it and for a student festival I must say its no less than the academy.

I feel privileged to be part of the festival as it gave me a platform to see films all across the world and have the makers right in front. Mot only did I enjoy the screenings , I also learnt and shared my  experiences with other film makers which made my film viewing really worthwhile. However I wished that the masterclasses would be in English , would have attending those aswell .

All work and no play makes John a dull boy ! Am sure we would have got bored just watching films . But the organizers made sure this didn’t happen to us , apart from the opening party and closing party , we did go clubbing and explore the night life in Moscow after the screenings . And not to forget we were in the safe hands of our co ordinators and other students.

What is commendable is the effort put by each and every student to make us feel comfortable and happy . This is what I appreciate and will always be thankfull to VGIK and its organizers and my film school.

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Most treasured experience...

This definitely deserves a place in my blog. Yes it has been a great and humbling experience to have the legendary and extremely talented Mamata Shankar in my first short film. The journey began with the time I spend at my maternal uncle’s house in Rashbehari , from there came the germ or seed  of this short film. After writing the short film in close association with my mentor / professor , I started meeting various theatre actors. Then one day mustered the courage to call Mamata mam , fixed a meeting , narrated the story and waited for her confirmation .  From the time I steped out from her house , I kept telling myself that I found the main character for my film . I kept my fingers crossed and soon I got the good news . this was a huge boost to myself and the team and alao a pressure to work with an actor so experienced and talented. But when we started shoot we realized that it was so comfortable working with Mamata mam and it seemed that she was one among us. On the last day we were delighted to have finished the shoot but we were saddened that this will be the end of working with one of the most talented actors . Indeed it was a  great learning experience which will always hold a special place in my life. I long for another opportunity like this. I wish to be blessed again. 

Beau Travail

What happens when you have spend days after days watching films by one of the finest film makers in the world , cut to ,you get to meet her , live and rocking! . I guess I was waiting for this big one , thats why it took me this long to write my next post. Masterclass with one of my favourite world cinema film makers - Claire Denis. Its hard to explain the experience , ten days of cinema overdose about her films , her style , her approach , post the screenings of her films on celluloid.
However what amazed me the most was the energy and commitment with which she would come everyday and share her experiences on film making in spite of being unwell. I find these meetings / encounters in life the most inspiring and enriching.
For those who haven't seen her films here's what you can do http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0219136/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 and for those who haven't got her autographed poster ......hmmmmm..... sorry you can only end up feeling jealous !