Complements and Wishes
“Dear Samir ji,
My girlfriend said, "what makes two tabla players so different". She remarked about your control and poise.”
”My Thursday night students who attended commented on the beauty of your eyes and smile and how much they enjoyed being in your presence.”
Dear Samir,
Last night I came home to find "Those Forty Days."
After dinner I started reading and I couldn't put it down and finished it this morning!
Very beautiful, so inspiring, and surprising with all the musical and extra-musical tangents that you share! The book is both linear in form but very non linear in the directions that you go in, weaving recollections, perceptions and speculations on your beautiful and dedicated life. So much beauty-I particularly was touched by how you wrote about Sanghamitra and Dibyarka. I related to my own life with Carol with whom I've been together with since I was 27 and we've a daughter, Isa, now 27. Also the numeric synchronicities you referred to I also vibrated with, You wrote in day 33, reflecting on what you wrote on August 10th,which happens to be Isa's birthday....
I also loved how you wrote about the the work itself, your process and methods with it's rewards and challenges. I so appreciated your honest true personal reflections on the tradition. I appreciated you sharing honestly, trusting your internal intuitive clock yet going not shying away from tools like timers and metronome, and others
I am inspired to go practice, compose, and continue digging in and will be thinking and reflecting on what you've shared.
I miss you!
Love.”
My dear Guruji,
For the first time in months, maybe years, I am sitting in the backyard on a beautiful spring evening. It is about 7:30. The roses are blooming - ten pinks, six deep reds, one perfect deep pink, a dozen violets. I see also a flowering bush of light violet flowers and a gigantic flowering tree that I have never noticed. With the birds chirping, the slight rustle of squirrels jumping from tree to bush to tree, it feels like a paradise. I never knew I had a paradise in my own back yard. Strangely (or not so strangely), my next thought was of you. And I thought, of all the people I know, you would really appreciate this. I think you have taught me to appreciate this without even consciously trying (or maybe you have been trying!) I want to thank you for this great gift of noticing and appreciating - it makes the ordinary occasionally seem perfect. It helps one to notice the perfection in one's life.
Happy birthday. I wish we all could be with you.
Love.”
Dear Pandit Chatterjee: Namaste.
I am immensely grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to practice tanpura during Tabla Ashram. It was an incredible experience. Not only did I learn tanpura, but I also experienced what is real discipline, silence, reverence, gratitude, and humility. When the sessions were over, I had the intense feeling of not wanting to return to the real world. The kind of feeling that I get when I visit my spiritual guru’s Ashram in India and return home. I can only describe it as a sort of spiritual cleansing.
If ever I can be of any help to you or Chhandayan in any way, please do let me know.
Warm regards and Namaste.”
”Hi Samir,
I just wanted to thank you again for a masterful class last week. The feedback from Canada (and from MSM of course) has been glowing – everyone was truly mesmerized by your teaching, especially the students. ———, the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s principal timpanist (and a difficult person to impress), approached one of our Canadian colleagues immediately afterwards and was insistent upon having you return next season. There has been a huge buzz about your duo with Jean-Sebastien, despite the audio issues, and how remarkable your ability to stay in sync via broadband was, particularly as it was such a new medium for you. The ethno-musical nature of the class was wonderful to see, as well – and of course, hearing you play had an immeasurable impact on all.
—— and his group were particularly regretful that they could not have spent more time with you as they had to return to Montreal right away. —— has asked if you would might agree to see him for a private lesson if he were to travel to New York. Would this be something that you might consider? I would be happy to start facilitating the planning if you would like.
Thank you again for lending your pedagogical talent to our series. It was an incredible experience for those of us who worked on the event, as well, myself included, and we all hope to have you back next year.”