An apple everyday...

70 odd days since I had penned into this space… Lots of interesting things already happening in 2006… Everyday I think of writing something. And as usual my laziness takes over. But not today… this ‘Small Wonder’ has made me sit up and scribble some lines…

‘Konjam Nilavu’ has always been THE song. It has got everything. Everything. I had tested my sub-woofer and music system and my Sister’s as well with this particular song. If you cry for ‘effect’, this is the song. I always get ecstatic when I listen to this piece of Rehman. But this time I didn’t. I didn’t know how to react. Speechless I was. Ear phones into my pinna… the other side of the wire connected to iPod video!

When Srikanth plugged those white little buds into my hearing organ some ten months back I decided instantly – ‘this is MY gadget. I’ll buy one soon!’. That was a ‘Mini’. Patni and Hitachi made sure that Sathish smells some Nippon air. I made sure that he gets me one of those amazing small pieces that Apple makes everyday at some plant in China.

iPod 30GB… I’m now holding something that can hold 15000 songs! Thanks Sathish. And thanks Srikanth!

In an era when electronics eclipses its own achievements everyday, there is no place for complacency. If Bose and Sony thought that Music is THEIR sphere, they were wrong. When I read in some issue of BW a year back that iPod won the award for the best gadget design, I was not surprised. Fidelity, the measure of the quality of music, is her forte. The precision of reproduction of every detail in a music clip amazes me. She is robust. I’ve seen Srikanth handle her not so kindheartedly. I’ve even dropped her accidentally once. Function overloading is another noteworthy point. Play, Pause, Stop – you can do all with one press. Volume control, navigation and rewind/forward at the rotation of the dial. Not too many features... yet packaged perfectly. Welcome to the world of hi-fi music.

I’ve not heard ‘Hamma..’ like this before. Rehman is a genius. His orchestration inspires awe in me. And iPod brings the entire thing into your sphere of experience, undistorted. Be it bass levels or surround or the treble, you’ll love it. ‘Fanaa..’ heard though the iPod amplifiers is so different. My latest crush RDB drives me nuts. Rehman hasn’t made such extensive usage of strings till now as he has in RDB. My cochlea likes it more when the source is the bitten apple. Let me tell you ‘Bitten apples are the tastiest!’… “Khoon se kelenge holi…”… ‘Lalkaar’ and ‘Lukka Chuppi’ succeeds in raising every follicle on my skin. Words are not going to do enough justification to this creation. I tell you this is something that needs to be experienced! Simply out of the world! I remember telling Srikanth in typical Mastercard style “There are some things money can’t buy. An iPod - yes. Music - yes. The iPod experience - NO!” To everyone who read this blog I reiterate.. “There are some things money can’t buy…”

“Some dance to remember… some dance to forget…” – Boy those lines are wow! Standing outside our apartment at Nanganallur, Friday evening, street dogs, a Shiva temple and some garbage in front… Hotel California into your ears.. a different experience. I’ve not been particularly drawn towards western but those closing guitar strums makes me jealous. I’ll play those leads in my ‘Givson’ guitar one day!

Desh and Sahana sound sweeter. The Nadam that emanates from Babu’s Mridangam when KR sings Gopalakrishna Bharathi’s ‘Varugalaamo Ayya’ is inexplicable and iPod’s reproduction of the sounds does perfect justification to the artist’s skills. O.S. Arun and his rendition of ‘Baso Morey..’ captivates me and ties me into raptures. When Aruna sings ‘Unnai Allal’, I repeat “iPod.. Unnai Allal vere gathi illai!” Gone are the days when HMV gramaphones and record players (Electric version of the Gramaphone) captured some substandard recordings of stalwarts like M.D.Ramanadhan and Madurai Mani. A black magnetic plate rotates but you hear nothing much out of those amplifiers of HMV. Gone are the days when ‘good-but-not-so-great’ music from Sanyo and Philips tape recorders play Coney magnetic tapes of MS and DKP. Today is the age of digital music – crystal clear music! And iPod is all set to rule this epoch!

Worries, noise, boss and yes the doctor… A half-bitten apple everyday keeps everything away. You are left with ecstasy... full time...

Comments

Anonymous said…
is it that good?? Maybe u can gift it to me so that i can feel it myself...enna sollarey?
Venky said…
Pannidalaame! Oru payyana paaru. Kalyana gift'aa kudukkaren!
Anonymous said…
Hey nice one, reiterates the fact that science can be deployed to experience Indian culture.Little would the great 'Gopal' thought in his times that one day his 'varugalaamo' would not just move the Nandi but hearts too through the innovative outcome of 'a - fruit' named technological creation.So i-pod ukku o-podu ....

For the information of the rest of the world (exclude me and Venky) KR in the blog expands as Kalyanaraman, popularly known as Udyaloor Kalyanarama Bhagavathar one of the contemporary maestroes in rendering bhajans - the traditional carnatic way.
Anonymous said…
Hey nice one, reiterates the fact that science can be deployed to experience Indian culture.Little would the great 'Gopal' thought in his times that one day his 'varugalaamo' would not just move the Nandi but hearts too through the innovative outcome of 'a - fruit' named technological creation.So i-pod ukku o-podu ....

For the information of the rest of the world (exclude me and Venky) KR in the blog expands as Kalyanaraman, popularly known as Udyaloor Kalyanarama Bhagavathar one of the contemporary maestroes in rendering bhajans - the traditional carnatic way.

...Srikanth
Venky said…
And Gopal refers to Gopalakrishna Bharathi, the great poet who rendered the life history of Nandanaar, the Shiva devotee who was denied entry into the temple because of his caste, in verse. And Srkianth and I call him Gopal in short.

Thanks Nanba for that comment. Awaiting the moment when we'll share a single set of earphones to satiate our ear for KR and Gopal!
Anonymous said…
Congrats Venky for making a new friend...i guess the 'white' buddy is really doing wonders for you!!

Did i hear you sing..."Rhythm divine...lost in the music, you're heart will be mine!!"
Venky said…
It is actually a sexy 'black' buddy!

I'm lost in music for sure Poori.

Fabulous it is. I never knew that listening music close to your ears is so stunning. Am enjoying it too much!

Thanks God for giving me ears in good working condition.
Anonymous said…
Man.... it is so tempting... your words have made me believe that they are too good to resist... will get one soon.... i myself cant wait to hear rehman and raja...

However, I don't concur with you that money can't buy iPod experience. If money can buy iPod, the iPod experience comes with it, right?:-) Money cant buy the wonderful times we shared during our tea breaks... it cant buy the discussions we had during evening walks... it cant buy the happiness I used to get on just the mere sight of a girl...
but iPod and its experience, I think it definitely can.

If I am willing to spend a few hundred dollars, which one do you think I can get?
Anonymous said…
Hi venky,
Great to see that you really are enjoying with your sexy black buddy (in a platonic way i suppose). I am always tempted to buy one but the one thing that keeps me away from buying it, is when i return to india sometime this december, Apple would have relased its latest version of the iPod and i am waiting for it.
Anonymous said…
Furthermore, adding to your point of listening great music and orchestra's of liking of Eagles and A.R. Rahman, i would like to suggest the you hear vocal recording of good singers. i am suggesting a few...Pattammal's Kuraiondrum Ellai Maraimoorthy Kanna , K.S.Chitra's Thiraadha Vilayaatu Pillai and also NithyaShree's Katrinile Varum Geetham ...these were some really good sung songs with emotions and i thoroughly enjoyed it when i listened thru iPod.
Venky said…
Anand,

You have to get one da. You'll enjoy it for sure. Maybe the 60GB version that costs $400. Or you can wait like Sreeram to get something more cool!

And to justify my point about the priceless iPod experience, let me take an instance. When you walk into Infy on a winter morning the dew drop on the grass blade entices you. You stand, wonder and enjoy the beauty. But not everyone does so. Revelling in beauty depends on how aesthetic one is. Everyone who has 15000 can buy an iPod. But not everyone buys that experience. It is specially reserved for the aesthete!
Venky said…
Sreeram machan! Nee hi-fi version edhavadhu varum. Adha vangu.

I don't have any of the songs you've suggested da. The carnatic experience is special. Tell you something, most of my listening has been restricted to this. There is something inexplicably magnetic about classical music!
Anonymous said…
hi Venky,
I was bit uncertain to buy it, that pushed me this long.. but after feeling the ipod experience thru ur words i think i can't waste any more time in going for it..

Kewl one venky..

- Maha
Venky said…
That's cool Maha. You needn't think twice to own this piece of technology.

Maybe I think I've to get some commission from Apple for this advt I've done for them :)
SNMS98 said…
saw a new post today, adha padikkara sakkula, idha innoru vaati padicchen, too gud....

post it in mouthshut.com, u may even get invitations to write about other products, that way u can make some cool money too...
Venky said…
Nee solradhum nalla idea'va dhaan irukku...

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