Indian Classical Music

Indian classical music is basically composed of 7 basic notes सा रे ग म प ध नि, with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale

हिन्दुस्तानी music:
This rhythmic group is based on rhythmic patterns called ताल. The melodic fundamentals are ‘melodic modes’, known as थाट , थाट are part of "musical personalities" called राग।

थाट - may consist of up to seven scale degrees or स्वर .

सरगम :

• सा = Do • रे = Re • ग = Mi • म = Fa • प = Sol • ध = La • नि = Ti • सा = Do

A typical rendition of हिन्दुस्तानी raga involves two stages:

अलाप : a rhythmically free improvisation on the rules for the राग in order to give existence to the राग and shape out its characteristics। The अलाप further divided into the अलाप, जोड़ and झल।

बंदिश or गत : It is a fixed, melodic composition set in a specific राग, performed with rhythmic accessory by a तबला or पखावज.
स्थायी : The initial melodic symphony.
अंतरा : The first body phrase melodic symphony
संचारी : The third body phrase melodic symphony, like in ध्रुपद बंदिश
आभोग : The fourth and concluding body phrase, melodic symphony, like in ध्रुपद बंदिश.
There are three variations of बंदिश, regarding tempo:
विलंबित बंदिश : A slow and steady melodic symphony,
मध्यलय बंदिश : A medium tempo melodic competition
द्रुत बंदिश : A fast tempo melodic symphony,


Types of Vocal music compositions:

The major vocal forms-cum-styles related with हिन्दुस्तानी classical music are ध्रुपद , ख्याल , and ठुमरी . Other forms include धमार , तराना , त्रिवट , चैती , कजरी , टप्पा , टाप -ख्याल , अश्तापदिस , दादरा , ग़ज़ल and भजन. Some forms come under folk or Semi-Classical or Classical ('Light' Classical) music,

ध्रुपद music is primarily devotional in theme and content. It contains recitals in praise of particular deities. ध्रुपद compositions begin with a relatively long and acyclic अलाप , traditionally performed by male singers.

ख्याल , is special as it is based on improvising and expressing feeling. ख्याल are also more popularly depicting emotional significance between two lovers, circumstances evoking intense feeling, or situations of ethological significance in Hinduism and Islam.

टप्पा is a form of Indian classical vocal music whose specialty is its rolling pace based on fast, delicate, tricky structure. The arrangement of words, with the help of tone vibrations performed in superb vocal style, create a charming ambiance.

तराना are songs that are used to convey a mood of delight and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. They consist of a few lines of musical sounds or बोल set to a harmony.

ठुमरी is a semi-classical vocal form, Punjabi, लखानोवी and पूरब अंग ठुमरी . Lyrics are in ब्रज भाषा and are usually romantic.

ग़ज़ल is an formerly Persian form of poetry. In the Indian sub-continent, ग़ज़ल became the most common form of poetry in the उर्दू language.

Basic Customer Service protocols

I am not an expert, but want to share my some thoughts, which I think will be helpful :

Good customer service is the backbone of any business. Offering promotions and slashing the prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers to come back, your business won’t be profitable for long.

Good customer service involves bringing old customers back. And about sending them away happy – happy enough to pass positive feedback about your business along to others, who may then try the product or service you offer for themselves and in their turn become repeat customers.

Few steps need to follow, these may be just followed by you, but will refresh your thoughts for once again,

Don’t make promises unless you WILL keep them. Confirm prior to any promise – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.

Listen to your customers. Let him complete and show him that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, like 'Ok', 'I see', such as suggesting how to solve the problem.

Deal with complaints. No one likes hearing complaints, and many of us have developed a reflex shrug, saying, “You can’t please all the people all the time”. But if you solve that complaint, it may lead for business positive response.

Be helpful - even if there’s no immediate profit in it.

Train your staff to be ALWAYS helpful, courteous, polite and knowledgeable. Do it yourself or hire expert to train them. Talk to them about good customer service regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, “I don’t have appropriate rights to take this decision.”

Take the extra step. When customer arrives, Wait and see if he has questions about your product, or further needs. Whatever the extra step may be, if you want to provide good customer service, take it. They may not say so to you, but people notice when people make an extra effort and will tell other people.

Throw in something extra. Whether it’s a coupon for a future discount, additional information on how to use the product, or a genuine smile, people love to get more than they thought they were getting. A small thing, but so appreciated.

Its not a complete Customer service guide, but basic things to be followed... ;)

I quit smoking!

I quit smoking..

This is the story of this particular day which made a drastic change in my lifestyle, I hope it changes your perception as well.

All of us who have a smoking habit meet up with friends or colleagues and smoke our time out.
My friend's invitation for a cup of tea will start with obvious question, "Hey Dude, which brand?" and the answer would be either a Marlboro or a Classic Mild. Being well educated we all know the harmful effects of smoking a cigarette and how it affects people around us who don't have this habit. (Yes, even passive smokers have a great chance of having diseases related to smoking) At times its just our attitude which forces us to smoke and its not actually the urge of smoking a cigarette.

It is about this day when we were at this tea stall near a temple with some beggars rounding us for alms. One of them in particular was a grey-haired, wrinkled old beggar woman who approached us with her walking stick for alms of one rupee or more to help her buy lunch for herself. We looked at her and refused to oblige and asked her that how will a rupee get her a meal. She said that she will collect more alms and get the meal for herself. We crushed our half burnt cigarettes with our shoes and moved forward without giving her any alms. She mumbled when we turned.... "These young men will burn more than a rupee for their bad habit but will never give a rupee to a hungry person."

I didn't say a word to her and went inside the temple but her words were hitting back on me and it was making me really sick about the whole feeling.
After a while when we came out from the temple we saw that the old women was sharing her lunch with another girl who had failed to collect enough alms for her meal.

I went to the beggar and questioned the old women of who the other girl was and she told me about her. (No, the girl was not related to her ) I asked her "You didn't know whether you'll get your lunch for today and here you are sharing your meal with this girl who just met you. How are you going to arrange for your dinner now" She replied to me " Don't worry son, God will arrange my dinner like how he did for my lunch" and I was really shaken by that statement of hers.

I was astonished at her generosity and could not utter a single word. It was a true lesson. The old woman who was not sure whether she would be able to arrange a rupee for her lunch did not hesitate to feed a hungry girl not worrying about her dinner. Her remarks which she made earlier were correct and it was true that two cigarettes could feed two hungry people was for me.

It was for the last time I had tossed that half-burned cigarette and crushed it under my shoes. I got the strength to quit the habit at that moment itself. No "statutory warning" on the cigarette packet or any health related articles could teach me the lesson that the beggar woman did that day"

I am not a saint to tell you about the ill effects of the smoking a cigarette but I am just your friend. The simple fact that a single cigarette can suffice a hungry human being has forced me to quit a habit which was pretty unnecessary in my life. I must tell you the feeling you get when you help a hungry or a needy person is all worth kicking the habit... Don't believe me...Try it!

[Courtesy: Sunday Times of India (24/08/2008)]