K. Srinivas Patnaik

Tag: From the Archives

  • Jam & Learn — An Example of Inspiration

    From the Archives

    This reflection was originally written on 26 March 2010 as a Facebook Note and was last edited on 6 May 2021. It has been lightly refined and republished here for clarity and readability, while preserving the original thought, feeling, gratitude, and intent.

    Jam & Learn is an extension of my hobby — playing the guitar for fun, not as a profession.

    As most of you know, I am a full-time marine engineer, now managing ships from ashore. But throughout my sailing years, I carried my guitar with me on every ship I sailed on.

    My First Ship

    I was in Kolkata — Calcutta then — staying at Port View Guest House. I am amazed that I could remember that name within a few seconds.

    My batchmate Pandey was also there, waiting to join his ship, and was staying in the same guest house.

    He was the one who inspired me to carry the guitar on my first ship.

    I was very apprehensive. I thought my superiors may not like it, and I might probably get a good ragging for carrying a guitar on board.

    But Pandey advised me to carry it quietly.

    “Take it into your room,” he said, “and don’t mention it outside for at least six months. After that, it will be fine.”

    So I covered the guitar in a plastic bag and cloth, carried it straight to my cabin, and kept it with me.

    Of course, my father was the one who had carried the guitar all the way from Nagpur. He was posted there at the time I was joining my first ship. He brought it to Kolkata when he came to see me off.

    I was joining my first SCI ship at Chennai.

    Ever Since

    Ever since then, I have carried my guitar on all ships.

    It is not that I played every day, but I loved having it with me.

    There were moments at sea when you would suddenly yearn to play a few notes of a wonderful song. And if the guitar was not there at that moment, it felt deeply disappointing.

    On average, I probably strummed or played at least once a week.

    Of course, once my shipmates came to know about the guitar, they would carry it all the way to parties, and we would jam on Hindi melodies of every kind.

    There are so many wonderful compositions by our esteemed music directors. Some songs simply refuse to leave you.

    I will write more about the associations and inspirations that kept me going until I finally met my only Guru, Shri Radha Vijayan of Mirra Fine Arts, Singapore.

    Please do visit the music school’s website and see how he has created a world of music single-handedly, with soulful dedication to the guitar.

    He is a wonderful human being and can inspire you even through his quiet and unassuming presence.

    I have known him for more than four years, and I could write lengthy essays on each meeting we have had.

    Jam & Learn is a practical example of how far inspiration can take you.

    It is still just the beginning.

    Thank you, Sir, for being there.

    [Insert photograph here]

    Caption suggestion:
    Little drummer in “Papa’s studio.”

    The little drummer, Vahein, jumps whenever he hears that we are going to “Papa’s studio.” That is what he calls it.

    I have attached his picture with this note.

    More in my next.

    Until then, please hear the music even in silence.

    Try it.

    You can.

    Have fun.

    Cheers,
    Srinivas

  • Before My Glass of Coke Became Empty

    From the Archives

    This reflection was originally published on 3 April 2010 as a Facebook Note and was last edited on 6 May 2021. It has been lightly refined and republished here for clarity and readability, while preserving the original thought, feeling, humour, and intent.

    It was during the final year of DMET, when I had just started learning to play the guitar.

    I am not sure how I sounded in those days, but this bunch of batchmates made me feel like a professional musician. They treated me like a celebrity and made sure I was always taken care of.

    In fact, I used to get stuffed with Coke because someone in the group would somehow notice that Patti’s glass was getting empty.

    And before my glass of Coke became empty, it would get filled up again.

    Come on guys, I miss you all.

    Tutu, Balda, Vohra, Deepak, Shivi, Sunil, Pandey, Gohil, DK — they were my early and only audience. What a wonderful lot of admirers they were.

    They probably never heard what I was actually playing, because they were too busy getting intoxicated. I, on the other hand, was an excessive passive smoker in those days, staying around these guys while they smoked, laughed, sang, and enjoyed themselves.

    Somehow, I loved being with them.

    I kept playing whatever few notes or chords I knew.

    Tutu was a wonder kid when it came to tunes. He could pick up the right notes and immediately catch you if you went off track.

    I remember him playing bass with us in the band. He fretted it out, picked up the notes, and figured out the trick to play the prelude piece of Saagar Kinaare. I still play it almost the same way even today.

    Later, I struggled and picked up the prelude for Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas.

    I used to play for these guys till the early hours of the morning. For me, it was also a challenge to play in dim light without looking at the guitar’s fretboard.

    It had been only about six months since I had seriously started playing, and I was fascinated whenever I saw guitarists play without even looking at the instrument.

    The band group of my seniors was a treat to watch. Bernard was a genius. He is now in Miami with Aalborg, if I remember correctly.

    Those were the days when these guys would fill up my glass of Coke and request me to continue strumming notes for them.

    At times, they even used to bring along extra stock. I realised that only later.

    But I enjoyed every moment of playing the guitar for this amazing bunch of friends.

    Tutu used to ask me several times:

    “Abe, daaru peeta nahin, phir itna der bajata kaise hai?”

    I do not have the answer to this day.

    Final year DMET memories from 1990 — on a boat in the Sunderbans Delta, with guitar, songs, and batchmates.

    In 2010, I had written that I wanted to make a new composition for the 1990 batch.

    The last one I had composed in memory of late P.D. — such a wonderful person he was — was called How I Wish You Were Here. The lyrics were written by Vohra.

    I composed it using a simple chord progression that I had learnt from Amit Dutta of Shiva fame.

    Some memories remain alive not because they were grand, but because they were shared with the right people.

    A guitar. A dimly lit room. A glass of Coke. A few friends. A few songs.

    And a feeling that still remains.

    Say cheese and keep smiling.

    Srinivas
    Patti, for all of them