Ni Bhajana Gana Rasikula Nenendu Ganara Rama…
Ranjani and Gayatri soulfully sing Thyagaraja’s Telugu words, calling out to Lord Rama, “I do not find people anywhere who enjoy chanting Your names and singing of You in praise.” I empathize with Thyagaraja—for I too find it difficult to encounter other devout Hindus who will sing in praise of Lord Rama without ulterior motives. Although I was born in Chennai, India, I have spent the majority of my life in southern California, making weekly trips to the local Riverside mandir for over fifteen years. The mandir became my compass, always aligning me with other devotees who enjoy chanting and singing in praise of Hindu deities—but at school, I was part of a minority group, meshed with other Indian-Americans who had a wide variety of religious beliefs. In the United States, I cling onto my faith to better understand the world, but when everyone else either has a different belief or does not hold onto faith as staunchly, how can all of our beliefs be reconciled?
In his composition, Thyagaraja goes on to state: saguna nirgunapu nija dabbaralanu san-matamula mamamasta siddhula, implying that Lord Rama has blessed and directly shown Thyagaraja the secrets of worship with and without form and various aspects of supernatural …show more content…
And so, I naturally fell in love with “Des Rangila,” composed by Jatin-Lalit and lyricized by Prasoon Joshi, from the Bollywood movie Fanaa, tracing a blind woman’s unconditional love for her country. “Des Rangila” praises India as a vivacious land of colors, with golden rivers, green oceans, a crimson-cheeked sun, and faces bright with smiles. The verses are sometimes followed by the interlude Vande mataram, an allusion to the national song of India, which I would sing during Independence Day celebrations at the Riverside
Ranjani and Gayatri soulfully sing Thyagaraja’s Telugu words, calling out to Lord Rama, “I do not find people anywhere who enjoy chanting Your names and singing of You in praise.” I empathize with Thyagaraja—for I too find it difficult to encounter other devout Hindus who will sing in praise of Lord Rama without ulterior motives. Although I was born in Chennai, India, I have spent the majority of my life in southern California, making weekly trips to the local Riverside mandir for over fifteen years. The mandir became my compass, always aligning me with other devotees who enjoy chanting and singing in praise of Hindu deities—but at school, I was part of a minority group, meshed with other Indian-Americans who had a wide variety of religious beliefs. In the United States, I cling onto my faith to better understand the world, but when everyone else either has a different belief or does not hold onto faith as staunchly, how can all of our beliefs be reconciled?
In his composition, Thyagaraja goes on to state: saguna nirgunapu nija dabbaralanu san-matamula mamamasta siddhula, implying that Lord Rama has blessed and directly shown Thyagaraja the secrets of worship with and without form and various aspects of supernatural …show more content…
And so, I naturally fell in love with “Des Rangila,” composed by Jatin-Lalit and lyricized by Prasoon Joshi, from the Bollywood movie Fanaa, tracing a blind woman’s unconditional love for her country. “Des Rangila” praises India as a vivacious land of colors, with golden rivers, green oceans, a crimson-cheeked sun, and faces bright with smiles. The verses are sometimes followed by the interlude Vande mataram, an allusion to the national song of India, which I would sing during Independence Day celebrations at the Riverside