tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83079606913165241372009-11-07T03:18:02.421-08:00Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-61455835120766081752009-09-09T23:14:00.000-07:002009-09-12T05:14:55.639-07:00

This prayer by the Bab is quite popular in prayer gatherings where it is usually chanted or sung, and it also serves as a good starting point for discussions on a variety of topics such as detachment, the nature of the Logos, and in that context what Shoghi Effendi calls ‘That God-born Force’ which is ‘irresistible in its sweeping power, incalculable in its potency, unpredictable in its course,

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-13798268604145491032009-07-05T21:36:00.000-07:002009-09-05T07:04:55.565-07:00

I lost my grandma recently, but my sadness is assuaged by the many happy memories I have of her. She loved to sing and I remember trying to accompany her singing on my guitar. She also made the best coffee around which I loved to have even though late at night to help me get through my control engineering textbook. Somehow that coffee, brewed in the best of traditional South Indian style, made

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-24792762271992077612009-03-22T05:50:00.000-07:002009-03-22T06:04:37.254-07:00

Here is a song I did to help out those conducting Baha'i devotionals in Tamil. The song is based on the Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah. The Tamil translation is given after the video.Muthal ArrivuraiAaviyin Puththirane!Emadhu mudhal arrivurai idhuveh!Thooymaiyum anbum, pragaasamum niraindhaUlhlhaththinaik kondiruppaayaagaAdhanaal Thonmaiyum, azhiyaath thanmaiyum vaaynthaEndrum nilaiyaana raajjiyam

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-28752167145940875002009-02-14T23:23:00.000-08:002009-02-15T00:04:29.279-08:00

When I asked my mom recently what Baha’i prayer she would like me to write music to, she suggested ‘Remover of Difficulties’, a prayer revealed by the Bab. Here is the version that I recorded in Tamil:Guitar ChordsFor those of you who would like to play the music on the guitar, the chords are given below together with the words to the prayer in English letters. The chords are for the

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-29446210555803449512009-01-03T04:15:00.000-08:002009-01-04T04:52:15.943-08:00

This prayer by Abdul-Baha is one of my favourites. It also happens to be the very first prayer I learned as a child.I had for a long time wanted to put those beautiful words of Abdul-Baha to music and I got the chance recently when I was back in my home town and had some leisure time on my hands. So one afternoon I picked my guitar and started strumming some chords purely on a whim and soon the

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-32654135407373710752008-12-20T06:05:00.000-08:002008-12-22T20:32:22.178-08:00

There was a time when I was growing up, when I used to read math books the way most people read novels. That was until one day when I was asked to help out on a pretty straightforward math problem and to my utter embarrassment failed to get it solved. Somehow I was unaware of an essential concept required for solving the problem, and what was worse I didn’t know that I didn’t know that.Such are

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-1235450615635139442008-11-06T20:10:00.000-08:002008-11-23T23:24:32.668-08:00

It was an extraordinary moment in the Apollo space program, the historic and symbolic significance of which could not have been lost on the many who tuned-in to watch NASA’s Christmas day broadcast in 1968.NASA’s accomplishment was the only silver lining in what had otherwise been a dreadful year. The Vietnam War was by then going badly; there were violent protests by students on streets and in

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-67397383809170893312008-10-01T02:58:00.000-07:002008-10-01T05:07:19.779-07:00

The majesty of mountains has always inspired me. So when I set out to write the music for this rendition of Blessed is the Spot, I wanted to somehow capture that feeling in my choice of tempo, and phrasing of the melody. I wanted to use this song to teach my nephew a Baha’í prayer, and I wanted him to be inspired by the beauty of Bahá'u'lláh’s matchless words.The music video for the song contains

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-19100886569056469452008-09-26T00:54:00.000-07:002009-09-15T21:31:15.399-07:00

WHAT greater bliss is there, than spending a lazy Saturday afternoon doing absolutely nothing of consequence? I had just settled down to watch the afternoon matinee on TV one such Saturday, hoping that the movie would be good. Well Vijay's films are usually good, and I looked forward to being entertained. Sipping a cup of ginger laced coffee– ahh the aroma is just heavenly – my eyes wandered to

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-49221982593551108322008-09-10T03:22:00.000-07:002008-09-10T18:31:57.971-07:00

YOU can see it in their smile, taste it in the air and savour it in their fare, of sugar and spice and all things nice, an exquisite blend of all that is wonderful about the Asia I like. I’m talking about Malacca. The original hub of the solar system (much to the chagrin I would expect of Boston Brahmins!) or if that sounds a tad inflated, at least of 15th century global trade routes.Successive

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-15140136031871077222008-08-31T08:12:00.000-07:002008-09-01T05:17:06.255-07:00

“If you write it on guitar Place your guitar upon your knee If you write it on piano Don’t do that” - Harry Nilsson, the Sandman albumThe impulse to create and share music is so strong among people I know that it leads me to believe that there are only two kinds of

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-68212842072594299922008-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:002008-08-17T22:41:03.549-07:00

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon in DC. A light breeze ruffles through my hair as my dad looks on disapprovingly. “Get a hair cut!” he says. I respond with a sigh. “I know, I know”.We were walking down the National Mall and I was itching to go to the Air and Space Museum. The rest of the family didn’t share my enthusiasm for all things winged, and so they continued towards the Lincoln Memorial

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307960691316524137.post-2464306830121071892008-08-09T06:55:00.000-07:002008-08-10T20:43:12.262-07:00

THE last couple of weeks have been rather gruelling. An oppressive blanket of heat has descended over my quaint little town. Though there has been talk of rain, and rumours of rain, not a drop has been seen in ages and the weather has been hot, hot, hot.I tend to take the heat in my stride but recently I have been visited by a rather curious affliction. Whenever I touch anything metallic I tend

Sadal Barrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204254369542128215noreply@blogger.com1