Anish Nadh’s Blog

  A few days ago, my neighbor gave me a call to check my CCTV camera! Someone was doing black magic! On close inspection, I noticed a lot of cut lemons, 5 eggs and a coconut. The eggs were placed with some flowers on a betel leaf. Someone has intentionally gone through all ruts to do black magic, just to make someone suffer.  My CCTV was not focused on this spot. So I called the service person for maintenance. Many people in my layout shared concerns about this in the WhatsApp group and decided to keep vigil.  This got me wondering why people want to go through the task of putting someone else down instead of just working on themselves? Why does this individual want to bring someone down? Revenge?  We live in a world where it’s now normal to shoot someone for having a different opinion. All these events show how hatred has taken over us.  After a few hours, someone from BBMP came to sweep the road. They refused to clean the “ magic spot ” fearing the repercussio...

My band jammed after a long break, last night! We booked the spacious, sound proofed Octave Jam Pad on Brigade Road. It felt great to play together again. We completed another song called Stillness. Akshay joined us later and took some videos using his fancy Ray Ban glasses. After jamming we went to Chin Lung bar. I just drank water even though I had the urge to smoke and drink. I fought the thought.  I like it when the band is drunk! Everyone becomes a different person. My band guys are funny, little more less PC and caring. We stayed at the bar till they kicked us out at 1:30 and then I booked my cab! Speak about care, they all waited till I got my cab, holding beer in their bladders fighting nature’s call.  I reached home at around 2:00 am, and couldn’t find the keys to my door. It took me about 30 minutes to find it in my bag safe, in a pocket. I didn’t really sleep, watched some Fresh and Fit podcasts white Zherka and dozed off until the alarm rang.  I took some clas...

Yesterday was some heavy workout with my fitness coach Rinshad and my body is sore!  I had worked with him a few months ago now I restarted my training again after a break.  It’s good to have a dedicated trainer who can guide you through the process. We started with warmups and then targeted each muscle groups, stretching it to the maximum I can, at the moment. He says that muscle is like rubber band. Do too much, it will snap and over time, we can achieve the flexibility gradually and slowly. I like the slow progress.  I also started my species appropriate nutrition protocol with Kabir. It’s going to be intense! I’m gonna be given specific lifestyle changes after a thorough bloodwork. Which means, no more restaurants, sugar etc. Only God knows what will show up on the bloodwork.  If it kills me, SO BE IT! 

Yesterday I had Mrs. Faith over from Trinity to instill some examination fear in my kids. They are all preparing for the prestigious Trinity Piano Exams!  She discussed how the exams are graded and how to do the exams efficiently! It was quite embarrassing when Zoey yelled out “Hashtag” when she pointed to a Sharp sign! I have a lot of work to do to prepare them for the exams!  I also bought them some snacks so, there were no complaints about this being a long session!  These Exams are not easy if one is not prepared. I’m just hoping each of my students put in the work! 

Tried something yesterday, I brushed my teeth using my left hand. It was messy, but I was stumped as to how much that affected the quality and ease of brushing.  Later, I fretted the guitar with the other hand and it was a disaster playing “Enter Sandman”! The little things we do regularly is training us to mastery over a period of time. I can almost type this blog blind folded.  So, I’m going to stick to the preferred hand for now. Maybe I’ll start typing these blogs using a laptop from now on. 

I bought this software called Guitar Pro and it was indeed a life changer. I could now edit notes and compose music. What it lets you do is, helps visualize music and play back the audio as well. This was a true life changer for me.  Having lot of creative ideas, I find it difficult sometimes to bring them out through the instrument. Now I just write it on the computer, edit and then sit with it, on my guitar.  Of late, I am transcribing ideas that I like from reels and it’s easier to note down, and rely more on my second brain, the computer. 

I started my day at 6:00 am. And I had back to back classes till 7:00 with just an hour’s break! I’m not complaining! The day went smooth, until I reached out to Abhay, because he wanted to learn a Slain’s song as no instructions were available online.  He came over at 7:00 pm sharp. He already knew how to play most of it. We jammed till 11:00 pm didn’t watch the time at all until his dad called back. I dropped him home soon after! I’m so proud of Abhay. I can see that he puts in a lot of work with his music. Then I had my dinner and spent time with Andy and Camy online. 

I received a WhatsApp message from Nivedh today. He sent me some songs from Sunday school back in the day that we used to sing.  We also talked about how the album Ticket to Christmas was copied onto a cassette, and I used to listen to it all day! It had the best guitar riffs for Christmas songs.  We even put together a Christmas play about time travel and sang these songs while performing for everyone at church. It was indeed a beautiful walk down the nostalgic lane.

I’m back to writing after a long break. I really missed it. This is not going to be chat gpt corrected and modified as I do with the blogs for my music school, that’s business. This, this is personal.  I visited Vietnam after being rejected the European visa. But I’m glad I did Vietnam. I mingled with the locals, ate their food went on some adventures. After I got back, Zui called me to stay at the farm for a few days. We ended up jamming and writing a song. Later Nikhil joined in on bass. Now we have a band! We are called Löfrăt, we wrote three songs and are on the fourth one. We managed to play 3 small shows as well. I love the band and our songs. More on that later!  I backslid on workouts, gained 5 kgs!! Plus I’ve been doing all the cooking (sometimes buying food) myself for about a month! Right now I’m back on track. I have a lot more to put out there! So Hi! And Bye! 

I’m back, writing again! Got a little push from the book I’m reading, The courage to be disliked.  I started writing, not caring about what people thought about me. My writing is not grammatically correct, I’m not trained. But I believe, the more one reads (avoid Chetan Bhagat)  and writes, the better one gets at it.  There came a point where, too many people were reading my blogs and I was asked questions about my religious belief, faith, relationships and the hidden meanings in the blogs. I like to keep my secrets. I like to share some. I’m not an open book even to the closest friends. I keep a lot of secrets of other people too. But all the questioning really made me uncomfortable because along with me, I would be exposing close friends and family.   There was also too much pressure to sound smart and witty when I wrote something. It stopped being something I really enjoyed! I had this need to be liked.  Today, I have the balls to be disliked! So dislike me a...

Another hectic day yesterday! I had classes from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm with just 2 hours break from 1:00 to 2:00 and 4:30 to 5:30. It was a productive day!  I ended up working even during the breaks, making some calls to find venues and budgeting them.  After classes, I was tired, I ended up watching an interview of Hanumankind and I noticed how he was grateful about the support he got from his family and friends. A rather different story, compared to the artist who is always fighting against the odds. I then decided to read a book, but that was just a decision, I didn’t have the brain space to read and assimilate knowledge.  So, I lay awake, thinking, playing some online chess, listening to S.O.A.D. I really needed that energy! Then, I had this urge to play my guitar. So I played in front of the mirror, correcting my fingers through the exercises, till my fingers fell off!  I hopped in my bed with some chess/podcast and drifted to sleep! 

The pumpkin patch had over-grown on the ground. So, yesterday I took some choir ropes and made a trellis. I was careful to keep the ropes way over our heads. I really don’t like the pumpkin, I love eating the flowers, with some eggs. This pumpkin was supposed to be butter nut squash (which I love), sadly it ended up being regular pumpkin.   I had to be super careful to not cut the vine while getting the plant on the ropes. I messed up a little but it was worth the fight

Andy came over yesterday and we hung out, chatting about “stuff”. It’s privileged information so, not gonna share it here. I rescheduled some classes so we can hang out some more. We had lunch that my mom prepared, chicken curry, rice, pumpkin-beans, beetroot thoran (Andy loved it). It was fun. Solomon joined us later and we went to have samosa at a Bengal sweets place near by.  We chatted with the owner there, whose son was an executive chef at Hilton in Paris. He told us about his humble beginnings after they moved to Bangalore. We do get curious to know the stories from people that inspire us. I had utmost respect for this man.  I made them laugh with my Bengali accent, which I picked up from some neighbors at Millers Road, back during the school days.  It was time for my classes and Andy and Solomon left. I got a few travel offers to Bali and Turkey from an agent. It’s so tempting to go and is working out cheaper than I expected. But I’ll wait, and apply to Amsterdam ...

Guitar it is! I am postponing my trip this September and buy the 12 string guitar instead. I will attempt to go abroad next year again. I really wanted to check off going abroad this year but I’m not doing it. It’s ok if things don’t go according to plan.  I will stay consistent with the things I’m supposed to do. I will let go of things that are not meant for me.  I will work harder and smarter. 

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy’s law!  My day started off bad. I had a fever last night, I was shivering. I had my socks and sweater on. Took a dolo. I can’t remember when I slept, I woke up at 3, with the urge to vomit. I puked some bitter bile. I saw my phone had messages from a close friend. I waited till sun break, I call this friend and after the call, I get blocked.  My head hurt, I somehow got through lunch. Then the courier arrived. My visa is rejected. What a day!  Rejections are not new, life goes on. Looking forward to what future holds. But I’ll see you sometime soon, friend and Netherlands. It’s only a matter of time. 

A lot of work was done today. I washed, dried and folded my clothes. Thankfully the sun was bright until evening.  Today was a semi productive day. I spent a lot of time making a list of my goals this year. A day well spent planning! I kept chanting my usual “planning is nothing without execution” to myself.  I started with the 478 breathing, guided by Andrew Weil and that relaxed me. I did 50 pull ups and 50 push ups throughout the day till I had blisters in my hands! Then I plotted an Eisenhower’s matrix to build a to do list.  I’m still a work in progress and don’t know much about organizing my life. But I dedicated timelines for my goals. Just starting with 2 small goals for 2 weeks, and building it from there!  Earlier this week, I bought 2 Bryan Adams tickets for his December show in Bangalore. Everyone has been calling me to see if I’m willing to part with it! I gave a stern “No way” to anyone asking. The +1 ticket will go to a worthy person let’s see ya’ll be...

It was Bangalore’s Avril Lavigne aka Varsha’s birthday today. She was so passionate about singing, back in the days and now, she doesn’t sing anymore. We had reconnected over some pub-g games during Covid. Her family went through a tough time during Covid. She lost her dad .She was devastated and at the same time was in touch with me when my mom was down with Covid giving me all the support and reassurance. She used to send me food from her place at Millers Road and visit me with her husband Carl and go to IKEA.  She always made me feel special on my birthday, sending me cakes she baked etc. It was her birthday today, so I packed all her favorite snacks and also a gift and portered it to her.  She, in return sent me biryani from Khazana, my niece and I wiped it out of existence. Varsha and I later caught up over a call and spoke about aging parents. She promised to send me pastas next time she made some!  It was also Hasini’s birthday. I sent my wishes to her and she sent...

Yesterday, I noticed two tailor birds gathering and building their nest in my verandah, on one of those indoor plants, (which is now kept outdoors). I sat down by my window waiting, watching them hard at work, building their home. I read up about this bird, here  . It was fascinating to know that only the female builds the nest while the male accompanies her, cheering her on I guess. Soon they will finish their home and move in, lay some eggs have little birds in there in no time.  This made me think about people, doing similar things. Finding a partner, working together, taking care of young ones, paying EMI to their homes, taking care of family. Beautiful.  

Yesterday I connected my MPK mini to my laptop and explored some sounds. I enjoyed the process of making electronic music, I’m getting used to it, watching videos, learning music production. I’ve steered clear off mainstream music with the idea of seeking “inspiration”, I want this one to evolve from me. I had no idea how time passed by! Looks like this is something that I will enjoy for sometime.  Gonna be doing a lot of these now. Here’s something I worked on long ago. SoundCloud  

Dear God,  I accept I’m a nobody. I’m worth nothing. I’ll be gone from the face of the earth like everyone else. Keep me humble. Also keep the ones dear to me safe and be with them wherever they are. Help them heal from sickness.  My circle is getting smaller. Thank you for showing me that I’m replaceable, and I shouldn’t take anyone seriously. Thank you for putting people in my life who become my life lessons. Continue to bless them, they have their own battles, give them the wisdom and understanding to live a happy life.  God, It appears like I  am forcing myself into people’s lives.  Give me the wisdom, understanding  and courage to deal with this. Only you know the truth and you know what’s best for me. I leave every thing at your feet.  Thank you for food, clothes and shelter. Thank you for music. Thank you for blessing me with wealth and health. Thank you for family, who is silent and gives me my space. Thank you for concerned friends. Once again...