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Staying Power

Have you ever wondered if there is anything on this planet that has truly got staying power. Living or non living. Most things and people are merely a blink in the continuum of time. Yet once in a while there is born a miracle living or non living. It captures the imagination of the masses and energizes or soothes or perhaps changes the way history would be written. The legacy of this entity lives on. That is staying power. Very much like that of a coastal redwood. We saw these maginificent beasts along the northwest coast of the United States, standing 100s of feet tall and looking none the worse for wear after at least 2000 years. They have been around so to speak and show no sign of leaving. They provide a soothing environment in their shade, a soft bed of pines to walk on effortlessly and noiselessly. Once you enter the grove you literally cannot hear traffic or any other noise and can feel the power of these giant cellulose based beings envelop you. Mahatma Gandhi is another such great example. A barrister (aka lawyer) by training he chose a different calling that led to a certain set of historic events. Whether they were largely beneficial to an oppressed people or not could be debated today with the state of the Indian Union. Nonetheless what he did was to motivate millions towards a common cause and move the might of the British Empire to relinquish control on one of their acquired properties, the Indian subcontinent. He is remembered the world over by many a generation simply because what he stood for is too huge to ignore. Same with Albert Einstein for his immense contribution to the world of quantum physics. Then comes the more leisurely pursuits like that of creating music. Here too phenomenal successes have been born and left an undeniable impression on the minds of many. Every geography of the world perhaps has had their share but truly world renowned music came from people that were recognized as such - e.g. Ravi Shankar with his Sitar. To me Jagjit Singh was in that class. A class apart - by himself - with music that no one else could replicate - ever.
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