Nowhere Man

As a kid I was really a huge fan of the Beatles,thanks to my neighbour who played the Beatles at least 3 hours a day! The rest of the time I would study and then compose my own tunes or practise on my santoor. One song which really stuck in my head was “Nowhere man”. I was totally intrigued by this songs lyrics which went like this
“He’s a real nowhere man,sitting in his nowhere land,making all his nowhere plans for nobody”. I often wondered what kind of a person was this “No where man”? he was really mysterious and where was he?

When I was in Kashmir during my summer vacation as a kid,I met this shephard. they are known as Bakkarwal’s in that region. He was long bearded,slim,tall and very fit. I got into conversation with him and he told me how they traveled only in the mountains for 6 months often crossing from Kashmir into Jammu through the ancient mughal route along with their sheep and would come down into the city only for a day or two. Immediately,the beatles song played in my head. I asked myself ,is this the nowhere man? Well,he was mysterious and before I knew it,he disappeared into the valley playing on his flute.he was gone. The nowhere man was gone again. what a brief glimpse that was,I wish I could go with him ,take my santoor along and for 6 months wander into the mountains playing,practicing and being a nowhere man.

They say Indian raaga’s have the purity and power in their notes to appease the God’s and that’s something I believe as well. Imagine how wonderful it would be to play raga Malkauns in the valley. Raaga Malkauns,which is played during shiv ratri and they say is Lord Shiva’s favourite raga,would create magic in the quiet of t he night in a nowhere land.

While,I was growing up I realized the connection between music and meditation. Having found a guru who taught me certain aspects of meditative excercises which would enhance my concentration in music I learnt that tis guru of mine had traveled from the Gir forests to the Himalayas and had met several yogi’s living a secluded life in the mountains. Some of them were up there in the “Nar narayan Gufa”.a large cave in the himalays which had yogis meditating for 100’s of years. All this was fascinating.

Now,when I hear the same Beatles song ,I realize the latter half of the song which goes like this “Nowhere man,please listen,you don’t know what your missing,nowhere man,the world is at your command”. I agree,the world is at His command,but the nowhere man certainly is a cool dude.and he’s certainly not missing anything,since he’s not materialistic and not stuck in the rat race of humanity.
Someday,I too shall be a nowhere man.

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