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When the Squirrels Rehearsed Before I Did

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A Page from My Garden Amphitheatre Lalit Shastri The music from that morning may be heard here Before sunrise, while a dray of squirrels foraged through the guava tree, my guitar quietly traced the ancient journey from Do to Do - the fountainhead that's Do-Re-Mi, from which all music begins. Without quite realizing it, I felt like turning my little garden into my own amphitheatre. The garden did not become an amphitheatre because I carried a guitar into it. It became one because I finally learned to listen. It happened naturally. I was sitting quietly, waiting to embrace another day, listening to the stillness before dawn. The squirrels had already begun their determined morning rounds on the guava tree. Birds were slowly announcing the arrival of light, while a gentle breeze stirred the leaves. Almost instinctively, I reached for my guitar. Very soon, it no longer felt like an instrument imposed upon the garden. It became another voice within it. I began with the familiar ascendin...
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My Music: Where the Finite Touches the Infinite

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  Lalit Shastri I did not come to music to perform. I came to it to listen. The music was always there—somewhere deep within me, waiting patiently. I learned the guitar not to create sound, but to let that sound flow, to give it a passage into the world. The instrument became a conduit, not a tool—a way for what already existed inside me to find air, space, and silence. When I play, I am not chasing perfection or applause. I am seeking communion. Music, for me, is a form of prayer—an intimate conversation with the omnipresent source of everything that is finite and infinite. In those moments, I feel less like a composer and more like a witness, allowing something larger than myself to reveal itself through simple notes and unhurried rhythms. I believe music happens at the meeting point of limitation and boundlessness: finite hands touching an infinite flow. The pauses matter as much as the notes. Silence is not absence—it is presence. What I play emerges from that awareness, from s...
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The Tariff War: A Ramayan Allegory of Good versus Evil

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Lalit Shastri Modern geopolitics as epic allegory: Modi as Ram faces Trump-as-Ravana, commanding his chariot of tariffs. As punitive tariffs unsettle the global order, India stands firm. In this modern-day Ramayan, Prime Minister Modi embodies Ram’s resilience, while U.S. President Trump mirrors Ravana’s arrogance. The outcome, as ever, rests with the triumph of dharma over adharma. The Epic Replayed on a Global Stage The Ramayan  is a mirror of eternal truths. Lord Ram embodies dharma —justice, fairness, and resilience—while Ravana symbolizes arrogance and deceit. Today, Narendra Modi carries forward the mantle of Ram, protecting India’s sovereignty, while Donald Trump, in his second presidential term, stands in the many-headed guise of Ravana, dragging nations into destructive tariff wars. Just as Ravana’s ten heads symbolized arrogance, Trump’s tariff arsenal reflects duplicity. The Abduction and the Forced War The turning point of the Ramayan was Ravana’s abduction of Sita...
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Setting the Record Straight: A Response to Misplaced Diagnosis of BJP’s 2024 Mandate

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Today morning I came across a published piece by a seasoned political commentator who goes on to overimplify his analyss of the 2024 Lok Sabha election by observing: " Though the BJP won the third parliamentary election last year and created a record of installing Narendra Modi as the first non-Congress PM to be sworn in for the third time in a row, the public anger was indeed felt. The shockingly low number of LS seats won in 2024 was a jolt to Modi and Amit Shah, the chief strategist, personally. Shah's alleged rivalry with Yogi resulted in humiliating show of the party in the largest State." While some commentators are quick to interpret the reduced tally of BJP seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a sign of public anger or internal discord, such assessments are both superficial and misleading. I hold a different view rooted in ground realities and a broader civilizational lens. The dip in numbers must be seen in the context of an unholy alliance of political oppor...
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My Guitar, My Love

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  Lyrics and composition:  Lalit Shastri Vocals : Eles Genre:  Soulful Acoustic / Folk-Pop Ballad Duration:  3:16 Rating:  ★★★★☆ (4.6/5)   Click & Play - My Guitar, My Love A Love Letter in Song: Where Strings Speak and Silence Sings In a world saturated with synthetic hooks and overproduced pop, “My Guitar, My Love” arrives like a breath of raw, heartfelt air. Written and composed by Lalit Shastri , the track is an evocative acoustic ballad that transforms a guitar from a musical instrument into a living, breathing embodiment of love, sensuality, and companionship. This is not just a song—it’s a conversation between soul and string.  Lyrics That Seduce the Silence Shastri’s lyricism is both poetic and intimate. Lines like “She moans in tones both sweet and wild / A lover’s voice, untamed, beguiled” are rich with double meaning—merging the tactile act of playing music with the emotional intimacy of human connection. The refrain “She’s my guita...
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Love the Fact You Are Alive

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A soulful acoustic tribute to the little things that make life beautiful. "Love the Fact You Are Alive" by Lalit Shastri  invites you to slow down and celebrate the joy in everyday moments—with birdsong, street dogs, butterflies, and drifting clouds. Let it warm your heart. "Love the Fact You Are Alive" is a heartfelt acoustic gem that celebrates life in its purest, most joyful form. With gentle strumming and warm, organic vocals, the song walks us through the beauty of ordinary moments—grass sprouting, birds singing, and a faithful street dog resting after a day's work. The lyrics carry the innocence of wonder and the depth of reflection, wrapped in a soothing melody that feels both personal and universal. What stands out is the sincerity in voice—it doesn’t perform the words, it lives them. The musical arrangement supports the poetry gracefully, never overwhelming the listener, but allowing space for every image to bloom. The change to “clouds that drift and...
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The Shortest Stint

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Lalit Shastri Early one morning, just as I was about to leave for my walk, a car pulled up at my front gate. It wasn’t the time for visitors, but as I approached, I recognized a friend from the Industry Department. After exchanging greetings, I led him into the drawing room, where he wasted no time in getting to the point. The early morning visitor informed me that his boss, XYZ, had been in New Delhi for several days, awaiting his appointment as CMD of Air India. The PMO had cleared his appointment, but the Civil Aviation Minister was sitting on the file, delaying the process. He explained that a senior journalist, known for covering the aviation sector, was also a close confidant of the Minister. That day, the Minister was scheduled to address a press conference, and if the journalist could raise the issue, it might put enough pressure to expedite the appointment. "What do you expect me to do?" I asked. He urged me to contact the journalist and request him to intervene. Rig...
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