The Hindu Business Line : The brain formerly known as you

WHAT happens to the brain in the final decades of life? This is what Lawrence Whalley seeks to answer in The Ageing Brain. It is convention for scientists to believe that the development of sexual maturity marks the onset of biological ageing process. "This is generally true for most organs," explains Whalley, "but it may not be true for the brain." If that is optimistic, read on:

Even though the brain makes up only about 2 per cent of the body weight of a 70 kg man, it consumes 20 per cent of all the energy. The energy is derived from glucose in the blood, and changes in its consumption can be measured using the method of positron emission tomography (PET).

Old people, especially those over 80, have difficulty understanding grammatically complex sentences. It is not known if these difficulties are caused by disturbances in the brain circuits that support language, or whether it is something non-specific.

Consciousness is the ability to alter the focus of one's attention at will and to discriminate between environmental stimuli. It coexists with an awareness of one's own feelings and thinking. When consciousness is disturbed in confusion there is reduced distinction between competing stimuli so that the clarity of awareness typical of normal consciousness is lost.

The role of beta-amyloid in causing brain cell death through stimulation of microglial activity with the production of reactive oxygen species can be linked to the presence in neuritic plaques of chemical messengers called cytokines.

Brain scientists have spent over a century trying to understand what memories are made of. Images, thoughts and feelings endure a lifetime's wear and tear. Many memories remain as fresh and as potent as the day they were put away.

If only that were true, it would come handy when you wrote the exams. Provided you don't age much before taking CA final.

My life in music

SHIV Kumar Sharma was 14 when he received his first santoor and began learning it when he was already accompanying musicians such as Ravi Shankar, Siddheshwari Devi, Begum Akhtar and Radhika Mohan Moitra on tabla. He did not quite enjoy the sound of the Kashmiri instrument which had so far only been used to accompany Sufiana music. Gradually, Shiv set to work on the new instrument, extracting the right tonal qualities. Here are a few excerpts from his book Journey with a hundred strings, about his life in music:

Here was an instrument in which rhythm and melody were perfectly balanced. The santoor is a melodic instrument played percussively, with strikers.

There are several theories about the origins of the santoor. The Persians claim the instrument originated in their land and then travelled east to Kashmir. While this cannot be proven, it is likely that the santoor did come to India in the bag of a trader. Some Indian musicologists, however, have found references in the ancient Sanskrit texts to an identical musical instrument with one hundred strings, called the shatatantri veena.

Every instrumentalist, whether consciously or unconsciously, tries to reproduce the voice of a singer. Certain instruments, such as the sarangi and the bansuri, can approximate the human voice very closely.

A musician is never complete. He is always evolving. When I listen now to my old recordings, considered great performances at the time, they sound childish.

By the time Call of the Valley was released in 1967, the santoor had made its presence felt in India. I was asked to perform in concerts from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Maharashtra to Assam. Then, in 1968, I got my first invitation to perform abroad. I packed my bags with some trepidation. How would the West respond to the santoor? Would they be coloured by the same prejudice that kept so many Indians from accepting my instrument?

A book to be read with santoor music in the background.

India footprint

FROM the freezing heights of the Himalaya to the warm waters of the Andaman Sea, Footprint's India Handbook is the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to this fascinating land, with eye-opening insights into Indian culture and 1001 ways to get off the beaten track. That's from the back cover of the book. More:

Nets are rarely provided in cheap hotels so try to take an impregnated mosquito net. A wedge-shaped one (for single-point fixing) is preferable. Earplugs come in handy when a hotel room is particularly noisy, especially during festivals when loudspeakers playing Hindi film music tend to work overtime. On overnight journeys, blocking out the perpetual light is effective with eyesmasks (given away by some airlines). Take a good padlock to secure your budget room too. Those with a secret combination number are recommended. A cotton sheet sleeping bag which can cover a pillow; these are cheap and easy to get made at any tailor's shop. Toilet paper, soap, towel and the washbasin plug may all be missing so be prepared.

For inexpensive clothes, try shops along Janpath and between Sansad Marg and Janpath; you can bargain down 50 per cent. The underground a/c Palika Bazar can be a hassle but has decent salwar kameez, leather jackets and trousers (bargain very hard). Main Bazar, Paharganj, often passes off very poor quality items.

The Shrinathji temple in Kumbhalgarh is one of the richest Hindu temples in India. At one time high caste Hindus were allowed inside, and the pichhwais (temple hangings) were placed outside, for those castes and communities who were not allowed into the sanctum to experience the events in the temple courtyard and learn about the life of Lord Krishna.

A superb narrow gauge railway links Pathankot in the west with Jogindernagar via Kangra (near Dharamshala) and Baijnath. The views of the Kangra Valley are quite spectacular. This is very much a working service and not a `relic'. Sadly, it is often very late as it is incredibly slow, and very uncomfortable because of the hard seats. See page 478 for an optimistic timetable.

Thiruvaiyaru, known for its Thyagaraja Music Festival, gives a glimpse of South Indian rural life.

Hardly visited by tourists, music connoisseurs arrive in large numbers in January. Performances vary and the often subtle music is marred by loud amplification.

A good way to know how we are seen by foreigners.

(Books courtesy of Fountainhead, Chennai. E-mail: fhbooks@satyam.net.in)

Tailpiece

"These are actually drool-proof books."

"Too dry, you say?"

"Plus, we factor in readers falling asleep over the pages."

hindubusinessline@hotmail.com

D. Murali

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The brain formerly known as you