Madhavi Tumkur
@madhavi.bsky.social
Music. Architecture. Nature. Poetry. Language. Culture. Folklores.
Pinned
It’s Nowruz today (& Ramadan too coincidentally). Each Nowruz, I think of these 2 lovely Zoroastrian girls who I met years ago in Yazd distributing biscuits outside a fire temple. Their smiles & innocence forever lives in my heart. Some smiles are meant for the world. Sale no mobarak. Ramadan Kareem
March 20, 2026 at 6:45 PM
It’s Nowruz today (& Ramadan too coincidentally). Each Nowruz, I think of these 2 lovely Zoroastrian girls who I met years ago in Yazd distributing biscuits outside a fire temple. Their smiles & innocence forever lives in my heart. Some smiles are meant for the world. Sale no mobarak. Ramadan Kareem
The godfather of psychedelic rock, Kourosh Yaghmaei gave us Baroona meaning “into the rain” where he speaks to the rain as if it were a person while seeing others run from it. This was 1970, back when Iranian rock, rocked 🎸🪨. youtu.be/_NY3DpQ6oXQ?...
Baroona
YouTube video by Kourosh Yaghmaei - Topic
youtu.be
March 4, 2026 at 7:51 PM
The godfather of psychedelic rock, Kourosh Yaghmaei gave us Baroona meaning “into the rain” where he speaks to the rain as if it were a person while seeing others run from it. This was 1970, back when Iranian rock, rocked 🎸🪨. youtu.be/_NY3DpQ6oXQ?...
How stereotypical is belly dancing that it overshadows other forms of dance fm the ME. Belly dance was never meant to entertain men; it was a fertility dance performed for women. Here too, men entertain themselves; not the opposite sex. Anyone out there knows what this dance is & where it is fm?
January 11, 2026 at 10:24 PM
How stereotypical is belly dancing that it overshadows other forms of dance fm the ME. Belly dance was never meant to entertain men; it was a fertility dance performed for women. Here too, men entertain themselves; not the opposite sex. Anyone out there knows what this dance is & where it is fm?
Hong Kong’s golden hour from The Peak. Don’t know how many times I have seen it and still drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
December 31, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Hong Kong’s golden hour from The Peak. Don’t know how many times I have seen it and still drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
Anoushka Shankar’s Grammy-nominated “We Burn So Brightly” mixing classical Indian music with Goa trance is absolutely electrifying.
December 14, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Anoushka Shankar’s Grammy-nominated “We Burn So Brightly” mixing classical Indian music with Goa trance is absolutely electrifying.
The Khaleeji rap track topping Spotify’s viral chart after appearing in a Bollywood new release: #Dhuandhar. The song Fa9la by Bahraini rapper Flipperachi was originally released last year. The exposure in the Hindi espionage film helped push the track to the no 1 spot in the chart. V v v v catchy.
December 13, 2025 at 9:53 AM
The Khaleeji rap track topping Spotify’s viral chart after appearing in a Bollywood new release: #Dhuandhar. The song Fa9la by Bahraini rapper Flipperachi was originally released last year. The exposure in the Hindi espionage film helped push the track to the no 1 spot in the chart. V v v v catchy.
It’s been 20 years and Lebanese Arab pop singer, Nancy Ajram, remains iconic, bridging generations; so much that even Billie Eilish recently said she “loooooooves her”.
December 4, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It’s been 20 years and Lebanese Arab pop singer, Nancy Ajram, remains iconic, bridging generations; so much that even Billie Eilish recently said she “loooooooves her”.
Reposted by Madhavi Tumkur
In 1974, Surinder Gupta needed help and dialed a stranger in the phone book with a familiar Indian name. The man who answered went on to play a surprising role in his life.
A parent calls on a stranger in a moment of crisis, sparking a lifelong friendship
In 1974, Surinder Gupta needed help and dialed a stranger in the phone book with a familiar Indian name. The man who answered went on to play a surprising role in his life.
n.pr
August 19, 2025 at 10:53 PM
In 1974, Surinder Gupta needed help and dialed a stranger in the phone book with a familiar Indian name. The man who answered went on to play a surprising role in his life.
Galdive, an Indonesian duo made up of Tisha and Osvaldo, marry their love for R&B, electronic, classical & jazz music. Dreamy, ethereal & soulful, their “Teach Me How to Love” has become a standout success.
open.spotify.com/track/1VW5B2...
open.spotify.com/track/1VW5B2...
Teach Me How To Love
Galdive · Blue · Song · 2025
open.spotify.com
August 19, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Galdive, an Indonesian duo made up of Tisha and Osvaldo, marry their love for R&B, electronic, classical & jazz music. Dreamy, ethereal & soulful, their “Teach Me How to Love” has become a standout success.
open.spotify.com/track/1VW5B2...
open.spotify.com/track/1VW5B2...
John Updike’s 1973 Phi Beta Kappa poem that was chosen as a prelude to Erich Segal’s The Class, published in 1985.
August 3, 2025 at 1:58 PM
John Updike’s 1973 Phi Beta Kappa poem that was chosen as a prelude to Erich Segal’s The Class, published in 1985.
The reason the horizon shines
Is that somewhere it's hiding you.
The reason I long for the many lights
Is that you are there in one of them.
Kimi o nosete (Carrying You) from the anime classic, Laputa: Castle in the Sky sung by Azumi Inoue is a melodious, foreboding song. youtu.be/3RE3KiwBrtw?...
Is that somewhere it's hiding you.
The reason I long for the many lights
Is that you are there in one of them.
Kimi o nosete (Carrying You) from the anime classic, Laputa: Castle in the Sky sung by Azumi Inoue is a melodious, foreboding song. youtu.be/3RE3KiwBrtw?...
youtu.be
July 31, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The reason the horizon shines
Is that somewhere it's hiding you.
The reason I long for the many lights
Is that you are there in one of them.
Kimi o nosete (Carrying You) from the anime classic, Laputa: Castle in the Sky sung by Azumi Inoue is a melodious, foreboding song. youtu.be/3RE3KiwBrtw?...
Is that somewhere it's hiding you.
The reason I long for the many lights
Is that you are there in one of them.
Kimi o nosete (Carrying You) from the anime classic, Laputa: Castle in the Sky sung by Azumi Inoue is a melodious, foreboding song. youtu.be/3RE3KiwBrtw?...
So soulful - Jalen Ngonda. Like Marvin Gaye. Like in the 70s. Like yesterday.
July 30, 2025 at 1:10 PM
So soulful - Jalen Ngonda. Like Marvin Gaye. Like in the 70s. Like yesterday.
Joy Crookes, a half-Bangladeshi; half-Irish singer from South London has dropped a new video: ‘Perfect Crime’, shot in Bangladesh. Her R&B style of singing reminiscent of Amy Winehouse or Lauryn Hill.
youtu.be/JhAqvMxo49I
youtu.be/JhAqvMxo49I
Joy Crookes - Perfect Crime (Official Video)
YouTube video by JoyCrookesVEVO
youtu.be
July 20, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Joy Crookes, a half-Bangladeshi; half-Irish singer from South London has dropped a new video: ‘Perfect Crime’, shot in Bangladesh. Her R&B style of singing reminiscent of Amy Winehouse or Lauryn Hill.
youtu.be/JhAqvMxo49I
youtu.be/JhAqvMxo49I
Lenin in Bishkek. Relegated to a less important square but hasn’t been pulled down.
July 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Lenin in Bishkek. Relegated to a less important square but hasn’t been pulled down.
Dilruba, which literally means ‘one that steals your heart’, was once popular in Afghanistan. With the Taliban considering music anti-Islam, so much of its music is now lost to the world. The musician in the video is not an Afghani but the music will surely steal your heart youtu.be/CjFpKQk00c0?...
Dilruba Alap
YouTube video by Josh Bennett
youtu.be
June 25, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Dilruba, which literally means ‘one that steals your heart’, was once popular in Afghanistan. With the Taliban considering music anti-Islam, so much of its music is now lost to the world. The musician in the video is not an Afghani but the music will surely steal your heart youtu.be/CjFpKQk00c0?...
Circassian dance from the Caucasus is about combat & courtship. Circassian dance shares commonalities with ballet; men dance on the tips of their toes while women glide across the floor. The black outfit called a cherkes, a military style outfit with bullet cartridges worn across the chest.
June 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Circassian dance from the Caucasus is about combat & courtship. Circassian dance shares commonalities with ballet; men dance on the tips of their toes while women glide across the floor. The black outfit called a cherkes, a military style outfit with bullet cartridges worn across the chest.
The existential dread
June 25, 2025 at 3:47 AM
The existential dread
The Kalbelia tribe from Rajasthan in India are snake charmers & their dance movements & costumes are inspired by the serpent's motions. Women dancers wear black attire & mimic the movements of a snake to the poongi (a woodwind instrument). The songs are often passed down orally.
June 24, 2025 at 6:47 PM
The Kalbelia tribe from Rajasthan in India are snake charmers & their dance movements & costumes are inspired by the serpent's motions. Women dancers wear black attire & mimic the movements of a snake to the poongi (a woodwind instrument). The songs are often passed down orally.
Balkan dances from Albania, Bosnia/ Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria. (Not sure if Greece can be considered a Balkan country though).
June 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Balkan dances from Albania, Bosnia/ Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria. (Not sure if Greece can be considered a Balkan country though).
Zulala Hashemi, an Afghan singer silenced under the Taliban rule was recently abducted & missing for the past 15 days. She is a mother to a 4-year old son. In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, music is outlawed & artists forced into exile. youtu.be/HDzP9tcmxRQ?...
Zulala Hashemi & Baryalai Samadi Beautiful Songs | د زلاله هاشمي او بریالي صمدي په زړه پورې سندرې
YouTube video by Barbud Pashto
youtu.be
June 24, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Zulala Hashemi, an Afghan singer silenced under the Taliban rule was recently abducted & missing for the past 15 days. She is a mother to a 4-year old son. In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, music is outlawed & artists forced into exile. youtu.be/HDzP9tcmxRQ?...
‘Rato Bhale’, an iconic Nepali song about parents’ hopes & dreams about their children finding the right education, a life partner & spiritual growth, stands for life & tradition. It was sung by veteran Nepali singer, Ganesh Rasik, who passed away earlier this month.
open.spotify.com/track/46HQkp...
open.spotify.com/track/46HQkp...
Rato Bhale
Ganesh Rasik, Hiranya Bhojpure · Lekali · Song · 1988
open.spotify.com
June 24, 2025 at 1:28 AM
‘Rato Bhale’, an iconic Nepali song about parents’ hopes & dreams about their children finding the right education, a life partner & spiritual growth, stands for life & tradition. It was sung by veteran Nepali singer, Ganesh Rasik, who passed away earlier this month.
open.spotify.com/track/46HQkp...
open.spotify.com/track/46HQkp...
Eléonore Fourniau was born in France & moved to Türkiye to learn Turkish & Kurdish music. Here, she sings an Azerbaijani Mugham at the Philharmonie de Paris a composition by Sami Yusuf, the Iranian-British songwriter of Azerbaijani descent.
June 23, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Eléonore Fourniau was born in France & moved to Türkiye to learn Turkish & Kurdish music. Here, she sings an Azerbaijani Mugham at the Philharmonie de Paris a composition by Sami Yusuf, the Iranian-British songwriter of Azerbaijani descent.
Could I be forgiven to believe this sounds Korean? Came by this piece & totally blew me away. Took me an age to find out who the singer is. She is Mongolia state artist, B. Narangerel, but just look at her attire & tell me Star Wars didn’t take inspiration for Padmé Amidala. youtu.be/oMevwSHQ4xk?...
Нуган заяаны чимэг Nugan zayanii chimeg Дуучин Л.Нарангэрэл СТА
YouTube video by Udshiin khemnel STUDIO
youtu.be
June 23, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Could I be forgiven to believe this sounds Korean? Came by this piece & totally blew me away. Took me an age to find out who the singer is. She is Mongolia state artist, B. Narangerel, but just look at her attire & tell me Star Wars didn’t take inspiration for Padmé Amidala. youtu.be/oMevwSHQ4xk?...