Here is something from which people like me would benefit immensely! The "like me" part implies the shared interests in Indian music and culture. To brief it up, it's an audio podcast by a Carnatic musician-teacher or guru and an enthusiastic listener or rasika. The sole purpose of the podacast is to inculcate necessary knowledge to enjoy listening Carnatic music. It's in English. Here is a brief description of the guru and the rasika from the podcast's home page.

Vidya Subramanian is a Carnatic vocalist and teacher. A disciple of Padmabhushan Lalgudi Sri Jayaraman since 1993, Vidya has performed concerts and given lec-dems extensively in India and the USA. She lives in Chennai, India with her husband, Dr. K. Subramanian and their children, Skandan and Parvathi. Vidya is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA in Finance from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA. Vidya has won numerous honors including the Thanjavur Kalyanaraman Endowment Award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai (2011), Special Award from Sree Rama Seva Mandali, Bangalore (2011), 2010 Artist grant award from Saratoga Arts and NY State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), 2009 Clifton Park Arts grant award and Strategic opportunity stipend awards from The Arts Center of the Capital Region and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). To learn more about Vidya, visit her at: www.vidyasubramanian.com

Devesh Satyavolu was born in Salem, India and migrated to the US in 1998. Devesh speaks three Indian languages, is a news junkie, and enjoys listening to music. He holds a MBA in Marketing and Information Technology from the American University, Washington DC, and a Masters of Management Studies from BITS Pilani, India. He lives in Issaquah, WA with his wife, Malti Sharma, and their children, Arvind and Vrinda.

Thanks to them! It gave me an immense pleasure when I was able to do the first exercise correctly :-D I really felt like an infant struggling to coordinate it's feet and body to take the first step.

Just go and listen, it's definitely worth it! I found it much better than the commercial Carnatic music-appreciation CDs on the market!