Saturday, December 10, 2011

People of the songs

When you hear a song, what who do you think of? Of course, it doesn’t happen with most, but some songs are engraved in my memory by their association to key people and events. It’s a good thing, in a way, because whenever I hear that song, those people and those times always pop up in my memory. Of course, for this to happen, one must like the song (unless we are talking about sad memory or event associated with the song). So which songs have associations for me?

When I first met my then fiancé Radhika, we went to Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani as our first movie. Kaise Batayein song from that movie has in effect become anthem of our relationship.

One of the most beautiful romantic song from movie Mohra is Na Kajre Ki Dhar. Even though this movie came out in 1997, I was unaware of this song till 2009. Since then, it always reminds me of my friend Hemant Dujari who first introduced it to me.

When I was little, I would tease my two younger brothers with संदर्भ सहित व्याख्या (expostulation with context) of this sweet song from Kaajal (1965). Although Mere Bhaiya Mere Chanda is addressed to a brother from his sister, my repeated annoying description really didn’t dwell into meaning much. Now that those years have passed since then, song always drags me to those nights when getting me to shut up would have been on top priority of my two younger brothers.

It was in Gwalior, sometime in 1993, when we bought our first big size audio cassette player and recorder. Since then cassette player, CD player, MP3 player and iPod have come and gone. This deck is still sitting somewhere in the house, though hardly never used these days. Very first cassette we purchase for this was of Roja. It was then I found out that Chhoti Si Aasha is my dad’s the favourite song.

On occasion of Sangeet ceremony during my marriage, my mother danced on this Banna Banni song from Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi. There were many dances that day, naturally, but her face and eyes betrayed the joy which has burned an image on my mind. Such pure joy, such true love, from a mother towards first wedding of the family, has only increased my respect for her.

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