Life with the rainbow of Songs

I don't remember when I got hooked to this habit of listening to songs. But whenever it was, I am grateful for it. They always have such a soothing effect, it is almost miraculous. I have a bad day, I come home and put on the songs. Voila! I slowly start forgetting the real and get into the ethereal. It is as if when Rafi says 'Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar.. pyar ka raag suno', the mind actually starts listening to the internal 'pyar ka raag'. No matter how terrible the day has been, just listening to Ghulam Ali singing 'Kabhi aah lab par machal gaye...' or Asha crooning 'Dard jab teri ata hai...' make me forget everything and hang onto every single word of these songs. I wonder (always) how the writers of yore could come up with such beautiful compositions. What did they go through in life to write 'Jane kahan gaye woh din...'? Was it sheer artistry or expression of a rebellion when the write wrote 'Pyaar kiya to darna kya...'? You cannot feel dejected enough to listen to 'Yeh duniya, yeh mehfil' and still feel dejected afterwards.

I can see my life till present through the prism of songs. My earliest memories are of waiting for Wednesdays and Fridays for the Chitrahaar at Doordarshan. Oh, that half hour period used to be complete bliss, even though most of the songs broadcast were below average. Then, the Sunday Rangoli, which was the most important ingredient of Sunday breakfast. Of course, all this depended on the electricity god. Tuning to the radio for Aapki Farmaish was almost a regular event whenever I was in my village. Then, came the Sainik school period and 7 years of boarding education. Ragging was a way of life there, going on for 4 years (yes you read it right). Every year it just used to get worse, with more and more physical thrashing. The only solace was of course the Philips top 10. I still remember getting slapped left, right and centre with 'Aisi Deewangi, dekhi nahin kahin' playing in the background. 'Jadoo teri nazar...' and 'Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga...' were our mantras to escape the tough life emotionally. Vacations used to be the best time with songs like 'Pyar mein dil ka murga bole kukdukoon' playing full volume in my house, disturbing everybody all around. But who cared.

Then came engineering. The dreaded ragging was over for me before I could even completely enjoy 'Taal se taal mila'. Engineering ragging only lasted around 5 months and for a thoroughly 'ragged' person like me, it was more like honeymoon. Anyway, 'Taal se taal mila' gave way to 'usne bola kem chhe, kem chhe;maine bola aim chhe, aim chhe...' and life became completely rudderless. Engineering is the most chilled out period of an engineers' life, how much ever they fake it. I knew(did I?) that what I was studying was worthless from the point of view of getting a job which seemed to be the only goal of 4 years. So 'Dil Chahta hai...' was the daily prayer and Matrix the only reality. Then, after a short break (for job), came the B-School. And I have absolutely no idea what went on in those 2 years. I only remember clearly getting the admission offer (through email!) and then after that, everything went fast forward. Of course, the Wednesday breaks at KC, with heart singing 'ek taraf uska ghar, ek taraf mayqada...' were the periodical recharging stations. The second year was a lot better, with coming of age of 401 gang and feeling 'Dhoom machale...'.

I have noticed that good songs take their own sweet time to grow on you. First time I heard 'jiya beqaraar hai, aayi bahaar hai...', I was like what the hell! Same with 'man tadpat hari darshan ko aaj...' or 'mujhe tumse kuch bhi na chahiye...'. Now, I rate these songs as one of the best ever composed and sung. It is also the same case with most of the Rehmaan songs, be it 'tanha, tanha...' or 'kabhi neem neem kabhi shahad shahad', the songs always feel better the more I hear them. It is as if there are new emotions getting uncovered with every repeat recital.

Then there is the question of the favorite singer, favorite song etc. I have long given up on such things as it is too difficult for me to judge. Who is better - Lata singing 'aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai' or rafi singing 'mera to jo bhi kadam hai...'. Mukesh with 'hothon pe sachhai rehti hai' is as outstanding as Mahendra Kapoor crooning 'tum agar saath dene ka waada karo'. Kishore da is obviously rated a master by many but is Manna Dey any less heart touching with 'Laga chunari mein daag'. On what parameters can you give any lesser point to Ghulam Ali when he cuts through your heart with 'Jinke hothon pe hasin...'. For me, the songs, their singers, writers and composers are all part of a great family, engaged in exploring the finer emotions of our heart and quite often, challenging our beliefs. Ending this with a line by Mukesh:
'Zaahid sharaab peene de masjid mein baith kar';
'ya woh jagah bata de, jahan par khuda na ho'