Music be the fruit of love

 The "Aandhi" song which was the finale of our blog yesterday undoubtedly captures the filial relatonship, too, if read in the context. I quoted it though because Aai loved it. It was one of her favourite songs.

I suppose, the much loved songs interestingly reflect the personality of the listener. Aai loved the lyrical, rich and soft melodies of yesteryears. More than prayers, mostly these were romantic songs, often duets. So the `Chitrahaar' programme was the staple food of Mukund Nagar weekends. Often at nine o' clock in the evening, I used to switch on television channels such as `Mastii' or `9X Jalwa' or `B4U Music' or `Sony Mix' as these would play till midnight old Bollywood classics. At times, a particular channel might replay the songs. Toggling  between the channels would then be the solution. She preferred such programmes to the typical serials of which she saw very few, and, that, too, the prime time Zee Marathi types.

Which songs did she like a lot? Mostly, it was the singer rather than the lyricist or the composer who decided her choice. Often, it could be the actor/actress as well. "Aap ki nazaron ne samaza" was a top favourite so much so that in her last stay in the hospital, she used to be happy if I played it. The Lata/Madan Mohan classic, penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, is one of the best examples of total devotion and dedication in love. Need I say more?

As for Marathi songs, it was a medley of bhav geets, devotionals, and natya geets. Every morning, the radio would be switched on at six-ish. Our childhood mornings were thus inherently  melodious. Her favourite most  Marathi songs were "Dev jari maj kadhi bhetla" and "Ithun drishta kadhate". Even the nurses in her last stay in the hospital used to tell  me that "Ajji looks the happiest now" as I used to play these in the evenings. It is my suspicion that the first of these was meant for Raju, and the second one for Sanju. A lot these two songs would tell you about her mothereliness. 

As for the instrumentals, she loved the `shehanai', and she was justifiably proud that every Diwali, our record player would wake up the lane with the Bismillah notes. Her weak point, however, was Kunal playing on his guitar. For the silver jubilee celebration of Raju's wedding, Kunal would be practising "sur mile" in his room. We were then at Sanju's as it was the Diwali period. Kunal would repeat the same note/bar till he perfected it. For her ears, it was divine music though. For months on end, I would be regaled with the same story of Kunal's grand practice. I tried teaching her how to play the banjo, but that was not to be.

In her late fifties, sincerely she learnt the introduction to basic ragas as the bhajans she used to sing were based on these. Her group got  a prize for the rendition of " Shur amhi sardar". And yet the best song in her opinion was Sanju's bathroom singing of "Papa kahte hain." She was rather proud that he was learning how to play the flute.

Many, many, and more memories play musical chairs in my mind. The only fact they repeatedly prove is my titular take on the evergreen Shakespearean quote. Now these sweetest songs tell the saddest feels though.

Let me end with 

gana aye ya na aye

gana chahiye!

pratima@music moods