Music is magic!

 My parents, both of them, loved music.  Papa was in to natya sangeet, and loved the Bal Gandharva and Deenanath versions as much as the renditions by the Shiledar family, Vasantrao Deshpande, Jitendra Abhisheki, and others. We have records and CD's of all these great singers, and used to play them almost ad infinitum. Papa used to talk about the Kolhapur performances of Bal Gandharva which he had watched when he was very small.

Aai learnt to sing a little late in life. Yet she had a notebook full of notations of songs. She used to be the narrator, the "sutradhar" of the programmes organised by her group. Her group often used to get prizes in various competitions . She used to compose simple but sweet poems on different occasions, and used to sing these during family get-together's.

My brother plays the flute. He practices it without fail. His doggie sits nearby as if he is listening most attentively. My nephew is good at the guitar, and he keeps on perfecting his notes via the internet. Aai used to love his practice sessions, and would narrate them to me any number of times.

My other brother has so encouraged his wife to sing that her own siblings, who used to find it terribly funny that given the quality of her voice, she would actually train to sing, now praise her. Their elder son started to learn how to play the tabla, but did not continue it though. His daughter-in-law is, however, a trained Bharat Natyam dancer who has won many international prizes as well.

In our childhood, we were often taken to the Sawai Gandharw Mahotsav, the Geet Ramayana performances, and even to "orchestra nites". I suppose the magic of music and its mystique, which thus entered our lives, has forever enriched us in blessed ways. Long live the melody that made moments mellifluous!

Pratima@ As for me, I love even the doggo chorus strays perform every night! Well, i  do have a diploma in music, and do play the banjo aka bulbul tarang rather well. Music in some form or the other has to be my constant companion. Well, finding the rhythm and sound patterns in literature is hence a little easier for me, I suppose. 

Actually, I remembered all this as tomorrow, 26, is Aai's mensual death anniversary, and her prize winning "shur amhi sardar", the headgear she wore then, her happy feel were yet again alive for me. Music indeed is magic!