The Power of Music



I was home alone after a very long time. I did what I loved doing during such times; listening to music while painting. Solitude and music have a certain chemistry that can boost our energy; where we have a space that is devoid of distractions and immerse in our inner self, doing what we love the most. I believe we all need such short breaks in our life, where we disconnect from everyone and everything and connect with ourselves. 

I have a playlist on my mobile that I love to listen to during my hours of solitude (spare me for the lack of disconnection from device, I didn't have an alternative to play music). I have often wondered why I love listening to this playlist when I am alone. It consists of songs that carry memories; of childhood, of motherhood, of road journeys and of certain people in my life. 

It's beautiful how a song can take you back to your school days or a particular trip or remind you of someone who is no longer around. That explains why I have goosebumps when I listen to Prabhu Deva's 'Muqabla' or 'Uyirae' from the movie Bombay. It's not about the movie, the singer, the actors or the music director, it's about the memories tied to the time during which I enjoyed the song. While Muqabla reminds me of watching 'Superhit Muqabla' on Doordarshan with my sister, Bombay was the first film I remember watching in theatre. 'Mustafa Mustafa' reminds me of my school farewell, 'Newyork nagaram' of Ethiraj College days, Shakira's 'Waka Waka' of Dubai times, 'Indulekha Kan thurannu' of my late uncle who used to play us Malayalam songs on radio, 'Gaata rahe Mera dil' and 'Roop thera Mastana' remind me of my father's words about his own childhood memories. The list goes on.... 

The legacy continues as my little daughter (she insists I say biiiig now) has a habit of repeating her favourite songs on the car stereo till it gets onto our heads. The impact is that there is always a special song associated with each of her growing years. On desperate days when the two year old refused to sleep K.S.Chithra's 'Omana thingal' was a blessing. Even today the seven year old agrees to go on nauseating road trips only if we play her favourite 'Beast' and 'Vikram' tracks. I hope these songs will remain etched in our memories forever, and create life-long memories for our little one.

Today, as she reads the lyrics from the Amazon Music App, I think of the times when as a kid I used to sit beside the tape recorder with pen and paper to write down the lines to memorise them. I fondly remember my aunt who assisted me when I was getting the lyrics of  Shah Rukh's 'Do Dil Mil Rahe hein' by religiously switching between the Pause and Play buttons.  

Kabhi kahi lag jaye dil tho, kahin phir dil na lage........

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