MOMENTS, MEMORIES AND MELODIES


Have you ever had this experience of a melody transporting you through time? It can take you to your childhood, to a favorite place or bring alive a special moment.

There is this song “ Aati rahengi baharen” which takes me back to my childhood in a small town in West Bengal? Then there is another “Suno Champa Suno Tara  and I can almost see myself lying down on the bed with measles- the song playing on a LP record on the record player next to the bed.  
The Kishore number in Bangla “ Noyono shoroshi kano..”  takes me to my friend’s house with the smell of frying fish in the background.  Whenever I think of  the song “ Oh Saathi re tere bina bhi kya jeena” I can remember Durga Puja, shopping and fun. The Nazia Hasan number “ Aap Jaisa koi  reminds of hot summer nights with power cuts and the song blasting blasting away on a transistor in our house and in our neighbors’.   Memories of  Antakshari are laced with memories of “ Main tulsi tere angan ki” / “ Kasme Vaade”. Nobody plays Antakshari these days and transistors are only used by sleepy watchmen. About LP records and record players.. I think they are  now antique pieces..

More recently, some songs that  come to my mind- the Elton John number “Sacrifice”  takes me back to college in Bombay ( no it was before Mumbai) –sitting down in our Dining hall where the music system used to be located and  working on my assignments while it poured cats and dogs outside. And there were some awful songs composed by the music duo Nadeem Shravan ( each of which sounded like the other) which brings back memories of watching terribly made Bollywood films with a huge gang of friends at a rundown theatre near the institute where I was doing my post graduation.


An obscure song “Maine dekhe hain sabhi rang duniya ke  by a singer called Raageshwari ( who has now sunk into oblivion) is very special to me because I associate it with my pregnancy. Those were the days when music videos were becoming popular. I used to see this bubbly singer on the video and somehow form an association with my unborn child.

A song like “ You fill up my senses” reminds me of my time in Sri Lanka.  We drove around a lot during the course of our one week  there and this song was obviously our driver’s favorite!

The Hindustani tradition has a raag for specific times of the day and for specific seasons. There are some raags which make you imagine that it is dawn or dusk or it is spring or the monsoons.  When you hear Megh or Malhar you can almost see those clouds forming over the sky. Film makers often play a certain melody like Raag Bhairavi to signify morning. 

Melody therefore has the ability to create a mood. No wonder music is part of emotions! Emotions are linked to memories. We associate certain memories with certain events which make us feel happy or sad or nostalgic. It is complex and I feel constrained explaining it in words!  I mean the songs that I mentioned are not exactly my favorites but the associations that they bring about are very special

The human mind is definitely amazing!



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Comments

  1. Lovely nostalgia and I remember one such recent post of mine in similar vein:)

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  2. Immortal songs!They have the right lyrics and music to keep engrossed:)

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  3. Very nice collection of melodies, especially "maine dekha hai rang duniya ke". Have never heard it before. Wonderful!

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  4. Yes Rahul, this is inspired by your post:). Cloud Nine glad you liked "Duniya". No, you would have not heard it before!

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  5. Loved the songs. I feel my mood lifting immediately when I hear some of these melodious songs. If you see Sony Mix at night around 10 pm, there is a program called "Raina Beeti Jaaye." It shows an awesome collection of really good old Hindi songs. See that. And, you are right, memories go with songs. Whenever I hear Shaan's Ankhon mein sapnein liye or Bhupen Hazarika's Ganga, I am instantly taken back to trips taken in California after my wedding. These songs were on the collection we played in our car. And, they are forever a part of some beautiful memories.

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  6. sadly havenot heard any of those .. shows what world i line in :(


    Bikram's

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  7. Meera,

    Yes, some songs which one heard long long ago do transport one back to those times when heard again later. I have experienced it.

    Take care

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  8. Ahhh..nostalgia....:-) Loved this post..

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  9. One of my nephews, who write screenplays, had one of his first screenplays about a guy who had a Lata song for every situation.
    I think that without our film songs, our lives would be so dull.
    BTW, whenever we have Indian get togethers in Bologna, we always have antakshari! :)

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  10. Sunilji your nephew's screen play sounds very interesting. I am sure there are songs for every occasion sung by Lata! Antakshri unfortunately is now sung only by NRIs- in India we have forgotten it. @ Jack, so glad that you liked it. And Rahul sorry, I mistook you for Rahul Bhatia who also comments on my posts. I guess you are a different Rahul -thanks for joining as a follower. @ Bikram as I said -these are not very popular songs so it is not surprising you have not heard them or about them . Rachna I LOVE Tanha Dil!

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  11. You forcing me to agree more with your point here.
    And I do without demur.

    Remember the Binaca Git Mala that was on the AIR at night!
    Like the mysterious aroma of a favourite cuisine cooked ( often by one's mother), certain melodies also come to haunt you with pleasance.

    Thanks for reminding me of a few such melodies.

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  12. Namaste.....
    These "Lech" as you call them are everywhere in every country, every class, every ethnicity it cross cultural and ethnic boundaries. They are pariahs, a plague on the face of the earth. Many prey on the innocent violating they hearts, minds, spirit and body. I have absolutely no tolerance for them and I am not afraid to call them out, in public too if they are bold enough to try and molest me in public. I am loud, I am obnoxious and I am unrepentant.

    Have a splendid week.
    Rhapsody
    https://plus.google.com/101099217204323189067
    http://www.shelfari.com/rhapsodyphoenix
    http://twitter.com/rhapsodyphoenix

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  13. Blessings.....
    Absolutely, in fact my whole young life can be marked by significant pieces of music.

    Happy Easter....

    stay blessed.
    rhapsody
    https://plus.google.com/101099217204323189067
    http://www.shelfari.com/rhapsodyphoenix
    http://twitter.com/rhapsodyphoenix

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