Music: The Mirror of My Moods

“How can you have Rafi, Michael Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Arijit Singh and Imagine Dragons in one playlist? That’s blasphemy!” A Jr retorted. Honestly, can one blame him? If history is any indication, my taste in music is as random as rainbow colours picked up by preschoolers. I can listen to Mukesh’s Kabhi Kabhi with as much longing as Sachet Tandon’s Bekhayali and lose myself in Lata’s Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum while also Shreya Ghoshal’s Piyu Bole. Why limit myself to an era or genre when music evolves and changes every decade, right?

My love for melodious music developed at a young age, thanks to my parents. Every time we went for a long drive (and there were many) they negotiated with us hard. We sifted through their envious stash of Rafi cassettes and our current favourite movie titles and played them all in turns. Interestingly, I can sing those old songs even now and the lyrics come back to me instantly. What more, Mom listened to Bryan Adams, Boyzone, Spice Girls, Madonna and more, sometimes with curiosity and often with disdain. “Kya sunte ho tum aajkal ke bacche!” she used to say. *Btw, I react similarly at my kids’ choice of music now. Sigh.*

Music has been my coping mechanism during the toughest phases of my life. I collected music cassettes and cared for them like one would for a dear friend. Sonu Nigam’s Deewana, DDLJ, Tum Bin, Rishi Kapoor’s hits, Gulzar’s collections, a few bhajans, Hariharan’s Hanuman Chalisa were some of my regulars that I carried everywhere. I was a tape-recorder and Walkman person till Management college. (Yes, I’m ancient!). They handheld me in ways I can’t truly express now. Suffice to say, I found meditative peace in their company and treasured every moment of it. Even the cassette winding and jammed funny sounding parts.

My aching heart found solace in Jagjit Singh’s ghazals while Kishore’s beautiful voice made me believe in love. Pankaj Udhas relieved the pain of loss while Asha made it unbelievably beautiful (Remember Mera Kuch Saaman?). Usha Uthup made me dance to her tunes while S P Balasubramaniam made, well everything sound awesome. Blend that with Friends’ I’ll Be There For You, Peter Andre’s Mysterious Girl, Shakira’s Waka Waka, Britney’s Baby One More Time, Blue’s One Love and you’ve got the perfect playlist! Of course, it’s a widely inclusive list (I haven’t even talked 80s music) and we aren’t counting.

Even when music evolved into CDs and DVDs I continued hoarding, until music apps changed the entire music landscape. I now have playlists for running, dancing, cooking, rainy day, walking, cheerful mood, relaxation and more. Access has become faster and easier but somehow the craving isn’t the same. Is this a human thing? There have been times when I’ve been obsessed with a song for days and skip it right over when the love fades. Dhurandhar’s music has ruled my mind for more than a month now and seems like it’ll only be replaced when the second part arrives. Does A Jr have a point?

Which kind of music works for you? Do you have a blasphemous playlist like me too? Do tell!

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

© This site A Vibrant Palette is the property of Varsha Bagadia. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Varsha Bagadia and A Vibrant Palette with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Varsh

Blogger. Author. Editor. Content creator. Mom.