Sing Along!
When I wrote Letter, Ritu quipped, “You are a true romantic….” Now lets take that romanticism forward!
Ever since I can remember, I have been obsessed with hindi songs, all of which started from the hit song of Hum Aapke Hain Koun, ‘Didi Tera Devar Deewana’. I must have been barely five years old at that time, and this was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre. At that time, I didn’t know who is a devar and what is meant by deewana - but the song caught my imagination somehow, and you saw me singing it at every conceivable place - in the bathroom, at the dining table, in the school bus, in front of relatives…. Being an innocent child, I used to think that it was fun! :)
During the days of All India Radio, there wasn’t much to listen on FM, isn’t it? However, when the private channels like Radio City came along, the scene almost changed! It was 2003 I think, with me being in Class IX. Suddenly, there was a lot more to listen and enjoy! As soon as I’d get up in the morning, I’d switch on the Radio. As soon as I’d return from school, I’d switch on the radio. After I returned from tuitions? You know what I did! :) For somebody like me, who was obsessed with bollywood music, this was nothing short of Heaven!
***
Cut to 2006. I am in Class XII. The leadership camp is approaching, and I need something to go with it. Perhaps, a pocket radio? Will I be able to afford one? Perhaps yes! I get enough of pocket money :) OK, so what do I do? I bunk my tuition class for a day, go to an electronics shop in Jail Road, and purchase a pocket FM radio for Rs. 175. Batteries cost another Rs. 20, and I have a pocket FM Radio that looks like a MP3 player! Have a look:
***
Can I say that purchasing a pocket radio was the turning point of my life? That would be a bit too exagerated, huh? However, when that radio accompanied me everywhere I went, I discovered music (Yeah.. even that too is an exageration!!) in a weird sort of way. At that time, there were around 7-8 radio stations present in Delhi, and they all used to play the same genre of music - Popular Bollywood. So there were a few which caught my attention. Even today, whenever I listen to them, I get reminded of the olden days :
Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai - This song, from Woh Lamhe, was frequent on the radio those days. Radio One, which was just launched back then, used to keep playing this one over and over again. I became affectionate of that, particularly to the remix version. None of my friends used to like that one, and it was fun being different :)
Tere Bin - Do I have to tell the origins? This Bas Ek Pal melody by Atif Aslam was the show stopper. Guys used to croon, Girls used to listen to them lovingly! One particular guy in my class had even earned himself the nickname of ‘Tere Bin’! Can you imagine? As far as I am concerned, I wasn’t so very fond of it, but the girl I used to have a crush on, was! :)
Dil Keh Raha Hai - During the days when this song used to be ‘hot’, I never managed to find out its origins. Which movie? Who’s the actor? And like that. But I used to like that. I remember that this was the song playing on Radio City at 3 in the morning, when I was sitting in my school’s basketball court, alone, writing down my first ever short story (the one I never managed to complete!), with Meeta Ma’am stopping over and watching me write! :)
Chak De Phatte - This one from Khosla Ka Ghosla had an uncanny habit of playing itself on the radio whenever I was on my way to the physics tuition. Always! And I’m still wondering how! Too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?
Sun Re Sajania - Awww No! Shreiks!!! I don’t know what the guys at various radio stations used to think when they played it over and over. This Ali Zafar song is bad!! Very Bad!! Though it did ued to do me a favour everytime… When my Board Exams were on the anvil, listening to radio all the time wasn’t a very good habit. Whenever this song used to play, I was encouraged to switch off the radio and start studying!!
Kuch Iss Tarah - It is utterly romantic, I must say. At first, I used to dislike this song; but after listening to it a couple of times, and as the melody gre upon me, it left me mesmerized. Agreed, that it has an element of sadness, but once you finish listening to it, you feel refreshed.. you feel good! Till date, I regard it as the best Atif song ever.
… And there were many more! But talking about all of them would bore you to death, isn’t it? :)
Ever since I bought a multimedia phone, I’ve stopped listening to FM, literally! Agreed, that having the music of your choice loaded in the phone, so that you can listen to it anytime you want, is very convenient. But can it ever match the spontaeinity, the suspense of the radio? All the fun of guessing the next song is lost. All the fun, and frustration, of scanning all the radio stations and not finding the song of your choice, is lost. All the fun connecting to the RJ is lost. :(
The pocket radio has stopped working ever since, and the FM reception in my phone is not upto the mark. I think I’ll have to spend that Rs. 175 again!
Sing Along!
Note: This happens to be my 25th post over here. Happy Silver Jubilee!
Image Courtesy - purplesongscanfly.org (part of their logo)
Filed under Memories, Music, Personal category.
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