Emotions

Have been watching and listening to old vintage music videos recently, thanks to some tube-hopping? on Youtube!

While listening to some DD documentary on GNB, Balamurali Krishna mentioned Salaamat Ali and that took me to this..

part 2 is here..

Thanks to the person who uploaded this. The music is just divine and his "lecture demonstration" in the first video just speaks volume of his mastery over subject matter.

Have seen Salamat Ali perform on Doordarshan when in school and remember it. Never knew there were videos of him performing when he was this young.

Listening to this in the dark with headphones on, simultaneously brings a range of emotions up.. butterflies in my stomach, an intense urge to just go hug that guy and cry, memories of things long lost, questions like "why did you leave me?".. even without necessarily understanding the words or their meanings.

There is so much love and longing in the way he sings it!

If only DD and All India Radio took their old archives and put them on youtube.. that will be heaven!

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Yeah, I know

We were at a South Indian classical music concert this evening. Raghavan Manian was singing and he was doing a fantastic job. It was at a clubhouse in a residential complex and it was more of a social event than a rigid everyone has to be at their seat affair.

Jr. and the little one would come and sit in my lap for a few minutes, then disappear off to the back of the room to play with other kids and come back when they felt like it. Usually I never get to listen to concerts. Even if we do, I would be the one to walk out or run out with a screaming kid on my shoulder.

Today, after a long time, got to sit in one place and listen to a concert. That alone was a blessing.

Towards the end of the concert, he sang "Chinanjiru Kiliye" and at that moment Jr. came next to me and started dancing. (he almost sang it like a film song at places). Told her to sit down and she would not and to distract her, I asked "do you know who wrote this song?"

and she nods her head while dancing and says "Yep"
I was surprised. Did not think anyone at home would have introduced her to Bharathiyar!

Me : Tell me, who wrote this song?

Jr.: Easy. A. R. Rahman

Me : !!!!!!!

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Newceedeeophobia

You will not find that word in the dictionary. It is a rare problem found in three year olds (and is known to extend even to six year olds) who have a fixation with a particular CD that plays day in and day out when we are driving.

The symptoms are observed usually the day a new music album or movie album is purchased and inserted into the CD player.

Usual signs include a loud scream of protest, with some tears running down the face accompanied by whimpers of "I don't want this new CD. I only want _______ !"

To the untrained parent, this is a very tricky thing to deal with. Sometimes the elders might even consider this move by the kids as "abshagun" or inauspicious! A new CD is getting inserted into the disk drive for the first time and there is wailing as though someone has died in the disc player!

Scientific minded parents are equally baffled by Newceedeeophobia (or NewCDophobia as the American slang dictionary would eventually call it). "How could this kid who embraced this previous CD, not know that this one would be equally better? Did the kid not learn from the previous experiences?" The answer as explained by Dr. Narayanöhe of the BOGUS Institute is a resounding "No".

Based on intense research conducted using a three year old, who for the sake of annonymity will be referred to here as the little one, it appears as though the kid always needs a bribe to listen to anything new. Once you get the LO into the preview hearing, favorites are picked, song requests are made, and a new fixation is born. At that point, any refusal to comply to demands, on going to that song will be treated with Newceedeeophobia!

A side effect has also been observed. In the case of a CD with multiple songs which make the cut, only "one" song will be picked and it will have to be the starting song when her holiness gets into the vehicle.

Another dangerous side effect is that grown women have shown similar milder forms of this rare affliction where NPR will automatically be switched off and replaced with a music CD from the subcontinent. The new strain in the younger kids just seems to be a more radical form the old strain! One song in one CD only as opposed to any song in any CD replacing radio!

If these trends continue projects Dr. Narayanöhe, soon we will have to start with a particular word or paragraph or chime in a certain song in a certain CD when the ignition key is turned on in the automobile! Scary indeed for future generation daddys!

Currently there seems to be no cure for Newceedeeophobia and the BOGUS institute is working on one.

ps. We are now officially parked in what is called the "monkey song", if you catch my drift...

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Simply in awe

Went and bought the "Delhi 6" CD today.

The music is enthralling!

Dil Gira Dafatan, Rehna Tu and Hey Kaala Kaala Kaala Bandar will now play on infinite loop in the van till they find a worthy replacement and that is going to be a tall order! After Rab Ne played 1000+ songs successfully since its release in the Van we were waiting to see which album will take its place.

The goosebumpology continues..

It is also interesting to note that the last five CD's purchased have all been hindi movie CD's.. (Jaane Tu, Bachnaa aye Haseeno, Rock On, Rab Ne, and now Delhi 6)

Hindi film music is kicking it up a notch, and we are not complaining!

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Calming your nerves

There are a lot of things that we get introduced to when we come to a different country. In terms of music, movies, art, culture. Even after being in the United states for more than a dozen years, I had never heard of a legend when it came to songs for children.

When Jr. went to a Montessori school three years ago, she came home one day and was singing a song which went something like:

Down by the bay
where the watermelons grow
I dont know
my mother will say
etc. etc

in broken sentences. She would sing it with absolute happiness on her face and would manage the broken words in a melodious tone.

The lyrics did not make any sense to me and after asking her to sing slowly, could still not identify the song. So the next day, we go ask her teacher:

"What is this song she is singing about watermelons growing and whales?" and the teacher looks at me with absoulute disbelief and says "That's Raffi!! How come you don't know Raffi?!"

It was as though I had claimed not to know Jesus! Told the teacher that we really had never heard of Raffi, and asked her to show me the CD cover.

We then got that Raffi CD, which played in the van non stop for almost a year. It had its "velli vizha" (silver jubilee function), not because Jr. insisted on playing that CD, but the entire family liked that CD! We were all hooked by that unbelievable voice, which was backed only by a single guitar. The songs were all nursery rhyme style, but goofy in terms of the lyrics and the singing. (Incidentally this music had been released around the time when I was Jr.'s age!!).

Have been searching for youtube videos of Raffi for some time.

We now chanced on videos of Raffi in Concert.

Compensating now for the fact that, we missed Raffi, when we were little kids. This afternoon, Jr. was playing this on youtube and it put me to sleep.

If you have your nerves all frayed because you have had a long week, "Raffi" might be the answer to your prayers!

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