Song of the Week

I have never been a big fan of Shakira's music, although I do think she has a really cute and charming smile. The Whenever Wherever or She Wolf of Hips Don't Lie kind of music is really not for me. But I happened to hear the Gypsy number recently, and I totally loved it. It has this wonderful, soothing feel to it. The music is not quite the kind you would play at a dance party, but the kind I listen to when I need to relax. It has a wonderful Latino flavor to it. And it has lyrics that, when I hum to myself, make me feel free of worldly worries.

Speaking of songs, I only recently got around to listening to the songs from Raajneeti. The Mora Piya number does not hold a candle to Mora Saiyyan by Fuzon (I can't help compare. Can you?) but it is a great song in its own right. It's one of those songs that is actually supposed to be sad, but somehow has a good feel to it. It makes me want to dance.

Song of The Week

After I saw the promo of Veer with the sight of Salman Khan putting me off more than ever before, I had no inclination to listen to the music of the film. But I happened to listen to a few tracks, and it is one of the most soothing albums I've heard in a while. There is a song or two that does not sound like it belongs in a period film, but all of them are good in their own right.

So I really liked Surili Akhiyon Waale. I haven't heard anything new by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in a few months (The last time was probably Main Aur Mrs Khanna or Dekh Bhai Dekh), and this is a good track to break the spell with. As long as it's just the audio. I haven't seen the video, don't want to see it. Don't want to imagine that this song is in praise of Salman Khan's eyes!

Random Musings on 2009

Those who know me personally or through my blog will probably agree with me if I say that it would be an understatement to say that this has been an eventful year for me. Getting married, moving to a different country, quitting my job, learning to cook, learning to do a lot of things for myself. This has also been an almost equally eventful year for a number of close friends who got married or engaged, quit work to get another degree and/or moved to a different city or country.

Five things I did this year that I didn't think I would do quite so soon:

1. Got married
2. Moved to the States
3. Learnt to cook for myself
4. Quit my job
5. Spent time pursuing my real interests - reading and writing

Eight movies I watched this year (I watched them this year, some of them are older ones) that I liked a lot more than I expected to:

1. Barah Aana
2. Mumbai Meri Jaan
3. Welcome To Sajjanpur
4. Aagey Se Right (I'm gradually becoming a big fan of Shreyas Talpade.)
5. He's Just Not That Into You
6. Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!
7. Oh, My God
8. Avatar

Twenty favourite Bollywood songs from 2009 (roughly in chronological order):

1. Rehna Tu - Delhi 6
2. Dil Gira Dafatan - Delhi 6
3. Genda Phool - Delhi 6
4. Paayaliya - Dev D
5. Emosanal Attyachaar - Dev D
6. Ranaji - Gulaal
7. Tune Jo Na Kaha - New York
8. Khudaya Ve - Luck
9. Ajj Din Chadeya - Love Aaj Kal
10. Chor Bazaari - Love Aaj Kal
11. Ore Sawariya - Aladin
12. Sapne Bhaye Hain - Dekh Bhai Dekh
13. Pehli Baar Mohobbat - Kaminey
14. Rabba - Main Aur Mrs Khanna
15. Meherbaan - Ada (I'm not sure if this counts as a song from 2009, but anyway)
16. Iktara - Wake Up Sid
17. Tu Jaane Na - Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani
18. Mere Paa - Paa
19. All Izz Well - 3 Idiots (and all the other tracks from the movie too)
20. Gadbadi Hadbadi - Rocket Singh

Okay, this was a fairly random post. But life is just so - fairly random. Happy New Year everyone!

Song of The Week

I just happened to hear Akela Dil from Dulha Mil Gaya. The name of the movie suggested to me that this would be the kind of movie I would neither want to watch nor listen to the songs of. For the most part, the soundtrack lives up to my expectations. But this Adnan Sami number is just great. Makes me want to get up from my chair and dance. And the lyrics are quite cool and kind of amusing. What is the first line, anyway? I thought (still think) it was "Akela dil all nice happy" but all my online searches for the lyrics come up with "Akela dil online savvy." It does kind of sound like that too, but my version, seems to make slightly more, albeit not perfect, sense.

Anyway, I liked the line that says, "kisi ke dil mein kyon rahein ghar apna chod ke." Rather cute. A nice, peppy number in an otherwise mostly boring and forgettable album.

Song of the Week

If you haven't already, you must listen to Mere Paa from Paa. It takes a while to recognize the voice, if you don't already know that it's been sung by Amitabh Bachchan. Of course, he's been singing a lot of his own songs throughout his career, but this is in a league of its own. It captures the innocence of a child with in the ageing voice of the character whose physical growth is accelerated but mental growth is normal. Absolutely amazing.

By the way, can somebody remind me of the name of the Robin Williams movie with a similar storyline?

While we're talking about songs, if you haven't heard the songs in the soundtrack of Couples Retreat, it has a few tracks by Rahman which are rather different from his usual stuff. One of them is in Tamil. This one is in English and Hindi.

Song Of The Week

I really liked Atif's Tu Jaane Na from Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. It has a nice, romantic, blissful feel to it. I've been playing it over and over again over the last few days and it makes me feel really nice.

By the way, it's after quite a long while that I landed on an album where a lot of the tracks are quite nice, and all of them are reasonably nice. I think the last time this happened was with Love Aaj Kal. (Well, maybe Wake Up Sid or Aladin came a little close.) Most movie soundtracks that I have come across in recent times have involved looking for a needle in a haystack and finding one good track. Sifting through the likes of Dhan Te Nan and Raat Ke Dhai Baje to find a Pehli Baar Mohabbat, tolerating the Chiggy Wiggys of the world to land upon a Bhoola Tujhe, looking for the Khudaya Ve among the Luck Aazma and Jee Le types.

But this one is different. It has fourteen tracks, no less. Of course, those are not fourteen distinct tracks. The number includes four versions of Tu Jaane Na. All four are really good, but nothing beats the first one, the non-remixed one by Atif. The rest of the album has a balanced mix of peppy, foot tapping numbers like Prem Ki Naiyya and soft, romantic melodies like Tera Hone Laga Hoon. Definitely worth a good listen.

Memory Lane

It's interesting how, sometimes, just listening to a song or watching a movie again can take you into a world of memories. I was exploring YouTube and trying to seek out songs that I haven't heard in a while. I happened to land upon Zehreeley and it reminded me of Bhatti's hilarious rendition of the song on our Manali trip and then again at his farewell from our team.

Then I landed upon Morni Baaga Ma from Lamhe. This is the first Hindi movie I remember watching end to end multiple times and enjoying. There weren't too many children's films in Hindi that held me interest at that time. Come to think of it, there aren't many of them now either, are there?

So anyway, this song takes me back to the time I was ten years old and, when I didn't have much homework, enjoyed long, carefree afternoons by myself, because my mom and my brother would always nap in the afternoons and my dad would be at work. Well, I do still enjoy my afternoons by myself, but life isn't quite so carefree any more, is it?

When I hear a song from a movie I watched with some friends, it always reminds me of the good times I had with those friends. Of how some of them got annoyed when I sang along with the songs. How some annoyed me by laughing too much or just making too much hullabaloo for no apparent reason. Good times, good memories.

Song Of The Week

This is something I never heard in India, which is surprising since it's an A. R. Rahman composition from a movie supposedly released in 2008. But Meherbaan from Ada has got to be one of his finest works in recent times. (Strangely enough, this movie is not even listed on IMDb.)

This is a beautifully written song, into which Rahman's voice breathes life. That's right. It's sung by Rahman, composed by Rahman, and I love it. Do I need to say more?

Song Of The Week

This is something I landed upon by accident. It's called Kangana, from a movie called The Great Indian Butterfly. Shreya Ghoshal has so beautifully lent her voice to the feelings of a young woman in love. She is one singer who is good with the mainstream Bollywood stuff, but simultaneously also tackles classical tunes with ease. This is one such tune, faintly reminiscent of her work for Devdas, her debut as a playback singer for movies. It has the same wonderful beauty, the same innocent charm, the same romance.

By the way, the rest of the songs in this album are also worth checking out, if you're interested in something slightly offbeat, a fusion of Indian classical with some Western music.

Song Of The Week

I think I haven't really enjoyed a song with a girl-pataaoing-guy theme since the heyday of the likes of Alisha Chinoy and Jaspinder Narula. Well, this one comes pretty close. Shreya Ghoshal has done a good job with Ore Saawariya from Aladin. And the Amitabh Bachchan touch is just priceless. I can hear him singing sasur ghar jaana even when I am half asleep. I think his is one of the most legendary voices of our time, among people in all fields. And quite appropriately so.

The song has an upbeat, zesty feel lent to it by the vocalists and the foot-tapping music. I haven't paid too much attention to the words, because this is the kind of song where they don't matter all that much. Well, sometimes they do. Sasur ghar jaana re sasur ghar jaana...

Song Of The Week: A Rediscovery

Ever since I heard Tune Jo Na Kaha, I have come to like Mohit Chauhan's voice more than ever before. So I was digging out some of his older works, like Boondain and Guncha, when I ran into Ek Meetha Marz from Welcome To Sajjanpur. I actually never had the opportunity to watch this movie properly until quite recently. This song beautifully tells the whole story of the letter writer's life, his heart's desires, his hopes and his dreams. He is flirting with a married woman, but there is a certain innocence, an endearing quality to the whole episode. And the song tells it all. Tells it like it is. It's beautiful.

Randomly Generated...

What exactly is random? I have had a few encounters with random number generation in my software engineering career and I've seen that it's generally not exactly random. You can make it as close to random as your imagination lets you. But the thing is, your imagination also has its limitations. Here's something to try out. Think of a two digit number, both digits odd, both digits different from each other. This is something I picked up from a TV show called David Blaine: Street Magic years ago. Eight out of ten people will pick thirty seven here.

I had a music player in my car in India which had a randomisation feature. If I asked it to play stuff randomly from my pen drive, it would do so. It had a very strong affinity for Indian Ocean's music. Now I carry an iPod to the gym with me. It seems to really love Shania Twain's You've Got A Way With Me and Mera Jahaan from Taare Zameen Par. I want it to like Mar Jaawan or Khudaya Ve (I really like the remixed version) but it has a mind of its own.

I have another thought for you to chew on. We meet lots of people in life. Is it just a set of random coincidences, or is it all pre-planned for us by a supernatural power?

In My Element

I love going to the gym when there's nobody else there. This afternoon was one such afternoon. I was all alone, listening to Ajj Din Chadeya (from Love Aaj Kal) and singing along in bits, whenever I was able to catch my breath enough to do so. I managed to dance around a little to the foot tapping tune of Chor Bazaari (same movie) as well. I know, I can do all that at home too, why do I need to go to the gym if I won't do that kind of thing if there were any people around? Well, it puts me into a better frame of mind for exercising. I feel good, and then I exercise better. I've seen my cycling speed vary directly with the beats of the song that I'm listening to. I think that happens to just about everyone. If you're listening to an item number, you'll work out with more energy. If you're listening to something soft, you'll do it in a more leisurely way. I wanted to transfer only the foot tapping stuff to my iPod, but some songs are just so beautiful that they have to go with me wherever I go. These are the ones I used to listen to at night when I couldn't fall asleep, and also in my car when I was driving alone and was on the verge of falling asleep and needed to prevent that somehow. These are the ones that still give me a high when the randomising algorithm on the player chooses to play them, even if it means giving in to a more relaxed workout.

The Little Things I Miss

I haven't really felt homesick or anything since I left India, but there are some little things I miss from time to time, like:

• Roadside golgappe and bhelpuri. I mean, I do have easy access to these things over here, but you have to buy them packaged in a box and make them yourselves, or eat them at a restaurant where they taste the way they do at Haldiram's, which is not quite the same as the street chaat taste. Of course it is cleaner and more hygienic, but, you know, Indians develop such strong immune systems from eating all that roadside chaat! There was a Punjabi Dhaba we went to in Cambridge where the bhelpuri tasted just the way it should, but that's a little too far for us to go to too often.
• Being able to drive independently. This is temporary, of course, I should be able to get my full license soon and then I can do it again. But I used to just pick up my car keys and run off to any place I felt like running off to, all the time. I miss that a little.
• Hindi radio stations. I still have convenient access to Hindi music and do try to keep myself updated on whatever is new in Bollywood, but, well, it's not quite the same. If the radio is playing, it will play songs that you like, and ones you don't like, ones that you didn't know you liked, ones you absolutely love and haven't heard in a while, and get to hear again unexpectedly - now that always gave me a rush. Plus, when I listened to the radio in the car with my friends, I could hear their opinions on the music as well. That made a difference to me. I'm listening to Khudaya Ve from Luck right now, and I must say that it's an absolutely lovely song. I have been listening to this one song for about three hours now. I used to do that in India too, but then I grew tired of it and allowed the RJs to pick another song for me at random.
• Going out to watch Hindi movies. I still watch a lot of them, but there aren't too many places nearby where I can watch them on the big screen. I watched Barah Aana this weekend. It was a terrific, well made movie with some amazing performances. A DVD player does not do enough justice to the likes of Nasseruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz, does it?

Musings For Today

I just heard Mohit Chauhan's Tune Jo Na Kaha from New York. This is the first time in the last two months that I've heard a song worth writing about. True, I've been out of touch with Hindi music a little, but even so. I really liked this song, with its soulful, touching words.

It's funny, how Delhi is drying up, how the monsoon refuses to arrive back home, and here it's been raining almost all week, with the rain not stopping even for long enough for me to take a short walk outside. I've been spending more time in the gym all week.

I never before saw a man go out of his way to hold a door open for a woman. A couple of days back, as I was walking to the gym, which is in a different building in the same apartment complex, I was just outside the building and fishing for the keys to the building in my pocket. And this guy who happened to be in the corridor, walked all the way to the door and held it open. I thought he's opened it because he wanted to come out. Then he told me he didn't, he was just opening it for me. He said that no gentleman wants to see a lady fishing for her keys in the rain. I was slightly dazed. I think that kind of chivalry is fast dissolving into nothingness these days. It's great, however, to see a glimpse of it every now and then.

Song Of The Week

Tu Hi Mera by Mithoon. I don't think I have heard anything quite as soulful since Delhi 6. This guy, Mithoon, has a way of touching a chord with his listeners. Of stirring their souls. The music, the words, and the vocals are loaded with emotion and are beautifully touching. You have absolutely got to hear this one.

On a slightly different note, if you haven't yet checked out Ranaji from Gulaal, it's not to be missed either. One of the more amusing pieces of music in recent times. Adorably endearing.

Changes

Things that are changing with each passing day, as my wedding day approaches.

• I like songs like Genda Phool, Paayaliya and Jahan Piya more than ever before.
• The cellphone that needed to be charged once in two days now needs charging twice a day.
• I am trying to grow my fingernails. That is a big, huge deal for me. This requires more willpower than resiting a chocolate chip cookie that's right in front of me.
• I go out shopping both days, every weekend, and feel terrific about spending all my money at the speed of light.

Will keep adding to the list as things occur to me.

The Melody Of Dev D

Much as I disliked Dev D when I watched it, its soundtrack is one of a kind. It rocks.

I think everybody loves Emosanal Attyachaar for its combination of music, lyrics, and singing style. And the Elvis look. An odd combination, if you actually think about it, but it works. It's wonderful.

Then there are the numbers like Nayan Tarse, Duniya and Pardesi which have a bit of a fusion music feel to them. I think the lyrics of Pardesi are an integral part of the USP of this album.

I really like the clothes the heroine (Her name escapes me, and it's not really important to me.) wore when she danced to Dhol Yaara Dhol. I also like the vocals in this song. This girl, Shilpa Rao, has a lovely voice.

And then there's the Punjabi touch that can be felt markedly in Mahi Mennu and Hikknaal. Both beautiful, foot tapping numbers.

And my favourite in this album is Paayaliya. After Mar Jaawan, Shruti Pathak is at it again. She's given me a song I just don't grow tired of. I can play it on repeat all day long in the office, and then again in the car, and then again when I'm back home, and I'll also want to hum it when I don't have ready access to a music playing device.

Okay, I cannot talk about all eighteen tracks. I don't really wish to. But it's a great album. It's refreshingly different from the other stuff one gets to hear these days.

Song Of The Week

I haven't been feeling too well this week. Not well enough to actually write something. But there's this song that's been floating about in my mind for a few days now that I felt like quoting a few lines from.

Aisa lagta hai ki dil ke andar kuch toot raha hai
Baabul ke aangan mein mera bachpan choot raha hai
Main khush bhi hoon udaas bhi
Nadiyaa mein jaise pyaas bhi

In case you couldn't place it, this is from Jahan Piya from Pardes.

All for now. More when I stop being attacked by fever almost every night.

Waqt Ki Qaid Mein Zindagi Hai...

Sometimes, life becomes so fast paced that we actually forget about the important things in life. We worry about the stock market going down and about our next increment, but we forget that there are things that are way more important. Love, family, friends, taking time for yourself. When was the last time you found some time just for yourself and spent it doing something you enjoy and don't profit from? There are these words from the song Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo (featured in Monsoon Wedding)

Waqt ki qaid mein zindagi hai magar
Chand ghadiyan yehi hain jo aazad hain
Inko khokar mere jaan-e-jaan
Umr bhar na taraste raho

There's also this song from Zindaggi Rocks that I really like listening to from time to time, whenever I feel that things have become too stressful or too fast.

Ek din fursat ne thaamein haath hamare
Le gayi uss dagar pe jahaan rehti hai bahaarein
Chal diya ham bhi ghar se ho ke kuchh befikar se
Dil tha apne bharose, hum the dil ke sahaare