Intoxicated by Music

'वो जिसकी जुबां उर्दू की तरह, मेरी शाम रात मेरी क़ायनात , वो यार मेरा सैयां सैयां ' The magician behind these words is the timeless Gulzar Sahab. His art of putting together abstract imagery in words  to give us gems such as 'tu hi tu satrangi re', 'mohe shaam rang dai de' is unparalleled. He is the name of a silken thought, the fragrance of the flower Champa, the colours of rainbow, the touch of soft breeze... His contribution to Hindi Cinema as a film director, dialogue writer, lyricist is exemplary. If we attempt to identify those personalities who made Hindi cinema a relevant medium to reflect either the political climate or web of relationships, Gulzar Sa'ab would be at the top. Movies such as 'Mere Apne', 'Ijaazat', 'Maachis', 'Aandhi' are some examples of his craft. And what can one say about the songs that have his grace? The sensitivity with which he outlines the complexities of relationships is magical. He has k...

It was Aug 15, 2008, my first year in Toronto, away from India. I was traveling in a cab and the radio channel was playing an India Independence Day special program. The mellifluous voice of Manna Dey in 'aye mere pyaare watan, aye mere bichde chaman, tujhpe dil kurbaan' reminded me of the fragrance of Delhi mornings and I found myself crying like never before. Before this, I must have had heard this song a 1000 times, but that day, the words 'tere daaman se jo aaye, un hawaon ko salaam' had taken on a completely different dimension for me. I then realized that no matter how much I wanted to travel and explore the world, my country, my home is where my heart and soul belonged. Our nation has gone through innumerable invasions, upheavals and continues to face challenges both internally and externally. Those who gave up their lives protecting this beautiful country, how do we privileged citizens, thank them enough! Today, as India celebrates 76 years of independence, I am...