Songs and Nostalgia

Imagine a life without music?

Can you?

No, it’s quite difficult.

A few days ago I was watching a short video clip of one of Charlie Chaplin’s silent films. And then, it hit my mind. What if, there were no songs and music in our life? How dull it would have been.

I then realized how powerful songs are in evoking the various thought centres of our brain. I am sure many of you associate certain songs with certain events or happenings in your life.

I started thinking about some of such songs and found that I can almost relive my entire growing up years through certain songs.

While ‘Rangoli’ and ‘Chitrahaar’ gave us the first taste of bollywood songs, it was the songs of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ that made the first indelible mark on my mind. The film had released around the time when I was in love for the first time, and the song ‘Tum Paas Aye’ was the reason for many a sleepless nights.

Over the years, as my love for her had increased, the voices of Kumar Sanu and Zubeen Garg kept me awake many a night. Starting from ‘Aashiqui’ to ‘Hiya Diya Nia’, those songs still find a place in my playlist.

And it was another musical night when I had proposed her. And for that reason the film ‘Pyaar, Ishq Aur Mohabbat’ and especially its song, ‘Jab Tujhe Maine Dekha Nahin Tha’, will always be embedded in my psyche. That song was playing in the background, while she had acknowledged that she too loves me!

There are also a few songs which I always associate with my Tezpur University days. There is a song by Zubeen Garg titled ‘Mon Heruwai’ from his album ‘Sabda’, which me and my roommate used to hear often. We were in the first semester and it was the onset of winter when we first heard the song. We feel in love with the song and used to listen to it every night. Whenever I listen to that song, my mind goes back to that wonderful ‘Winter of 2007’.

Another song that has always stayed with me is the evergreen classic by Kishore Kumar - ‘Mere Naina Sawaan Bhado’. At the hostel, I used to request my roommate to sing a song before going to sleep and this song was my most requested song. Even now, I sometimes call him up late in the night and request him to sing it for me.

With numerous songs being released almost every week nowadays, I have found that I have not been love with a new song for many years. I still listen to songs which I can associate with the early years of my life; maybe because I can relive those moments through these songs.

It seems Music can create Nostalgia at its best!