Papa and Music
It's unlike me to dedicate a whole piece about someone else, but I think I had to.
Papa has always loved music.
Since I was a little boy, I've always seen Papa in the night, opening either B4U Music or Hungama Music and just whistling along to the songs endlessly. Hindi, Kannada, Illayaraja, you name it.
He loves Rajkumar's Ninna Kangala and Amar Prem's whole playlist.
As though in a trance, he loses himself. The routine is always the same.
He returns home, mom admonishes him for coming late.
He then pours himself a lovely drink, usually Whisky + Water and takes a seat on the far right corner of the sofa, providing him access to an armrest.
There's a few minutes of small-talk: how our day went, a bit questioning about life and then he boots the TV up. Now, YouTube Music has gotten the better of him.
He always starts off with a classic. And it's always the same.
Kishore Da's Zindagi Ka Safar Mein. It's not melancholic, it's not preach-y, but it's just acknowledging what is.
I tend to ignore the video and look more at Dad. You see his eyes light up, a smile on his face and the whistling. Oh, the whistling. I forced myself to learn music purely to whistle along with him (AND I DO!), and it's wonderful.
You see his involvement in the progressive increase of volume, the discarding of people around him, and his eyes gleaming. It then switches to Amar Prem Kati Patang or Anand's music. For most of the evenings, it's as though Rajesh Khanna is a part of our family, sharing our joys and sorrows.
Ma wakes up from her sleep, but has come to accept this. It's his way of expressing joy, his passion, his hobby, his joy. He tends to behave a little quirkily, too, as the drink and music interweave. He starts explaining most of the songs to us. And it's just too cute!
Yesterday, he went about explaining the whole of Amar Prem's album to us. Chingari Koi Bhadke, Ye Kya Hua and Bada Natkhat Hai Ye. And just like always, he wrapped up with Kiska Rasta Dekhe at 1:30am.
Papa, I love you. Never change.