A song that hit hard

A monday with no meetings and pressing tasks ! Looks like the universe has granted me the gift of time. And what better way to spend it than playing a snippet in my veena or indulging in a bit of writing ?

My day began like any other….morning rush, a heap of mails, and the never-ending torment of having to extract stress loads. But as the clock struck 4:30, my father appeared like a torch-bearer of freedom to pick me up from work.

As I cozied up into the passenger seat of my dad's car, my mind delved into The Bretton Woods Agreement, a topic that had stirred my interest this morning and I resorted to reading more about it in Investopedia. I found my attention go astray when I heard the cheerful voice of “ullooru Narayana vandhitaaru” in Radiocity 98.3….It was a segment that I totally loved, a perfect concoction of humour and astrology !

Attempting to multitask between reading and listening proved to be a challenge. "Don't multitask….You aren’t good at it" my father taunted, "either read or listen to the FM." Now, anyone who knows me well would easily guess which option I chose.

As we made our way through the Maduravoyal Bypass, the FM treated us to "Karai Vandha Pirage," a classic from the movie '96.  I've never been a fan of 96. Not that it's a bad movie….I just couldn't connect with it like the rest of the world did. So, when the song began playing, I was prepared to dismiss it, like I always would but I couldn’t….I simply couldn’t and I rather found myself strangely drawn to the song.

Tamil isn't my strongest forte….so, every time I listened to this song, it felt like I was discovering something new. Especially the first two lines: "Karai vandha pirage, pidikidhu kadalai, nirai vandha pirage, puriyudhu ulagai." They spoke to me in a way I would've never expected.

But there was a snag….the word "nirai” in second line left me scratching my head. Thankfully, a quick search on Google revealed its essence: "you end up liking the ocean once you reach the shore; you start understanding the world once your hair turns grey." And just like that, the song gave me a whole new perspective.

As the song continued, I found myself not just enjoying the music but also trying to decipher the meaning behind each lyric…My friend had told me to give this song a chance and I’m totally grateful for that nudge….Here’s to opening up to music outside of my usual taste !

Now….If you haven’t listened to this song yet, it’s time to stop doing what you're doing and treat your ears !

P.S. As I was listening to this track, I realised that songs have a way of reminding us of people who introduce them to us. It's like they are with us, even when they are not :)