To the stranger,
I wish I could have met.....
Did you ever get attracted to someone by the taste of music they possess?
For those who are coming across this phenomenon for the very first time, yes you read it right...it is a real thing and for the folks who knew, up top for sailing in the same boat.
It all started some days ago, with all the hopes I was trying my hand on art again, after long 3 years, (credits: lockdown).
Around 5:30 pm, with a cup of coffee I was surfing the internet for some ideas but eventually failed and threw my phone on the bed with a pile of shattered hopes.
Seeing this, my brother grabbed the opportunity, to pull my leg, - "do something else this art is not your cup of tea anymore"
With a fresh dose of hope, the next day I again sat with sketch pens and papers, but this time all alone in my balcony.
While I was struggling to entangle my ideas, I heard this line,
"शाम भी कोई.
जैसे है नदी...
लेहर लेहर जैसे बेह रही है...."
Well, I am not a music person, but these lyrics were magical, it made my hand move automatically and here I was with a beautiful sketch bragging in front of my brother without giving heed that what made that possible.
That night was unusual for me; lying down on the bed I realized, I haven't stopped humming and neither those lyrics had stopped doing the Garba in my brain.
The next day, right from the morning, I had literally no idea why I was being so impatient and was eagerly waiting for dusk.
Around 6, my ears again caught another beautiful lyric
"लबो पे जो भी हो.....
केह भी दो, ठहरा हू मे...
ये दिल की बातो को रोका ना ठहरा हू मे........."
Something happened and I became this small girl who was overstepping grills of the balcony to figure out from where it was being played!!??
Suddenly I heard a voice," what are u doing??"
I baffled and replied," nothing, Mom" and went straight to my room.
While I was in my room, my ears caught another one,
" झटक कर ज़ुल्फ तुम तुलिये से, बरिशे आजाद करती हो .....
आछा लगता है.....
It was on a verge and I don't know but I felt something, something so lyrical and sacred which created a connection- a connection whose description the mere words can't suffice.
I think once a lyricist rightly said, "Sometimes words aren't the right words to say".
The Sherlock Holmes in me at least decoded that it was being played from the building just beside ours, but still didn't know which house and most importantly who was playing it!!?
The next day, I had to do something, as my soul was not at ease, and the Sherlock Holmes started his work again.
It turned up that the building is full of PGs and the owner(Jayesh kaka) lives on the ground floor but due to the lockdown, all went back to their homes, except this one boy.
I was sure that the 60 years old Jayesh kaka was not the one jamming on soulful lyrics.
"Level 2 completed, heading towards the final goal, find the target..... I repeat, find the target" said my inner Sherlock Holmes to me.
Soon, I had a plan!!!
The next day I was ready to execute my plan, all I had to do was, wait for 6 and go to the terrace so that I could finally solve the mystery of this strange man.
(At evening )
I was wearing my slippers and heard a voice,
"Didi !!!! Come here I'll show you the rarest of the rare scene".
"but I am going upstairs right now", l replied.
"You'll miss it," he said.
This better be good ok, uttering this I went to the balcony and he pointed to an autorickshaw.
For the first few seconds nothing made sense and hence furiously I said, "are you mad, you made me walk from the main door to balcony for an autorickshaw??. How's that even a rare scene???"
"That's a rare scene in" LOCKDOWN", ok??" he replied.
"Ohh, he is finally going back", said my mom swinging in the balcony.
Suddenly things started making sense and my expression from being furious to disappointment, escalated like anything, as I realized my plan just turned into a fiasco
"Who is finally going back ?" Asked my brother.
"Arree, that PG boy, who was stuck here, Jayesh kaka arranged everything for him, such a nice man he is." Mom replied.
"Indeed", I added with a mélange of mixed feelings.