#mayuridateofficial

Qala is the aura of 1950s music in India.

Amit Trivedi has done something out of the box yet being in the box. The entire album of Qala is a lyrical as well as a compositional marvel.

Along with the rendering of each song, the director has ensured that the setting in which the song appears on screen reminds you of watching old movies on a DVD. There are very few films where behind-the-scenes in song-making are shown with such enthusiasm.

Qala can be seen as a new-age musical set in a vintage era.

The song which ranks at numero uno for me is Shauq.

Interestingly, when the album was released before streaming began, Phero na najaria and Ghode pe sawar - the other two tracks garnered numbers from fans. Shauq was a song still being graded on a curve.

The setting of the song reminded me of the song "Chingaari koi bhadke" (although this song is a touch of melancholy). Shauq categories in the genre of subtle romance where one tries to woo the lady.

A kayak, two people dissecting love.... singing in the mist, and sailing on the calm waters! The beauty of this song was the one line weaved in for the female lead character shunned by her mother. Still, the line blends like salt in water.

डूबती है तुझ में आज मेरी कश्ती गुफ्तगू में उत्तरी बात...II

Lyrically, the lyricist Varun Grover has tried to incorporate phrases that pan out the song on the larger canvas. For instance, Raat Ki Hawa Ne Saans Thaam Li Hai or Jaisey Sardiyon Ki Shaam Mein Dhuan or my favorite verse -

यह पानी भी तेरे आईना हुआ सितारों में तुझको है गिना हुआ

If you think about the composition of the song, the most difficult thing is to keep the song structure simple and still create the desired repercussions required in the scene. And Amit Trivedi does it like a true master!

The song is a serenade beautifully vocalized by Swanand Kirkire, Sireesha Bhagavatula & Shahid Mallya. I loved casting his rustic voice juxtaposing with her thin yet melodious texture.

The album altogether has some fresh voices and some known veteran voices creating a symphony to love!

The greatest metric of success for a piece of art is that it should create a footprint in the minds of the people. Taare Zameen Par was released 15 years ago. And its impact is phenomenal even today.

The film was essential in spreading the word about dyslexia, Indian parenting, student-teacher dynamics, and child psychology. It was an all-rounder film with stellar performances by every actor.

Coming to this song which is played just a few miles before the film reaches its climax - is an anthem that gives a complete narration of the movie through its intelligent writing by Prasoon Joshi.

Delving deeper -

Aa jao patang leke, apne hi rang leke Aasmaan ka shamiyana, aaj humein hai sajana

Right from the guitar intro, it gives you the blues. This is modern-day art therapy surging beyond sessions of pottery or painting workshops. The lines above tell you to look at life through a bigger kaleidoscope.

The Chorus of this song is the ultimate Motivational Quote you need to hear every morning before you begin your day.

Tu dhoop hai chham se bikhar Tu hai nadi oh bekhabar Beh chal kahin udd chal kahin Dil khush jahan.... Teri to manzil hai wahin

Even if you hear this song without the context of the movie, the song gives you a manual of how to spend each passing day of life.

If you don't believe what you just read above, ensure for yourself -

Ho zindagi to hai batasha Meethi meethi si hai aasha Chakh le rakh le hatheli se dhak le ise

Tujhmein agar pyaas hai Baarish ka ghar bhi paas hai Ho roke tujhe koyi kyun bhala Sang sang tere aakash hai

The song literally sums up your day - right from getting up from

Kholo kholo darwaze Parde karo kinaare Khoonte se bandhi hai hawa Mil ke chhudao saare

.. to your mid-day...

Baasi zindagi udaasi Taazi hasne ko raazi Garma garma saari Abhi abhi hai utaari

and when you return back home from work...

Ho zindagi to hai batasha Meethi meethi si hai aasha Chakh le rakh le hatheli se dhak le ise

And then some of us may start planning our next day at night or make notes in our journal by humming...

Tujh mein agar pyaas hai Baarish ka ghar bhi paas hai Ho roke tujhe koyi kyun bhala Sang sang tere aakash hai...

Following the same drill for days and months, when each one of us lives the D-day we had anticipated... the lyrics again come to the rescue...

Khul gaya Aasman ka rasta dekho khul gaya Mil gaya Kho gaya tha jo sitaara mil gaya

Roshan huyi saari zameen Jagmag hua saara jahan Ho udne ko tu aazad hai Bandhan koyi ab hai kahan

The whole song glues you to it by mere play of vocals and guitars with side rhythm in its background. The song may seem easy but it gives you the much-needed deeper definitions.

The music was curated by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and passionately delivered by Raman Mahadevan. This song should be in your playlist.

Some say the world is a stage,

Some say it's a family….

Some say it's a network,

Some say it's a blank canvas…

I say it's a bubble…

Everybody who lives on earth has his own world inside a world. Everybody dwells in his or her bubble and believes it to be the most beautiful one. Everybody is eager to enlarge one’s own bubble in order to accommodate more beautiful spaces in it.

Many of us may have played video games where the character should be landed on flower beds and if it lands on thorns, you lose a lifeline.

As a child becomes an adult, we say his world expands. It means his bubble has been blown into a greater shape. He thinks for it to be ideal and tough for an outsider to break it. For him, the only aim is to dodge the thorns and search for the flower beds. How ironical! because every rose has a thorn is a proven adage!

Social media attention is a decorated lie that we easily believe. The true owner of art, the disturbing truth, or the convenient and disguised functioning of things is what we choose to ignore.

Why? Because it is that thorn that would burst our fantasy balloon. We want our bubble to be better than others even at the cost of bursting tens of other bubbles.

If one pops out of his bubble for a while and tends to look at the big picture, one would understand that the whole earth is holding a bubble of humans and if not elevated in the right course of action, it would soon pop! 

Talking about the trending adage - “Jo dikhta hai voh bikta hai” (The more you flex, the more credible you are), they are creating another lucrative bubble that cannot stand thorns.

Sunshine peeped and the moon was gone!

I rushed to the window and out on the lawn

The sky wove cotton in blue

forming constellations above,

Over the land beyond the hues

I saw the golden haze and how…

I witnessed a spectacle when

Sunflowers saw the face of the light

The elegant breeze made a few rounds

And swayed the trees in morning delight

People walked over the bridges

The river became a mirror of the sky,

The soil on the edge touching the waters

Like a white shirt with tie-dye

The homes opened all their doors,

Welcoming the sun in nests and hives!

Tickling all the burrows and pores,

Each of you working on some or the other projects must have suddenly lost your focus and started thinking of something else.

Did I remind Mom about --- Oh! Have I missed payment due dates… --- Is her birthday today or tomorrow?--- Am I missing some important appointment...

And the list goes on… 

But within us may be some persons who have been lost in wonderland, Not of Alice’s but of Choices! For instance, we pursue a career of our choice but are nebulous about "What’s Next?"

In this pursuit of happiness, we think of scores of ‘Options and Futures’ but get lost in the direction. We swirl around in the pond of choices but again we are unruffled and the waters settle.

We somehow figure it out from the blurred picture. And when the fog withers away the pathway could still be shadowy and vague.   

There are times when you won’t be able to decide where your destination lies. But you know what, it is totally okay! It is the journey of being lost and being found.

With the monsoon sweeping in, some of us begin our monsoon treks. We come across various avenues or diversions. Some of us walk along the wrong avenue and discover something unusual; may be best or worst. Some take diversions but reach the spot quicker. But hasn’t all this made our trek – a different one?

Imagine a solo traveler capturing memories in an unknown land throughout the day – and at the eve is thinking about how he would find a resort for the night to pass by. He does not have hotel bookings, and no name to bank upon but ends up at some church or in a farmer’s cave. He was lost, he kept pondering but found his desired rest-place at last. 

Similar is the case with the avenues in life. We get lost even in the ‘right’ direction and eventually find ourselves in the best place we are supposed to be. Such is the game of being lost and found.

In fact, this reminds me that we all are travelers lost in the right direction may be but haven’t found our goal for life. For some, the goal is visible but the road is under construction and for others, it is a blurred picture. 

December 03rd - International Day for Persons with Disabilities Eminent celebrities like Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, Sudha Chandran, and Christy Brown have shown the world what they are capable of. I wrote this as a tribute to all the special beings out there...

Some of us are on the road Some of us under a shed Some of us are working Some lying on the bed...

Some of us cannot see Some can't hear the bells Some of us are not complete Some cannot utter a spell...

We are different in what we feel We possess the sixth sense No one has ever believed                    We may use a wheelchair                    or walk with a stick                    And shut the look of sympathy                    that makes us feel sick...

                   We are to live a life                    Expecting dignity and pride...                    We all smile 😊                    Forgetting the sorrows behind..!

आँचल में  तेरे ख्वाब सजते  हैं... जो ख्वाब तेरे आँगन से ही मिलते हैं... दुनिया जो मेरे हुनर को सरहाय... उस ऊँचाई को छुने की हिम्मत तुझसे तो आए !

कुछ खास बात हैं मुझमें ? इसका जवाब तेरी पलकों से मिलता हैं ! खुद पर जब यकीन ना कर पाऊँ.... तुझसे खोया हुआ हौसला मिलता हैं...

विरासत में ना मुझे मोहरें ना मेहेल मिलें... पर हक जिनपर सिर्फ मेरा हो ऐसे माँ के किनारें मिलें...!

तुम कभी पानी के झरनेसी कभी आग के शोलेसी कभी बारिश के पहले फुहार सी कभी खिलते हुए गुलाब सी.... कभी दटे हुए पहाड सी.. कभी आस्मान पर दहाडते हवा सी !

अनगिनत शायरों ने तुम्हे कई खूबसूरत नाम दियें हो पर सभी की दुनिया में खूबसूरती का नाम तुम हो  !

There cannot be a single dedicated day for you because you do the same lovely things every day.

It was a farewell... Of all the wet chill memories... For it was a goodbye To the rains who united us! It was a goodbye to the puddles Who brought us together... Goodbye to the paper boats which sailed just as our friendship... It was a celebration of all long years Which we truly lived! where we awaited rains And where we enjoyed it together...

There was a pit pat pour of ours... There was no rain rain go away... As we had no laptops in the bags... And no formals to take care of! For there was no hurry to board trains For there was a hurry to go back in the lanes...

Just then a few chirpies came with a ball A known smile was felt by all! We and Little friends splash in the fall... To remind us of our game of ball...!