There is a song for every place!

Having lived a nomadic existence throughout my life, owing to parents' repeated transfers, education at various places, job situation & personal travel, I don't remember when exactly I started to subconsciously associate sounds & smells to a particular moment in life. Maybe it was a song I was listening to at that point in time, then state of mind or influences from the movies/art I had seen, some songs and fragrances transport me to a precise moment of the past that is so clear as if it's happening to me right now. 

Today I thought why don't I start listing some of them here on this blog to preserve that memory for a long time to come :)

Today's post is dedicated to Ye na thi humaari qismat - Sung by Chitra Singh from Mirza Ghalib series by Gulzar, the song became THE SONG of my first romantic liaison, way back in 2013-15. Every time I listen to it, I am reminded of the acute pain that I felt for the very first time of heartache in my life. The agony of separation. Her soulful voice that haunts deeply, Ghalib's soul-piercing ghazal & the beautiful Sarangi accompanying the vocals have made it a true masterpiece. Though Chitra Singh never got any formal training of classical singing, her high-pitched soprano/mezzo-soprano and her remarkable enunciation (especially 'Qismat') makes the song heavenly. 

There are 2 versions of this ghazal in the Mirza Ghalib series (1988) - One is picturized on Nawab Jaan (the courtesan played by Nina Gupta) performing for an audience and expressing through her eyes. However, the context of this version is slightly light-hearted for the ghazal. 

The second version at the end of episode 11 (YouTube video linked above) is my favorite version. The picturization, Chitra Singh's melodious voice & its context within the serial makes it more touching. Nawaab Jaan's mother bumps into Ghalib in Banaras and conveys the sad news that Nawaab Jaan has passed away & till her last breath she was enamored by him. Mirza Ghalib is devastated by the news. He was aware of the love Nawab Jaan had for him & he himself was seeking Nawaab Jaan to fulfill a promise he had made with her many moons ago. Upon Nawab Jaan's mother's request, he agrees to walk to her grave (in her words - एक बार तो उसकी क़ब्र तक चलो, शायद उसकी रूह को तस्कीन मिल जाए ❤️).

Well, as far as the verses go, Ghalib's ghazals are a universe of its own. किस किस शेर पे जान दूँ. Few lines of the ghazal that resonate with my deepest core - 

ये न थी हमारी क़िस्मत, के विसाल-ए-यार होता, अगर और जीते रहते यही इन्तिज़ार होता

तेरे वादे पर जिये हम, तो यह जान, झूठ जाना कि ख़ुशी से मर न जाते, अगर ऐतबार होता ये कहाँ की दोस्ती है, के बने हैं दोस्त, नासेह कोई चारासाज़ होता, कोई ग़मगुसार होता कहूँ किससे मैं कि क्या है, शब-ए-ग़म बुरी बला है मुझे क्या बुरा था मरना, अगर एक बार होता कोई मेरे दिल से पूछे तेरे तीर-ए-नीमकश को ये ख़लिश कहाँ से होती, जो जिगर के पार होता

One of my first dates with A happened in South Park Cemetery in Kolkata. May be that imagery of moss-laden British-era cemetery and meaning of this ghazal overlapped at some point and it became a sort of ever-lasting souvenir of that love affair. 

A memory of me cycling on an empty stretch of a newly-laid road, amid drenching rains, listening to this ghazal on loop in a remote town at India-Nepal border. The raindrops were mixing with my tears and every pang in heart made me push the pedals harder. Circa August 2015. Listening to this song makes me feel those lashing raindrops, cutting through the winds & the green country-side all around :)

इश्क़ मुझको नहीं वहशत ही सही, 
मेरी वहशत तेरी शोहरत ही सही :)

Love!