Musical Miracles

It is a well-known fact that you don't need to be a great singer or dancer to appreciate music. So, as a patron of music I have come to realize that some songs are powerful to the extent that they can touch our spiritual side.

People who have started following my writings might have noticed that after some regular updates to Soulful, I did not write. I should be honest. I am not a writer. I just write because it simply makes me happy. My mind often goes blank as what to write. And once again recently, it went totally blank! I badly wanted to write but couldn’t. Frustration mounts with each passing day. After a week or two of writing drought, my creative side completely goes into coma. So, today while still in the coma phase, I pulled my earplugs and played a new song. I listened to it once, then twice, then again and again and I must say it was doing magic. The fact that this has happened with me for many beautiful songs many times before prompted me to write about it.

Now coming back to this magical song- it’s the latest rendition by our nation's gem- A. R. Rahman. Yes, I am talking about 'Patakha Guddi' from Highway. Should I talk about just this song or Rahman's prowess in spiritual music? We know him to be a great musician. But anyone who has listened to 'Piya Haji Ali' or 'Kun Faya Kun' or 'Arziyan' or 'O Paalan Hare' will realize how mystical this gifted guy is. These songs are enchanting. You must be thinking what is so special about it. Everybody knows Rahman is a good composer. After all, he composed 'Jai Ho' or 'Tu Hi Re' or 'Sasural Genda Phool'. Here is the catch. An average person in his everyday life has no time to be spiritual. Many of us may follow our religious customary prayers in our busy routines but how many of us actually stop, meditate and try to connect to our own souls. But almost everyone is connected to Bollywood. We don’t listen to likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or a M.S. Subbulakshmi unless they compose or appear in a Bollywood song. 

For such a wayward life, songs like 'Arziyaan' are a whiff of pleasant breeze. These are ageless compositions which grow on your senses with time. They say with great power comes greater responsibilities. If talent can be believed as a power then Mr. Rahman is doing a great job. Especially, for people like me who believe in a divinity but refuse to follow blind rituals to appease it, these songs provide a way to communicate with it. So, whenever you get confused, or sad or angry or frightened instead of rushing to your religious abode to find solace, just for once sit in complete silence and play these songs and listen intently. I bet you will be at peace and feel soulfully elated. 

You can begin here: Soulful @ Saavn