My journey through music!

While growing up what used to play at our home -
Dad's Jazz favourites
Mom's western classical
Dad's easy listening tapes from here
Mom's opera spools
Dad's anything piano as long as it was soothing for him to go to sleep
Mom's joan baez and leonard Cohen

Once I started to influence things a bitat home

Chitrahar- on Sundays - Dad hated it, playing hindi film songs at home was a BIG no no - it was trash, Ma didnt care as long as me and dad arguing over the music didnt bother her - She didnt understand hindi anyway.........

First tape i bought - Kenny G - Breathless - heard him playing with Michael Bolton at a Grammy function- thought he looked like a greek God and bought the tape - was madly in love with his music - and darted evil looks at dad when he said Kenny G was ok but nothing when compared to real Jazz - I thought"OHHHHHH........old generation they dont know how to appreciate music", Ma was happy that at least it was not Hindi and so when I made her sit down and listen to it in order to get her support against dad she wudnt have to go thru the pain of asking me what everything means.

Next tape - Michaels Learn to rock - dad didnt have much to say about it i guess he had gven up on his daughter who had the most plebian taste in music, listened to hindi songs and stuff....... he would at least tolerate it playing once on his music system but then he would change it to his stuff

Next tape - I dared to spend Rs 40 on a Roja tape - I had just discovered AR Rahman and the reggae beat in Chinna Chinna Asai had impressed dad also - he said Hindi music was coming of age finally, so highly encouraged I made him listen to Thiruda Thiruda - and was disappointed again - " Bah! you call this original music? He has simply taken everything from operatic music! So i was downcast again!!! Ma was pretty happy to hear the operatic influence but then again it was in Tamil - language problem!!!

By this time I think Hum Aapke Hain Kaun hit the screen with Madhuri Dixit's hip swerving Didi Tera Dewar Deewana - I used to watch a lot of Superhit Muqabla at that time- Madhuri Dixit thanx to that grand dame freed my field into Hindi music and films. Baba was absolutely mesmerized by her smile and dancing and Bam! Hindi films werent that bad anymore........... poor mom now had to endure both of us jabbering away about the stuff on screen while she would be still asking what was said 15 mins ago on screen, but she has achieved a lot i must say can fluently understand hindi now adays. Now poor dad i think i pulled him into the deep dark murky world of Hindi films and soaps kicking and screaming( ahhhhhhhhhhhh! can u beat tht). I think I took from one level of mediocrity to another LOL!

But thankfully I came out of thay phase of trying to fit in with everyone else's choice of music and found my own- vivaldi, menuhin and grappelli helped me do that. and I came back to y roots so to say, allthe boy band tapes, yanni, and hindi film songs went into seclusion - tho there were some still here or there which still crept up - Lucky Ali i still like him....... but Dad visibly let out a sigh of relief as i came back to mom's tapes of Joan Baez, Simon Garfunkel, Dad's saxaphone tapes and started playing the Piano.

And in my undergrad I surprised and i think pleased my Dad - when I actually introduced him to some jazz ( thanx to Simon)he had not heard before and he loved it - I felt really proud that I had made him happy with my NEW and IMPROVED choice! He actually made me promise that I'll leave those tapes behind when I was coming here.

I still listen hindi music , I still listen to boybands I still listen to Sting( dad didnt like his jazz attempts) But I have started to experiment with the kind of music i hear - thanx to Karthik and Jatin and man do I love it!!!!

At present am listening to - Jeff Buckley - Live from the Bataclan - and I love it! and thinking of getting hold of the CD for Dad .

I am finally returning to all that I was running from - terrible homing instincts I must say!


Dedicated to Raghu Karuturi - he asked me to try and write something humorous - I hope this atleast makes you smile a bit ! I tried!