Pancham...

the later part of the day today at work was a little demanding with quite a few things to be taken care of before I could call it a day. By the time I got ready to leave the office, I felt somewhat fatigued. Hence decided to have food outside tonight rather than going home and cooking. As I stepped into a shabby north Indian mess and sat down with the food on the table, something on the radio caught my attention. Just a couple of notes, and I knew which song was on. One of my favourites from my favourite hindi film music director - Rahul Dev Burman (also known as Pancham). Even before the first line of the song was over, all my fatigue and tiredness was gone! I felt as fresh as I do in the morning. I remember a 2003 movie that was a musical tribute to Pancham. The day for the lead characters in the movie stats on a very bad note. With bird droppings on the car hood, a screaming neighbour, fighting wife and nosey mother-in-law, it had all the ingredients of a horrible morning. They get into their cars and turn the radio on...Pancham is playing...and one should see the feeling of relief and contentment on their faces. That seemed to rip off all their troubles...they forget all about the miserable morning...if they have pancham playing for them, they can do anything in life. That's Pancham's magic.
Though he thrived in the 70s but he was so ahead of his time that his work seems contemporary even today. He was the one who made hindi flim music sound stylish and rich. But what we get to hear more days is more about synthesized notes on the computer. The melody is gone.
...and they blame me for being 'old-fashioned'...