Music to me is like an old road map—tinted on the edges, with a scent of monsoons and tinges of petunias from last summer, lying over dusted shelves of the almirah. It is full of guiding roads that I do not completely understand. But these roads of melodies and harmonies always take me to the right place and destination. The creases of this map remind me of all those times I have traveled across those places of faint memories. Different routes, but all of them took me to that one tranquil shelter—sometimes through trails of joy, sometimes tears and other times through emotions that cannot be explained. Yes, music is like that road map that takes us to a safe space, which is full of calm and peace. You call music an escape or a comfy friend. An elixir for your soul, or a mysterious emotion. But it is what bestows me with the hope to begin every other day afresh!
Tera mujhse hai pehle ka naata koi, yun hi nahin dil lubhaata koi. Music reminds us of instances, little moments of joy. Every time I would listen to this song, all that would flash before my eyes would be Jai and Aditi uniting at the airport, reminding me of all that would drive me to watch Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na for the 1875th time. Yes, that is what music does. It takes me back to the stories that shaped me, to the times that made me. These are moments we think we’d never look back on, but as the melodies drop in, we’re back into that time. These moments return, in flashbacks, in grins, and in moist eyes.
Tum jab paas aati ho, palkon se muskuraati ho. Music makes me smile. This song precisely describes how Spotify brings my happy phase back as I return home after a hectic day in college. Music heals. Laying back in my bedroom after a tired schedule with my earphones on, I feel complete. Music fills the empty gaps in me. The void fades as I make melodies a part of my being. Yes, it is serene to be friends with music. What else is it but our favourite tracks that get us out of the ruckus of our lives? Music evokes that part in me which is always at ease, for there is assurance that melodies would never abandon, even on a bad day.
Abhi na jao chhod kar, ke dil abhi bhara nahi. There is peace in walking by the street on a full-moon night as Rafi Sahab‘s soulful voice and Asha Bhosle‘s timeless grace adorn the air. When the sound of the wind rustling through the canopies mingles with these retro melodies, the aura becomes heavenly. The crumbling sound of dry fall leaves falling off the trees and the light breeze on my face—what else could I ever ask for? It’s so surreal to realize how every bit of sound around us adds to a single melody — the harmony of our life. And isn’t music in everything that surrounds us? This is a world of music and we’re all little melodies in it – a world of music we’re stringing our stories into.
From little birds singing in the mornings to beetles buzzing at night, there’s music everywhere, day and night. There is rhythm in our breaths, melodies linger through time. There is joy in dancing to these beats and humming along to the stories of our lives. Music traverses through time and space, just like that old road map guiding our way into life.