Music for all of us is a part of our life, or should I say it is ‘religion’ for all of us, or may be more than that.
It is also a positive force that keeps us going and a good healer too.
It may not be everything for us; still it is there with all aspects of our life.
And above all it is‘worship’ for those who love music and those who are connected with it in some other way.
So, in our offerings of prayers to the goddess ‘Saraswati’ I sincerely wish that as long as I live and continue this journey of life, ‘music’ is there with me at every moment and the journey be eternal musical forever …
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All of us love music and we are attached to it for various reasons. For me, it is an ongoing activity which rules my sub-conscious and conscious mind every time.
It motivates me a lot. It acts like an inspirational force for me.
It has been almost since my childhood that I was addicted to Radio for listening songs and as I grow, that continued and the addiction also grows more with collection of cassettes, now collection CDs, getting done recording of songs, searching for rare songs etc etc.
So, music is always there with me in my day to day life.
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When I was a bachelor the ‘mono cassette recorder’ with me use to start early morning, in fact I used to rise from bed straight to put on a cassette to play (starting with ‘bhupaali’/devotionals, and then moving for brush and tea preparation.
Then, till I left for office it continued to play and when I came back from office I start the music till I go to bed. The cassette player has to be auto stopped (usually) as I go to sleep while listening to the songs/albums for that day.
Then, as I joined distance education and use to study and do assignments at home, I use to listen to music during breaks of my study or when I wish to take some jigs on my favorite songs. (To ‘unwind’ as they put up nowadays).
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After getting active with Atul ji’s blog, it has become my daily routine to share some songs either on daily basis. If not sharing, preparing for the songs to be shared, or searching for the songs that are in my memory since years back and while searching if I find something new (in our case the terminology is ‘old and rare’) then sharing them.
So music is continuously going on in my mind.
At work also whenever I get break or time to think during intervals I am thinking of songs that are yet to make to the blog.
Further in today’s stressful life we face many different situations time to time , a music lover like me always finds songs to face the situations, get out of it – if it is a troubled situation or enjoy and celebrate or cheer – if it something positive happening or getting succeeded in any assigned task (of work or of personal interest).
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Few months back, we have to rush to a place about 475 kms away from my base station, as my elder daughter was hospitalized due to sudden illness. When she was hospitalized and her colleagues were with her (and she was out of danger), instead of starting instant, as it was already 9 PM, and I was still in travel back from my office, we decided to move on early morning next day. So I get time to take all my favorite albums with me.
However on the first day the ‘music system’ was under the control of by my younger daughter so we have to listen to mostly the newer songs.
The next two days were more hectic and there was no scope to listen the songs, though prayers were going on in our mind. After my elder daughter was discharged from hospital, my wife and younger daughter accompany her and stay at her Hostel room to give support.
When everything was settled we decided to visit a Aashram on the banks of Narmada River in Narmada district near Rajpipla. This is the place which we visit at least once in a year and I always wish that I get more chance to visit there and can spend a longer duration there. Well this time we were getting a night stay there and most importantly darshan of Swamiji.
Darshan of Swamiji is possible only few hours starting late night.
As my younger daughter stayed back to support her Didi at the hostel, me and my wife took up for the aashram.
Our travel has to be for at least 3 hours one side, so there was enough time for me to get on with my favorite songs too.
One of the albums that I carried with me was ‘Immortal melodies from Navketan Films: Vol.2-Philosophical’ (SA re ga ma – Bombay Talkies)
(Few years back I had got this one album from a famous online store)
As the playlist proceeds one by one this song appears!
‘Man ke mandir mein jalti rahe geet sangeet ki aarti,
Mujhko vardaan de, mujhko vardaan de Maata Saraswati …’
When the word by word fall on my ear I was relating it with our daily life, the daily activities that we perform and finally we search some time for leisure, some time to take us off from the hectic life, some to time to unwind ourselves…
But now it has become difficult, because, as far as I am concerned I get very less time to play my favorite CD/DVD’s, to listen all the cassettes that I have collected over these 29 years so far. Sometime I am angry with myself for the job I have taken and for the circumstances I have created myself which give very less time for me.
But none the less the songs are there playing all the time in my mind and what if I cannot hear the CDs or Cassettes, I can sing them I can keep humming different songs according to the changing situations whatever I faced and wherever I am. That way I remain connected to music every time all the time.
The song under discussion today says it all for me. All I can pray to God that ‘sukh dukh mein aap sadaa hamaare saath rehna, aur man ke mandir mein sangeet ki jyot jalaaye rakhna’ (I remember the very first time when I meet Swamiji he aksed me what I wish from the Gods as he has already given me a ‘happy life’, so he advised me that whenever I pray to God I should only asked him to ‘be with us in our ‘hard times’ as well ‘when we are sailing smooth’)
Haath bhi nahin jab hil sake
Saaz bhi jab nahin paas ho
Maut bhi ho saamne khadi
Mushkil aur har saans ho
Man ke mandir mein jalti rahe
Geet sangeet ki aarti
Mujhko vardaan de
Maata Saraswati
How true it is, because going through hard times also we were connected to the divine form of Music – listening, singing and praying Prarthanaa, Bhajans at the ‘Aashram’
‘Man ke mandir mein jalti rahe – Geet Sangeet ki Aarti’…
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