Saturday, August 02, 2008

"Main Hawa Hoon,Kahan Watan Mera"


When I had first heard this ghazal, I was a kid. My sibling was not born then and it used to be played in the living room while mom used to be busy in household chores and when dad had left for work.

Regardless of who they were sung by (Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali,Ataullah Khan or Hussain Brothers), all ghazals sounded the same to me- depressing , dark , incomprehensible and snail paced .Thanks to me and my tantrums ;mommy dear seldom got a chance to listen to such ghazals as I didn’t let more than two to be played in a go .Now 15-17 years later, whenever I am at home, cruelty is inflicted on me and mom by my sister who doesn’t understand why such ever depressing(depressing only for her at this stage) things have to be played in house.

Today I feel ecstatic when I hear such compositions. Discovery of a new or a long forgotten ghazal/song makes my day. Knowingly or unknowingly this taste was cultivated in me years ago .It's just that I cherish it now.

While searching for some videos on youtube today, I came across this one by Hussain brothers after a long time .My mind went back into past and painted a vivid picture of me sitting on a tiny study table, busy doing holidays' homework and cursing while this ghazal is playing in the living room. But today both the ghazal and those memories brought a smile on my face.