When the rare Pankaj Mullick song played on the radio in the 1970s, we would stop whatever we were doing and listen to the song. After the song had ended, my dad would remark wistfully, “That was a great song, but not like his songs from Yatrik. Those songs were something else.” Those were our pre-cassette player days, when we did not…
Every once in a while, my wife will catch me blithely humming a song or listening to one on the stereo. It could be our anniversary or a birthday, a time for celebration. Yet, she will grimace and ask me if I must listen to this song. It’s then that I have to pay attention to the lyrics. I’ve…
As another year ends, it is perhaps appropriate to reflect on the passage of time. This is also the second part of my blog on exploring stoic philosophy through songs, particularly Hindi songs. This blog focuses mainly on Seneca’s “On the Shortness of Life” (“De Brevitate Vitae”), a moral essay that he wrote around 49 AD. I’m relying on the…
My introduction to stoic philosophy came via a YouTube video. Titled “Stoicism 101”, the engaging video was presented by Dr Massimo Pigliucci, professor of philosophy at the City College of New York. Presented at an informal setting, likely a pub in NYC, Dr Pigliucci provides a very good overview of the history and philosophy of Stoicism. I was intrigued enough…
The name Kundan Lal Saigal or K.L. Saigal will barely register on the consciousness of the current generation in India. To be honest, it hardly did on my generation either but when it comes to my parents’ and grandparents’ generation, Saigal was a colossus who strode the screens of Hindi cinema from the early 1930s to late 1940s. He was…
The radio would always be on at home when I was growing up. It would start at around 6:30 am with Vividh Bharathi and would then switch to Radio Ceylon at 7:30 am and that program would culminate with the signature Saigal number at 8 am. It would then switch back and forth between the two stations through the day…
When I turned nine, my cousins gifted me a couple of Amar Chitra Kathas for my birthday. These were comics that retold tales from Indian mythology and history. One of them was on Tansen, the legendary singer from the court of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. This was my introduction to the story of Tansen. He was one of the “Navaratna”…
As a subject in high school, History was a seemingly limitless study of various dynasties of yore. The lessons focussed largely on dates of events, conquests, administrative reforms and either largesses or depredations of the ruler in question. The Mughal dynasty, given its prominence, spanned a few chapters. Akbar enjoyed the lion’s share followed by Babur and Aurangzeb. A footnote…
They made their appearance in India in the mid-to-late seventies. The next step in the evolution of music players – the cassette decks. They ranged from the compact mono players and “two-in-ones” to the larger cassette decks that came with graphic equalizers and powerful speakers. They were middle and upper-class status symbols, usually occupying a prominent place in the house.…
The phrase “Street Singer” evokes nostalgia for lovers of old Hindi music. And by old, I mean really old, for this is the name of the 1938 movie starring the singer-actor K.L. Saigal. It contains gems such as “Babul Mora”, “Jeevan Been Madhur Na Baje” and “Lachhami Murat Daras Dikhaye”. Yes, I admit, I listen to Hindi songs from the…