When the Building Came Alive

Image
Kasturi Dhama Apartments — the play area where many evenings came alive. The lights would go out without warning. For a brief second, the entire building would fall silent. Then, from somewhere in Kasturi Dhama Apartments, a chorus would erupt. “Yayyy!” It is difficult to imagine children celebrating a power failure today. But in the Bangalore of the nineties and early 2000s, a power cut did not always feel like an inconvenience. Especially in the late evenings, it felt like permission. Permission to stop whatever we were doing, leave the darkness inside our homes, and step into the building outside. Before Kasturi Dhama became home, we had moved through a few different parts of Bangalore. My family had begun in Srirampuram and Vyalikaval before gradually cementing ourselves in Malleswaram for the next few decades. My earliest memory is of living in a vatara —a Kannada word loosely used for a building or a cluster of homes—on 15th Cross, near Karur Vy...
4 comments

My favourites!

I was just listening to some of my all time favourite numbers in Tamil and Hindi. Here goes the list and the songs are not in any order of preference. The time period of these songs is from the late eighties upto the current time.

Tamil
  1. Chinna Chinna Aasai (Album: Roja, Artist: AR Rahman)
  2. Pudhu Vellai Mazhai (Album: Roja, Artist: AR Rahman)
  3. Vellai Pookal (Album: Kannathil Muthamittal, Artist: AR Rahman)
  4. Minnalae (Album: May Madham, Artist: AR Rahman)
  5. Mandram Vandha Thendralukku (Album: Mouna Raagam, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  6. Ninnukori Varanam (Album: Agni Natchathiram, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  7. Endhan Nenjil Neengadha (Album: Kalaignan, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  8. Anbe Sugama (Album: Parthalae Paravasam, Artist: AR Rahman)
  9. Nila Kaigiradhu (Album: Indira, Artist: AR Rahman)
  10. Anbe Sivam (Album: Anbe Sivam, Artist: Vidyasagar)
  11. Chandralekha (Album: Thiruda Thiruda, Artist: AR Rahman)
  12. Ennuyir Thozhi (Album: Kangalal Kaidhu Sei, Artist: AR Rahman)
  13. Bombay Theme Music (Album: Bombay, Artist: AR Rahman)
  14. Vaanam Thottu Pona (Album: Thevar Magan, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  15. Kanmani Anboda Kadalan (Album: Guna, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  16. Raakamma Kaiyya Thattu (Album: Dhalapathy, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  17. Uyiren Uyire (Album: Khaaka Khaaka, Artist: Harris Jeyaraj)
  18. Pulveli Pulveli (Album: Aasai, Artist: Deva)
  19. Malai en vethanai (Album: Sethu, Artist: Ilayaraja)
  20. Oru Nanban Irundhal (Album: Enakku 20 Unakku 18, Artist: AR Rahman)
Hindi
  1. Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera (Album: Swades, Artist: AR Rahman)
  2. Pehla Nasha (Album: Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Artist: Jatin Lalit)
  3. Lukka Chuppi (Album: Rang De Basanti, Artist: AR Rahman)
  4. Dil Se (Album: Dil Se, Artist: AR Rahman)
  5. Dil Chahta Hai (Album: Dil Chahta Hai, Artist: Shankar Ehsaan Loy)
  6. Yeh Jo Zindagi Hain (Album: 1947 Earth, Artist: AR Rahman)
  7. Nahin Samne (Album: Taal, Artist: AR Rahman)
  8. Tanha Tanha (Album: Rangeela, Artist: AR Rahman)
  9. Baazigar (Album: Baazigar, Artist: Anu Malik)
  10. Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain (Album: Pardes, Artist: Nadeem Shravan)
  11. Pehli Baar Mile Hain (Album: Saajan, Artist: Nadeem Shravan)
  12. Mujhe Neend na aaye (Album: Dil, Artist: Anand Milind)
  13. Dheere Dheere (Album: Aashiqui, Artist: Nadeem Shravan)
  14. Akele Hain (Album: QSQT, Artist: Anand Milind)
  15. Chaiyya Chaiyya (Album: Dil Se, Artist: AR Rahman)
  16. Kuch Na kaho (Album: 1942 A Love Story, Artist: RD Burman)
Obviously there are a number of other songs that can easily fit into this list. The end to good music is just not there. It is also easy to see from the list that ARR is my favourite.

Comments

Post a Comment