Meeting of Musical Minds

 Minds and bodies.. it was a physical meet of a music group that I am a part of. In a member's own farm house near Mumbai. Beautiful setting, a karaoke mic, and us 10 enthusiastic people. Phir kya tha? It was non-stop fun with antakshari, singing songs, and lots of eats-our host is also into the catering business! Pics won't do justice, but.. here they are.

Bargad ka ped- vatvruksh..

Beauties- without beasts.

Ok, one beast..

More.. all of us!

Posing..

Cool breeze- Sheetal and I.

Dipti, host, Geeta and DJ Venkat

Misal pav was a delight!

Out on a morning walk..

Action- above and below.

Dipti sings.. well!

Aao twist karen..

Antakshari After a While

 It's been a while since I participated in the game of songs we call Antakshari. Usually played with Hindi film songs, because most people would know a few, and can participate. Quite a successful attempt, as it went on for a hour or so, and we did not run out of songs, though it took some effort to remember them on the spot. You are supposed to do this from memory, not by Googling them. Pictorial evidence-

This was the party of 4- Rimjhim, Dheeraj, Prarthana and me.

For energy during the Antakshari, we had some special chai made by Dheeraj. Before, we had some excellent food that Rimjhim had turned out.

The Importance of Antakshari

There is this game of songs-no idea what it's called in English, if at all- called Antakshari, where you sing a song, and the next person sings another song starting with the last letter (Hindi) of your song. This was our staple in family or friend circles, and also on picnics etc..There was even a popular TV show by the name, sponsored of course by Closeup or someone.

The point of the game was to have fun, and make it participative, regardless of age. There's hardly a soul who doesn't know a few lines of Hindi film songs (in India), and that qualifies you to play this game. It's simple, requires no technology, and is ideal for situations when the power goes off (a common occurrence growing up in India), or at any other time, really.

The ability to have fun-rather, to extract fun out of an unfunny situation, boring situation like a  train journey, a traffic jam, or in a group who doesn't know how to play Golf (just kidding), you could play Antakshari. We played it last in a group of relatives gathered for a New Year's party, and it was fun.

My point is, we need inexpensive ways to do this today, assuming there are still groups wanting to interact physically. Retail therapy is expensive. Karaoke is an option, but needs a mike and a TV or computer screen to plug it into.

Golden Voice and More

Once upon a time, there was a golden voice on radio. It was that of Ameen Sayani, who was a host of a countdown of the week's hit songs-usually film songs. Starting with sales figures for records (LP or EP), those old-fashioned things, he moved on to using opinions of fan clubs around the country also. The program began as Binaca Geet Mala after the toothpaste brand, from Radio Ceylon, and morphed into Cibaca Geet Mala after a rebranding exercise. The country was also 'rebranded' so it was Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation which broadcast the show. Anyway, this popular hit parade had countless fans including me. Now, I am listening to some CDs by him (Ameen Sayani) called Geetmala ki chhaon mein that recount the glory days. Makes for fantastic listening. It is interwoven with interviews with various luminaries, and comes in yearwise volumes. One of the gems was listening to RD Burman talk about his inspiration- jazz, brass instruments and the cabaret format- for his songs from Teesri Manzil.

I am also listening to/viewing a show on Mastii channel called Golden Era, hosted by Annu Kapoor, of Antakshari fame. It is also similar, and pertains to the songs of my times. Very enjoyable!