_edited.png)
Linking Arms with Music Down Memory Lane
- nsent5
- Oct 7
- 8 min read
Hey guys! How's Sunday going for everyone?
Today's my first day as a blogger, and for a while now, I had been busting my head about what to write for my first post- what is it that I want to share to people who would want to read this? Why do I want to share it? Will I get to know something new from the readers if I post about a particular topic? Would all readers who read my first blog post like it?
I overthink a lot sometimes, and don't worry, I caught myself in the midst of this questioning parade in my brain early enough and decided- let me write about something that has made me happy recently, something that I am pretty sure many of us feel and think about without any pressure. After all, I decided to blog to write about my thoughts and experiences that I want to share with everyone. Just keeping it simple and honest :p.
So, for starters, I am an international student from India here at UIC, and this kind of a study abroad experience was one that was established in a circle of uncertainty and chaos. This decision was one that none of us- me or my family- expected would actually happen and become reality. But now that it has, my whole life has changed- I am learning new things everyday, and on the path to discovering who I am.
It's also my first time living in Chicago, or in the United States, and obviously I have had my set of culture shocks during my first month here. However, since I am here with my uncle, aunt and cousin sister, it has made the transition process, and the different aspects of my new life here much easier! Chicago's such a huge and wonderous city, but to be honest, the only part of the city I have seen is the campus :p. I am excited to explore more and meet new people over the course of time!
Though all the exhilaration makes me busy and occupied most of the time, there were times during this month when I missed my home terribly. I miss Hyderabad, the city in India where my family and I have lived most of our lives, and I missed the impromptu weekend long drives that we would go on, without any destination in our minds. I would often wish for the clock to reverse time, back to those days in high school where me and my friends would sit together, have lunch and make the most lame jokes you would have heard and guffaw about it.
This is where music comes into the picture.
For as long as I can remember, music has been a lifelong companion in my life. I have also been learning Carnatic music, a form of Indian Classical music for the past 8 years and continuing, and I feel that it was always there, waiting for me to open the door and let it enter my life. It was thanks to my family and my music teacher who helped me realize and make use of it.
To me, music knows no bias- no boundaries. No matter the language, or the music style, it is an entity that brings people together. It has the ability to help us rewire ourselves, to make memories more alive, and helps us pick ourselves up during days that just don't seem to go our way.
There are days when I would be down in the dumps, and singing or practicing a piece I learnt in my music class in the evening, while watching the sun melt into the clouds from our house on the 29th floor of our apartment, would suddenly make me ecstatic and happy, as though nothing had gone wrong. I guess what I am trying to say is that music is like a friend who steers me to the positive lane before I reroute to a sad place.
I have a daily 40-minute commute on the Metra to go to and from college, and on some days, I would listen to songs from my playlist and watch as the train lunges through the suburbs and the great landscape of downtown Chicago comes into view, past the canopy of trees alongside the railroads. And just like that, I would be transported back in time- the scenery changes, and memories of home sparkle like a faraway dream, yet somehow within my grasp- for these were the images of my heart that the music took out from my mental shelves to replay.
The Metra commute has become a time when I go back home in my mind- past oceans, to our house (which is literally in the air), to my rural hometown, in the southern parts of India in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, to so many of those memories that I didn't know I held so dearly. I am going to give you a sneak peek- into some of the songs, the music that I link arms with and walk down memory lane, often without being aware of it :).
The first one is 'Rasaali'. It is a song sung in Tamil (my mother tongue), by singers Sathyaprakash and Shashaa Tirupati, and composed by the well known Tamil composer A.R Rahman. I have never watched the movie that this song was written for (or I may have, and I don't remember, hehe), but it starts with the singer asking an eagle ('Rasaali' in Tamil) to compete with him on a friendly race, and see who's the fastest. The song is accompanied by a soothing calm beat, and elements of Carnatic music, like the use of instruments like Khanjira and the Carnatic Violin, and ragas.
I started listening to this song a lot lately, and it took me back to the road trips that my family has embarked on over the years, and how we always preferred road trips over any other form of travel, for my parents and my sister and I have shared a passion for road travel and exploration all our lives. It gave us our unique sense of togetherness and a state of peace- with all kinds of music playing on our beloved Toyota Fortuner's speakers, with the windows down at times and feeling the wind in our hair. We would often stop at places along the way where we would find something interesting, and learn something new together, as a family. Often, some of my uncles and their families would join, and it would feel like we were a circus troupe on the road (we crack an insane amount of hilarious jokes)!
Another song is 'February' by an indie rock-pop band (as I understand it) from Nagaland, India, who go by the name 'Trance Effect'. I came to know them only recently, around two months ago, when my YouTube algorithm decided to finally introduce me to something new. It was by pure chance, and the thumbnail of their music video prompted me to click and give it a listen. That song was 'Clowns' and that was my first introduction to them. I loved it from the first beat, the first sound, and I stumbled upon 'February' when I was searching through their wonderful album 'Are We There Yet?' on Spotify. The song's thoughtful, innocent lyrics took me back to my high school days in Hyderabad, and the amazing group of friends I met there. I was never one who had a stable group of friends whom I really connected with, so it was the first time that I felt like I really belonged. All of us are in different places for college now, but we are connected nevertheless- our calls always have a minimum duration of 1 hour :p !.
There are so many things I reminisce about those times- how we would dance and skip around and showcasing the extent of our true, goofy selves in the hallways, our lunch table conversations, all the lame inside jokes that we created, and all those free PE periods when we would act like members of the Indian Cricket Team and have the time of our lives, and the bus rides for field trips and Sports Day practice. It would also remind me of how much fun we had, as a class, when our teachers would talk to us openly about different things, and crack the best jokes to bring out our laughter!
Not just in fun, but we would also be there for each other during the tough times, when we needed a break.
We took every possible chance that we got to meet up with each other the past few months before everyone stepped out on their individual college journeys, and those memorable times remain etched in my heart to this day, and to forevermore.
Another song is 'Andhamaa Andhamaa'. This is a song penned in the Telugu language (which is spoken in Telangana, the state for which Hyderabad is the capital city), and it was written for a movie called '8 Vasantalu'. It is a song sung by Hesham Abdul Wahab and Aavani Malhar. The movie was a simple, beautifully captured coming-of-age story that talks about resilience, boldness and authenticity, which are necessary for young adults in today's world. The song has a very fervent violin solo after the first chorus that always brings goosebumps to my skin. It is a song that has long been on repeat and doesn't seem to be losing that status anytime soon.
The last one that I would like to share is 'Thangathile Oru Kurai' (again in Tamil). This song is relatively old, from the movie 'Bhaaga Pirivinai' released in the year 1959 (haven't watched it though), and sung by P. Susheela. My dad was the one who recommended this song for me to listen, and it goes with part of the storyline of the movie, where a man affected by a physical disability for his lifetime, is comforted by the heroine where she says that his worth is no less than gold, and it will not change the love that his loved ones have for him.
The song, being one from the 50's, and that has multiple elements of Carnatic music woven into it, is one that walks me down the streets of my hometown- the villages of T. Kallupatti, T. Kottanipatti, the town of Thirupparankundram- the busy main road, the temples of village deities so beloved, the roadside restaurants that cater one of Madurai's famous food delicacies- parotta, and most importantly- my grandparents, who, after decades of hard work and dedication to family, reside there to this day. It's a song that takes me back to my roots, and reminds me that it is, and always will be, part of who I am.
And that's the track of thoughts that I have driven through today! Hopefully you enjoyed this read of my first blog, and now I am curious- what are the songs or pieces of music that take you back to a familiar happy place, or replays your most cherished memories when you listen to them? Think about it :).
See you next week!
Enjoyed reading it👏