Sounds have a soul

Sounds have memories. The train whistle has very distinct memory for me.  Going to the Jharia railway station which was more like a 'Phatak' or a railway crossing. I think it was a goods train with two compartments added for the coal miners. This was after Satyanarayan mandir in Jharia. From our house, we had to cross 'Nal wali galli' which means a lane with a tap. It had some public taps for people to fill water and carry to their house. A narrow drain in the centre with clean water flowing. The lane was the cleaner of the lot in Jharia. I remember the sound of the water from the taps. As a child, the train whistle filled me with excitement. It meant a journey to a fun place. The train seemed like the only mode of transport to get out of the coalfield town. We went to drop people and receive people at the railway station. The whistle got more endorsed in the mind with the Hindi film song ' Gaadi bula rah hai, seeti baja rahi hai" . We sang this song for all the games of Antakshari we played. Antakshari is so specific to India. People play it in all languages. It is very simple game. There are two teams, one team starts singing a song with alphabet 'M'. The team has to sing only chorus, and more if they know. The last alphabet of the last word becomes the leading alphabet for the second team. The second team  begins their song with word starting from the last alphabet. It is a memory enhancing game. The songs, we always knew, later we learnt the meaning of those words in Hindi or Gujarati or Bengali. We all grew up with Bollywood songs and certain songs went beyond languages. There was no media card, MP3 player, CDs, online music streaming sites or television. Our only access to songs was the radio or films watched in a theatre. There were no private radio channels with the Radio Jockeys hamming away. It is embarrassing to listen to the private radio channels. They are only talking sex or things with sexual innuendos or making fun of the government or government officers. This seems to be their social responsibility and arrogance. There is no 'shishtachar' in these RJs. I mean the kind of crap that they peddle in their jobs, is disgusting. You definitely can't listen to radio with your young children or the chauffeur in the car. I still remember the tone with which the people on All India Radio made announcements. It was soothing and respectful. For private radio channels to say that their young audience loves to listen to their talks is a big lie. Every person who grows up wants to lead a better life...better than wherever he/she is. Most people want to and do work towards this goal. Why can't our Radio Jockeys learn from this?

When I was young not many people had pressure cookers. When the pressure cookers arrived in Jharia and Dhanbad, people were scared to use it, for the fear of it bursting. The whistle of the cooker was a new sound for me. We heard that small children wake up if they hear the whistle of the pressure cooker. Now also I like to listen to the whistle from the pressure cooker coming from different households. It kind of gives you an idea that the meal is underway. If you are close enough, you can actually smell the food when the whistle blows. You can make out the menu in that house. I am not doing this consciously but years of managing my kitchen has given me this ability to smell food which is cooking. I can even predict the taste when it is cooking and now I think I am exaggerating. The ring of the old MTNL phones was a new thing. Phones did not ring often in those days. People were excited to receive phones even if it was a wrong number. Sounds of the 'Dhoka'  or 'Thaapi' was very familiar in all homes as there were no washing machines in our town,when I was growing up. This is a wooden stick shaped like a cricket bat but much smaller. Clothes were soaked in soapy water and then beaten with the Dhoka to remove the dirt. Followed by wash in clean water as one poured water from a mug and squeezed the clothes on the floor. After a few squeezes in different directions with water, the soap was out and the garment was ready to be dried. The plastic brush was used in some clothes and its scraping had soothing sound. And the smell of soap as washing got done.

In Navratri, the the sound of Taali ( Clapping) and Dhol is so rhythmic. My feet start moving automatically on listening to a 'Garba'. Garba are songs sung for the Goddess as people play the "Raas Garba". 'Garba' is also the dance form which is danced for nine days of Navratri in concentric circles around the Goddess. 'Garba' is an the earthen pot with holes in it where a lamp is lit inside the pot and the light is reflected out and pot is prayed to and danced with.  In Durga Pujo, the sound of Dhaak and the Dhunichi and the Shankh Naad are to die for. I could be in a Pujo Pandal the whole day and keep looking at the Devi Ma ( Goddess) without having any desire to step out. The sounds and fragrance of Pujo. The Bhog of Khichdi in making. The sound of the spoons stirring the Khichdi and the vessels being used and moved around in the kitchen. This is my India. The India that I have grown up with and my children are growing up with. In spite of the traffic and the loud DJ music, the children are able to identify a Garba from a Lavani and the Band Baja from a Nasik Dhol. Each state having a different form of Dhol, Dholak, Dholki and more drums. The Garba singing  "Dholida , dhol dheemo dheemo vaghaad na"to "Dholida Dhol re vaghaad maare heench levi chhe", each song signifying how the person at the drums should play. One Garba says, please play the drums slowly, its a beautiful night and see that the mystical colours do not disappear with the loud beats. The other Garba says to the drum player to start playing as I want to dance a particular way called Heench. Heench is a fast form of Garba. Each Garba talks and the way the singer sings it, gets the 'Raas' into a trance in Bhakti of the Goddess Amba/ Durga. She is worshipped in different forms and has different 'vaahan' for each form. There is a different colour signifying the Goddess of the day. How many ways to worship the Goddess the Shakti or the Divine Energy.