Music lovers meet in Hyderabad

Prologue: Recently members of R4 group based in Hyderabad decided to meet. Thanks to Anant Srinivas, whose influence in music circles and beyond goes with saying; I got an invite and also the chance pick a theme. Sharada, our host, was only a stones throw away. So leaving Aarohi at her friends place, I took Sushmita along. Sushmita observed that I was in full flow and commented " I am glad to rediscover my husband. I thought he lost interest in music after moving to Hyderabad". Obviously family matters had taken precedence but with Aarohi becoming a first grader, I felt it was the right time to take the plunge again. 

We announced a session at our place and extended the invitation to friends in Hyderabad cutting across music group affiliations (RMIM, SKS, RTS etc.)

However, Apart from the core R4 group Devender was the only one who could make it. I knew him from Orkut days and was one of the guests at our wedding.

Dharma Kirti, Samarjit Acharjee, Laksmi Priya, MV Surender ji, Vijay Kumar (ISB wala) were all missed.... Members from various groups were recalled in different contexts, and some of these were not at all related to music.

Anant had suggested that we should do a farmaish session a couple of hours before the session. He suggested the Kalavathi track from Raga Jazz by Shankar Jaikishan and  Jiyo to aise jiyo from Bahu Beti.  Devender, who was coming from the farthest was the earliest to reach. In fact when I called him, he was rushing as he felt he would miss part of the session. So I reassured him that everyone else were running late.

hyderabad ke logaan fursat men kaama karte.

Soon Sharad and Sharada joined and were soon followed by Anant, Nandini and Yamini. As friends started trickling in, the first topic was Raj Kapoor's centenary and we shared our experiences of watching the films on big screen. Yamini managed to see 3 of them and shared her thoughts. 

By the time Anita and Srilakshmi arrived, the food cravings were taken care of and we were yearning for music.

We started with Devender's farmaish from Jhanjhar "jaa re jaa, jaa nindiya jaa" following by the deleted song from Pakeeza "tanhayi sunaaya karte hain". We wondered where would the deleted songs releases in Rang Birangi would have fit in the movie context.

It was Sharada's turn next and we played "jurm-e-ulfat pe hamen log sazaa dete hain" (Taj Mahal) and both versions of "dil lagaakar ham ye samjhe" (Zindagi Aur Maut). Sharad suggested any song from B&W movie and I picked the Mushaira from Taj Mahal. Anant pointed that because of the popular duets like "jo vaada kiyaa" and "paaon chuu lene do"; other good songs got suppressed. 

As I was about to line up Anant's farmaishes, he announced that he changed his mind as he thought about Bheempalas during his drive. So we played "ye zindagi usiki hai" (Anarkali) and "mere man ka baanvara panchi" (Amar Deep). We spent a little time talking about Anarkali and about the Geeta Dutt song composed by Basant Prakash who was uncredited. We also marveled at how CR and Naushad managed to make outstanding soundtracks on the same topic, Anarkali and Mughal-e-azam. Shankar Iyer's farmaish from Bombay Ka Chor "hai bahaaren baag-e-duniya chand roz" was the next item on the list. This was a Rafi song in a Kishore movie and Devender pointed out that there were at least 2 instances where Rafi playbacked for Kishore.

There was so much of trivia sharing, and conversations going on that it was difficult to get the quorum for my farmaish which was a quiz style.

The audience suggested that we wait for Anita and Srilakshmi to finish lunch so that they can all join hands (read brains) to crack it. However Anita had other ideas and interjected, O DJ waale babu mera gaana chala do and started humming " chand phir nikla". After I obliged, we digressed and started talking about the songs of Paying Guest.

Finally we had quorum to attentively listen to the quiz. I played 2 songs "jalti hai duniya tera mera pyaar hai" and "ham pyaar karenge" and asked what was common about them and gave the hint that it was not related to music. Another hint let the audience guess "Raj Kapoor". The clues with Kishore and Hemant play-backing for Raj Kapoor were chosen to mislead the audience. We then played a few songs of Talat lip-synced by RK including my next quiz with songs of Bewafa; "dil matwaala" and "tum ko fursat ho". While Anant got it instantly, the next clue drew a collective nod of disapproval from the audience as the Zakir Hussain link made it a giveaway.

Soon we moved to bi-lingual and dubbed versions of Hindi movies in south and vice versa. While most of the attendees were Telugu speaking, they all had grown up in the North. Devender being in Hyderabad for more than 2 decades had picked up quite a bit of Telugu songs. So he played songs from Premalekhalu (dubbed version of Aah). Devender mentioned that based on what he heard, Sangam was probably the first Hindi movie which became a huge hit in South also. There was a reference to Zamrud talkies in Abids.

Anant, Sharad, Sharada, Yamini had to leave for various reasons and the rest of us continued.

Nandini requested "yuun hasraton se daag". Devender pointed the 2 paced song from Adalat "jaa jaa re balamva". We talked about several other songs that alternate between contrasting moods like "jab naam-e-mohabbat leke" (Kaala Paani). 

Topic of same tunes in Hindi and Telugu was revisited. Devender talked about Kuladaivam (remake of Bhabhi) and we discussed about Ghatalasala's "payaninche o chiluka" and Rafi's "chal Ud jaa re panchi" Anita pointed that Rafi's conveying of emotions is subtle while Ghantasala's version makes it obvious. She opinioned that while the former appeals more to the North Indian  audience, the latter connects with South Indians better. Hence this was done by choice.

The topic of languages morphed into something else. As Anita, Srilakshmi and Sushmita all studied in Delhi they started talking about Telugu and Kannada schools in Delhi. Reference of Telugu school at ITO came up and Sushmita recalled that UV Ravindra's mother was a teacher there. I was taken by surprise for a minute, I know UVR for decades and have met him several times while Sushmita met him only once. How come this didn't register in my mind. Then I reconciled that I have met my match, and when it comes to remembering and recalling Trivia Sushmita is no pushover.

In fact Sushmita had a field day recalling songs and movies from various eras and modestly declared that she only knew popular songs till she got married. She also shared the experience of our honeymoon when we took a detour to meet my music lover friends, and some of the conversations we had with Vish Viswanathan.

We soon bid goodbye to Anita, Devender, Nandini and Srilakshmi with the promise of meeting soon next year.

Epilogue:  While I have been attending such mehfils for quarter century now, this was the first time my father got the opportunity to attend one. He commented after everyone left" I thought everyone was going to sing. You guys were playing songs and talking :)" Yes, most of us are Kaan-Sen but perhaps we should also plan a Taansen type session. 

Aparna Hights and beyond : Reflections on 5 years in the neighborhood

April 2019:  We decided to relocate to Hyderabad and my search for a place near HITEC city began. As our ancestral house in the old city was too far away, I used my friends apartment at Aditya Heights as weekend hub and started looking near by. One day my friend took me to the terrace and showed a tall white building on botanical garden road. That was Aparna Heights but it did not register in my mind then.

 I got a few leads from Lanco Hills to Serene County to Hill ridge springs and had a list of houses to visit on the weekend. As there was a break between my appointments,  I decided to unwind at  Botanical Gardens. It had a calming effect and I felt I should look for a place in the vicinity. I resumed house hunt and passed through the the botanical Garden road.

chotaa sa ghar hogaa badalon ki chhaon men

A tall white building towering the surroundings and literally touching the clouds caught my eye. I realized it was the same building my friend showed me from Aditya Heights. The construction style with semi-circular edge to the balconies, transported me to the  buildings depicted in Vintage Bollywood movies. Images of apartments on Marine Drive flashed in my mind.

Sights of Axis bank and Heritage adjacent to the building  brought me back to reality. I realized that I didn't miss the practical angle in this dream sequence. The thought that we needed to balance the needs of a 3 generation household with connections across the city influenced our decision.

Oct 2019: Move to Aparna hights

na baadlon ke chhaon mein, na chandni ke gaaon men

magar ye ghar ajeeb hai zameen ke kareeb hai

ye tera ghar, ye mera ghar, ye ghar bahut hasiin hai

It may not be the most up scale place nor the grandiose community where you need  to drive to perform every small chore. Its a cozy place, small enough where you can connect with every neighbor and large enough to take advantage of economies of scale and afford the  facilities that gated communities offer. The size and location give it a down to earth feeling and immediate connect with the outside. 

The first year at Aparna was tough on us as we had to deal with the deaths in family followed by covid induced lockdown. All this meant that we could not experience the true glory of Aparna hights in the first year.

It was during the lockdown time that blogging thrived. Some of the earliest connections I made here were active bloggers, Kaushik Iyer and Raj Chellappan. 

The first person who invited me to his place was Sanjay Gooty. We had lot of common points including spending our formative years in Old City and several years in US. No wonder that when we were recently rehearsing "aarambh hai prachand", Sanjay was the chosen one to record the session. Yes, in 5 years we not only experienced the vibrancy of the community but started embracing it. 

One of my close friends suggested that we should choose opt for a gated community in Hyderabad and I feel we made the  right decision. Aarohi's social skills have improved over the years and she spends very little time on the phone. She has friends in very block and more. Sushmita also has found a good social circle. We also interact with parents of Aarohi's friends. I discuss a variety of topics with Animesh while our daughters are at play.

Apart from enjoying the warmth of the community, we started loving the neighborhood. Botanical Gardens became a weekend destination and eventually a daily routine for me. The chirping of the birds made me explore the less travelled trails.

ye kaun hansta hain phuulon men chhup kar

bahaar bechain hai kis ki dhun par

kahiin gumgum, kahiin rumjhum jaise naache zamiin

suhana safar aur ye mausam hasiin

A long walk interspersed by birding added an element of intrigue. The "Call of the Coucal" was arguably the most enchanting. I travelled into the woods following its calls every time but it used to fly away before i could take a shot. One day the garden was less crowded due to overnight downpour and there it was perched on the treetop.

Sightings of birds ranging from the Rufous Treepie to  the Oriental Magpie Robin made me yearn for more. The tranquility of garden in the early morning with chirping of the birds set the perfect mood for a hectic day.

Being an avid music lover meant that I scouted for concerts happening near by and came to know about Tatva arts. They organize concerts around the city and Botanical Garden happens to be one of the their regular venues. I had the pleasure of attending many concerts there. I exchange notes on concerts and other events happening in the city with Kaushik Iyer. Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh being held over last few years at CCRT Madhapur is one such event where we have been regulars.

The vibrant community and thriving neighborhood is an essential ingredient for providing work life balance and a sense of calm to busy life.

Epilogue: 5 years down the line, the skyline has altered. Few tall white buildings have cropped up and the tallest of them is no longer Aparna Hights. However that has not diminished the pride of place it has in the neighborhood or the special spot it has in our hearts.

Music Lovers and Birding Pals : Parallel lines meet

My Favorite Diva's have been compared to Nightingale, Kokila and Skylark owing to their sweet voices. And from "Main ban ki chidiya" to "Koyal si teri boli"; our film music has embraced the usage of metaphors evoking birds.

No wonder that during my daily walks in Botanical Garden, I started gravitating towards the chirping of birds. I soon came to know about the most active group in town, Hyderabad Birding Pals (HBP), who current weekly bird walks. Ameenpur Lake, has lost its past glory due to construction in the vicinity, but its still one of the best spots in the vicinity of twin cities. 

Just before the destined meeting spot I took a wrong turn. A group of people beckoned at me. At 6:00 am in the morning at a deserted sport, who else but a bird enthusiast would turn up. I hadn't spoken to any of them before but they rightly guessed that I was one of them. We  had a few quick introductions followed by exchange of phone numbers.

I mentioned that I had been to a few wild life safaris and felt that it was a matter of pure luck. After a lot of effort, spotting of tigers remains elusive unless you go in the middle of scorching summer to Nagpur area, which is challenging with a young kid. Birding is much more rewarding and you can build it into your daily schedule. Murty Joka mentioned about his interest in Photographing historic sights and talked about his recent visit to Badami. Suman recounted his own experiences.

Our host and founding member of HBP, Hari Krishna soon arrived. He mentioned that he had hurt his leg. These walks are driven by passion of a few individuals and Hari braving his injury  and moving ahead with the event is a testament to that. The Ameenpur one was #458 in this journey. Soon a group of members dressed in Camouflaged Khakis and heavy gear joined us. Cameras, Lenses, Binoculars, Tripods; they had it all.

Hari enthusiastically pointed out " Indian Paradise Flycatcher". Others nodded, and swung into action to capture some good shots.

We maneuvered through some stones and undergrowth to reach the edge of the lake.The lake had dwindled with encroachments and construction in catchment areas. However it was still deep and vast allowing lot of fishermen in boats going for a morning hunt. We could see "Storks" and "Pelicans" perched on top of poles and everyone reached out to their gear.

We explored different stretches of the lake and sighted many more birds. A "purple Sunbird" was seen fiddling around on a bikes handle and Hari quipped " It probably was surprised seeing its image in mirror". I felt that I was the odd man out with just my mobile phone camera. I wanted to broach the topic of good camera for beginners, but Thirumal bet me to it.

Oh you should go to Haridas market quipped Suman. Soon technical specs of cameras, trusted vendors and markets, filled the air. This was music to my years. It was so similar to music connoisseurs referring to Chandni Chowk or Chor Bazaar to search for records and take the names of record collectors in hushed voices.

Whenever he saw a bird flying in the distant horizon, Hari would ID it with the help of his binoculars and call out the youngsters in the group to have a look. Few HBP members came with her kids and I was surprised to see the knowledge and photography skills of the younger members barely into their teens. Suman was in awe of the shot of a  'Great Cormorant" and asked "Did you shoot it at 250"; Pat came the reply "500".

The next hour was spent spotting "Pied Bushchat" and some other birds. Murty Joka captured good shots of "Barn Swallow" and "Asian Koel". It was getting warm by now and time to wrap up this Bird Walk. It was an unforgettable experience birding and interacting with other members of HBP.

I realized that while most of the members don't do this for a profession, their expertise in identifying birds and knowledge of the equipment is nothing short of professional. 

Looking forward to more such trips and hoping I have a long association with HBP just like the music groups.