THAT LITTLE STRENGTH, THAT LITTLE HOPE










Last week, a friend’s family had booked tickets for me and my wife for the Hindi play – ‘Javeda’ (A forbidden love story). It was at Ravindra Natya Mandir auditorium in Prabhadevi. One of the gazals in the background was ‘Tum ko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya’ from the movie ‘Saath Saath’ (1982). As you know, Jagjit Sing and his wife Chitra Singh had sung it so soulfully, that, here in the dark, quiet auditorium, the gentle background score had held us all spell-bound… On our way back, the melody of the song kept haunting me…








Gazals and good music have that power!

Today, while I was watching a news report, I learnt that, Kuldeep Sing, the music composer of this beautiful gazal, was one of the PMC Bank depositors and he had parked all his money in the doomed bank. Incidentally, Kuldeep Singh had, also, composed the music for the iconic song ‘Itni shakit hame de data’ (from the movie ‘Ankush’ (1986) …





Ironically, here was he, with the same prayer in his heart!


It’s difficult for us to comprehend the depth of other people’s pain unless we put ourselves in their shoes. Just think of Sanjay Gulati (51), another depositor of PMC Bank, who died of heart attack. He had parked all his money – around ninety lakh – in the collapsed bank. Just a few months earlier, he had lost his job when Jet Airways had collapsed! He had a dependent son suffering from disability!

When Jagjit and Chitra Singh had lost their son in a road accident, their life crashed all of a sudden. Chitra Singh stopped singing completely overwhelmed by shock and grief!

Yes, it is really difficult to comprehend another person’s pain. No matter how much we reason out and say, “We should move on with life”, for many, it’s not easy at all...

It’s like the ground below our feet caving in, suddenly… and nothing to hold on to!

We won’t be able to feel it, unless we experience it!

Yes, Life ‘will’ go on, no matter what problems we are made to face… Life will, always, remain far, far bigger and longer than life-situations!

All life-situations change… And, we all can survive, if we get that ‘little strength’ and if we keep that 'little our hope'… which Kuldeep Singh so beautifully immortalized with his music!


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: pixabay.com

Videos: 1. Jagjit Singh/Imran Tariq 2. Kuldeep Singh/Bollywood Classics


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