Badra Bahaar

Loosely translated, the title means 'masses of rain clouds'

Gathering rain clouds near Pune

It's that season which we, in India, either love or hate. Sometimes both. On the positive side, the rains inspire such heartfelt music, prose, poetry... quite unrivalled by either summer or winter. At best, only spring could give the monsoons some competition here. 

Given that we are at the peak of the monsoons, I decided to put down my playlist of rainy day songs. Clichéd, I know, and probably done to death too. But what the heck. :)

I thought I should be able to get a list together in a jiffy. I did too, but when I looked at it closely, I realised so many were sad and melancholy. 

Yes, the monsoons bring with it grey skies and limited sunshine, all the more reason why the music to listen to should be fun and peppy. Along with thunder and lightning, the rains bring life and sustenance to a parched earth, after all. Something to cheer about, isn't it? 

While I couldn't eliminate sad songs from my list, I have tried to make sure the music at least is peppy. Quite a task it was, believe you me. 

1. Badra Bahaar - Queen (Bollywood movie soundtrack)

2. Listen to the Rythm of the Falling Rain - Cascades





3. Have You Seen the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival 




4. Umbrella - Rihanna 

5. Rhimjhim Giray Saawan - Manzil (Bollywood movie soundtrack) 




6. I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain - James Taylor 




7. I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbit 





8. Why Does it Always Rain on Me - Travis 




9. Pani Da Rang - Vicky Donor (Bollywood movie soundtrack)




10. Dreams - The Corrs





11. Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head - BJ Thomas  




12. Early Morning Rain - Gordon Lightfoot 





13. Bhaage re Mann Kahin - Chameli (Bollywood movie soundtrack) 




14. Who'll Stop the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival



That's my playlist for the monsoons this year. Which tracks are your favourites to listen to when the rain comes pouring down?

No TV, lots more life!

Thanks to the recent cable digitisation deadline, my TV has gone dead. It's been 20 full days!

I decided on a whim not to switch to the digital version and forego my daily diet of stuff that the TV would normally spew out. An experiment, most of my friends & family feel won't last very long. :)

In the absence of the TV, I realise that I have loads of time on my hands once work is done with. My normal routine would mean at least 2 hrs at a stretch in front of the idiot box, with a few minutes spent in between completing chores (like gulping dinner, doing dishes etc.) Unimportant stuff... when there's a need to know what happened next in the whodunit, what wisecrack it was leading to that burst of laughter (canned though it may be).

It got me thinking, do I really need a television at home? With the advent of technology, information is available everywhere - radio, print, desktops/laptops, phones, tablets.... the list goes on.

It's early days yet, but the things I have restarted:

• Demolish the ever growing pile of books in the corner... I am still wondering how the stack grew so large.
• Read the 'bookmarked' articles and snippets, another ever growing pile that was always put off for later - 'when I have the time'
• Listen to music, going through my collection again. Something I had unfortunately stopped doing (except in office - helps me focus better, if that can be called an excuse :|) 
• Pay attention to the 'real' stuff on Facebook and Twitter. I realise that it's not always updates of 'I just brushed my teeth'/ 'I just had coffee'/ 'I feel great/sad/angry etc etc'. There's a lot of interesting things going on, if you know where to look. 

Hopefully, I shall add 'frequent writing' to the list, in time!

Do I miss anything on TV? Not really, almost everything is available via the internet either as post-telecast videos or live streaming. I pick and choose what I want to watch. Unlike earlier when the television would be droning on in the background or when I would be tempted to switch channels aimlessly, trying to find an 'interesting' programme or block out shrieking news anchors.

 I wonder if these anchors have been told it increases TRP ratings... all that yelling and emphasis on every word... I mean every word. Ummm... I'm digressing...

Next step - figure out a better bandwidth for my internet connection. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get addicted to the computer now. There's always some vice waiting to trap poor unsuspecting souls. Sigh!

('Animal Crackers' courtesy: www.gocomics.com)

I see trees of green... red roses too...

One of my all-time favourite songs, 'What a Wonderful World', has been airing on national TV recently. Normally, this would not be a cause for concern but fun... something to look forward to each time I turned the TV on (considering how often the advt plays).

Only, this version makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong, the singer is not bad at all, but one has to admit that Louis Armstrong's rich, powerful voice belting out 'What a Wonderful World' is as timeless as it comes. The more recent rendition on TV is a damp squib, almost wimpish in comparision. As I hear it being played over and over again, I have begun to subconsciously hit the mute button on the remote.

Why, oh why, couldn't they just use the original? The copyright might have cost a pretty packet, I assume (don't know for sure) but the telecom company (which is advertising) would probably find it petty change considering the advertising blitz they've been subjecting us viewers to since they launched a few years ago.

Anyway...leaving you with the classic version of the song. Happy listening!