Listening to Lata Mangeshkar during long international commutes and travels and even through the highs and low of work and stress, kept VENKATESH RAGHAVENDRA elevated and grounded at the same time

Zihale-e- maskin makun baranjish…

The song echoes in my ears and reverberates in my soul. I can very well relate to that nomad on the road. I hear Lataji and Shabbir Kumar and visualize Mithun Da and Anita Raj on top of the bus as I reflect on my nomadic life and how that one voice has traveled alongside.

I was a commuter on the New York Subway for years (and still am occasionally). A caring Andhra family in Queens generously hosted me. Their lovely home is in the farthest part of Queens in a leafy neighborhood. But getting to their home in Floral Park meant a long subway ride; followed by a 30-minute bus ride and a 15-minute walk on a good day. However, when I had to squeeze into an already packed subway in midtown Manhattan, I made sure one of Lata’s songs was set to play. Kuch dil ne kaha (Anupama) was enough to dissipate the day’s fatigue and
lift my spirits.

The interstate I-95 is the expressway that winds its way from the northernmost point beginning in Maine all the way to Miami in the sunshine state of Florida. I have lost count of the thousands of miles I have clocked on this perpetually busy highway, not to forget a whole decade of
commuting 100 miles each way between Washington DC and Richmond, Virginia.

“Which airport are you calling from?” is still the common refrain of dear friends when they hear from me. George Bush Airport in Houston, O’Hare Chicago, Hartfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Logan International Boston, San Diego International Airport… I’ve seen them all numerous times and spent countless hours waiting for that flight home. What kept me sane on the train, the highway, and in the air? ‘The voice of the nightingale.’ Who kept me company and my spirits soaring no matter the externalities? Lataji, and her melodies.

Her magical voice kept me calm, inspired, energized and young (at heart!). It kept me focused in torrential rains as the menacing trucks whizzed past my tiny Honda Civic. It kept me alert and awake when I finished a late evening meeting and drove back on a cold dark night (Yeh raaten nayi purani (Julie). All I needed was a Lata tune to restore me. When yaara seeli seeli, birha ki raat ka jalna (Lekin) came on, the long road to home seemed within a comfortable distance.

And when her voice mingled with that of Rafi, Kuch Kehta Hai Yeh Saawan (Mera Gaon, Mera Desh) Dharmendra and Asha Parekh rolled before
the camera of my eyes. When she teamed up with Kishore, Nainon mein darpan hain, darpan mein koyi, Vinod Khanna and Saira Banu bicycled along with gay abandon no matter where I was. Anil Kapoor and Rati Agnihotri tumbled along the train tracks when Mujhe tum yaad karna aur
mujkho yaad aana tum chimed on. Sunil Dutt and Nutan were masquerading as newlyweds in Milan as Lata and Mukesh hummed Hum tum yug yug se…

Listening to these duets, the joy did not just double, it quadrupled.

How do you do it, I’m asked. Not only have I done it. I think I have coped, survived, and even thrived on these countless journeys. Coupled with the demands and expectations of work, these trips have been challenging, demanding and taxing. Then there is the uncertainty they bring and
disruption they cause,―delayed flights, snowstorms, thunderstorms, looking for a nearby hotel after waiting for a flight that never took off due to bad weather or a mechanical failure. But there is always Hai sharmau, hai sharmau, kis kis ko bataon apni prem kahaniyan (Mera Gaon Mera Desh) to soothe and comfort.

As someone growing up in the 70s and 80s, with a dad who was crazy about Bollywood, watching a ‘second show’ at a nearby theatre and walking back at midnight was a treat I looked forward to. The love for Bollywood tunes set in quite early. Yes, I do belong to the generation that listened to Lata first on Binaca Geetmala (still remember when Shaayad meri shaadi ka khayal dil mein aaya hai topped the charts) and Aap Ki Farmaish on Vividh Bharati and then on the cassette tape! I have now leapfrogged to apps like Gaana and Spotify. But some things in life are timeless, topping them of course, are those voices that transport us back to Motherland in an instant.

As I get ready to board my flight home at Atlanta Airport, I can’t help but feel the mist in my eyes. The Nightingale lives on, journeying with me (and millions of others), elevating me and keeping me grounded at the same time, reminding me Zindagi pyaar ka geet hai, Ise har dil ko gaanaa padegaa…

The writer is a global social entrepreneur based in Virginia. His work with communities around the world keeps him on the road constantly. He tries to remain zen-like no matter his mode of transport – trains, planes, auto-rickhshaws, metros and his own bicycle.