"Dheeray dheeray machal" - Lata Mangeshkar

The earliest memory that I have of music is of a summer evening in a small industrial town in Haryana, where my father lived (with his small family) to earn his living. I dont remember how old was I, but I can say that I surely was a kindergarten kid then.

We all were sitting in the verandah and the radio in the sitting room played a Lata Mangeshkar number (Vividh Bharati ?). The song was "Dheeray dheeray machal ae dil-e beqarar, koi aata hai". Even this day, whenever and wherever I listen to this song, it reminds me of that particular evening in Faridabad (yeah, that was the name of this town where I lived...in fact was born too) and various pictures associated with it. Ma in the kitchen preparing dinner, my younger brother on my father's lap busy with a small piece of toy. Sen kaku and Baba, my father, sitting relaxed on cane chairs and talking to each other over a cup of tea.

True, that this is my earliest memory of any music but the fact is that each and every song that I grew up to, has a picture, a memory and a story attached to it.

Surprisingly, music also becomes an album, at times.