The power of music

Despite possessing all the good things that life had to offer, many rulers and princesses in British- ruled India are known to have gone through tough times because they suffered from severe insomnia. Lack of proper sleep affected not only their personal life but their daily functioning as well.

Various systems of medicine as well as home remedies failed to induce sleep.

What brought them the much needed relief in the form of sound sleep was music - Indian classical music. Later, this fact motivated film makers to produce good movies within the theme.

It is said that decades back, a top ruler in a European country faced a similar problem. Having heard about the 'magical powers' of the Indian classical music, the ruler's family members persuaded a well-known singer to share this magical relief and he was invited from India.

He rendered 'ragas' (classical songs) and the ruler got sound sleep that had been eluding him for so long. It was proven all over again that music has some sort of divine powers that can make a lot of difference to one's life.

Such is the power of music.

We all know that music can bring tears to one's eyes as well as make the same person laugh. One moment it can make you sad and the next, it can bring cheer.

Undoubtedly, music - vocal or instrumental - is enchanting, soothing and soul stirring. Besides its other characteristics, it is captivating too, but to what extent it could captivate a person in the real senses, was something I discovered several years ago.

I had taken a public bus to go somewhere and had occupied a seat right behind the driver. A frail young man, clad in a white 'kurta' (a knee length shirt) and pyjamas, boarded the bus and sat on the single seat near the exit door.

Seconds after the vehicle started off, he started humming a 'raga'. Hardly, anybody noticed it but being an ardent music lover, I turned towards him.

His eyes were closed. Gradually, the volume of the young man's rendition rose. It seems he was unaware of his surroundings. He was totally lost in singing his song.

By now, almost all the passengers sitting in the front half of the bus could not help take note of the melodious rendition. Even the bus driver would glance at the singer every now and then while looking at the road ahead of him.

Destination

The man had a golden voice. There was something special about its quality, casting a sort of a magical effect on the listeners. Passengers alighting at their destination through the exit door took care not to disturb the singer. They would pause for a while to hear a little more of the song before dispersing.

Some of the passengers left their seats and crowded near the singer. Such was the captivating power of his song. The young man continued to sing the high and low notes of the 'raga' with great finesse.

The bus arrived at its final destination. The driver switched off the engine but instead of asking the singer to get up, he rested his elbows on the steering wheel to enjoy the 'raga' for a little while longer. However, with the stoppage of the whirring sound of the bus engine, the singer opened his eyes and stood up.

He looked bewildered to find so many admirers around him. Some of the onlookers, including the bus driver, showered him with compliments. The singer looked out of the window and discovered that he had overshot his destination.

"Ya, Allah, I have missed my bus stop," he mumbled. As he prepared to leave, someone behind him said, "I have overshot my bus stop too because of your excellent singing. But where did you have to get down?"

"Oh, I had to go for a performance at the radio station," replied the singer as he hurried back to his missed destination.

The writer is based in India.