Expectations...!!!

‘224', my professor called. 'Absent Sir’ was my reply to the roll-call. That’s the last register number in my class and soon as he finished marking the attendance, I pulled out my mobile from the left pant pocket and the clock showed 1522 hrs. ‘Shit!!’ I exclaimed. The next electric train arrives at 1526 hrs. Before I could finish saying S-H-I-T, I was already at the stairs. I heard a scream ‘ Rajesh!! Wait…I’m coming’. I was in no mood to wait and I ran from my block to the station ( this is the only instance wherein one can see me run…to catch a train)….a 200m stretch and as I reached the gate, I could see the train entering the platform ( a few minutes ahead of scheduled arrival ). The foot-over bridge was completely out of my sight and I crossed the road, ran across the bushes, climbed over the platform, bustled towards the train and boarded the first-class compartment just before the train could depart.

Phew!!!! A relief !!. I looked around the compartment to see it almost empty. At one corner was an average-looking girl, a college-mate of mine. I wondered ‘How long shall I ogle ??? Huh !!! No point sitting here’. I called one of my friends and he said a group of five was in one of the general compartments. Huh !! I decided to travel alone by comforting myself with the mp3 player. As I unzipped my bag, the thought of having lost my earphones, this morning shook me. PANG !!. Only then, was I reminded of the presence of my mobile’s headset ( in one corner of my bag ). I took it out and connected it to my Nokia 6070 and turned on the FM radio. Ever since I bought the mp3 player, I turn snooty at the very thought of listening to radio on my mobile. Yeah !! Supercilious !!! But when things get worse, I ultimately have to get back to it just like this day. FM Radio, My Saviour !!!!

I discovered something during the journey and my discovery could be acknowledged by a few. Some may view it as a ‘Blown-out-of-proportion’ stuff while to most, it would appear déjà vu. Well… as many of you might know, I enjoy even the smallest things around me and the learning process is no different. It was, in my opinion, noteworthy and I’m glad to share it with you.

Coming back, I tuned in to Radio Mirchi first and it was Taxi Taxi. It is, these days, on the lips of every youth - a sensational number from the film Sakarakatti tuned by the Mozart of Madras A.R.Rahman. I listened to this number (one of my favorites), then, kept changing stations but never experienced boredom. Atleast one out of the nine FM stations played a favorite song of mine and on most occasions, it was two or three. Being a music addict, I was thoroughly enjoying myself and the likes of Karthik, Hariharan, S.P.B, Chinmayee and many more Tamil singers kept my ears glued to the headset. Half-an-hour passed and as I was changing stations, a thought dumbstruck me. After it's flash across my mind, I inferred what it takes to bridge the gap between EXPECTATIONS and FULFILMENT.

Had my companionship been with the mp3 player that evening, I wouldn’t have been that contented. This may not have been experienced by many but I’m the epitome of this quality. Now why is that ? If it had been my mp3 player, changing of songs is at my will but the same is not applicable while listening to FM radio and I got to accept with what the RJs and producers of the FM stations play. So, when that happens, I’ve no expectations and I’m contented with what is being played. If a favorite song of mine is played, I’m all the more happy. With an mp3 player around, I long for THE BEST and how many BEST songs, you think will suffice to fulfil my expectations ??? I'm greedy for THE BEST everytime and beyond a point, I listen to songs half-heartedly though it might be a favorite song of mine. But when the same song is being played on the FM stations, I look a contented man.

Now, that doesn’t stop me from listening to songs on my mp3 player henceforth. It's just that I’ve learnt to listen to all songs with pleasure. The osmosis inside, has made me reach the equilibrium necessary to transmit from a sense of desire to a sense of fulfilment.

No music - related write-up of mine is complete without a mention of Ms.Shreya Ghoshal. Well…all songs mentioned above / listened on radio that day were non - Shreya tracks. This nightingale, forever holds a special place in my heart and her songs are always THE BEST. . Latest of hers which is making me go overboard is Tere Ore (Singh is Kinng) and Ek Haseena (Karz). The latter deserves a special mention here. Though Shreya is not heard much with Himesh nasal-ling his way through, Shreya’s impact is wow!!!. That one line of hers ‘Roz Milne Lage’ (at 2.22 min) makes me touch the Himalayan heights of enthusiasm everytime I listen to it. Wow!!! What a singer!!!! Love you loads..also worth mentioning here is Shreya's latest Tamil song 'Oru vaarthai' from Poi Solla Porom...another amazing number and it's a fast-beat..do listen to it.