Love in the midst of music

Summer of 2008:
Arnav watched as Shreya played kho kho with her friends. The way she laughed. Her smile. The way she ran. Her competitive spirit. The way her school dress fit on her. He liked her so much! But she didn't like him back. He knew it; they were different people, with different types of friends. He sighed. Maybe some people were never meant to be together; he was going to have to get over that fact.

...
March 2010:
It'd been three years since Arnav had started liking Shreya. Everything about her was perfect, and always would be. Their tenth grade board exam results were out, and the entire batch was in school for the awards ceremony.
Shreya had gotten the most marks in French, and was on stage to collect her medal and certificate. Arnav wondered. What if this was the right time to approach her with his 'proposal'? They were old enough now, weren't they? He waited until she got back to her seat in the crowd, next to her friend, and then he mustered up the courage to get up and occupy the seat on her other side.
A tiny drop of sweat formed at his brow as he wondered what to say. Shreya looked directly at him; his heart skipped a bit.
"Shreya," he pushed himself to say.
"Yeah?" She said, sounding formal. Of course she sounded formal; she had never spoken to Arnav directly, and the rumours that he liked her hadn't escaped her ears, so she preferred not to have any kind of relationship with him. Not even friendship.
"I think you already know that I like you. So..." His voice trailed off.
First Shreya looked bewildered; then she looked embarrassed. Arnav felt a little bad for putting her on the spot like that.
"I- well- uh," she sputtered.
"I think I've got an answer," he said, smiling sadly, and standing up.
Shreya paused for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry."

...
March 2013:
What were the odds! Arnav and Shreya ended up being the only few who went to the same coaching, and now they even were in the same college. She still maintained sufficient distance, and there was always awkward silence whenever they were forced to speak to one another. Year after year, Shreya turned into a woman from a young girl, and Arnav's heart ached to know that she would never be his.
Tonight was one of those forced uncomfortable situations of awkward silence between the two; it was musical night in college, and the two of them had arrived too early for any of their other friends to be around yet.
'This is silly,' Shreya had thought, before she went over to speak to Arnav, who was sitting a little away from her.

For a while they only spoke about class, the subjects and exams; the formal stuff. But then the lights went out, and the first band to perform went up on stage. Shreya had no choice but to stay seated next to him.
"I love this song," Arnav told her, tapping his fingers to the rhythm.
Shreya's head jerked in his direction. "Really?!" She exclaimed. "I love this song too! It's so underrated!"
"Haha, yeah!"
They spent the entire show talking about their music interests; which kind of music was overrated, their favourite songs that didn't get as much recognition as they'd have liked- everything! Their tastes were so inexplicably similar that it knocked the wind out of Shreya. She'd never met anyone so much like her!
And that's how the two of them hit it off.
Once their friends showed up, Arnav and Shreya were too busy to pay any attention to them. They went from topic to topic, telling each other everything there was to be told.
'He's so easy to talk to,' Shreya thought.
'She's so much more beautiful now that I know her too,' Arnav thought.
'He's charming,' she thought.
And that's the tale of how music joined two hearts in love!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The magic of peppy music

Many of my friends say that they prefer to listen to songs whose lyrics are deep; whose lyrics they can relate to, and understand. They like listening to songs that move their heart. While no one can deny loving slow, deep songs with meaningful lyrics which leave an impact on you, I personally also love songs that are the polar opposite. I like songs that are peppy and upbeat, which can get a lazy or tired person off the couch and onto his feet in just a second.

Lyrics are one of the most important components of a song; however, I believe that they are not the sole defining characteristic of a song. Sometimes all that matters is the instrumental music and the crazy screaming over it. Random unrelated words thrown around here and there, repeated till they're stuck in your head and you can't help but hum the peppy tune to yourself for the next few days. All you need to do is give yourself up to it, and you'll be taken over. It's alright to let your hair down and be a little wild sometimes; not everything you do needs to be profound and make sense!

Party songs have their own charm. They are peppy and they make you feel active and positive, like all your problems have temporarily vanished into thin air for that moment. It helps you let go and dance like no one is watching. If you walked into the gym early morning only to be greeted by the tune of a lover whose heart has been broken or that of a king who has lost his empire, I’m pretty sure it’s going to motivate you more towards going back to sleep rather than sweating it out. Even while driving a car, it’s great to have some peppy songs sometimes to get yourself out of the irritating mood of the traffic jams. It would be so cool if we could sync multiple phones to a host phone and share our music with our friends via a private hotspot network in the car. My friends always complain not being able to play from their phones in my car! That’s one big reason I’m looking forward to the Tata Zica – I have read that the infotainment system in it has precisely that feature.

Honestly, I think lyricists of peppy songs deserve awards; maybe not the mainstream kind, but some sort of an award. It requires some amount of courage to write down whole lines of sentences that mean hardly anything, and even have the confidence to set it into a tune and release it out to the public! They sure have lots of fans though, and I’m definitely going to stay one of those.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Music - the elixir of life

      "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music." -Albert Einstein

      It was a tiring day. I came home after writing the last exam of my third year in MBBS. I had not slept at all the previous night. I was up studying for my final exams; it had been the same for several nights before too. I had lunch and wanted to get some sleep as the exams were finally over. I went to my room and was just about to sleep. But then I saw my piano and simply couldn't resist switching it on. It had been lying there untouched for a long time. I wanted to play my favourite pieces on it, but I was very sleepy. So I decided to play for a few minutes and sleep. I started with my all-time favourite 'Für Elise' by Beethoven. It's a stunning piece. Its beauty cannot be described in words. Beethoven is rightly acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music. Then, I played another piece followed by another and that continued for a long time. I lost track of time. It was when I got a phone call from my mother that I realised it had been almost 5 hours. I was lost in the magical world of music. Music gave energy to my tired body and mind. I felt very refreshed after that. It was better than a good night's sleep!

      Such is the power of music, It heals your soul. It makes you happier and brightens up your day. Neuroscientists have discovered that listening to music heightens positive emotion through the reward centres of our brain, stimulating hits of dopamine that can make us feel good or even elated. Listening to music also lights up other areas of the brain. In fact, almost no brain centre is left untouched suggesting more widespread effects and potential uses for music.  It reduces depression and elevates your mood. It increases IQ and academic performance. It strengthens your learning and helps you remember better. It helps you sleep better. It also lowers blood pressure and boosts your immune system. It keeps your brain healthy in old age. It lowers your stress and promotes both physical and mental health. Research shows that it is even more effective than being administered Midazolam, a drug used to help pre-op patients feel sleepy that also has certain undesirable side effects such as coughing and vomiting. Other studies show that listening to soothing music while resting in bed following open-heart surgery increases relaxation. It also hastens the recovery of stroke patients and helps patients with Alzheimer's remember better. Some surgeons also prefer to play music in the operation theatre to keep themselves calm and composed.

      Music is indeed the elixir of life. Listen to music whenever you find time to stay healthy and happy.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

My favorite music artists

Ever since I was a kid, music has been a very important part of my life. Living without music is simply unimaginable for me. I was introduced to music from a young age though MTV and finally when the internet took over, it widened my options a lot. A lot of my most beloved music has also come from those which my friends suggested for me! Among my most favorite genres, rock and pop have always been on top of the list, though sometimes I love songs by individual artists too. Here is a list of my top ten favorite English music artists of all time, in no particular order.

1. Linkin Park

One of the most legendary bands of all time, this band has achieved a virtual cult status all over the world. In the End, Numb, Castle of Glass - you name it, each one of their songs is a masterpiece.

2. Imagine Dragons

Their songs have always appealed to me with their heavy use of drum beats and powerful lyrics.

3. The Script

This is another band whose songs are as great to listen as they are thoughtful. It's obvious that they put in a great deal of effort behind the making of each song. I can never forget the tunes of No Good in Goodbye.

4. Poets of the Fall

I haven't heard a lot of their songs yet but their mesmerizing and deep vocals combined with the power of the lyrics make for some really beautiful music. Carnival of Rust is among one of my favorites.

5. Taylor Swift

Love her or hate her, you definitely cannot ignore her. And in my case, I love her and her voice! :D

6. Good Charlotte

He is another independent artist who makes some really great music. His lively tracks are sometimes enough to brighten up a dull moment.

7. Enrique Iglesias

One of the most famous singers in the world, his intensely romantic tracks are a rage. He is one of the very few artists who has truly mastered the art of making romantic music.

8. Green Day

This beautiful guitar band also figures among one of the most popular bands in the world. It's very hard not to fall in love with the music of Wake me up when September ends.

9. One Republic

One of the newer entrants on the block, they have charmed the world with their beautiful peppy music.

10. The Fray

This old band makes some lovely music as well.

There are many more artists I love whom I couldn't include in this list. At the end of this, all I can say is a big thank you to all the musicians around the world! You surely brighten up our lives a lot and we hope you continue to do so forever.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.