A memory from years gone by

Last evening I got a message from a friend from long long ago, which reads 'I just heard about balamurali krishna.......you remember that night, twenty five years back, we had attended an all night concert of his'

And that opened a floodgate of memories.

I was never into hardcore classical music, and I remember Amrita taking it upon herself to say, "It's just not possible, I will teach you how to listen, understand and appreciate classical music", and between her and another friend, they actually got me to a stage of not just attending concerts, but even all night concerts.

This concert ended at dawn with a Kishori Amonkar rendition, which I distinctly remember having given me goosebumps. Next day, I raided Sangeet Sagar with Amrita for Kishori Amonkar cassettes (those were days of audio cassettes).

I was also so touched when Amrita said 'You gave me a Megh Malhar cassette back then, which  I still have'. 

What was beautiful about this conversation was that we not just relived the night from years gone by, but took it to the next level. As she was reminiscing, she was like, 'I wish those times would come back......'

And I didn't see why not. We now have a pact...next year we're doing the Hampi Utsav together. 

The Hampi Utsav is a dance and music festival that has apparently been celebrated during the Vijayanagar Empire Reign. And since Hampi has been declared a world heritage site, the festival has been reinstated, and they have artists from across the country for a festival (now world renown) of folk dance, music, drama and art.

Amrita, thanks for evoking such beautiful memories and emotions.....and inshallah, we do the Hampi Utsav next year :)