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The First Song I Fell in Love With


I was around three at that time. Amma and Appa used to go by train to work. My kindergarten school was near the railway station, and at a walkable distance from home. Amma would leave earlier, so most of the times Appa (and sometimes my Uncle and Aunt), would take me, (and my cousin), to school and then board the train later. I would mostly occupy the last bench in the class, because from the window at the back of the room, the railway station could be seen and I would wave to my dad from there, and he would wave back as he boards the train. 

Whenever Appa used to take me to school, he would try to keep me engaged in a conversation to take my mind off the distance (which was only around 1 km, but to my three year old self it seemed like a never ending journey.) So, he used to teach me rhymes, songs, or speak to me of some stories from his childhood. It was during one of those walks that he introduced a song to me, he would sing and ask me to repeat it, and then explain the words and their meaning to me. Within a few days, I had memorized it completely and had started singing it everyday on the way to school. 

My younger self loved Appa's tape recorder, and could often be observed  singing/talking/reading something and recording it in a casette. One of those cassettes holds a recording of this: Appa asks my little self, "Pavithra, unakku enna paatu da chellam pidikkum?" I immediately announce the name of this song proudly, at the top of my voice, after which appa lets out a little laugh and proceeds to sing it. There is also another recording of my three year old self singing this song. I was fascinated by lions and would lay extra stress and roll my 'R's while singing the line where the word, 'Singam' appears. 

The song also introduced to me a new name, 'Bharathiyar'. Appa used to talk about him with so much admiration in his voice and pride in his eyes. I would always end up crying while hearing about his death and, though I loved elephants, could never look at them the same way afterwards. That was the first song I remember falling in love with, 'Sindhunadhiyinmisai Nilavinile...'

Here's the song: Sindhunadhiyin misai


-Pavithra Seshadri


Image courtesy: Google Images
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