"CHAANDAN MEIN" REVIEW

What do you think is the toughest job? To deliver excellence, or to meet the expectations, or to supersede the expectations..? I think the latest one and Kailash Kher has just done that with his fourth album released. He has delivered it again and with more captivating music this time. If you have never felt what spirituality is like and wanna get a hint of it, ‘Chaandan Mein’ is what you should listen to!!

Now i don’t wonder why it took him so long getting a new album out. The rustic, earthy vocals of Kailash Kher along with deft use of variety of instruments and soulful, poignant lyrics create a magic. The cover of the album itself makes you feel of what to expect ahead. Ya, the theme of the album is yet again ‘the lover yearning for his beloved’ and sufistic unconditional love. The album consists of 10 tracks with 2 tracks from his earlier album ‘Jhoomo Re’. The album kicks off with the title track ‘Chaandan Mein’. The song starts off with soft melody on guitar rhythms and later on catches the typical Kailash Kher high pitches. The rural, folkish lyrics which are predominantly mixture of Hindi and Awadhi engrosses you completely. The lovers wait for his beloved is ecstatically woven in the wordings. My favourite lines being: “Sarap dase sunaa sunaa, kaisaa meetha saa zahar Ae ji Meetha meetha saa zahar, Darad badhe duna duna, uthe hiye mein lahar Uthe hirde mein lahar, main karu shingaar toh sharmaaye Yeh darpan saiyaa ...” A perfect start for the album which makes you feel that you never expected so high out of it. Next comes ‘Na batati tu’ which is a pacy number, in fact, paciest of all the tracks. It a fast-tracked ‘thumri’ with sitar in the interludes really making it sublime. Chorus and guitar give a western feel to the already cheered up and mischievous mood of the song. Song gets a bit jazzy at the end. Listen the song early in the morning and you will surely be ‘high’ with the song playing whole of the day in your head. ‘Teri yaad mein’ seems to be a very ordinary song with nothing exceptional in the’ mukhda’ and unexciting lyrics in the beginning..but no conclusions so soon, be patient. As soon as ‘antara’ unfolds you get to know the real beauty of the song. Total indianness takes over with ‘tabla’ and guitar fused ingeniously. The track will certainly climb your rankings with little time. The mood is a bit low and doleful. ‘Bheeg gaya re mera mann’ is the second best song of the album and the longest of the tracks. The obvious theme of the song seems to be the rains but it has got symbolic meaning to it and is philosophical at times. The track emulates ‘Indian Ocean’ to its overall style with orchestra playing incessantly but stunningly intricate, between the stanzas. Superb lyrics make it very pacifying and soothing. Some of my favourite ones are: ''Barse barse re ambar ka paani Jisko pee pee ke dharti deewani Khil khilane lagi haiMuskurane lagi hai Bheeg gaya mera mann'' Flute is smartly used but the highlight of the song is its end where ‘dhol’ picks up the pace and culminates with ‘iktara’ coming into play giving it a bhangra touch. ‘Piya ghar ayenge’ is supposedly the best song of the album with the female protagonist longing for his beloved. Kailash Kher has once again perfected the immaculate job of impersonation of a female (thing which he has done in his previous albums too!!). Once again the melodious flute play along with the piano has done the trick. But most remarkable is the mood of the song, neither is it in ‘high spirit’ of a waiting lover nor is it in the ‘grieving’ mood. It’s really mystique. However it maintains the mood of unfailing devotion and yes the closing of the track is unmatched. Incontestably the best song of the album. ‘Rang rang ma’ is another peppy number with percussion created by a melange of western and traditional instruments. ‘Ishq ho gaya’ is something where can find a flaw. Track is depressingly gloomy and atleast doesn’t suite my mood. ‘Kar kar main haara’ is a track whose highlight is simply it’s mindboggling lyrics. If you think gulzar was phenomenal in ‘humne gillahri ke jhoothe matar khaye they..’ in Kaminey, then just think about this: ''Yun toh teri yaad mei bhi swaad hai teraa, Par aankhon ko manaaoon kis tarhaa? Honton ki majaal kyaa jo kare yeh sawaal, Par dil ko main samjhaaoon kis tarhaa? '' If these lines aren’t enough then just look at these: ''Kabhi kabhi dhoop, kabhi chaau tu hi haiPehchaan lu Yaa toh mujhe hansa banaa le Toh main tujhe jaan lu Khushbhoo se jo tu bahaar aayega Suraj ko god mein khilaaoonga '' Another great track with romantic bent to it. Overall, i can say that it’s the best music of the year. And importantly the timing of release is superb, for monsoon evokes the romantic in you. Lovers who feel their relationship is past their prime can definitely take inspiration for rejuvenating their love lives. It’s all about finding the face of your beloved akin to the moon..’Chaandan mein’ .The music is not that you will like it the very first time, you will take some time in developing the taste. It won’t reveal the secret and pleasure to those in hurry. So, be patient and it will pay. Happing listening..

HIGH SPIRIT
Life’s like that…like what..??? eXplored but uneXplained..eXplicit but uneXplicable..Social scientists, across the centuries, have eXtensively took this eXacting task to evaluate what makes a perfect life, but all in vain. From Socrates to Saussure, Marx to Mahatma, Descartes to Derrida, all of them have eXerted some or the other –isms or –logies but nothing eXpansive. But why am I, with an eXiguous amount of intellect, concerned about such a labyrinth? Daring enough to take an eXcursion into such an eXcruating eXercise of eXplaining what eXactly life is.. Actually it’s the mélange of eXhibitionism, individualism and non-conformism in me that makes an attempt to fetter the unfettered. The reason why the most-sought-after-question goes unanswered is that no values and virtues are, throughout the whole range and domain, absolute. Relevant somewhere and totally irrelevant elsewhere. So what I have tried is to trace out an absolute. The work ahead defines parameters and their extent, which are a constant throughout and can endure the test of time and geography. And these are the ideal recipe for a utopian life. I have tried to be very ‘spirit’ualistic in the approach of making of modern Madhushala.
So, how a life should be. These are the prescribed amount of virtues (or vices) one should possess to make it a perfect one.

One should have WEALTH enough to splurge in a good pub whenever he wishes.

One should have HEALTH enough to negate any of the supposed-to-be-evil effects of alcohol.

One should have FRIENDS enough so that when you say ‘cheerz’ its actually a roar.

One should have RELATIONS enough to bail you out after you were caught trying to playing dart on streetlights under the influence of drink.

One should have PAINS enough to drink purposefully to recall the turmoil.

One should have GIRLS enough to propose a new girl when drunk.

One should have COURAGE enough to cry on the shoulder of your friend when drinking coz your gf ditched you.

One should have ARTS enough to win a bet over whether that portrait is Bin Laden or Che Guevara in the pub.

One should have MUSIC enough in you to order the best music in the club and your friends giving hi5 for the same.

One should be GOURMET enough to know that Fish Pakodas don’t go well with vodka.

One should have EXPERIENCE enough to stop your buddy from boozing further as he will surely vomit if.

One should have KNOWLEDGE enough to tell which pub gives you the best ‘happy hours’ and where do we get a ‘Screw Driver’ for free upon ordering 4 ‘Pinnacolada’.


One should have STRENGTH enough to carry your friend on the back coz he is ‘out’ and your bike’s punctured as well.

One should have HONESTY enough to say ‘buddies m done, anything more n u’ll be responsible..’

One should be GENEROUS enough to land the guy in the next table a cigarette as he is run out of it.

One should have INTELLECT enough in him to bore his friends to hell with his gyaan.

One should have SPORTS enough in him to bet a 500 bucks over a pool table in the pub.

One should have SKILLS enough in him to be confident to drive while he is not sure whether Frank Lampard is running after one football or two footballa in the tv.

One should be COOL enough to glorify that you are a drunkard and take pride in saying ‘its khool mahn..’

One should have MATHEMATICS enough to crosscheck that 6 pegs worth 100 buck each amount to 600.

One should have PHSICS enough not to defy gravity, not even after drinking; and that jumping from 5th floor will certainly kill you without any conservatuion of energy.

One should have CHEMISTRY enough in him to estimate the volume of alcohol that will render solid form of tour kidney to liquid. That too spontaneously.

One should have ENGINEERING enough in him to know that this bakwaas was engineered for an engineer like you…

Happy living
Addieuxx!!