Singing Sensation

Being an Indian, I am expected to sing at social gatherings, irrespective of how bad (hoarse) I sound. Its more like if you sing well – you are good, but if you sing bad (like me) then you are plain amusing. I think this is a very cultural thing. When 2 Indian people get together we bitch about the third one, and when the third one joins we sing. And if the third one is like me, we make him sing throughout the night or till he feels so embarrassed that he leaves.

Over the years, after having been the most popular singer (grrr!) in most social gatherings, I have figured there are some Hindi songs that I can sing without losing breath. I mean people still laugh, but they just LOL and don’t ROFL. So here is my list of sing-able songs for guys who bray like me. The songs are definitely very nice, but they just “can” be sung (badly) without losing your breath.

Allah Ke Bande – Kailash Kher

This song was my first chance discovery. We were on our bus trip to Las Vegas way back in 2006. Well, it was a Chinese bus tour, but all the occupants of the bus were Indians (with a Chinese tour guide!). So immediately after the bus started rolling, everyone had to sing. Now, I generally can fall asleep immediately in any moving vehicle, and I guess by the second song I was already fast asleep with my mouth wide open. Somewhere in the noon, I was jolted awaken by my co-passenger – “Girish, go go your turn to sing”. And in my semi-dozed state I sang this song. Rest they say is history (last heard the tour guide took up Zen and has retired from the tourism industry altogether).

Josh walon ko – Jagjit Singh

This one was during one of my birthdays in Uncle Sam’s land (after the bus tour). My friends forced me to sing (specifically insisting on me not singing the earlier song). I tried to sing this one. Now its a very deep and serious song. I remember all my friends were crying after I finished (the kind of tears that come when you laugh so bad that it hurts in your stomach).

Hum Bewafa Hargiz Na The - Shaan

While I was stuck in the hotel this time around (without internet), for days together I had no one to speak to. I missed hearing my own voice and decided to sing. The only song I had on my laptop then was this one. I remember singing it throughout the day on one Sunday. In the evening I realized that the entire floor in my hotel was empty. Coincidence I say, that all people checked out on the same day.