Norah Jones – Mumbai gave me you

Dear Norah, as I write this open letter to you, I am filled with peace and tranquility which I find occasionally. Your visit to Mumbai for ‘A Summer’s Day’ concert has given my soul a serene calmness and has enriched my mind creatively. Your fragile yet strong posture inspires many a soul. You are one of a kind and that is why I chose you over many.

On my way to the concert, I was greeted by many, some unknown, some quietly and some at the concert with full love and happiness. What your songs express is nothing but our daily activities in a very fascinating way. I found meaning of inhuman objects in your songs and some humane.

Is it the buildings of Mumbai that I love? Is it the never ending traffic? Or is what it gives to us, what it lets us be. Whatever it may be Mumbai gives what you wanted and want. And it gave me you. It gave me your songs and symbolized them with objects around me. When you sing Chasing Pirates, I find banal things in mysterious ways. When you sing Come Away With Me, I feel Mumbai is asking me walk with it. When you sing Don’t Know Why, it makes me think about all those times when I waited till the break of day to see hope through new lenses. You and Mumbai have given life to my old yet young soul.

Your songs teach the mind how to make give music to mundane life and enlighten the wary soul. However far you might have been from me when you were performing (even though I was just in front of the stage), you were with me. And we did sink soon.

I was never fond of the sea until I came to Bombay and found alive. I never knew how to say I like this and refrained myself from saying I don’t like this, until it gave me you.

What is with your composed smile, calmness, delicate look? Is it a façade or is it your way of defining life? Concealing the reality or is it protecting being secure.

You sing as if you aren’t hurt, as if you are making a point – am hurt but am not shattered, am broken but I won’t go down. Whatever it may be, however harsh it may be, it calmed my soul, a tired one.

And then you walked away, as if leaving the soul filled with anticipation and left it empty yet hopeful that I will see more of you and will be filled with uncovered mysteries of life, living in Utopia.

And your ending number had enough reasons and meaning to make me walk with you and your songs till the end of my time, realizing only after you were gone, Mumbai gave me you and you gave me love – for an unknown wish.

Photo Courtesy - Sunil Bhandari. Thanks Sunil :)