I walked into Music Station, a place selling music and film CD’s and DVD’s. I was there to return the Bhool Bhulaiyya CD I had rented the day before. There were two people already at the counter, and I waited for my turn, looking at the various shelves having a host of movie discs on show.
On the other side of the shop, standing aside the pair of headphones and the couple of music CD’s you can listen to for trial, were two typical Haryanvi Jats – tall, burly and with an air of unmistakable menace around them. One of them had the headphones to his ears, while the other was going through the adjoining shelf.
“Paaji! Aap yeh gaana suno….paagal ho jayoge aap!”, cried the first one, suddenly.
“Achha ji? Lao!”, replied the other, and took over the headphones.
A few moments later, he handed them back.
“Denver hai na yeh?”
“Haan ji…aapne suna hoga yeh gaana pehle…”
“Haan suna hai….teri gaadi mein hi kaafi baar”
“Magical voice hai ji, is bande ki….”
“Hmmm.”
The man on the headphones now went on to listen to the song with sheer delight on his face, almost dancing along with the tune. He was singing as well, and his voice was as horrible as horrible could be, but I got enough words from them to recognise the song –
“Country roaaaaaaaaaaaadddds, take me hommmmmmmmmme
To the plaaaaaaaaace, I beloooooooooooong
West virginiaaaaaaaaaa, mountain mommmmmmmaaaaaaaa
Take me hommmmmmmmmme, country roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadddds !”
“What a voice, yaar, what a voice!”, he finally concluded, putting the headphones down.
It was amazing, to see two of these so-typical desi Haryanvis, whom I had seen previously only as local kirana shop owners, traffic policeman or bus drivers (and found it hard to associate them with anything else), to be discussing John Denver at a posh music store.
And then when I thought about it, I discovered that this is exactly what Gurgaon has to offer, which is different from all other places in India.
Here, you have desi Jats enjoying Denver and other western artists, big, over-sized aunties going about in fashionable, obscene-looking, designer trousers, and teenagers, ‘cool dudes and dudettes’, all dressed to kill, enjoying their evening out at expensive coffee parlours.
It is fascinating, when not slightly irritating.
On the other side of the shop, standing aside the pair of headphones and the couple of music CD’s you can listen to for trial, were two typical Haryanvi Jats – tall, burly and with an air of unmistakable menace around them. One of them had the headphones to his ears, while the other was going through the adjoining shelf.
“Paaji! Aap yeh gaana suno….paagal ho jayoge aap!”, cried the first one, suddenly.
“Achha ji? Lao!”, replied the other, and took over the headphones.
A few moments later, he handed them back.
“Denver hai na yeh?”
“Haan ji…aapne suna hoga yeh gaana pehle…”
“Haan suna hai….teri gaadi mein hi kaafi baar”
“Magical voice hai ji, is bande ki….”
“Hmmm.”
The man on the headphones now went on to listen to the song with sheer delight on his face, almost dancing along with the tune. He was singing as well, and his voice was as horrible as horrible could be, but I got enough words from them to recognise the song –
“Country roaaaaaaaaaaaadddds, take me hommmmmmmmmme
To the plaaaaaaaaace, I beloooooooooooong
West virginiaaaaaaaaaa, mountain mommmmmmmaaaaaaaa
Take me hommmmmmmmmme, country roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadddds !”
“What a voice, yaar, what a voice!”, he finally concluded, putting the headphones down.
It was amazing, to see two of these so-typical desi Haryanvis, whom I had seen previously only as local kirana shop owners, traffic policeman or bus drivers (and found it hard to associate them with anything else), to be discussing John Denver at a posh music store.
And then when I thought about it, I discovered that this is exactly what Gurgaon has to offer, which is different from all other places in India.
Here, you have desi Jats enjoying Denver and other western artists, big, over-sized aunties going about in fashionable, obscene-looking, designer trousers, and teenagers, ‘cool dudes and dudettes’, all dressed to kill, enjoying their evening out at expensive coffee parlours.
It is fascinating, when not slightly irritating.
5 comments:
It's the Cola Generation.
Is it just Gurgaon which offers this confluence of cultures? Or is it the story of almost all metropolises?
We are an integral part of it. People who think it's hip to be something they are not. Maybe some have already come to believe a lie. But who's complaining. You? Me?
Do you know where this comes from?
You're right. This is the story everywhere in India, especially in the small towns and villages.
But Gurgaon seems to be the capital of the country when it comes to such tendency.
And mind you, it's not just mindless aping of everything western, as it was before. I have a sure feeling that the Jat at the music store actually appreciated Denver.
'The West' and 'The East' are coming together, to give birth to a third culture, whatever you want to name it. And the prime example of such phenomenon is Gurgaon.
Gurgaon is a phenomenon in itself. As I was coming back from the place today, a spectacular sight caught my eye. I was on the highest point of one of the never-ending flyovers that have recently opened up. And all I could see was a sea of red. Red tail lights of cars standing bumper to bumper in this bustling city of steel and glass. It was frightening and awe-inspiring all at once. Like the roads were bleeding. Or like petals had been strewn.
Okay... this might sound a little odd! Though I guess oddities and me go together hand in hand singing songs of togetherness.
But "Paaji" the phrase as I know it is usually a Punjabi slang and it becomes a little odd when you use it with Haryanavi Jats.
Now this is just the beginning. The celebration of the cross-cultural exchange... is not really fascinating, because its been the same way with us since the time any bloody invader came to our country.
We seem to enjoy external cultures. It been a part of psyche as is the fact that the only things to die for is Religion and Woman!
Of course there are other things as well... but you see the fact that we enjoy being someone else is a fact of life!
I agree...but the remarkable thing here was a person, who in appearance and talk sounded very 'local'(not sure whether thats the appropriate word) but was fond of someone like Denver...
Not Enrique or Britney Spears, as normally such people start listening to when exposed to Western music, but Denver, someone who's relatively not so popular...and whats more?...from the way he talked, it seemed that he understood and appreciated that kind of music...thats not so common, as far as I've seen
And yes, I agree partly with the Paaji bit too...but he did use the word...I guess many of us non-punjabis do the same sometimes with affection
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