There is a lot of buzz whenever the supposed king of Indian rap, Honey Singh, releases a new track. Seems like he is still not able to get over his rather "alcoholic" songs. From a different perspective, how long are the shelf life of these peppy tracks? Maybe a month or two. Is that anywhere near to the olden timeless classics that still remain with us, fifty years after their launch? The answer is very simple to decode: A big no.
I have been subject to criticism from my peers as being anti-GenY. I am not so; I'd rather openly declare that I love Mohit Chauhan's music. Or Arijit Singh. To me, party tracks do not appeal. Not because I am a nerd. Not because I am prejudiced to such a genre. The truth is that the crass lyrics and banal songs with repetitive words have a mere purpose of making quick money.
The online music playing stations, Saavn and Gaana have contributed much to the revival of the olden music albums. A day ago I was listening to the melody, 'Yeh Sham Mastani'. The way it was composed with sincere effort really did all the trick. To be honest, I really appreciate Burman's compositions and Kishore's euphoria-filled tracks. Apart from them, I also like Anup Jalota's devotional tunes. A friend of mine arrived, and I offered him the headphone. Probably disgusted with the music that was so very retro, he just commented, 'You could've got something better, mate'.
I believe songs are for motivational purposes. When you're dejected, you listen to songs. When you're sick, a good soulful track can revive hope. Bollywood has songs for almost all possible existing genres. Yet, it is unfortunate that most of the better songs were left behind by the onset of second millennium. Apart from a few exceptional compositions by legendary next generation artists, most of the album numbers are pure trash.
I do not blame my peers for their disgust against retro music. Perhaps I'm the only one who likes them. It is a strange to think that there is so much difference of opinion today over what was undoubtedly yesterday's all-time-hits.
It is my humble appeal to my most dear readers, the next time you find someone of Gen Y playing some oldies classic, go up to him and thank him. After all, history needs to be preserved.
