Bliss

I was recently having a conversation with a friend about alternate means of getting high (apart from booze, that is). Both of us agreed dancing was one, especially to the tune of loud music. It didn't take me long to figure out another one.

IIT campus is usually brimming with activities, my friend tells me. All you need to do is to be on the lookout. And it is totally worth it - as I discovered last Saturday. A random walk through the premises led me to a live performance by Rekha Bhardwaj. I'm a huge fan of her's, so it was nothing short of a jackpot.

'You seem speechless', my friend remarked post-event. I had just been mumbling in response to his questions. At that moment, I was too much in a state of drunkenness to be able to explain to him that what he had missed was absolute bliss. The performance had begun with invocation to allah (during which the musicians sound-checked), followed by her masterpiece 'Tere Ishq Mein'. The track itself gives me goosebumps each time I listen to it - to witness a live performance by her was altogether a different experience! I could feel the energy to run a thousand miles without pausing once to catch my breath. Or sky-dive from the tallest building. Or just jump in a pool of water (did I tell you I don't know how to swim?) I guess this qualifies for a 'high'.

It wasn't only a factor of her soothing voice or the soulful music. The team was actually enjoying the performance themselves - if you were attentive enough, you could see musicians exchanges glances that said "Isn't she totally great?". At other times you could hear the notes from the drums tease those of the piano.

I think that's where the real magic came from. It connected the audience to the performer. Even among the crowd of hundreds, I could sense a solidarity. I guess that came from the years they must've spend with each other on IIT campus, away from home. I felt special to be a part of such a closely-knit group. In fact at one point I felt I was the solitary audience to the performance. Like there was a strong bond by which I was connected to them, firmly. Right then, nothing else mattered - people laughing and sharing private jokes or those hurrying out towards the end.

Personally, I had no regrets about the missed dinner. Time had paused.