The one thing that kept me sane in my early years in the US was various songs from old hindi movies. My father's friend Mr. Harish Bhatt (we lovingly called him Dada) was a big bhakt of K.L.Saigal. Being in a small town of Porbandar, there was not much to do or see every weekend so, we used to visit Dada quite often and he used to sing K.L. Saigal songs. Soon, me and my brother started loving it and singing them. We also got exposed to other great singers in Punkaj Mullick, K C Dey, Khurshid etc from the 30s and 40s.
This is not to say that i don't like modern music or even songs from 60s and 70s. I love them all however songs from late 30s to 50s are probably my favourite. There was something about them - purity, soothness, innocence - I am not sure.
Here are some of my favourites:
Duniya Rang Rangili
Panghat pe Kanhaiyya Aata Hai
More Balapan Ke Saathi
Diya Jalao Jag mag
Even today if I had a bad day, I listen to these timeless melodies and relax.
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