The events of May 31, 2022, felt unreal for someone like me who grew up listening to KK’s songs, and for whom every milestone in life seemed to be marked by a KK song. Perhaps, what hurt even more was that the singer breathed his last in my own city.
Tadap tadap and Beete Lamhein were the tunes I cried my eyes out to while going through my first heartbreak. When I moved to Delhi after marriage, leaving my beloved city and family behind, Chhod aye hum woh galiyan became the background score (on loop) of life at that time.
It has been a year since KK left us. It has been a year of listening to his songs and realising that that’s all we have left of the man now. His music lives on, and few of those numbers will always remain closest to my heart….
To the anchor, with love: Tum Mile
The magic partnership of KK and Pritam, with lyrics by Sayeed Quadri, Dil Ibadat from Tum mile (2009) is all about the yearnings, hopes and proclamation of romantic love. KK’s voice just makes it all the more unforgettable. To be able to say “Jo bhi jitne pal jeeyu, unhe tere sang jeeyu/ Jo bhi kal ho ab mera, usse tere sang jeeyu” might sound like a real cliche, but what’s love without some of those. To be able to lock fingers with a partner of more than a decade, and listen to Dil Ibadat like we did that first time as students is a special full-circle moment.
A heartfelt goodbye: Yaaron, Dosti…
If there are two songs that are synonymous with KK, they would probably be Pyar ke pal and Yaaron. Yaaron was released in 1999 as part of the album Pal, the singer’s debut solo album. I listened to Yaaron for the first time on a cassette tape, as a young teen. Years later, the tune came back when saying a teary adieu to a friend moving to a different country. This song that speaks of cherished friendships brought the solace that memories would remain unchanged when the heart knew that things would not be the same.
An ode like no other: Meri Maa
This hidden gem from the Bollywood film Yaariyan (2014) is another melodious marvel by the KK-Pritam duo. Penned by Irshaad Kamil, the song is about a child’s memories of his mother. It is about the days of throwing our hands out to seek refuge in our mother’s laps, memories of being fed and pampered, and about having the best sleep by her side. For many of us who don’t live with their mothers anymore, it is a bittersweet ode to a different life and a time left behind.
With all the love: O Meri Jaan
Just play from 2:34 and listen to KK sing “Nata samjhe na ab yeh dil mera, Jaanoon na, jaanoon na isko kya hua, Teri baahon ki phir se, Dhoondhe yeh panaah, Tu hai kahaan, tu hai kahaan…” Just like the film Life in a... Metro (2007), this song is about declaring and owning your love. There are times when love is all about soft nothings and cocoons of warmth, but then there are those when you want the world to know. Everytime O meri jaan plays, it takes me back to a monsoon a few years ago — stuck in a yellow cab by myself, with the air smelling of fuel as Kolkata got drenched in the rain. As O meri jaan played in my ears, I contemplated taking the plunge into a new relationship, while halfway in love.
Sepia photos, pressed flowers, love notes: Beete Lamhein
Time waits for none, moving along at its own pace. There’s probably no KK song that depicts the complicated feelings of letting go like Beete Lamhein. This soft number from The Train (2007), a creation with the magic of KK, Mithoon and Sayeed Quadri, has remained a constant on my playlist. Beete lamhein — the memories of the first time your heart fluttered for someone, or crumbled like a house of cards in a storm — are not easily forgotten and keep revisiting every once in a while.
