Dear Dadubhai,

This is my first letter to you. Though I have never seen you in my life, but I had a number of conversations with you. Since childhood, I am hearing about you from Maa. She told me many stories of you. I had grown up by hearing your stories, Dadu. The day when I sat before the harmonium for the first time, Maa told me, “This is the musical instrument your Dadu used to play. In my childhood, I learnt from him how to play the harmonium. And now, I am going to teach you the same.” Little did I know Dadubhai, someday, it’d be the only way to converse with you. That day I started learning the basic notes of music, but now, I am learning to reveal my unspoken words through it. Maa kept telling me about the folk songs you loved to hear, to sing. Those days, music was only another mandatory daily task for me, and sometimes, I felt reluctant to sit for singing, you know! But now, I love to sing, because I find myself in music. Music is something that keeps me surprising each and every time. Be it unfolding the theories of life to me, be it unlocking the door to some unsolved mysteries, be it bridging the gap between me and the universe, or, be it teaching me the true essence of love and devotion. Music is my escape from this world of chaos and confusion, and beginning of the journey to beyond. Music, is my breath, another way to express my emotions, and sometimes, to find my lost self, in the most unpredictable way.

I am writing this letter for a special reason, Dadubhai. I ask Maa again and again about your favourite songs, and I try to sing them all.  Few days ago, I was reading a book. While reading, I came across something very beautiful. It was written that we can reach to someone far away from us, through the medium of music. My heart wants to tell you the same, Dadubhai. Whenever I sing those folk songs, I feel, you are hearing me, from somewhere in the universe. When I sing ‘Khachar vitor ochin pakhi, kemne aase jay’, I feel I am conversing with you, through the tune, with the lyrics. You know Dadu, this song is very close to my heart, just like you. I feel, this song is your messenger from the universe. Perhaps, I find you in this song. Sometimes, a song becomes the embodiment of a person. For me, this song is, you, Dadubhai.

Wherever you are, I know, you will be listening to me whenever I am singing. I promise you Dadubhai, with your blessings, I will keep singing this way, forever. And thus, we will write a perfect tale of our own.

– Your Granddaughter, Swarnali

[This is my first letter to my maternal grandfather, whom I have never seen or met in life. He passed away when my mother was only sixteen years old. He was an Electrical Engineer and a folk singer. Since childhood, I have heard about the songs he loved to listen and to sing. Now, I listen these songs and sometimes, I try to sing them, too. Thus, I find him in my musical world and we speak through the medium of music. The word ‘Dadubhai’ is a Bengali word. We fondly call ‘Dadubhai’ our grandfathers, being affectionate to them and considering them a little child. ]

[I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter‘s #MyFriendAlexa 2019]

Read my all posts of this month long event here.

I love to write letters, as I pour my heart’s deepest thoughts on the postcard, everytime I start writing a letter. One of my favourite letters are the one I wrote to my birthday month, July. Read the letter here.