Tag: music

  • Exploring Global Music Genres: My Personal Playlist

    Exploring Global Music Genres: My Personal Playlist

    Daily writing prompt
    What is your favorite genre of music?

    Hey…

    I hope all of you are doing well…

    Intro…

    Have you ever heard a track and went,
    I don’t know what they’re saying but,
    it feels good to listen,
    so,
    you end up having a few of them in your playlist,
    and one day when you’re scrolling your downloads,
    you find it yet again,
    and revisit those old memories…?

    Travelling west…

    That’s how I discovered “Nancy Ajram”,
    A Lebanese singer,
    “Jamila El Badaoui”,
    A Moroccan singer,
    And,
    “Nai Barghouti”,
    a Palestinian singer,
    composer and singer,
    with such talent that is nowhere to be found…!

    Finding these rare gems…

    These discoveries for a person sitting in India,
    is not possible unless a random one of these come on your recommendations,
    but,
    for that you should have heard them in advance or have someone tell you about them but,
    it never happened to me,
    it was always finding out on my own,
    hearing it someplace,
    like the background of an instagram reel,
    or,
    a soft tune playing somewhere,
    that’s how I found out about the legends “FAIRUZ”,
    And “ABDEL HALIM HAFEZ”…

    Returning to my roots…

    But,
    that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about my culture and the origin of my being,
    Panjabi folk singers like “Lal Chand Yamla Jatt”,
    and “Alam Lohar” “Ashiq jutt” “Amar Singh Chamkila” “Asa Singh Mastana”
    and their female counterparts,
    “Noor Jehan”, “Surinder Kaur”, “Narinder Biba” and “Amarjot”…

    Not forgetting the new Skool singers who are carrying the legacy forward that we got from our ancestors,
    “Arjan Dhillon”,
    “Sidhu Moose Wala”(Rip LLSMW🕊️),
    “Karan Aujla”,
    and many more who are working hard to bring up the level day by day..

    So,
    you see my genre focuses on my mother tongue,
    with exposure from around the world..

    About Bollywood…

    I don’t like Bollywood that much because most of it has become a copy and paste from other cultures,
    but occasionally,
    there will be tunes that stay on my mind forever,
    and they come back to me after a while reminding me to listen to them yet again,
    and break my stereotype yet again…

    Towards the end..

    That’s it for the day,
    hope you guys have a nice weekend,
    and listen to some nice tunes along the way…

    Your Recommendations…

    Is there something that you recommend,
    do let me know in the comments…

    Cheers🥂

    Love Waakiye 🤍

  • The Simple Joy of Music in Everyday Life

    The Simple Joy of Music in Everyday Life

    Daily writing prompt
    Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

    Hey…

    I hope all of you are doing well…

    Have you ever heard music…?

    I have,
    and I can’t get enough of it ever,
    there are times so hard at moments,
    where I can’t face the world,
    But,
    music was,
    and all I could do was wrap myself around in its comfort…

    There are moments,
    some dreadful,
    some joyous,
    that make up the part of my daily schedule,
    and living through them becomes a pain,
    but,
    a music makes the passing of time easier,
    by shifting the focus of the stresses off of me,
    by helping me calm down,
    and with a calm mind i can look at problems differently,
    from various perspectives and find an optimal solution,
    just with the help of music…

    I listen to music to feel the emotions that I can’t feel,
    haven’t felt in a long time,
    like,
    there are some tunes spark a sense of intense longing or missing a person from the bottom of our heart,
    but,
    that too has its benefits,
    reminding us of our past and mistakes that have been made,
    to not repeat it ever again…

    During some joyous,
    extremely happy times like marriage of close relatives,
    or even enjoying night out with my friends,
    i have found music to be our partner,
    to enjoy happy moments,
    and during it,
    deepened our bond with each other,
    finding things that we listen to by sharing them with each other…

    I am really grateful for music to exist in the same timeline as me,
    to which I’ve fallen in love with from the bottom of my heart…

    Cheers 🥂

    Love Waakiye 🤍

    A journey that we tread on,
    finding things that comfort us,
    on a path that we set,
    for ourselves to walk on…

    In a dimly lit scene,
    as these words paint a picture vivid,
    enough to escape the real one,
    and live in it;

    But,
    the reality often inescapable,
    forces us to return,
    cage our being,
    our essence,
    by catching us as we flee…

    As we use methods to escape,
    or feel something,
    sparking a change,
    sometimes an inspiration to be a better version of self,
    or to be a better human overall,
    and,
    with that,
    comes a sense of belief,
    that it was made for us,
    a gift from gods,
    a hymn or a verse,
    that detaches us,
    cuts our worries short…

    “A blessing to these ears…”
  • Nostalgia for Childhood: Living Without Screens

    Nostalgia for Childhood: Living Without Screens

    Daily writing prompt
    Do you remember life before the internet?

    Hey…

    I hope all of you are doing well…

    You’re not gonna believe that I was curled up in my bed,
    thinking as the clock stuck 00:00 hours,
    I should read something before going to sleep,
    (Trying to induce a habit of reading..)
    As I picked a book from my collection,
    it was either Khalil Gibran’s collection,
    or,
    it was metamorphosis by Kafka which I bought,
    the night before i.e. Sunday night from a roadside book seller…

    Before I could even focus my eyes on the words written on the first page of metamorphosis,
    It felt blurry,
    remembering little,
    the character turned into bug,
    there was a description,
    how he looked at himself,
    who he was,
    looking at the picture he hung that he cut out of the magazine…

    that’s all I could remember,
    the first page that to barely,
    I thought to myself,
    is this the same mind that read pages upon pages during its prime…?

    As I put the book in its place,
    a wall mounted drawer,
    and tried to fall asleep,
    but,
    I couldn’t,
    I was using 3 devices simultaneously before,
    my phone checking the messages,
    getting updates from a brother who’s fighting an addiction,
    and doing a splendid job keeping at it,
    Another one,
    who just came back from giving a competitive exam,
    and has had a long day,
    requiring a full day’s sleep to be in working condition again,
    another one who opened a new office and is dying from traveling as the commute has added 3 hours which he has to steal from these 24 hours…

    My laptop for penning down my thoughts and ideas,
    in the WordPress app,
    as a few ideas flew by me,
    one of which I explored last night,
    and wrote a prose in a language commonly spoken here,
    about a girl who is held in boundations,
    and isn’t welcomed by her maternal home,
    in a setting that is absolutely heartbreaking….

    My wireless sound bar,
    which played one of the favorite playlists that has songs from Panjabi culture,
    some Hindi songs and Gazals or a collection of old poetry,
    which brought me immense joy,
    and every once in a while,
    a new song would pop in and I’d have to change it,
    and remove it from my playlist…

    Surrounded by these things,
    I thought of a life before all of this,
    these devices,
    these apps,
    these screens and,
    it took me back to a time when we had those buttoned phones and nothing more…

    I remember,
    getting bored of playing snake game and then going out to play with my friends in the colony we grew up in,
    we used to run after each other,
    play hide and seek,
    hopscotch because we had these sandstone blocks outside our home,
    which would make it way easier to prepare and play around,
    but,
    those memories were blemishing,
    maybe I forgot some of it…

    We used to wake up early,
    watch our grandparents light an incense stick in prayer room,
    after then watching them read the newspaper on the rocking chair,
    sipping on their piping hot tea,
    occasionally taking a bite of biscuit or rusk that was kept right next to their cup and saucer…

    I remember rushing to take a bath,
    after that hurriedly chomping down breakfast,
    it was something light like poha,
    or a paratha (Indian flatbread with filling),
    something that we all loved,
    after that going to school where we used to enjoy our friendship,
    meeting those who we liked from the bottom of our hearts,
    some crushes,
    some whom we adored,
    and found cute…

    Our parents went to their work,
    father returning home late around 8 or 9,
    mother returning home early and preparing evening snacks for us kids,
    and preparing dinner for the people in the house,
    and finally getting back to bed,
    late around 11 pm or 23:00 hours…

    Occasionally going out to buy sweets like jalebis,
    or something,
    never missing the night walk,
    staring at the starry sky and the moon,
    as we used to walk back home,
    tiredness kicking in as soon as we reached home,
    and falling asleep under,
    the rotating fan and occasional cooler blowing cold air which turned into hot after it ran out of water,
    and then replacing it with new water after cleaning it to remove the foul smell…

    The respect that we held for our elders and the stories that we heard from their own mouth,
    that too very keenly,
    shaping our beliefs and moral compasses,
    without many distractions,
    we were able to focus better;
    and having a genuine relationship because of face-to-face conversations,
    and learning about our culture and heritage from the word of mouth,
    rather than having to search google or YouTube just like these…

    A time to remember and cherish it was…

    Cheers 🥂

    Love Waakiye 🤍

    Those were the good days,
    we keep on telling ourselves,
    as the generation that grew up playing outside,
    before the technological advancement that made our lives,
    Easier yet more chaos filled…

    Remembering,
    crying to our parents to play outside,
    our eyes feel watery this day too,
    But,
    seeing the roads empty,
    break our heart shattering them into little pieces,
    a history of fun gone,
    replaced by technology…

    That crying before going to school,
    and the tiredness that surrounded afterwords,
    that sleeping after coming home,
    or those time spent,
    during exam period,
    cramming everything into this little brain of ours…

    Then pouring it all into these exam papers,
    but,
    remembering those times brings nostalgia,
    that keeps us from forgetting those good times…

    Going out with our parents after they returned home from work,
    grabbing ice cream as they talked to each other,
    worries about our well-being,
    our school life,
    and their personal life too,
    remembering them talking to each other we used to feel happy,
    that we were blessed with such caring and worried parents,

    “The Simpler times”
  • Life Lessons from Personal Quotes

    Life Lessons from Personal Quotes

    Daily writing prompt
    Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

    Hey

    I hope you all are doing well…!

    There are a few sentences that i live by,
    they aren’t necessarily quotes,
    but they’re self-drawn rules that I live by,
    Well,
    I think each and every one of us should have some,
    rules or something that helps you set,
    what is right or wrong,
    in a situation…

    Quotes are those who are written by a writer and such,
    and when you are one in the making,
    what’s better than looking at something that you wrote,
    to keep yourself in check,
    during times that you thought would be the end of you…

    The said quote(s)…

    1)

    THE FALL TAUGHT ME TO GET UP AND MOVE FORWARD,

    IT DIDN’T TELL ME TO STOP AND SIT DOWN,

    IT TOLD ME THE REASON FOR THE FALL,

    AND I DIDN’T STOP LEARNING,

    NOR I’M STOPPING,

    DIDN’T STOP YESTERDAY,

    WILL NOT STOP TODAY,

    WONT STOP TOMORROW,

    BECAUSE,

    I DIDN’T STOP LEARNING…

    ★Didn’t stop learning★

    2)

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    CAN’T CRASH OUT

    ✅CAN THUG MY WAY OUT OF THIS ONE, SO

    I WON’T CRASH OUT

    These two are the ones I often check out,
    there are more but those are some other ideas,
    prompting some other feelings…

    For the time being,
    you can read them,
    save them,
    make them your quotes too…

    Cheers 🥂

    Love Waakiye 🤍

    This is exactly how it feels when some prompt like this comes in…
    (Ai generated image…)
  • “Iss Chehre Se Muskaan Naa Jaaye”

    Iss chehre se muskaan naa jaaye…!

    Jabh se paaya unhe,

    Jabh sunay woh meri har baat,

    Mere khyaal,

    Mere iss choti se dunya ko chaar chand jo lagaaye…

    Iss chehre se muskaan naa jaaye….!

    Anjaan thay,

    Thokar khaa kar tootay baithe thay,

    Dekhte thay ek doosre ko,

    Kose’tay thay apne aateet ko,

    Mar kar kaat rahe thay apna vartamaan,

    Naa thee ek aache kal kee ummeed,

    Jeen’ay ki aas jo bhula baithe,

    Naa jaane kitna kuch peeche chord aaye;

    Magar aaj,

    Iss chehre se muskaan naa jaaye….!

    Toot ke bikhar’ne par,

    Kisi ko apne paas naa paa kar,

    Dil ko apne aap behlaa-fuslaa kar,

    Naa jaane kitne pal karwaton main gawaa’ye,

    Uss kamre kee deewaro ko raaz maaloom,

    Aur,

    Uss takhiye ko jisme samaaye woh jo mere hisse aaye,

    Par aaj…

    Iss chehre se muskaan naa jaaye….!

    Intezaar,

    Iss dhoop kadak’tee main,

    Thand kee ek lehar banke aaye,

    Jabh bhee unki deed aaye mere aage,

    Chede aaj mujhe meri sakhi’an,

    Naam leke woh ko kareeb mere,

    Gaal surkh laal ho jaaye,

    Pasina aane lagay,

    Chede jabb mujhe meri sakhi’an,

    Subeh aur shaam yaad jabb aaye woh,

    Mujhse raha naa jaaye..

    Iss chehre se muskaan naa jaaye….!

    Aaj milna jo humne,

    Dekhu main apne aap ko,

    Kapde badal badal ke,

    Kisme khoobsurat lagti main,

    Maa baba dono pareshaan,

    Kaise aaj iss chehre par dukh nahi,

    nirasha ka aansh nahi,

    Kaise aaj iss chehre par ek muskaan…?

    Dill-lagi jo hisse aayi mere,

    Kaise iss chehre se muskaan jaaye,

    Ishq,

    jisko bhula baithi thee main,

    Badnaam kar gaya thaa zindagi meri;

    Par aaj,

    Shar-e-aam,

    Main mujh se kahu;

    Pyaar,

    Hisse aaya jo tere,

    Jiss’se samsaar dikhe ek naye rang se:

    Ek naye rang main paaya apne aap ko;

    Khoye jo mere raaz,

    Dil jo mera gaaye jaise ek raag,

    Uss naam,

    Woh jo mere kareeb,

    Uska saaz,

    Toh phir kyo naa ho,

    Iss chehre par ek muskaan…?

    Love Waakiye 🤍