THE RECLUSIVE MUSICIAN

 THE RECLUSIVE MUSICIAN

 

‘DAMN GOOD PERFORMANCE,’ said Saanvi, as she watched her little kid brother strum his guitar and sing an old Kishore Kumar song.  “Come on! I’m just jamming and warming up,” said Ajay, as he tried to hide his embarrassment. He strummed his guitar a few more times, ‘Neele Neele Ambar Par’, before he signed off.

‘I didn’t know you could sing and play like that, Ajay!’ Saanvi exclaimed, still unable to mask her astonishment.

‘But it’s the most delightful surprise I’ve had in a long time.’

‘You should play for the family, you know.’

‘Drop it, Di, you know I don’t have it in me to play in front of others. It’s just something that I like to do on my own. I’m not ready to be judged by others. And… moreover, I have to be damn good to play for others’ said Ajay as his face turned beet red.

‘I’m tempted to call in my friends and organize a concert for you. You are too good, Ajay. Where have you been hiding your phenomenal talent all these years? Good God!’

‘Come on, you don’t have to be so shy, for God’s sake, ’ cried a visibly excited Saanvi, as she found it hard to control herself.

Ajay, unlike his sister, was the shy and reticent one in the family. Saanvi, on the other hand, was an extroverted, vivacious young lady who was the life of every party.

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‘My daughter tells me that we have an artist in our midst,’ hollered Mrs. Sharma as she served dinner at the dinner table.

‘And who might that be?’ asked a flummoxed Mr. Sharma with a quizzical look in his old, weather-beaten face.

‘Why, it’s your son, Ajay. Can you believe it! Saanvi tells me that he is so good and his playing is of a high professional standard.’

Mr. Sharma eyed his wife like she had just gone crazy. He drummed his fingers on the table and twirled his handlebar moustache. “You mean to say that our Ajay can play. I always knew there was something about that boy of ours.’

‘Saanvi, I leave it to you to coax your little brother out of his shell. You have to bring out his talent to the forefront’ said Mr. Sharma, turning towards Saanvi, who had just entered the dining room.

‘Leave it to me, Dad, I won’t rest until the whole wide world discovers his talent,’ said Saanvi as she reached out for the soft rotis her mother had prepared.

The dinner table at the Sharma household was suddenly buzzing with deep excitement, as the three of them hatched a plan to get Ajay noticed. Ajay, who was away on a high school trip, had no idea what was brewing in his household.

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‘Come on, Ajay, just play that song for Mom,’ said Saanvi as she barged into her brother’s room that weekend.

‘Oh! Skip it, Di, ‘I told you I play for myself. I don’t think I’m so good, too.’

‘That’s not the real reason. You are too damned shy, Ajay. Come on, we are not monsters. Just pretend no one is there and do your stuff, please. Let Ma also witness what I witnessed the other day.’

‘I can’t, said a feeble Ajay,

‘You can’t dismiss me so easily, Ajay, I’m going to keep on prodding until you agree to perform for the family, just once, please!’

‘Gosh, Di, you are like a woodpecker! You don’t stop, do you?’

‘Does that mean a yes? ‘

Slowly, Ajay nodded his head. He would give it a try. What the heck. Even if it was to keep his domineering sister off his back.

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The next day was a Sunday. The Sharma family discreetly gathered in the living room, to what Saanvi had promised would be a grand spectacle. Knowing their sensitive, shy boy, the Sharma’s decided to keep out of Ajay’s sight when he performed, to make him feel at ease and perform freely. Saanvi, meanwhile, had called a professional videographer, Pramod, to film the performance secretly.

‘Ok, guys, I will play for you all a song. Well, it’s a cover of Kishore da, and the song which you all know is ‘Neele Neele Ambar Par’, announced Ajay as he mustered up enough courage to play in front of others for the first time in his adolescent life.

The guitar started playing and slowly picked up tempo. Ajay started tentatively, but soon he was in full flow. His soft, melodious voice was the perfect accompaniment to his skilled guitar play.

‘Amazing,’ cried an awestruck Mr. Sharma as a hush enveloped the living room. Only the magical sound of Ajay’s voice could be heard. It reverberated all around.

‘This guy rocks, man!’ said Pramod as he adjusted his camera angle to get the best video shot.’ This is the best singing I’ve heard in a long time. We are witnessing history in the making, Saanvi!’ whispered Pramod. Saanvi was sitting beside him, and like the others, was too lost in the moment to reply.

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‘YEAH HOO’, ‘Our brother rocks! Cried an excited Saanvi as she danced and bounced on the sofa for joy.

‘Mom, Dad, the performance that Ajay gave for us the other night. Well, guess what? I posted it on social media, and my little brother has become a sensation. I’ve just received a notification that his YouTube and Instagram videos have gone viral with millions of views and likes.’

‘Well, Ajay, you have become famous, my dear boy, thanks to your sister, ’ said Mrs. Sharma.

‘I don’t know how it happened, stuttered a surprised Ajay. The news was still registering in his surprised mind.

And that was the day the world discovered Ajay Sharma, the hottest, promising young talent.

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The Kamani auditorium was jam-packed with enthusiastic music lovers who had paid a bomb to listen to their heartthrob Ajay take the stage tonight. Ajay had since overcome his stage fright and was coming into his element. Loud whistles, catcalls, and claps greeted him as he stepped onto the stage.

‘I’ll start with the song that started it all. It’s by Kishore da…and tonight’s concert is dedicated to my sister Saanvi Sharma.’

After an electrifying performance in which, for the encore, he called Saanvi onto the stage, Ajay rocked the auditorium that night.

And how had things changed for him?

‘I long for my privacy and just a few moments for myself and my family. Fans and media constantly hound me. Everybody wants to get a piece of me. It’s not that I’m ungrateful for all the love that I receive, but there are a few hecklers who come with the package. They make my life miserable…But I guess that’s the price one pays for fame’ said Ajay in an interview with a foreign international television channel, the BBC. As for Saanvi, she basked in her kid brother’s glory and fame, unmindful of the part she played in it.

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