Live Music...on the move

It feels pretty nice to think about how some folks make all the difference to people around them by doing their bit, however small a thing it may be. When I worked with an IT organization in Chennai a few years ago, I used to commute between Purasaivakkam and Egmore everyday. The bus that I used to take was so crowded that it seemed more like we were ‘moving’ the vehicle rather than the other way round. There was a bunch of youngsters –regulars – that traveled on the footboard and dangled on to the bus by (I often think) their nails. Amongst these youngsters were 3 boys who used to sing hit songs from the latest Tamil movies and sometimes add to it an oldie as well! They were loud enough for everyone in the bus to hear and the sound waves reached us folks in the front through the air outside the bus…uncontaminated by the cacophony (if any) inside the bus. It was pretty entertaining because the prerequisites were all in place - The singers had good voices and perhaps some ‘technical’ training as well. Some people in the bus did give them a lukewarm response, perhaps because they were more surprised than entertained and maybe had their share of problems that prevented them from enjoying music. But some of us just loved the entertainment as it made up for lack of radio in the city bus. It was like our very own Top 3 countdown while on the move. :) I am sure it brightened many people’s days and helped them start the day with a (musical) bang.