151. Dancing in the Dark

A video shared with me by my friend Prarthana and the caption saying, "Hey Tinzo, remember how we would jive to this one?" brought back memories galore. 

Bruce Springstein has been one of my favourite singers and his "Dancing in the Dark" was quite a song. His white unbuttoned shirt and his not so skinny pair of denims created quite a ruffle with us girls back in school as we tried to dance and also sing like Bruce. As if we could but somehow whenever we put on this music during one of the many birthday parties of our class friends, we would go crazy on the dance floor, pretending we were one of the contenders who Bruce would pull to the stage and dance with. 

Well, I kind of kept this dream alive in my heart that someday I would meet Bruce Springstein on one of his shows and while I would be in the front near the stage, he would pull me onto the stage and we would both start dancing while he kept singing for me. My, my, if wishes were horses!

Anyway, destiny had other plans for me! If it was not Bruce Springstein, then it had to be some other singer. 

In December of 2005, I was invited to compere ABP's three day annual IT conference, INFOCOM in Kolkata. As was the norm, the organisers invite a performing artist on one of the evenings. All of us were super excited as we heard that Kunal Ganjawala was going to come (he was happening at that point of time). After I had announced Kunal's name, the singer made his grand appearance on stage with one of my favourite numbers (I forgot now which one it was!) and then he went on and on. As I sat, which was getting very difficult by now as Kunal's songs were getting peppier by the minute, I just kept swaying from side to side. My two associates on either side of me kept quiet and looked as if they were listening to something really serious (and looked at me from time to time as if it was sinful for me to be enjoying so much!) But I kept up the pace and moved in my chair even more fervently to get them to shake a leg, maybe just to tap their feet. But they looked like they were too high strung to enjoy anything and smirked at me distastefully.

As Kunal kept singing one song after the other, Bruce Springstein flashed across my mind for a fraction of a second but I continued tapping my feet, closing my eyes once in a while, biting my lower lip and moving my upper body to the beat. Just a minute after I wondered if he would sing my favourite song, I was pleasantly surprised when he actually started singing the song. I smiled and yoohooed!

DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU

In the middle of the song, something pleasant happened. Kunal looked towards the corner where the three of us were seated in the front row and said, "Hey beautiful lady, can I have you on stage please?" The three of us looked at each other, looked back to see who Kunal was talking about. Then when he said, "You in the white pair of trousers, please", the lady on my left nudged me sharply and said, "Go, he is calling you!"

Me? Oh my God! 

As I walked towards him, Kunal held out his right hand to help me get onto the stage and all the while kept singing. While I stood in the middle of the stage, he went around me several times while the two thousand strong audience looked at me, some staring wide-eyed while some hooted in sheer excitement. 

DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU

At this point, Kunal turned his back to the audience, sat on one knee and held my right hand while he looked at me and sang. My heart beat fast and I was blushing. But all the while I kept smiling. Smiling and blushing! Smiling and blushing!
TERA JISM ODH LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
AANKHON MEIN TERI HAIN
MERA HI CHEHRA
CHAHE TU YEH MAANE
YA NA MAANE
TERI MOHABBAT PE
HAIN MERA PEHRA
CHAHE TU YEH JAANE

Even after Kunal had walked me back to my seat, I still couldn't stop shaking from the sheer excitement of someone singing for me on stage in front of a live audience. Now, how good is that?

YA NA JAANE
TERE LIYE MAIN
JAATE HUE LAMHO KO MOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
BECHAINI KO CHAIN
TUNE DIYA HAIN
BIN TERE MUSHKIL HAIN
REH PAANA
HO PAANA HAIN TUJHKO
YEH TAY KAR LIYA HAIN
TU HAIN ISHQ MERA
JAANE JAANA
TERE LABO SE
PYAR KI KALIYA TOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU
DIL KEH RAHA HAIN
TUJHSE YU RISHTA JOD LU
TERI DHADKANO KO CHU LU
TERA JISM ODH LU 

At the end of the show, 'green-eyed' ladies, with flushed crimson cheeks came upto me and asked if all this was part of the show and if I knew Kunal from before. I told them, I met Kunal when he called me onto the stage. But they hardly knew that this is a dream I had cherished as a little girl. It was Kunal Ganjawala in 2005. Bruce Springstein will come too!

 http://youtu.be/129kuDCQtHs