A list of songs that got us through
Listen to the compiled playlist of hope here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3d8Th5fiMUZzOsod2mxKBR?si=HoZ8gqrnRiyYWC88gqH6yQ&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1
13. Yaari Yaari by Ram Sampath An ode to friendship, this track will remind you of your friends without whom you wouldn't have survived the pandemic the way you did & those college friends with whom you had to meet but the distance between your physical locations due to the pandemic wouldn’t permit. Listen to this fun track & the lyrics would surely remind you how grateful you are for these people who make your life better every single day..
14. Azaadiyan by Amit Trivedi, Neuman Pinto and Amitabh Bhattacharya Azaadiyan refers to freedoms, a strong word and which is what makes this song even stronger. It asks you to take a leap of faith and snatch that freedom. Which one? Depends on you. Freedom from the burdens, freedom from the shackles stopping you from posting an image, freedom from the numbness, whatever this freedom is, it is yours to grab & keep and this song gives you the strength to do so.
15. Shagan by Agha Inzi This one has a low number of listeners but hidden treasures are often the best of the lot. Still not on Spotify, this song hits close to home even when you don’t understand the language. Music is beyond words, you see?
16. Yumbarzaloo by Yawar Abdal
A travelling girl alone in Kashmir finds a companion in her driver - this song and the music video isn’t necessarily about romance between two people though, it is about the romanticised valleys of Kashmir. A good listen for times when you simply need to take a break.
17. O Megh by Papon and Shantanu Moitra Ft. The Dewarists Language: Bengali/Hindi The lines written by Rabindranath Tagore fit perfectly with the voice of Papon and the soothing music. The song is “a tribute to a child’s imagination and his dilemma at leaving his mother behind while he’s tempted to go and play with clouds and waves.”, and it definitely brings you a rush of calmness.
18. Forget Conversations by Tejas Hope has many shades and Tejas’ Forget Conversation brings to us the bittersweet one, of nostalgia and love. A different way of seeing hope is the acceptance of the future always being uncertain, that it may be painful but not the end, perhaps?
19. Ode to a Sunny Day by Blackstratblues What appeals to me about this instrumental composition is the story behind it. One of the members found a rare rising of the sun during the otherwise gloomy winters of New Zealand & just started playing the guitar under the bright sun. Simple but beautiful. Isn’t that what hope is? Like the sun suddenly showing up when you did not expect it?
20. Break Free by When Chai Met Toast Break Free is a soothing listen when you need something that holds you together and the music video, even better. Of an Alzheimer ridden single father and a busy daughter, the song reveals the hardship, vulnerabilities and the delicate beauty of the relationship; in a situation, all of us have seen our loved ones struggle silently, this song makes you feel supported.
21. Main aur Tu by ALIF Main aur Tu is the song about you and your slipping dream. The music video portrays a situation all of us have or may get in, a situation where we contemplate the life we had planned for ourselves. The lyrics portray how heart-wrenching it can be when you have no way out but to give up on that dream; what makes this song hopeful is the end thought where a new door opens when the room seems completely shut.
22. Faasle by Kaavish & Quratulain Balouch About love and distances, this song hits home when the entire country comes unstuck f; Faasle soothes you but it also makes you want to cry your heart out and when mentally everything is burdensome, a good little cry relieves.
23. Kya Khayal Hai by Zeb Bangash
When India & Pakistan meet in music, there is not a doubt left if it is going to be a treat. Swanand Kirkire pens the poetry, Shantanu Moitra brings in the music & Zeb Bangash lends this composition her dreamy voice. Good music can always lift you up & this is what good music is for me.
24. Laiyan Laiyan by Saad Sultan Ft. Rizwan Anwar Whenever I want to travel back to my past self, whom I am not particularly a fan of, who tried to do things right but messed them up instead; Only Laiyan Laiyan helps me reach that self. It reassures my past self, “this is not your fault, you are not alone;there are many who are trying their best yet failing again and again, just like you. You need to calm yourself down, you need to try again.”, and that reassurance is everything to me.
Compiled & Written by the team of The Redstockings Literary Society
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