On my Wish List to Santa.....

Mindian · Dec 20, 2009

On my wish list to Santa this Christmas is something I seem to have lost. Yes, dear friends, I seem to have REALLY lost it. In case, many of you are nodding your heads and thinking So, what’s new and that you always knew I had lost my head long back, let me hasten to tell you that it is my voice that I am talking about. I had been on a short holiday to China and temperature there being between 0 degrees and 15 degrees and here in KL at 25 to 35 degrees has left me with incurable chest congestion. I have quaffed two bottles of expectorants, stuck my head into a bowl of hot water with Vicks hoping that the vapor would enter my nostrils and clear my respiratory tract but the darned thing seems to be in every corner of the whole house except where it should actually go.

If you know me properly, you will know what a terrible loss it is (for me, that is and not the world). I cannot talk, nor sing. Have you ever had that urge to sing when you know that you can’t? Then you know exactly what I am talking about. Sometime back in my childhood I have gone through this once and resorted to proxy singing. The song I was singing was interrupted by a coughing fit, so I told my bro to continue. Probably thinking that I was going to die coughing and that it was my one last dying wish, he immediately obliged.

But no, not so considerate, my family here..Hubby said smilingly”my sympathies dear”, but I did not like that smile. Was it my imagination or did I detect a hint of some small happiness behind his mouthed sympathy?…Oh No… he is not that bad… he may actually miss my songs, but no songs mean no incessant chatter too…..haha now that’s one thing he will always welcome and be thankful about. My daughter too who is back home on study leave said unpityingly “No Way, mamma….. all the better..I can now study in peace”.

I tell you it is most irritating. Yesterday during our drive we were listening to songs from sahib bibi aur ghulam and “na jao saiyya churake bhaiya” was being played. Now I have this habit of educating my daughter on melody; ”See, the lyrics, the melody, the voice….. Not like your Shakira and her not lying hips…here, the heroine is asking the hero not to go out and begging him to stay with him”. Maybe I should have just stopped it at that but carried away by the music I started singing and all I got in response was a chuckle from my dh..” I don’t blame him, if anybody asked ME to stay, in THAT croaked voice I would rush out and what’s more, stay out for some time”.

Then another favorite of mine started playing”piya aiso jiya mein samaye” This, I feel is one of the most romantic songs …that of a lady getting dressed up to receive her man and I lost myself to the lovely melody singing (trying to ) along…..ohhh and just when I reached the most beautiful part that goes “maine sindhoor se maangh apni bhari…,roop saiyya ke karan sajaaya” can you imagine it went like this…...maine sindhoor se .cough cough cough…roop saiyya ke cough cough cough…I have NEVER felt so sorry for myself. There were laughing advices to just sit back, relax and enjoy WITHOUT singing.

I have not called up and spoken to any of my friends last ten days but heard that one of them has her kid with chicken pox and so called up to enquire. After her initial shock of ”hey, what happened to your voice ” I enquired about her son and thought of giving her some advice about neem leaves and using the water soaked in these leaves to wash her son. For the life of me I couldn’t say neem..OF COURSE I kept saying it properly with the “m” on end but all she kept hearing was neil…and now neil happened to be her second son who did NOT have the chicken pox and hence she kept on saying “what, Neil? He is fine yaar …it is the elder one with the spots.” Okay..i gave up…so much for trying to be helpful.

It is too much… I thought as we put up our Christmas tree today. Now Santa only should get my voice back for me as a Christmas gift. And then the greedy voice inside me said ”while you are at it, why not ask Santa for a sweeter ,lovelier ,improved version of the one you had lost.” There is no end for wishful thinking isn’t it?

Merry Christmas dear friends…nothing lifts up my spirits like the Yuletide and voice or no voice I am bound to be SINGING. Why should I worry…it is the problem of those who are listening, what say?

Pavithra55 · Dec 20, 2009

hi
well written. even am in your position due to pollution and metro construction in bangalore has left ma voice unheard to many except me.........! hope so santa restores your voice

iyerviji · Dec 20, 2009

Dear Mindi

I thought I was the one first to give fb but Pavithra had already posted by the time I posted. What a humorous post you have written. I feel sorry that you are not able to talk properly or sing. The songs you have written are also my favourite. Yu have a way of writing and winning everyone's heart. So sad that your friend could not understand that you are saying neem leaves.

Dont worry Santa will definitely bless you and bring back your voice. My blessings to you and by the time you come back to give fb your voice will be back and you can sing meri awaz vapas agayi and mai bahuth kush ho gaye and also sing na jao saiya churakhe baiya.
Here in IL we can only read and cant listen to you so its ok. Now Gopika wants me let me go. She had gone out so I thought of giving fb and now she is back and she wont leave me.

love
viji

ALPA · Dec 20, 2009

Dear mindi,

here a big big hug to you and i am so sorry about your voice loss, it happened to me me yrs back, don't strain yourself take your meds on time and you will be fine. I loved your post.

love
alpa:cheers

Shanvy · Dec 20, 2009

Mindi,

First hugs to you. now i am :rotfl:rotfl imagining your coughing and bro continuing .too much of sankarabharam???

I can understand when you talk about shakira's hips don't lie and the old beautiful songs. but with us it is a 2:2 vote out and the proxy vote goes either way.

Sing to your heart's content, who do not want to listen, let them stuff their ears with cotton, dear.

I love your wish to Santa..and amen to that.

Padmini · Dec 20, 2009

Dear Mindi,
Your sore throat made us to enjoy a hilarious post from you !!Thanks to China!! Sorry!! You know my wish:
If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of potential -- for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints; possibility never.Now coming to the singing part same thing happened to me also!! When suddenly my throat went for along strike, I heard my DH saying" What a relief ! tomorrow I won't have the trouble of hearing your song !! My dear DS, " Amma, you do not strain yourself in giving instructions"For four days I was like " Jeyabhaduri in Koshih.

Do not loose your heart!
“Sing, Sing a song, Sing out loud, Sing out strong, Sing of good things, not bad, Sing of happy, not sad, Sing, Sing a song, Make it simple, To last your whole life long, Don't worry that it's not good enough, For anyone else to hear, Sing, Sing a song.Santa would surely grant your wish.

with love
pad

Padmasrinivas · Dec 20, 2009

Mindi dear,

Wondered about your Wish List, quite tickled the grey cells, what?

The greatest gift we have is IL, isn't it? A quick query here and many eager responses, collective prayers for everyone, a recipe or a prayer and presto, Chitvish has already posted it...

But I do know exactly what you must be going through in the 'voiceless' phase... happened once to me and I could not even bunk music class!

I'm sure you will make up for lost time once you get your voice back, Mindi dear

Well, all's well that ends well, eh?

Take care,
Merry Xmas to you too

Love,
Padma

mithila kannan · Dec 20, 2009

What a lovely post,my dear mindian!I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
This loss of voice happens to many,then?I can't sing to save my life,infact I sing only when I grind something in the mixi so that I get the pleasue of singing at the same time no one is punished.

how are you now?keep gargling with salt water,grandma's remedy but very effective.
Hope santa will grant you your wish and you get back your lovely voice.

love
mithila

knot2share · Dec 21, 2009

What a hilarious post Mindi!! I loved reading it. I sincerely hope that you get well soon. I shall put a special word through to Santa on your behalf. Please make sure that the chimney is cleared and not blocked at home. Santa hates to have blocked chimneys.

Jpatma · Dec 21, 2009

Pavam Mins !

Iam sure you will be fine singing again like Lata or Asha !
Thiniking of it again , these chinese winter is terrible, they took the best out of you and left you voiceless. We need to wage a war" war of voice" with them. I suppose they haven't yet forgotten the India China war.

Iam only afraid if your voice is restored you may have a chinese accent and alphabet "r" will be out of your vocalbulary. You will be saying "eat lice" instead of " eat rice ". You may sound like Jay chou or Wang Li. Better to be Jay Chou than American idol William Hang.

Hilarious post -Ab Mein chup rahungi
Jaya