Songs and Memories

Memories of a time in my life are often triggered by a song that I hear from that time; it's an unconscious association my mind makes between the two. Often times, the memory is of a person I heard the song with; other times, the memory is of a phase in my life that has in some way made me the person I am. A couple weeks ago, I was watching a movie when "I'll Be Missing You" started to play in the background. It was instantaneous; I transported back in time to an evening in Bombay at Three Flights Up. It was the summer of 1997, the track had just started making the rounds of the club circuit in Bombay. Aarti was dancing with me when the DJ mixed this track in and she whispered in my ear, "Manoj, dedicate this song to me". I walked up to the DJ console, made the request and continued dancing with her. Since then, everytime the songs plays on a speaker within earshot, I think of her and for an instant, I'm back at TFU. When I return to the present, it's usually with a smile on my face...