Around 10 years back, I was struggling to find a foothold in what exactly I wanted to focus on in music. I was in Pune and had already dried up my options in a city that literally had no decent ‘music’ scene happening.
I pooled funds from my family and built a small makeshift studio with zero acoustics and decided to produce a music album. I put an ad in the paper, and all aspiring musicians from the city sent in their interests. They all had an undying passion for music.
Out of all the entries, there was one ‘G.D. Vaishnav’ – a 65-year-old songwriter/lyricist.
He was grey in his hair but colorful, young, and vibrant in his writings. His writings were raw, earthy, and scenic. The first four lines of his writing would make you sink into the vibe.
His almost toothless grin upon hearing genuine appreciation for his writing made me happy too, with the belief that I was in the right profession. It inspired me to look at his zest to forget everything and be a musician.
Much after the songs and album were out, many years later, he called me from Bhopal – where he originally was from – and told me he would be in Pune to meet me. He looked even older and more tired, but the smile remained and gleamed even more with happiness. He had a story to tell about his son who abandoned him and how he was forced to start a textile shop in Bhopal for survival.
In his small shared room that he’d rented to survive, he penned a few songs that he wanted to share with me. His wrinkled hands shivered and shook as he read his songs; I listened with an overwhelmed heart, waiting to burst into tears. He left for Bhopal the same day as his son (settled in Pune) refused to meet him, and I sent him off, consoling him as he left with his smile.
A few weeks later, I received a big fat envelope mailed to my home; it contained all his life’s writings that he wanted me to compose. Around 50+ songs were in that envelope, waiting to journey themselves to the reader. The writings were penned on ruled sheets of paper, torn pages from outdated yearly diaries, and blank sheets of A4 paper.
The songs are classics that can be presented as spoken poetry or songs, and they definitely deserve a good pack of listeners.
I’ve been too possessive of his writings ever since I lost touch with him, as all his contacts are non-existent now. All my attempts to reach him have been futile. That said, I aspire to set tunes to his lyrics and produce them soon.
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Amhi Puneri was thealbum. The song that G.D.Vaishnav wrote was ‘Jaise Saghan Gagan’