Remembering College Orchestra Days.



Location : 1st Year Electrical Engineering -Physics Laboratory in MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur(5 year integrated course)
Date: Sometime in 1963
Experiment to be conducted: Sound-Demo of Resonance using Sonometer with Tuning Fork

We had to vary the length of the string of sonometer so as to bring it in tune with the tuning fork of known frequency. We were to place a small piece of paper on the string known as 'rider'. The moment the tuning fork and the string are 'in tune ', the string used to vibrate violently and the rider will drop.
               It so happened that I was partnered with another classmate  J. Most of us were new to each other so it was the first time I met  J. When we were well into the experiment, both of us realised that we did not need the prop of the rider to ascertain 'in tune'ness, so to say, as we could make out by merely listening to sounds. We got to talking and realised that both of us came from musical background and have had some training in the music and so had 'musical ears'.
    That was it! I used to play mouthorgan and J was into playing Bulbul Tarang.We teamed up and started playing and practising together. We thought we will be the future Shankar Jaikishan.We were waiting for a proper opportunity to exhibit our talent.
  When we were into 2nd year we took part in a departmental level entertainment programme.
We chose to play a popular film tune. In the first half minute itself we were booed and hooted by the restive bunch of boys. I looked at J and in a flash we knew what we had to do. The worse had already happened and so we felt liberated. We forgot the whole world and completed the remaining  two minutes of the tune to 'punish' the boys for hooting. After sometime their hooting subsided. I do not know whether we played better or they got tired of hooting!

        When into third year, we were thrilled to be invited by the college orchestra team to join them and thus started our musical journey. In the annual function of our college, the college orchestra was always 'piece de resistance' and was an eagerly awaited item. For the next three years we presented the orchestra in the annual function, choosing the most popular tunes of that year from Hindi films. We earned many accolades and were also invited to participate at the university level. During this period J changed to playing mandolin. Practice sessions which used to last 3 to 4 weeks were one of the most memorable days of my life.

   This post is to celebrate GOLDEN JUBILEE OF MY ASSOCIATION WITH J. We still keep in touch.

Here are two photos taken at that time. I cannot produce audio/video. So I have played one of the most popular songs presented by us (O mere sona re from Teesri Manzil) on my mouthorgan after a gap of about half a century with a smug feeling that you cannot hoot me!

Here is the link to the audio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXdbidH1Wm0



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