{"id":1583,"date":"2011-09-09T19:32:41","date_gmt":"2011-09-09T18:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/littleindian.awmyth.net\/?p=1583"},"modified":"2011-09-10T19:17:30","modified_gmt":"2011-09-10T18:17:30","slug":"backwhen-coffee-and-biscuits-were-for-a-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/littleindian.awmyth.net\/?p=1583","title":{"rendered":"backwhen – coffee and biscuits were for a song"},"content":{"rendered":"

the song<\/h3>\n

the british folk rock quartet, Magna Carta<\/a> were touring India
\nand they played unplugged to a full house at Kala Mandir in Kolkata.<\/p>\n

it was a longway back in the when,
\nwe were four fresh faced singers and guitar players,
\ntrying out our nascent skills in a band<\/a> of our own.<\/p>\n

we were one of the first ones to queue up to buy tickets,
\nsitting as close to the stage as we could afford,
\nfor a couple of hours we sat awestruck
\nlistening to the singing
\nthe harmonising
\nand the amazing guitar playing<\/p>\n

we were mesmerized.<\/p>\n

there was one song, we had to learn.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

\n

MAGNACARTA at Myspace Music <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

and having spent hours and hours listening to the track
\nand swapping chords and tabs with friends we learnt to play it fairly well.<\/p>\n

the coffee and biscuits<\/h3>\n

sometime later,
\nwith three trekking friends of mine, I was walking in the Himalayan foothills.<\/p>\n

we were walking towards Khecheopalri lake<\/a> in Western Sikkim.
\nand stopped at a tiny village called Thingling.<\/p>\n

there were no shops
\nwe were desperate to buy some food and a hot drink,
\na couple of school teachers invited us to their house and made us coffee and offered us biscuits.<\/p>\n

in the corner of the tiny room stood a guitar.
\none of them was trying to learn how to play;
\nhe asked if we played.<\/p>\n

I was the guitar player in the bunch,
\nI picked it up and started playing and singing this song
\nmy other three friends sang and hummed along.
\nthe two teachers nodded and tapped a table in rhythm.<\/p>\n

we had many miles to go,
\nsoon it was time for the leaving,
\nwe got up and brought out our wallets to pay for the biscuits and coffee.<\/p>\n

smilingly our hosts declined,
\nthey said the song was more than enough in exchange.<\/p>\n

many years after<\/h3>\n

today, like a stuck jukebox,
\nI wonder why the song has been playing on and on in my mind … <\/p>\n


<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n