One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about music is how it reaches places within us that we didn't even know existed. It has an extraordinary ability to unlock memories, emotions, and sensations long after we've forgotten the events themselves.
I don't remember much of my childhood before the age of ten, but I remember the songs that drifted into my sleep. Perhaps that is why some of my earliest childhood memories are not visual at all. They are musical.
Speaking of sleep, my earliest memories through music are lullabies.
In India, many lullabies are passed down through generations, not because they are written down, but because they are remembered. Their soothing rhythm, familiar melodies, and gentle words become a part of our nervous system. Years later, as adults, we find ourselves humming the very same songs to a little baby who slowly falls asleep to our voice.
There is something profoundly healing about that moment.
It is a feeling that is meant to be lived, more than it can ever be told.
These are some of the lullabies I keep returning to. They've become an important part of my own winding down routine, gently reminding me that rest, too, can have a soundtrack. Bollywood has truly made these songs immortal!
Perhaps someday, I'd love to travel across India collecting lullabies from different regions and languages. It would be a beautiful way to preserve a small but precious part of our cultural heritage, one gentle song at a time.
