Jingle Bells at NCPA

It's supposed to be an annual event, but somehow I was blissfully unaware. I will now mark my calender every December for this Christmas carol singing extravaganza that I went to yesterday. The venue was NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai. Some five-odd choirs sang beautiful Christmas carols over two hours and enthralled the audience. There are few sounds in the world that are more soothing than carols. The music comes from the heart, has a lot of faith and touches your chords. And when professionally trained carol singers take the stage, expect magic, expect entertainment and expect a lot of happiness.

The carols were sung mostly in English but had an occasional Hindi and Malayalam carol in it. Some choirs even had tablas also in them, especially the Hindi and Malayalam. I do not understand head or tail of Malayalam; it's Greek and Latin for me. But I have always believed; it doesn't matter which language the song is sung, if you can touch you, if you feel music in your heart, the job's done.

One of the best places to listen to carols is in a church early morning when it's almost empty and this choir group is practicing near the alter. The church is empty with an occasional soul moving here or there, it's serene and peaceful and you take your place quietly, close your eyes and listen to kids, boys and girls humming beautiful somethings that may not make much sense if you aren't musically- or rather carol musically- inclined, but they sound soulful. You sit, spend time, don't talk, be quiet, say your prayers and then leave.

But a church is far off for me; NCPA is fine if i get to hear something like yesterday's.