MUMBAI: Blame it on St. Valentine or the departing winter, February always creates a buzz that suddenly brings out the lover in you. It is essential to note, the tendency to make the most of the 'month of love' does not strictly restrict to the ones who spend their days and nights listening to songs that evoke emotions reflecting love, but it also extends to the ones who sang them.
Of course, Indian mainstream music speaks mostly about love. A war movie can include a song with a lady in a red dress running through a desert with a dupatta trailing in her wake, a horror movie includes songs of love-making at the oddest of times, and then there are romantic movies. We get it, Bollywood surely cannot be subtle enough. But, the industry has provided several voices that throughout its existence make you fall in love with them. And it would be totally criminal to not mention Kailash Kher among the songwriters whose work is synonymous with the idea of love. But Kher is more than what meets the eye, or the ears if we may.
An advocate of love, Kher has experienced the worsts of the pedestrian life, and enjoyed the luxuries of his vanity van. And the journey makes the 42-year-old a bit of the philosopher and the poet - a quality that often expresses itself through his lyrics. And more often than not, the 'Bum Bum Lahiri' singer finds the right words to precisely describe emotions that affect people on an emotional level -
On Love -
"Love has millions of dimensions. Love has various expressions. Simply put, love is an enigma." Kher, through his band Kailasa, has produced some truly remarkable compositions on love and their debut album's 'Teri Deewani' stands as a good example of how Kher perceives love. Submitting oneself to the fate of love has been the essence of Kher's lyrics, and Kher continued to ensure the intent carries on with Kailasa.
On Heartbreak -
"Sometimes, all good things have to end. That is something for us to learn and adapt." Kher proudly mentions how Kailasa's music has deeply helped people grow out of misery and loneliness. "Humans are naturally deeply emotional. We can bear first-degree pain, but heart breaks are always difficult to handle."
On Moving On -
"You have no idea how many people with suicidal thoughts and depression have used our music to heal themselves. When they tell us their stories, it counts more to me than all the money and glory."
Kher emphasises on how he doesn't write music for the sake of it. "As musicians, one writes what one feels in the heart. Kailasa's songs enlighten on aspects that make us humans."
On Falling in Love Again -
"You have to let go of the past. If one river is stuck to one stream, then it becomes a canal. Flow like a river and do not give up on love. Reinvent yourself. Explore yourself. And that is also what Kailasa talks about."
On Fate -
"I believe in everything. I do not know who created us, but I believe in the universe. I believe in whoever created us and I believe in fate. You can always find love, happiness, gifts and other stuff. Embrace other things too."
On Expectations -
"Try to keep things as simple as you can. The common man does not really know how to express himself and ends up expecting more than he/she could take. Music (Kailasa's or otherwise) helps these people express what their words cannot."
On Obsessions -
"Let me give you an example of how obsessions can get the best of you. I often come across moments where fans cross the line and try and make the most of the situation. Of course, their intentions are good, but the manner is not. That is true in every form of love. Obsessions could lead to trouble."
On Identity -
"No matter what you are going through, you need to maintain your identity. Nobody remembers how fat Mohammad Rafi was. But the love for him is unparalleled even today. You lose a lot of credibility when you try to be someone else."