The Soul on Music

Ria grew up alive to sound—a Casio keyboard's pre-recorded violin rendition of "Greensleeves," the family ritual of watching Chitrahaar on Doordarshan, the menacing tone of Ring a Ring o'Roses. Long before she had words for it, she was being shaped by everything she heard. This essay moves through the sounds of a childhood: a timeless Mohammed Rafi song, the roar of the Arabian Sea, the hymns sung at the school assembly, the vibration of a piano felt through a wooden stage on a birthday morning. This is an invitation to step into one girl's sonic landscape and feel the vibration of the original symphony.

"Likhe jo khat tujhe, jo teri yaad mein, hazaaron rang ke, nazaare ban gaye," lyrics by Neeraj, from "Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe," Kanyadaan (1968), music by Shankar-Jaikishan, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• "Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe" (film song)—from Kanyadaan (1968); lyrics by Neeraj, music by Shankar-Jaikishan, sung by Mohammed Rafi; English translation: Ria
• "Greensleeves"—traditional English song
• Chitrahaar—Doordarshan's twice-weekly Hindi film-song programme, since 1982
• Doordarshan—India's state-owned public broadcaster
• "Ring a Ring o' Roses" — The Countdown Kids (lyric video)
• "Showers of Blessing" — Bill & Gloria Gaither, ft. Sue Dodge (Live)
• "This Little Light of Mine" — Soweto Gospel Choir (Live)
• "Heal the World" — Michael Jackson
• "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music
• "Morni Baga Ma Bole"—from Lamhe (1991)
• "Jana Gana Mana"—India's national anthem; written by Rabindranath Tagore
• "Silent Night" — Bing Crosby