Music from the Yonder

Car keys – check 

Badge – check

Documents – check

Laptop...charger...watch...purse – check, check, check

Dev’s mind was racing fast to ensure that he took all the items as he was getting ready to leave for work. The clock was ticking and he had a good 45 minutes’ drive to reach his office on time, a daily routine.

The morning time is chaotic; you never know what’s happening around you especially in a 200 apartment society where Dev stayed on the ground floor. It had its shown share of noise pollution every day. You have the cable guys arguing in a house about why the latter will not switch to DTH, you have the milk man arguing with a typical lady who still can’t believe that the milk man cannot get the cow along to the apartment while coming. The ghar ka bhai’s, some of them can win the guiness under a new category called speaking with a shriek, “Yaaeee, devakiiii, ruk mein bhi aa rahiiiiinnn hoonn” the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’ would almost meet the decibel levels of a FIFA whistle.

You cannot control all of them, but for Dev there was this one noise which was on top of all of them, this absolutely tempo less, raga less, ‘music’ less rendition of “Ek Dho Theen...” which echoed in the corridors. Dev always thought it was a maybe a car reverse sound where the batteries were down. But this noise sounded like it was being punched on a keyboard by somebody, with every note coming in at different intervals. It’s been 6 months since Dev has been listening to this jarring noise and that too right when he is at his peak of urgency to leave for office.

It always broke his concentration, irritated him and he has been thinking for 6 months to confront this neighbour. Part of a 200 apartment society it wasn’t easy to find this house and more intrigued was he to find why it would take anybody to learn one song for 6 months. He was very sure this couldn’t be a kid, as kids were like fire they learn things in a jiffy.

The worst part was, the jarring noise played the entire day in Dev’s head along with his office tasks and he hated it. He left for work and just wanted to forget about it for one more day. But he made it a point to find this neighbour and talk to him. He did not have the intention to stop him but maybe tell him to practice it at a different time, maybe weekends as Dev loved his weekends as he gets to forget office and just chill out with his friends going out or partying.

The same scenario continued for more days and Dev kept postponing his meet with this irritating neighbour. The music also stayed at ‘theen’ and not added one more number of the song.  

Then it was a TGIF feel Friday, scenario repeats, Dev decides right then and there that he is going to take care of this. He calls up his office and informs that he is going to be late or even may take off as he was readying himself for a showdown. Well why not, nobody is going to accept it when some stranger walks into the house and says “hey listen, your music sucks”, “can you take it somewhere else, to the moon, may be”. That’s the kind of snide comments were running in Dev’s mind but he was telling himself he won’t be that rude, but curt.

He followed the noise, it wasn’t too far, maybe the next block building 2^nd floor maybe, he thought. Dev reached the house, prepared himself on his facial expressions of how he is going to explain why he is standing in front of their door. The door opened, the jarring music hit Dev’s ears, and he absorbed it and looked at the person who opened the door. It was a very pleasant face with a smile, the lady maybe was in her late 40s but looked a little young as she had a smiling glow on her face. She calmly said “yes”.

“Good morning Mam, my name is Dev and I stay in the ground floor apartment in the next block”. The lady didn’t wait further but started introducing herself “Hello, Im Sangeetha and I have been here for almost 2 years, it’s a pleasure, what can I do for you?”, the jarring music was coming from the second door of the hall, Dev was holding his urge to take a good look at the person and maybe stare him down. He looked at the lady and said “Mam, I’m very sorry but I have come to discuss about a concern I have been having being your neighbour all this while”.

The lady was astonished, but instead of a confronting expression she had the most genuine look in her eye to listen to what Dev is going to say and take full responsibility to rectify, if need be. Dev relaxed and said “Mam, this music coming from your house has been a singular factor affecting my mornings and I was wondering if you could inform the person to practice at a time when most of us are not around. I don’t mean to intrude but it has been tough mornings since the time I have started hearing this”. The lady was genuinely concerned and said “I’m so sorry; I didn’t know Sanju’s game was affecting you, why don’t you come in and I will speak with Sanju along with you”. Dev’s started thinking, God, it’s a kid?... Game? …Why the same song?

He was sceptical to meet now and was almost going to tell the lady that he just wanted to tell her and she can take it up with the kid. But the lady just took Dev to the room. Dev saw inside the room and his legs froze, there he saw Sanju in a state of the art wheelchair sitting in front of the comp and staring at 3 boxes, Red, Blue, and Green. The Red got highlighted and Sanju pressed a key, the computer speakers blared “Ek”, the Green glowed and and then Sanju pressed the key, the computer speakers blared “Dho”. The lady said, “Sanju” and he just moved a pencil like lever in his chair and it turned like BMW car would, looked at both of us with the biggest smile that Dev had ever seen.

The lady said “Sanju this is Dev uncle and he is asking you to play something else today as your game is disturbing him”. Sanju’s smile reduced immediately and his small eyes became even smaller craving for a few more minutes of the game, it was his favourite. Dev felt his whole body melt like a candle. Dev turned around and just stepped out of the room, Sangeetha followed, Dev turned around and looked at Sangeetha, his eyes welled up, he said chokingly “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know”. Sangeetha said, “oh please don’t be, Sanju is like any other kid, I have a 14 year old daughter and I treat both of them the same way, if you have been affected by a kid playing in your garden you would take the concern to the parent, similarly you have come here which is absolutely fine, I will tell him you don’t worry”. Sangeetha and Dev spoke for some time where Dev came to know about Sanju.

Sanju was a 10 year old autistic kid who was learning the concept of colour by playing ek, dho, theen, it was his favourite song so his therapist had designed that simple software for him to learn it.

While leaving Dev said, “Please let Sanju play his game all he wants, do not stop him, also if you would be ok I would like to spend some time with Sanju during my free time would that be ok with you?”, Sangeetha said “it would be a pleasure”.  Dev walked out looked up at the sky from the corridor balcony and smiled.

The various sound, noise or music that we listen from the yonder may have some face like Sanju behind it. I guess that’s why sometime even noises become music to our ears, from the yonder of course.