KAHIHI

“God bless us everyone…” Imagine what a song that starts like this would be! Rhythmic, fast paced, ideological, peppy lyrics and what else? In one word, an Anthem! A song from ‘A Thousand Suns’ by Linkin Park , after its launch become the most heard song in two to three days. A great start for a great song.

The music progresses gradually, gets a little fast, then faster, then gradually sets your heartbeat at its pace and takes us for a ride.  At a point it drops to dead zero, then goes on to its highest level just to give you a shiver at the sheer pleasure of hearing the base. The drums resound with the base beautifully and the vocals are amazingly done. The song, as sure as bells, keeps ringing in our ears for a long, long time.

The lyrics are peppered with metaphors all over the length of the song. The video has reference to Bhagvad Gita and J. Robert Oppenheimer according to bassist Phoenix.

The other line in the song that strike the most to the common man, “We are broken people…living under a loaded gun.” This sounds so most apt when heard in a Churchgate local during office hours. Images of everybody hanging on one another’s shoulder, pushing each other, heads down, giving in to the situation, perfectly personify the song. Had the video been shot in our Mumbai local trains it would have gained more prominence. The lines suit the morning rush hour and when a train cruises through the air that blows in, the rumble that’s made, all just fit with the song like a solved jigsaw puzzle. The words “broken people” and “loaded gun” exactly describe the present situation wherein we live our daily lives, considering that there could have been a possible outrage ahead of Ayodhya verdict, possibly disguised as a constant threat to blow up a train. Like in the movie “Wednesday”, the “common man” says “When a man leaves his house, there is no guarantee that he might come back” (of course that sounds better in Nasaruddin Shah’s resonating voice) – that is the “loaded gun” we live under. This ‘Anthem of Mankind’ makes us prospect about the direction in which we are heading? What our future has in store for us? What is the consequence of our actions of our wars? We are leaving under a shadow of dark clouds. It is a prayer reaching above them, to Him. But will He hear? Not unless we change. And change is not fast, it’s gradual like, the trance of this song.

The music near the ending part has a quirky resemblance to a very unique feature of our locals: The Bhajans.

The fast locals that pass by with the Bhajans going on have a superb trance to them! The “dhad-dhad” of the trains and the “tin-tin” of the taals have an air of magic around them. When we hear this standing on a platform we are left astounded as to what was that? It’s a trance, a prayer, like this song which we have failed to notice over the years of tradition. It is powerful and it is the original ‘Anthem of the Mankind’. We needed this newer version to remind us where we are heading. Will this one be enough or should another ‘Catalyst’ be released? Will even that ensure a change in us? It’s a hope for the best!

It’s only “Us” who can lift ourselves above this “Gun”. Just to show that we are still humans, that we still not have forgotten this fact.

Catalyst criticizes our actions, prays to Him, and gives us hope. A song worth remembering, for the whole of humanity, indeed.