Ga-ga over Gitanjali (A tribute in verse)
When we'd barely heard of Fred Mercury
But we did know a thing or two 'bout ga-ga
We trawled medium and short waves for our 'Aha'!
It was on my first outing for the radio
That I had my Aha moment in the studio
A brisk rustle as I thumbed an LP!
Someone in the room said: "Gitanjali!"
"Wow. Is this the one,?' I said (for I had never seen her face)
It was a fanboy view in that basement place
TV was just one channel those days
The Voice was a good passport, a way to amaze
She went on later to ride primetime news
When Doordarshan eased up with colourful hues
But to me she remained the Friday night voice
When I heard pop songs like other schoolboys
We had no RJs then, only comperes
No chatty noise in traffic jam hours
Clear timbres, clear scripts with some gentle humour
We'd lap it all up, without much of a murmur
The voice became a national face
The glasses turned to lenses, added grace
But to me and many such of my kind
She was the one with "Friday On My Mind"
Listeners sent post cards, or blue inland letters
To a state-owned station, tied in government fetters
Names were read out (whoops of joy!)
Was it my song she was playing? Boy oh boy!
Years rolled by, TV channels mushroomed
The chatter turned natter, the folks less groomed
Then came democratic Internet
Social media which made us all connect
Gitanjali added me on Facebook one day
Beyond my teenage imagination, I say
(Such honour, but sadly I never did meet
the lady of the times which in memory tastes sweet)
We are all celebs now, I say with dark dismay
As digital influencers show sundry display.
To have shined well when fame was rare
Is the real stuff, not Truth or Dare.
Now that you have moved on, to the Great Beyond
I salute you Gitanjali, with nostalgia fond
-- Madhavan N (7 June, 2023)
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