Pages from a music score of silent melodies.

Consonance and dissonance

John (Baldie Uncle)

My father used to take me to the best store in town in my childhood, and standing right in front of the glass shelves that tidily display all those enticing toffees and chocolates, he would ask, "Which one do you want?". I would say "No, none, nothing", even if he repeatedly ask the same.

I didn't have toys and was not at all demanding. The shop owner used to remark that he had never seen such an 'undemanding', rather considerate child.

Those days I depended on the radio and an old HMV gramophone to listen to music.

One of my uncles ran an electronic goods shop just outside my school compound wall. The shop had a music section, an air-conditioned soundproof cabin stacked with LPs and SPs. I frequently visited the shop with my dad and used to linger around the 'Record Players' on display and the music room where the records are stacked. I knew the disappointing fact that it's not possible to play those 33rpm LPs and 45rpm SPs on my gramophone. So, the routine was to visit the music room, watch and listen to the latest releases, come outside, stick around the beautiful stereo and mono record players on display, and reluctantly leave along with my dad. All the way, I would be vehemently eulogizing the advantages and performance quality of those record players with a scant hope that he may ask me whether I want one. That never happened, and day by day, the strong desire kept growing till I could no more repress it.

As always, the child presented the subject to his mother but couldn't succeed in convincing her. Yet, he didn't give up hope and kept reminding her, day in and day out. The mithering took a new turn when the child learned the politics of applying sentiments. I whined that I have never demanded anything in my life, and yet the good boy is treated without mercy or solicitude. No, that didn't work too. Every day started with the image of those record players doing a slide show on my mind till I sleep at night. For a long time, though I wanted to learn music, my wish was ignored and denied because my parents thought it would affect my studies. In a trice, the child got a new idea. I told my mother that the constant thought of procuring a record player is interfering with my studies.

Woohoo! It worked! Father took me to the shop that day itself, and though I revealed my inclination for a stereo playe