ankhon Hi Aankhon Mein Yun….
iView Author: Subhasish Chakraborty (Banglore, India)
Email: subhasish.schakraborty [at] gmail [dot] com
ankhon Hi Aankhon Mein Yun – As the soul finds its sound
Yesterday, I came across this song – “Aankhon hi aankhon mein yun”. It’s a solo by Mohit Chauhan. When I was in the final year of my college, which was in 2005, I was shooting a film. The film was funded by the friends and featured engineering students who have been acting in front of handi-cams for years in the confines of their hostel rooms. I picturised the climax of the film with Boondein’s song “Humsafar”. I’ve been continuously hearing “Humsafar” for more than two years at that time. Continuously, listening in loops at times. And that got all my wing mates in the hostel pissed of to the point that they dreaded when I’ll enter the room and they will hear the same song over and over again. But over a period of time, I’ve fallen in love with this voice. Mohit Chauhan for me is the most soothing and mellifluous voice that I’ve had the privilege to hear.
I graduated in Computer Engineering, the movie was only around 60% shot and we had no more funds, the girl who played the female lead, had already been engaged to someone else and I’ve busied myself with C and kernel coding. Music had disappeared from my life altogether. I painted for over a decade also prior to college. But now I could see myself morph into a gadget freak, a coder who loves Mac and Harley Davidson. In the last three years, I never even once looked at the rushes of the movie. Don’t know why but can’t stand it not being made. Can’t see it even once. It was a part of life. The life when I spent nights at the terrace of our college hostel with my friend playing guitar as we composed the back ground score. The life I don’t live anymore.
Then one day as I was having coffee in my company, I saw a thirty second parachute ad. I didn’t see what I heard. I heard that voice again. The same voice which had sung the songs from Boondein. I searched in youtube. Like a fool, I kept browsing channels hoping to catch the ad once again. Never saw it again.
It might be months, when suddenly I heard the song ” Naa hain yeh paana…” from Jab we met. And it was past flooding back all over again. Yes, surely I couldn’t be mistaken. It’s the same voice. This time I could catch it once again. Indeed I was right. It was Mohit Chauhan doing his magic once again. I heard it and heard it and heard it.
Time just flew. Mohit sang “Kahin naa lage man” in Kismet connection. And I saw the movie for him. I bought a Hobner guitar and though I can hardly play the major chords with loads of struggle, I can play all his songs, starting from “Dooba dooba…”
In my cubicle in office, You won’t find a design doc or a functional spec. Instead on the drawing board I’ve got the barre chords and the distortions. All the while even as I code, I listen to songs. I bought a 4.1 speaker set at home too.
I downloaded “Aankhon hi aankhon mein” yesterday and till now, I must have listened to it more than three hundred times. I slept also having the song playing on the speakers.
His voice is just unbelievable. Shaan, Sonu and KK’s might be ruling the roost in terms of the commercial market, but for me and I guess for the generation who grew up with Silk Route, there can be no news bigger than Mohit Chauhan’s belated entry into mainstream bollywood play back singing. He’s one singer for whom we just waited and waited. Oh, so long a wait. After an album like Boondein, You had to accept the fact that the band broke up and one won’t have another “Mermaid” or ” Jaadugar” ever come out.
Mohit Chauhan, for a very long time, was the best play back singer that Bollywood did not have. I almost don’t like his duets, for it’s different and very difficult to stand anybody else in Mohit’s songs.
Mohit Chauhan would be rated very highly in the annals of independent music in India for his Boondein and Pehchaan and oh, that “Gunchhaa..” ghazal from “Mein, meri patni aur woh”. But his entry into the mainstream music industry is a godsend. For one, his is the most refreshingly original and soothing voice around. His voice unfailingly reminds you of the blue mornings and moist rocks. Of Himachal, and of the silences of Himalaya.
The success story of Mohit Chauhan is one that makes you dream. For, he is the guy who never had formal training of music. He taught himself the acoustic guitar and flute. He played the 19th century instrument Recorder even as the majority wondered how his music sounded so distant. Some people are just gifted, touched by God.
In ways more than one, his story reminds one of Howard Roark as he says – “I don’t stand at the end of any tradition. In fact, I might be standing at the beginning of one”.
I no more dream of doing an oil painting. Though cinematography attracts me like anything, it has been quite a long time that I’ve fondly held a camera. But I’ve definitely discovered, even if rather late in the day, what I really love. It’s music and it’s acoustic guitar. And I’ve got a person who shows me the sounds that I want to play.
In Karan Bajaj’s “Keep Off the grass”, the protagonist, who’s incidentally the author himself, goes to Himachal Pradesh and meets his idol Ruskin Bond as he asks what made him stay in India and not return to UK. Ruskin Bond told him that there’s a joke in the village over there, that if Brooke Shields married Ruskin, what’d her name be? The answer is, an innocuous Brooke Bond. Ruskin told him, nobody in UK would be able to appreciate the joke. And that’s why he’s in India. Just for the 5 minutes spent at Bond’s doorsteps, Karan Bajaj actually travels in train from Bangalore to Himachal.
My idea of a dream morning in February is to be in Himachal, amid the snow and green foliage. A sip at the fuming coffee mug and Mohit’s voice over an acoustic guitar.
Eagerly waiting for Mohit’s next song in Nagesh’s “Aashayein”.
I’m not greedy. I’ll be more than happy with the songs he’s already sung.
All I want, is more.
Tags: Aashayein, Mohit Chauhan
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How can you not mention Khoon Chala song?! It was that song that re started his PLayback career.
Anyway, Aankhon Hi Aankhon is good. That Sunjay Dutt song from the album is funny..
That “Gorgeous, Hameshaa” ad?
That guy has a beautiful voice- it’s absolutely intoxicating. ‘Guncha’ is pure delight- and he even makes otherwise average songs like ‘Kahin Na Laage’ sound so good!
Whatever geene-chune songs he has sung till now are marvelous ones and as Honhaar Goonda asked, How could you forget Khoon Chala from RDB? Did not know or forgot? Apart from EMI’s song another new one which you can try is ‘Kuchh Khaas’ from ‘Fashion’. Listen carefully when he sings this line in particular Kya ye khumaar hai, ya aitbaar hai, shayad ye pyar hai. Simply awesome.
Ya surely, how could I forget Khoon Chala! Actually, to be honest, when I saw RDB, I didn’t pick up his voice. It was after I heard him in Jab We Met that I actually figured it out.
Sameer, ya it was the “Gorgeous Hameshaa” ad
He is starting another band soon. Looking forward eagerly to that.
Oxy, I like the first line the most in “Kuchh khaas hain…”
The guy’s voice is just amazing. Raw and spiritual. Hopefully he sings many melodious songs.
Really? Is he starting another band? Same band members?
‘Ek Meetha Marz De Ke’ is another good song by him, this year.
ya i truly agree with u……his song “tumse hi” is really briliant……..it brings out my passion for music,although am always into music…i dint know him earlier bt now am quite impressed by his feat…….
and eagerly wainting for his next……
Band members will change. And from what Mohit has been saying, even the sound will be quite different from Silk Route’s. He’s got done with the legalities regarding the dissolution of Silk Route. But knowing the man, his songs will definitely have the same quality and feel. He’s also come up with a composition called Kala:m which is basically composition on APJ Kalam’s english poetries. He doesn’t seem to be doing any concerts in Bangalore. He’d have got a huge audience here, going by his fanfare.
Great to see your article again. I dont know whether i counted correctly or not… but i think i read it atleast 7-8 times… Anyways… Mohit Chauhan is great to say the least.
I would recommend that you watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oKNLll2Ffw&feature=related. Mohit Chauhan was a participant in Mission Ustaad. The whole series is available on Youtube.
love them too.. i am sure you will like it.
There are some songs which he composed…
NiDHi MoDH
What’s Mission Ustaad all about? We don’t get that channel here.
@ Honhaar Goonda:
Mission Ustaad was a music based reality show where the participants were established singers. The participants were grouped in pairs – one male and one female singer each. Participants were given different themes each week and they had to come up with a popular song and one of their own compositions on that theme.
The show had 4 participating pairs – Roopkumar and Sonali Rathod (who eventually won the competition), Kailash Kher and Mahalaxmi Iyer, Mohit Chauhan and Vasundhara Das & Naresh Iyer and Shweta Pandit. It was judged by AR Rahman & Javed Akhtar.
Subhashish….one personal q…..r u swami???
Well, my friends in college coined this term, “Swami”
You are from NITD? I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you.
Today , whenever a new soundtrack releases , i search on Smashits or similar websites if the soundtrack has a song by Mohit Chauhan and thats the only song i listen to !!!
I actually wonder with songs like Ankhon hi Ankhon mein , Kuch Khaas , Tum hi se , etc … is it sung and composed by Mohit Chauhan ? or just sung by him !!! Have my complete doubts if Pritam can actually compose a Tum se hi !!!
But yes Khoon Chala started it all in the soundtrack genre.
Not sure if you have heard the song Sabse Peeche Hum Khade from the soundtrack Lets Enjoy … another gem by Mohit Chauhan.
Infact read in Saturdays edition of Pune Times that Mohit is working on a romantic solo album and will complete the same in a couple of months … can hardly wait for the same.
I have exactly the same doubts Prasun. Rather I have the conviction that the scores are composed by him as well. In Youtube, You’ll find Mohit’s live performance of Tum Se hi. It has variations better than the original in the movie.
Good Job Swami…helped me remember my college days.
No doubt Mohit Chauhan is good but your blog is something else.I was searching for his songs when I came across your blog and it was a kinda reminiscence.Its been a long time since the last post on this blog,I hope you are still listening to his songs…