And when I was in সেকেন্ড grade, Rang De Basanti came, and I was surprised to hear Daler Mehndi গান গাওয়া the শিরোনাম song.
And the summer between my fifth and sixth grade years, I used to watch a প্রদর্শনী called SaReGaMaPa L’il Champs. On the weekend before my sixth grade year, they were playing the Daler Mehndi episode, and my পছন্দ part was Yatharth গান গাওয়া Tunak Tunak Tun.
And the পরবর্তি year, as seventh grade was approaching, there was a প্রদর্শনী called SaReGaMaPa গান গাওয়া Superstar, and Daler Mehndi was one of the judges. The other judges were Vishal-Shekhar and Sajid-Wajid.
But when I was in eighth grade, I had no attachment with Daler.
But when I watched the Indian version of Nyan Cat in my high school freshman year, it had Tunak Tunak Tun as the background music, and it revived my interest in Daler’s songs. After looking up the original, which had four Daler clones based on the four elements, I also heard his other songs, like Bolo Ta Ra Ra, Ho Jayegi Balle Balle, Jalwa, and La La Dum, and I started loving that guy again!
But on the সেকেন্ড দিন of sophomore year, Dad burst into my room and said, “They cut out the meat of Daler Mehndi?!” It was really a mean, insulting quote. How stupid and aggressive Dad was!
And when Bina Didi came to my home, I told her about my interest of Daler Mehndi songs, she said, “I don’t like Daler Mehndi at all. His dance moves in La La Dum are stupid. I prefer listening to Mika Singh.”
But after Bina Didi left, I was getting less interested in Daler’s songs.
In junior year, I listened to Hum Raks from Kaafila, and I was surprised to hear Daler Mehndi singing, with Sukhwinder Singh, but I was not too crazy about Daler then. I was আরো in balance with other singers.
But in that infamous senior year, I had overdosed on Daler Mehndi, instead of balancing singers. I had been addicted to the reversed version of Tunak Tunak Tun, and I had laughed too much. Dad said, “Daler Mehndi is nothing to laugh at.” But I drew a portrait and a 3D drawing of Daler Mehndi.
And weeks after my college freshman year, I saw a lot of sped-up, slowed-down, G-major, খাদ boosted, and ear-raped, অথবা in one word, distorted, versions of many Daler Mehndi songs, mostly Tunak Tunak Tun, that I grew tired of Daler and decided to switch to other singers, like KK, Sonu Nigam, অথবা even Mohammed Rafi. And having listened to those singers, there was আরো balance and no distortion অথবা cacophony. Now that I am in my first week of my college sophomore year, I don’t like Daler Mehndi anymore, I’m already tired of him, and I should probably stay away from his songs. And when I wanted to draw a picture of myself with a band of singers, I did not want to include Daler in the picture. The singers in the picture were Sonu Nigam, KK, Shaan, and Sukhwinder, but no Daler.
Guess it’s better to listen to other singers and stick to the original, unremixed versions.
