Spoiler alert: If you haven’t yet watched Big Sky, you might want to tread with caution as there might be a plot revelation in this post.

This post is not about the show Big Sky, but about a conversation the L&M and I had while watching an episode of the show. In the story, which is based on C.J. Box’ book The Highway, a man gets shot in the head and is laid up in the hospital in a coma. The nurse asks the wife what kind of music the man likes. The distraught wife is taken aback for a second. The nurse clarifies that music is known to activate brain cells or whatever, forgive me I don’t remember exactly. Suffice to say that she says the music may well help man regain consciousness. The wife mentions the kind of music he likes and also a particular song which is his favorite. They then play the song in a loop.

While watching this, a thought struck me. Yes, thoughts are always ‘striking’ me wherever and whenever. I am practically blue and black from all the strikes. Jokes apart, I was curious. What if…. I had to find out. I paused the show turned to the L&M and asked:

“What if it was me in the hospital and the nurse had asked you what songs I liked? What would you say?”

Before I go on, I must say that the L&M is not a big one on music. I have never seen him listening to music for the love of it, more as a background score rather, and that too while driving. He is okay with the FM radio channels though I myself hate the inane chatter in between songs. Then there are the songs I have compiled from among those in my collection, keeping his tastes in mind, which too he listens to. So though if someone were to ask me the question, I’d be nonplussed to pinpoint a favorite genre or particular song, I’d definitely be able to make a list of songs for him.

It is no secret that I on the other hand am a music person out and out. Nothing like music to uplift my mood and get me going to finish all my chores. When I have headaches, I listen to songs. When I write, I listen to songs. I listen to songs when I am sad. I listen to them when I am happy. If I cannot fall asleep, I listen to songs. I love watching music shows on television. If I hear someone sing, I immediately stop to listen. Years back, I was introduced to a genre and singer and they went on to became one of my favorites. I was very vocal about the newfound love for the singer and bought cassettes and compact discs of the man by the dozens. So it was no secret and I was fairly sure the L&M had an answer ready.

To my surprise though, the L&M thought for a while and then said, he had no idea. I do know he does not know the kind of music I listen to in the present (an eclectic mix!). But to forget about my love for Jagjit Singh? What a sorry state of affairs. Here I was smugly thinking that he’d play me ghazals sung by the maestro if I were in a coma, and the man says, HE DOESN’T KNOW! Enough to break any wife’s heart. But I wasn’t going to leave things to chance any more. Jagjit Singh, I told him. You better not forget. Any song of his would do. But you know what, even if the L&M does forget, the children won’t. After all they call the singer, ‘Amma’s Jagjit Singh‘!

So who would you want sing to you in a coma?

© Shail Mohan 2021