Global Beatles Day: How these Mumbaikars fell in love with the English band

The Beatles may have been active for 10 years only between 1960 and 1970 but 50 years on their influence still reigns around the world The fourmember band included John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison and Ringo Starr From ObLaDi ObLaDa Hey Judersquo to lsquoHear Comes the Sunrsquo and lsquoWhile My Guitar Gently Weepsrsquo they have produced some alltime favouritesTheir magnetic sway hit India too inspiring musicians and music lovers here The band themselves paid a famous visit to Rishikesh in India between February and April 1968 which translated into The Beatles album they released that year Even before their Indian sojourn George Harrison singersongwriter and lead guitarist of the band had befriended sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar to learn the instrument in 1966 All of these stories are told and retold by fans to everybody who had ears and would care to listenAbout those who may dislike the band or think their music is overrated Subhash Kamath adman and citybased musician of the band lsquoWanted Yesterdayrsquo and ardent fan of their music says ldquoForgive them for they know not what they are doingrdquo It sums up the unconditional love he and many others in the city have for the bandKamath who became a lsquoBeatlemaniacrsquo somewhere in high school around 1979 explains ldquoMy father introduced us to English music which started with a movie about the band ABBA So when I borrowed a cassette with classics from my neighbour it had five ABBA songs but I didnrsquot know that there were Beatles songs like lsquoLove Me Dorsquo lsquoI Want to Hold Your Handrsquo because the cassette didnrsquot have the names written downrdquoSubhash Kamath a citybased adman and musician of the band lsquoWanted Yesterdayrsquo Photo Subhash KamathMarvelling at their harmony the adman says he loved how their voices would interact with each other ldquoI think The Beatles are one of the most underrated for their harmony in songs such as lsquoIf I Fellrsquo it is absolutely brilliantrdquo he explains Being able to recognise their sound and reading about The Beatles was only just the start for him as he was yet to discover albums such as the lsquoSgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Bandrsquo 1967 and lsquoAbbey Roadrsquo 1969 which have his favourite tracksOver the years he amassed several cassettes and CDs but he says what he loved most about the band was how they progressed musically after 1965 where they grew from the threechord songs to melodic compositions He attributes it to their time in India and George Harrisonrsquos learnings from Pandit Ravi Shankar While picking a favourite is difficult he says lsquoHey Judersquo lsquoLet It Bersquo lsquoI Love Somethingrsquo and lsquoWhile My Guitar Gently Weepsrsquo still blow his mind Kamath even recommends watching the documentary lsquoHow The Beatles Changed The Worldrsquo 2017 on the streaming platformsFor citybased musician Melwyn Almeida another Beatles fan in the city it was not only the music but also their style that he adopted over time A fan of the band since 1976 he was introduced to their music by his friend who had the luxury of access to The Beatles records because of his brother ldquoMy friend Christopher would listen to these songs learn them and then come to my house and sing them I used to pick up these songs quickly and then play the lead parts which he would sing and harmonise to It came easily because of my church choir backgroundrdquoRea Burman former Mumbaikar and one of The Beatles fans in India Photo Rea BurmanWhile it is hard for Almeida to pick his favourite Beatle McCartney and Harrison are his top two The fan who is in his 60s says ldquoI feel so much like Paul McCartney as he would take so much trouble to learn and write down songs and also new guitar chords There was a time they had heard of a guitar chord which a certain guitarist from the other side of town knew It did not stop him from taking a bus and going down to that side of town meeting that guitarist just to learn that guitar chord because of his childlike desire to learn musicrdquo It did not stop at listening to the music and playing it for him as he also aped their dressing style ldquoI used to try dressing like them with their famous drainpipe trousers cutting my hair down with the famous Beatles fringerdquo he addsWhile Kamath and Almeidarsquos journey started much early on for Rea Burman another Beatles fan it started a little over 19 years ago The former Mumbaikar says she knew about their songs much before she was introduced to the band ldquoAs children we used to sing these songs during singing class but I didnrsquot know whose songs they were it was only when I was 12 and listening to these vinyl records with my granduncle that we had a moment in which he realised I liked The Beatles too and ever since then listening to music has become a bonding experience for usrdquo says the 31yearold who says her family has always been inclined musically ldquoA few years ago when all of us met for my grandparentsrsquo 50th anniversary the family listened to these records toordquo The bandrsquos timeless music travels smoothly across generationsAlso Read Lights Camera Michael Jackson Moments from the artistrsquos dazzling baffling lifeShop NowSR NOProductShop Now1JBL C50HI by Harman inEar HeadphonesShop Now2boAt Rockerz 510 OverEar HeadphonesShop Now3Sony MDRZX110 OnEar Stereo HeadphonesShop Now4boAt Bassheads 900 On Ear Wired HeadphonesPearl WhiteShop Now5Zebronics ZebThunder Wireless BT HeadphoneShop Now