Story by Prasann
My love-hate relationship with music began at age 5. My aunt, then 15, found it funny to make me sing “Bheege honth” (having sung about wet lips and thirsty hearts at 5, do I need therapy now?).
Then, I recall watching Saturday singing shows on TV with my Thaata (grandpa), who’d lie on a mattress, balancing me on his legs. I physically felt him feeling the music. He’d wiggle his toes to an upbeat song, and I’d grab them in delight. With quieter music, I’d feel him being moved, even through his stillness.
Then came some music-related heartbreaks.
I took to the guitar. Sis, took to the keyboard, and was pronounced the better by our teacher. Told myself it was just because I’d broken the teacher’s guitar. But, it stung! I replaced the guitar and quit.
In First Year, I got an electric guitar and locked in to rock on stage! Another Iyer dropped a YouTube hit cover of “Chhoo lo.” Great! There was already a better Iyer at home, and now, here was Akshay, a better Iyer in college.
Began feeling for someone who sang really well. But they mentioned being interested in a guy who could play a guitar held behind his head. Yikes! You should be with him, I can't compete.
In Final Year, I auditioned for a music club event. Got a rejection email. Pfft! The selection committee is tone deaf and the Nile is a river.
Thaata died. I grieved. Memories of his moved-to-tears eyes on those Saturday nights linger.
Later, I met a wannabe tech bro. Taught them their first guitar song. We did Wordle and mini crosswords in bed. Work was great. Had EVERYTHING… till I didn't. They didn't know what they wanted (who does?); I pushed them away.
Lost my 300+ Wordle streak. Everything―games, work, dates―became just “whatever.”
Stumbled upon bandle.app and spent a week challenging a workmate at it. They smoked me. “I’m not into Britney Spears. If there was a Bollywood version, I’d beat you.” Couldn't find one. Hacked together a tune splitter, wired it into UI that Vineet built, and we had a bare-bones Bollywoodle.
Got bested at it, too!
Dug into Wordle and learnt
Josh Wardle had developed this simple word game for his partner, Palak.
Lol, you can’t make this up.
The dots connect backwards.
I’d met Vineet when he’d walked into my room at a “just-before-JEE” camp with a math question. Thick glasses, toothy, clad in all blue. It’s Stitch from Lilo & Stitch, I thought! We clicked: cramming before endsems, trading lame jokes, getting hammered and jamming Bollywood bangers shirtless (Mumbai is humid).
Just this year, we discovered we’d both spent our first years in Bombay chawls when our parents were “figuring it out”; both our moms love karaoke; both our dads are rage-baiting sticklers; and we’d both taken music lessons. We also figured we like making new things we find cool!
The dost connect backwards.
Bollywoodle’s come a long way since. We’ll see if making cool new things leads somewhere. At least, things aren’t “whatever” now.
There’s your fucking story