When WorldSpace went bankrupt three years ago, music also stopped for me. I packed the receiver set and stored it away just in case they ever revived service again. Some noise has been coming on and off about revival and I still hope that they would return. I of course listened to some music from internet based radios and youtube recordings and occasionally overheard music coming from Ranjan’s room too.
I had been missing listening to music which was very much part of my life almost on a must have basis, including listening to it while going for my walks on the then popular walkman followed by the discman and so on. I decided last week that I must get it back into my life and went about it quite systematically.
Ranjan had gifted an iPod sometime ago to me after down-loading a lot of music that he knows I like on it. I first needed to charge the battery. So, on Friday, I left it on charge overnight.
Last Saturday, I retrieved the amplifier and speakers from storage and hooked the jing bang lot up to the iPod. With a prayer that everything would work, I turned the system on and music was back into my life.
After listening to various favourite musicians throughout Saturday, I decided that I should get myself a tuner so that I could listen to some local radio broadcasts as well. I went to sleep with that thought on my mind and woke up on Sunday with a brilliant idea.
Before his hearing was impaired to the extent it now is for my father, he had wanted a couple of radios which he could hold near his ears to listen to news. I had bought a largish transistor set which he was uncomfortable with and so had bought another smaller pocket sized one. For the past year or more, he had stopped listening to the radio and got his daily dose of news from the TV every evening by tuning into channels with subtitles.
On Sunday, I asked my father if he still wanted those radios and on his saying no, I retrieved them from his room and hooked the smaller one to the system and am now up to listening to newer music from our FM stations. The larger set that could be operated from the mains was sans the cable to hook up to the electric supply. So that had to be kept aside. I eventually got a cable and linked that set, up in the kitchen. Now I can listen to FM whenever I am there.
I however miss the old days when I used to listen with headphones on while reading or doing my crossword puzzles. I can’t do it now because I am the doorman who answers the doorbell, telephone operator, attendant etc and need to keep my ears open for calls from the high command too.
But, what is more important is I have a complete system now in operation and I have music back in my life whenever I am awake and at home. It does not bother my father as he can’t hear it. TGFSM!