“The Musician” by: Poonam

Meet Mr. Manmohan Rana. He is an Ex-Army Man, who plays flute in JW Marriot, Chandigarh, India. I can sense your awe, “What on earth forced an army man to play music in a restaurant ?!” No body forced him, he is doing it at his own will. Allow me to narrate the whole story to you.

It was Tuesday night, we were enjoying a sumptuous dinner at JW Marriot, when a man clad in ‘kurta pyjama’ entered the dining area, holding a bag in his hand. He instantly caught my attention because of his upright & self-reliant walk. I mentioned it to my hubby. However, soon he was out of sight & we got engrossed in our food. A few minutes later, melodious sound of flute caressed our ears, we turned our neck to witness that same man in ‘kurta pyjama’ playing music. He was not standing in a corner but roaming around in the room so that every person could relish the taste of his melodies along with the flavours of the food. So, you see, multiple cuisines were served, one for the body & other for the soul.

He played numerous songs, all old, popular & evergreen. We clapped (it was only we who clapped) & approached him to applaud, thinking that he must be a professional musician. But no, another surprise was to be served to us. He told that his name was Mr. Manmohan Rana & he was an ex-army man. He has never had any professional coaching in music. After retirement, he pursued his hobby & approached this restaurant himself, with an idea of playing live flute to the diners. He comes there daily, twice a day for breakfast & dinner time, from Kalka. Even at this age & with such efficient flute playing, he was looking for a Guru. He added that he was able to play flute for 6 hours at a stretch. We were allured ! Such passion & talent, at this age.

On hearing that my son is also learning music, he instantly advised him, saying, “When you are playing music, don’t bother about who is listening or not, looking or not. Just play & enjoy your own melodies. When you click a wrong note, you will be the first person to know, acknowledge that mistake & try never to repeat it.”

We thanked him for the deep words. I also assured him that as he was looking for his guru, somewhere a guru must be searching for him.

Next morning, at breakfast time, he was there again. The hall was jam packed. Least bothered about who was enjoying his presence, he was busy producing tunes. He was playing. Sitting there, I was wondering & looking at people around, listening to his music mixed with the clinking & tinkling of cutlery along with the murmurs & chatting of the crowd, to tell you the truth this cocktail was not very tempting, at least to me. Not a single person looked at him or passed a smile, leave aside a small clap at the ending of the piece. I realised, how little attention humans pay to those who appear just normal or non glamorised. Ordinary people can have extra-ordinary stories, amazing skills, outstanding wisdom. No one deserves to be taken for granted, no talent should go waste, no dream should remain unfulfilled, no endeavour ought to go in vain. I request, dear readers, notice & appreciate others. And if someone here is a master of Flute, contact Mr. Manmohan Rana. He will prove to be a brilliant student. ~Poonam