Music is the song of the heart

We’re fresh off an invigorating long weekend spent at our annual fundraiser, the Kasauli Rhythm and Blues Festival 2018, which reinforced our belief that there are lots of giving hearts in the world, and we are so glad we got to celebrate this spirit of giving with the universal language of music. Prema Sagar, our Founder Trustee, in fact began this fund-raiser festival in order to bring music and people from different corners of the world together, who share a common love for music and philanthropy.

To keep the music in our hearts going here’s a list of Genesis Foundation’s favourite songs with the word heart/dil in it.

In fact, there’s even research to suggest that listening to music is good for your heart. Here’s what the Harvard Heart Letter has to say,

Music can make you laugh or cry, rile you up or calm you down. Some say it’s good for the soul. It just might be good for the heart, too. Make no mistake — daily doses of Mozart won’t clean out your arteries or fix a faulty heart valve. But music can help ease your recovery from a cardiac procedure, get you back to normal after a heart attack or stroke, relieve stress, and maybe even lower your blood pressure a tad.

Music and healing once went hand in hand. The Chinese character for medicine includes the character for music. In ancient Greece, music was used to ease stress, promote sleep, and soothe pain. Native Americans and Africans used singing and chanting as part of their healing rituals.

In Western medicine, the connection was gradually broken when the art of medicine gave way to the science of medicine. It’s slowly being restored as music therapists demonstrate the value of music for treating people with everything from Alzheimer’s disease to chronic pain and substance abuse problems. Since 1980, researchers have turned their attention to the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. Most have looked at single variables, such as changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or blood flow through arteries. A few have looked at more holistic effects.

Hope you find a few new songs, a few old ones, in here and you find it in your heart to save a little heart. Happy listening!

1. Prema Sagar, Founder Trustee, picked What a Wonderful World, which though directly doesn’t allude to the heart, talks of all the love in it, which is after all its most major function. What a wonderful world indeed it would be, the more hearts we save!
2. Jyoti Sagar, Founder Trustee, picks an oldie, but a goldie, with Dil Deke Dekho, the title track of the movie starring Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh. Sung by the inimitable Mohammed Rafi, with music by Usha Khanna, and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri
3. Dolly Malvai, Senior Coordinator, favours the classic Dil Cheez Kya Hai, from the evergreen Umrao Jaan which cemented Rekha’s position in our hearts, sung by none other than Asha Bhosle with music by Khaiyyam and Lyrics by Shahryar

4. Kriti Makhija, Volunteer, reminds us of a movie that defined love with her pick, My Heart Will Go on by Celine Dion. Written by ­ composer James Horner (who died in a 2015 plane crash at age 61) and lyricist Will Jennings, “My Heart Will Go On” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Feb. 28, 1998, buoying the Titanic soundtrack’s 16-week run atop the Billboard 200.

5. Nanni Singh, Principal Coordinator Events thinks its Dil Diyan Gallan from Tiger Zinda Hai that deserves a spot on this list. Sung by Atif Aslam, with lyrics by the one and only Irshad Kamil and music by Vishal-Shekhar, this song is still winning hearts across the country

6. Simran Sagar, Content & Creative Lead, is more partial to Selena Gomez singing The Heart Wants What it Wants, a rather personal song by the artist who used the entire process of creating the song as a cathartic experience to explore her own relationship more fully.

7. Rangachari Srivatsan, Programme Managar, Pediatric Cardiology, picks the cult hit Dil Toh Pagal Hai, from the movie of the same name, which inspired a generation of young people to give dance a chance, and was also Shiamak Davar’s first Bollywood project. The song had music by Uttam Singh, lyrics by Anand Bakshi and was sung by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar and the 90’s favourite Udit Narayan.

8. Geeta Mahajan, Manager Administration, has found a favourite in the innocent strains of Dil Hai Chhota Sa, from the movie Roja, picturised on the sweet-faced Madhu. Sung by Minmini, with lyrics by PK Mishra and music by the genius AR Rahman.

9. Amit Kumar, Assistant Programme Manager, picks a song from another of Mani Ratnam’s Terror trilogy, the title track of Dil Se, sung by none other than AR Rahman and lyrics by the king of emotion, the poignant Gulzar himself.

10. Roop Singh, Accounts Officer, chooses the wistful Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi, from the movie of the same name, sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Kumar Sanu, the music has been composed by Nadeem – Shravan and the lyrics of the song have been penned by Sameer.

11. Kasturi Paladhi, Lead Corporate Communications, picks Firestone by Kygo, where the lyrics Our hearts are like/Firestones/And when they strike/We feel the love capture the intensity of love so movingly. The song by Norwegian DJ and record producer Kygo, featuring vocals from Australian singer Conrad Sewell. The lyrics and music were written by Dutch songwriter Martijn Konijnenburg.

12. I, Ranjini Nair, Content Writer, picked Dil Chahta Hai from Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut of the same name, that went on to redefine friendship and love, as well as brought in the romance of the road trip to our audiences. Composed by Shankar Mahadevan(reportedly while he was brushing his teeth), sung by him as well, and with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

We hope you enjoyed this compilation, and please don’t forget to make a donation towards children suffering in India from congenital heart defects! Hold on to the music in your hearts.