Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota’s wife, Medha Jalota has left for her heavenly abode recently. Here, in this interactive session with Shaheen Raaj he shares some of his painful & fond memories too.
by Shaheen Raaj
“I have some very fond memories of Medha. It was a 2 decades long musical journey between us. As she was also very fond of singing, having learnt from Pandit Jasraj, most of the times we used travel to perform together on stage. In fact music was the most wonderful link between us.”
“Medha had one very special quality that she used to ignore trivial matters, so we never used to have any major arguments about anything. I still remember that we never had any major marital fights. In fact Medha was so understanding that she never used to let anything come between us. Whatever little issues we used to have in our day to day life we used to have open discussions about it, sort it out that day itself and then peacefully go to sleep. I had taken a flat in Versova and named it “Kop Bhavan” so that if we ever had any major issues one of us would go and stay there, especially me but such a time never came. And that “Kop Bhavan” become the Bhavan of friendship. That flat is still there which I have been using it to have my music sittings, to create more music, to meet the poets and to meet my friends too.”
“4 times I had brought back Medha from the jaws of death and once when I was not there even my son Aryeman brought her back from the jaws of death and if at that time he was not there with Medha she would not have been alive as within 5 minutes he rushed her to the hospital and Medha was saved. But how many times could we fight with death, at last death had to overtake one day. This time during the surgery of heart & kidney transplant her liver failed and she was no more. I still remember that we were all tear eyed when Medha was wheeled into the operation theatre, but Medha had smilingly gone inside with an idol of Hanuman in her hands to give her strength. Yet this time death won and we lost.”
“Yes! It is very difficult for all of us so we thought that instead of launguishing in sorrow I would totally immerse myself in my musical work and Aryeman got fully immersed in his studies in America. I am still trying hard to sing but I am still finding it very difficult as the moment I face the mike my voice gets choked with emotions. As her memories keep coming back. But very soon I come out of my reverie and start singing again. The idea is to keep myself busy, nay over busy. So I still keep meeting her family, her friends and their husbands too.”
“Medha always used to say that if something happens to her in America then not to take her body back to india for her last funeral rites. So we did as per her wish and then brought her ashes and immersed it in Hrishikesh.”
“The last 2 months that we spent with her in the hospital were very memorable, it was almost like a daily picnic. We used to partake of the choicest food of her choice like Chinese, Japanese, Mexican cuisine et al. Once she expressed a desire for Afghani cuisine so one of my friend from Washington DC specially prepared the Afghani food for us and delivered it after a 5 hours drive from Washington DC to America. And then the evenings would be followed with a delicious ice cream treats.”
“Even earlier on during her sickness we used to have constant vacations in Dharamshala, Chandigarh, Delhi, London, America et al. But wherever we used to go we first used to find out about the hospital and then check into a hotel nearby so that her 4 times a week dialysis treatment continues uninturrupted. So in this way we kept playing hide & seek with her death & her sickness kept playing its own game with us. After being victorious over her death for 5 times we finally lost the battle. I am glad that her last days were full of joy & fun. And God – The Almighty forbid that such a trivial time never befalls on anyone. As sometimes the pain & suffering is just unbearable. Even if one suffers from headache the pain is too much and the person doesn’t like anything at all so one can imagine the pain & suffering that Medha must have gone through.”
“In the end I would just like to say & pray to God – The Almighty to continue to bless her soul. Yes! It is indeed a trying time for me and Aryeman, but he is a strong boy and he will soon recover as he has immersed himself totally in his studies in his new college in Princeton University in America. But I am all alone in this house in Mumbai, a dream house created by Medha & me. But she gave more to it and I can still feel her touch, her presence everywhere in the house. Anyways it is my humble request to all my fans & lovers of music to continue showering their blessings on me so that I may not drift apart and continue making more & more melodious & mellifluous music for them with a positive approach & thinking for the rest of my life. Amen.”