A Melodious Night In Maui

What’s the most fun you’ve had with your friends? The story that pops right out at me is of a night, spent nearly ten years ago, on the pristine beaches of Maui – singing.

Yes, you read that right. The memory of singing the whole night with friends under a beautiful full moon is etched in my mind forever.

I mean, the day was well spent, too. The Fairmont Kea-Lani is a beautiful beachfront property, where I woke up to colorful frangipanis outside my window each morning. We went snorkeling in waters as blue as a baby’s eyes, built sand-castles and just breathed in the fresh ocean air. But there was something mystical about a night on the beach under the umbrella of stars.

I still remember the sudden plan to sit by the ocean post-dinner.

“What will it be? A movie, games, or coffee by the pool?”

“Let’s take a stroll on the beach,” I chimed in.

And so, off we went to the beach, all decked out in our evening resort wear. Sandals dangling on our fingers, we set foot on the cool white sand and my feet sunk in the powdery softness. It beckoned us to walk.

Humming “chand chupa badal main” (the moon is hiding in the clouds) seemed almost automatic for me. That was the moment the magic began. There was a shift in the already beautiful setting. Unbeknownst to us, tonight we would speak only in songs, laugh only in songs, smile only in songs, shed a tear only in songs, reminisce only in songs, look ahead only in songs. Tonight we would create an unplanned, yet spellbinding memory, only in songs.

It started with the moon, “chanda re kabhi to zameen pe aa” (oh moon, come visit us on earth sometime), and after a dozen or so songs, it moved on to the ocean, “sagar jaisi ankhon wali” (her eyes are blue like the ocean), “samandar main naha ke aur bhi namkeen ho gaye ho” (after bathing in the sea, she  became even more salty). Then it was the greatest romantic hits on the sky, “neela asman so gaya” (the blue sky is asleep) sung to perfection, or so we thought!

Oh, who cares how we sounded? The four of us, now lounging in beach chairs, dished out song after song in unison. The crashing of the waves was the only background music we needed. We sat there singing till dawn.

I believe we put on quite a concert for the hotel security guard. But right then, the four of us were just there, in that moment, singing our hearts out. This melodious night in Maui will stay with me forever.