FRENS
.
.
.
.
FRENS
.
.
.
.
GUESS WHAT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

It's. So. CUTE.

(glamour photoshoot with praying mantis for scale)

Brb in SEVEN YEARS!!!

Ok ok starting with this favourite. If it chews up my cassette I STG

That satisfying slide and slot of cassette into player. I'd forgotten. Hnnnnnnng

In all this excitement I forgot to put battery and tried to play just like that. (I'll put now.)

Good lord it's beautiful to hold and handle. Has nice belt thing too.

The sound of a cassette being rewound. Didn't expect to get this emotional tbh.

Forgot it used to take this long to rewind a cassette. Our past selves had so much patience.

Heard two songs. One on each side of the tape. Wept a little also.

It's beautiful. Everything I expected it would be.

Been so long since I heard the background buzz of a tape playing. The buzz that plays beneath the music, through the silence, demarcating silence (no music but the tape is running) from silence silence (no music, tape not running, world filters in).

Wanted to hear Guide first, but as usual who knows who wins in Side A Side B lottery.

So first song I heard was...

साँसों की सरगम, धड़कन की वीना
सपनों की गीताँजली तू

मन की गली में, महके जो हरदम
ऐसी जुही की कली तू

छोटा सफ़र हो, लम्बा सफ़र हो
सूनी डगर हो या मेला

याद तू आए
मन हो जाए
भीड़ के बीच अकेला

And the next, on the other side:

ओ मेरे हमराही
मेरी बाँह थामे चलना
बदले दुनिया सारी, तुम न बदलना

प्यार हमे भी सिखला देगा, गर्दिश में सम्भलना
कहीं बीतें ना...

I'll come back after listening to all songs on this cassette ok.

Gave myself an actual headache in all the excitement.

Here you go, a sample of cassette player sound quality. (Was goofing around to send to a friend. Features baby tomat from garden that I will have to sadly eat tomorrow. )

Listen off before Twotter suspends for some music copywrong.

Currently room is sounding like lone midnight tea stall with moth circled yellow glow lamps running quiet business on otherwise dark pavement by the beach for a few customers eating masal vadai and smoking and chatting in quiet voices.

Going to make a ritual of it every night, I think. Winding the day up. Then picking a cassette as per mood. Then climbing up to bunk bed top. Wearing headphones. Listening through both sides of the tape. Then to sleep.

Wondering whether I have Teesri Kasam.