Calming your nerves

There are a lot of things that we get introduced to when we come to a different country. In terms of music, movies, art, culture. Even after being in the United states for more than a dozen years, I had never heard of a legend when it came to songs for children.

When Jr. went to a Montessori school three years ago, she came home one day and was singing a song which went something like:

Down by the bay
where the watermelons grow
I dont know
my mother will say
etc. etc

in broken sentences. She would sing it with absolute happiness on her face and would manage the broken words in a melodious tone.

The lyrics did not make any sense to me and after asking her to sing slowly, could still not identify the song. So the next day, we go ask her teacher:

"What is this song she is singing about watermelons growing and whales?" and the teacher looks at me with absoulute disbelief and says "That's Raffi!! How come you don't know Raffi?!"

It was as though I had claimed not to know Jesus! Told the teacher that we really had never heard of Raffi, and asked her to show me the CD cover.

We then got that Raffi CD, which played in the van non stop for almost a year. It had its "velli vizha" (silver jubilee function), not because Jr. insisted on playing that CD, but the entire family liked that CD! We were all hooked by that unbelievable voice, which was backed only by a single guitar. The songs were all nursery rhyme style, but goofy in terms of the lyrics and the singing. (Incidentally this music had been released around the time when I was Jr.'s age!!).

Have been searching for youtube videos of Raffi for some time.

We now chanced on videos of Raffi in Concert.

Compensating now for the fact that, we missed Raffi, when we were little kids. This afternoon, Jr. was playing this on youtube and it put me to sleep.

If you have your nerves all frayed because you have had a long week, "Raffi" might be the answer to your prayers!

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Comments

[MG]

Definitely a California thing - never heard of him here on the East Coast (so you weren't that out of the loop). :)

[Sundar Narayanan]

you dont say!!!

how could you not know the worlds best child entertainer!!!

Blasphemy!

:)

[Kavi]

interesting. Will look this up !