BENGALURU: Those who have suffered any loss know the pain that comes with letting go. This is what singer-songwriter Vaishnavi Adiga’s Oh Snehave captures, while also being an ode to her pet dog, Joy. She wrote this after his demise in 2016 and is sharing it now in the hope that it will help others find the courage to let go. “The verses to this song came to me on my way back from our farmhouse after burying him. While uncontrollably sobbing, the chorus line, idu snehave, idu bandhave, nanna paalige, ide jeevave, oh snehave (Is this friendship? Or is this a deeper bond? To me, this is my life.
Oh dear friend) came to me,” explains Adiga, who mourned the loss of her pet through this song. Every time she revisited the song, the pain only intensified to the point where she thought she’ll never be able to share it. “But over time, I have come to accept that he’s in a better place. Through his playful years, he has taught me many lessons, and given me the courage to let go. It was during the lockdown that I finally decided to share this song with the world, and started working on it,” says Adiga.
The Bengaluruean, who is currently based in Mumbai, has been jittery about the response the song would receive, especially since she says it is slow, has minimal arrangement and focuses on a theme that’s barely spoken about. “Something kept nudging me to release this song, thinking this will help others grieve the loss of their pets, or any serious personal loss,” she says. And this is why Oh Snehave will remain one of her most special songs, since it came to her at a time when she was vulnerable. “And in that vulnerability, came such an honest expression in terms of words and melody that I will cherish the process of making this song for the rest of my life,” she says.
The biggest challenge, however, was nailing the arrangement and singing while working on the song. “My friend, Sriram Ravishankar (singer – music producer) and I have spent months trying to not ‘perform’ but remain honest throughout the song,” she says.
The pandemic hit artistes significantly, only challenging them to adapt and think differently. “Whilst all these negatives are on one side, the pandemic also established entertainment as a necessity. People have the need to be constantly entertained considering the work from home arrangement. I used the lockdown to my advantage to practise more, pursue new interests, revisit many of my old verses and compositions, and most importantly, it gave me the luxury of time to think about many things,” she says.