While eating Chopan kebab in one of Lajpat Nagar’s famous Afghan restaurants, a familiar tune came up on the Afghan channel playing on the television set. I immediately recognized the song which was Bahut Pyar Karte Hain from the film Sajan, being sung in the Farsi language as a cover.
The singer looked like a vibrant young man with a beautiful melodious voice.

I didn’t catch his name on the tv, so I asked the restaurant owner who he was. He told me he is a popular young Afghan artist named Shekeb Osmani. I searched him up on YouTube and found many of his music videos.
After getting home that evening, I watched his videos while sipping on a hot cup of tea.I found his voice quite soothing and relaxing. I enjoyed listening to all his songs, especially the slow romantic ones as they were sung with a lot of feeling, including the song I had heard in the restaurant, titled Azize Dilam.

Even though I did not understand the words, I felt the lyrics through his voice and emotions, confirming that music is not bounded by language or borders.Ever since then, I have become a fan of Shekeb Osmani and I continue to listen to his songs daily on my commute to work. I’m looking forward to hearing more of his work in the near future, and also hoping to hear some songs in Hindi from him.