And I think to myself… What a wonderful world!

I am not much into English songs, least of all the Classics. But, there's one song, which I heard first time ages back when I was in school, and which has lingered on in the back of my mind. Now, I did not remember the words, except for the title line which goes "And I think to myself… What a wonderful world!", but I still clearly remember the effect it had on me when I first heard it. I guess this song is filled with happiness and hope. And that is the effect it generates inside me whenever I hear it. It's as if God is trying to reach out to me and say no matter what hardships you encounter, what problems you face, this life is still worth living, this world is still worth seeing. There are pleasures spread over in every nook and corner, you just need to open your eyes and see. There is beauty in everything around us: sunshine, greenery, kids, parents, family, friends… It's only a perspective that is required. With that the same mundane daily chores would seem interesting and something to look forward to.

I heard this song again recently – in the beautiful movie Guzaarish. Ethan, the male protagonist of the film, brilliantly portrayed by the super-talented Hrithik Roshan, who also sang the song in the film sans any background score; actually sings the song at his mother's funeral. I found it so touching that I just couldn't hold back my tears. One would say if this is such a happy song then why at a funeral? I would say that it's because it was symbolic to the legacy that Ethan's mother left him. She was not a rich woman and did not have anything to leave behind to her debt-striken ailing quadriplegic son. But, she left her son hope beyond all vagaries in life and courage greater than all odds put together.

Today, I was suddenly reminded of the song and while I already happened to be surfing the net, I took a few minutes out to search the actual lyrics of the song. It goes as follows:

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself:
"What a wonderful world!"

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to my self:
"What a wonderful world!"

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying "How do you do."
They really say: "I love you!"

I hear babies crying I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself:
"What a wonderful world!"
Yes, I think to myself:
"What a wonderful world!"