I wrote the most of this song a couple of years ago (2011?) my memory is hazy. In a lot of ways this was the first “proper” song I had written, an homage to the songwriting tradition of the beat bands of the 1960’s.
This song holds special meaning to me as my father is a pilot for Nepal Airlines and has been flying aero planes for a living since as long as I can remember. In fact, he wrote “Mai Runchu” while he was stationed in Dolpa. As a result, planes have always held a special nostalgic feeling for me, especially the twin otters that fly domestically within Nepal. A lot of the songs for the new album have elements of that kind of that faint yet unshakable nostalgia of ones younger days.
I still remember the first time I was able to accompany my father to the cockpit of one of these planes. All the dials, the switches, the knobs and the levers fascinated me even more than the view outside the window. While I never followed in his footsteps and became a pilot, I have somehow ended up working with the dials, switches and knobs as well. The only difference is that they live on my guitars, amps, pedals and my recording gear.
The initial idea was to imagine someone who grew up in a situation that was the complete antithesis of my childhood. This song was written for that little child who has never seen a plane up close. To him or her it is a thing of mystery, curiosity and ultimately, hope.
A huge thanks to Bikash dai for completing the lyrics to the songs. When I started all I had was the first verse and the idea. He was the one who fleshed it out with the beautiful imagery and a wonderful chorus.
All of the recording for this song was done by me in my small bedroom on my tiny laptop. A big thank you to Phil Abbot who lifted the cobwebs off of this bedroom production and made it something that I am happy and proud to share.
I have lived with song for years and it feels good to finally set it free. I hope that it brings you the same joy it has brought to me and my family.
Thank you,
Diwas
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