Atreyee Poddar
Creating a playlist for your mum is like curating a museum exhibit—except the guest of honour will complain it’s ‘too modern’ while humming to Jagjit Singh. And unlike your Spotify algorithm, your mum doesn’t care if the transitions are jarring, as long as Asha Bhosle makes an appearance between Alka Yagnik and a Shakira cameo. So here it is—your guide to making a playlist so mum-friendly, she'll play it while cooking and forwarding it to her kitty party group. Because Maa Da Laadla can only play so many times before you lose the will to live.
Don’t try to impose order. Your mum’s taste is chaotic good.
You’ll need:
2 Bollywood classics (Lata, Kishore, yes)
1 heartbreak anthem from the '90s
3 songs she can vibe to while sipping chai
1 track she thinks is English (but is actually Shakira)
There’s always one. Maybe it’s Luka Chuppi from Rang De Basanti. Maybe it’s Tera Yaar Hoon Main. Add it. Wait for the waterworks. Bonus points if she says, “This reminds me of your childhood when you were nice.”
Slip in your own track—something obscure, mellow, or indie. Watch her listen politely, then say, “Is this what you listen to in the dark?” Yes, Mum. Yes, it is.
Songs for the Best Mum Ever
For When You Miss Me Even Though I Live With You
A Playlist So Thoughtful You Should Increase My Pocket Money
Even if she saves it, she’ll forget it. She’ll text you three days later saying: “Where is that music you made? I think I deleted Spotify.” Send. Again. Patiently.
Your mum won’t remember which track came after Huzur Is Kadar. But she will remember that you made it for her, with love, effort, and just a little bit of eye-rolling. And that, dear reader, is the most underrated genre of all: emotional blackmail pop.