A cat named Melody lived in a bustling corner of Mumbai, where the narrow lanes were divided. With a sleek grey coat and piercing green eyes, she was no ordinary feline. There was something very unique about this cat; she had a voice that could melt hearts, a gift that set her apart from the cacophony of honking auto rickshaws, taxis, automobiles, and buses.
By day, she prowled the streets of Bandra, charming locals with her mysterious ways, but by night, she transformed into the city’s biggest secret – the first cat singer! Having a small, makeshift stage on roofs or in garages, she was always surrounded by lush green trees.
Who were the ones that were her audience; one might wonder, but she had a string of stray animals who were ardent followers. There was also a motley of curious humans and a few Bollywood insiders.
A Dual Identity
Melody had a unique gift where she not only could meow her way right till the end of Ed Shereen’s song Perfect but could also hum Lata Mangeshwar’s Lagja Gale Se Phir song the very next moment!
Of course, there were times when she would go retro and sing occasional songs like Vagabond’s ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’, Psy’s Gangnam Style and REM’s Losing My Religion which impressed quite many locals in the area.
Having bilingual skills was so impressive, it was like a bridge between two worlds – Mumbai – the city that was in love with Western pop hits and Bollywood classics.
A journey which started just by chance, Melody had initially started humming along with a local guitarist in the area. Rohan, who was an aspiring guitarist, usually practised his songs in an open garage, and one day Melody had taken refuge there.
Before Rohan knew it, Melody was humming in perfect harmony as he played a song from Guns and Roses. At first, he thought that he had to be dreaming but the cat persisted with her humming and as he changed the songs, she changed the way she was humming.
Rising Stardom
From that day forward, Rohan became Melody’s biggest supporter as he secretly recorded her songs and secretly uploaded them on YouTube, naming the YouTube channel Meowdy Melodies.
Her duet with Rohan for the song Channa Mereya also went viral, attracting millions of views. People across the city could not even believe that there could ever exist a real cat singer!
However, stardom came with a price. Now, Melody could no longer enjoy the simplicity of singing on rooftops or in small groups. Everything was now a recording or a grand performance. Her songs were impeccable and were occasionally intertwined with the laughter and giggles of kids from the street.
A Grand Performance
One of her biggest challenges was when she had to perform at one of the theatre venues in Mumbai – the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA). The day of her purr-formance was slotted as 31st December, 2024. People from across the city were eager to watch her live and of course, Rohan was the guitarist by her side.
On the evening of the performance, she was nervous, as expected but she was confident of her talent. The evening began with an opening of Elton John’s Your Song and slowly slipped into Slumdog Millionaires’ Jai Ho. The crowd was ecstatic and there were reporters and news channels lined up outside the venue ready to cover this event.
Everyone seemed to be so spellbound by the end of it. Melody’s voice enchanted the crowd and it was a mix of tradition and modernity, chaos as well as charm.
By the end of the event, whatever money was made was donated towards animal shelters, ensuring that other strays just like her could find not only homes but also happiness.
The Legacy of Melody Paws
Continuing to enchant Mumbai through rooftop gigs or recording sessions for her beloved strays, Melody is still going strong. Rohan became recognised for his work as well and became a solo guitarist, besides having created albums with Melody Paws.
