"I guess there is only one (kind of) happiness in this life, to love and be loved,” says 20-year-old Surat-based musician Shehzan Mehta of his new single Lafz. The youngster has two singles and a recently formed band under his belt. Written and performed by him, Lafz was released in October 2021 on streaming platforms. The song is about a yearning to be with a loved one who has been separated. "But separation is not necessarily the end of love… Many times it creates more love…There is a balance of grief and love here,” he told Parsiana, taking a break from rehearsing for a gig at the Laxmi Vilas Palace in Baroda later in the week of December 7, 2021. Calling his music "extremely soothing,” Mehta promises that "it will take you to the next level of imagination as to how deeply a loss is felt.”
Top, from l: Hanoz, Pashan, Shehzan and Dilshad Mehta; above: Shehzan’s band
His April 2021 single Thehra Yahan, he says, creates awareness about suicide and will help prevent it. "It still remains a taboo topic and I wanted people to get rid of it by connecting to a song… from the perspective of a son and a parent.” The introduction expresses the son’s feelings, and depicts his frustration and sense of being lost and confused. The boy consoles himself with "Mushkilein rehti nahi har kadam (Difficulties do not remain at every step).” Later in the song, the parent grieves his loss and asks God to take him too.
Mehta’s band Sifarish that he formed in January 2021 is the "best thing” that happened to him, he says. With him as singer and pianist are friends Dhaivat Naik (singer and rhythm guitarist), Anush Madrasi (lead guitarist) and Sagar Tank (bassist). The band has released a single Manzilein on streaming platforms, he told us. With this number "we wanted to portray a message to all the people out there that life in all its true form is unfair, and yet it goes on and so should we.” Sifarish has performed in Baroda, Surat and the Dangs. "We also play Saturday evenings in a cafe called Thikana.
"The future is uncertain… if we see a breakthrough we’ll surely want to go ahead with this (band). I could say this is what we want to do, but the future holds many different things.” Pursuing his bachelors in business administration from Manipal University, Mehta completed schooling at Delhi Public School in the Diamond City. Father Hanoz is a financial advisor and mother Dilshad, an ex-banker. Younger sibling Pashan completes the Mehta family unit. F. J.