Dedication
Our Dedication to a Lyricist to Whom
We Owe the Title of Our Songs Group*
(The Facebook group is ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne‘ or YKDN in short
This is My Dedication to Evani Leela in addition to Kishwar Jaipuri
Losing one’s mother is by far the biggest sadness in the life of a man or a woman. Our sister Evani Leela lost hers on the 9th January this year. We have been off YKDN since then as a mark of respect for her and we called off our weekend Fest too.
Now, it is my attempt to get Evani Leela back on her feet. With personal experience I can say that the void and the sadness never go away. However, I would want you to consider that life is a gift and we must get back to honouring that gift of God.
Why This Song?
It is never my intention to take away the initiative from those who would follow me in putting up HJSOWs by merely putting up the most popular songs. It is, however, my intention to put up songs with extraordinary lyrics.
I also have to imagine songs that Evani Leela would be fond of and it occurred to me that this would be very high in her list of favourites, if not the most favourite.
Briefly About The Song
It is from the 1955 V Shantaram film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. Hasrat ji wrote the lyrics of all songs in the movie and this was composed by Vasant Desai. It was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar.
The movie starred the dancer and choreographer Gopi Krishna and V Shantaram’s third wife Sandhya.
The film won the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film, the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and the Filmfare Best Movie Award.
How Did The Song Come About In the Movie?
First of all, off the movie, Sandhya wasn’t much of a dancer. Gopi, on the other hand, was born into a family of Kathak dancers and soon emerged as a renowned and fine dancer. For the movie, Gopi taught her good dancing that you see in this song and other songs of the movie.
In the movie, Gopi as Giridhar has to win a Tandava (the most difficult of dances) dance competition in the temple. However, Sandhya as Neela has fallen at the feet of Gopi’s guru Mangal Maharaj that she too wants to learn dancing like Gopi. Mangal guru agrees to take her as a disciple on one condition that she would help him win the competition.
She however, falls in love with not only his dancing but him too. So she is chucked out by the guru. She also keeps distance from him so as to help him concentrate on winning the competition. It is another thing that he too falls in love with her and wants her back.
Finally, it is a happy ending. She dances with him in the competition and he wins. Mangal guru agrees to marry them.
This song is therefore a turning point in their story of love.
The Magic of The Song
The Lyrics
I am basically a Lyrical man as far as songs are concerned. Lyrics are more than 50 percent of the song for me.
These are extraordinary lyrics indeed.
Hasrat ji, as was the trend during those times, was an Urdu poet and lyricist (Urdu is an indigenous language of India as you already know). Language influences your culture and other way round. Hence, in most of his songs, you would get the flair of this culture. In Sangam, for example, Raj Kapoor (a Punjabi) is portraying Flight Lieutenant Sunder Khanna (another Punjabi) but look at his mastery of Urdu when he sings to Vyjayanthimala as Radha:
ओ महबूबा
तेरे दिल के पास ही है मेरी मंज़िल-ए-मक़्सूद
वो कौन सी महफ़िल है जहाँ तू नहीं मौजूद?
Rarely, you would have come across a Khanna expressing his love in Ooty lake in Urdu!
In this song (Nain so nain nahin milao), however, the lyrics truly reflect the kind of language that the two dancers would be exchanging! Here, pay attention:
नैन सो नैन नाही मिलाओ – २
देखत सूरत आवत लाज, सैय्यां
प्यार से प्यार आके सजाओ – २
मधुर मिलन गावत आज, गुइयां*
नैन सो नैन …
आ …
खींचो कमान मारो जी बाण
रुत है जवान ओ मेरे प्राण
– रुक क्यों गये?
तुमने चोरी कर ली कमान
कैसे मारूं प्रीत का बाण, गुइयां
नैन सो नैन …
रिम झिम झिम गाये झरनों की धारदिल को लुभाये कोयल पुकार
– नहीं!
– तो फिर?
झरनों की धारों में तेरा संगीत
गाये कोयल तेरा ही गीत, गुइयाँ
नैन सो नैन …
नीले गगन पे झूमेंगे आज
बादल का प्यार देखेंगे आज
बादल नैय्या है बिजली पतवार
हम-तुम चल दें दुनिया के पार, सैय्यां …
नैन सो नैन …
It mustn’t have been easy for Hasrat ji to do it. But, then, he must have strived and came up with this winner. That’s the reason I thought Evani Leela would like it; a Telugu by birth she learnt Hindi only to appreciate songs!
The Composition
This is one song that cannot be composed in isolation. The composition must fall in line with the synchronised dance that Gopi and Sandhya would do. In particular, it has to be discussed with Gopi as the choreographer! If you look at the dance, you would know that Vasant Desai excelled.
The Dance
The dance is the essential part of story-line; they have to dance in concert as a teacher and disciple. And, most importantly, also be an instrument of their love for each other. I have my hair standing on ends to see the level of perfection.
Please Enjoy: Nain so nain nahin milao..
Please don’t take it for granted that you know about the song. See it once at least:
Almost everybody would like us to listen to Hasrat Jaipuri’s most popular songs with Shankar Jaikishan especially in Raj Kapoor movies. I am different. Through the selection of my songs I also want you to become aware of the range of the Lyricist.
I hope you liked my choice.
Please await the next song in the series.
