I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.
This is the Song #26 in the series. I hope you liked Song #25 – Zikr hota hai jab qayamat ka.
Song #26
O mere sanam, O mere sanam
Theme-word: Jis din se huye ek duje ke, Is duniya se anjaan hain ham
Shankar Singh Raghuwanshi
So strong was the bonding between Shankar Singh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal that they were never addressed singly; they were always known as Shankar Jaikishan. Jaikishan was seven years younger to Shankar and died 16 years earlier and yet the Music Director’s name continued being Shankar Jaikishan.
There was never an attempt to separate them or have a tiff between them. They emerged as the best music duo the Hindi films ever saw; so much so that if you came across a popular tune or song, it was most likely that Shankar Jaikishan would have composed it. Some of their songs have remained at the top of popularity charts all these years such as Baharo phool barsao and Teri pyaari pyaari surat ko.
Today is the birth anniversary of Shankar. It is not my attempt to think of them as seaparately and yet, we all know that whilst Bhairavi was a favourite raag of Jaikishan (so much so that he named his daughter Bhairavi), Shivaranjani was the favourite of Shankar.
And hence this song. See how many gods are involved: Shankar, Kishan, Bhairavi, Shivaranjani. No wonder that the duo ruled the music world. It is my assessment that they will continue to do so.
Raag Shivaranjani
Raag Shivaranjani is a Raag that belongs to Kafi Thaat. The mood of the raag is Karuna Rasa (pathos) that suited both Shakeel and Ravi very well. However, the MDs who had this as their favourite (both of them as opposed to Bhairavi that was favourite of Jaikishan only) were Shankar Jaikishan. Some of their popular numbers in this Raag are: Awaaz deke hamen tum bulao, Baharon phool barsao, Dil ke jharokhe mein tujhako bithakar, Jaane kahan gaye woh din, and O mere sanam.
Some of the popular numbers of other composers in this raag are: Banake kyun bigada re, Dhak dhak karne laga, Kahin deep jale kahin dil, Mere naina sawan bhaadon, Mujhe kuchh kehna hai, Rimjhim ke geet sawan gaaye, Sawan aaye sawan jaaye, Tere mere beech mein, and Yaad teri aayegi.
Shivaranjani’s Jati is Audhav-Audhav, that is pentatonic in both ascent (Aaroha) and descent (Avaroha);Madhyam and Nishad are the swar that are varjya, Gandhar is Komal. Rest all are shuddha swar. This raag and Bhopali are similar except that in Bhopali, even Gandhar is shuddha whereas it is Komal in Shivaranjani.
The raag is to be normally performed at midnight.
Why would SJ Compose This Song in Shivaranjani?
The main thing is Karuna ras. It is, as seen by me, the best song of the 1964 Raj Kapoor movie Sangam that portrayed a Love Traingle between Rajendra Kumar, Vyjaynthimala and Raj Kapoor. She used to love Rajendra Kumar and vice versa. However, Raj Kapoor swept her off her feet and so compulsive and obsessive was his love (Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahin? and O mehbooba) that she married him.
Once married, she was a typical Hindu wife of those days (there is only one love and life; ie, with my husband. Meena Kumari portrayed the same in Dil Ek Mandir with the triangle being between Rajendra Kumar, Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar).
However, just like Raaj Kumar in Dil Ek Mandir, here Raj Kapoor had doubts after marriage; especially after he finds love letters exchanged between Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala (Ye mera prem patr padh kar Tum hainran na hona).
He couldn’t wait to express hi distrust with Dos dost na raha.
Life became a misery for Vyjayanthimala. In this song, she expresses her abiding love for her husband Raj Kapoor and talks about the sacredness of the relationship despite the earlier (and now terminated) love affair.
Shailendra
I would like to say that a lot of credit for the song should come to Shailendra too. Just like his other songs (eg, Madhumati song with the line Main nadiya phir bhi main pyaasi) there is element of ruefulness in the song; total Karuna in lyrics too:
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम
दो जिस्म मगर एक जान हैं हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम
तन सौंप दिया, मन सौंप दिया
कुछ और तो मेरे पास नहीं
जो तुम से है मेरे हमदम
भगवान से भी वो आस नहीं – २
जिस दिन से हुए एक दूजे के
इस दुनिया से अनजान है हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम
सुनते हैं प्यार की दुनिया में
दो दिल मुश्किल से समाते हैं
क्या गैर वहाँ अपनों तक के
संग भी ना आने पाते हैं – २
हमने आखिर क्या देख लिया
क्या बात है क्यों हैरान है हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम
मेरे अपने, अपना ये मिलन
संगम है ये गंगा जमुना का
जो सच है सामने आया है
जो बीत गया एक सपना था – २
ये धरती है इन्सानों की
कुछ और नहीं इन्सान हैं हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम
Vyjayanthimala
Hats off to Raj Kapoor for having made a movie wherein, like Bimal Roy’s Madhumati, Vyjayanthimala is the main protagonist of the movie. Here, in the end, she rues being tossed about between the two bosom pals: Rajendra Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
This is a party scene. And Vyjayanthimala being the best dancer in Hindi movies, ever, has danced in amny parties. However, here she took her acting and histrionics a few notches higher by posing with dignity, elegance and self-pity.
Lata Mangeshkar – Mukesh
I could have given this song also in the Beautiful Duets series but that’s not my style. Lata sang for Vyjanthimala and Mukesh has always been the singing voice of Raj Kapoor in his movies.
The Song
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy on the birth anniversary of Shankar, a song penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan for the 1964 Raj Kapoor movie Sangam: O mere sanam, O mere sanam…
I hope you liked my choice of Raat or Din Song #26.
Please await Raat or Din Song #27- Do hanson ka joda.
