Raat or Din Songs Series
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 #10 in the series. I hope you liked Song #9 – Awaz de kahan hai.
Song #10
Haay re woh din kyun na aaye
Anuradha – 1960 Movie
Five years ago, I wrote an essay about the treatment of women in Bengal based movies: ‘Bengal Based Hindi Movies From Anuradha To Piku‘. Generally, people don’t have the time to read such posts (we are quite happy with sharing the url of the song with about ten words telling the movie it is from and the singer (such is not the purpose of this group at all; if you specialise in such posts, you are in the wrong group. We don’t want to merely add numbers to the group). However, those of you who take time out from sharing your YouTube urls in umpteen groups (so that people swoon at the good taste in songs you have) and actually go through the post, you’d gain.
Anuradha was the first of the movies that I analysed in the post. It was produced and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starred Balraj Sahni as Dr Nirmal Chaudhary, the idealist doctor wanting to do something to improve the medical conditions of people in a village. He was unmindful of the interests of his wife Anuradha Roy played by Leela Naidu. She had to give up her passion of music and singing (she was a singer on All India Radio) to accompany him to the village.
Pandit Ravi Shankar – The Composer
The Sitar maestro (unquestionably, the best in the world) composed five songs for this movie; the first mainstream Hindi movie for which he was the Music Director. Each one is a classic (and suitable for the Raat or Din theme):
- “Jaane Kaise Sapno Main” – Lata Mangeshkar
- “Sanware Sanware Kahe Mose” – Lata Mangeshkar
- “Kaise Din Beete, Kaise Beeti Ratiyan” – Lata Mangeshkar
- “Bahut Din Huye” – Mahendra Kapoor
- “Hai Re Woh Din Kyon Na Aaye” – Lata Mangeshkar
This was composed by him in Raag Janasamohini (a raag meant to entrance people, literally; and it does here). The lyricist was Shailendra who often went deep into the lyrics:
हाय रे वो दिना क्यों न आये ज ज के ऋतु ज ज के ऋतु लौट आये हाय रे वो दिना क्यों न आये झिलमिल वो तारे कहाँ गये वो सारे मन बाती जले बुझ जाये हये रे वो दिना क्यों न आये सूनी मेरी बीना संगीत बिना सपनों की माला मुरझाये हाय रे वो दिना क्यों न आये
Lata Mangeshkar
It has become fashionable for people to bring out that such and such female singer is better than Lata. I maintain that she always delivered to the expectations of her music directors, however difficult a composition may have been. I maintain that she is the best. If a singer has stayed with you for over six decades, naturally you may have some song or the other that proves your point!
My Own Poetry
Koi Lauta De Woh Din
मुझे याद आते हैं बचपन के वो पल,
लगता न था कभी आएगी कल,
मासूमियत में कह देते थे दोस्तों को:
मैं आता हूँ तेरे पीछे, तूँ चल।
एक एक करके होने लगे वो विदा,
जो रात को भी न होते थे जुदा,
हमारी फुसफ़साहट भी वो सुन लेते थे,
अब नहीं पहुंचती उन तक मेरी सदा।
आती हैं वो सब शरारतें याद,
पेड़ से तोड़े आम का अलग था स्वाद,
क्या लुत्फ था उन हरकतों का,
हालांकि बहुत मार खाई उनके बाद।
क्या अजब खेल था लुकन छिपाई।
कब दिन शुरू हुआ और कब रात आयी,
सब सांझेदारी में बराबर के हकदार थे,
न कोई चीज़ अपनी, न कोई चीज़ परायी।
लगता न था वो प्यारे दिन गुज़र जाएंगे,
तिनके तिनके से बनाये घरोंदे बिखर जाएंगे,
ज़िन्दगी की ऊंचाईयां चढ़ने की ख्वाइश में,
जहां चढ़े बैैठे थे वहीं से उतर जााएंगे।
काश रोक लेते वो दिलकश समां,
हम सब संग संग थे उस जगह जहां,
ढूंढते फिरते हैं उस बीते ज़माने को,
कोई तो बता दो वो बचपन गया है कहां।
Please enjoy: Haay re woh din kyun na aaye…
I hope you liked my choice of Song #10 in Raat or Din series.
Please await Song #11 – Listen to the pouring rain.