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 #18 in the series. I hope you liked Song #17 – Dil jo na keh saka.
Song #18
Husn chala hai ishq se milne
Theme-word: In the next line: Chand chhupa aur taare doobe Raat ghazab ki aayi
Remembering Mahendra Kapoor on His Death Anniversary 27 Sep
So fond he was of his guru Mohammad Rafi that one day, as related by Annu Kapoor on Mastii channel in a late night show, he was being felicitated on stage for his singing skills. He noticed the son of Mohammad Rafi, his guru, sitting in the audience. He called him on stage, touched his feet, garlanded him and said, “How can I be felicitated in a function that has the presence of the son of my guru?”
Yesterday, some people shared on WhatsApp late SP Balasubramanyam’s video of his washing the feet of his guru Yesudas and a question was asked whether such humility was ever found elsewhere. Okay, I have given an example.
And what about Mohammad Rafi himself? He stood outside the studio of Naushad the whole night once so that the latter would give him the bus fare to go home. Naushad was overwhelmed and said, “You could have just come inside any time rather than waiting the whole night outside.” Shocked, Rafi responded, “How could I disturb you in your work?”
Mahendra Kapoor, of course, has quite a few anecdotes of his humility. He also has quite a few of his songs that are now iconic. Chalo ek baar phir se readily comes to mind. There are many others. This song is his best as far as singing skills are concerned.
Sohni Mehiwal
Everyone knows the legend of Sohni Mehiwal, a tragic romance of Punjab and I am not going to repeat it. On this night when Mahendra Kapoor sang this iconic song, she was to take the journey across the river on her clay pitcher that she used every night to meet Mehiwal, her lover. Sohni’s sister-in-law had already discovered the place where Sohni kept the pitcher and replaced it with a kuchcha one so that the love affair would be over once and for all. Sohni undertook the journey and drowned. Mehiwal saw her drowning and jumped into the river himself to save her. The river was in spate and he drowned too and united with her in death.
This particular incident is so popular in folk-lore that Shobha Singh of Andretta made his famous painting Sohni Mehiwal (now in Chandigarh Art Museuam). I have a copy of it in Whispering Winds, Kandaghat.
This 1958 film (from where I have taken up this song) was directed by Raja Nawathe and starred Bharat Bhushan and Nimmi as Mehiwal and Sohni.
The Song
Shakeel Badayuni wrote about Love only (others were all part of Progressive Writers Movement and had Communist leanings) and he seems to have put in his best in this. His mentor Naushad has composed it so well. It was to be high pitch throughout and Naushad must have felt that Mahendra Kapoor’s voice was better suited for it. And indeed it was. Here are the lyrics:
चाँद छुपा और तारे डूबे रात ग़ज़ब की आई
हुस्न चला है इश्क़ से मिलने ज़ुल्म की बदली छाई
टूट पड़ी है आँधी ग़म की, आज पवन है पागल
काँप रही है धरती सारी, चीख रहे हैं बादल
दुनिया के तूफ़ान हज़ारों, हुस्न की इक तनहाई
मौत की नागन आज खड़ी है राह में फन फैलाये
जँगल-जँगल नाच रहे हैं शैतानों के साए
आज ख़ुदा खामोश है जैसे भूल गया हो ख़ुदाई
घोर अँधेरा मुश्किल राहें, कदम-कदम पे धोखे
आज मोहब्बत रुक न सकेगी, चाहे ख़ुदा भी रोके
राह-ए-वफ़ा में पीछे हटना, प्यार की है रुस्वाई
पार नदी के यार का डेरा, आज मिलन है तेरा
ओढ़ ले तू लेहरों की चुनरी बाँध ले मौज का सेहरा
डोले में मँझधार के होगी आज तेरी विदाई
डूब के इन ऊँची लेहरों में नैय्या पार लगा ले
उल्फ़त के तूफ़ान में ज़िन्दा रहते हैं मरने वाले
जीते-जी संसार में किसने प्यार की मंज़िल पायी
तेरे दिल के खून से होगा लाल चेनाब का पानी
दुनिया की तारीख में लिखी जायेगी येह क़ुर्बानी
सोहनी और महिवाल ने अपनी इश्क़ में जान गँवायी
coda : Lata, Rafi
हमारे प्यार के किस्से सुनाये जायेन्गे
येह गीत सारे ज़माने में गाये जायेन्गे
हम न होंगे फ़सान होगा (२)
आने वाले को आना होगा, जाने वाले को जाना होगा
Please enjoy: Husn chala hai ishq se milne…
I hope you liked my choice of Song #18 in Raat or Din series.
Please await Song #19 – Main rickshawala.
