Author: Sunbyanyname

I have done a long stint in the Indian Navy that lasted for nearly thirty seven years; I rose as far as my somewhat rebellious and irreverent nature allowed me to. On retirement, in Feb 2010, the first thing that occurred to me, and those around me, was that I Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (you will find an article with this title in this blog) and hadn't lost all my noodles and hence thought of a blog titled 'This 'n That'. I later realised that every third blog is called 'This 'n That' and changed the name to 'Sunbyanyname'. I detest treading the beaten track. This blog offers me to air 'another way' of looking at things. The idea is not just to entertain but also to bring about a change. Should you feel differently, you are free to leave your comments. You can leave comments even when you agree and want to share your own experience about the topic of the blog post. Impudent or otherwise, I have never been insousciant and I am always concerned about the betterment of community, nation and the world. I hope the visitors of this blog would be able to discern it.

AAJ KA GEET GYAN #3 – HINDI FILMS AND COURTESANS

Poverty, in India, was gender neutral. But, as seen by Hindi movies, it forced men into menial jobs, but it forced women to the oldest profession on earth. So, poor men in Hindi movies would sing such songs as “Main rickshawwala, main rickshawala, main char ke barabar main do taang wala, kahan chaloge babu, kahan chaloge lala?”

Only real music aficionados like me would remember such songs that portrayed dignity of labour whilst being poor.

Poor women, in Hindi movies, had absolutely no choice but to become prostitutes. They were forced, but their songs were super-hits. Indeed, all heroines had to pass the litmus test of being in the kotha to be considered as serious actresses: Meena Kumari, Nargis, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Mumtaz, Smita Patil, Rekha, and Hema Malini. Their songs competed with one another’s, eg, Suchitra Sen’s Rehte the kabhi jinke dil mein with Nargis’s Yun hasraton ke daag, and so on.

There were hardly any actresses who were not forced into it but actually enjoyed their profession. Shashi Kapoor’s Utsav and Lekh Tandon’s Amrapali were different. Those two brought out how courtesans were actually respected in our ancient culture.

However, over centuries, it became such a hated profession that Rajinder Singh Bedi’s Dastak portrayed the turmoil of a couple who rented a room in a red-light area.

Lastly, men falling in love with prostitutes was a common theme and resulted in the producers laughing all the way to the bank. Pyaasa, Devdas, Kala Pani, and Amar Prem are some examples. Prostitutes were always shown as golden hearted. There was no other kind.

Many people regarded the rain dance in the saree as the ultimate titillation. But, I can prove that nothing was more profitable for the producers than prostitution. Both kinds of songs could be there: one, depicting her art, eg, Jab chhaye mera jaadu, koi bach na paaye, Yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera na ghabrayiye, and Jaata kahan hai deewane sab kuchh yahan hai! Two, the miserable ones: Rehte the kabhi jinke dil mein, and Jaana tha hamse door bahane bana liye.

Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (it nearly won an Oscar) tried to depict the Indian woman in her poverty, trying to fight her destiny through honesty and hard work. But, by that time, the ubiquitous picture of poor Indian woman choosing prostitution to beat poverty had already done the damage.

Q.E.D.

Movies are supposed to depict real life. This is one instance of movies changing real life.

Song #1
Jaata kahan hai deewane sab kuchh yahan hai sanam

This song was censored from the 1956 movie C.I.D. It was a Guru Dutt production directed by Raj Khosla.

It was the debut movie of Waheeda Rehman, the first of the five movies that Guru Dutt signed Waheeda Rehman for after seeing her in a college in Hyderabad. He was preparing her for her role as a golden hearted prostitute in his 1957 iconic movie Pyaasa.

The song was censored due to her openly soliciting as a prostitute as also for the use of the slang “fifi” in the song. It was made to look like as if “fifi” was an innocent Goan slang. However, it came out that “fifi” had become popular as an effeminate man as also to refer to a female part.

The song couldn’t see the light of the day during those days. However, these days, such songs would be totally acceptable.

The song was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by OP Nayyar. It was sung by Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta Dutt whom he married on the 26th of May 1953.

Song #2
Yun hasraton ke daag muhabbat mein dho liye

Prostitutes and courtesans were always a very profitable theme for the Hindi movies. But, the success of C.I.D. and Pyaasa with debutante Waheeda Rehman as a golden-hearted prostitute threw the floodgates open for prostitutes in the Hindi movies. Rajinder Krishan, the lyricist, wrote the story and the screenplay for the 1958 movie Adalat directed by Kalidas.

Nargis who was fighting poverty and unfortunate circumstances in the 1957 Mehboob Khan movie Mother India acted as a prostitute one year later. Whilst Mother India tried to correct the image of Indian woman as the hard-working, self-sacrificing woman, Adalat and subsequent movies confirmed that they were ill treated to the extent of being sold in brothels. Hindi movies’ makers loved this latter image and laughed all the way to the banks just as commercial Hindi movies on poverty made the film-makers rich.

Rajinder Krishan made sure that his best lyrics were penned for the songs of the movie. The songs were composed by the maestro Madan Mohan who excelled to such an extent that OP Nayyar, in later life, said that two of the songs of the movie (this and Unako yeh shikayat hai ki hum kuchh nahin kehte) composed were better than all his works.

As an aside, I bring out that Nargis’s lover in the movie, before she was forced into a brothel, was a barrister to show the contrast between his most respectable profession and her latter day status. It is because of the utmost respect earned by Mahatma Gandhi as a barrister. Nowadays, in India, between the two professions there isn’t a contrast; earn money whichever way.

Song #3
Rehate the kabhi jinke dil mein

Once the Hindi movies’ makers get hold of a cash cow, they don’t let it go until they have milked it dry. Take the case of an honest man turned dacoit in Dilip Kumar’s only production, Gunga Jumna. In latter films heroes from Sunil Dutt to Vinod Khanna vied with one another to play the dacoit. So also with becoming prostitutes. In the 1966 Asit Sen movie Mamta, Krishan Chander merely rejigged Rajinder Krishan’s story of Adalat and passed it off as a remake of the 1963 Bengali movie Uttar Falguni.

In this song Majrooh Sultanpuri writing for Roshan and Lata Mangeshkar singing for Suchitra Sen brings out her condition due to unfortunate circumstances that made her choose the brothel.

Song #4
Beqasi hadd se jab guzar jaaye

Even when OP Nayyar praised Madan Mohan for the 1959 movie Adalat’s two songs, he himself came up with this gem in Raag Desh in the 1960 RK Rakhan movie, in which Padmini played the role of a courtesan and surprised (shocked) her lover Ashok Kumar. The lyrics of the song by Jan Nisar Akhtar point towards her helplessness in being forced into the role. None of OP Nayyar’s songs were sung by Lata Mangeshkar. This too was sung by Asha Bhosle.

The highlight of the song is also Padmini’s histrionics:

Song #5
Neel gagan ki chhaon mein

Lets change scene from being forced into prostitution to being proud of being a courtesan. Take the 1966 Lekh Tandon movie Amrapali, for example. The story of the movie draws from our culture. Amrapali, played by Vyjayanthimala, was a nagarvadhu (courtesan) in Vaishali (Bihar). Her excellence in her art made her the rajnartaki (the favoured courtesan of the kingdom). She nursed Ajatashatru (played by Sunil Dutt) when he was wounded and he fell in love with her. Little did she know that he was the emperor of Magadha. He destroyed Vaishali in order to get her.

The songs of the movie were penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan so well that these are still considered some of the best. Credit must also go to Vyjayanthimala for carrying the movie almost entirely on her shoulders.

Please enjoy in Raag Bhupali, this beautiful song sung by Lata Mangeshkar and outstandingly danced in the king’s court by Vyjayanthimala:

Song #6
Jab pyar kiya to darna kya?

The actual story of Amrapali took place in 500 BC. Nearly 2000 years later, in the court of Mughal-e-Azam, Akbar, a courtesan named Anarkali has his only prince Salim fall in love with her. Akbar imprisons her and Salim rebels against his own father with a battle against him so as to rescue the love of his life.

Such was our culture regarding the importance of courtesans; and it was not restricted to the Mughals. In the 1984 Shashi Kapoor movie Utsav (based on Sanskrit play Mrichakatika (The Little Clay Cart) by Shudrika of ancient times (some evidence points to his being an Ahira king!), in ancient Ujjain, courtesan Vasantsena (played by Rekha), in the court of the king. She is respected and idolized by the king’s subjects. She has a chance meeting with a Brahmin Charudutt. In the song Man kyun behka re behka aadhi raat ko (it won two Filmfare awards: one for the lyricist Vasant Dev and the other for the singer Anuradha Paudwal), Charudutt’s wife Aditi (played by Anuradha Patel) is grateful to the courtesan Vasantsena for reigniting sexual desire in her husband!

Anyway, lets get back to Pyar kiya to darna kya penned by Shakeel Badayuni, and composed by Naushad Ali in Raag Durga. This song sung by Lata Mangeshkar for Madhubala as Anarkali is actually the most iconic song ever in Hindi films performed by a courtesan in the emperor’s court:

This movie, shot in black and white was the first movie to be digitally colorised at phenomenal cost.

Song #7
Jaa jaa re jaa balamwa

Talking about courtesans in the king’s or emperor’s courts, lets talk about the 1956 movie Basant Bahar, Raja Nawathe’s answer to Vijay Bhatt’s 1952 movie Baiju Bawra. In Baiju Bawra, Naushad had all 13 soundtracks based on one raag or the other. Shankar Jaikishan came up with similar soundtracks in Basant Bahar and actually excelled in Ketaki gulab juhi champak bana phule (in Raag Basant Bahar), for example. In this, Manna Dey had the ignominy of defeating Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi in a singing competition. Duniya na bhaye by Mohammad Rafi in Raag Todi, Punjabi Theka is a favourite, too.

But, my all time favourite is this one by Lata Mangeshkar. Indeed, I have selected it as her Top Song #2 in her five of my favourite songs by her. This is in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tintal. It was penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Kumkum as the courtesan Radhika performed it for the Emperor Chandra Shekhar played by Chandrashekhar:

Song #8
Woh chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalte hain

Lets turn to the sub-theme of men jilted in love either visiting courtesans on their own or taken there by their well-wishers. There are hundreds of songs in this genre’, too. My vote goes to this classic one from the 1964 Vinod Kumar movie (his debut attempt) Jahan Ara.

Shahjahan’s daughter Jahan Ara (played by Mala Sinha; she nearly won the Filmfare Award for her role) is in love with Mirza Yusuf Changezi (Bharat Bhushan) since childhood. However, Mumtaz, Shahjahan’s favourite wife (one of his four) had taken a dying promise from her that she (Jahan Ara) would look after her father, Shahjahan, and not marry.

So, Yusuf is a jilted lover. In order to get over his separation from Jahan Ara, he is coaxed into visiting a courtesan Roshan Ara (played by Minoo Mumtaz).

The song she sang to make him forget his sad silence is one of the best and most difficult of Lata Mangeshkar’s. It was penned by Rajinder Krishan and composed in Raag Ramdasi Malhar by Madan Mohan. Indeed, Minoo Mumtaz perfected this role. In another movie, the 1961 movie Chhote Nawab, she has Mehmood visiting her as a courtesan rather than being with his beloved, Ameeta. Her song, in that case, expressed Ameeta’s feelings: Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra saanwariya, composed by RD Burman in Raag Malgunji, his first with Lata Mangeshkar.

Anyway, please enjoy the Jahan Ara song:

Song #9
Raina beeti jaaye Shaam na aaye

What about hero falling in love with the courtesan? Once again, there are hundreds of songs in this sub-theme. But, there is none to beat Shakti Samanta’s 1972 movie Amar Prem. It called it as Eternal Love the relationship between Sharmila Tagore as courtesan and Rajesh Khanna as a kind hearted drunkard Anand who is used to visiting kothas. He, in a song tries to question the double standards of the society by comparing her to goddess Sita: “Hamne unako bhi chhup chhup ke aate dekha inhin galiyon mein.”

His first encounter with her is this song by Lata Mangeshkar singing for Sharmila Tagore in Raag Todi. This, too, has been listed under the most difficult songs of Lata Mangeshkar:

Song #10
Chalte chalte yunhi koi mil gaya tha

Now, in the end, lets turn to two movies that were made on the lives of two courtesans; ie, these didn’t have courtesans as breaks in between but as the whole movie.

The first one is the 1972 Kamal Amrohi movie Pakeezah (The Pure One or The Chaste One). Kamal Amrohi wanted to make a movie as a dedication to his wife, Meena Kumari. The movie was the longest in the making Hindi movie that was completed in 15 years. During this period, Ghulam Mohammad, the original music director of the movie died and some of the movie and its songs were then completed by Naushad Ali.

Nargis (Meena Kumari) is a courtesan of Lucknow. She dreams of marrying Shahbuddin (Ashok Kumar), but, it is opposed by Shahbuddin’s father on the grounds that his son cannot marry a tawaif (courtesan). She gives birth to a daughter and dies. This girl grows up into another tawaif (courtesan) Sahibjaan (also played by Meena Kumari). In a train journey, Raj Kumar as Salim Ahmed Khan sees her naked feet and falls in love with her. In the end of the movie, Shahbuddin accepts her as his daughter and she and Salim are happily married.

This song was penned by Kaifi Azmi, composed by Ghalam Ahmad and sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It has reference to Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar’s encounter in the train:

Song #11
Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan leejiye

Finally, lets turn to the 1981 Muzaffar Ali movie Umrao Jaan in which the actress Rekha excelled to such an extent that she won both the National and Filmfare awards. Indeed, her portrayal of the courtesan Amiran in the movie is quoted as the most impressive performance by an actress in such a role.

In the year 1840 Amiran was kidnapped from her home in Faizabad (UP) and is sold into a kotha in Lucknow. She emerges as an extraordinary poet and courtesan. The movie is about all her poetry performed by her as songs.

The very first one is this: Dil cheez kya hai aap meri jaan leejiye. It was penned by Shahryar, composed by Khayyam and sung, for a change, by Asha Bhosle. Khayyam, too, won both the awards. Asha Bhosle, for this song, won the National Award:

Hindi movies’ makers obsessions with courtesans is unlikely to die in a hurry. Heroines, even today, are keen to do such roles.

In addition, thanks to Sunny Leone’s efforts in popularising pornography in India, it is unlikely that the one of its kind projection of Indian woman as Mother India would register with the West. As projected in Hindi movies, the courtesans and the golden hearted prostitutes are the ones that are the representative image of the Indian woman.

रामनवमी की शुभकामनाएं

आज का दिन हमारे प्रभु के नाम:
केवल राम, राम, राम, राम, राम l
वह आए हमारे संग यूँ रहने,
हमारा मन ही बन जाए अयोध्या धाम l

कौनसा अवसर होगा इस से पावन?
हमारे बीच आ गए हमारे मन भावन l
वह हैं अच्छाई और सच्चाई का रूप,
आयो निकाले अपने मन से बुराई का रावन l

निकली है आज हमारे राम की सवारी,
फूलोँ से महक हुई है दिल की क्यारी l
इतिहास में इस से बड़ा कोई दिवस नहीं,
हमारे राजा, हमारे प्रभु, और परोपकारी l

हर भारतीय को आज के दिन की बधाई,
रामराज्य में ही है हमारे देश की भलाई l
आयो फिर से करें हम सब यह संकल्प,
हमारे संग रहेंगे राम, अच्छाई और सच्चाई l

AANKHEN HI TO HAIN

आपकी आंखों की बात ही कुछ और है l
जिस रात संग रहें वह रात ही कुछ और है l

आपके होंठों के किनारों पर जब आती है मुस्कान,
सच कहता हूं मेरे लिए सौगात ही कुछ और है I

धडकने दिल में कई दफ़ा उमड़ती रहीं,
आपके आते ही ज़ज्बात ही कुछ और है l

सबको कहीं ना कहीं जन्नत का हुआ एहसास,
पर जहां आप रहती हैं कायनात ही कुछ और है l

ज़िंदगी में कई कुछ मिला है मुझे, मेरी सनम,
आपके मिलने से मेरी हयात ही कुछ और है l

झील में इक कश्ती हो चाँदनी रात में,
मैं तब कहूँगा वाह मुलाकात ही कुछ और है l

आपकी आंखों की बात ही कुच्छ और है….

AAJ KA GEET GYAN #2 – JEWELLERY FOR WOMEN, BUT WHAT ABOUT MEN?

What is the biggest weakness of a woman? Well, as seen in Hindi songs, it is jewellery. Indeed, if she loses jewellery, she tries to look for the lost piece in song and dance form. Several examples: Jhumka gira re Bareilley ke bazaar mein, Dhoondo dhoondo re sajna mere kaan ka baala, and Nigah maarda jayin ve mera laung gwacha.

Song #1
Jhumka gira re Bareilley ke bazaar mein

This is from the 1966 Raj Khosla movie Mera Saya featuring his favourite actress Sadhana performing this number penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and composed by Madan Mohan:

Song #2
Dhoondo dhoondo re sajna, dhoondo re saajna mere kaan ka bala

This is a great favourite with me; a song from Dilip Kumar’s only production and an iconic movie: Gunga Jumna starring Vyjayanthimala with him. He has been driven to become a dacoit; the first Hindi movie with this idea. She visits him in his den in the forest. This song is about the coming of age when Vyjayanthimala steps into womanhood from being a girl.

These excellent lyrics (the word bala in the song depicts a maiden girl as well as the earing that she lost) were penned by Shakeel Badayuni, composed by Naushad and sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Vyjayanthimala’s dance leaves you in awe:

Song #3
Mujhe naulakha mangwa de re O sainyan deewane

He (Amitabh Bachchan) is the son of a very rich man, in the 1984 Prakash Mehra movie Sharabi. She, Jaya Prada, asks him through an exclusive dance only for him to get her jewelry worth Rupees Nine Lakhs (an astounding sum in 1984).

Lyricist Anjaan, composer Bappi Lahiri, and singer Asha Bhosle put the song together:

Song #4
Mera laung gwacha

This is a Punjabi folk song. Many artistes have sung this. Neha Bhasin really made it very popular:

Women, in this respect, are very materialistic. Men bemoan the loss of…hold your breath…heart. Eg, Dil mera aaj kho gya hai kahin…aapke paanv ke neeche to nahin. Jewellery or other material things are farthest from their minds. Even Johnny Walker sang, “Ek mussafir ko duniya mein kya chahiye, sirf thodi si dil mein jagah chahiye!”

Song #5
Dil mera aaj kho gaya hai kahin

This is from the 1964 Devendra Goel movie Door Ki Awaz starring Joy Mukerji and Saira Bano.

Lyrics are by my favourite Shakeel Badayuni and composition is that of Ravi. This was sung by Mohammad Rafi:

Song #6
Jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji

This is from the 1955 Guru Dutt movie Mr and Mrs 55 starring Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. The song is picturised on Johnny Walker as Johny and Yasmin as Julie.

It was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by OP Nayyar. It was sung by Mohammad Rafi for Johnny Walker and Geeta Dutt for Yasmin:

Song #7
Ek mussafir ko duniya mein kya chahiye

As I wrote, no jewelry for men; they are only loking for dil mein jagah.

This is again from the 1964 Devendra Goel movie Door Ki Awaz starring Joy Mukerji and Saira Bano. It was penned by Shakeel Badayuni and composed by Ravi.

It was picturised on Johnny Walker:

Women have no idea to what extent men will go to please them. No small things such as Jewelry, clothes, and ghar. They can get women, chand, sitaare, and do jahan ki khushiyan.

Song #8
Chalo dildar chalo chand ke paar chalo

The pull of a man telling her about chand and sitaare, sometimes, has its effect on her. As in this song from Pakeezah, a movie written, produced and directed by Kamal Amrohi as a tribute to his wife, Meena Kumari. This song was penned by Kaif Bhopali and composed in Raag Pahadi by Ghulam Mohammad who died during the making of the movie for as long as 15 years. Listen to the song. She is ready to go to chand with him with or without jewelry:

Song #9
Saat samundra paar se, gudiyon ke bazaar se

Also, women, when they are small are less materialistic, eg, this song of the 1967 movie Taqdeer. Papa is abroad and the girls want him to bring back a doll from the Doll Bazaar. However, they are ready to let go of the doll if he would return early, he being their biggest gift.

This was put together by Anand Bakshi, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Lata Mangeshkar and Sulakshna Pandit:

सात समुद्र पार से,
गुडियों के बाज़ार से,
अच्छी सी गुड़िया लाना,
गुड़िया चाहे ना लाना,
पापा जल्दी आ जाना l

Song #10
Hamse to achhi teri payal gori

Knowing that women love jewelry more than men, men are forced to sing:

हमसे तो अच्छी तेरी पायल गोरी,
जो बार बार तेरा बदन चूमे I

This is from the 1970 Naresh Kumar movie Ganwar starring Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala. It was penned by Rajinder Krishan and composed by Naushad Ali. The song was sung by Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle:

Song #11
Maine tere liye hi saat rang ke sapne chune

Remember Anand? Why did his beloved leave Rajesh Khanna? Simply because he was offering her dreams and she wanted jewelry:

मैंने तेरे लिए ही सात रंग के सपने चुने….

Hahahaha!!

Poor Anand! He was left with her dried flower in his book of poetry!

Q.E.D.

🤓😇😂🚀

AVTAR – A SINGER PAR EXCELLENCE

Avtar is a batch mate from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

Presently settled in Sydney with his wife Jyoti, he continues to regale us with his outstandingly beautiful singing. Jyoti often joins him whilst singing.

Recently they were in India. Our batch mate Sharanjit and his gracious wife, Dolly organised a Doston Ki Mehfil for them and invited nearly a 100 friends over.

The following poem in Punjabi is to bring out the effect of Avtar’s singing:

ਦਿਲ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਪਿਆਰ ਹੈ,
ਪਿਆਰ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਰੱਬ ਹੈ l
KLF ਅਤੇ DKM ਤਾਂ ਬਹਾਨੇ ਨੇ,
ਯਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲਣ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਸਬੱਬ ਹੈ l

ਕਿੰਨੀ ਮਿੱਠੀ ਤੇਰੀ ਆਵਾਜ਼ ਹੈ,
ਜਿਵੇਂ ਗਲੇ ਚ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੋਈ ਸਾਜ਼ ਹੈ,
ਪਿਛਲੇ ਜਨਮ ਦਾ ਕੋਈ ਰਿਸ਼ਤਾ ਜ਼ਰੂਰ ਹੈ,
ਵਰਨਾ ਕੌਣ ਕਿਸੀ ਦਾ ਐਨਾ ਹਮਨਵਾਜ਼ ਹੈ l

ਤੇਰੇ ਗੀਤਾਂ ਚ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਸਾਡੀ ਰੂਹ ਹੈ,
ਤੂੰ ਕੋਲ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਰੰਗ ਓ ਬੂ ਹੈ l
ਯਾ ਤਾਂ ਰੱਬ ਦਾ ਕੋਈ ਫਰਿਸ਼ਤਾ ਹੈਂ ਤੂੰ,
ਯਾ ਫੇਰ ਤੂੰ ਰੱਬ ਹੀ ਹੂਬਹੂ ਹੈ l

ਮੇਰੇ ਦਿਲ ਵਿਚ ਹੈ ਇਕ ਸੋਹਣਾ ਖ਼ਵਾਬ,
ਤੂੰ ਮਿਲਣ ਆਏਂ ਤੇ ਮੌਸਮ ਹੋ ਜਾਏ ਖ਼ਰਾਬ l
ਪੂਰੇ ਦਿਨ ਰਾਤ ਤੇਰੇ ਗੀਤ ਸੁਣਦਾ ਰਹਾਂ,
ਗਵਾਂਢੀ ਭੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਣ ਲਾਜਵਾਬ l

ਪਜਾ ਸਾਲ ਤੇਰੇ ਬਗੈਰ ਹੋਏ ਨੇ ਬਰਬਾਦ,
ਹੁਣ ਮੇਰੀ ਹੈ ਇਕ ਛੋਟੀ ਜਈ ਫਰਿਆਦ l
DKM ਤਾਂ ਸਾਲ ਬਾਅਦ ਆਉਣਾ ਹੈ,
ਹਰ ਹਫ਼ਤੇ ਕਰੋ ਦਿਲ ਦੀ ਮਹਿਫ਼ਿਲ ਆਬਾਦ l

DOSTON KI MEHFIL (DKM) – SECOND EDITION AT SHARANJIT’S HOUSE IN GREATER NOIDA

शरणजीत ने बिठाई दोस्तों की महफ़िल,
अजनबी भी गए एक दूजे के गले मिल l
बड़ा नोएडा, बड़ा चाँद, बड़ा घर देखा,
और सबने देखा शरणजीत का सबसे बड़ा दिल l

गायक आए एक से बढ़कर एक काबिल,
कईयों के गाने से खिड़कियां गईं हिल l
पर कुछ थे हमारे अवतार की तरह,
चारों ओर जैसे फूल गए हों खिल l

उदास थे कई जो हो ना सके शामिल,
कईयों की थी कुछ अपनी ही मुश्किल,
बहुतों ने गहरे सागर में लगाए गोते,
पर हम जैसे छोड़ ना सके साहिल l

मोदी ने हाथ में पकड़ी पेंसिल,
और ऐलान ऐ भारत लिख डाला बिस्मिल:
“कूचे कूचे, बस्ती बस्ती, DKM करवा दो,
गर देश ने महानता करनी है हासिल l”

अब हिन्दुस्तान में कोई ना रहे ऐसा जाहिल,
जिसे मिलने ना पाए दोस्तों की महफ़िल l
जो हाज़िर हैं वही असली शेर हैं दोस्तो,
बाकी तो हैं नाकाम, नाचीज़ और बुजदिल l

AAJ KA GEET GYAN #1 – DOUBLE ENTENDRE IN HINDI SONGS

दोस्तो,

आज पहली दफ़ा अपने चहेते गीतकार शकील की वजह से दरी पैर के नीचे से निकल गई l बैठे बैठे उनका एक गीत सुन रहा था और गीत से पता लगा के शकील या तो vegetarian थे या बाद में बन गएl

कैसे पता चला?

Simple. उन्होने गाने में लिखा था:

“दिल लगा कर हम यह समझे ज़िंदगी क्या cheese hai”

अगर vegetarian ना होते तो पक्का लिखते:

“दिल लगा कर हम यह समझे ज़िंदगी क्या ham है या bacon है l”

Q.E.D.

So here it is:

Song #1
Dil laga kar hum yeh samajhe zindagi kya cheese hai

I am giving you my own rendition of this. Originally sung by Mahendra Kapoor on the lyrics of Shakeel Badayuni and composition of C Ramchandra for the 1965 NA Ansari movie Zindagi Aur Maut starring Pradeep Kumar and Faryal.

The one on top is merely in good humour; the double entendre being between Hindi चीज़ (thing) and English Cheese.

Song #2
Sajna hai mujhe sajna ke liye

The first sajna has the meaning of dressing up or beauty treatment. The second sajna is the lover or the loved one. So, in this song from the 1973 Sudhendu Roy movie Saudagar, Padma Khanna as Phoolbanu sings the song for Amitabh Bachchan as Moti. The song was written and composed by Ravindra Jain and sung by Asha Bhosle:

Song #3
Ke jaan chali jaaye jiya nahin jaaye

The double entendre is in the mukhada itself: the first jiya is dil or heart and the second jiya is to do with living.

This song is from the 1969 Mohan Kumar movie Anjaana starring Rajendra Kumar and Babita. It was penned by Anand Bakshi and composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The singers are Mohammad Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur:

Song #4
Choli ke peechhe kya hai

This is double entendre at its suggestive or provocative best. This is from the 1993 Subhash Ghai’s iconic movie Khalnayak (Villain). Madhuri Dixit is the one who enacted it. She provocatively asks “Choli ke peechhe kya hi, chunri ke neeche kya hai.” You are sensuously carried to your height of imagination and then she brings you down with,”Choli mein dil hai mera. Chunri mein dil hai mera.”

This is one of the record 302 movies that Anand Bakshi as lyricist and Laxmikant Pyarelal as composer did together. The singers are Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun:

Song #5
Khada hai, khada hai, dar pe tere aashiq

I would avoid putting up this type though the fact is that such risqué songs are a plenty in Hindi movies and are often seen as the ones that directly add to the box office attraction of the movie.

This is from the 1994 David Dhawan movie: Andaz. The song is provocatively enacted by Anil Kapoor singing it to Juhi Chawla. Bappi Lahiri covered himself in glory composing trash songs and this is one of them. Indeevar, who had made such gentle songs as Jeevan se bhari teri aankhen, from the year 1987 onwards, giving in to lure of money, made over 500 such trash songs with Lahiri:

Song #6
Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana

This is from Waheeda Rehman’s debut movie: the 1956 movie C.I.D., produced by Guru Dutt and directed by Raj Khosla. Waheeda Rehman was Guru Dutt’s find from a college in Hyderabad. All of 17 years, Guru Dutt was so impressed with Waheeda Rehman that he signed her up for his next five movies.

Guru Dutt was preparing her for the role of a golden hearted prostitute in his next movie Pyaasa and gave her this role of a prostitute here too. When one of the bad guys’ ruffian reaches her to entrap Dev Anand, through this song she is warning Dev Anand to escape. The lyrics of the song, through their clever double entendre are warning him and also suggesting the escape route.

These double meaning lyrics were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, composed by OP Nayyar and sung by Shamshad Begum:

Song #7
Raaz ki baat keh doon to jaane mehfil mein phir kya ho?

This is from the 1973 movie Dharma starring Pran in his multi roles as Sevak Singh / Dharam Singh “Dharma” / Chandan Seth / Nawab Sikandar Mirza. Rekha, the heroine is also in double role as Asha Singh and Radha. Bindu, the vamp, is trying to expose Rekha in this song. But, she has sought protection from Pran as the don Chandan. Bindu, in her double entendre is trying to tell the party the truth about Rekha and Pran is trying to tell her to come to her senses. Finally these double entendre by both reach a climax and Pran cleverly reveals to Bindu that he is, indeed, the don Chandan and it won’t be in Bindu’s interest to resort to such skullduggery!

The song was penned by Verma Malik, composed by Sonik Omi and sung by Mohammad Rafi for Pran and Asha Bhosle for Bindu:

Song#8
Apni to har aah ek toofan hai

Whilst I have given a song from Guru Dutt production C.I.D., here is one from Dev Anand’s Navketan Films’ production: the 1960 movie Kala Bazar starring Waheeda Rehman with him.

This is really brilliant double entendre is by the Lyricist Shailendra. He and she are travelling by train and she is in the upper berth. His singing “Ooper wala” is actually about her but made to look like as if it is about the Ooper Wala: God.

The song was sung by Mohammad Rafi on a superb composition by his favourite composer: SD Burman.

Here is my own rendition of it:

Song #9
Kis kis ko pyar karun?

This is from the 1969 Pramod Chakravorty movie Tumse Achha Kzun Hai starring Shammi Kapoor and Babita.

The way Mohammad Rafi as playback for Shammi Kapoor sings Kis, it is more like an invitation to Kiss. The lyrics are by Rajinder Krishan and the composition is that of Shankar Jaikishan:

Song #10
Inhi logon ne le leena dupatta mera

This is from the 1972 Kamal Amrohi movie Pakeezah starring, in the lead role his wife Meena Kumari. The film took a decade and a half to make. Ghulam Mohammad, the composer, died whilst the movie was being made and some of the songs in the movie were composed by Naushad.

Even though Majrooh Sultanpuri is credited with the lyrics, the lyrics are a lift off from folk-lore. Dupatta is supposed to be the izzat of a maiden. Having lost it is, at one hand, pointing to her having stepped into prostitution, but on the other hand demurely bringing out her experience with the cloth merchant who sold it, the dyer who gave it colour, and hold your breath, the policeman who robbed it off her. Brilliant indeed.

The same song was used in 1941 movie Himmat and 1943 movie Aabroo:

Song #11
Mera naam hai Shabnam

Bindu, the vamp again. This time in the 1971 movie Kati Patang starring Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh and Prem Chopra. The story was roughly based on I Married a Dead Man, a 1948 novel by American crime writer Cornell Woolrich under the pseudonym William Irish.

This Shakti Samanta movie had, in the beginning, turning down a family marriage proposal with Rajesh Khanna without seeing him at all. It was because she was in love with Prem Chopra. But, soon she became aware of his villainous reality and ran off to a hill station under another name. Bindu knew her reality and as a singer-dancer in a hotel she, through the double entendre in this song, was trying to expose her:

Song #12
Titli udhi udh jo gayi

This song was sung by Sharda Iyengar for the 1966 movie Suraj. The song was enacted by Vyjayanthimala and Mumtaz.

Lyrics are by Shailendra and composition is that of Shankar Jaikishan.

Most of Shailendra songs have very deep meaning. So, for once, he was told to make a simple, children type song. Everyone felt that he delivered a plain song. It dawned upon everyone later that he was talking about the relationship between body and soul!

I have given you only representational songs for each type of double entendre. I hope you liked these.

Wait for Aaj Ka Geet Gyan #2 on a different topic.

A TRUE GARLAND OF VICTORY

Garland of Victory is an apt name,
For someone who conquered every heart.
From the beginning, she courted fame,
And played to perfection each part.
A natyam of our Bharat nation,
Gave her and us total elation.

She made everything in and around her dance,
Her body, her lips, eyes, and hair.
We saw that at every possible instance,
Each performance was unique and rare.
A natyam of our Bharat nation,
Became for her life her own station.

The biggest in the Hindi and Tamil cinema,
She acted easily with them all.
At times, she was seen as enigma,
At mere 5ft 3in, she looked royal and tall.
A natyam of our Bharat nation,
Turned her into the biggest sensation.

She has received the second highest award,
I would have easily given her the highest.
For her talent, dedication, and working hard,
Made her simply the finest and the best.
A natyam of our Bharat nation,
Made her an icon of our generation.

VIAGRA FOR FIGHTER COCKS

Ever since 1989 when Pfizer accidentally discovered that Sidenafil that was being tried for angina, could also be used to treat erectile dysfunction, it caught the imagination of men around the world. However, even after Pfizer started selling it under the brand name Viagra and it became popular, no one would have thought that Indians would find another (unthinkable) use for it. The Indian state of Andhra may be a poor state, particularly in villages. However, these villages spend crores of rupees betting on cocks. You heard it right, cocks. And the breeders of these cocks found innovative use for Viagra (The Times of India, Mumbai edition, 07 Jan 24).

Cockfights are the most exciting part of Sankranti celebrations in Andhra. However, lately, breeders discovered that cocks are not as energetic as would fetch hefty bets. So, they reasoned that if Viagra could make its recipients have their cocks standing to perform their assigned and desired duties, surely the same Viagra could make Andhra cocks fight with the same vigour as, say, Indian parliamentarians. And, they succeeded.

One of the earliest discovered side-effects of Viagra was headaches. This wasn’t such bad news. The males were excited not just to show their spouses the Leaning Tower without going to Pisa, if only for a couple of hours, but also to get over their (the women’s, that is) perennial excuse of headaches to avoid onslaught. After Viagra and its side-effect, they could confidently say that desires and headaches could stand hand in hand.

And now, with fighting cocks, Viagra can even get its recipients bravery medals; Param Vir Chakra, for example, for going down fighting till the last breath or peck.

I am wondering if Andhra is the only innovative state in the country. Why can’t we find other uses of Viagra across the country?

If, for example, we can find a way for these tablets or capsules to work on recently erected bridges and flyovers, these can be left standing longer than some of these presently do. Just like in cock-fighting, crores of rupees of public money can be saved even after the contractors elope.

Indeed, this innovation can be applied to all public erections: buildings, towers, pillars etc.

These pills can be given to all contesting candidates in our elections so that they can keep standing even after the vote count begins. Indeed, since Viagra is also used by sportsmen around the world for performance enhancement, perhaps we can try it upon our governments rather than merely hoping that somehow their performance would improve simply because they were voted to power or to rule.

Lately, we are looking for names, mottoes and phrases better suited for our culture and heritage. Perhaps we can find a Hindi name (better still, Sanskrit) for it and do a lot of (government funded) research and finally establish that centuries before Pfizer, Vatsayana had indeed discovered a potion (called Kama Booti) that was used by Indian males to show off their proud minars to the female of the species much before one Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak erected his own in the year 1199 on the outskirts of Delhi. Qutb’s erection used “the carved columns and architectural members of 27 Jain and Hindu temples, which were demolished by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak as recorded in his inscription on the main eastern entrance.” But, we can proudly proclaim that the purely Indian erections never destroy anything. Our burgeoning population is a proof of this.

Incidentally, look at some of the names of fighting cocks in Andhra: there are around 20 varieties of fighting roosters, including kaaki dega, dega, benaki, kaaki nemali, setu and pacha. Names are important; we definitely need to adapt the Sanskritization of Viagra.

And don’t forget that in order to get over Pfizer’s patent, we sold Viagra under the trade names including Kamagra (Ajanta Pharma), Silagra (Cipla), Edegra (Sun Pharmaceutical), Penegra (Zydus Cadila), Manly (Cooper Pharma) and Zenegra (Alkem Laboratories).

I recall when I was small, whilst going to school and back, we used to come across vendors selling on road sides Shilajeet type of drugs and powders to enhance male performance: “Patthar pe marega tann ki awaaz aayega (you would be able to hit it on a stone and get the same sound as that of a gong).”

We can inject some of the wonder drug into the spines of some of our public figures so that they keep erect and don’t collapse at the first sign of discussing national issues of corruption, state funding of elections and police reforms. Anna Hazare, for example, didn’t have to go into hibernation after arousing the national conscience.

The pills should be definitely administered to some of the audiences in our cinemas who themselves and make their small ones too not to stand for the national anthem.

As an aside, if only we had thought of administering the wonder drug to the Indian batsmen in the first innings of the Second Cricket Test Match between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town, perhaps we could have avoided the ignominy of losing the last six wickets in 11 balls without scoring a single run. We could have had the batsmen standing proud and erect and not allowed balls to do what proud and erect can do.

And, if the world would ask us about being sure about Kama Booti, we could take cue from Peter Sellers 1968 movie The Party. As Hrundi V. Bakshi in the movie when he was asked if he thought he was right, he responded, “In India we don’t think, we are sure.”

And now we can be, well, cocksure about it.

HOW I LOVE THE SECOND OF JANUARY

The day after Christmas is the Boxing Day; one puts all the extra eatables in boxes so as to give them away. I look forward to it.

But, I look forward more eagerly to the second of January. It is the day for normalcy to be restored after the final day of previous year and the first day of the new year.

Both those days are hectic; celebrations and calls, resolutions and urgency, desire to do something memorable, new and different. It is a territory not different from Christopher Colombus’s setting sail to discover the new world, unfamiliar and challenging.

But, unlike Columbus, one doesn’t have to wait for eternity for familiarity to return on the very next day, the second of January. There is no illusion (eg, to call America as Asia, which Columbus did). The clear vision itself is fully restored for most people within the time the earth has recorded one full rotation around its axis in the new year.

Indeed, in the New Year, there is nothing more welcome than the Second of January. First of anything is always daunting; ask me, both in the class and on the race track I always belied the expectations of family and friends by being nowhere near the top spot. But, Second has always been dear, like a close friend. No one ever expects or demands of me to come Second. There is no pressure. If I make it to this spot it is a bonus. If I don’t, no one even notices. I feel like the Army recruit in camouflage drill just merging with the landscape, trees and bushes.

This is also a very cushy spot; no one wants to dislodge you from it. Take politics, for example. Everyone is after the number one position: PM or CM. The second spot lends you that anonymity that makes your position much securer than the top spot.

Returning back to Second of January. All the shine of the new has worn off. All that frenetic activity to wish you or be wished by you, all those video calls that don’t allow you to loosen up, all the greetings wherein for each one you have to sound sincere and different, have subsided. Those high and menacing waves of the New Year Tsunami have fizzled out. One can actually hear the gentle notes of the Second of January, the flutes and not the cymbals, wafting across the distant horizon into your recently turmoiled home.

If both these dates were to be personified, ie, the First and the Second, and elections were to be held, I would vote for and second the Second. The First is always a dictator, authoritarian and with vested interests. The Second is always a benign ruler; somewhat similar to Nawab Wajid Ali Khan of Oudh enjoying music and dance and totally oblivious of the First, ie, British Forces marching to usurp his nawabdom.

Second of January is the World Introvert Day, that is, for millions of people like me who never want to be in the limelight or in any other coloured light.

In the year 1906, on this date, Willis Carrier obtained the patent for world’s first air-conditioner; he, too, knowing that nothing is as laid back as the Second of January.

This was the day in 1954 when India established its highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. Ever since that, we have been wrongly giving the award to the best, the most talented, and the most politically suitable person; whereas, if you have been following this essay closely, it is the second best who is more deserving of the honour. Imagine, yours truly being conferred with this honour because of being Second everywhere and every time and the PM attending my funeral when I finally kick the bucket.

All in all, I feel that the First of January is highly hyped up. Imagine the media hype for Rohit Sharma and his team in Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad and how relieved were they when Cummins and Co. put them out of their misery and they embraced the joyous relief of being runner-up. Their j.r. continues unabated in South Africa, too.

Except for missing out on the momentary spot at the top position on the podium, those who come Second are actually the true winners. They take life and its challenges in their stride and enjoy everything to the hilt.

Given a chance, I would recommend that the New Year should skip the First of January as a day of unnecessary stress and challenges, and go straight to Second of January. In any case, during the current year, no one would have missed the First of January since an extra day has been added to the end of the second month, February.

February, on the other hand, has this to say to the makers of the Gregorian Calendar: “Just leave me alone, dammit. Don’t forget that I am just the second month and in my position, no one would even notice the number of days that have been given to me to live.”

The First World War, your first love, your first experience at trying to bicycle, and Edmund Hilary, the first man to conquer the Everest…ugh. They all had the most difficult times but, the seconds are always more popular and celebrated. Take World Wars, for example. At least four times more people perished in the second as compared to the first, but, more movies have been made and more books published about the second. About your first love, the less said the better.

CONSCIENCE, SIN, GUILT, AND OPTIMISM

It is that time of the year when I look within and reflect. It is not a sudden urge. It is, generally, part of a longer – many a times as long as the whole year – tête-à-tête with my self. So far in past attempts, I have disentangled confusion, seen and given vent to clarity. Please wish me luck with this, too.

History of the World, Mankind, and Time

The world is about 4.5 billion years old. On a cosmic calendar, it is not considered very old. Humanity is even younger: just about 300,000 years old. That brings us to the question: How old is the concept of time? Guess what? It was just about 6000 years ago when we, somewhat erroneously, started measuring time through moon. The lunar calendars, the first conscious attempts at conceptualising time, can be traced back to just about 6000 years ago. The year was made of anything between 354 to 384 days. We used to refer to the past as “many moons gone by” and look at the future as “many moons away.” Even after the Christian Calendar was invented, based on the rotation of the earth around its axis, and elliptical orbit of the earth around the sun, the fascination with time measurement through the moon still continued. Please reflect that as late as just 66 years ago, a Hindi song had this line: Chand phir nikla magar tum na aaye (The (full or new) moon was seen again, and yet you didn’t visit me).

Initially, the world was anarchic. What we now term as the Laws of Nature or even Laws of God must have existed but, we were blissfully unaware of these. We did everything without a reference to the past – either of the humanity or of our own. Indeed, the concept of past itself didn’t exist. We lived perpetually in the present. As seen by our present progress in the evolution and despite all our discoveries and inventions that have made the world better, at that point in the History of Mankind, we were the happiest though, as is the case with happiness even now, we didn’t know about it.

Yes, when we discovered Sin, we tried to apply it to the beginning of Mankind itself. However, a reasonable person would know that let alone the Concept of Sin, not even the Concept of Time and hence Past existed. Hence, the story of Adam and Eve having been expelled from Heaven due to their eating the forbidden fruit (of knowledge of good and evil), must be the product of the Man’s imagination when he understood Time and related it to his Past. There couldn’t have been any sin committed by them because Sin, related to actions in the Past, just didn’t exist when Humanity started on earth.

Laws of Nature, God, and Society

The universe that we know about and the universes that we still don’t know about were also born out of total anarchy (after the Big Bang). Gradually, many – if not most – celestial objects fell into known patterns based on these laws. Indeed, many of these patterns made us discover the laws.

Even as the Laws of the Universe, Nature, and God were discovered by us, we also made laws of the society and civilization that we are part of. As we gradually shifted from being wanderers (nomads) to living in communities and societies, we made laws to protect the bigger interests of the society.

Just as in our understanding of the Cosmic Laws, we weren’t always right in many of the laws that we made for the society and civilizations. We changed these – in some cases even drastically – when we understood better. So, please do remember that many laws are not permanent; we follow these until a newer one is discovered or made better suited for us, the world, and the universe.

That brings us to our Concept of Right and Wrong. Our history would tell us that this thought we would want our children to know about early has been quite fuzzy, to say the least. The Right and Wrong kept changing so much so that now, in our own present, we can somewhat correctly conclude that what is Right is Right for a a major part of the society at the present time. It wasn’t Right before and it may not be Right in the future. The same is the case with Wrong.

At another time in the history of mankind we can make a Right or Wrong stand on its head. It is just relative and true for a particular period of Time.

Knowledge, Mind, and Reasoning

As the World and Life on it evolved, the most powerful Life on Earth at the present period of Time is Mankind. It has taken tens of thousands of years for it to evolve to the present level.

First, let me merely repeat what I wrote in ‘The Most Important Relations and Relationships’:

“I find Human Evolution as a very fascinating subject. Humans or homo sapiens, as we see them around now, at some point of history of primates, separated themselves from the apes (hominids). Genetic studies bring out that the history of primates is older than 85 million years ago. There have been many theories (in the absence of recorded history we have either theories or gospel (word of mouth)) regarding the Evolution of Man, the foremost or the most accepted being the Darwinian theory. All these theories explore only the anatomical aspects; for example, the origin of man standing and walking on two feet and legs (bipedalism). Nothing has yet brought out the evolution of emotions and relationships, except in gospel. And that is the aspect that fascinates me most. For example, who was the first man or woman to fall in love? Or was it at the great ape stage or even earlier? When, how and why did the first man get angry and who triggered those emotions in him?”

However, it is reasonable to assume that the same DNA and its mutations that made varieties of Life possible on Earth, also made it possible for the Mankind to have Knowledge, Mind and Reasoning.

Indeed, all Civilizational Knowledge is written in our DNA very carefully from generation to generation. Thus, the present Mind of Man has evolved over generations to its present form.

As you look at Life on Earth millions of years ago you realise that the mutations of DNA that survived the best are those that were best suited for a particular environment during a particular period of Time. As with anatomical mutations, in the recent History of Mankind, one realises that the Human Mind has become more and more powerful simply by Powers of Reasoning. One can confidently argue that now, as compared to anytime in the History of Mankind, Reasoning has helped the Mankind more than the lack of it; both to survive and make a better and securer life.

In this evolution of the Reasoning Mind, it is easy to conclude that unless outdated concepts such as Community Religion (“Do this and don’t do that”) based on blind faith are in sync with the Reasoning Mind, these would become extinct some time in future. How much time would it take depends upon the tenacity of blind faith. Lets not forget that the Reasoning of Copernican Heliocentrism about the Earth revolving around the Sun, until it took centuries to prevail and be regarded as common knowledge today, was held to be inferior (blasphemous) to the Community Religion’s blind faith that Earth was the Abode of Gods and hence, everything in the Universe revolved around it.

Conscience, Sin, And Guilt

The Reasonable Mind and The Concept of Right and Wrong evolved almost simultaneously in the History of Mankind. Just as we did with Religion, we also did with Morality. Certain things became Right and Moral to do whilst others became Wrong and Immoral.

Our Reasonable Mind also made us realise that some force or power must be controlling our Mind. Else, how would we be able to control this Reasoning? In our Evolution, Conscience evolved: “a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual’s moral philosophy or value system.” We willfully made our Reasonable Mind slave to this cognitive process called Conscience; controlled the mind, so as to say.

Sin is merely a Religion’s way of telling us that all our transgressions against the Law of Nature or Law of God (Divine Law) are immoral. Whenever we did these, it made us full of Guilt.

The process of Evolution as observed by Man made Man realise that just like only those mutations of DNA survived that were adaptable to the environment and multiplied in larger numbers than the weaker mutations, Religious ideas would survive if these had the largest followers. Adding to the numbers of the like minded, therefore, ensured the survival of the idea of that particular religion; evangelical indeed.

However, in the Evolution of Mankind, there would still be large numbers of people who would drift away from the original idea just as those who became followers of a particular religion drifted away from beliefs held by them before the advent of that religion.

Religion, therefore, invented the idea of Fear. Idea of Fear already existed in the Physical World: we feared wild animals, floods, fires, and other disasters. Religion merely adapted the Concept of Fear to Guilt and Consequences of not following the Divine Laws.

Heaven, Hell, and Fear

Religion discovered that one of the easiest ways to keep its flock through Fear of Consequences is by creating the Concept of Heaven and Hell. Heaven is for those who follow the Divine Laws and the fires of Hell are for those who willfully deviate from these laws.

It was a flawed concept, but, it controlled large chunks of the Humanity for at least 2000 years.

Why do I call it flawed concept? Simply because we know that there is nothing like Free Will. As Swami Vivekananda said we have to go beyond the confines of the universe to exercise Free Will. So, to conclude that Hell is for those who willfully deviate from the Divine Laws is not in sync with the limitations of the Man. We still do many acts without deliberately thinking about them or their consequences. “Forgive them, O God, for they know not what they are doing” as reportedly uttered by Jesus on the Cross didn’t have a smaller meaning about the limitation of His Roman persecutors but a larger meaning of the Limitation of Mankind.

Various thinkers (they are the ones who change the world), therefore, concluded that Sin and Guilt are not exclusive acts of omission and commission by a particular man. But, since we are all related, people around us have all contributed to that Sin. The Indian Government is in the process of changing laws for Mob Crimes (as I told you, laws are always changing). Similarly, for Sin, shouldn’t we be sending many, many people to Hell rather than the one visible man whom our senses perceived to have committed that sin? How do we know what was written on his DNA when he was born? How do we know about collective Conscience of generations rather than just our own exclusive Conscience? In the ultimate analysis, we know not what we are doing; it is beyond us.

Optimism

Yes, the essentially flawed concepts of Sin and Guilt kept going for hundreds of years. Our Societal Laws, themselves, have been based on these Divine Laws (In God We Trust, so as to say). God, and Guardians of Laws on Earth would punish us for our acts of commission and omission. More than the physical punishment, our Conscience and Guilt would punish us; the degree of this (self-inflicted) punishment would vary from close to zero (for the non-thinking Man) to close to hundred (for the thinking Man). As Kahlil Gibran said, “A thinking man can never be happy.”

And now the flaws in the Concept of Sin and Guilt add up even more. The World and Mankind is progressing because of the Reasoning Mind of Man. However, the Reasoning Mind is the unhappiest, and many a times the only unhappy one, because of Conscience, Sin, and Guilt. This is not a good Evolution. It was required to keep us following the straight line in an anarchic world. But, it is sure to become outdated over a period of time, say, in another five hundred years. We can’t continue to control the world and society through a negative of Sin and Guilt. A time has to come in the Evolution of Man when we control the Society more through the positive of Love than through the negatives of Sin and Guilt.

Wishful thinking? No, I have, in the last few decades, seen this change. Religion itself is perceptibly shifting its focus from Sin, Guilt and Fear of Consequences to “God loves us unconditionally.” This is in reaction to the dwindling congregations in the churches around the world and, hence, the survival instinct of the church.

My early thought process was influenced by many authors and playwrights. One of them was the American author and playwright William Saroyan. In the preface to his celebrated play The Time Of Your Life, he wrote:

“In the time of your life, live so that there would be no death or ugliness for yourself of for any life that your life touches. Be the inferior of no man nor of any man be the superior. Remember that every man is a variation of yourself; no man’s guilt is not yours nor of any man’s innocence a thing apart. In the time of your life, live and let others live. But, if the time comes in the time of your life to kill, kill and have no regrets.”

Our Lord Krishna taught us this eons ago.

TRIBUTE TO MOHAMMAD RAFI – MY OWN SINGING – PART V

Once in an era one comes across an artiste who not just entertains but influences our lives as never before. We start searching for newer and better adjectives to describe his or her art. We consider ourselves fortunate to have lived that era with him or her when he or she displayed his or her talent.

There is no other artiste who represents this phenomenon better than the god of songs: Mohammad Rafi.

I am putting up Part V of a post that I published Part IV of on his death anniversary on 31 Jul 23.

The makers of best songs in Hindi movies: Mohammad Rafi with Naushad Ali and Shakeel Badayuni

I have always maintained that there has been no singer, male or female, like Mohammad Rafi. With his singing, he conveyed to us, what can one do to lyrics and composition simply by singing with his kind of passion, modulation, range, style and aura. Indeed, he made many songs immortal by just singing them. Irrespective of the awards and honours bestowed on other singers, more often than not due to political reasons, many like me feel that Mohammad Rafi was beyond awards including Bharat Ratna. Therefore, to be able to sing the songs earlier sung by Mohammad Rafi is a blessing and honour. This doesn’t, by any stretch of imagination, mean that anyone of us can match his prowess. It only means that we can take lots of joy and pride in the fact that we lived in the era when he was alive and fondly sing his songs to relive their magic. The songs of Part I have been:

Aaj purani raahon se koi mujhe awaaz na de.
Man tadpat Hari darshan ko aaj.
Chhalke teri aankhon se.
Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka.
Paas baitho tabiyat behal jayegi.
Tujhe kya sunayun main dilruba.

The songs of Part II have been:

Zara sun haseena-e-nazneen.
Ek haseen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya.
Ajahun na aaye balma sawan beeta jaaye.
Jo guzar rahi hai mujhpe use kaise main batayun.
Jaan-e-bahar husn tera bemisaal hai.
Tum ek baar mohabbat ka imtihaan to lo.

The songs of Part III have been:

Aane se uske aaye bahar.
Govinda aala re aala.
Mittar pyare nu.
Nigaahen na phero chale jayenge hum.
Aise to na dekho.
Mujhe le chalo aaj phir us gali mein.

The songs of Part IV have been:

Husn waale tera jawab nahin.
Itna hai tumse pyar mujhe.
Dil ka bhanwar kare pukaar.
Baharon phool barsao.
Tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge.
Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum.

Lets start with Part V songs.

Song #25 – Dil ki awaz bhi sun

OP Nayyar

I had promised you a lot more songs from Omkar Prasad Nayyar and here I am again. You will see that the more you see the range of his songs and quality of his compositions, the more you’ll be convinced that he ranks among the greatest composers and music directors that the Hindi films have seen. His being the Music Director of a movie, invariably assured its success. Take this 1968 movie Humsaya from where I have taken this song and you’ll know what I mean:

“Dil Ki Awaaz Bhi Sun” Mohammed Rafi
“Mujhe Mera Pyar De De, Tujhe Aazma Liya Hai” Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
“Badi Mushkil Se Kaabu Mein Dil-E-Deewana Aaya” Asha Bhosle, Mahendra Kapoor
“Kitna Haseen Hai Yeh Jahan” Asha Bhosle
“O Kanhaiya Kanhaiya” Asha Bhosle
“Woh Haseen Dard De Do” Asha Bhosle
“Aaja Mere Pyar Ke Sahare” Asha Bhosle

Lyricist – Shevan Rizvi

OP Nayyar’s favourite, SH Bihari, was one of the lyricist of the above songs. Hasrat Jaipuri too. However, this song was penned by Shevan Rizvi.
His song in the 1958 Al Hilal was on everyone’s lips. The song was composed by Bulo C Rani: Hamen to loot liya milke husn walon ne. Another song that I can recall is Jaate jaate ek nazar bhar dekh lo.

Mohammad Rafi

Mohammad Rafi was the God of Songs. He sang at levels that were unimaginable by others. In every song, including this, his singing was the fastest way to transport the emotions of the song in you.

Here, he sang for Joy Mukherjee in a movie that was produced and directed by Joy. He had two female leads Mala Sinha and Sharmila Tagore for the simple reason that he had a double role in the movie (Humsaya, that is). In one role he was an Indian Air Force Officer and in the other as his Chinese look-alike. Mala Sinha was the Chinese!

The Lyrics

दिल की आवाज़ भी सुन मेरे फ़साने पे न जा
मेरी नज़रों की तरफ़ देख ज़माने पे न जा

इक नज़र फ़ेर ले जीने की इजाज़त दे दे
रूठने वाले वो पहली सी मुहब्बत दे दे
(इश्क़ मासूम है – २), इलज़ाम लगाने पे न जा

वक़्त इनसान पे ऐसा भी कभी आता है
राह में छोड़के साया भी चला जाता है
(दिन भी निकलेगा कभी – २), रात के आने पे न जा

मैं हक़ीक़त हूँ ये इक रोज़ दिखाऊँगा तुझे
बेगुनाही पे मुहब्बत की रुलाऊँगा तुझे
दाग दिल के नहीं मिटते हैं मिटाने पे न जा

My Own Poetry

Main Bewafa Nahin Hoon

इस से पहले के बेवफाई का मुझे दो तगमा,
अपने एहसास में आने दो वह प्यारा नग़मा;
जो दिल की धड़कन के साज़ से जुबां तक पहुंचा,
कहाँ आगाज़ हुआ था और कहाँ तक पहुंचा.
इस से पहले के बेवफाई का …..

पास रह कर भी तुम दूर चले जाते थे,
मेरी मजबूर तमन्ना को और भी तरसाते थे,
दिल की आवाज़ बन के रह जाती थी सदमा.
इस से पहले के बेवफाई का …

ये दीवार मैंने नहीं तुम्ही ने तो बनायी थी,
कहाँ थी तुम जब पास सिर्फ तन्हाई थी?
मेरी खामोशी उस वक़्त थी मेरे दिल की मेहमान,
इस से पहले के बेवफाई का …

अब हम नहीं, तुम नहीं और हयात भी नहीं,
उल्फत की राहों में सुलगते जज़्बात भी नहीं,
सिसकियाँ भर के खत्म हो गए सब अरमान.
इस से पहले के बेवफाई का …

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Dil ki awaz bhi sun…

Song #26 – Kaise kategi zindagi tere bagair?

This ghazal by the Ghazal King Madan Mohan is from an album called Tere Bagair that was released in 2009. Some of the songs in this album including this one were sung by Mohammad Rafi. Then there are others that were sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mahmood and Asha Bhosle. There is one by Kishore Kumar too.

Two of the greatest: Madan Mohan with Mohammad Rafi)

Madan Mohan was born on 25 Jun 1924 at Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, where his father Rai Bahadur Chunilal was working as an Accountant General with the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. Madan Mohan spent the early years of his life in the Middle East. After 1932, his family returned to their home town of Chakwal, then in Jhelum district of Punjab, British India. He joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the year 1943. He served there for two years until end of World War II, when he left the Army and returned to Bombay to pursue his musical interests. In 1946, he joined the All India Radio, Lucknow as Programme Assistant, where he came in contact with various artists such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood.

He was very fond of singing, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals penned by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. Soon after, in 1948 he recorded two more private ghazals penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon. In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composer Ghulam Haider (composer) for the film Shaheed (1948 film), though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1948 and 1949, he assisted music composers SD Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress and Nirdosh.

As Music Director, he scored his first big break with the film Aankhen in 1950. He was soon to emerge as a music director par excellence especially for ghazals. Indeed, music director OP Nayyar once said about Madan Mohan that two of his ghazals were better than all that OP Nayyar composed. Some of the best songs of Lata Mangeshkar (she fondly called him “Madan Bhaiyya”) were composed by him on the lyrics of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan.

The song was penned by Rajinder Krishan. It was originally used in the 1968 Pakistani hit movie Jahan Tum Wahan Hum.

Please enjoy my rendition of: Kaise kategi zindagi tere bagair…

कैसे कटेगी ज़िन्दगी
तेरे बगैर तेरे बगैर
पाउँगा हर शै में कमी
तेरे बगैर तेरे बगैर

फूल खिले तोह यु लगे
फूल नहीं यह दाग हैं
तारे फलक पे यु लगे
जैसे बुझे चिराग हैं
आग लगाये चाँदनी
तेरे बगैर तेरे बगैर
कैसे कटेगी ज़िन्दगी

चाँद घटा में छुप गया
सारा जहाँ उदास है
कहती है दिल की धड़कने
तू कही आस-पास है
ा के तड़प रहा है जी
तेरे बगैर तेरे बगैर
पाउँगा हर शै में कमी.

Song #27 – Jaag dil-e-deewana

Here is another song in Raag Bhairavi and close to my heart. Whilst Mohammad Rafi has delved in high pitch in many of his songs, there are songs like this and Dil ka bhanwar kare pukaar that he had sung in restrained pitch. The effect was heavenly.

This is from the 1965 Phani Majumdar movie Oonche Log starring Ashok Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Feroz Khan, Vijaya and Tarun Bose. Phani Majumdar was the same director who gave us the 1962 movie Aarti starring Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar with such beautiful songs as: Aapne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aaya, Kabhi to milegi kahin to milegi, Ab kyaa misaal doon main tumhare shabab ki, and Baar baar tohe kyaa samjhaaye. He also made Kanyadaan, and the old KL Saigal movie Street Singer.

The movie Oonche Log was the first big hit of the then newcomer Feroze Khan who as Rajnikant fell in love with KR Vijaya as Bimla, made her pregnant, and made her abort the child for fear of getting his father, Ashok Kumar as Major Chandrakant annoyed. This made her commit suicide. This song was enacted by Feroze Khan still not accepting her absence.

This song was penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, composed by Chitragupta, and sung by Mohammad Rafi.

Please enjoy my rendition of: Jaag dil-e-deewana…

(जाग दिल-ए-दीवाना रुत जागी वस्ल-ए-यार की
बसी हुई ज़ुल्फ़ में आयी है सबा प्यार की ) – २
जाग दिल-ए-दीवाना

(दो दिल के कुछ लेके पयाम आयी है
चाहत के कुछ लेके सलाम आयी है ) – २
दर पे तेरे सुबह खड़ी हुई है दीदार की
जाग दिल-ए-दीवाना …

(एक परी कुछ शाद सी नाशाद सी
बैठी हुई शबनम में तेरी याद की ) – २
भीग रही होगी कहीं कली सी गुलज़ार की
जाग दिल-ए-दीवाना रुत जागी वस्ल-ए-यार की
बसी हुई ज़ुल्फ में आयी है सबा प्यार की
जाग दिल-ए-दीवाना

Song #28 – Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere

This is one of the best of Laxmikant Pyarelal from the 1964 Satyen Bose movie Dosti, a movie whose songs made L-P one of the most loved music duos in India and a movie whose songs are still fondly remembered even today. Majrooh Sultanpuri penned the lyrics and L-P composed it in the raaga of my place: Pahadi.

Lets start with the movie. Bombay based Rajshri was founded by Tarachand Barjatya in the year 1947. However, Rajshri Productions Pvt Ltd engaged in films production came about in the year 1962. Its first film Arti, in 1962 was highly acclaimed. However, the grand success of its second production Dosti in 1964 included winning the National Award for Best Feature Film and as many as six Filmfare Awards: Best Film, Best Music Director (the debut Filmfare Award for L-P), Best Story: Ban Bhatt, Best Dialogue: Govind Moonis, Best Playback Singer: Mohammad Rafi for the song I am giving you today, and finally Best Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri for the same song.

Dosti was directed by Satyen Bose. It was Sanjay Khan’s debut film and had Sudhir Kumar Sawant, and Sushil Kumar Somaya in lead roles. The film focuses on the friendship between two boys, one blind and the other a cripple.

Laxmikant Pyarelal started off with 1963 movie Parasmani and they made such popular songs for their very first movie that these are fondly remembered even today:

1.	“Hansta Hua Noorani Chehra”	Asad Bhopali	Lata Mangeshkar, Kamal Barot	3:40
2.	“Mere Dil Mein Halki Si”	Asad Bhopali	Lata Mangeshkar	4:56
3.	“Ooi Maa Ooi Maa Yeh Kya Ho Gaya”	Asad Bhopali	Lata Mangeshkar	3:24
4.	“Salamat Raho Salamat Raho”	Indeevar	Mohammad Rafi	5:57
5.	“Woh Jab Yaad Aaye”	Asad Bhopali	Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar	4:43
6.	“Chori Chori Jo Tumse Mili”	Faruk Kaiser	Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar	4:01

The duo that started off so outstandingly well in their very first movie had indeed great future ahead for them. Dosti was only their sixth movie (they did a total of 635 movies between 1963 to 1998) after Parasmani (1963), Harishchandra Taramati (1963), Sati Savitri (1964), Sant Gyaneshwar (1964) and Mr X in Bombay (1964). All these movies too had excellent and memorable songs; eg, Main ek nanha sa main ek chhota sa bachcha hoon and Suraj re jalte rehna from Harishchandra Taramati; Tum gagan ke chandrama ho main dhara ki dhool hoon, Jeevan dor tumhi sang bandhi, Sakhi ri pi ka naam naam na poochho, and Itni jaldi kya hai gori saajan ke sang jaane ki from Sati Savitri; Jaago re prabhat aaya, Jyot se jyot jalaate chalo, and Ek do teen chaar bhaiya bano hoshiyar from Sant Gyaneshwar; Mere mehboob qyaamat hogi, Khoobsurat haseena jaan-e-jaan jaan-e-mann, Chali re chali re gori paniya bharan ko, and Julmi hamaare saanwariya ho Raam from Mr X In Bombay.

The 1964 movie Dosti was a landmark for Laxmikant Pyarelal as the movie’s songs enabled them to receive their first Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. Out of the six songs of the movie, Mohammad Rafi sang six and Lata Mangeshkar sang one. These two playback singers, the best in their fields, stayed with Laxmikant Pyarelal till the end and even sang for them in low budget movies.

Laxmikant Pyarelal with Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar (Pic courtesy: Hamara Photos)

Here are the iconic songs that Majrooh Sultanpuri, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar made together for Dosti:

1.	“Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanj Savere”	Mohammad Rafi	04:55
2.	“Meri Dosti Mera Pyar”	Mohammad Rafi	04:23
3.	“Rahi Manwa Dukh Ki Chinta”	Mohammad Rafi	04:07
4.	“Mera To Jo Bhi Kadam”	Mohammad Rafi	04:03
5.	“Gudiya Humse Roothi Rahogi Kab Tak Na Hasogi”	Lata Mangeshkar	03:31
6.	“Jaanewalo Zara”	Mohammad Rafi	04:06

Lastly, before we take up the song, lets for a minute talk about the lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Majrooh was a contemporary of my favourite: Shakeel Badayuni.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was born on 01 Oct 1919 as Asrar ul Hassan Khan in a Tarin Pashtun family, in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His father was an officer in the police department, but, preferred to send his son for traditional madrasa (Urdu school) rather than provide him with English schooling.

He tried his hand at being a quack until he was noticed in a mushaira in Sultanpur.

He was a disciple of the great Urdu poet Jigar Moradabadi. When he visited Bombay in 1945 to participate in a mushaira, the director Abdul Rashid Kardar noticed him and invited him to write for the movies. Majrooh turned it down as he looked down upon movies! He was persuaded through his mentor Jigar Moradabadi and then there was no turning back.

Many traditionalists of the Urdu literature, however, felt that Majrooh sold his soul to the Hindi films and that he could have emerged a great poet in the likeness of Ghalib and Jigar.

The takhalus Majrooh means “injured” or “wounded”.

Majrooh was awarded, in 1993, the highest award – Dadasaheb Phalke award – for his lifetime contribution towards lyrics and poetry. He was the first lyricist ever to be given that award. For the film Dosti, that made Laxmikant Pyarelal famous, he was awarded the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for the song: Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere.

For someone who didn’t want to join Hindi movies, Majrooh emerged as a natural lyricist, very popular, very romantic and enchanting.

Laxmikant Pyarelal and Majrooh Sultanpuri paired in a number of movies to make songs: Dosti (1964), Mere Lal (1966), Dillagi (1966), Shagird (1967), Patthar Ke Sanam (1967), Duniya Nachegi (1967), Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968), Wapas (1969), Pyasi Sham (1969), Meri Bhabhi (1969), Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke (1969), Abhinetri (1970), Jal Bin Machli Nritya Bin Bijli (1971), Bikhre Moti (1971), Ek Nazar (1972), Anokhi Ada (1973), Imtihaan (1974), Mere Sajana (1975), Anari (1975), Aaj Ka Mahatma (1976), Dus Numbri (1976), Master Dada (1977), Kali Raat (1977), Parvarish (1977), Swan Ke Geet (1978), Naach Utha Sansar (1978), Phaansi (1978), Prayaschit (1979), Ladies Tailor (1981), Ek Aur Ek Gyarah (1981), Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987), Janam Janam (1988), Humshakal (1992), Badi Bahen (1993), West is West (2011) and Soundtrack (2011).

These movies that Majrooh and LP did together produced some really enchanting songs such as Bade miyan deewane, Dil wil pyar wyar, Kanha kanha aan padhi, Woh hain zara khafa khafa, Ruk ja aye hawa, and Duniya pagal hai ya main deewana (all from 1967 movie Shagird); Koi nahin hai phir bhi hai mujhako, Tauba ye matwali chaal, Mehboob mere, and Patthar ke sanam (all from 1967 movie Patthar Ke Sanam); Chhalkaye jaam, Chalo sajna jahan taq, Na jaa kahin ab na jaa, Allah ye ada kaisi, Hui shaam unka khyaal aa gaya, Hamen to ho gaya hai pyaar, and Tum jao kahin (all from 1968 movie Mere Hamdam Mere Dost); and Ye kaisa gham sajna and Yaaro mera saath nibhao (both from 1969 movie Pyasi Sham).

Before we take up the song, let me tell you briefly as to how it came about in the movie. Ramu (Sushil Kumar) is a cripple and good at playing harmonica. Thrown out of his home, crippled and penniless, he roams around the streets of Mumbai. Here he comes across Mohan (Sudhir Kumar), a boy who is blind and has a similar tale of woe. Mohan is a singer. Both meet on the streets of Bombay and form a good pair. One day, Ramu gets into trouble for no fault of his own and is bailed out on the condition that he would keep no contact with Mohan. That’s how this song came about.

Please enjoy Mohammad Rafi sing a composition of Laxmikant Pyarelal on the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri, a song from the 1964 Satyen Bose movie Dosti: Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere….

चाहूँगा मैं तुझे साँझ सवेरे
फिर भी कभी अब नाम को तेरे
आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा, आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा

देख मुझे सब है पता
सुनता है तू मन की सदा (२)
मितवा …
मेरे यार तुझको बार बार
आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा, आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा
चाहूँगा मैं तुझे साँझ सवेरे

दर्द भी तू चैन भी तू
दरस भी तू नैन भी तू
मितवा …
मेरे यार तुझको बार बार
आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा, आवाज़ मैं न दूँगा

Song #29 – Saathi haath badhana

Alright, as promised, this is another composition of OP Nayyar. He composed this on the lyrics of Sahir Ludhianvi for the 1957 movie BR Chopra Naya Daur starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.

The movie had some really popular songs of that era:

“Aana Hai To Aa” – Mohammed Rafi
“Dil Leke Daga Denge” – Mohammed Rafi
“Main Bambai Ka Babu” – Mohammed Rafi
“Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawanon Ka, Albelon Ka” – Mohammed Rafi, S. Balbir
“Mangke Saath Tumhara, Maine Mang Liya Sansar” – Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
“Uden Jab Jab Zulfen Teri, Kunwariyon Ka Dil Machle” – Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
“Sathi Hath Badhana, Sathi Hath Badhana” – Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
“Reshmi Salwar, Kurta Jaali Ka” – Shamshad Begum, Asha Bhosle

I had my sister, Suman Saxena, visiting me in Kandaghat. She is a very fine, devoted, and popular singer. We sang this duet together that was originally sung by Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle:

साथी हाथ बढ़ाना, साथी हाथ बढ़ाना
एक अकेला थक जायेगा मिल कर बोझ उठाना
साथी हाथ बढ़ाना …

१) हम मेहनतवालों ने जब भी मिलकर कदम बढ़ाया
सागर ने रस्ता छोड़ा परबत ने शीश झुकाया
फ़ौलादी हैं सीने अपने फ़ौलादी हैं बाहें
हम चाहें तो पैदा करदें, चट्टानों में राहें, साथी …

२) मेहनत अपनी लेख की रखना मेहनत से क्या डरना
कल गैरों की खातिर की अब अपनी खातिर करना
अपना दुख भी एक है साथी अपना सुख भी एक
अपनी मंजिल सच की मंजिल अपना रस्ता नेक, साथी …

३) एक से एक मिले तो कतरा बन जाता है दरिया
एक से एक मिले तो ज़र्रा बन जाता है सेहरा
एक से एक मिले तो राई बन सकती है परबत
एक से एक मिले तो इन्सान बस में कर ले किस्मत, साथी …

४) माटी से हम लाल निकालें मोती लाएं जल से
जो कुछ इस दुनिया में बना है बना हमारे बल से
कब तक मेहनत के पैरों में ये दौलत की ज़ंज़ीरें
हाथ बढ़ाकर छीन लो अपने सपनों की तस्वीरें, साथी …

Song #30 – Aaja re aa zara

Love In Tokyo was the name of this 1966 movie by Pramod Chakravorty. It had Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh in the lead roles.

There were eight excellent songs in the movie that were composed by the best duo ever in Hindi movies: Shankar Jaikishan. One was penned by Shailendra: Koi matwala aaya mere dwaare and the others by Hasrat Jaipuri: Sayonara sayonara that became very popular, and Mujhe tum mil gaye hamdam. These were all sung by Lata. Then there was O mere shah-e-khuba sung by Lata and Rafi. The other three were solos by Rafi: Aaja re aa zara, Love in Tokyo (Le gayi dil gudiya Japan ki), and Main tere pyar ka bimar.

This is a beautiful and sensuous number by Mohammad Rafi pictured on Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh.

Please enjoy my rendition of: Aaja re aa zara…

ये ज़िंदगी की महफ़िल, महफ़िल में हम अकेले
दामन को कोई थामे, ज़ुल्फ़ों से कोई खेले

आ जा रे आ ज़रा, लहरा के आ ज़रा
आँखों से दिल में समा
आ जा रे आ ज़रा …

देख फ़िज़ा में रंग भरा है
मेरे जिगर का ज़ख़्म हरा है
सीने से मेरे सर को लगा दे
हाथों में तेरे दिल की दवा है
आ जा रे आ ज़रा …

तेरे भी दिल में आग लगी है
मेरे भी दिल में आग लगी है
दोनों तरफ़ है एक सी हालत
दोनों दिलों पर बिजली गिरी है
आ जा रे आ ज़रा …

अपना सुलगना किसको दिखाऊँ
साँसों के तूफ़ाँ कैसे छुपाऊँ
आँखें क्या क्या देख रहीं हैं
दिल पे जो गुज़री कैसे बताऊँ
आ जा रे आ ज़रा …

In the fourth part, once again, I have given you a wide range of songs of the greatest singer Mohammad Rafi. I hope you liked my selection.

So as not to make the post longer than 30 minutes of your listening pleasure, I give you only six songs at a time.

Please await songs of Part VI.

SHANKAR JAIKISHAN SONGS OF HASRAT JAIPURI – MY OWN SINGING – PART I

No other music director has ruled the music scene in Hindi movies as much as Shankar-Jaikishan. Indeed, the name of Shankar-Jaikishan is the most popular name among Hindi music directors.

After it made its debut in Raj Kapoor’s 1949 movie Barsaat, the name Shankar-Jaikishan became synonymous with popular tunes. From the year 1957, when Shankar-Jaikishan won its first Filmfare Award for the movie Chori Chori (that is, eight years after its debut), and until 1973 when it won its last Filmfare Award for the movie Imaan, it was nominated as many times as eighteen for the award and won half the times. The best way to appreciate the excellence of its music is to have a look at some of the movies for which Shankar-Jaikishan missed getting the award though nominated: 1962 movie Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behati Hai, 1964 movie Dil Ek Mandir, 1965 movie Sangam, 1966 movie Arzoo, and 1972 movie Andaz.

Shankar Jaikishan are called by various epithets. However, after their death (Jaikishan died in 1971 and Shankar in 1987), the most befitting epithet for them has been ‘Music Director of the Millennium’.

I became fond of the duo from my teens. The duo’s songs were on everyone’s lips including the one that was voted as the most popular song of Hindi movies: Baharo phool barsao mera mehboob aaya hai.

The duo was imaginative, innovative, and capable of going beyond the traditional. As an example, even though Naushad Ali was credited with introducing raag based songs in Hindi movies, S-J ended up using raagas to make the most popular tunes in Hindi movies. Jaikishan used Bhairavi to compose many of his songs and Shankar became adept at composing based on Shivaranjani. The traditionalists on classical music would have been amazed at how the duo used the raagas. An apt example is the Brahmachari song Dil ke jharokhe mein tujhko bithakar based on Shivaranjani.

Shailendra (extreme right) with Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar-Jaikishan (Pic courtesy: Cinema Sangeet)

The lyricists who penned most of their songs were Shailendra and Shankar Jaikishan. Unlike S-J who waited for eight years to get its first Filmfare Award, Shailendra won the very first Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for the 1958 Bimal Roy movie Yahudi’s song: Yeh mera diwanapan hai. He won the next one too for the 1959 movie Anari song: Sab kuchh seekha hamne. Later, he won once again for the 1968 movie Brahmachari song: Main gaoon tum so jao.

Shailendra penned lyrics that took you deep. Indeed, many fans are still trying to find true meaning of some of the lyrics that he wrote; eg, Main nadiya phir bhi main pyaasi.

Hasrat Jaipuri, on the other hand, excelled in romantic songs. He is, justifiably, called Shehanshah of Rumaniyat (Emperor of Romance). So, if Raj Kapoor had to sing his heart out to Vyjayanthimala in the Ooty lake in the movie Sangam with O mehbooba, O mehbooba tere dil ke paas hi hai meri manzil-e-maqsud, it has to be Hasrat Jaipuri. If, Shammi Kapoor has to woo Sadhana with Is rang badalti duniya mein insaan ki niyat theek nahin, it has to be Hasrat. And, if it has to be Dharmendra making his love known to Vyjayanthimala with Main kahin kavi na ban jaayun, it has to be janaab Hasrat ji.

When I started singing to my wife, Lyn, I found that Hasrat Jaipuri’s songs are best suited to sing to her.

So, here I am with the first part of six songs that I sang for her. I have discovered that in a blog, six is the ideal number that fans would want to listen to.

Song #1
Jo guzar rahi hai mujh par

After learning a bit of singing (I am still learning), this was the first of HJ-SJ-Rafi songs that I sang.

The occasion was the Wedding Anniversary of Lyn and I two years ago: 12 Dec 21. Though sung in a different context in the movie, I found the lyrics eminently suitable for my mixed feelings about her being in severe Alzheimer’s condition in the midst of COVID when we were by ourselves for more than an year.

This is from the 1968 Vinod Kumar movie Mere Huzoor starring Raaj Kumar as Nawab Salim, Mala Sinha as Sultanat and Jeetendra as Akhtar Hussain Akhtar.

Salim had been in love with Sultanat. However, Akhtar had earlier saved the life of Salim and the latter had invited him to his palatial bungalow in Lucknow. Akhtar, in the train journey to Lucknow, sees and falls in love with Sultanat, a co-passenger.

This song was sung by Salim when Akhtar and Sultanat break the news about their impending wedding.

I found the lyrics, penned by Hasrat Jaipuri, as most apt for my wife, Lyn, being in advanced state of Alzheimer’s whilst celebrating our wedding anniversary last year.

Here are the lyrics:

जो गुज़र रही है मुझ पर उसे कैसे मैं बताऊँ -२
वो ख़ुशी मिली है मुझको मैं ख़ुशी से मर न जाऊँ -२

मेरे दिल की धड़कनों का ये सलाम तुमको पहुँचे
मैं तुम्हारा हमनशीं हूँ ये पयाम तुमको पहुँचे
उसे बन्दगी मैं समझूँ जो तुम्हारे काम आऊँ
वो ख़ुशी मिली है …

मेरे दिल की महफ़िलों में वो मुक़ाम है तुम्हारा
के ख़ुदा के बाद लब पर बस नाम है तुम्हारा
मेरी आरज़ू यही है मैं तुम्हारे गीत गाऊँ
वो ख़ुशी मिली है …

मेरी ज़िन्दगी में हमदम कभी ग़म न तू उठाना
कभी आएँ जो अँधेरे मुझे प्यार से बुलाना
मैं चिराग़ हूँ वफ़ा का मैं अँधेरे जगमगाऊँ
वो ख़ुशी मिली है …

Please enjoy my rendition of: Jo guzr rahi hai mujhpe use kaise main batayun…

Song #2
Chhalke teri aankhon se

This is from the 1965 Ramanand Sagar movie Arzoo starring Rajendra Kumar and Sadhana. Shankar Jaikishan and Hasrat created very popular songs for the movie such as:

Ae nargis-e-mastana
Bedardi balma tujhako
Aji rooth kar ab kahan jayiyega
Ai phoolon ki rani baharon ki malika.

This was perhaps the most popular:

छलके तेरी आँखों से शराब और ज़ियादा – ३
खिलते रहें होंठों के गुलाब और ज़ियादा – २

क्या बात है जाने तेरी महफ़िल में सितमगर – ३
धड़के है दिल-ए-खाना-खराब और ज़ियादा – २

इस दिल में अभी और भी ज़ख़्मों की जगह है – ३
अबरू की कटारी को दो आब और ज़ियादा

तू इश्क़ के तूफ़ान को बाँहों में जकड़ ले – २
अल्लाह करे ज़ोर-ए-शबाब और ज़ियादा
खिलते रहे होठों के गुलाब और ज़ियादा

Please enjoy: Chhalke teri aankhon se…

Song #3
Itna hai tumse pyar mujhe

This too I sang to Lyn on our wedding anniversary, 24 Mar 22.

This song is rated as one of the most popular duets in Hindi movies. It was sung by Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.

It is from the 1966 T Prakash Rao movie Suraj starring the Jubilee hero Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.

It was penned by Hasrat Jaipuri and composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Here are the lyrics:

र: इतना है तुमसे प्यार मुझे मेरे राज़दार
जितने के आस्मान पर तारे हैं बेशुमार

सु: इत्नना है तुमसे प्यार मुझे मेरे राज़दार
जितने के इस ज़मीन पर ज़र्रे हैं बेशुमार

तेरे सिवा किसी को न लाया निगाह में
लाखों हसीन आये जवानी कि राह में
सदियों से कर रहा था तुम्हारा हि इंतज़ार
इतना है तुमसे …

मैं ने भी तेरे वास्ते कितने जनम लिये
तब दिल के रास्तों पे जले प्यार के दिये
एक दिन ज़रूर पाउंगी इतना था ऐतबार
इतना है तुमसे …

बेख़ुद बना दिया मुझे तेरे सलाम ने
जन्नत अगर मिले तो न लूं तेरे सामने
ये प्यार वो नशा है के जिसका नहीं उतार
इतना है तुमसे …

Please enjoy my rendition of: Itna hai tumse pyar mujhe…

Song #4
Baharo phool barsao

This is the second song from the 1966 T Prakash Rao movie Suraj starring Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.

This was rated in a BBC radio poll in 2013 poll as the popular song in Hindi movies. It also happens to be one of the most popular songs of Rafi Sahib.

It was, indeed, a pleasure singing it:

बहारों फूल बरसाओ
मेरा महबूब आया है – (२)
हवाओं रागिनी गाओ
मेरा महबूब आया है – (२)

ओ लाली फूल की मेंहँदी लगा इन गोरे हाथों में
उतर आ ऐ घटा काजल, लगा इन प्यारी आँखों में
सितारों माँग भर जाओ
मेरा महबूब आया है – (२)

नज़ारों हर तरफ़ अब तान दो इक नूर की चादर
बडा शर्मीला दिलबर है, चला जाये न शरमा कर
ज़रा तुम दिल को बहलाओ
मेरा महबूब आया है – (२)

सजाई है जवाँ कलियों ने अब ये सेज उल्फ़त की
इन्हें मालूम था आएगी इक दिन ऋतु मुहब्बत की
फ़िज़ाओं रंग बिखराओ
मेरा महबूब आया है – (२)
बहारों …

Song #5
Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge

I am so impressed with this song that I started my Raaga Based Song of the Day series with this song. The song has the most powerful of Hasrat Jaipuri’s lyrics. This includes both the Mohammad Rafi version and Lata Mangeshkar version.

These were composed by Shankar Jaikishan in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Kaherava.

Raag Jhinjhoti is a raag named after an apsara. Jhinjhoti is a Raag in Khamaj Thaat. In the modern Thaat system that was created by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860–1936), a Thaat is a mode in Hindustani classical music and is a basis for classifying Raagas. Bhatkhande visited a number of gharanas (ad-hoc schools that followed guru-shishya sytem (teacher-pupil system) for passing knowledge down the generations. Interestingly, these gharanas were not open to all and sundry and most often than not a shishya had to prove that he was worthy of being taken as a shishya) (You must listen to Baiju Bawra’s ‘Man tadpat Hari darsan ko aaj‘ (Raag Malkauns, Tal Tintal) to know how a shishya had to prove his single-minded deication).

Surprisingly, the word Raaga doesn’t mean music but colour or dye or shade. But if you think of colours signifying moods, Raagas in music do exactly that. For example, if the colour yellow is the colour of love and red of passion, each one of the raagas is based on mood, time of the day and even season. An easy anology is the Hindi saying: सावन के अंधे को हरा ही हरा दिखाई देता है I You will instantly know that Sawan (Monsoon) is being used as a season, colour and mood.

According to Pandit Bhatkhande, each one of the raagas is based on one thaat (mode) or the other. Although his research with gharanas made him short-list 32 thaats, he finally pruned the list to just ten thaats on which most raagas are based. These are: Bilawal, Kalyan, Khamaj, Bhairav, Poorvi, Marwa, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi and Todi. And that’s why I mentioned that Jhinjhoti belongs to Khamaj Thaat.

Almost all songs in Hindi movies based on this raag have an element of self-pity in them, eg, Ghungru ki tarah bajta hi raha hoon main, Koi hamdam na raha, Mere mehboob tujhe, Mose chhal kiye jaaye, and my second most favourite Lata song: Jaa jaa re jaa balamwa from Basant Bahar.

The 1970 movie Pagla Kahin Ka was the most challenging job taken up by Shammi Kapoor. He was a mentally deranged person but as the movie progressed, one was left wondering at the sick mentality of those ostensibly sound in body and mind.

Of course the song Tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge is one of the best of Mohammad Rafi.

I found the lyrics have yet another meaning when I sing it to my wife, Lyn, suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Please enjoy my own singing of Mohammad Rafi version of: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge…

तुम मुझे यूँ भुला ना पाओगे
हाँ तुम मुझे यूँ भुला ना पाओगे
जब कभी भी सुनोगे गीत मेरे
संग संग तुम भी गुनगुनाओगे
हाँ तुम मुझे यूँ भुला ना पाओगे
हो तुम मुझे यूँ …

(वो बहारें वो चांदनी रातें
हमने की थी जो प्यार की बातें ) – २
उन नज़ारों की याद आएगी
जब खयालों में मुझको लाओगे
हाँ तुम मुझे यूँ भुला ना पाओगे
हो तुम मुझे यूँ …

(मेरे हाथों में तेरा चेहरा था
जैसे कोई गुलाब होता है ) – २
और सहारा लिया था बाहों का
वो शाम किस तरह भुलाओगे
हाँ तुम मुझे यूँ भुला ना पाओगे
हो तुम मुझे यूँ …

(मुझको देखे बिना क़रार ना था
एक ऐसा भी दौर गुज़रा है ) – २
झूठ मानूँ तो पूछलो दिल से
मैं कहूंगा तो रूठ जाओगे
हाँ तुम मुझे यूं भुला ना पाओगे

जब कभी भी …

Song #6
Ajahun na aaye balma

This was composed by Shankar Jaikishan in Raag Madhuvanti, Tal Kaherava.

The song is from 1964 Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie Saanjh Aur Savera that had Guru Dutt and Meena Kumari in lead roles. The song is however pictured on Mehmood and Shubha Khote with Mohammad Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur singing for them.

Music Directors loved to compose for Mehmood and Shubha Khote and some really fine classical Raaga based songs are pictured on them. In the same year, for the 1964 movie Ziddi that is, SD Burman composed a song for them which is considered the purest example of Darbari Kanada in Hindi movies; the song was sung by Manna Dey and is: Pyaar ki aag mein tan badan jal gaya.

Madhuvanti belongs to Todi Thaat. As you must have guessed it Madhu means honey and the raag is as sweet as honey in sringar ras depicting love and romance. It is an evening raag like Yaman aur Kalyan.

About Taal Kaherava I have already told you. But since we are in early stages of our learning here it is again:

Kaherava is most popular 8 beat Tal in Hindustani music, with two vibhags of four matra each, first vibhag being clap, second being wave (khali), which makes it:

Clap, 2, 3, 4, wave, 2, 3, 4. Theka is

Dhaa Ge Naa Tee Naa Ka Dhin Naa.

What about other popular songs in Raag Madhuvanti? Madan Mohan composed Rasm e ulfat ko nibhayen to nibhayen kaise in the same Raag and Taal.

Please enjoy in Raag Madhuvanti, Tal Kaherava, Mohammad Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur sing a composition of Shankar Jaikishan, penned by the great Hasrat Jaipuri and picturized on Mehmood and Shubha Khote: Ajahun na aaye balma sawan beeta jaaye..

अजहुँ ना आए बालमा, सावन बीता जाए
हाय रे सावन बीता जाए

नींद भी अंखियन द्वार न आए
तोसे मिलन की आस भी जाए
आई बहार खिले फुलवा
मोरे सपने कौन सजाए
आ … अजहुं …

चांद को बदरा गरवा लगाए
और भी मोरे मन ललचाए
यार हसीन गले लग जा
मोरी उम्र गुज़रती जाए
आ … अजहुं …

I hope you liked my choice of six songs of Hasrat Jaipuri that I sang to my wife, Lyn in the Part I of this post.

Please await songs of Part II.

RAAGA BASED SONGS – MY OWN SINGING – PART II

I hope you enjoyed my selection and my own singing of Part I of Raaga Based Songs. I gave you six of them.

Before I give you another six in this part, let me recapitulate something simple about raaga based songs:

In the year 1913, Dadasaheb Phalke produced and directed a Hindi movie: Raja Harishchandra. It was a silent movie. Eighteen years later, Ardeshir Irani made the first Hindi movie with sound: Alam Ara. Now that we had sound in the movies, we soon introduced songs. But, these movies had actors singing live on the sets. Playback singing was introduced for the first time in Nitin Bose’s 1935 movie Dhoop Chhaon by RC Boral and Pankaj Mullick.

This opened floodgates for actors just lip-syncing and enacting songs. Tunes of songs were to be made in such a way so that the viewers would love them. Compositions of songs were not new to us; these were only to be introduced in the film’s story. Initially it was much easier as most singing and dancing were for pleasing the gods. Compositions of songs are arrangements of notes; the rhythm is provided by Tal.

For many centuries before the advent of movies with sounds, we devised raagas (classical compositions) for singing hymns. Soon, the music directors discovered that these classical compositions could be used for songs in the movies too. For example, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Teg Bahadur, devised a raaga called Jaijaiwanti. In 1957, Madan Mohan composed a song for the farcical comedy: Dekh Kabira Roya in this raag: Bairan ho gayi raina that was sung by Manna Dey.

I started learning singing only about two years ago. The purpose was to sing to my wife Lyn (short for Marilyn) suffering from Alzheimer’s. Since raaga based songs fascinated me, I tried to learn these too.

Here, I give you six more such songs.

Song #7
Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge
Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Kaherava

I am so fond of this song that I started my Raaga Based Song of the Day series with this song.

The Jati of the raag is Shadhav – Sampoorna Vakra. Nishad is Varjya in Aaroh, Nishad is Komal in Avroh. Rest all Shuddha Swaras. Jhinjhoti is normally to be sung in the second prahar of the night, ie, between 9 PM to midnight.

Kaherava (also written as Kherwa, Kherawa and Kaherawa) is the most popular 8 beat Tal in Hindustani music, with two vibhags of four matra each, first vibhag being clap, second being wave (khali), which makes it:

Clap, 2, 3, 4, wave, 2, 3, 4.

Theka is:

Dhaa Ge Naa Tee Naa Ka Dhin Naa.

The 1970 movie Pagla Kahin Ka was the most challenging role taken up by Shammi Kapoor. He was a mentally deranged person but as the movie progressed, one was left wondering at the sick mentality of those ostensibly sound in body and mind.

Of course the song Tum mujhe yun bhula na paoge is one of the best of Mohammad Rafi. This song was sung separately by Lata Mangeshkar, too. However, here, I am giving you my rendition of the Rafi version. Since my wife, Lyn, has lost her memory due to Alzheimer’s, my singing this song to her has a new meaning.

Please enjoy: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge…

जब कभी भी …

Song #8
Ajahun na aaye balma
Raag Madhuvanti, Taal Kaherava

The Jati of the raag is Audhav – Sampoorna. Rishabh and Dhaivat are Varjya in Aaroh, Gandhar is Komal, Madhyam is Teevra. Rest All Shuddha Swaras.

About Taal Kaherava I have already told you.

Please enjoy my rendition in Raag Madhuvanti, Tal Kaherava, of a Mohammad Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur song, a composition of Shankar Jaikishan, penned by the great Hasrat Jaipuri and picturized on Mehmood and Shubha Khote: Ajahun na aaye balma sawan beeta jaaye…

अजहुँ ना आए बालमा, सावन बीता जाए
हाय रे सावन बीता जाए

Song #9
Meri yaad mein tum na aansu bahana
Raag Jaunpuri, Tal Kaherava

Jaunpuri is one of the raagas that have been named after names of regions such as Pahadi (my place), Marwa, and Bhupali.

Guess what? Jaunpuri (name of the place in Saurashtra as well as in Uttar Pradesh) belongs to the Asavari Thaat. Many experts feel that Jaunpuri is the same as Shuddha Rishab Asavari. What are the attributes of Asavari Thaat? It is full of tyaag (sacrifice) and renunciation and pathos. It is a late morning raaga.

Who was the first one to devise this raaga? Well, the raaga has been attributed to Amir Khusrow in the reign of Emperor Akbar. One of the benefits of Raag Jaunpuri is believed to be a cure from headache (as claimed by Pandit Jasraj).

Nizamuddin Auliya listening to Amir Khusrow (Pic curtsey: TheSufi.com)

The Jati of Raag Jaunpuri is Shadhav – Sampoorna. Gandhar is Varjya in Aaroh. Gandhar, Dhaivat and Nishad Komal. Rest all Shuddha Swaras. Now, in Raag Asavari, both Gandhar and Nishad are Varjya in Aaroh. Many, therefore, believe that Meri yaad mein tum na aansu bahana is closer to Asavari than to Jaunpuri.

This song is from the 1951 JBH Wadia movie Madhosh starring Manhar Desai, Meena Kumari, Usha Kiran and Rajan. It was penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and composed by Madan Mohan.

Please enjoy: Meri yaad mein tum na aansu bahana…

मेरी याद में तुम न आँसू बहाना
न जी को जलाना, मुझे भूल जाना
समझना के था एक सपना सुहाना
वो गुज़रा ज़माना, मुझे भूल जाना
मेरी याद में…

जुदा मेरी मँज़िल, जुदा तेरी राहें -२
मिलेंगी न अब तेरी-मेरी निगाहें
मुझे तेरी दुनिया से है दूर जाना
मेरी याद में…

ये रो-रो के कह्ता है टूटा हुआ दिल -२
नहीं हूँ मैं तेरी मोहब्बत के काबिल
मेरा नाम तक अपने लब पे न लाना
न जी को जलाना, मुझे भूल जाना
मेरी याद में…

Song #10
Jaane kya dhoondati rehati hain
Raag Pahadi, Tal Dadra

Today’s song is from the 1961 Ramesh Saigal movie Shola Aur Shabnam starring Dharmendra and Tarla Mehta together with M Rajan, Abhi Bhattacharya and Vijayalaxmi. Its lyrics are by Kaifi Azmi that have been composed by Khayyam and sung by Mohammad Rafi.

It is amongst the hundred movies or so that I watched on the net, fascinated by its songs and for once, I was not disappointed though, in the second half, the movie does drag on a bit; which was the case with most movies of that era.

The story is about Dharmendra and Tarla being childhood friends, very close and in love. They grow up after having been separated at childhood. He is poor and his friend M Rajan gives him a much-needed job in his timber business. M Rajan is engaged to be married to Tarla. Dharmendra doesn’t recognise Tarla who has grown up. His friend M Rajan asks him to sing when they meet and he sings their childhood favourite. She joins in the second stanza.

Another song from the movie became very popular: Jaane kya dhoondati rehati hain ye aankhen mujh mein, which was Dharmendra’s way of telling Talrla that he couldn’t possibly return to their loving days since he owed it all to his friend and benefactor M Rajan.

The lyricist of the song is Kaifi Azmi. I have as many as three blog posts on him: ‘The Best Songs Of Kaifi Azmi – A Great Lyricist And Poet’, ‘Part II’ and ‘Part III’. He was the only famous lyricist whom I heard live in a mushaira (in my college Govt College Dharamshala). I have found his poetry and lyrics so powerful that I wonder how could he write these in such simple words.

Of all the lyricists that I know of, Kaifi Azmi mastered the art of giving vent to the most intense and most powerful emotions through simplest words. One author who did that is my favourite: Ernest Hemingway. Likewise, taste this from Kaifi in this song:

मिलने की खुशी ना मिलने का गम, खत्म ये झगड़े हो जाएं
तू तू ना रहे, मैं मैं ना रहूँ
इक दूजे मैं खो जाएं
मैं भी ना छोड़ूं पल भर दामन
तू भी पल भर रूठे ना, प्यार का बंधन ..

These are the kind of simple words that take you another world altogether; the world of pure love and enchantment.

Now, about music director Khayyam, the composer of this poignant song.

Khayyam and his wife Jagjit Kaur are from the town of Rahon, near Nawanshahr in Punjab. This is close (14 Kms) from my maternal grandparents place in Urapur. Khayyam is not just the gentlest of the music directors, he has affinity towards the raaga of my place: Pahadi. This song, too, he composed in Pahadi.

Mohammad Zahur Khayyam Hashmi decided to donate his entire wealth of about Rupees Ten Crores to the trust founded by him as KPJ Trust (K for Khayyam, P for their late son Pradeep (they lost him in 2012) and J for his wife Jagjit) to support budding artists and technicians in India.

Pahadi is an Audhav – Sampoorna Raag. Nishad and Madhyam are vrjya in Aaroh. Pahadi is not just a raag but also a dhun.

As far as Tal Dadra is concerned, Tal Dadra derives its name from Dadra style of singing prevalent in Dadra. It is a six or three beat Tal:
Clap, 2, 3, Wave, 2, 3; that is two vibhags of three matras each. The theka is:
Dhaa Dhin Naa Dhaa Tin Naa.

Please enjoy: Jaane kya dhoondati rehati hain…

जाने क्या ढूँढती रहती हैं ये आँखें मुझमें
राख के ढेर में शोला है न चिंगारी है
अब न वो प्यार न उसकी यादें बाकी
आग यूँ दिल में लगी कुछ न रहा कुछ न बचा
जिसकी तस्वीर निगाहों में लिये बैठा हो
मैं वो दिलदार नहीं उसकी हूँ खामोश चिता

ज़िंदगी हँस के न गुज़रती तो बहुत अच्छा था
खैर हँस के न सही रो के गुज़र जायेगी
राख बरबाद मुहब्बत की बचा रखी हैं
बार-बार इसको जो छेड़ा तो बिखर जायेगी

आरज़ू जुर्म वफ़ा जुर्म तमन्ना है गुनाह
ये वो दुनिया है जहाँ प्यार नहीं हो सकता
कैसे बाज़ार का दस्तूर तुम्हें समझाऊँ
बिक गया जो वो खरीदार नहीं हो सकता …

Song #11
Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum
Raag Bhairavi, Tal Dadra

Since this is the second back to back song here from the same movie Shola Aur Shabnam composed by Khaiyyam and penned by Kaifi Azmi, I am not repeating the information about the movie, its plot, and about Tal Dadra.

This song was sung as a duet between Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar, she joining in after the first stanza.

Raag Bhairavi is the basic raag of the Bhairavi Thaat. Bhairavi makes use of all the komal swars, Rishabh, Gandhar, Dhaivat, Nishad. When singing compositions in Bhairavi raag, the singers however take liberty to use all the 12 swars. Bhairavi raag is named after the shakti or feminine aspect of the cosmic life force, which is personified as a consort to Lord Shiva. Bhairavi is a powerful raag filled with devotion and compassion. Its Jati is Sampurna – Sampurna, which means all seven swar (heptatonic) both in Aaroha and Avaroha. I have already told you that in a concert Bhairavi is usually the concluding raaga since it is supposed to cure mistakes of the earlier performances. Hence, if a concert has started at night (which is usually the case), Bhairavi would be played in the wee hours of the morning.

A pleasant sobering atmosphere full of love and piety is created with this raag and one feels so close to the Supreme. Its compositions include several Thumris, Bhajans, Ghazals, Songs etc. Since it is an ocean of immense possibilities the melodic combinations can include all the twelve notes with skill.

As far as the singers Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar are concerned, I have only this to say: People have brought out that the best duets are between A, B, and C. However, both Rafi and Lata have etched names for themselves as the best playback singers there ever were.

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy in Raag Bhairavi Tal Dadra, Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar sing a composition of Khayyam on the lyrics of Kaifi Azmi in the 1961 Ramesh Saigal movie Shola Aur Shabnam starring Dharmendra and Tarla Mehta: Jeet hi lenge bazi ham tum…..

रफ़ी:
जीत ही लेंगे बाज़ी हम तुम, खेल अधूरा छूटे न
प्यार का बंधन, जन्म का बंधन, जन्म का बंधन टूटे न

मिलता है जहाँ धरती से गगन, आओ वहीं हम जाएं
तू मेरे लिये, मैं तेरे लिये – २
इस दुनिया को ठुकरायें – २
दूर बसा ले दिल की जन्नत – २
जिसको ज़माना लूटे ना, प्यार का बंधन

लता:
मिलने की खुशी ना मिलने का गम, खत्म ये झगड़े हो जाएं
तू तू ना रहे, मैं मैं ना रहूँ – २
इक दूजे मैं खो जाएं – २
मैं भी ना छोड़ूं पल भर दामन – २
तू भी पल भर रूठे ना, प्यार का बंधन …

Song #12
Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere
Raag Pahadi, Tal Kaherava

I have given you enough about Raag Pahadi and Tal Kaherava. So, here, I give you some other information about the song and the movie.

This song sung by Mohammad Rafi is one of the best of Laxmikant Pyarelal from the 1964 Satyen Bose movie Dosti, a movie whose songs made L-P one of the most loved music duos in India and a movie whose songs are still fondly remembered even today. Majrooh Sultanpuri penned the lyrics and L-P composed it in the raaga of my place: Pahadi.

Lets start with the movie. Bombay based Rajshri was founded by Tarachand Barjatya in the year 1947. However, Rajshri Productions Pvt Ltd engaged in films production came about in the year 1962. Its first film Arti, in 1962 was highly acclaimed. However, the grand success of its second production Dosti in 1964 included winning the National Award for Best Feature Film and as many as six Filmfare Awards: Best Film, Best Music Director (the debut Filmfare Award for L-P), Best Story: Ban Bhatt, Best Dialogue: Govind Moonis, Best Playback Singer: Mohammad Rafi for the song I am giving you today, and finally Best Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri for the same song.

Dosti was directed by Satyen Bose. It was Sanjay Khan’s debut film and had Sudhir Kumar Sawant, and Sushil Kumar Somaya in lead roles. The film focuses on the friendship between two boys, one blind and the other a cripple.

Laxmikant Pyarelal started off with 1963 movie Parasmani and they made such popular songs for their very first movie that these are fondly remembered even today.

Lastly, before we take up the song, lets for a minute talk about the lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Majrooh is the fifth of our lyricists who was a contemporary of Shakeel Badayuni. Out of all these six (*including Shakeel), three have been from Uttar Pradesh, which says something about that region producing some great poets and lyricists.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was born on 01 Oct 1919 as Asrar ul Hassan Khan in a Tarin Pashtun family, in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His father was an officer in the police department, but, preferred to send his son for traditional madrasa (Urdu school) rather than provide him with English schooling.

He tried his hand at being a quack until he was noticed in a mushaira in Sultanpur.

He was a disciple of the great Urdu poet Jigar Moradabadi. When he visited Bombay in 1945 to participate in a mushaira, the director Abdul Rashid Kardar noticed him and invited him to write for the movies. Majrooh turned it down as he looked down upon movies! He was persuaded through his mentor Jigar Moradabadi and then there was no turning back.

Many traditionalists of the Urdu literature, however, felt that Majrooh sold his soul to the Hindi films and that he could have emerged a great poet in the likeness of Ghalib and Jigar.

The takhalus Majrooh means “injured” or “wounded”.

Majrooh was awarded, in 1993, the highest award – Dadasaheb Phalke award – for his lifetime contribution towards lyrics and poetry. He was the first lyricist ever to be given that award. For the film Dosti, that made Laxmikant Pyarelal famous, he was awarded the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for the song: Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere.

For someone who didn’t want to join Hindi movies, Majrooh emerged as a natural lyricist, very popular, very romantic and enchanting.

Please enjoy Mohammad Rafi sing a composition of Laxmikant Pyarelal on the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri, a song from the 1964 Satyen Bose movie Dosti: Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere….

I have found that the readers are not able to take in more than six songs at a time in one post. Hence, with this song, I complete the songs of Part II. I hope that you liked my choices and my singing.

Please await songs of Part III.

CHAL UDH JAA RE PANCHHI

ग़मों से प्यार क्यूँ ना हो?
ग़म ही तो मेरे अपने हैं l
यही मेरी हकीकत ऐ ब्यान हैं,
खुशियाँ तो बस सपने हैं l

इनका साथ तब भी रहा,
जब कुछ ना था मेरे पास l
रंग ओ नूर की वह दुनिया,
कभी ना आयी मुझे रास l

बाकी करते रहे मुझसे जफा,
मुसीबतों ने निभायी वफादारी l
मुश्किल वक़्त में भी ना छोड़ा,
संभाली मेरे संग रहने की जिम्मेदारी l

काश रिश्ते और दोस्त भी ऐसे मिलते,
बेबसी में भी देते मेरा साथ l
मेरे ग़मों से कुछ तो सीख लेते,
कभी ना छोड़ते यूँ मेरा साथ l

पैसा ओ जायदाद न होता सब कुछ,
प्यार और वफ़ा भी होते ज़रूरी l
मेरी ख़ामोशियों को भी समझते,
जान लेते क्या है मेरी मजबूरी l

ना ग़मों से ना उनसे है शिकवा,
तन्हाई की यूँ पड़ गई है आदत l
फरेब खाना, सहना और फिर खाना,
ऐसे लगता है हो कोई अजब इबादत l

छोड़ के जाते हैं, रहो खुश,
हमारे न होने से दुनिया रहे आबाद l
ग़मों और आँसुओं से लेंगे पूछ,
वक़्त सुहाने गर आयेंगे याद l

Author: Sunbyanyname

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CHAL UDH JAA RE PANCHHI

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