Category: Music and Cinema

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #24 in the series. I hope you liked Song #23 – Poochho na kaise maine raen bitayi.

Song #24
Tumhi mere mandir, Tumhi meri pooja
Theme-word: In the last stanza: Bahut raat beeti chalo main sula doon

Devotion of a Wife and Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS)

SGGS is my favourite book. I learnt Punjabi only so that I could read it. On my birthday in 1985, one year after my father died in a jeep accident, my mother presented a copy of SGGS to me. Here is one basic thing that I learnt:

As written by Sri Guru Nanak, God is to be worshipped as a woman would her husband; God is to be seen as your kant, suhaag etc. I was able to see that Sri Guru Nanak felt that the worship of a woman of her husband is the purest form of worship. I read SGGS everyday. If you too have read then you would know that this simile is given by Guru Nanak at innumerable places in SGGS.

Devotion of a Wife and Sri Bhagawat Gita (SBG)

SBG, most of you already know, went one step further. It made relationships stand on their head; as per SBG, the only correct relationship is that of Love (since Radha was not even married to Krishna in the worldly sense). Her devotion for Him ensures that Her name is taken even before His; you always call them Radhe Krishan and never Krishan Radhe!

I wrote a piece only on this topic and for those of you who are interested (a person like Lata Gandhi would never be since in the time and effort taken by me to write one post she can write a dozen and share in dozen groups; which we have sworn not to do in this group) you may read it here:

THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONS AND RELATIONSHIP(S)

Khandan – 1965 Movie

The movie was directed by A Bhimsingh who directed predominantly Tamil movies especially for AVM Productions. This movie was remake of Tamil movie Bhaaga Privinai starring Sivaji Ganesan.

Sunil Dutt is Govind in the movie and Nutan is Radha. Due to an electric shock Govind gets paralysed. And yet, the devotion of Radha to Govind is exactly how you would find in SGGS or SBG. There is great Beauty that comes with True Love. She is loaded in gold in the movie but, you soon realise that the best ornament she wears is that of Love.

The Popularity of This Song

All lyricists of that era were rooted in scriptures; so, indeed was Rajinder Krishan. His lyrics remind you of the actual scene between Radha and Krishan.

Of course, Ravi composed this song so well that as soon as it was played people wanted to listen to it again and again. Lata’s singing is simply beautiful.

But, I feel that one reason for the popularity of the song is Nutan. She displays the emotions of the song so well that lyrics and notes come alive with her histrionics. The song belongs to her just as Krishna belonged to Radhe.

My Own Poetry

I shall take only one word of the song “Mandir” and tell you in my poem as to where to find this “Mandir”. I wrote this when I watched a scene in Calcutta:

Temple of God

“Hurry”, said the man from his rickshaw seat,
“Else, we would be late for the Mangal Pooja”.
His wife tugged nervously at the flowers,
She had gathered as an offering to the gods.
Her face was red with accusation,
Not just against the frail rickshaw puller,
But also against her husband,
“I told you not to hire this man,
He hardly has strength to pull,
Let alone pull with speed.
We shall have the curse of the gods
For being late for the Pooja”.

The City of Joy,
Mother Theresa’s adopted city,
Was as unkind to the rickshaw puller,
As ever it used to be;
He could have been a slave under the British yoke.
Pot holes and filth on streets were not enough
To chastise the rickshaw puller;
It had rained heavily and hence,
He stood behind the pulling bar
In knee deep squalid water.
He had promised his family of three children
And an ailing wife, food,
After two days of starvation.

Their hope of meals, on the seat behind him,
Blasphemed him with all their might
For making them late for the prayers.
I saw the sweat on his muscles,
I saw the wetness of his brow
As he tried in vain to get the wheels
Out of the unseen ditch.
I thought how wretched was the man,
How cruel was life for him;
Could anything be worse?

And then,
And then, I looked at the couple on the seat.
Fuming and fretting,
Cursing and abusing,
Little did they know,
How close they really were,
To your temple, O God!

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Tumhi mere mandir, tumhi meri pooja…

तुम्हीं मेरे मंदिर, तुम्हीं मेरी पूजा, तुम्हीं देवता हो
कोई मेरी आँखों से देखे तो समझे, कि तुम मेरे क्या हो
तुम्हीं मेरे मंदिर, तुम्हीं मेरी पूजा, तुम्हीं देवता हो

जिधर देखती हूँ उधर तुम ही तुम हो
न जाने मगर किन खयालों में गुम हो
मुझे देखकर तुम ज़रा मुस्कुरा दो
नहीं तो मैं समझूँगी, मुझसे ख़फ़ा हो
तुम्हीं मेरे मंदिर, तुम्हीं मेरी पूजा, तुम्हीं देवता हो

तुम्हीं मेरे माथे की बिंदिया की झिल-मिल
तुम्हीं मेरे हाथों के गजरों की मंज़िल
मैं हूँ एक छोटी-सी माटी की गुड़िया
तुम्हीं प्राण मेरे, तुम्हीं आत्मा हो
तुम्हीं मेरे मंदिर, तुम्हीं मेरी पूजा, तुम्हीं देवता हो

बहुत रात बीती चलो मैं सुला दूँ
पवन छेड़े सर्गम मैं लोरी सुना दूँ
तुम्हें देखकर यह ख़याल आ रहा है
कि जैसे फ़रिश्ता कोई सो रहा है
तुम्हीं मेरे मंदिर, तुम्हीं मेरी पूजा, तुम्हीं देवता हो

I hope you liked my choice of Raat or Din Song #24.

Please await Raat or Din Song #25- Zikr hota hai jab qayamat ka.

Beautiful Duet Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #23 – Tere mere milan ki ye raina. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #25
Deewana mastaana hua dil jaane kahan hoke bahar aayi

A Different Chemistry with Dev Anand

Dev Anand always had beautiful chemistry with his heroines. Here in this movie Bambai Ka Babu he is with Suchitra Sen. He loves her but, since he has accepted to feign as the lost son of a rich man, she happens to be his sister!

This is how it came about:

In Bombay, he accidentally killed a villain during a fist fight. He ran away from police to Joginder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh. There, a cunning bloke asks him to feign as the lost son of a rich man so that they (Dev Anand and this bloke) can divide the loot of the rich man between themselves. Suchitra Sen is the daughter of this rich man and hence she happens to be his sister for all practical purposes. To cut a long story short he has to sacrifice his love for the sake of the parents whose son (it comes out later) was accidentally killed by him.

So, two things happen in the song:

The setting is that of Joginder Nagar; a most beautiful hill station.

Their chemistry is between a brother and a sister. When he closes her eyes in the second stanza, she has a momentary distrust but then she feels that her brother has joined him in a general song of happiness and joy and there is nothing more to it than that.

Sachin Dev Burman – Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi

SD Burman composed many songs that appeared to be in raaga but came very close to the raagas only.

Asha Bhosle starts enjoying the bahar (spring) in the hills and goes through sargam as well. When Rafi joins in for Dev Anand, she teases him that he won’t be able to sing as well. However, not only that he sings better (after all Rafi!) but sings the sargam too.

All in all, SD Burman couldn’t have asked for better singers to achieve what he wanted to.

Lyrics

This was a 1960 movie; three years after Sahir broke up with SD Burman and hence Majrooh was very much in the saddle

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Deewana mastana hua dil…

आशा: आआ आ आ …
प म ग म रे ग प म ग म, आआ आ …
सा नी ध प म ग रे सा नी नी नी …
दीवाना, मस्ताना, हुआ दिल,
जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई

तन को छुए, छुए घट काली
छेड़े लहर, लहर मतवाली
तन को छुए …
ओ हो तन को छुए, चुए घट काली
छेड़े लहर, लहर मतवाली
बात कोई अन्जानाअ
दीवाना, मस्ताना, हुआ दिल,
जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई

ओ हो हो कुछ अनकही, कहे, मेरी चितवन
बोले जिया, लिखे मेरी धड़कन, कुछ अनकही …
ओ हो हो कुछ अनकही, कहे, मेरे चितवन
बोले जिया, लिखे मेरी धड़कन
एक नया अफ़साना …

रफ़ी: दीवाना, मस्ताना, हुआ दिल,
जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई
ओ ओ ओओ
जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई

रफ़ी: ओ हो ओ सावन लगा, मचल गए बादल
आशा: देखूँ जिसे, हुआ वही पागल
रफ़ी: सावन लगा, मचल गए बादल
आशा: देखूँ जिसे, हुआ वही पागल
रफ़ी: कौन हुआ दीवाना …
आशा: दीवाना, मस्ताना हुआ दिल
रफ़ी: दीवाना मस्ताना हुआ दिल
आशा: जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई आ आ आ …
रफ़ी: जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई
हो ओओ, जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई
आशा: आ आ आ, जाने कहाँ होके बहार आई

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #24.

Please await Beautiful Duet #25- Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

I hope you liked RRR Song #3: Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale. Here is the next song:

Song #4
Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta

A Reality of Life

All virtues on earth are relative. A few years ago I wrote a piece called Absolute Virtue . Some of you who are interested can go through it.

The fact is that there is only one Absolute and He is God; all the others have all virtues in relative terms.

There is merit in this too since all our difficulties are relative too and transient at that just as all good things that happen to us.

However, in this song, Nida Fazli and the gentlest of composers Khayyam, have made it look like that it is sad and soulful.

Look at the lyrics of this song of Regret and Ruefulness:

कभी किसिको मुकम्मल जहा नही मिलता
कही जमी तो कही आस्मा नही मिलता

जिसे भी देखिए वो अपने आप मे गुम है
जूबा मिली है मगर हुंजुबा नही मिलता

बुज़ा सका है भला कौन वक्त के शोले
ये ऐसी आग है जिस मे धुआ नही मिलता

तेरे जहाँ मे ऐसा नही के प्यार ना हो
जहा उम्मीद हो इसकी वाहा नही मिलता

Reality of YKDN Too

It is as relative and transient as anything else in this world. The way the world has been made, जिसे भी देखिए वो अपने आप मे गुम है. As Sahir said: कौन रोता है किसी और की ख़ातिर ऐ दोस्त, सबको अपनी ही किसी बात पे रोना आया.

My Own Poetry

I am giving you another perspective (I delve in Philosophy a great deal):

JAHAN TO MUKAMMAL HI HAI

दुनिया में जब खामियां नज़र आती हैं,
सोचते हैं रब्ब ने मुकम्मल जहान क्यूं नहीं बनाया?
खुद तो खुदा तकमील की मूरत हैं,
फिर चीज़ों और लोगों में खोट क्यूं भरवाया?

और तो और सब कुछ उनकी तखलीक में फानी है,
सबको दाइम भी तो बना सकते थे।
सब कुछ चंद रोज़ के लिए जैसे बहता पानी है,
मुस्तकिल बनाने से खुदा क्यूं डरते थे?

सबसे पहले तो एक बात की सबको पहचान है,
खुदा की कायनात तो करोड़ों सालों से यहीं है।
सिर्फ इसलिए के हम सब चंद रोज़ के मेहमान हैं,
क्यूं हम कहते हैं खुदा की खुदाई मुस्तकिल नहीं है?

जो कुछ दिखता है हमें फ़ानी खुदा की खुदाई में,
वो सिर्फ एक सूरत से दूसरी बदलता है,
जैसे सूरज या चांद दिखता है अंगड़ाई में,
यूं कि कभी ढलता है और कभी निकलता है।

जब हमें हर शय के दाइम होने का हो एहसास,
फ़िर हमें पहचान होती है खुदा की खुदाई की।
सब सराब है जो है हमारी इद्राक के पास,
मन की आंखें खोल के समझ आती है सच्चाई की।

It’d take a little time to sink in!

The Song

Yes, it was sung by Bhupinder Singh in the 1981 movie Ahista Ahista. However, I am giving you the Asha Bhosle version.

Please enjoy: Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta…

I hope you liked Song #4 in this series.

Please await Song #5: Chandni raaten pyar ki baaten kho gayin jaane kahan.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #22 – Babuji dheere chalna in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #23.

Song #24
Log peete hain ladkhadate hain
Theme-word: Khush hain sab aur khushi nahin milati, Zinda hain Zindagi nahin milati

Hemant Kumar on Hemant Kumar

The other day (22 Nov to be exact) whilst giving you a song: Beqraar karke hamen youn na jayiye (Zindagi ki raahen ajeeb hain) in this series, I had brought out how well Hemant Kumar sang on his compositions. Beqraar karke is one. Jab jaag uthe armaan is another. These are both penned by Shakeel. However, even with Kaifi Azmi, he created similar magic, eg, Ye nayan dare dare.

This is another such song.

Kaifi Azmi

You have to give it to Kaifi for one unique attribute he had, which is, that he was able to bring out the strongest emotions through minimum words. Take Ye nayan dare dare, for example:

रात हसीं ये चाँद हसीं
पर सबसे हसीं मेरे दिलबर
और तुझसे हसीं?
और तुझसे हसीं तेरा प्यार
तू जाने ना
ये नयन डरे डरे ..

Take another one from Hanste Zakhm:

दिल की नाज़ुक रगें टूटती हैं
याद इतना भी कोई न आए
आज सोचा …

He was the master at it. Look at the lyrics of this song and you’d agree that he could bring out the maximum in minimum words:

लोग पीते हैं लड़खड़ाते हैं
दिल से दुनिया का ग़म मिटाते हैं
एक हम हैं के तेरी महफ़िल में
प्यासे आते हैं प्यासे जाते हैं

खुश हैं सब और ख़ुशी नहीं मिलती
ज़िंदा हैं ज़िन्दगी नहीं मिलती
जल रहे हैं चराग में दो के
और कहीं रोशनी नहीं मिलती
रौशनी का फरेब खाते हैं
प्यासे आते हैं प्यासे जाते हैं
लोग पीते हैं लड़खड़ाते हैं

महकी महकी हुयी फ़ज़ा को सलाम
बहकी बहकी हुई हवा को सलाम
इन बहारों से तो भली है ख़िज़ाँ
इन बहारों की हर अदा को सलाम
जिनमें सौ ज़ख्म मुस्कुराते हैं
प्यासे आते हैं प्यासे जाते हैं
लोग पीते हैं लड़खड़ाते हैं

Faraar – 1965 Movie

It was a Pinaki Bhushan Mukherjee movie and hence he took Anil Chatterjee as a hero as merchant navy officer Shankar Choudhry. One night whilst returning home from club he brings home an injured man Shekhar (Jagdev) to be seen by his dad, a doctor. He also informs Neela his sister who falls in love with this man. When Shekhar recovers, Shankar notices a change in his sister Neela. And then Shekhar is shot and the story becomes a murder mystery.

Shankar (Anil Chatterjee) enacts this song on his ship.

My Own Poetry

Zindagi Kya Kya Sikhati Hai

क्या अजब हकीकत है यह दोस्तो:

खुशी बढ़ती है बांटने से,
दर्द बांटने से घटता है,
गमगीन हों तो वक़्त बोझ है,
मुस्कराते बस यूं ही कटता है।

लेने से दौलत नहीं बढ़ती,
देने से हम होते हैं अमीर,
वो क्या गरीब जो किसी का ग़म खरीदे,
वो क्या अमीर जो बेच डाले ज़मीर?

क्या फायदा उस सच का,
जो किसी की ले ले जान,
क्यूं नफ़रत करें उस झूठ की,
जो आदमी को बना दे इंसान?

बहुत बोझ मिलते हैं उठाने को,
उठता नहीं बोझ गुनाहों का।
लोगों से तो नज़रें बचा लोगे,
क्या करिए अपनी अंदरूनी निगाहों का?

जो दूसरों के चुराएं ख्यालात,
वो तो बहुत मकबूल हैं,
वो बेचारे अकेले फिरते हैं
जिनकी अपनी तखील और असूल हैं।

सुनने देखने पे भी दोस्तो,
न करना कभी उसका यकीन,
जो मीठी मीठी बातें करे,
पर हो सांप ए आस्तीन।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Log peete hain ladkhadate hain…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #23 in the series.

Please await Song #24 –  Tera man bada papi.

Beautiful Duet Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #22 – Jodi hamari jamega kaise jaani. So here, then, is the next one:

Songs #23
Tere mere milan ki ye raina

Remembering Majrooh Sultanpuri and SD Burman on Their Birth Anniversaries 01 October

Majrooh First

He was the reluctant lyricist. He was the son of a police officer in Sultanpur in UP. He was a poet but instigated into writing lyrics for Hindi films (now bastardadised as Bollywood) songs by Jigar Moradabadi.

Once he got going, he made some of the most memorable songs in his very first movie: the 1946 AR Kardar movie Shahjehan, a fictional love story in the times of the emperor Shahjehan. Naushad composed the songs and Kl Saigal sang most of them. KL Saigal was so impressed with his songs that he selected one to be played at his funeral: Jab dil hi toot gaya, Hum jee ke kya karenge?

Majrooh was the first lyricist ever to be given the Dadasaheb Phalke award.

Sachin Dev Burman

From the royal family of Tripura, Sachin Dev Burman not only gave us remarkably beautiful compositions and music but also gave us a son who became as much, if not more, of a genius as he became: Rahul Dev Burman.

Whereas Raj Kapoor selected Shankar Jaikishan to make music in his movies, Dev Anand selected SD Burman. So strong was their bonding that Sachin da proudly proclaimed that his middle name was also the name of his favourite hero Dev Anand.

Majrooh and SD Burman paired together

As soon as SD Burman broke up with Sahir Ludhainvi (after 1957 movie Pyaasa), Majrooh stepped in to fill the gap and gave us music for example in ‘Paying Guest’, ‘Nau Do Gyarah’, ‘Kala Pani’, Manzil’, ‘Solva Saal’, ‘Bombai Ka Baboo’, ‘Baat Ek Raat Ki’, ‘Jewel Thief’ and ‘Teen Deviyan’.

Abhimaan – 1973 Movie

People still regard 1973 movie Abhimaan as their best SD Burman got the Filmfare Award for it). Have a look at the songs they created:

1.”Ab To Hai Tumse Har Khushi Apni”Lata Mangeshkar

2.”Loote Koi Man Ka Nagar”Manhar Udhas, Lata Mangeshkar

3.”Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka”Kishore Kumar

4.”Nadiya Kinare”Lata Mangeshkar

5.”Piya Bina Piya Bina”Lata Mangeshkar

6.”Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina”Lata Mangeshkar, Kishor 7.”Teri Bindiya Re”Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar

The movie’s plot enabled all these songs. Amitabh sees Jaya (She too won the Filmfare Award) singing Nadiya kinare and instantly falls in love with her. Once married, he encourages her to sing professionally until he finds she obtains much more popularity than him. And that’s where Abhimaan came in. It takes him time to swallow pride and accept her as better singer.

This song is sung by them when Abhimaan melts.

Lyrics

तेरे मेरे मिलन की ये रैना
नया कोई गुल खिलायेगी
तभी तो चंचल हैं तेरे नैना
देखो ना
देखो ना, तेरे मेरे मिलन की ये रैना

(नन्हां सा गुल खिलेगा अँगना
सूनी बइंयाँ सजेगी सजना) – २
जैसे खेले चंदा बादल में
खेलेगा वो तेरे आंचल में
(चंदनिया गुनगुनायेगी) – २
तभी तो चंचल हैं तेरे नैना, देखो ना …

(तुझे थामे कई हाथों से
मिलूंगा मदभरी रातों में) – २
जगा के अनसूनी सी धड़कन
बलमवा भर दूंगी तेरा मन
(नई अदा से सतायेगी) – २
तभी तो चंचल हैं तेरे नैना, देखो ना …

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy a most beautiful song sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar: Tere mere milan ki ye raina…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #23.

Please await Beautiful Duet #24- Deewana mastana hua dil.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

I hope you liked RRR Song #2: Koi lauta de mere beete huye din. Here is the next song:

Song #3
Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale

A Duet as RRR Song

Yes, this a duet between Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle. It is picturised on the lead actors of the 1958 Mahesh Kaul movie Aakhri Dao: Shekhar and Nutan. However, the song only brings out their emotions silently; they don’t lip-sync it.

Who Does the Song Belong to?

Who would the song belong to more than anyone else? I would say the honours are to be divided between the lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri for coming up with remarkably beautiful words that go straight into your heart; composer Madan Mohan for coming up with a super slow composition in Raag Gara, Tal Dadra, as if he knew that people need to pause and take in the beautiful lyrics; singers Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle who made it look like as if the words don’t come out of the throat but from the heart and finally actress Nutan who came up with better histrionics here than she did in most other similar songs including Anaadi’s Tera jaana. That leaves only Shekhar. But, those who have seen the movie and the song would know that he was actually the weak point.

The Movie

Lets start with the movie itself. Regrettably, some of the movies having exceptionally beautiful songs were not just weak movies but had weak plots too. Aakhri Dao was one of them. The story was about a misunderstanding between the hero (Shekhar as a car mechanic) and the heroine (Nutan; all we know is she goes to a dance class) which makes them each think that the other is rich. They start loving each other but of course there are circumstances and a villain. Nutan’s dad owes some Rs. 5000 to the villain, which Shekhar tries to repay by asking for a loan first, then by gambling and losing it all and then goes on to steal from none other than Nutan’s dad. Of course npone of this works and he finally agrees to marry TunTun for the meagre amount. The song is sung at the betrothal of Shekhar.

There was another great song in the movie: Tujhe kyaa sunaaun main dilruba tere saamne mere haal hai, which Shekhar actually lip syncs to Nutan. Naturally, she looks as stunned as some of Anil Dhawan’s actresses did. Hindi movies actually excelled in some of the worst guys (in acting) singing some of the best songs (you should listen to the songs lip synced by Manoj Kumar to see this phenomenon). The saving grace is that Nutan is there to render respectability to the song in the same manner Sadhana was there for Manoj Kumar in Lag jaa gale se phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho.

Raag Gara, Tal Dadra

I am merely a beginner in the world of Indian classical music and my interest is limited to its effect on Hindi songs. The raaga that I know least about is Raag Gara though it fascinates me no end. It is another thing that the second of my Raaga based songs of the day was composed in Raag Gara, Tal Kaherava: Unake khayaal aaye to aate chale gaye. Raag Gara, of course, boasts of some of the best songs in Hindi movies:

1. Mohe panghat pe Nandlal.
2. Deewana Kehke Aaj.
3. Unke khayal aaye.
4. Jab jab tumhein bhulaya.
5. Jo guzar rahi hai mujhpe.
6. Guzre hain aaj ishq mein.
7. Aapki nazaron ne samajha.
8. Aise to na dekho.
9. Kabhi khud pe.
10. Phir woh bhuli si yaad.

Raag Gara belongs to Kafi Thaat. It is traditionally sung in second half of morning although Bhatkhande didn’t specify any time of the day for this Raaga. Gara is one of the family of Raagas derived from folk melodies and entered classical music in concert with Thumri. The closest resemblance of the raag is to Jaijaivanti, a raag devised by Shri Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs.

The Jati of Raag Gara is Shadhav – Sampurna; in Avroha Rishab is Varjya.

Amongst the songs that I gave you above, the songs that come close to this composition by Madan Mohan are: Ravi’s Deewana keh ke aaj mujhe phir pukaariye and Jaidev’s Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya; both being in the same Tal Dadra.

Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan brought out the best in Lata’s singing. However, surprisingly, in this song, he has Asha Bhosle accompanying Mohammad Rafi in the duet.

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 (1950 film) 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.

Some of my favourite songs of Madan Mohan are: Aaj soch to aansu bhar aaye, Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai, Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakham 1973), Aapke pehlu mein aa ke ro diye, Naino mein badra chhaye, Jhumka gira re, Tu jahan jahan chalega (Mera Saya 1966), Aapki nazaron ne samajha, Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabru, Vo dekho jala ghar kisi ka (Anpadh 1962), Aapko pyaar chhupane ki buri aadat hai, Tere paas aake mera waqt nikal jaata hai (Neela Akash 1965), Agar mujhase mohabbat hai, Main nigaahen tere chehre se hatayun kaise (Aap Ki Parchhayiyan), Ai mere dil mujhe bata de (Bhai Bhai 1946), Ari vo shokh kaliyon muskara dena vo jab aayen (Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai 1967), Baad muddat ke yeh ghadi aayi, Haal-e-dil youn unhe sunaya gaya, Jab jab tumhe bhulaya tum aur yaad aaye, Kisi ki yaad mein duniya ko jhain bhulaye huye, Main teri nazar ka saroor hoon, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaayi hai, Teri aankh ke aansu pi jaayun, Wo chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalate hain (Jahan Ara 1964), Hamare baad mehfil mein (Baghi 1953), Bainya na dharo O balma, Ham hain mataa-e-kuchcha-e-bazaar ki tarah, Mai ri main kaase kahun, Tumse kahun ik baat (Dastak, 1970), Bairan neend na aaye mohe (Chacha Zindabad 1959), Basti basti parbat parbat gaata jaaye banjara, Chand madham hai aasman chup hai, Dekh tere Bhagwan ki haalat (Railway Platform 1955), Bhooli hui yaado mujhe itna na satayo, Vo bhooli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayi (Sanjog 1961), Chanda ja re ja re, Main to tum sang nain mila ke (Manmauji 1962), Chhadi re chhadi kaise gale mein padhi, Dil dhoondata hai fursat ke, Ruke ruke se kadam (Mausam 1975), Chhod kar tere pyar ka daaman, Jao hamane dastaan apni sunaayi, Lag jaa gale ke phir, Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim, Shokh nazar ki bijliyan (Woh Kaun Thi 1964), Do dil toote do dil haare, Doli chadate hi Heer ne bain kiye, Milo na tum to ham ghabraayen, Ye duniya ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin (Heer Ranjha 1970), Ham chal rahe the wo chal rahe the (Duniya Na Maane 1959), Ham pyar mein jalane waalo ko chain kahan (Jailor 1958), Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale, Tujhe kya sunayun main dilruba (Aakhri Dao 1958), Hamse aaya na gaya, Kaun aay mere man ke dwaare, Meri veena tum bin roye, Tu pyar kare ya thukraye (Dekh Kabira Roya 1957), Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain, Hai tere saath meri wafa main nahin to kya (Hindustan Ki Kasam 1973), Hoke majbuur mujhe usne bhualaya hoga, Kar chale ham fida, Khelo na mere dil se, Main ye soch kar uske dar se, Zara si aahat hoti hai (Haqeeqat 1964), Husn haazir hai mohabbat ki saza paane ko, Is reshmi paazeb ki jhankar ke sadake, Tere dar pe aaya hoon (Laila Majnu 1976), Ik haseen raat ko dil mera kho gaya, Kabhi ai haqeeqat-e-muntazar, Sapano mein agar mere (Dulhan Ek Raat Ki 1966), Ishq ki garmi-e-jazbaat kise pesh karun. Mere mehboob kahin aur mila kar mujhase, Naghma o sher ki saugat, Rang aur noor ki baraat (Ghazal 1964), Jaa jaa re jaa saajna, Jaana tha hamse door, Unako ye shikayat hai, Youn hasaraton ke daag (Adalat 1958), Kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi to aayega, Mujhe le chalo aaj us jagah, Sawan ke mahine mein (Sharaabi 1964), Koi shikwa bhi nahin koi shikayat bhi nahin (Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhaare 1966), Main paagal mera manwa paagal (Aashiyana 1952), Meri yaad mein tum na aasnu bahana (Madhosh 1951), Na tum bewafa ho na ham bewafa hain (Ek Kali Muskaaye 1958), Sapne mein sajan se do baaten, Do ghadi wo jo paas aa baithe (Gateway Of India 1957), Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag 1969), Tumhari zulf ke saaye mein shaam kar loonga (Naunihaal 1967), Tu mere saamne hai teri zulfen hain khuli (Suhagan, 1964), and Vo jo milate the kabhi hamsase deewano ki tarah (Akeli Mat Jaiyo 1963).

Majrooh Sultanpuri

On my Facebook page Lyrical, I covered Lyricist #5: Majrooh Sultanpuri under my Remembering Great Lyricists series. I have kept my favourite Shakeel Badayuni out of this series since I already have a number of articles and tributes on him.

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.

Many of Majrooh’s songs are of Dil vil pyaar vyaar main kyaa jaanu, Baahon mein chale aao, Bangle ke peechhe, Ye raaten ye amusam nadi ka kinaara, and Dekho mausam kyaa bahaar hai. However, some of his lyrics are still comparable to Shakeel’s such as Hui shaam unaka khayaal aa gaya, Woh jo milate the kabhi, Rahe na rahe ham, Chhupa lo youn dil mein pyaar mera, Tu kahe agar jeevan bhar main geet sunaata jaayun, Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha, Hamaare baad ab mehfil mein afsaane bayaan honge, and the great song on eyes: Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kyaa hai.

My Own Poetry

NA KHELO MERE DIL SE

ना खेलो मेरे अरमानो से, मेरे जज़्बातों से,
मेरे उदास दिनों से, मेरी सुनसान सियाह रातों से,
मुझे आदत सी पड़ गयी है रूखेपन की,
ना उलझायो मुझे प्यारी और मदहोश बातों से।

कुछ नहीं होगा, रहने दो मुझे तन्हा ओ बेज़ार,
ना ललचाओ माज़ी की सुहानी मुलाकातों से।
ज़िन्दगी सेहरा बन गयी है, और तुम अभी भी,
दिल की धरती सींच रहे हो कल की बरसातों से

मेरा कोई दोस्त, हमसफर, महबूब नहीं है,
ना बांधो मुझे झूठे रिश्तों से, फरेबी नातों से।
गमों के, अश्क़ों के, तनहाईयों के ख़ज़ाने दिए बेहद,
अब और ना बहलाओ वादा – ए – सौगातों से।

ज़मीन से आसमान, आसमानो से ज़मीन पे पटका यकायक,
हैरान रह गया हूँ तुम्हारी जादूगरी करामातों से।
हर सितम सहते रहे, तेरी बेवफाई का सनम,
आह भी ना निकली तेरा नाम गुनगुनातों से ।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle sing a composition of Madan Mohan in Raag Gara Tal Dadra on the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri a song from the 1958 Mahesh Kaul movie Aakhri Dao: Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale….

र : हमसफ़र साथ अपना छोड़ चले
रिश्ते नाते वो सारे तोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

आ : हमसफ़र साथ अपना छोड़ चले
रिश्ते नाते वो सारे तोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

र : रासता साफ़ था तो चलते रहे
साथ हँसते रहे मचलते रहे
मोड़ आय तो मूँह को मोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

आ : सपने टूटे पड़े हैं राहों में
दर्द की धूल है निगाहों में
दिल पे क़दमों के नक़्श छोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

र : जब उन्हें हमसे प्यार ही न रहा
रोयें क्या, इन्तज़ार भी न रहा
हम भी दामन को अब निचोड़ चले (that’s why the group is closing)
हमसफ़र साथ …

I hope you liked Song #3 in this series.

Please await Song #4: Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta.

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #22 in the series. I hope you liked Song #21 – Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai.

Song #22
Chupke chupke raat din aansu bahana yaad hai

Hasrat Mohani and Ghulam Ali

He might not have been as popular in Hindi movies as the other Hasrat – the one from Jaipur in Rajastan. This Hasrat, as the name suggests, was from the town of Mohan in Unnao district in North West Province, now in Pakistan.

He should have been even more popular than Hasrat Jaipuri since it was Hasrat Mohani who came up with the slogan: Inquilab Zindabad. He not only was a pillar in the freedom struggle of India but was also an ardent devotee of Krishna and often attended Janamashtami in Mathura.

His lyrics, poems and ghazals found their way into many Hindi movies. This one was used in the 1982 BR Chopra movie called Nikah on the sad shariat tradition of triple talaq that was so unfair to women. Indeed, BR Chopra wanted to name the movie Talaq Talaq Talaq but the muslim clerics stepped in and got it changed to Nikah. They could do so under the Congress regime since Congress used to suck to such minorities in the name of secularism.

Ghulam Ali, a disciple of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, is a Pakistani singer of Patiala Gharana. His ghazals, especially written by Indian poets, have been very popular in the sub-coninent. This is a favourite with me and so is Hungama kyun barpa thodi si jo pi hai penned by Akbar Allahabadi.

Though Ravi was the music director of the movie, this ghazal was composed by Ghulam Ali. Indeed, the ghazal existed even before the movie and was used here as found most suitable.

Why This Ghazal in 1982 Movie Nikaah?

Salma Agha (she won the best female singer for the ghazal Dil ke armaan aansuyon mein beh gaye in the same movie) was married to Wasim (Deepak Prashar) after an affair with Haider (Raj Babbar).

Her life becomes hell after marriage since Wasim is a work alcoholic and neglects her totally. This ghazal is to bring about what it used to be before the marriage turned sour.

Raat Din – Always or All The Time

This is the second consecutive song by me with Raat Din. The first one was day before yesterday: Mujhe raat din yeh khayal hai.

My Own Poetry

Tab Aur Ab

हमारी गुफ्तगू कभी खत्म ना होती थी,
आज ख़ामोशी की हद्द भी पार हो गयी.

दर्द – ऐ – दिल का हमें गुमान तक ना था,
आज खुशियां हमारी उधार हो गयी.

गुलज़ार थी वफ़ा – ओ – इश्क़ की दुनिया,
आज मौत भी हमसे बेज़ार हो गयी.

ना बुलाने से भी चले आते थे वह,
आज आह भी अपनी बेकार हो गयी.

तबुस्सम की फ़िज़ा लहरा के चलती थी तब,
आज अश्क़ों की लड़ी मेरे रुखसार हो गयी .

ज़िन्दगी के रंग – ओ – नूर वह साथ ले गए,
महफ़िल – ऐ – इश्क़ उनके बाद बेक़रार हो गयी.

हमें यकीन नहीं होता तेरे बज़्म – ऐ – दुनिया में,
सचाई – ओ – वफ़ा झुक के शर्मसार हो गयी.

खुदा अपनी रहमत से मुझे बुलंद रखना,
आज मेरी उम्मीद – ओ – तवक़्क़ो लाचार हो गयी.

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen,

Please enjoy: Chupke chupke raat din aansu bahana yaad hai…

I hope you liked my choice of Raat or Din Song #22.

Please await Raat or Din Song #23- Poochho na kaise maine raen bitayi.

Beautiful Duet Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #21 – Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #22
Jodi hamari jamega kaise Jaani?

Remembering Mehmood on His Birth Anniversary

He was born on this day in 1932.

Just like Meena Kumari, he started acting in Hindi movies as a child artiste (Kismet being an early movie for him). He married her sister Madhu later.

He soon emerged as the King of Comedy and some of his roles and songs are memorable (eg, Hum kaale hain to kyua hua dilwale hain in Gumnaam, Ajahun na aaye balma in Saanjh Aur Savera, Ek Chatur naar in Padosan and his entire role in Kunwara Baap.

He often paired with Shubha Khote and quite a few duets are picturised on them such as Main rangeela pyar ka rahi.

He also paired with IS Johar and Aruna Irani.

He was responsible for giving a break to Amitabh Bachchan in the movies (The Big B stayed in Mehmood’s house for two years and then Mehmood gave him his debut role in Bombay To Goa with Aruna Irani. Reportedly, Amitabh Bachchan in later life didn’t even bother to see Mehmood in the hospital when he was sick even when AB had gone to the same hospital to see his ailing father Harvansh Rai.

Mehmood also gave a break to RD Burman in his first movie as full fledged music director Chhote Nawab with Lata’s first song composed by Pancham: Ghar aaja ghir aaye badra sanwariya, in Raag Malgunji.

This Song

This song is from Kundan Kumar’s 1968 movie Aulad starring Jeetendra and Babita and Mehmood and Aruna Irani.

Majrooh Sultanpuri, the first recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award as Lyricist, penned the lyrics for this unique song. It is a fusion between Western beats (for Mehmood as Chamanlal “Charlie” Singaporie) and Indian beats (for Aruna Irani as Shobha). It was, indeed, a masterly stroke by Chitragupt Shrivastava to have thought of a duet wherein the beats change every time one or the other sings.

Of course, Manna Dey sang for Mehmood in his put up Anglicised role and Asha Bhosle for typical village belle Aruna Irani. The song was shot in Goa that got its name from Go or Cow but loves to be seen in borrowed Portuguese culture.

Lyrics

Jodi hamari jamega kaise jani
Jodi hamari jamega kaise jani
Ham toh hai angreji tum ladki hindustani

Tumko bhi mushkil mujhe bhi pareshani
Ham toh hai angreji tum ladki hindustani
Tumko bhi mushkil mujhe bhi pareshani
Bat mano saiya ban jao hindustani, jodi hamari

Angreji mulak me kitna romance hai
Bahar kaa chokari kitna advance hai
Angreji mulak me kitna romance hai
Bahar kaa chokari kitna advance hai

Dekhe bina kabhee koyi itepyar se
Mukhde pe laj kaaancharva dar ke
Khilti hai ghunghat me jawani
Jodi hamari jamega kaise jani
Khilti hai ghunghat me jawani
Jodi hamari jamega kaise jani
Bat mano saiyan ban jao hindustani, jodi hamari

Bahoo me tham ke do ghanta roj me
Tumko shikhlayega ulfat kaa poz me
Bahoo me tham ke do ghanta roj me
Tumko shikhlayega ulfat kaa poz me

Daiya re nain kaa kajra naa chhut jayey
Jhankoro naa piya jhumka naa tut jayey
Ro degi dekho tumhare dil kee rani
Tumko bhi mushkil mujhe bhi pareshani
Tumko bhi mushkil mujhe bhi pareshani
Ham toh hai angreji tum ladki hindustani, jodi hamari

My Own Poetry

I have written a number of humorous poems on the subject of Angrezi. Here is one of them:

Honhaar Birbaan Ke Chikne Chikne Paat

पिछले दस सालों से मारी है हमने नक़ल,
तब कहीं जाके exam में हुए हैं सफल,
कड़ी मेहनत का काम था, दोस्तो,
और बहुत ही यूज़ करनी पड़ी थी अकल।

सबसे मुश्किल था अंग्रेजी का टेस्ट,
Essay की पर्ची ले के गए थे ‘My Friend Best’
लेकिन उस साल ‘Journey by Aeroplane आ गया,
सारी मेरी एफर्ट हो गयी वेस्ट।

और उस साल भी हम हो गए फेल,
पिता जी की पिटाई करनी पड़ी झेल,
लेकिन पता था कभी तो आयेगा नंबर,
अंग्रेज़ी में क्यों रहेंगे हम अनवेल?

और इस साल प्रभु ने खोल दी किस्मत,
हमारी पर्ची ने रख ली हमारी इज़्ज़त,
If I Were The Prime Minister की पर्ची ले के गए थे,
वही आया, मंज़ूर की प्रभु ने हमारी ख़िदमत।

अब हम भी matric पास हैं कहलाते,
पढ़े लिखों में हम भी हैं गिने जाते,
प्लीज, यस सर, गुड़ मारनिंग के इलावा,
कई वर्ड्स हमें अंग्रेज़ी के हैं आते।

देखना एक दिन हम बनेंगें HRD मिनिस्टर,
बड़ी कार और मकान होगा, हम कहलायेंगे मिस्टर,
हाऊ आर यू कह के विदेशियों को मिलेंगे,
हेलो जेंटलमैन, हेलो बरादर, और हेलो सिस्टर।

Please enjoy: Jodi hamari jamega kaise Jaani…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #22.

Please await Beautiful Duet #23- Tere mere milan ki ye raina.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

I hope you liked RRR Song #1: Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha. Here is the next song:

Song #2
Koi lauta de mere beete huye din

Where are My Family Members of YKDN Now?

I take the help of this song penned by Shailendra and composed and sung by Kishore Kumar in the 1964 movie Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein that was written, produced and directed by Kishore Kumar:

अल्बेले दिन प्यारे, मेरे बिछड़े साथी सारे
हाय! कहाँ गये, हाय! कहाँ गये

कोई लौटा दे मेरे, बीते हुए दिन – (२)
बीते हुए दिन वो हाय, प्यारे पल छिन
कोई लौटा दे …

मैं अकेला तो ना था, थे मेरे साथी कई
एक आँधी सी उठी, जो भी था लेके गई
आज मैं ढूँढूं कहाँ, खो गये जाने किधर – २
बीते हुए दिन वो हाय, प्यारे पल छिन
कोई लौटा दे …

मेरे ख्वाबों के नगर, मेरे सपनों के शहर
पी लिया जिनके लिये, मैंने जीवन का ज़हर
ऐसे भी दिन थे कभी, मेरी दुनिया थी मेरी – २
बीते हुए दिन वो हाय, प्यारे पल छिन
कोई लौटा दे …

Kishore Kumar – Versatility Personified

He could truly be called an One Man Army or One Man Industry. Take the movies that he made: this and Door Ka Rahi. Instead of trying to make them as commercial successes, he preferred to make them as reflection of his inner self, his quest for an eternal world.

Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein was adapted from American movie The Proud Rebel, the story of a retired soldier and his travails to bring up his mute son in a society full of corruption, biases and violence. His own son Amit acted his son in the movie and no one can ever forget this song and Aa chal ke tujhe main le ke chalun ek aise gagan ke tale.

One reason for Kishore Kumar’s versatility is something that I myself experienced: When you have lofty ideas full of ideals, you stand by yourself. However, if you follow the beaten track, you have quite a bandwagon.

My Own Poetry

SULAGTE AANSU

वो लौटा रहें हैं मेरा सामान,
और जला रहे हैं सब कुछ,
मेरी आरज़ू है सितमगर
मेरे अश्क भी जला दें

ताके दिल के समुन्दर में
वो तूफ़ान फिर ना उभरे;
जो मरहले खड़े थे
उन्हें ठोकर से मिटा दें

काश हम ना होते वो ना होते,
और ये आरज़ू ना होती
तेरी आँखों में जो सरूर था
वो सरूर भी हटा दें

मैं भूल गया हूँ सब कुछ,
तेरे प्यार की नज़र में
मेरी कौन सी है मंजिल
मुझे कुछ तो अब पता दें

अब दिल न हो, प्यार ना हो,
और ना रहे उनकी यादें,
कोई उनसे जाके कह दे,
मेरी हस्ती ही मिटा दें

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Koi lauta de mere beete huye din…

I hope you liked Song #2 in this series.

Please await Song #3: Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #20 – Zindagi mein aaya toofan in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #21.

Song #22
Beqraar karke hamen youn na jayiye
Theme-word: Last stanza: Zindagi ke raste ajeeb hain

Shakeel Badayuni

No matter who and where you are; you do deserve a song by Shakeel Badayuni, every now and then. And this is from the 1962 Biren Nag Film Bees Saal Baad for whose song Kahin deep jale kahin dil Shakeel received his third (of the only hat-trick in Hindi movies) Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist and Lata Mangeshkar received Best Playback Singer (Female) Award.

The popularity of the song Beqraar karke hamen youn na jayiye continues to be there nearly sixty years after Shakeel wrote it. At the outset, lets admire the beauty of the lyrics:

(बेक़रार करके हमें यूँ न जाइये 
आपको हमारी कसम लौट आइये  ) - २

देखिये वो काली काली बदलियाँ
ज़ुल्फ़ की घटा चुरा न ले कहीं
चोरी चोरी आके शोख बिजलियाँ
आपकी अदा चुरा न ले कहीं
यूँ क़दम अकेले न आगे बढ़ाइये
आपको हमारी...

(देखिये गुलाब की वो डालियाँ 
बढ़के चूम ले न आप के क़दम ) - २
खोए खोए भँवरे भी हैं बाग़ में
कोई आपको बना न ले सनम
बहकी बहकी नज़रों से खुद को बचाइये
आपको हमारी...

ज़िन्दगी के रास्ते अजीब हैं
इनमें इस तरह चला न कीजिये
खैर है इसी में आपकी हुज़ूर
अपना कोई साथी ढूँढ लीजिये
सुनके दिल की बात ना मुस्कुराइये
आपको हमारी...

Hemant Kumar on Hemant Kumar

Hemant Kumar was one singer who would at the fastest transport you to the world of the lyrics of the song. So, if he sang Sahir’s Pedon ki shaakhon pe soyi soyi chandini, or Kaifi’s Raat haseen ye chand haseen tu sabse haseen mere dilwar, your imagination donned wings and you didn’t hear him from far; you were already there at the scene of the song (even if you had never seen the video!)

This flight of your imagination by Hemant’s voice was the best if he’d sing on his own composition.

Take any of Hemant Kumar songs on Shakeel’s lyrics and you’d know; eg, Chandan ka palna. However, if Hemant is singing on his own composition of Shakeel’s songs, then it is sheer magic; eg, Zindagi kitani khubsurat hai and Jab jaag uthe armaan to kaise neend aaye.

This movie also happens to be Hemant Kumar’s production, like Khamoshi.

Bees Saal Baad

The movie was based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of Baskervilles. It starred Biswajeet and Waheeda Rehman in the lead roles. It was the most super hit movie of 1962 thanks, to a great extent to Shakeel – Hemant Kumar songs.

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Beqraar karke hamen youn na jayiye…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #21 in the series.

Please await Song #22 –  Babuji dheere chalna.

Beautiful Duet Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #20 – Ye khamoshiyan, ye tanhayiyan. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #21
Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum

Remembering Dev Anand on His Birth Anniversary and Hemant Kumar on His Death Anniversary 26 Sep

These are difficult times because of COVID. Else, we would have met in Kandaghat for our usual annual meet of the YKDN group and would have sung this anthem of ours together whilst the YKDN cake would have been cut by the youngest lady.

We also missed paying tribute to both Dev Anand and Hemant Kumar yesterday because of the sudden, tragic and totally unexpected demise of the great singer SP Balasubramanyam.

Patita – 1953 Movie

However, here we are with the title song of the group from the 1953 Amiya Chakrabarty movie Patita starring Dev Anand and Usha Kiran, both of whom feature in this truly iconic song that we shall never be able to get out of our system. Hemant Kumar sang for Dev Anand and Lata ji sang for Usha Kiran.

The Song

The song was penned by my behna Kishwar Jaipuri’s dad Hasrat Jaipuri and composed by the duo who were the best in the world. Even after so many years, Hasrat ji and Shankar Jaikishan ji never fail to wow us. This song, of course, is very special to this group and not just a beautiful duet. Each word is imprinted on our hearts; each word fills us with precious memories; each note touches the chords of our hearts:

याद किया दिल ने कहाँ हो तुम
झूमती बहार है कहाँ हो तुम
प्यार से पुकार लो जहाँ हो तुम  - २

(ओ, खो गये हो आज किस खयाल में 
ओ, दिल फ़ंसा है बेबसी के जाल में )    - २
मतलबी जहाँ मेहरबां हो तुम
याद किया दिल ने कहाँ हो तुम
प्यार से पुकार लो जहाँ हो तुम  - २

(ओ, रात ढल चुकी है सुबह हो गयी
ओ, मै तुम्हारी याद लेके खो गयी     )    - २
अब तो मेरी दास्ताँ हो तुम
याद किया दिल ने कहाँ हो तुम
प्यार से पुकार लो जहाँ हो तुम  - २

(ओ, तुम हमारी  ज़िंदगी के बाग़ हो
ओ, तुम हमारी राह के चिराग़ हो  )  - २
मेरे लिये आसमाँ हो तुम
याद किया दिल ने कहाँ हो तुम
प्यार से पुकार लो जहाँ हो तुम  - २

Ladies and gentlemen, so what this year we didn’t meet to sing this anthem together but enjoy, whilst humming this beautiful duet: Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #21.

Please await Beautiful Duet #22- Jodi hamari jamega kaise jaani.

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #21 in the series. I hope you liked Song #20 – Chand phir nikla.

Song #21
Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai

Another Murder – Another Story

Just like the Beautiful Duet #45 that I gave you today from the 1945 movie Bambai Ka Babu: Deewana mastana hua dil, the story of this song also starts with murder! What a coincidence.

In this movie, Manohar Lal, a jeweler, is convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. His wife, in order to keep their son away from the disgrace of a convicted father, gives away the son to another woman. He grows up to become a police inspector who is after Manohar Lal, the convict who has run away. His mother knows that the son is chasing the father but both the father and son don’t know this.

The Cast

This movie Oomar Qaid, a movie of 1961, has Aspi Irani directing it and Mohan Choti, Helen, Sheikh Mukhtar, Mukri, Nazima and Sudhir in the lead roles.

The song in particular is sung by Sudhir for Nazima.

Sudhir had Mohammad Rafi singing Main ye chhod kar uske dar se utha tha in 1963 movie Haqeeqat. He has Mukesh singing this for him:

The Song

The song with very beautiful and expressive lyrics was penned by Kishwar Jaipuri’s father Hasrat Jaipuri and composed most beautifully by Iqbal Qureshi. It is simply the best and most memorable song of the movie.

The use of theme-words Raat Din is to convey All the Time. Sudhir doesn’t want Nazima to drop him from grace.

Have a look at the lyrics:

मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है
वो नज़र से मुझको गिरा न दे
मेरी ज़िन्दगी का दिया कही
मेरी ज़िन्दगी का दिया कही
ये गमो की ाँधी बुझा न दे
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है

मेरे दिल के दाग़ न जल उठे
मेरे दिल के दाग़
मेरे दिल के दाग़ न जल उठे
कही मेरे सीने की आग से
कही मेरे सीने की आग से
ये घुटी घुटी मेरी आह भी
ये घुटी घुटी मेरी आह भी
कही होश मेरे गँवा न दे
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है

किसे अपना हाल सुनाऊं मैं
किसे अपना हाल
किसे अपना हाल सुनाऊं मैं
मेरा दिल भी गैर का हो चूका
मेरा दिल भी गैर का हो चूका
बड़ी उलझनों में घिरा हूँ मैं
बड़ी उलझनों में घिरा हूँ मैं
के फ़साना कोई बना न दे
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है

मैं दिया हूँ ऐसा जहां में
मैं दिया हूँ ऐसा
मैं दिया हूँ ऐसा जहां में
के जला तो हूँ नहीं रौशनी
के जला तो हूँ नहीं रौशनी
जो जिगर में है वो खलिश कही
जो जिगर में है वो खलिश कही
मेरी हसरतों को मिटा न दे
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है
वो नज़र से मुझको गिरा न दे
मुझे रात दिन ये ख्याल है.

My Own Poetry

NA KHELO MERE DIL SE

ना खेलो मेरे अरमानो से, मेरे जज़्बातों से,
मेरे उदास दिनों से, मेरी सुनसान सियाह रातों से,

मुझे आदत सी पड़ गयी है रूखेपन की,
ना उलझायो मुझे प्यारी और मदहोश बातों से।

कुछ नहीं होगा, रहने दो मुझे तन्हा ओ बेज़ार,
ना ललचाओ माज़ी की सुहानी मुलाकातों से।

ज़िन्दगी सेहरा बन गयी है, और तुम अभी भी,
दिल की धरती सींच रहे हो कल की बरसातों से

मेरा कोई दोस्त, हमसफर, महबूब नहीं है,
ना बांधो मुझे झूठे रिश्तों से, फरेबी नातों से।

गमों के, अश्क़ों के, तनहाईयों के ख़ज़ाने दिए बेहद,
अब और ना बहलाओ वादा – ए – सौगातों से।

ज़मीन से आसमान, आसमानो से ज़मीन पे पटका यकायक,
हैरान रह गया हूँ तुम्हारी जादूगरी करामातों से।

हर सितम सहते रहे, तेरी बेवफाई का सनम,
आह भी ना निकली तेरा नाम गुनगुनातों से ।

Please enjoy: Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai…

I hope you liked my choice of Raat or Din Song #21.

Please await Raat or Din Song #22- Chupke chupke raat din aansu bahana.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

Song #1
Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha, mujhe aap kis liye mil gaye

Exactly Fifty Days to Go

Finally, the kind of inevitability that I entertained more than an year ago, is shared by all pillars of YKDN. Time has come to say goodbye.

By the time we bury this group on 08 Mar this year, we would have completed:

1. A total of 195 Beautiful Duets.
2. A total of 193 Raat or Din Songs.
3. A total of 133 Zindagi or Jeevan Songs.

I shall be adding five songs to Beautiful Duets and seven to Raat or Din Songs to make these 200 each. Similarly, we may add 17 songs to Zindagi or Jeevan songs to make these 150. Thus, we the 50 RRR songs, we shall have 600 of some of the finest songs in this group on themes that are never far from our minds.

This Song

Hindi movies have songs on every emotion and some of us shall continue using songs to expressing our own emotions long after the group is buried.

After making my more than a dozen groups and pages, I have spent more time on YKDN than on any other group or page. Hence, I can be excused saying it with Majrooh Sultanpuri:

        मुझे दर्द-ए-दिल का पता न था
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?
	मैं अकेले यूँ भी मज़े में था 
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?
	
	यूँ ही अपने अपने सफ़र में गुम 
	कहीं दूर मैं कहीं दूर तुम
	कहीं दूर तुम
	चले जा रहे थे जुदा जुदा
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?
	मैं अकेले यूँ भी मज़े में था
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?
	
	न मैं चांद हूँ किसी शाम का
	न चिराग़ हूँ किसी बाम का
	किसी बाम का
	मैं तो रास्ते का हूँ एक दिया
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?
	मैं अकेले यूँ भी मज़े में था
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?
	
	मुझे दर्द-ए-दिल का पता न था
	मुझे आप किस लिये मिल गये?

Akashdeep – 1965 Movie

This movie was directed by Phani Majumdar for the primary reason that sometime or the other I shall be able to use this as an RRR Song. Thank you Phani, thank you Majrooh, thank you Chitragupt and thank you Mohammad Rafi. If you guys hadn’t given me this song, I won’t have known how to start my RRR Series.

My Own Poetry

My sister Manik Lakhkar Chava behna has objected to more than once that my posts lose their luster if I don’t put up my poems with them. So, here is one:

KAHAN HAIN HAMDARD?

आदत सी पड़ गई है हमें,
रखते हैं बन्द ज़ुबान।
वह बात बात पे लेते हैं,
हमारा ही इम्तिहान।

सब तो परिंदे हैं यहां,
दो घड़ी के हैं महमान।
पर उन्हें क्यूं यह लगता है,
उन्हीं का तो है जहान।

मेरा घर भी कुछ अजीब है,
जैसे हो कोई शमशान।
यहां लाश पड़ी है सपनों की,
वहां पड़े हैं मेरे अरमान।

अब तक तो खड़ा था,
ग़म ओ बेबसी के दरमियान।
अब तो वह भी मुझे देख के,
दिखते हैं बहुत हैरान।

जीने की सलाह देते हैं सब,
पर जीना नहीं है आसान।
शहर ए ज़िन्दगी बड़ा तो है,
पर गलियां हैं सुनसान।

आधी ज़िन्दगी बनाते रहे,
हम अपनी ही एक पहचान।
बाकी की ज़िन्दगी में अब,
मन करता है बनें अनजान।

इतनी बड़ी दुनिया में, रवि,
कोई एक तो होगा इन्सान।
दूसरों के दुख देख कर,
खुद को समझे पशेमान।

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha…

I hope you liked Song #1 in this series.

Please await Song #2: Koi lauta de mere beete huye din.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #19 – Tujhe Kya Sunayun Main Dilruba in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #20.

Song #20
Zindagi mein aaya toofan

Remembering Dara Singh on His Birth Anniversary 19 Nov

He was born on this day in 1928, a Punjabi Jat Sikh. Like many Punjabis before and after him, he was the epitome of gentlemanliness. He became a professional wrestler in Singapore and in the year 1954 became Rustam-e-Hind.

Two years before it, in the year 1952, he started his career as an actor in the movie Sangdil (Dilip Kumar and Madhubala with the immortal song Ye hawa ye raat ye chandini.

He emerged as a stunt actor and finally as a hero. His earthy style and Punjabi rustic way of delivering dialogues won him millions of fans. He also tried his hand at Direction and some of his movies include Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansaar and Rustom (both of which I saw and liked).

As an actor, his unforgettable role as and in the movie Jagga made me cry. I also saw his King Kong, Rustam-e-Baghdad, Faulad, Samson and Lootera.

Aaya Toofan – 1964 Movie

I have taken this Zindagi song from the 1964 Kidar Kapoor movie Aaya Toofan starring him and Helen in the lead. Farooq Qaiser wrote the lyrics and Laxmikant Pyarelal composed them:

ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान
ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान
हुए आज सब पराये
दिन ये कैसे आये
दो घडी में आया तूफान
ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान

फैली गमो की स्याही
मई हु मेरा हमराही
फैली गमो की स्याही
मई हु मेरा हमराही
ो माँगी न थी तुझसे दुनिआ
मैंने मोहब्बत चाही|
प्यार बनके आया तूफान
ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान
हुए आज सब पराये
दिन ये कैसे आये
दो घडी में आया तूफान
ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान

यद् करेगा जमाना
किस्मत का ये तडपना
यद् करेगा जमाना
किस्मत का ये तडपना
हो हीरो को ठुकराने वाले
चुनते है दाना दाना
हाय कैसा आया तूफान
ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान
हुए आज सब पराये
दिन ये कैसे आये
दो घडी में आया तूफान
ज़िन्दगी में आया तूफान

As expected, the song has been sung very beautifully by Mohammad Rafi.

My Own Poetry

Toofan Se Hoon Anjaan

बात कहने से बात निकल आती है,
न कहूं तो बात बन जाती है।
बाहर तूफ़ान आने को है लेकिन,
अंदर धड़कन खामोश हुई जाती है।

इश्क़ की हवाएं तेज़ हुआ करती थीं,
लहरें उमड़ कर उनका ही दम भरती थीं।
दिल की रगें मेरी तो थीं लेकिन,
लगता था वह उनसे कुछ डरती थीं।

और फ़िर वह मुकाम भी आया,
ज़िन्दगी ने इस कदर हमें आजमाया।
जैसे दोनों के बीच आ गया हो,
भूले हुए ज़ख्मों का कोई साया।

क्या खबर उनको हो गया हूं दूर तूफ़ान से,
जैसे साहिल पे पत्थर पड़े हों बेजान से।
इन्सान तो इन्सान है लेकिन,
मैं तो बेरुख हुआ हूं भगवान से।

रहने दो यादों के शोलों को राख में,
पड़ा रहने दो मुझे वक़्त की ख़ाक में।
नहीं लगते हैं वह फूल कभी दोबारा,
एक बार टूट जो गए उस हरी शाख से।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Zindagi mein aaya toofan…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #20 in the series.

Please await Song #21 –  Beqraar karke hamen youn na jayiye.

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #20 in the series. I hope you liked Song #19 – Main rickshaw wala.

Song #20
Chand phir nikla magar tum naa aaye
Theme-word: Ye raat kehti hai…

Remembering Majrooh Sultanpuri and SD Burman on Their Birth Anniversaries 01 Oct

The first song that was made by them together was also a Raat Song; sung by Geeta Roy (Not yet Dutt) for the 1950 movie Pyar: Woh sapne waali raat.

However, as I have already mentioned, it took the breakup between SD Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi for them to be together after the last movie of Sahir and SD Burman: the 1957 movie Pyaasa.

Paying Guest – 1957 Movie

Paying Guest, the 1957 movie directed by Subhodh Mukherjee was their first movie after Pyar of 1950. It was a Filmistan movie: the production company started by Sashadhar Mukherjee after separating from Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani’s production company Bombay Talkies.

Paying Guest was one of the four movies that paired Dev Anand and Nutan. Indeed it was the first. The others are Barish (1957), Manzil (1960) and Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963). The last two were partly shot in my home-place Shimla.

Dev Anand is a Paying Guest (in the guise of an old man) in the house of a landlord whose daughter Nutan eventually falls in love with him and he too with her.

However, Shubha Khote as Chanchal has designs on him and he starts neglecting Nutan and she sings this song.

Chand phir nikala has been commented upon me in my blog. During those days, the passage of time used to be measured by the phases of the moon!

Lyrics

चांद फिर निकला, मगर तुम न आये
जला फिर मेरा दिल, करुँ क्या मैं हाय
चांद फिर निकला …

(ये रात कहती है वो दिन गये तेरे
ये जानता है दिल के तुम नहीं मेरे ) – २
खड़ी मैं हूँ फिर भी निगाहें बिछाये
मैं क्या करूँ हाय के तुम याद आये
चांद फिर निकला …

(सुलगते सीने से धुंआ सा उठता है
लो अब चले आओ के दम घुटता हैं ) – २
जला गये तन को बहारों के साये
मैं क्या करुँ हाय के तुम याद आये
चांद फिर निकला …

My Own Poetry

TU NAHIN TO CHANDNI RAAT KYA KARE?

चांदनी रात है पर तूं मेरे साथ नहीं,
बात तो कुछ है लेकिन वह बात नहीं।

भीगी फिजायें छू लेती हैं आके रुखसार,
उनसे क्या हो जब दिल में बरसात नहीं।

एक ज़माना था शाम ओ सेहर मिलते थे हम,
अब कभी मिलें ऐसे तो हालात नहीं।

लहरे उठती हैं उठ के चली जाती हैं,
दिल की धड़कन को बढ़ा दें इनकी औकात नहीं।

पेड़ों की छाओं में बैठे भी तो क्यूं हो जादू,
ठहरे कैसे ये समां जब हाथ में तेरा हाथ नहीं।

नज़रें रह रह के ढूंढती हैं तेरी नज़रें,
कहाँ है तू इतनी तो अंधेरी रात नहीं।

कैसे अब प्यार हमारा मुकाम तक पहुंचे,
ना तो तुम से न मुझ से जब शुरुआत नहीं।

हम नहीं मिलते यह ज़माने की है पाबंदी,
क्यूं कहती हो, रवि, तेरे दिल में जज़्बात नहीं।

Lata Mangeshkar

It has become fashionable with some people to look for songs from Asha and Geeta Dutt as relief from Lata ji. However, she continues being my favourite female singer and it is a joy to listen to her especially in such songs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy: Chand phir nikla…

I hope you liked my choice of Song #20 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #21 – Mujhe raat din ye khayal hai.