Sunbyanyname

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 #24 – Deewana mastana hua dil. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #25
Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum

Goosepimples Song for Me

I don’t know about all of you but it is a song that always brings out goosepimples in me. Most childhood songs that are sung or heard later in life have that effect on all of us. However, this one is special since she (Lata for Tarla Mehta) joins in after the first stanza sung by Mohammad Rafi for Dharmendra brings up memories of their childhood.

This is what Love is all about; a quiet resolve despite all the odds. I can take adequate pride in saying that Lyn and I represent that kind of Love. Take today for example; the entire day was spent in INHS Asvini, 50 Kms away, trying to find solution to her drooping neck during her Alzheimer’s Disease condition. And yet, at the end of the day, when we return, I choose to put up this song whose lyrics inspire us:

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 …

All that I ever wanted was Lyn, all that she ever wanted was me and so on.

My Own Poetry

Here is my own poem representing this resolve, written four and half years ago:

Hum Ek, Hamari Ek…

हम एक, हमारी एक……….. ज़िन्दगी,
कभी एक दूजे की, कभी खुदा की बंदगी I
पैंतीस साल पहले जो मांगी थी दुआ,
उसी का तो अब तक है सिलसिला,
नज़रों का एक होना तो सुनते आये थे,
पर यहाँ तो दिल, ख्वाब, सब एक हुआ I

हम एक, हमारी एक ………….पहचान,
एक दूसरे में बस्ती है अपनी जान I
गरीब थे हम, पर बने रहे अमीर,
हम ही तो थे कल के राँझा और हीर,
दोस्तों ने जिन्हे हमें धनि बनाया,
कहा: “यही तो हैं प्यार की तस्वीर” I

हम एक, हमारी एक ……….. कोशिश,
क्या खूब बनी प्यार की बन्दिश I
ज़िन्दगी में आये कई चढ़ाव उतार,
हम एक संग पहुंचे उनके पार,
ऐसे ही बनी रहे हमारी छोटी सी ज़िन्दगी,
ऐसे ही बना रहे हमारा छोटा सा परिवार I

हम एक, हमारी एक ………. दास्तान,
तू मेरा जहान, मैं तेरा जहान I
कई बरस बाद, हम हवा में समा जाएंगे,
किसी को फिर नज़र नहीं आएंगे,
पर फिर भी देखना लोग भूलेंगे नहीं,
जब प्यार का ज़िक्र हो, हम याद आएंगे I

हम एक, हमारी एक ……… फ़रियाद,
प्यार हमारा बना रहे, मरने के भी बाद I

The Song

This is the main song of the 1961 Ramesh Sehgal movie Shola Aur Shabnam starring Dharmendra, Tarla Mehta and M Rajan as a triangle. Dharmendra and Tarla were childhood lovers. Dharmendra plays Ravi in the movie! Tarla is Sandhya (By herself, absence of Ravi or Sun). They separate.

Many years later Ravi, in his poor condition finds employment with his friend Prakash (M Rajan). Prakash is to be married to Sandhya! And that’s when Ravi comes into their lives again.

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum….

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #25.

Please await Beautiful Duet #26- Ek pyar ka naghma hai.

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 #4: Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta. Here is the next song:

Song #5
Chandni raaten pyar ki baaten kho gayi jaane kahan?

Remembering Geeta Bali on Her Death Anniversary 21 Jan

She died at the age of 35 years only. She had acted in about 70 movies in about ten years of her career as heroine that started with the 1946 (she was 16 years old then) movie Badnaami.

Incidentally, I started my Raat or Din Songs series with her Saari saari raat teri yaad sataye.

Jaal – 1952 Movie

This was one of her best roles and the movie has got the most beautiful song of Sahir Ludhianvi on the composition of SD Burman in Raag Kafi: Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan.

Geeta Bali was Maria (the same name as Julie Andrews in Sound of Music), the daughter of Carlos (KN Singh) in Goa. Tony Fernandez (Dev Anand) arrives from Bombay. He is a slick and suave person. Maria and Tony fall in love with each other thanks to the extraordinary seductive appeal of Tony (as in the song Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan).

Little did she know that Tony is a cheat. And hence this song. As beautiful lyrics here as the male version:

(यहाँ मत गाइये)ये रात ये चाँदनी फिर कहाँ
(यहाँ मत गाइये) सुन जा दिल की दास्तां

====== संगीत=======

चांदनी रातें प्यार की बातें
खो गयी जाने कहाँ
चांदनी रातें प्यार की बातें
खो गयी जाने कहाँ

(यहाँ मत गाइये)ये रात ये चाँदनी फिर कहाँ
(यहाँ मत गाइये) सुन जा दिल की दास्तां

आती है सदा तेरी टूटे हुए तारों से
आहट तेरी सुनती हूँ खामोश नज़ारों से
भीगी हवा, उदी घटा कहती है तेरी कहानी
तेरे लिये बेचैन है शोलों मे लिपटी जवानी
सीने मे बल खा रहा है धुआं,
सुन जा दिल की दास्तां

(यहाँ मत गाइये)ये रात ये चाँदनी फिर कहाँ
(यहाँ मत गाइये) सुन जा दिल की दास्तां

चांदनी रातें प्यार की बातें
खो गयी जाने कहाँ

=====अंतराल संगीत======

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।

The Song

Geeta Bali had many songs sung for her by Geeta Dutt. However, here she has Lata Mangeshkar singing for her and it is simply great.

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Chandni raaten pyar ki baaten…

I hope you liked Song #5 in this series.

Please await Song #6: Khushi do ghadi ki mile na mile.

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 #23 – Log peete hain ladkhadate hain in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #24.

Song #24
Tora man bada paapi sanwariya re
Theme-word: Tu sangdil hai teri zindagi mein pyar nahin

Happy Birthday Helen Anne Richardson 21 November

Finally, now with the Best Lyricist: Shakeel Badayuni and that also from Dilip Kumar’s own production Gunga Jumna that set a new standard for the hero. Many have copied this role of Dilip Kumar; one of them being Amitabh Bachchan by his own admission.

In the last two posts: Raat or Din Songs and Beautiful Duets Series. I had mentioned how Helen had redefined dancing in the movies starting with her Mera naam Chin Chin Chu in 1958 Shakti Samanta movie Howrah Bridge. I also mentioned that since she was a natural dancer, she became adept at other genres of dancing including even classical.

Now I have thought of a song in which she was a typical Indian courtesan.

Gunga Jumna

This 1961 movie was produced by Dilip Kumar who took Nitin Bose to direct it. The movie starred Dilip Kumar as Gunga, his brother Nasir Khan as Jumna and Vyjayanthimala as his love angle.

The movie’s songs were penned by Shakeel Badayuni and composed by Naushad and the songs and the dialogues penned by Wajahat Mirza were in sync in that wide spread use of Awadhi dialect was there. The only song that was in Hindi won the Best Children’s song since it was sung by a teacher (Abhi Bhattacharya): Ansaaf ki dagar pe.

Have a look at the lyrics of this song:

आ मतलब का तू मीत बेदर्दी गरज़ की राखे प्रीत
दुखिया मन को घायल करना समझे तू अपनी जीत
आ
तोरा मन बड़ा पापी साँवरिया रे
मिलाए छल-बल से नजरिया रे
तोरा मन बड़ा …

तू संगदिल है तेरी ज़िन्दगी में प्यार नहीं
तेरे चमन में है सब-कुछ मगर बहार नहीं
तुझे क़सम है न यूँ मुस्करा के देख हमें
तेरी नज़र का भी ज़ालिम कुछ ऐतबार नहीं
हाँ मिलाए छल-बल से …

सितमगरों की इनायत से बेरुख़ी अच्छी
जो तेरे साथ ना गुज़रे वो ज़िन्दगी अच्छी
गरज़ का यार है मतलब का तू है दीवाना
न तेरी दोस्ती अच्छी न दुश्मनी अच्छी
हाँ मिलाए छल-बल से …

जहाँ में हो जिसे जीना वो तुझसे दूर रहे
जो मरना चाहे वो आकर तेरे हुज़ूर रहे
ये क्या गज़ब है कि हम आह करके हों बदनाम
तू लाख ज़ुल्म करे फिर भी बेक़सूर रहे
हाँ मिलाए छल-बल से …

The song was sung by Asha Bhosle for Helen.

Beauty of this Song and Dance

In the movie there is a beautiful song and dance picturised on the greatest Bharat Natyam dancer in Hindi movies: Vyjayanthimala. And then, we had to have a dance by Helen as a courtesan who is accomplished in Cabaret. But, look at the way she delivered! In a movie with a dance by Vyjayanthimala, Helen still could make a place for herself in a dance that was not her forte’!

Raag Pahadi

It is the raag of my home place in Himalayas. It is not difficult for any one of you to think of this song as Pahadi since Pahadi is also a dhun and not just a raag. The Tal is the commonest: Kaherava.

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Tora man bada paapi sanwariya re…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #24 in the series.

Please await Song #25 –  Tere naam ka deewana.

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.