हमें बहुत पसन्द थे पूरी छोले,
लेकिन हम थे उस वक़्त बहुत भोले;
तकरीबन बीस हमने खा लिए,
और यूँ कहो के गंगा नहा लिए।
रात भर पेट से आती रही आवाज़,
और अंदरूनी सरगर्मियों के खुल गए राज़;
तब तक तो ज़िन्दगी थी जिस्मानी,
पर तब से रोहानी ज़िन्दगी का हुआ आगाज़।
बड़े जोर से खुदा को किया याद,
और कहा, ए पालनहार, सुनले मेरी फरियाद,
तूने जब पूरी छोले इतने स्वाद बनाये थे,
सोचा क्यों नहीं क्या होगा खाने के बाद।
अगली सेहर खुदा का आया जवाब,
मैंने दुनिया में कई चीजें बनाई लाजवाब;
पर पूरी ज़िंदगी पड़ी है उन्हें खाने के लिए,
एक ही बार खाने से तो होगा पेट खराब।
सामने आ गयी सब खुदा की सच्चाई,
बुद्धा, नानक, ईसा, मोहम्मद ने नहीं थी बताई;
खुदा की दिलकश चीजों का मज़ा लेना है तो,
पहले दूध से हटा लो सारी की सारी मलाई।
क्योंकि जो चीजें बनी हों बहुत स्वाद,
उनसे हो जाती है ज़िन्दगी बर्बाद;
चखने में तो लुत्फ आ जाता है, रवि,
ग़म ही ग़म मिलते हैं खाने के बाद।
Three days ago was the death anniversary of one of the greatest music directors that India saw: Naushad Ali. Naushad was the second (after Pankaj Mullick) of the music directors to be awarded the highest honour in Indian Cinema: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in the year 1981. Since then, no other music director has been so honoured.
As far as I am concerned, everything that my favourites: lyricist Shakeel Badayuni wrote, Naushad Ali composed, Mohammad Rafi sang and Dilip Kumar enacted tugs at my emotions. That’s why my blog has more than 15 posts dedicated to Shakeel and most of these are with Naushad, his guide and mentor. Indeed, in my ‘The Best Of Old Hindi Songs – Rafi, Shakeel, Naushad and Dilip Kumar Together’, I had brought out the magic that ensues when the quartet was together. In my ‘Songs That Tug At Your Emotions – Song #14’ I had given the first ever song that Shakeel penned in Hindi movies (a song that was sung by Uma Devi (Tun Tun) on a composition by Naushad): Afsaana likh rahi hoon dil-e-beqraar ka. This was for the 1947 Abdul Kardar movie: Dard. Shakeel’s last song with Naushad was for the 1968 A Bhimsingh movie Aadmi: Na aadmi ka koi bharosa.
In the last twenty-eight days, we have taken up songs of thirteen male singers: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, SD Burman, KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’, Hariharan and Yesudas. We also took up songs of eleven female singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Uma Devi (Tun Tun), Suraiya and Zohrabai Ambalewali, Sudha Malhotra, Amirbai Karnataki and Kavita Krishnamurthy. We took up a duet between Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle in the last post. And lastly we took up a Talat Mehmood song: Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaayi hai. After that, on the twenty-sixth day we took up a Kishore Kumar song for Piya Ka Ghar: Ye jeevan hai. The twenty-seventh post was devoted to Shankar Jaikishan Foundation’s Mumbai Meet with the Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey song from Raat Aur Din: Dil ki girah khol do. The twenty-eighth post was devoted to Majrooh-Laxmikant Pyarelal-Rafi song: Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere for the 1964 Satyen Bose movie: Dosti.
(Poster courtesy: cinematerial.com)
Today’s song is from one of the most popular movies that the quartet attempted together: the 1961 movie Gunga Jumna, written and produced by Dilip Kumar (another Dadasaheb Award winner and holding the record (now jointly with Shah Rukh Khan) for highest number of Filmfare Awards. He holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of awards won by an Indian actor). The movie was directed by Nitin Bose and starred Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead roles. She won the Best Actress award for the movie whereas Dilip Kumar lost to Raj Kapoor for his role in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behati Hai (Another Ganga movie!), a move criticized by The Hindu.
The film starred the brothers Dilip Kumar (Muhammad Yusuf Khan) and Nasir Khan as Gunga and Jumna. Many people regard this as the best role ever played by Dilip Kumar. Amitabh Bachchan is on record saying that he tailored his own acting after watching Dilip Kumar in Gunga Jumna. The Hindu, therefore, called it a travesty of justice that one of the finest performances ever in Indian Cinema wasn’t rewarded by Filmfare. What was so special about the performance. Besides the rustic image that Dilip Kumar perfected, his dacoit role (when he is forced to become one in the end) inspired many others in the movies. “Bachchan, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, was particularly impressed by Dilip Kumar’s mastery of the Awadhi dialect, expressing awe and surprise as to how a man who’s not from Allahabad and Uttar Pradesh could accurately express all the nuances of Awadhi.”
Dilip Kumar gave the performance of a lifetime in Gunga Jumna, the only film produced by him (Pic courtesy: India Today)(Pic courtesy: Veethi)
Gunga Jumna’s dialogues were penned by Wajahat Mirza who had penned the same for Mughal-e-Azam one year ago and won Filmfare Award. He won for this movie too. We must remember that dialogues and lyrics played important roles in popularity of films at that time and both were penned by the best in their profession. Both were Urdu speaking and mastered Awadhi in this movie. We have only mentioned the men. However, please think of the lady who won the Best Actress Award: Vyjayanthimala. She was from the South, a fashion model, and yet her portrayal of Dhanno, a rustic girl, speaking fluently in Bhojpuri, would be nothing short of sterling performance.
The one song in the movie that brings out the best in all the personae that I have mentioned so far is the song that I have decided to give today: Nain lad jainhe to manva mein kasak hoibe kari. Lets go over them one by one:
Shakeel with Naushad in rustic surroundings.
Shakeel Badayuni. He was at his best at that time and created a record by being the only Lyricist ever to have done a hat-trick of winning the Best Lyricist awards for three consecutive years. He had mastered the Urdu poetry and lyrics and here in this song he proved his mettle at writing in Awadhi. If you pay attention to the lyrics (I am giving an example below), you’d notice that it is not just the language; it is a deep understanding of the mores of that area:
आँख मिल गयी है सजनिया से तो नाचन लगी है
प्यार की मीठी गजल मनवा भी गावन लगी है
झाँझ बजी है तो कमरिया म लचक होइबे करी
Naushad Ali. He was the best in many aspects. However, when it came to folk based tunes (such as in Baiju Bawra), he had no peers. Some of the songs that come to mind are: Aaj mere man mein sakhi bansuri bajaye (Aan), Door koi gaaye dhun ye sunaaye (Baiju Bawra), Chhod babul ka ghar mohe pi ke nagar aaj jaana padha, Panchhi ban mein piya piya gaane laga (Babul), Dukh bhare din beete re bhaiya, Gaadi waale gaadi dheere haank re, Holi aayi re Kanhaai, Matwaala jiya bole piya (all from Mother India), and Mere pairon mein ghungru bandha de (Sunghursh). In this song, the kind of folksy atmosphere that he has created is simply adorable.
Naushad, Rafi and Shakeel together
Mohammad Rafi. For most genre of songs, Mohammad Rafi was simply the best that we ever had. Whilst all other playback singers sang with their characteristic styles, Mohammad Rafi went beyond and sang in the style of the actor for whom he was singing. In this song, for example, never do you get the impression of Rafi singing; the song is just an extension of Dilip Kumar’s acting as Gunga in the movie. If Dilip Kumar mastered the Awadhi in the movie, Mohammad Rafi – as far from Awadhi as you can get – made it look like as if he was brought up singing such songs.
Dilip Kumar. The hallmark of a great actor is to let you forget his own personna but make you think of the role that he is portraying. Dilip Kumar’s performance in this song is seamless and flawless. It is as if the song was written, composed and sung for him. You can’t even imagine anyone else enacting this song.
Vyjaynthimala. She is the one who walked away with the Best Actress Award. In this song, she makes her appearance very briefly first in the prelude when she sits next to a diya and thinking of him and in the end when he has finished dancing with all the other belles and returns to the focus of his life: Dhanno. Those brief moments of histrionics are enough to leave an impact. Of course, she is only enjoying his singing and dancing. Later in the movie when she dances on Dhoondo dhoondo re saajana, she is like rhythm in motion.
Nitin Bose. There is hardly anyone who hasn’t heard of Nitin Bose. The first use of playback singing in Indian movies occurred in 1935 Bengali movie Bhagya Chakra. The same year, the movie was made in Hindi as Dhoop Chhaon. Bose started his film career as a cinematographer in 1926 in the movie Punarjanma. His debut as cinematographer under New Theatres banner was in the movie Devdas (1928). He was cinematographer of the only film directed by Rabindranath Tagore, Natir Puja (1932), which was based on a dance-drama composed by Tagore. The great Satyajit Ray was a nephew of Nitin Bose and worked under him for Mashaal (1950). In this movie and the song, Nitin Bose seem to have perfected the village setting to such an extent that it was copied in many other movies. The sight of a village teacher (Abhi Bhattacharya) teaching the children (Insaaf ki dagar pe bachcho dikhao chal ke) has also been copied in many other movies. Nitin Bose won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award four years before Dilip Kumar did.
Before we take up the song, let’s have a look at the other songs in the movie put together by Shakeel and his mentor Naushad:
1
Dagabaaz Tori Batiyan
Lata Mangeshkar
2:47
2
Dhoondo Dhoondo Re Sajna
Lata Mangeshkar
3:19
3
Do Hanson Ka Joda
Lata Mangeshkar
3:14
4
Jhanan Ghoongar Baje
Lata Mangeshkar
3:32
5
Naina Lad Jaihen
Mohammed Rafi
4:44
6
O Chhalia Re Chhalia
Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
3:30
7
Tora Man Bada Papi
Asha Bhonsle
4:41
8
Insaaf Ki Dagar Pe
Hemant Kumar
3:20
9
Naina Lad Jaihen (Revival)
Mohammed Rafi
4:46
Please enjoy Mohammad Rafi sing a composition of Naushad Ali on the lyrics of Shakeel Badayuni, a song from the 196i Nitin Bose movie Gunga Jumna: Nain lad jainhe to manva kasak hoibe kari….
लागा गोरी गुजरिया से नेहा हमार
होइ गवा सारा चौपट मोरा रोजगार
ओ~
नैन लड़ जैंहे तो मनवा में कसक होइबे करी
प्रेम का छुटि है पटाखा तो धमक होइबे करी
नैन लड़ जैंहे …
रूप को मनमा बसैबा तो बुरा का होई है
तोहू से प्रीत लगैबा तो बुरा का होई है
प्रेम की नगरी म कुछ हमरा भी हक़ होइबे करी
नैन लड़ जैंहे …
होई गवा मन मा मोरे तिछर्ई नजर का हल्ला
गोरी को देखे बिना निंदिया न आवै हमका
फाँस लगी है तो करेजवा म खटक होइबे करी
नैन लड़ जैंहे …
आँख मिल गयी है सजनिया से तो नाचन लगी है
प्यार की मीठी गजल मनवा भी गावन लगी है
झाँझ बजी है तो कमरिया म लचक होइबे करी
नैन लड़ जैंहे …
नैना जब लड़ी है तो भैय्या मन में कसक होइबे करी
थैक थैक तिक था
होय होय होय!
मन ले गयी रे धोबनिया रामा कैसा जादू डार के
कैसा जादू डार के रे, कैसा टोना डार के
मन ले गयी रे धोबनिया रामा कैसा जादू डार के
मन ले गयी रे धोबनिया रामा कैसा जादू डार के
It is not just because of the principal people involved in the making of the song that make this song tug at your emotions. The song fills you with nostalgia of the era that was there when we were small. When melody ruled, when folks were simple, when what we saw on the screen was a reflection of the society that existed with all its good and evil, when songs made or marred a movie and hence took even more time making than the rest of the movie, and when there was a desire to imitate the acting in a song.
However, no one has been able to copy Dilip Kumar’s acting in this song; he simply appears to be one of the several villagers in the dance and makes no attempt to stand out or be different.
I just can’t get the song out of my system. I watch it fully whenever it is screened on the telly.
These poems are for my close friend Maj Vishwas Mandloi’s delightful group of tipplers called i-peg. One has to raise a toast to the committed lot for their single-minded aim of spreading cheers!
Armed forces used to be a profession for the gentlemen; now, of course, for the ladies as well. Hence, there weren’t many people who would go with you to a restaurant and get sudden urge to visit the toilet as soon as the bill was expected to be presented.
And yet, once in a while, freeloaders are sighted in the social circles in the armed forces too. Though a rare breed, their habits are well-known. They do visit you only at the drinks and the meals timings. They would have wanted to bring gifts along but being sunday, all the shops were closed. They generally want to discuss things (over drinks) of great importance to you since their hearts bleed to see you in difficulty. It is another thing that after they have left you have as many problems as before they arrived plus empty bottles of liquor and soda, unwashed dishes and shabby drawing-room.
They invite you on all their important dates: birthdays, anniversaries and the like so that you won’t forget to bring gifts. Indeed, they would tell you their likes and dislikes in advance and the shops from where to buy the gifts. The really generous ones would advance the information about which shops would be open on Sundays in case you thought of returning the favour of using their excuse for not bringing gifts.
It is not a mere coincidence that most freeloaders are great story-tellers and promise you the moon.
In case you take them up on their invite and actually land up, you are likely to be met with next to nothing at home (it happens to be their fasting day!) After agonising minutes spent with them, they see you off at the door with: “Ravi, yeh tera aana maana nahin jaayega. Tu phir aana, braather, jab mera fast na ho” (Ravi, your visit isn’t counted. You have to come again, brother, when I am not fasting).
Lieutenant Commander B was one such freeloader. I was posted at Navy’s Leadership School called INS Agrani at Coimbatore as a young instructor and this guy arrived on temporary duty from Cochin.
That was during my drinking days and more often than not my drinking partner used to be another bachelor Amarjit Bajwa (Please read: ‘Happy Sixtieth Birthday To My Best Friend’ and ‘Oh, The Memories Of Those Drunken Soirees’). We had found that despite drinking everyday, LtCdr B (senior to both of us) hadn’t signed for a single drink. We had also found that he had checked out of the mess catering so that he could just scrounge from others and won’t have to pay any bills.
That night (the night before he went back), we all sat together and just like every night, B was drinking merrily, expecting one of us to sign the wine chits. Bajwa and I started talking about an imaginary character who was a freeloader and scrounged on others, without paying for anything.
Bajwa: He was shameless.
Me: Yes, really shameless.
Bajwa: So, one night we went to his cabin…
Me: And gave him nice and proper for every drink that we had to sign for him.
Bajwa: He begged for mercy….
Me: But, we won’t hear of it….
Bajwa: Finally….
Me: But, Sir, why are we talking about it?
Bajwa: Yes, there is no one like that here….
B went back to his cabin, double bolted the door from inside and to be on the safe side, barricaded with chairs and a table.
We went to sleep, satisfied like Boy Scouts for having done our good work for the day.
Well past midnight, there were loud shrieks from B that woke us up. B shrieked that he had understood (we were sure that the intoxication caused by free drinks had subsided) that the character in our evening talk was none other than him.
We silently congratulated him for his enlightenment. All greats had got similar revelations in their lives like Budhha, we felt.
He shrieked many other associated things, too unprintable to be put up here.
We didn’t intervene.
The last thing he shrieked was that he would prove us wrong by paying for all his drinks before he left. And his bills.
We had a good night and sweet dreams without even wishing each other.
मेरे एक क़दीम दोस्त हैं,
शायरी में है उनका कमाल,
सोच रहे हैं क्यों न खोल दें,
शायरी और नज़्मों का इक mall।
एक तरफ तो सब्जियां मिलें,
पात पात और डाल डाल।
दूसरी तरफ हो शायरी,
हरी पीली भूरी और लाल।
हर ग्रुप में हर चीज़ मिले,
यह है उनका तेज़ ख्याल।
शायरी का हो बोल बाला,
शायरी की हो हर जगह धमाल।
कितने और ग्रुप में डालोगे,
यह न पूछो उनसे सवाल।
शायरी उनके लिए है जैसे,
नेकी कर दरिया में डाल।
बच्चे उनके उस स्कूल में पढ़ते,
सारे मज़मून का है स्टाल।
एक ही क्लास में दस उस्ताद,
बच्चों को लेते हैं संभाल।
घर के सारे कमरे भी common,
न कोई किचन, बैडरूम और हॉल।
Common पकवान बनता है,
खिचड़ी होती माला माल।
फिश मार्किट में कपड़े सिलवाते,
जूते, पतलून, टाई और रुमाल।
वेजीटेरियन खाने में भी,
मिलते चिकन और मीट हलाल।
ट्रैन में टिकट के बारे,
TTE करता जब सवाल,
“कहीं भी कभी भी उतरेंगे,
मुंबई, रूड़की या West Bengal”।
“जिस ग्रुप में शायरी न हो,
उस ग्रुप की बदल डालो चाल।
दुनिया के हर इक कोने में,
मेरी शायरी का फैला हो जाल।
मंदिर, मस्जिद, चर्च में भी,
मेरा ही पूछें दिन रात हाल।
Parliament में zero Hour पे,
मेरी poetry पर उठें सवाल।”
“YKDN पर ban लगाया,
नादान, तुम्हारी यह मज़ाल?
दोस्त ने होते तो मैं यह कहता:
तुम्हारे हो जाए फिटेहाल।
और तुम यकायक बन जाओ,
दुनिया के सबसे बड़े कंगाल।
लानत है तुम्हारे ban पर,
मेरा न बांका होगा बाल”।
“Groundiyan (grounds) ch phul khil gaye,
Mere daddy lidhar nu chale gaye?”*
Utte likhiya geet main daddy te jaan te gaaunda si,
jadd tour tonh waapis aande main nathha bhajja aaunda si.
“Betu rana” keh ke phir gale mainu lagande si,
Chhota jeya parivaar si saada kathhe mauj manande si.
Meri maa ik devi si, bahut sundar te pyaari,
Saade sareyan di dekh bhaal ch saari umr guzaari.
Donan da aapas ch pyaar dekh ke saare si hairan,
Loki kehnde si rabb di murat, nahin si eh insaan.
Bhen ate bhara ne vi dekhi ohna di rabbi moorat,
Har kamm ch oh saath si saade, poori keeti har zaroorat.
Phir kisi ne wair kadeya, kho leya saade baap nu,
Waheguru zaroor saza dayega ehne wadde paap nu.
Achanak us din saadi zindagi di jot gayi si bujh,
Pahaad saade te tut peya, kuchh bhi naa aaunda si sujh.
Tinka tinka batore pher banayeya chhota aalahna,
Daddy mummy aje vi rehnde roz hai deewa baalna.
Hor maaro hatiyaro, aapas ch wait wadhaan waalo,
Rabb de bande kadi nahin marde, burayi ch khair manaan waalo.
Whispering Winds ch aa ke dekho, maa baap saade aje bhi jeende,
Paintin saal tonh baad aseen ohna da khande peende.
Mere daddy othe hi hun, jithe “groundiyan ch khidan phul”,
Mere mummy kol hai oh heera, jisda koi nahin hai mul.
(On 23rd April 18, on my Facebook group ‘Main Shayar To Nahin‘, I started a new series. Here is the fifth one of the series)
वोट वालो ज़रा होशियार
कांग्रेस के हैं PM उम्मीदवार,
हमें कहते हैं पप्पू गँवार,
कांग्रेस के हैं PM उम्मीदवार।
वोट वालो..
काम हमारा सबको हंसाना,
जबसे सीखा ज़ुबान चलाना,
हमसे जो टक्कर लेने आये,
हम हैं उनको भी हँसाये।
Cartoons में हमारी जयकार,
कांग्रेस के हैं PM उम्मीदवार।
वोट वालो…
जब भी हमने मूँह है खोला,
जैसे बोतल में coca cola;
झाग बेअंत निकलती जाए,
कोई मतलब समझ न पाए।
आगे पीछे हमारी सरकार,
कांग्रेस के हैं PM उम्मीदवार।
वोट वालो….
Three days ago was the death anniversary of one of the greatest music directors that India saw: 
