EXPERTS, ULTRACREPIDARIANS AND CHARLATANS

The intent of this essay is to start a healthy debate on the subject of expert versus common knowledge, the pros and cons, that is, of each.

First of all, those of you who don’t know the meaning of the second word, here it is from Wikipedia:

“Ultracrepidarianism is the habit of giving opinions and advice on matters outside of one’s knowledge.

The term ultracrepidarian was first publicly recorded in 1819 by the essayist William Hazlitt in an open Letter to William Gifford, the editor of the Quarterly Review: “You have been well called an Ultra-Crepidarian critic.” It was used again four years later in 1823, in the satire by Hazlitt’s friend Leigh Hunt, Ultra-Crepidarius: a Satire on William Gifford.

The term draws from a famous comment purportedly made by Apelles, a famous Greek artist, to a shoemaker who presumed to criticise his painting. The Latin phrase “Sutor, ne ultra crepidam“, as set down by Pliny and later altered by other Latin writers to “Ne ultra crepidam judicaret“, can be taken to mean that a shoemaker ought not to judge beyond his own soles. That is to say, critics should only comment on things they know something about. The saying remains popular in several languages, as in the English, “A cobbler should stick to his last”.

(Slide courtesy: slideplayer.com)
(Slide courtesy: slideplayer.com)

A charlatan, we all know, is a person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill.

In ancient India, we had the Hindu Varna system or a classification of all society into four varnas or classes:

  • the Brahmins: priests, scholars and teachers.
  • the Kshatriyas: rulers, warriors and administrators.
  • the Vaishyas: cattle herders, agriculturists, artisans and merchants.
  • the Shudras: labourers and service providers.

A Shudra, for example, was not supposed to fight battles like a Kshatriya and was not expected to even enter the temples like a Brahmin. The Varna system ensured that the son of a Vaishya would become a Vaishya and so on. This wasn’t the caste system or the Jati system. It was simply vocation based classification.

Gradually, as knowledge became more widely and evenly spread, people started learning skills beyond the Varna system. Basically, all professions became open to everyone on merit and reservation was only for the backward classes. Hence, we did away with the elitist Varna system and in order to ensure that a Shudra family could also produce an engineer or a doctor, we provided anti-elitist reservation (affirmation) to the Shudras to catch up with the rest. However, since records of professions (Varnas) were not so easily available as those of Jati (Caste), the political classes thought of combining Scheduled Castes with Scheduled Tribes rather than with Varnas.

The present day reversal of pyramid notwithstanding, it is a fact that those that belonged to higher Jati and Varna resisted the encroachments into their Jati and Varna by the lower classes and castes. How could, they reasoned, anyone mar their exclusivity? We are all aware of the havoc caused in our society by, for example, the practice of untouchability.

There were experts all along and then there were those who guarded their exclusive turf. Those who learnt or tried to learn skills by themselves were looked down upon, jeered, made to feel miserable and in the case of Eklavya of Mahabharata, had his arching thumb cut as a guru-dakshina (Offering to the Teacher) for Dronacharya since he learnt archery keeping a clay model of Drona when the latter declined to take him up as his disciple.

Eklavya made to cut off his arching thumb by Drona as 'Guru Dakshina' (Pic courtesy: mug.shainsingh.com)
Eklavya made to cut off his arching thumb by Drona as ‘Guru Dakshina’ (Pic courtesy: mug.shainsingh.com)

And now cut to the modern age of free-knowledge and free-skills availability everywhere especially on the Internet. The Varna system has collapsed in many ways though vested interests want to keep the Jati or Caste system alive to perpetuate . You could be selling tea and yet you could lead the country as a Prime Minister. You could, as Indra Nooyi, be born in a Tamil speaking family in Madras and yet make it to be the CEO of PepsiCo, the second largest food and beverage business in the world.

And yet, the turf-guarders are always on their guard. They would tell you that you need more and more experts to solve problems, to repair, to rectify, to manage, to control, to heal, to do anything and everything. The lawyers, for example, make sure that they make legalese and court procedures so complicated and complex that the average citizen would have no choice but to call them to save his or her soul; in a repeat of the popular 1975 movie Sholay’s dialogue by the evil dacoit: Gabbar se tumhen ek hi aadmi bacha sakta hai, woh hai Gabbar khud (Only one man can protect you from Gabbar and that is Gabbar himself). The doctors circulate any number of videos on social-media mocking all those who learn about their ailments from the net. Most of the videos cleverly mix human skills with expert knowledge of ailments and cures making the so called ultracrepidarians look like buffoons, doing immense damage to themselves through their half-baked knowledge. They do forget the fact that the most difficult and responsible medical skill in the world – of being a parent – is learnt by most of us on the job and that for every failed unskilled parent there is a failed expert parent.

The Internet indeed is a great equalizer in a world wherein institutionalised training has been brought to its knees by the self-learners. One of the most spectacular examples of this is something that we grudgingly acknowledge: that is, how the most powerful armed forces have found their equal in self-trained terrorists; in many cases the latter having an edge over the former. We can have a debate about the means and the intent of the latter as opposed to the armies. But, the fact is that the Eklavyas of today, such as they are, don’t lose their thumbs in Guru-Dakshina but demand the heads of the elite trainers.

Last year I wrote a piece titled ‘All Photographers And Writers, No Viewers And Readers’. Just a few decades earlier, photographers and writers were an elite lot. Now everyone is one or the other. Everyone has an opinion and the Apelles of the world ridiculing shoemakers for expressing opinions about works of art have been simply outnumbered.

Lets look at the case of doctors predicting dire consequences for those who self-diagnose and self-medicate their ailments. There are counter views of course; the least of them is that doctors are known to fleece you and make your ailment really big and complex (requiring MRIs and other expensive tests) if you have no knowledge of your ailment.

Also, why only doctors? If we have to let only the experts do their job, then how come, these days:

  • Everybody is a national security expert.
  • Everybody knows how to run the country.
  • Other than the 13 cricketers in the field, everybody knows how to play.
  • Everyone knows how to get rid of terrorists.
  • Everybody knows how to act on screen or stage.
  • Everybody is a scientist.
  • Many people know how to make a bomb from the net.

We used to have a funny anecdote of an Engineer and the Captain of the ship exchanging their jobs, if only to win a bet. After an hour of this exchange, the Captain-turned-Engineer called the Bridge on the Intercom and said, “I am afraid the engines have stopped turning.” At this the Engineer-turned-Captain responded, “Oh, that’s alright since we just ran aground.”

Getting into non-expert fields is fraught with great risk. And yet, the most powerful navy in the world – the US Navy, that is – follows Line Officer Concept or Officer of the Line Concept.

What then is the answer? Do we require experts or not? What about the charlatans pretending to possess skills that they do not actually possess? In my last job in India’s largest corporate, we had a great and practical industrial security expert leading a proud  team of officers, men and women in the best industrial security organisation in the country. However, his communication and image-building skills were just average. The  management, therefore, brought in a person who had these skills in abundance but little knowledge of practical industrial security. Within a year the complete edifice that was painstakingly built in last twenty years crumbled. However, great sounding talks, write-ups and power-point presentations proliferated.

To build up the answer to the questions whether we require experts or not, and how to deal with ultracrepidarians and charlatans, I think  intent is the key. If by acquiring common and free knowledge, one is thinking of doing away with the expert when his services become indispensable, then there is something wrong. Also, if the intent is to expose the expert to ridicule just as the expert holds the half-baked-knowledge ignoramuses in ridicule, then too it is wrong. However, if the intent is to assist in making a more detailed examination which would have perhaps escaped the attention of the expert; or to fore-arm yourself whilst being fore-warned, then perhaps it makes sense.

I dealt with ultracrepidarians and charlatans in my ‘One Good Advice Deserves Another’ soon after I started this blog on 02 Mar 10. Admittedly, I didn’t even know that such a word as ultracrepidarian existed (I learnt about the word on WhatsApp only recently) and admittedly the piece is merely on the humorous side; however, I hasten to add that sometimes the advice of the non-experts throws open a perspective that was hitherto missed. I invite you to read an interesting bit I brought out in my ‘Being Non-Sensical May Be Far Sighted’.

There are no easy answers. Little knowledge is a dangerous thing is to be carefully balanced against Ignorance is bliss. As I mentioned in the beginning of this essay, the intent here is to start a debate about the pros and cons of expertise versus common knowledge. Please do give your views in the comments below. I am not an expert and I don’t want to have the final say on this.

LOVE – THE GREATEST FEELING ON EARTH

Love and Life are two four-lettered words about whom volumes have been written by poets and writers alike. And yet, like writing about Nature, God and Beauty, there is always something more to write.

There is a great deal of confusion whether Love is a selfless emotion or the most selfish of the emotions. It is selfless because when you love, in near absolute terms, you come to a point when you are oblivious about yourself, your needs and desires. Amongst the popular lovers of yore, Majnu was so much in love with his Laila that when asked to write God’s name in school, he wrote Laila. He was caned so hard by his teacher (maulvi) that it was feared that his hands would start bleeding. Lo and behold, the hands that started bleeding were those of Laila. Love is so selfless that you can lose your identity in love and assume the identity of your beloved.

Duniya pukarti hai mujhe tere naam se…”

It is also a selfish feeling since you love a person to the exclusion of others and that person is called ‘my love’, ‘my life’ etc. As the holy book of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib brings out, my is roughly tranlated to ‘haume’ and loving someone to the exclusion of others is like claiming something for yourself and hence has an element of selfishness about it.

A mother’s love for her child has both elements in it: the selfishness and selflessness. A few decades back, in an earthquake in USSR a woman was buried with her child under the rubble for three full days and nights. She kept her child alive by feeding it her blood! It is a feeling of supreme selflessness. However, the feeling with her, “The life that I am saving is my child, my creation, my life, my love. If I die it would die. So I have to keep myself too alive”, is indeed a selfish feeling.

Lets put it this way: would you expect Laila to bleed for the entire humanity? No, she bled for her own love. Would you expect the mother in USSR to do such a sacrifice for other children? No, she would do it for her own children.

Selfless or selfish or a mixture of both, Love brings out the best in human beings. Yes, one has to get rid of ‘haume‘, as per the scriptures. However, the highest attainments of Leadership through Love are only possible if there is ‘haume’ (my-ness or ego) involved. Soldiers lay down their lives for the love of their country. Cricketers win matches, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat by having the feeling of my-ness for their team, province, state or country. Getting rid of ‘haume‘ is to be rid of belonging and  attachment. However, if you are rid of it Love dies for everyone except for paramatma (Supreme soul) or God.

Love and Ego

So, don’t think too much whether it is Selfish or Selfless to love. If you are thinking of it, you are aware of ‘Self’! It can’t be the purpose of Life to reach back to God. To love one another may also be the will of God.

I have always challenged the oft-held views. In my ‘An Alternate Philosophy of Life‘, for example, I have challenged our obsession with seeking God for ourselves. I have, on the other hand, suggested that we get out of this obsession and think of the society, the way the Westerns do. In India, most people love God but are not so prone to love one another, cleanliness (despite the renewed stress on Swachchh Bharat (clean India), and values. We would if there was some self-interest or ‘haume’ involved in these.

Here are some of the things that I suggest that we love:

1. Love Life. The greatest gift that God has given us is that of Life. We should love ours and those of others. As Indians, when we drive, pardon my saying so, but, it isn’t apparent whether we love ours’ and those of others. Perhaps we should demonstrate it in more ways than the present one of furiously honking and abusing another person off the road. Each one of has the feeling of self-preservation in some degree or the other. Yes, it is selfish to love one’s own life. However, if you don’t love your own and value it, you cannot be expected to value others’. Last year’s Alejandro Inarritu movie The Revenant (a movie that I didn’t like because of its raw and relentless violence) won him the Best Director’s Award as well as Best Actor award for Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is all about the quest for survival under extreme harsh conditions for Hugh Glass whilst seeking revenge against John Fitzgerald, a fellow trapper who left him (Hugh Glass played by DiCaprio) as dead after stabbing him. Take the opposite extreme, that of a Jehadi or a Mujahid.  He doesn’t value his own life and those of others in the mistaken belief that by killing himself and others he would, perhaps, serve some purpose of God. Loving Life is the first signs of gratefulness towards God for having created beings, mountains, plains, rivers, seas, etc.

Life Live Love

2. Love Nature. God made the Universe very beautiful indeed. We are part of it and we are beautiful too. However, Nature is more beautiful than all of us individually and collectively. It is our beloved. It is not ashamed to have a bath right in the open and emerge even more beautiful. It doesn’t bore us with the same shape, colour, fragrance and hue all the times. One of the most enchanting things about Nature is that it is forever changing. Just when we feel that we have seen the most alluring part of it, it unashamedly reveals another even more fascinating. Nature reflects the endless attribute of God Himself in case we are used to personifying God.

I thank you O God 2

3. Love Music. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like or love; be it classical, instrumental, Western, Raaga based, or even punk. However, I would be very suspicious of a person who doesn’t like music and considers all music as jarring noise. Music is the expression of the soul. There must be some expression of your own inner self that finds resonance with some music. My family and I consider life without music to be no life at all.

I thank you O God 8

4. Love Children. God gave us innocence at birth and even before it. We had it when we were children. But then, we plunged into worldly knowledge and lost it gradually. That’s the reason that we, with all our knowledge, are farthest from God and little children with their innate innocence are God-like (Please read: ‘How Unbiased Or Innocent Can We Become?’). Therefore, it makes sense to love the child in you as also to love children.

I thank you God 12

5. Love Animals. Many of you must have seen the most successful South African movie ever: the 1980 movie ‘Gods Must Be Crazy’. The movie is about the simple bushmen of Kalahari Desert in Botswana who are happy and content with what God has given them until they are exposed to a Coca Cola bottle (symbolic of the modern world) having been thrown close to them from a plane. And now, the single coca-cola bottle is the source of envy, jealousy, anger, frustration and violence that they had never experienced before. The animal world is like the world of the bushmen as seen in the movie. There is no fear, danger, jealousy, greed and guile. If you can’t be in the wilderness, the next best thing to do is to have a pet and then you suddenly start realising that God made all His beings in His own liking. You can’t help loving them. Indeed, nowadays, scientific and psychological studies have shown that loving a pet relaxes you and enriches your life.

Roger and Us

6. Love Silence and Privacy. We like Sound. Indeed, we like all sensory experiences of hearing, smelling, seeing, touching and tasting. However, there are experiences beyond the senses and these can be found only in silence both outward and inward. You have to make your surroundings and environment around you silent. In modern-day India, for example, we collectively detest silence and are at home with unfettered noise. Considerable part of it is – hold your breath – devotional (Please read: ‘A Quieter Mumbai – Is It A Pipe Dream?’, ‘Noise Is The Newest Form Of Devotion’, ‘Sounds Of Silence’, ‘State Sponsored Noise’, ‘This Patakhawali, This Bombawali Has Nothing In Common With Deepawali’, and ‘Who Are The “People” Whose “Sentiments Need To Be Respected”?’ ) What kind of devotion it must be that uses noise as a medium and doesn’t respect other people’s privacy?

Flute and Orchestra

7. Love the Jawan (Soldier). As long as there is ‘haume’, there is violence. As long as there is violence, someone needs to protect us from being subjugated by violence. That chosen one of God is the Jawan or the Soldier. Whilst others have a profession or vocation, his is a devotion, a sacrifice and way of life. To love a Jawan is to thank him for risking his own life whilst protecting ours. No money, awards, gratitude on earth can ever repay him for what he does 24/7, 365 days in a year.

I thank you God 21

8. Love India. We Indians are the most vociferous jingoists in the world. We carry our patriotism on our shirt-sleeves for everyone to see. But, do we really love our country? The answer is a big NO. The person who loves his or her country as his or her own home won’t do any of the following, for example:

  • Dirty it relentlessly and expect someone else to clean up the mess.
  • Indulge in everyday petty corruption and short-cuts knowing that it makes the country weaker.
  • Whiling away time at work knowing that the country’s well-being is dependent upon each one of us working at full efficiency and dedication.
  • Sell the country’s interests both overtly and covertly to the enemies of the country within and without.
  • Have no respect for the law of the land.

There, I have given you my short list of things that we ought to love as our own and cherish that we were given these to love.

I thank you God 27

One of my poems ended like this:

Some live to love,
I love so as to live.

Perhaps you can do it too.

THE BEST RAAGA BASED SONGS IN HINDI MOVIES – RAAG PILU – PART I

As you are already aware, these blogs are being recreated from the posts on my Facebook page Lyrical wherein I started with this theme of giving you the best raaga based songs in Hindi movies on the 8th of Aug 2015. Presently, I am on my 22nd Raaga: Raag Lalit. I have already given you blogs on Raaga Bhairavi (Part I, II and III), Yaman or Kalyan (Part I, II and III), Jhinjhoti (Part I, II), Darbari Kanada (Part I, II, and III), Bhimpalasi (Part I and II), Raag Khammaj, and Raag Todi which make only seven of the twenty-two Raagas. With the last post on Raag Todi, I have made a determined effort to catch up. I decided to start giving you Raagas even as I put up on Lyrical, in addition to the back-log. Now that I gave you the last Raag based songs’ post, let me also give you one from the back-log.

With this, lets start with our Eighth Raaga here (the 6th Raaga on Lyrical): Raag Pilu.

The cover picture in this Raag is from the 1958 movie Phagun starring Madhubala and Bharat Bhushan. The music director of the movie OP Nayyar was so fond of this Raaga that roughly about half the songs of the movie have been composed by him in Pilu or Peelu. This was OP Nayyar’s favourite raga.

Phagun

Raga Pilu is a light classical raga or thumri that is quite varied. Like Bhairavi, all the 12 notes can be used in a composition. Since the structure of the raga is left to the artist’s style and interpretation, it is sometimes referred to as Misra Pilu (“mixed version of Pilu“) which incorporates not only the main notes but grace notes like komal re, suddha Ga, tivra Ma, komal dha, and both Nis.

Moods: Bhakti, Ebullience of folk love (often samuh-gaan, with clapping of hands). Many Krishna bhajans are in this raga.

Song #1 Piya piya naa laage mora jiya….

Lets take the first song composed in this raag from the 1958 movie Phagun directed by Bhibhuti Mitra. As with most other movies for which OP Nayyar was the music director, Phagun too had a large number of hit songs that were penned by Qamar Jalalabadi and sung by Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi:

1 “Teer Yeh Chupke” Asha Bhosle 3:07 Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
2 “Main Soya Ankhiyan Meeche” Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle 3:32
3 “Barso Re Haye Bairi Badarwa Barso Re” Asha Bhosle 3:15 Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
4 “Chhum Chhum Ghunghroo Bole” Asha Bhosle 3:32 Madhubala
5 “Piya Piya Na Lage Mora Jiya” Asha Bhosle 3:19 Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
6 “Soon Ja Pukar” Asha Bhosle 3:06 Bharat Bhushan, Cuckoo, Jeevan, Kammo, Madhubala, Nishi
7 “Bana De Prabhuji” Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle 4:18 Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
8 “Ek Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya” Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle 3:53 Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
9 “Meri Chhod De Kalahi” Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle 3:12 Mehmood, Dhumal
10 “Tum Rooth Ke Mat Jana” Mohammed Rafi & Asha Bhosle 3:15 Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan
11 “Shokh Shokh Aankhen” Asha Bhosle 4:06 Nishi, Cuckoo, Bharat Bhushan

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu, a song sung by Asha Bhosle: Piya piya naa laage mora jiya….

piyaa piyaa na laage moraa jiyaa
aajaa chorii chorii ye bai.nyaa.n gorii gorii
ta.Dap uThii re tere pyaar ko
piyaa piyaa …

ek ban kii kalii matavaalii nagarii me.n aaii khilane
ja.ngal kii moranii aaii baago.n ke mor se milane
milane ho milane, mor se milane
haay … apanaa banaa le sai.nyaa ho
piyaa piyaa …

o baa.Nke nainaa vaale o paradesii matavaale
tuu muralii mujhe banaa le ho.nTho.n se haay lagaa le
muralii banaa le ho.nTho.n se lagaa le
haay … apanaa banaa le sai.nyaa ho
piyaa piyaa …

Song #2 Jhoole mein pawan ke aayi bahar…

Matching OP Nayyar note by note in the Phagun jhoola song is Naushad, six years before Phagun in his best ever movie Baiju Bawra. Baiju (Bharat Bhushan) and Gauri (Meena Kumari) grow up and are in love. This song is sung to show them having grown up and in love.

Interestingly, each one of the Baiju Bawra’s 13 song-tracks was based on a classical raaga.

The great Shakeel Badayuni penned the lyrics and it was sung by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar for Bharat Bhushan as Baiju and Meena Kumari as Gauri. Naushad received his only Filmfare Best Music Director award for this movie.

My choice of the greatest music director in Hindi movies: Naushad Ali (Pic courtesy: hamaraforums.com)
My choice of the greatest music director in Hindi movies: Naushad Ali (Pic courtesy: hamaraforums.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Jhule mein pawan ke aayi bahaar….

do : jhuule me.n pawan ke aa_ii bahaar
naino.n me.n nayaa ra.ng laa_ii bahaar
pyaar chhalake ho pyaar chhalake

la : o
Dole man moraa sajanaa
Dole man moraa
ra : ho jii ho
la : Dole man moraa sajanaa
chuunariyaa baar-baar Dhalake
do : jhuule me.n pawan ke aa_ii bahaar
pyaar chhalake ho pyaar chhalake

ra : o o o
merii taan se uu.Nchaa teraa jhuulanaa gorii -2
la : mere jhuulane ke sa.ng tere pyaar kii Dorii -2
do : tuu hai jiivan si.ngaar
pyaar chhalake
jhuule me.n pawan ke aa_ii bahaar
pyaar chhalake ho pyaar chhalake

ra : o o o
baadal jhuum ke aaye gaagar pyaar kii laaye -2
la : koyal kuukatii jaaye ban me.n mor bhii gaaye -2
do : chhe.De.n ham-tum malhaar
pyaar chhalake
aa aa aa
chhe.De.n ham-tum malhaar
jhuule me.n pawan ke aa_ii bahaar
naino.n me.n nayaa ra.ng laa_ii bahaar
pyaar chhalake ho pyaar chhalake
ho ho pyaar chhalake -3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS0h73s0XyI

Song #3 Mat maaro Shyam pichkari….

Did you get a good idea of what the Raag Pilu is all about from the first two songs: one each from Phagun and Baiju Bawra.

Let me add to your knowledge by giving you a song from the 1956 movie Durgesh Nandini based on the novel by that name by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.

This was composed by my favourite Hemant Kumar on the lyrics of Rajinder Krishan. Lata Mangeshkar sang it.

Hemant Kumar recording a song with Lata Mangeshkar (Pic courtesy: mrandmrs55.com)
Hemant Kumar recording a song with Lata Mangeshkar (Pic courtesy: mrandmrs55.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Mat maaro sham pichkaari….

mat maaro shaam pichakaarii
morii bhiigii chunariyaa saarii re…

naajuk tan moraa ra.ng na Daaro shaamaa
a.ng-a.ng mora pha.Dake
ra.ng pa.De jo more gore badan par
ruup kii jvaalaa bha.Dake
kit jaa_uu.N mai.n laaj kii maarii re
mat maaro shaam…

kaah karuu.N kaanhaa, ruup hai bairii meraa
ra.ng pa.De chhil jaaye
dekhe yah jag mohe, tirachhii najariyaa se
moraa jiyaa ghabaraaye
kit jaa_uu.N mai.n laaj kii maarii re
mat maaro shaam…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wEEX3Ox75o

Song #4 Sur na saje kya gaayun main….

The second day of our sixth Raag: Raag Pilu or Peelu. We have so far taken up compositions of OP Nayyar whose favourite raag was Pilu, Naushad and Hemant Kumar.

We turn now to Shankar Jaikishen. I have taken this from their composition in 1956 movie Basant Bahaar starring Nimmi and Bharat Bhushan. As is usual with S-J songs, this one has been penned by Shailendra. It has been sung by Manna Dey

Manna Dey, the greatest singer of classical songs in Hindi movies.
Manna Dey, the greatest singer of classical songs in Hindi movies.

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Sur naa saje kyaa gaayun main….

sur nA saje kyA gAU.N mai.n – 2
sur ke binA, jIvan sUnA – 2
sur nA saje kyA gAU.n mai.n
sur nA saje …

jalate gayaa jiivana meraa -2
is raat kaa na hogaa saveraa -2
sur naa saje …

dono.n jahA.n, mujhase rUThe – 2
tere binA ye gIt bhI jhUThe – 2
sur nA saje …

taT se lagii nadiyaa gaave -2
pii tum kahaa.N papiihaa gaave -2
sur naa saje …

(sa.ngIt man ko pa.nkh lagAe
gIto.n me.n rimajhim ras barasAe ) – 2
svar kI sAdhanA – 2
paramesh{}var kI
sur nA saje …

Song #5 Tere bin soone nayan hamaare….

Now that I have given you a beautiful composition by Shankar Jaikishen, I have to give you a matching and somewhat similar one by Sachin Dev Burman. It is regarded, by many, as the best Raaga based song ever in Hindi movies.

It is from the 1963 movie Meri Soorat Teri Aankhen. The movie had a beautiful story with a lesson for all of us. Raj Kumar (Ishwarlal) is a wealthy businessman and dislikes everything ugly. When his wife, Kamla (Achla Sachdev), becomes pregnant and gives birth to an ugly son, he asks the attending Dr. Mathur (Tarun Bose) to inform his wife that their child was still-born. Dr. Mathur places the child in the hands of Rahmat (Kanhaiyalal Chaturvedi) and his wife, Naseeban (Paro), who welcome him with open arms. But misfortune follows them, as the child, who is named Pyare (Ashok Kumar), accidentally burns their dwelling down, killing Naseeban. Rahmat then re-locates to his village when he teaches Pyare the skills required to play musical instruments and sing. Years later, Rahmat passes away, and informs Pyare that he is really a Hindu. Dr. Mathur fills the rest of the blanks for Pyare, and arranges a song and dance play and hopes that Raj will overcome his dislike for his now-grown son. But that does not happen, instead, Raj offers to pay some compensation so that Pyare can look after himself. When Pyare goes to Raj to return the money, Kamla sees him and asks him not to leave and adopts him as her son. Then misfortune visits the Raj family when their other son, Sudhir (Pradeep Kumar) , is abducted and held for ransom for 4 Lakh rupees. Sudhir’s fiancée (Asha Parekh as Kavita) believes that Pyare is behind this abduction. Finally, they all learn that Pyaare saves Sudhir’s life by sacrificing his own.

meri-surat-teri-ankhen-1963-200x275

This song is sung when Pradeep Kumar and Asha Parekh are in the wilderness. Asha Parekh listens to Ashok Kumar sing this song from a distance and is enchanted by his voice.

Shailendra is the lyricist. The song has been sung by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar for Ashok Kumar and Asha Parekh respectively.

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Tere bin soone nain hamaare….

tere bin suunii, nain hamaare
haay! tere bin suunii
baaT takat gaye saa.Njh sakhaare
haay! tere bin suunii

raat jo aaye Dhal jaaye pyaasii
din kaa hai duujaa naam udaasii
nindiyaa na aaye ab mere dvaare
haay! tere bin suunii …

jag me.n rahaa mai.n jagase paraayaa
saayaa bhii meraa mere saath na aayaa
ha.Nsane ke din bhii roke guzaare
haay! tere bin suunii …

o anadekhe, o anajaane
chhup ke na gaa ye prem taraane
kaun hai tuu mohe ab to bataa re
haay! tere bin suunii …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYmpRsVKjkw

Song #6 Tu jo mere sur mein sur mila le….

I was thinking that I would not be able to find a third song matching the first two this evening: Sur naa saje kyaa gaayun main, and Tere bin soone nain hamaare.

And then I thought of Ravindra Jain! I have written several times that putting up songs, for me, is like dominos: one leads to the other.

This song sung by Yesudas and Hemlata became very popular. It has lyrics too by Ravindra Jain and is from the 1976 movie Chitchor.

ravindra-jain-759

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Tu jo mere sur mein sur mila le…..

ye: tuu jo mere sur me.n -2
sur milaa le, sa.ng gaa le
to zi.ndagii ho jaae safal
he: tuu jo mere man kaa -2
ghar banaa le, man lagaa le
to ba.ndagii ho jaae safal
dono.n: tuu jo mere sur me.n

ye: chaa.Ndanii raato.n me.n, haath li_e haatho.n me.n
he: chaa.Ndanii raato.n me.n, haath li_e haatho.n me.n
dono.n: Duube rahe.n ek duusare kii, ras bharii baato.n me.n
ye: tuu jo mere sa.ng me.n -2
muskuraa le, gunagunaa le
to zi.ndagii ho jaae safal

he: tuu jo mere man kaa…
dono.n: tuu jo mere sur me.n…

he: kyo.n ham bahaaro.n se, khushiyaa.N udhaar le.n
ye: kyo.n ham bahaaro.n se, khushiyaa.N udhaar le.n
dono.n: kyo.n na milake ham khud hii apanaa jiivan sudhaar le.n
he: tuu jo mere path me.n -2
diip gaa le o ujaale
to ba.ndagii ho jaae safal

ye: tuu jo mere sur me.n -2
sur milaa le, sa.ng gaa le
to zi.ndagii ho jaae safal

Song #7 Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milana….

Two days of one of the most popular raagas amongst Hindi songs composers had us take up the compositions of OP Nayyar, Naushad, Hemant Kumar, Shankar Jaikishen, SD Burman and Ravindra Jain.

Let me start tonight with a very popular number composed by Kalyanji Anandji for the 1965 movie Jab Jab Phool Khile starring Shashi Kapoor and Nanda.

It was one of the most popular songs of its era. Anand Bakshi penned the lyrics and Mohammad Rafi sang it.

Jab Jab Phool Khile1

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milana……

paradesiyo.n se naa a.Nkhiyaa.n milaanaa
paradesiyo.n ko hai ik din jaanaa

aatii hai jab ye rut mastaanii
banatii hai koii na koI kahaanii
ab ke bas dekhe bane kyaa fasaanaa

sach hii kahaa hai pa.nchhii inako
raat ko Thahare to u.D jaae.n din ko
aaj yahaa.N kal vahaa.N hai Thikaanaa

baago.n me.n jab jab phuul khile.nge
tab tab ye harajaaii mile.nge
guzaregaa kaise patajha.D kaa zamaanaa

ye baabul kaa des chhu.Daae.n
des se ye parades bulaae.n
haay sune.n naa ye koI bahaanaa

hamane yahii ek baar kiyaa thaa
ek paradesii se pyaar kiyaa thaa
aise jalaae dil jaise paravaanaa

pyaar se apane ye nahii.n hote
ye patthar hai.n ye nahii.n rote
inake liye naa aa.Nsuu bahaanaa

naa ye baadal naa ye taare
ye kaagaz ke phuul hai.n saare
in phuulo.n ke baag na lagaanaa

hamane yahii ek baar kiyaa thaa
ek paradesii se pyaar kiyaa thaa
ro ro ke kahataa hai dil ye diivaanaa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kld8HZ-8j2g

Song #8 Na jahtako zulf se paani…,

How about my namesake Ravi as a composer in Raag Pilu? It happened in 1964 movie Shehnai starring Biswajeet and Rajshree. Lyricist is Rajinder Krishan and the singer is Mohammad Rafi.

Music Director Ravi (Pic courtesy: america.pink)
Music Director Ravi (Pic courtesy: america.pink)

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Na jhatako zulf se paani ye moti toot jaayenge…..

naa jhaTako sulf se paanii yah motii TuuT jaaye.nge
tumhaaraa kuchh na biga.Degaa magar dil TuuT jaaye.nge
naa jhaTako sulf se paanii …

ye bhiigi raat ye bhiigaa badan ye husn kaa aalam
ye sab andaaz mil kar do jahaa.N ko luuT jaaye.nge
naa jhaTako sulf se paanii …

yah naazuk lab hai.n yaa aapas me.n do lipaTii huI kaliyaa.N
zaraa inako alag kar do, tarannum phuuT jaaye.nge
naa jhaTako sulf se paanii …

hamaarii jaan le legaa yah niichii aa.Nkh ka jaduu
chalo achchha huaa mar kar jahaa.N se chhuuT jaaye.nge
naa jhaTako sulf se paanii …

Song #9 Tere pyaar ka aasra chahata hoon….

Going ahead with the mood set with the other two songs tonight, viz, Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milaana, and Na jhatako zulf se panni; I give you a composition by N Dutta for the 1959 movie Dhool Ka Phool starring Rajendra Kumar and Mala Sinha. They are participating in a college mushaiyra and are at their best on the stage. Mahendra Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar have sung for them respectively.

rafi_ndutta

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Tere pyaar ka aasra chahata hoon….

tere pyaar kaa aasaraa chaahataa huu.N
vafaa kar rahaa huu.N vafaa chaahataa huu.N

hasiino se ahad-e-vafaa chaahate ho
ba.De naasamajh ho ye kyaa chaahate ho

tere narm baalo.n me.n taare sajaa ke
tere shokh kadamo.n me.n kaliyaa.n bichhaa ke
mohabbat kaa chhoTaa saa mandir banaa ke
tujhe raat din pUjanaa chaahataa huu.N, vafaa …

zaraa soch lo dil lagaane se pahale
ki khonaa bhii pa.Dataa hai paane ke pahale
ijaazat to le lo zamaane se pahale
ki tum husn ko pUjanaa chaahate ho, ba.De …

kahaa.N tak jiye.n terii ulfat ke maare
guzaratii nahii.n zindagii bin sahaare
bahut ho chuke duur rahakar ishaare
tujhe paas se dekhanaa chaahataa huu.N, vafaa …

mohabbat kii dushman hai saarii khudaaii
mohabbat kii taqadiir me.n hai judaaii
jo sunate nahii.n hai.n dilo.n kii duhaaii
unhii.n se mujhe maa.Nganaa chaahate ho, ba.De …

dupaTTe ke kone ko mu.Nh me.n dabaa ke
zaraa dekh lo is taraf muskuraa ke
mujhe lUT lo mere nazadiik aa ke
ki mai.n maut se khelanaa chaahataa huu.N, vafaa …

galat saare daave.n galat saarii kasame.n
nibhe.ngii yahaa.N kaise ulfat ki rasme.n
yahaa.N zindagii hai rivaazo.n ke bas me.n
rivaazo.n ko tum to.Danaa chaahate ho, ba.De …

rivaazo.n kii paravaah naa rasmo.n kaa Dar hai
terii aa.Nkh ke faisale pe nazar hai
balaa se agar raastaa purkhatar hai
mai.n is haath ko thaamanaa chaahataa huu.N, vafaa …

Song #10 Aaj ki raat badi shokh badi natkhat hai….

Fourth day of our sixth raag: Pilu after we have taken up the following Raagas already:

1. Bhairavi.
2. Yaman or Kalyan.
3. Darbari Kanada.
4. Raag Bhimpalasi.
5. Raag Khammaj.

In the present Raag Pilu, so far, we took up the compositions of OP Nayyar, Naushad, Hemant Kumar, Shankar Jaikishen, SD Burman, Ravindra Jain, Kalyanji Anandji, Ravi and N Dutta.

Lets take up our tenth composer in this raag: Roshan. This is a favourite of mine penned by Neeraj and sung by Mohammad Rafi. It is from the 1965 movie Nai Umr Ki Nai Fasal that starred Tanuja with Rajeev and was shot in the campus of Aligarh Muslim University.

Even after 50 years, the songs of the movie are fondly remembered:

  1. “Aaj Ki Raat Badi De Se Aayee Hai” – Mohd Rafi
  2. “Aaj Ki Raat Badi Shaukh Badi Natkhat Hai” – Mohd Rafi & Asha Bhosle
  3. “Dekhati Hi Raho Aaj Darpan Na Tum” – Mukesh
  4. “Isko Bhi Apnaata Chal” – Mohd Rafi
  5. “Kaaravaan Guzar Gayaa” – Mohd Rafi
  6. “Meri Saiyyaan Gulbiya Ka Phool” – Suman Kalyanpur & Minoo Purushottam
  7. “Nai Umar Ki Naye Sitaron” – Bhupinder Singh
  8. “Thi Shubh Suhaag Ki Raat” – Manna Dey

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Aaj ki raat badi shokh badi natkhat hai….

aaj kii raat ba.Dii shokh ba.Dii naTakhaT hai
aaj to tere binaa nii.nd na aayegii

ab to tere hii yahaa.N aane kaa ye mausam hai
ab tabiiyat na Kayaalo.n se bahal paayegii
dekh vo chhat pe utar aayii hai saavan kii ghaTaa
de rahii dvaar pe aavaaz kha.Dii puravaaii
bijalii rah rah ke pahaa.D.n pe chamak uThatii hai
suunii aa.Nkho.n me.n koii Kvaab le jyo.n a.nga.Daaii
kaise samajhaa_uu.N?
kaise samajhaa_uu.N ki is vaqt kaa matalab kyaa hai
dil kii hai baat
ho dil kii hai baat na ho.nTho.n se kahii jaayegii
aaj to tere binaa nii.nd nahii.n aayegii …

ye bhaTakate hue jugunuu ye diye aavaaraa
bhiigate pe.Do.n pe bujh-bujh ke chamak uThate hai.n
tere aa.Nchal me.n Take salame.n sitaare jaise
mujh se milane ko binaa baat damak uThate hai.n
saaraa aalam
saaraa aalam hai giraftaar tere husn me.n jab
mujhase hii kaise
ho, mujhase hii kaise ye barasaat sahii jaayegii
aaj to tere binaa nii.nd nahii.n aayegii …

raat raanii kii ye bhiinii sii nashiilii khushabuu
aa rahii hai ke jo chhan chhan ke ghanii Daalo.n se
aisaa lagataa hai kisii DhiiTh jhakhore se lipaT
khel aayii hai tere ulajhe hue baalo.n se
aur bezaar
aur bezaar na kar, mere ta.Dapate dil ko
aisii ra.ngiin
ho, aisii ra.ngiin Gazal raat na phir gaayegii
aaj to tere binaa nii.nd nahii.n aayegii …

Song #11 Dheere se aaja akhiyan mein…

Our eleventh music director is C Ramchandra and he composed one of the best lullabies in Hindi movies in this Raag. So enchanting is this lullaby that a few months back I saw the 1951 movie Albela starring Bhagwan and Geeta Bali on my computer so as to see the lullaby. Rajinder Krishan penned the lyrics and the lullaby has been sung by both Lata Mangeshkar and C Ramchandra.

albela%20(1951)

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu: Dheere se aaja ri akhiyan mein nindiya….

Comments: An excellent and classic lullaby. The song is in two parts.
The duet version is a sadder song. Chitalkar just sings the mukha.Da
and Lata sings the two antaraas. The tune is the same for both versions.

dhiire se aajaa rii a.Nkhiyan me.n
ni.ndiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa
chhoTe se nainan kii bagiyan me.n
nindiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa

o …
lekar suhaane sapano.n kii kaliyaa.N, sapano.n kii kaliyaa.N
aake basaa de palako.n kii galiyaa.N, palako.n kii galiyaa.N
palako.n kii chhoTii sii galiyan me.n
nindiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa
dhiire se …

o …
taaro.n se chhup kar taaro.n se chorii, taaro.n se chorii
detii hai rajanii cha.Ndaa ko lorii, cha.Ndaa ko lorii
ha.Nsataa hai cha.Ndaa bhii nindiyan me.n
nindiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa
dhiire se …

Sad / Duet version
dhiire se aajaa rii a.Nkhiyan me.n
ni.ndiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa
chhoTe se nainan kii bagiyan me.n
nindiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa

o …
aa.Nkhe.n to sab kii hai.n ik jaisii
jaisii amiiro.n kii, gariibo.n kii vaisii
palako.n kii suunii sii galiyan me.n
nindiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa
dhiire se …

o …
jagatii hai a.Nkhiyaa.N sotii hai qismat, sotii hai qismat
dushman gariibo.n kii hotii hai qismat, hotii hai qismat
dam bhar gariibo.n kii kuTiyan me.n
nindiyaa aajaa rii aajaa, dhiire se aajaa
dhiire se …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h94Qg1g-JI

Song #12 Dhadakte dil ki tamanna ho mera pyaar ho tum….

Now that I have given you a favourite from C Ramchandra, I might as well give you another from Ghulam Mohammad. It has lyrics by Kaifi Azmi and has been sung by Suraiyya for herself in the 1961 movie Shama.

Here is the story-line:

Lucknow-based poet Parvez (Vijay Dutt) lives a wealthy lifestyle along with his parents. Also living in this household is an orphaned distant relative, Shama (Nimmi), who secretly loves him. He does confide in her that he is attracted to Roshan Ara (Suraiyya), and she, though heartbroken, arranges his wedding with her. After the wedding, Roshan’s brother, Dilawar (Tarun Bose), wants to wed Shama and Parvez’ father accepts this alliance. Anger, rage and bitterness will surface when Shama will not only reject Dilawar but also refuse to marry anyone. But the worst is yet to come when the family will be told the real reason why she wants to remain single.

Ghulam Mohammad, though older to Naushad Ali, took the latter as his mentor for many years. He was music director for 1954 movie Mirza Ghalib, 1961 movie Shama and finally 1972 Pakeezah. The last one was so much delayed that when the movie was finally released Ghulam Mohammad was no more. Pakeezah has some of the most stunningly popular songs in Hindi movies and elegantly composed. However, Ghulam Mohammad wasn’t given the Filmfare Best Music Director for it. Character actor Pran declined to receive his own Best Supporting Actor award in protest against Ghulam Mohammad having been overlooked for his award.

Music Director Ghulam Mohammad
Music Director Ghulam Mohammad

Please enjoy in Raag Pilu; Dhadakate dil ki tamanna ho mera pyaar ho tum….

dha.Dakate dil kii tamannaa ho meraa pyaar ho tum
(mujhe qaraar nahii.n) – 2
(jab se beqaraar ho tum) – 2
dha.Dakate dil kii tamannaa ho meraa pyaar ho tum

(khilaao phuul kisii ke kisii chaman men raho) – 2
jo dil kii raah se (guzarii hai vo bahaar ho tum) – 2

(zah-e-nasiib ataa kii jo dard kii sauGaat) – 2
vo Gam hasiin hai jis (Gam ke zimmedaar ho tum) -2
dha.Dakate dil kii tamannaa ho meraa pyaar ho tum

cha.Daauu.N phuul yaa aa.Nsuu tumhaare qadamo.n me.n
merii vafaao.n ke (ulfat kii yaadagaar ho tum) – 2
dha.Dakate dil kii tamannaa ho meraa pyaar ho tum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M64silP33xY

That brings us to the half-way mark of two-dozen best songs in Hindi movies based on Raag Pilu. Please await the Part II with the other dozen songs.

I look forward to your suggestions and comments.

THE BEST RAAGA BASED SONGS IN HINDI MOVIES – RAAG TODI

As you are already aware, these blogs are being recreated from the posts on my Facebook page Lyrical wherein I started with this theme of giving you the best raaga based songs in Hindi movies on the 8th of Aug 2015. Presently, I am on my 22nd Raaga: Raag Lalit. I have already given you blogs on Raaga Bhairavi (Part I, II and III), Yaman or Kalyan (Part I, II and III), Jhinjhoti (Part I, II), Darbari Kanada (Part I, II, and III), Bhimpalasi (Part I and II) and Raag Khammaj, which make only six of the twenty-two Raagas. This means that I have to make a determined effort to catch up. I have therefore decided to start giving you Raagas even as I put up on Lyrical, in addition to the back-log.

With this, lets start with our Seventh Raaga here (the 21st Raaga on Lyrical): Raag Todi.

Todi (Hindi: तोडी) is a Hindustani classical raga which gave its name to the Todi thaat, one of the ten modes of Hindustani classical music. Ragas from the Todi raganga include Todi (a.k.a. Miya ki Todi) itself, Bilaskhani Todi, Bahaduri Todi, and Gujari Todi.

Raag Todi

The equivalent raga in Carnatic music is Shubhapantuvarali. The Carnatic raga Todi is the equivalent of Bhairavi and does not have any similarity to the Hindustani Todi.

Todi is a raaga of the late morning.

As can be seen in the profile picture of the Raag, Todi is nearly always shown as a gentle, beautiful woman, holding a veena and standing in a lovely green forest, surrounded by deer. Kaufman cites the Sangita-Darpana “With a fair erect body like the white lotus, and delicate like the gleaming dew drop, Todi holds the vina and provides fun and frolic to the deer deep in the forest. Her body is anointed with saffron and camphor.

Rasa in Indian classical music is understood as mood of the raga. Miyan ki todi predominantly is mostly pervaded by a pensive, mournful mood which is then relieved in the drut (faster tempo) part, by a festive piece, possibly to alleviate the heavy pathos in the earlier stages of rendering, though not always. The composition is such as to afford an artist of high calibre to mould it in either the inherent pensive mood or to entirely present a festive mood.

Song #1 Ae ri main to prem diwani mera dard na jaane koye….

The cover picture that I have put up is that of Hema Malini in the 1979 movie Meera in which she was in the title role. She is singing a Meerabai bhajan: Ae ri main to prem diwani. It comes close to the description of the Raaga.

Pandit Ravi Shankar composed the bhajan and Vani Jairam sang it.

Vani Jairam and Pt Ravi Shankar

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Ae ri main to prem diwani mera dard na jaane koye….

aeri mai to prem diwani mera dard na jane koi
aeri mai to prem diwani mera dard na jane koi
aeri mai to prem diwani

jurm aisa janti prit piye dukh ka
nagar dhidhora pitti preet na jane koi
mera dard na jane koi
aeri mai to prem diwani mera dard na jane koi
aeri mai to prem diwani mera dard na jane koi
aeri mai to prem diwani

 

We started with our 21st Raag today that gave birth to a Thaat having been named after it; one of the ten fundamental thaats in Hindustani stream of music.

It is a raaga of the late morning.

Song #2 Insaan bano….

As soon as I start with a Raaga, as is usual for me, I think of the combine of Shakeel Badayuni with Naushad Ali. The 1952 movie Baiju Bawra was the only movie for which Naushad was given the Filmfare Award. Each one of its songs is based on some Raag or the other.

Shakeel Badayuni (Sitting) and Naushad (Standing)
Shakeel Badayuni (Sitting) and Naushad (Standing)

Insaan Bano was sung by Mohammad Rafi for Bharat Bhushan who acted in the title role. When a group of dacoits attack the village in which he and Gauri (Meena Kumari who got the Filmfare award for Best Actress for the movie, one of the four that she got) live, Baiju sings this song to them to appeal to them to spare the village and become human. In the end, they take him away and spare the village.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Insaan bano….

nirdhan kaa ghar lUTane vaalo.n
luuT lo dil kaa pyaar
pyaar vo dhan hai jisake aage
sab dhan hai bekaar

insaan bano, insaan bano karalo bhalaaI kaa koI kaam
insaan bano
duniyaa se chale jaaegaa rah jaaegaa badanaam insaan bano

o …
is baag me.n sUraj bhii nikalataa hai liye Gam
phUlo.n kii ha.Nsii dekh ke ro detii hai shabanam
kuchh der kii khushiyaa.N hai.n to kuchh der kaa maatam
kis nii.nd me.n ho …
kis nii.nd me.n ho jaago zaraa dekh lo anjaam, insaan bano

o …
laakho.n yahaa.N shaan apanii dikhaate hue aaye
dam bhar ko rahe naach gaye dhUp me.n saaye
vo bhUl gaye the ke ye duniyaa hai saraay
aataa hai koI …
aataa hai koI subah ko jaatA hai koI shaam, insaan bano

o …
kyo.n tumane bichhaaye hai.n yahaa.N zulm ke Dere
dhan saath na jaayegaa bane kyo.n ho luTere
piite ho gariibo.n kaa lahuu shaam savere
khud paap karo …
khud paap karo naam ho shaitaan kA badanaam, insaan bano

Song #3 Sun rasiya, sun rasiya, kaahe ko jalaaye jiya aaja….

The 1954 movie Nagin had some of the best music by Hemant Kumar. The movie starred Pradeep Kumar and Vyjayanthimala as children of two rival snake venom catchers groups with such intense enmity between them that a match between them was an impossibility. However, in the end, as always, Love wins.

The movie had the magical been sound by Kalyanji who was at that time assistant to Hemant as music director. Lyrics of this song that I have selected, the characteristic pensive mood of Raag Todi, were by Rajinder Krishan and Lata Mangeshkar sang it for Vyjayanthimala.

Kalyanji Veerji Shah was assistant to Hemant Kumar in Nagin and created the famous been tune of the movie
Kalyanji Veerji Shah was assistant to Hemant Kumar in Nagin and created the famous been tune of the movie

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Sun rasiya, sun rasiya, kaahe ko jalaaye jiya aaja….

sun rasiyaa -2
kaahe ko jalaa_e jiyaa aajaa

( likh likh haarii balam tohe patiyaa.N
tum bin kaise bitaa_uu.N kaarii ratiyaa.N ) -2
sun rasiyaa kaahe ko jalaa_e …

( kab hogaa puuraa sajan meraa sapanaa
piyaa tum aa ke kahoge mujhe apanaa ) -2
sun rasiyaa kaahe ko jalaa_e …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lHUJjG0jg4

Song #4 Watan pe jo fida hoga….

The 1963 movie Phool Bane Angaare starred Mala Sinha as Usha. Based in Santa Cruz, Bombay, Usha undertakes to look after her family consisting of her widowed mother and younger brother, Ashish (Ashish Kumar), and even decides to not marry her army officer sweetheart, Captain Rajesh (Raj Kumar), so that she can look after them. Rajesh is called to the front in Korea, her mom passes away, and she brings up Ashish on her own. Years later, Rajesh has still not returned, Ashish gets married to Kamla (Nasreen), much to Usha’s chagrin. Shortly after the marriage, Kamla humiliates Usha and she decides to leave. The question remains where will a lone woman re-locate, and what prevented Ashish from coming to her assistance.

The movie has a beautiful Mukesh number: Chand aahen bharega phool dil thaam lenge.

The other is this patriotic song composed in this raag. Anand Bakshi penned the lyrics and Kalyanji Anandji composed the song.

Pic shows Anand Bakshi with Kalyanji, Anandji, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor (Pic courtesy: memsaabstory.com)
Pic shows Anand Bakshi with Kalyanji, Anandji, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor (Pic courtesy: memsaabstory.com)

I was very fond of the song when I was a boy. During those days, all of us were proud of being patriotic and to sing such songs wasn’t considered passe’.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Watan pe jo fida hoga….

himalya ki bulandi se suno aawaj hai aayi
kaha maao se de bete kaho behno se de bhai
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
rahegi jab talak ye duniya ye asfana bayaa hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga

himalya kah raha hai is vatan ke naujawano se
khada hu santh veer ban ke mai sarhad pe jamano se
bhala is vaqt dekhu kon mera pasbaan hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
chaman walo ki gairat ko hai saiyado ne lalkara
utho har phul se kah do ke ban jaye vo angara
nahi to dosto rusva humara gulistan hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga

humare ek padosi ne humare ghar ko luta hai
humare ek padosi ne humare ghar ko luta hai
bharam ek dost ki dosti ka aise tuta hai
ki ab har dost pe duniya ko dusman ka guman hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
sipahi dete hai aawaj matao ko behano ko
hame hathiyar la do bech do apne gehno ko
ki is kurabn bekuraban vatan ka har naujawan hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
rahegi jab talak ye duniya ye asfana bayaa hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
himalya ki bulandi se suno aawaj hai aayi
kaha maao se de bete kaho behno se de bhai
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga
rahegi jab talak ye duniya ye asfana bayaa hoga
vatan pe jo fida hoga amar vo naujawan hoga

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=JUuPlUaKk6w

Song #5 Main to ek khwaab hoon….

Now that I have given you a song in Raag Todi composed by Kalyanji Anandji, let me tell you that this duo of brothers learnt music because someone owed money to their father and paid in kind by teaching the sons music. They made some very popular numbers, for example, in Jab Jab Phool Khile: Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milana, Ye sama, sama hai pyaar ka, Ek tha gul aur ek thi bulbul and Yahan main ajnabee hoon.

Their 1965 movie Himalaya Ki God Mein had equally super-hit numbers such as Chand si mehbooba ho meri, Ek tu jo mila, ek tu na mila, O tuu raat khadi thi chhat pe, Kankariya maar ke jagaaya, and the number that I am presenting now: Main to ek khwaab hoon.

Himalaya Ki God Mein

Main to ek khwaab hoon is the finest creation ever of Lyricist Qamar Jalalabadi, Music Director Kalyanji Anandji, and singer Mukesh. It has been shot in Kulu-Manali.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Main to ek khwaab hoon….

mai.n to ek khvaab huu.N, is khvaab se tuu pyaar na kar
pyaar ho jaae to, phir pyaar kaa izahaar na kar
mai.n to ek khvaab huu.N …

ye havaae.n sabhii chupachaap chalii jaae.ngii
lauT kar phir kabhii gulashan me.n nahii.n aae.ngii
apane haatho.n me.n havaao.n ko gariftaar na kar – 2
mai.n to ek khvaab huu.N …

shaakh se TuuT ke gunche bhii kabhii khilate hai.n
raat aur din bhii zamaane me.n kahii.n milate hai.n
bhuul jaa jaane de taqadiir se taqaraar na kar – 2
mai.n to ek khvaab huu.N …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_jJgXflpUg

Song #6 Jaago re prabhat aaya….

Anybody who has been following Lyrical for some time would know that one genre’ of music that I am really fond of is Bhajans. Amongst these, the 1964 movie Sant Gyaneshwar‘s bhajan: Jyot se jyot jagate chalo is a favourite one.

Sant Gyaneshwar is a 1964 film directed by Manibhai Vyas, starring Sudhir Kumar, Surekha, Babloo and Shahu Modak. The film is on the life of Sant Gyaneshwar. Dnyaneshwar or Dnyandev (IAST: Jñāneśvar) (1275–1296) was a 13th-century Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath tradition whose Dnyaneshvari (a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita) and Amrutanubhav are considered to be milestones in Marathi literature.

Now, when it comes to singers of Raaga based songs, there was none to beat Manna Dey.

This song that I have selected for you has been penned by Bharat Vyas, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and sung by Manna Dey.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Jago re prabhat aaya….

har nayi kiran ke sath mangal sandesh laya
jago se jago parbhat aaya parbhat aaya

har nayi kiran ke sath mangal sandesh laya
jago se jago parbhat aaya parbhat aaya

angna me khele karishan kanahiya
angna khele khele
angna me khele karishan kanahiya
hai dhanya wo dhara jaha swam gyan aaya
jaha gyan jagmagaya
jago re jago re jago re parbhat aaya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEVz3Aq1F8w

Song #7 Kuchh log mohabbat karke ho jaate hain barbaad…

Third day of Raag Todi.

Love or mohabbat brings different things for different people. There are some who get all the joys of life through love. Then there are others who wish they had never loved.

This song from the 1985 movie Laava is about the latter.

Anand Bakshi penned the lyrics and RD Burman composed it. It was sung by Kishore Kumar.

Anand Bakshi with Rahul Dev Burman (Pic courtesy: www.hindilyrics.com)
Anand Bakshi with Rahul Dev Burman (Pic courtesy: www.hindilyrics.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Kuchh log mohabbat karake, ho jaate hain barbaad….

kuchh log mohabbat karake ho jaate hai.n barabaad
kuchh log mohabbat karake kar dete hai.n barabaad
kis naam se yaad kare.nge ham tujhako aaj ke baad

is khudagarzii ko dekar ik majabuurii kaa naam
ulfat ke naam ko tuune kar Daalaa hai badanaam
uupar se bhole pa.nchhii tum andar se saiyyaad
kuchh log mohabbat …

ik roz kahaa thaa tumane hamako apanaa mahabuub
mahabuub badalane kaa ye a.ndaaz bahut hai Kuub
is baat pe ham Kush ho kar dete hai.n mubaarakabaad
kuchh log mohabbat …

chup rahe zubaan-e-kha.nzar chhupataa nahii.n ye ilzaam
letaa hai lahuu kaa qataraa-qataraa qaatil kaa naam
kyaa chain se jiine degii tumako merii fariyaad
kuchh log mohabbat …

Song #8 Duniya na bhaaye mohe….

So what if the name of the movie is Basant Bahaar, a 1956 movie, two of whose songs we had in the last raaga: Raag Bahaar based songs?

The fact is that even in Basant Bahar, there is place for the pensive mood of Raag Todi.

In this song, for a change, the Tal is Punjabi Theka or Sitarkhani. Punjabi theka is a common tal of 16 beats. Some suggest that it is not really a separate tal, but is merely a prakar (form) of tintal. There are different views as to its name. Some call it Punjabi Theka and others call it Sitarkhani.

Vocalists usually refer to this as Punjabi Theka; presumably, at some time in the past, this was a variation of tintal that was popularised by musicians from the Punjab.

Instrumentalists tend to call this Tal Sitarkhani. Presumably, this is a corruption from the phrase “Siddhar-Khan-e-theka” which literally translates to “Siddhar Khan’s Groove”. Siddhar Khan was a great musician who is sometimes credited with the invention of the tabla. In spite of the name, there seems to be no evidence that Siddhar Khan ever played this theka.

Sitarkhani has a very distinctive movement. It is just tintal where the two Dhins in the middle of each measure (vibhag) have been replaced by a single Dhin that rests on the off-beat. It is this distinctive syncopation that gives this tal its pleasant effect.

Shailendra was the lyricist and Shankar Jaikishen the composers. Mohammad Rafi sang it.

Pic showing Rafi with Shailendra, Shankar Jaikishen and Asha Bhonsle
Pic showing Rafi with Shailendra, Shankar Jaikishen and Asha Bhonsle

Please enjoy in Raag Todi with Punjabi theka taal: Duniya na bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le….

aa .a .a

duniyaa naa bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n tere,
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n

mere giit mere sa.ng sahaare
ko_ii na meraa sa.nsaar me.n
dil ke ye Tuka.De kaise bech duu.N
duniyaa ke baazaar me.n
man ke ye motii rakhiyo tuu sambhaale
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n tere,
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n

saat suro.n ke saato.n saagar
man kii uma.ngo.n se jaage
tuu hii bataa mai.n kaise gaa_uu.N
baharii duniyaa ke aage
terii ye biinaa ab tere havaale
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n tere,
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n

mai.nne tujhe ko_ii sukh naa diyaa
tuune dayaa luTaa_ii dono.n haatho.n se
tere pyaar kii yaad jo aaye
dard chhalak jaa_e aa.Nkho.n se
jiinaa nahii.n aayaa mohe ab to chhupaa le
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n tere,
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n

duniyaa naa bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n tere,
charano.n me.n, charano.n me.n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDM_xBO_wrg

Song #9 Jis din se piya dil le gaye dukh de gaye….

Continuing with the pensive mood of Raag Todi (as I told you on the first day, there are Raag Todi songs in festive mood too), this one is not from Hindi movie but from a Pakistani movie. Noorjehan of Awaaz de kahan hai (in the Hindi movie) sang it. Qateel Shifai who penned my favourite Mehdi Hasan ghazal: Zindagi mein to sabhi pyaar kiya karte hain, wrote this one too. Music was composed by Khurshid Anwar.

Noorjehan (Pic courtesy: pics.urduwire.com)
Noorjehan (Pic courtesy: pics.urduwire.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Todi, in Tal Kaherava: Jis din se piya dil le gaye dukh de gaye….

jis din se piyaa dil le gaye dukh de gaye
us din se Gha.Dii pal haaye chain nahii.n aaye
GhaTatii nahii.n dil kii duuriyaa.N, majabuuriyaa.N
mera tum bin jii ghabaraaye chain nahii.n aaye

jab chahake.n pa.nchhii shaam ke
rah jaauu.N mai.n dil ko thaam ke
karuu.N bain tumhaare naam ke
aa.Nsuu ab kis kaam ke
luuTaa hai tumhaare pyaar ne, iqaraar ne
baiThii huu.N mai.n aas lagaaye, chain nahii.n aaye
jis din se piyaa dil le gaye dukh de gaye

aaraam nahii.n mere bhaag me.n
main to kho ga_ii Gam ke raag me.n
dil jalate jalate jalagayaa pyaar kii Tha.NDii aag me.n
jab yaad tumhaarii aa ga_ii ta.Dapaa ga_ii
mere dukhiyaa nain bhar aaye chain nahii.n aaye

jis din se piyaa dil le gaye dukh de gaye
us din se Gha.Dii pal haaye chain nahii.n aaye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ZAA43qFrI

Song #10 Ek tha bachpan ek tha bachpan….

Fourth day of Raag Todi based songs in the Hindi movies, a raag of late mornings, with an underlying pensive mood though there are songs in Raag Todi that are in festive mood too.

The raag inspired a thaat by the same name, one of the ten fundamental thaats in Raaga based songs.

Vasant Desai as a music director and composer had been giving us beautifully composed songs for V Shantaram movies (Do Aankhen Barha Haath wherein his song Ai maalik tere bande ham became an iconic bhajan; and Jhanak Jahnak Payal Baaje). Bharat Vyas penned those lyrics for him. He also gave us songs for Sant Gyaneshwar (with my favourite: Jyot se jyot jalaate chalo), Sampooran Ramayan and Goonj Uthi Shehnai. He also composed for Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies Guddi (Bole re papihara and Hamako mann ki shakti dena) and Aashirwaad.

Music Director Vasant Desai
Music Director Vasant Desai

It is from Ashirwaad that I have taken this song. It has been penned by Gulzar and sung by Lata Mangeshkar and chorus. The pensive mood is the underlying mood.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Ik tha bachpan, ik tha bachpan….

ik thaa bachapan, ik thaa bachapan
chhoTaa saa nanhaa saa bachapan, ik thaa bachpan
bachapan ke ik baabuujii the, achchhe sachche baabuujii the
dono.n kaa su.ndar thaa ba.ndhan, ik thaa bachapan

Tehanii par cha.Dhake jab phuul bulaate the
haath usake vo Tehanii tak naa jaate the
bachapan ke nanhe do haath uThaakar vo phuulo.n se haath milaate the
ik thaa bachapan, ik thaa bachapan

chalate chalate, chalate chalate jaane kab in raaho.n me.n
baabuujii bas gaye bachapan ki baaho.n me.n
muTThi me.n ban.d hai.n vo suukhe phuul bhii
khushabuu hai jiine kii chaaho.n me.n
ik thaa bachapan, ik thaa bachapan

ho.NTho.n par unakii awaaz bhii hai, mere ho.NTho.n par unakii awaaz bhii
hai
saa.Nso.n me.n sau.Npaa vishwaas bhii hai
jaane kis mod pe kab mil jaaye.nge wo, puuchhe.nge bachapan kaa ehasaas bhii
hai
ik thaa bachapan, ik thaa bachapan…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kt60ZFdxOM

Song #11 Tere bachpan ko jawani ki dua deti hoon….

The word Bachpan in the last song leads me to another song on Bachpan. Though not altogether pensive, it is filled with the anxiety of a mother (Waheeda Rehman) for her child through a dacoit (Sunil Dutt). Since the police was after him, she gives vent to her doubts in the song whether the police and the world would let her child grow up as a normal child.

Predictably, the name of this 1963 movie was Mujhe Jeene Do. Sahir Ludhianvi did full justice to the lyrics of this song and others in the movie including: Nadi naare naa jayo Shyam paiyyan padhun; and Raat bhi hai kuchh bheegi bheegi.

Jaidev, who paired with Sahir Ludhianvi in Dev Anand double role starrer Hum Dono (as a Captain and Major in the Army) and gave us delightful songs such as Abhi na jaayo chhod kar, Main zindagi ka saath nibhaata chal gaya, and Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaye, gave us this beautiful number, the last song in the movie.

The song was sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Music Director Jaidev with Lata Mangeshkar
Music Director Jaidev with Lata Mangeshkar

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Tere bachpan ko jawani ki duaa deti hoon….

tere bachapan ko javaanii kii duaa detii huu.N
aur duaa deke pareshaan sii ho jaatii huu.N

mere munne mere gulazaar ke nanhe paudhe
tujhako haalat kii aa.ndhii se bachaane ke liye
aaj mai.n pyaar ke aa.nchal me.n chhupaa letii huu.N
kal ye kamazor sahaaraa bhii na haasil hogaa
kal tujhe kaa.nTo.n bharii raaho.n pe chalanaa hogaa
zi.ndagaanii kii ka.Dii dhuup me.n jalanaa hogaa
tere bachapan ko javaanii …

tere maathe pe sharaafat kii koI mohar nahii.n
cha.nd hote hai.n muhabbat ke sukuun hii kyaa hai.n
jaise maao.n kii muhabbat kaa koI mol nahii.n
mere maasuum farishte tuu abhii kyaa jaane
tujhako kis-kisakii gunaaho.n kii sazaa milanii hai
diin aur dharm ke maare hue i.nsaano.n kii
jo nazar milanii hai tujhako vo khafaa milanii hai
tere bachapan ko javaanii …

be.Diyaa.N leke lapakataa huaa kaanuun kaa haath
tere maa.N-baap se jab tujhako milii ye saugaat
kaun laaegaa tere vaaste khushiyo.n kii baaraat
mere bachche tere a.njaam se jii Darataa hai
terii dushman hii na saabit ho javaanii terii
khaak jaatii hai jise sochake mamataa merii
usii a.njaam ko pahu.nche na kahaanii terii
tere bachapan ko javaanii …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2D-Z7XM7aU

Song #12 Raat suhaani jaag rahi hai dheere dheere chupake chupake…

Enough of pensive songs in Raag Todi. Lets have a song in a light mood. I can’t think of anyone better than this song from the 1969 movie Jigri Dost starring Jeetendra and Mumtaz.

Hats off to Laxmikant Pyarelal for this festive mood song set in this raag. The lyricist of his choice Anand Bakshi penned the lyrics and the song is a duet between Mohammad Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur.

Suman Kalyanpur is a Bangladesh descendant singer who made good name for herself in Hindi movies. She has sung nearly a thousand songs and her singing style is sometimes mistaken for Lata Mangeshkar. Although a great singer, she has been rather unfortunate in that she never received any Filmfare or National awards.

The recording of the song Raat suhaani jaag rahi hai (In the pic: Suman Kalyanpur with Mohammad Rafi and Laxmikant Pyarelal) (Pic courtesy: i.ytimg.com)
The recording of the song Raat suhaani jaag rahi hai (In the pic: Suman Kalyanpur with Mohammad Rafi and Laxmikant Pyarelal) (Pic courtesy: i.ytimg.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Raat suhaani jaag rahi hai dheere dheere chupake chupake….

raat suhaanii jaag rahii hai
dhiire-dhiire chupake-chupake chorii-chorii ho
prem kahaanii jaag rahii hai
dhiire-dhiire …

chal rahe hai.n jaaduu tham gayaa zamaanaa
dil churaa rahaa hai ye samaa.N suhaanaa
paalakii chaman me.n phuulo.n kii utaar ke
ye bahaar gaa rahii hai giit pyaar ke o
aur javaanii jaag rahii hai
dhiire-dhiire …

chaa.Nd kar rahaa hai pyaar ke ishaare
ye hamaare nayanaa ban ga_e hai.n taare
nii.nd ne na aane kii uThaa_ii hai qasam o
nii.nd kaise aa_e man ke dvaar pe sanam o
priit diivaanii jaag rahii hai
dhiire-dhiire …

ek pahelii tum mujhase puuchho
aa ga_e kahaa.N ham ye kisii se puuchho
ye zamiin lag rahii hai aasamaan sii
dil kii dha.Dakano.n me.n pa.D ga_ii hai taan sii o
zindagaanii jaag rahii hai
dhiire-dhiire …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfOBa1u4Gus

Song #13 Ghar aaya mera pardesi…

Fifth day of Raag Todi based songs.

I have taken this song from the dream sequence (the first one picturised in Hindi movies (later bastardized as “Bollywood” movies).

Many feel that the song is actually in Raag Bhairavi (Jaikishen’s favourite raaga) but there are abundant traces of Raag Todi in it. Indeed, as I mentioned to you in very early stages of putting up Raag based songs, there are not many Hindi films songs that are purely in one raaga.

Awara is the 1951 RaJ Kapoor movie that has been contending for the most successful Hindi film of all times. Its popularity transcended national boundaries and reached Russia, China, Turkey, Gulf and many other countries. In Turkey, so popular was the movie and the title song that it was remade into a Turkish movie “Avares’.

awaara-1951H

A few years back, Time magazine included the movie in their revised list of 100 Top Movies of All Times.

The chemistry between Raj Kapoor and Nargis (they acted together in 19 movies!) was to be seen to be believed. In the movie, he acted as Awara (Tramp, a character he perfected by copying Charlie Chaplin) and she as a millionaire’s daughter.

Most Raj Kapoor movies’ songs have been penned by either Shailendra or Hasrat Jaipuri and composed by Shankar Jaikishen. This one was penned by Shailendra. Lata sang it.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Ghar aaya mera pardesi…

om namah shivay, om namah shivay, om
ghar aaya mera pardesi, pyas bujhi meri ankhiya kee
too mere mann kaa moti hai, in nainan kee jyoti hai
yad hai mere bachpan kee, ghar aaya mera pardesi
abb dil todke mat jana, rote chhod ke mat jana
kasam tujhe mere ansuan kee, ghar aaya mera pardesi

Song #14 Diya na bujhe ri aaj hamaara….

Once upon a time, a Muslim from Gujarat, almost won the Best Foreign Film award in Academy Awards (Oscars) for his 1957 film Mother India, arguably the most well known of Indian movies amongst foreign audiences (and not just Indians settled abroad).

Mehboob Khan was born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan in Bilimora in Gandevi Taluka of Baroda State (now Gujarat) on 9 September 1907. He was a pioneer director-producer of Hindi movies and has the famous Mehboob Studio (still functional) in Bandra, Mumbai, to his credit.

He started with 1935 movie Al Hilal (Judgment of Allah) and went on to make highly successful, some iconic and memorable movies such as Deccan Queen (1936), Alibaba and Aurat (in 1940), Andaz (1949), Aan (1951), Amar (1954), Mother India (1957) and Son of India (1962).

The team of lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and music director Naushad Ali was his favourite and he took the pair for several movies including Mother India and Son of India. They never failed him.

Mehboob Khan

Son of India had minor actors such as Kamaljit, Simi Grewal, Kumkum amd Jayant in the lead roles.

This song is as pensive as songs characteristically in Raag Todi can get. It has been sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Diya na bhuje ri aaj hamaara…

la : diyaa naa bujhe rii aaj hamaaraa
ko : diyaa naa bujhe rii aaj hamaaraa
la : chale rii pawan
sananan sanan
thar-thar kaa.Npe jiyaraa
aa
ko : diyaa naa bujhe rii aaj hamaaraa

la : aasathaa jag-mag ruup nikhaare
aa
ko : aasathaa jag-mag ruup nikhaare
la : priit me.n khoye nain hamaare
Dhuu.NDhe.n pii kaa dhaaraa
ko: diyaa naa bujhe

la : ek to badaraa ghan ghan garaje
aa
ko : ek to badaraa ghan ghan garaje
la : duuje bijariyaa cham-cham chamake
jal-thal hai jag saaraa
aa
ko : diyaa naa bujhe rii aaj hamaaraa
chale rii pawan
sananan sanan
thar-thar kaa.Npe jiyaraa
aa
diyaa naa bujhe rii
aa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCyMzWafZp0

Song #15 Mose rooth gayo banwari….

This is a rare song from the 1964 movie Vidyapati (you remember the famous song from the movie More naina sawan bhadon?)

This too was penned Prahlad Sharma and composed by V Balsara. This was sung by Mohammad Rafi and once again, as pensive as it can get.

Music Director V Balsara (Pic courtesy: imusti.com)
Music Director V Balsara (Pic courtesy: imusti.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Mose rooth gayo Banwari….

Door gagan ke chanda
Kahiyo saajan se sandes
Ghar ghar alakh jagaawe
Radha kar joganiya bhes
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari
Jari gayo madhuban
Sukhi jamuna gali gali dukhiyari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari

Chhod gayo re man ka mitwa
Jiya na ab to maane
Jiya na ab to maane
Kaun tarat re na koi samjhe
Tum jaano hum jaanen
Tum jaano hum jaanen
Piye bin kaamni jee na sakegi
Piye bin kaamni jee na sakegi
Laage ghaavat bhaari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari

Ye poonam ki raat chaandni
Aag jiya mein laagi
Aag jiya mein laagi
Chanda se yun door chakori
Virhaa vedna jaagi
Virhaa vedna jaagi
Rowat sagri ran bitaai
Rowat sagri ran bitaai
Aayo na girdhaari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari

Madhur milan ki aas lagaaye
Phulwan sej bichhai
Phulwan sej bichhai
Path herat akhiyaan pathraai
Nindiya kab hu na aayi
Nindiya kab hu na aayi
Aao kaanha der karo na
Aao kaanha der karo na
Tum jeete main haari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari
Mo se rooth gayo banwaari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0RgkL0M3o

Song #16 Jhoote naina bole saanchi batiyan…

Last day of Raag Todi based songs tonight.

The very first song is from the 1990 movie Lekin that was based on a short story Kshudhit Pashaan by Rabindranath Tagore. The versatile lyricist, story and dialogue writer, screenplay writer director Gulzar directed the movie that starred Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Amjad Khan, Alok Nath, and Beena Banerjee, and featured a special appearance by Hema Malini.

The film was Lata Mangeshkar’s production. Her rendition of the song ‘Yara Seeli Seeli’ won the 1991 National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. The song also won film’s lyricist, Gulzar, both the 1991 National Film Award for Best Lyrics and the 1992 Filmfare Best Lyricist Award. The film’s music director, Lata’s brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar, won the 1991 National Film Award for Best Music Direction.

Lata Mangeshkar’s sister Asha Bhosle and Satyasheel Deshpande sang the song.

Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle & Lata Mangeshkar at Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards ceremony (Pic courtesy: india-forums.com)
Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle & Lata Mangeshkar at Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards ceremony (Pic courtesy: india-forums.com)

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Joothe naina bole saanchi batiyaan….

s: nike ghuu.Nghariyaa Thumakat chaal chalat

aa: juuThe nainaa bole saa.nchii batiyaa.n (2)
nita chamakaave chaa.Nd kaalI ratiyaa.n
juuThe nainaa bole saa.nchii batiyaa.n (2)

jaanuu jaanuu jhuuThe maahii kii jaat (3)
kin sautan sa.nga tum kaaTii raat
ab lipaTii lipaTii
ab lipaTii lipaTii banaao na batiyaa.n
jhuuThe nainaa bole saa.nchii batiyaa.n (2)

bolo bolo kaisii bhaayii saa.nvarii (3)
jis ko de de nii morii mundarii
ab bhiinii bhiinii
ab bhiinii bhiinii banaao naa batiyaa.n
juuThe nainaa bole saa.nchii batiyaa.n (2)
nita chamakaave chaa.Nd kaalii ratiyaa.n
juuThe nainaa bole saa.nchI batiyaa.n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTd9JxGjskA

Song #17 Raina beeti jaaye, Shyam na aaye…

This song from 1971 Shakti Samanta movie Amar Prem is disputed to be from Raag Lalit. Yes, it leans heavily towards that but it is still primarily from Raag Todi in Tal Kaherava.

The movie’s story is based on a Bengali short story Hinger Kochuri by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay about a school boy, who is ill-treated by his step mother, and becomes friends with their neighbour, a prostitute. The story was made into a Bengali film Nishi Padma in 1970 directed by Arabinda Mukherjee, who wrote screenplay for Amar Prem too; it starred Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterjee as leads.

The film portrays the decline of human values and relationships and contrasts it by presenting an illustrious example of a boy’s innocent love for a neighbourhood courtesan.

Sharmila Tagore plays a prostitute with a heart of gold, with Rajesh Khanna in the role of a lonely businessman who visits her often.

Amar Prem

The film’s songs were composed by RD Burman on lyrics by Anand Bakshi. These are amongst the best and most meaningful songs in Hindi movies, eg,

1 “Doli Mein Bithai Ke” sung by SD Burman
2 “Raina Beeti Jaye” Lata Mangeshkar, Rajesh Khanna
3 “Chingari Koi Bhadke” Kishore Kumar
4 “Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge” Kishore Kumar
5 “Yeh Kya Hua” Kishore Kumar
6 “Bada Natkhat Hai Yeh” Lata Mangeshkar

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Raina beeti jaaye….

rainaa biitii jaaye, shyaam naa aaye (2)
ni.ndiyaa naa aaye, ni.ndiyaa naa aaye
rainaa biitii jaaye …

shaam ko bhuulaa, shyaam kaa vaadaa (2)
sa.ng diye ke, baiThii(?) raadhaa
ni.ndiyaa naa aaye, ni.ndiyaa naa aaye
rainaa biitii jaaye …

kis sautan ne rokii Dagariyaa (2)
kis bairan se laagii nazariyaa
ni.ndiyaa naa aaye, ni.ndiyaa naa aaye
rainaa biitii jaaye …

birahaa kii maarii, prem diivaanii (2)
tan man pyaasaa a.nkhiyo.n me.n paanii
ni.ndiyaa naa aaye, ni.ndiyaa naa aaye
rainaa biitii jaaye …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d66H2sEqK4

Song #18 Yeh dhaaga hai pyaar ka….

I end Raag Todi based songs in Hindi movies with this song from 1960 movie Phool Aur Kaliyan which was produced by V Shantaram and directed by Ram Gabale. The film won a Gol Medal in the National Film Awards for being the Best Children’s film. It starred Ramesh Talwar as a child artiste (we saw him as a child artiste in 1958 movie Love In Shimla and 1959 movie Dhool Ka Phool. Ramesh Talwar later rose to become an Indian film, theatre, television and film director, co-producer and actor.

V Shantaram

The song that I have selected for you has been penned by Bharat Vyas (as most songs in V Shantaram movies) and composed by Shivram Krishna. V Shantaram was fond of Mahendra Kapoor singing in his movies (such as Aadha hai chandrama in his Navrang). Here too Mahendra Kapoor has sung it.

Please enjoy in Raag Todi: Ye dhaaga hai pyaar ka….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2MID6GoII

With that I conclude the Best of Songs in Hindi Movies based on Raag Todi. I shall be curious to know your reactions in the comments below.

Please await my next Raaga based songs post.

Jai Hind

BEST OF ‘MAKE YOUR OWN QUOTES’ – LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Upon starting my blog in 2010, I did a comprehensive piece on Leadership (my three favourite words all start with L: Lyn (my wife), Love and Leadership): ‘Leadership In The Navy – Past, Present And Future’ and then later, having joined India’s largest corporate, I did another piece: ‘Ten Things To Avoid As A Leader’, which reflected my observations of the environment around me.

My fascination with Leadership continues. Many of you are already aware of my Facebook page (one of the sixteen groups and pages that I administer) called ‘Make Your Own Quotes’. I started it three years back in Feb 13 and on Facebook I see many people around the world sharing these quotes. I have maintained that even though great men and women inspire us, we can be our own teacher and be guided by our own quotes. The analogy of Law comes to mind. Despite all the complexities introduced by the lawyers and the judges and the other court officials to have exclusive right (and hence add to their income) over the wranglings in the courts, the fact is that all Law is Commonsense (Please read: ‘The Great Indian Judicial Circus’ and ‘Why Do Indian Lawyers Behave Like Gods?’) It is the same with lessons of life. As I have given in the description of the page: ‘There is nothing simpler than giving sane advice; you don’t have to follow great teachers. Make your own quotes and let others follow you!’

Leadership too is as easy as that. If you love what you are doing, you would be a great Leader and great Subordinate too; the fact is that good subordinates make good leaders too.

It has been over a year since I started with the Leadership Lessons series. Let me take you on the  tour of the simple, common-sense quotes that I have made on the subject.

The first one is about the natural linkage of Leadership with Love. A mother, for example, loves her child. She would shower all her love on the child and yet correct his/her mistakes and make sure that he/she is able to stand on his/her feet on its own.

Lord Nelson, as an example, was like that. When he died there were tears in the eyes of his sailors. Indian Navy’s own former Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral RL Pereira was like that too. After his demise, many who hadn’t even served under his command came to pay homage.

Your intention is read by people you command better when you love. There ia no confusion in their minds. They know that you mean well even when you are harsh with them sometimes. Here is, therefore, my first lesson in leadership. As a corollary permit me to bring out that a put-up act of love so as to enhance your leadership value can be disastrous.

Leadership #1

The next quote is based on the same advice that came my way: Good Leaders have Good Men. When I listened to this advice for the first time, I started thinking that there appears to be something amiss and it cannot be a complete advice by itself. For example, what happens if a leader is stuck with bad men that he has to lead? And then gradually it dawned on me that good leaders always bring out the best in people and they emerge as good men even if they started being bad men.

Hence, if you ever come across a leader who constantly cribs about the caliber of people he is asked to lead, you can be certain that he isn’t quite the leader he pretends to be

Leadership #2

In the corporate in which I worked (the largest corporate in India), I have come across the so-called leaders who would be fussy about such petty matters as Font Size and Font Colours of presentations. Indeed, I used to notice that discussions on other matters used to be stymied in comparison to such petty matters; the forte’ of some of the super-leaders. The desire to be somehow in control of everything through detailed instructions about such insignificant matters was the stuff they loved.

Leadership #3

I noticed, to my dismay, that the style of Leadership with some of the people that I associated with was Leadership-for-Effect. It was as if there was a dire need to establish such relationship as would obtain the maximum influence. However, I was amazed how quickly people saw through all this. Indeed, my own assessment is that an average leader with good intent is much better than an outstanding leader with bad intent. In the latter variety was our former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with excellent communication skills and outstanding efficiency. She, however, did enormous damage to the long-established institutions in the country by declaring Emergency when her own election was set aside by the Allahabad High Court.

Leadership #4

Yes indeed great leaders are blessed with great communication skills. However, I came across some with great communication skills and almost zero listening skills. These persons would give you a chance to speak about one or two percent of the time in a meeting. These people would then hog all the time in giving solutions to problems that they had perceived without listening to anyone fully. Every new situations were quickly compared by them with one of the previous ones in their previous appointments and solution provided. Most people didn’t quarrel with the solution lest they should embark on another of his self-congratulatory harangues.

Leadership #5

Now, here one has to be very judicious. One has to stay focused on the  objective with single-minded resolve. However, one doesn’t have to be rigid and continue with the selected plan even if one knows that it is leading to disaster. In case of contingencies, even if one’s plan is an excellent one, one has to have an alternate plan ready. Many people get emotionally involved with their plans and think that ditching the plan would be akin to a lover ditching his beloved.

When I was in school, in our Hindi class, we used to have an anecdote about a mathematician who, in his journey with his family, came across a river. He fathomed the depth next to the bank and then the slope; he did some quick calculations and asked his family to cross the river. Within no time, in front of his eyes, the complete family perished. Undeterred, he again fathomed the depth and the slope and did his calculations again and said: “Abhi to jyun kaa tyun, kunba dooba kyun?” (My calculations still hold true; why did the family perish?”

Leadership #6

A good leader is always a good subordinate. He isn’t a megalomaniac who considers himself above the rest of his team. He is one of them. Hence, he never gives advice that he won’t follow himself.

When I was small, my dad told me this tale and I find it very relevant to the point that I am making:

In the hills of Kangra (in Himachal Pradesh) there once was a wise saint. He appeared to have miraculous powers. The ill and needy walked for several miles to seek his advice. Once, there was a middle-aged lady who walked all of eight miles in the hills and brought her seven years old boy with her. She stood in the queue whole day to see the saint. Finally, when her turn came, she told the saint that her son’s teeth were getting bad as he had a sweet-tooth and voraciously ate all kinds of sweets. She had told him several times to break the habit but it was of no avail. The saint told her to come the next week.

The next week she again went through the ordeal and when she narrated her son’s problem, the saint asked her to come the next week. This continued for four weeks and the woman was getting more and more annoyed with the saint for having made a simple problem complex. Finally, at the fifth visit, the saint kept a hand at the back of the lad and told him, “Son, tomorrow onward please give up eating sweets.”

The woman was quite cheesed off. She went home incensed. However, the next day onward she found that her son had given up eating sweets. She was elated but knew that she must get back to the saint and give him her piece of mind.

This time, she broke the queue, charged in with rage and let the saint have it: “Five times I walked eight miles each to seek your advice. At the end of it all that you did was to tell him not to eat sweets. If it was as simple an advice as that, why couldn’t you tell the first time?”

This is what the saint said calmly, “When you came the first time, and narrated your son’s problem, I realised I had the same problem. I thought, before giving him advice, I would be able to break the habit within a week and hence I called you. I then realised that though I had cut down a little on sweets, I still couldn’t give up. This continued and once I had finally abandoned sweets, I knew I could then give advice to your son with moral authority”.

Have a look at the following and recall all your seniors who gave you sane advice but never seemed to follow it themselves and see if that advice ever helped you:

Leadership #7

I have come across many a leader who was quick to take the credit if things went right or met with success. However, he was quick to make a volt-face the moment things appeared to go askew.

It isn’t true that god leaders don’t make mistakes. However, they don’t make the same mistake twice and also shoulder responsibility for it.

Leadership #8

Leaders are not super human beings. They are human beings. However, they never show they are overwhelmed by situations. One of the signs of being overwhelmed by a situation is to lose temper. The fact is that there is no situation so bad in which you can’t lose your temper and make it worse. A good leader does his home-work before handling a situation. He thinks of the situations and contingencies that may arise during the execution of his plan and is prepared when and if the situation develops. This becomes a second nature with him. As a result, even when a situation develops suddenly, he knows what to do.

Leadership #9

I have come across many people who, in order to impress their subordinates about the complexity of the problem, keep driving into them how such problems required extremely intricate solutions. A good leader, on the other hand, puts himself in the shoes of his subordinates and gives them not the product of his confusion but of the clarity of his mind. A good leader never complicates things but explains to his people in simple terms.

When the modern trend of making simple things complex started in 1970s, by management experts who laughed all the way to their banks selling complex management jargon, there was an anecdote of door-to-door salesman selling toys. He came across what he called his most modern toy that was also most expensive. He explained to the mother, “The aim of the toy is to put together these pieces. Any which way your child would do it, would be wrong.”

Leadership #10

The chips are down, all hell has broken loose, and the task is really very difficult. The team is getting increasingly frustrated and full of doubts whether they would be able to finally get it right. The leader himself has doubts but he doesn’t transmit these to his team. He transmits to them hope. He makes them see the silver lining.

Two examples come to my mind:

One is about Aamir Khan movie Lagaan (Tax). People of Aamir Khan’s village produce crops but do pay a substantial portion of their earnings as Lagaan to their British masters. Once, the British challenge them to play a game of cricket with them and if they (the villagers) would succeed, they would be excused Lagaan for three years. They had never played cricket before. They start learning. A few days before the match, they are full of doubts. That’s the time when Aamir Khan steps in and makes them see the silver lining. They eventually win.

The second is about Christopher Columbus:

“Behind him lay the grey Azores,
Behind the gates of Hercules.
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only the shore-less seas.
The good mate said, “Now must we pray,
For, lo, the very stars are gone.
Brave adm’ral, say, what should we pray.”
“Why, pray, sail on, sail on and on”.

Leadership #11

Loyalty is something that can’t be demanded. It has to be earned. People may follow your instructions because of various compulsions such as you are their employer and responsible for their salary, promotions and retention. However, they are loyal to you only when they know you are deserving of it. It is the best gift they can give you. When they are loyal, they work in your best interest even when you haven’t given them specific instructions; and many a times they keep you from harming yourself by doing the right thing. Many a corporate follow hire-and-fire policies exploiting and manipulating their employees. The danger in those is that employees, when they find a better jobs, leave them.

Leadership #12

The next one is a very natural one. A leader, if he has to constantly be in control and lead, would be devoid of the modern realities. A good leader, on the other hand, empowers his people to become leaders in their own right so that they innovate and lessen his burden. This is somewhat difficult because if not done with the right intent, it would amount to dispensing with one’s responsibility and accountability. However, with adequate finesse it can be done and yields dividends.

Leadership #13

The next one came my way when I saw some of the leaders around me concentrating on the jargon of quick-wins. However, at the end of two years, I found that quick-wins, some of them with an eye to impress the organisation about their dynamic and charismatic leadership, were all that they achieved. There is only so much that you can get out of such tactics. Eventually, people find out that you are good at winning battles but lose sight of wars.

Leadership #14

For all those petty leaders who want to be seen to be in control, there is nothing like endless series of meetings, con-calls and VCs. These meetings don’t really achieve much. However, their purpose is only to tell the subordinates how tight and great is your control. I have seen action-points of these meetings being made; and, after one year, action points are made again and both the earlier and later day action points appear to be the same except for jargon.

A good leader, on the other hand, first makes his team worthy of its trust. He simultaneously empowers them to make micro-plans on his broad instructions. He also lays down bottom lines and timelines and then leaves it to the team to translate his instructions into action. He doesn’t dissipate time and energy on endless meetings that deceptively look like progress when no progress is being made at all.

I spent six long years in a corporate. We had endless meetings about getting an integrated marine solution for one of our facilities. At the end of more than hundred meetings, con-calls and VCs, we were as close to square-one as one can get.

Leadership #15

Commanding leaders is a much better option than commanding subordinates. A good leader, as I said earlier, is a good subordinate too. Everyone doesn’t have to look towards him all the while. He empowers his people to be leaders in their own right and they then have ownership mindset rather than doing it for someone.

The best example is that of the cricket team. A good captain doesn’t always have to score the maximum runs or take maximum wickets. He brings out the best in his team and his mere presence then ensures that there are eleven Captains in the team.

Leadership #16

This is an unfortunate trend that has started in the corporate sector. One is a good leader if one knows all the definitions, tales and anecdotes and has one for every occasion and situation. I would call this style of leadership as Leadership by Anecdotes. Regrettably, so impressive is the effect of this style that many are carried away by the impression or illusion of having encountered a great leader. In sharp contrast Leadership is probably only ten percent in theory. Ninety percent of it needs to be practised.

The example that comes to mind is that of a learner of the game of tennis who is trying to learn by reading books. For a perfect shot the book tells you, “As you see the ball coming towards you, don’t run towards the ball; run towards the future position of the ball and reach there a split second before the ball reaches. Raise and take back your racquet arm to an angle of 135 degrees and as the ball is about to reach the estimated future position, bring down and forward the arm with the racquet in a continuous swing and connect to the ball and lob it with force across the net.” Now, if only the signals in your brain accumulated through such instructions are translated into action, you would indeed be the world’s best. As the great Indian cricket commentator of yesteryear: DN Chakrapani said in a test match that India had against the MCC (the England XI was known as that at one time) at Lords in London: “The last Indian batsman, Bishen Singh Bedi, has taken a mighty swing with his bat. If only it had connected, the ball would have gone all the way to the Ganges.”

Leadership #17

 

Great leaders are always modest and humble. I have seen Dr. Abdul Kalam at close quarters; as Director of the College of Naval Warfare (now Naval War College) I had invited him to speak to my students. He never gave the impression of speaking to people from a height. He appeared to be one of us. His solutions were never the ones that he had read in some book or seen in some movie. These were everyday commonsense solutions. He didn’t have to remind us constantly through word and gesture what a great personality he was. I have given below the analogy of a bad or inexperienced driver who honks the most and curses the most. Have a look:

Leadership #18

If you are a sanctioned leader such as monitor in a class or GM or VP in a company, people have to perforce follow you. However, as you emerge a great leader, even when your sanctioned powers have been withdrawn people still turn to you for advice, for leadership. The reason? You demonstrated that you are a natural leader.

Leadership #19

I started off with Leadership and Love relationship and I have considered it important enough to reiterate in another manner. I really consider it the crux of leadership. Love automatically has ownership. You constantly remind yourself: These are my people. These are the best in the world. They will make me proud. I will never let them down and they will never let me down. I can write volumes about this relationship. The highest attainments of leadership are only possible through a feeling of love towards the people one commands. You can be harsh with them but you never make them the objects of derision and slant because they are your own. You give credit to them for the team’s achievements just as you shoulder responsibility for the team’s failure. As they say: Bouquets travel downwards; brickbats travel upwards and stop at you.

Leadership #20

This follows naturally from the ability to win wars and not merely battles. Your quick-wins are not by taking short-cuts or unfair means. Today you are a small leader – say, a supervisor. Tomorrow you will be a big leader such as Vice President or President. You won’t be able to look people in the eye in case you used the wrong and unfair means to reach there. Remember, you are always being watched when you think no one is watching.

Leadership #21

You cannot be expected to know every situation when you join. You cannot be constantly using previous knowledge of your earlier appointments when you take over as a leader whilst at the same time telling people to be rid of their previous knowledge which indeed is relevant in their job. You have the humility and modesty to learn about your new job. If from day one you start giving instructions, if from day one you show them down that their earlier knowledge is zilch, you will never learn and never emerge as a great leader. You would be like a hot air balloon; you would eventually come down when the gas runs out.

Leadership #22

The next one is a natural extension of the previous one. When you make your people feel small, they cannot make you feel tall. It is not a see-saw; it is indeed a win-win or a lose-lose situation.

Leadership #23

Aha, at the fag-end of the blog, I have given you this. You want people and the organisation to win and not your leadership style to be justified through Power-point Presentations. So, if people are going to win by no effort from your part, you want to make it difficult for them so that they’d remember that it is your dynamic leadership that made them win. This is indeed poor leadership and I have seen it often.

Leadership #24

Lastly, before I come up with Part II of this blog sometimes later let me tell you about the ability to listen correctly if at all you have conditioned yourself to listen more than you speak. People interact with you at different levels of knowledge, bias and attitude. All that you listen to isn’t fact. It is laced with the perception of the speaker narrating his tale. So, if you ain’t skillful at sifting facts from perception and get carried away with the tale, you can’t be a good leader. A good leader respects emotions and attitudes but more often than not takes decisions based on facts.

Leadership #25

That brings me to the end of Part I of the series on Leadership Lessons on my Facebook page ‘Make Your Own Quotes’. None of these can do wonders for you unless you practise them.

Here is wishing you a great and effective leadership wherever you are.

 

BEST OF ‘MAKE YOUR OWN QUOTES’ – ‘I THANK YOU, O’ GOD’ SERIES

It has been a little more than three  years since I put up in this blog ‘Best Of ‘Make Your Own Quotes’ and fifteen months since I put up here ‘Best Of ‘Make Your Own Quotes’ – Part II’. In these three years or so since the first blog-post and 38 months since I started with the Facebook Page called ‘Make Your Own Quotes’, a lot has happened. One, from a membership of just 30 or so, the Page has a membership of more than 600 now. Two, I started two series: one, about Leadership Lessons and the second about ‘I Thank You, O’ God’. Both are favourite topics with me. I believe that we have to be thankful to God for whatever He/She/It has given us even when we feel that we haven’t got enough. I sincerely feel that gratefulness is the beginning of the journey into happiness,

Why did I start with the page? As I mentioned in the introduction of the first post, “I noticed that on the Facebook and elsewhere, there is a great penchant about putting up Quotes. These range from quotes about Love, Friendship, Politics, Life; indeed about each and every subject. Whilst reading these quotes I was stuck by the realisation that somehow we have this feeling that the sages, saints and wise-people of the past had abundance of sane-advice on all kinds of subjects; but, by a curious quirk of fate, we ourselves and fellow citizens have nothing great to offer in terms of such advice. When I started analysing this, I reached the conclusion that there is nothing simpler than giving sane advice; the answer is really blowing in the wind; it is everywhere. We only have to gather these pearls around us and weave them in a garland”. That’s how I started this Facebook page called ‘Make Your Own Quotes’ with an introduction: “There is nothing simpler than giving sane advice; you don’t have to follow great teachers. Make your own quotes and let others follow you.”

This venture started on the 25th of Feb 2013 and, as I said, I have finished three years of it and it is still going strong. I have received tremendous interest from friends in these Quotes and I am told that around the world these Quotes are being circulated in all kinds of garbs. I have nothing against these since I shall never be making this into a commercial activity.

I like all quotes on Facebook; these provide quick and easy solutions to life’s seemingly complex problems. I believe life is as simple as Facebook; what you get is dependent upon your “settings”.

I started off by giving tips to people on how to make their own quotes, eg,:

Great Quotes Tip #1: Compare Life, Love, Relationships etc to something mundane and infer “great” sounding advice out of it.Here is an (original example): “Friends should be like electricity wires; opposite poles, running parallel and lighting up lives by meeting”. For effect, inscribe this on a totally unrelated picture of, say, a Frog in a Pond. Wanna try your hand at it; go ahead….nothing is simpler! Try comparing Life to Beans!! Go ahead, now that you have joined this site, you will eventually follow your own quotes!!!

Here is therefore the third tranche of Best of ‘Make Your Own Quotes’, but, on a unique topic of finding reasons to thank God.

I may not be a traditional believer in God, the one who personifies God and identifies with Him or Her with innumerable idols and pictures. In the ‘Philosophy’ section of my blog there are a number of posts about how the current concepts of God and Religion are causing more harm and even evil than the evil these were conceived to eradicate. Of particular interest to readers would be a blog-post titled: ‘Whose God Is It Anyway?’ that I wrote five and a half years ago. I am into God as a supreme force that should guide us, bind us together, keep us from doing wrong and look after us as children. I am also a believer in the concept of ‘Ik Omkar’, a concept given to us by Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, and which translated means: ‘God Is One’ and hence there isn’t a separate God for Hindus or Muslims or for that matter Christians or followers of any other religion (Please read: ‘Nanak Shah Fakir – The Movie And Its Message’).

Now that I have explained my concept of God, please go through the following quotes as addressed to that God and not to Ishwar, Allah, Jesus or Buddha.

Lets begin.

The first one is something that we take for granted: our five senses; particularly the sense of seeing. Here is what a friend Puneet Narula had to write about seeing: “We went to a restaurant in Singapore called “NOX- Dine in the dark”. You are served in pitch dark (No watches and mobile phones allowed) by visually impaired / blind waiters. Amazing experience. You can feel and eat- can’t see a thing. The food tastes better because your entire focus is on taste and not how beautiful it looks. You realize how lucky we are that we can see, hear, feel and smell. Check out http://www.noxdineinthedark.com/”

Far and Near

I believe that God has really made this world beautiful. However, all the beauty that God made would have been lost on us if God hadn’t given us the good sense to appreciate this beauty. So here is a quote about it:

I thank you O God 2

Thank God, we have been given the ability to smile; to make light of our troubles, burdens and situation. If it hadn’t been for this ability, we would have led and lead such hopeless lives:

I thank you O God 3

We can never, even if we try our best individually and collectively, to thank God enough for giving us the emotion of Love. God gave us Dark, so that we know the importance of Light. Likewise, God gave us all the other emotions so that we would realise that Love indeed is the best:

I thank you O God 4

We are often frustrated, especially in arguments, that the other person has a different point of view. But, what if God had given us all the same way of looking at things. It would indeed be such a dull and drab world:

I thank you O God 5

There is no end to God’s Creation. Just at the time when you feel that you have got handle on some part of it, another world opens before your eyes and other senses. It is pointless trying to see the beginning and the end of the universe as if God’s creation is finite. It would be better to adore its infinity and rejoice that there is enough for us for all times to come:

I thank you O God 6

We feel it is intrinsic and innate. However, we refuse to believe that God gave it to us. There is great merit in believing that God gave it to us since, when the chips are down, and darkness engulfs us, we can ask for more. My own experience is that when I have asked for more, God has given it to me:

I thank you O God 7

The holy book of the Sikhs have repeated mention of this Music that is beyond ears. Even if we talk only about the aural experience (within the reach of our five known senses), it is still heavenly. Who else, but God would have thought of giving us this wonderful gift:

I thank you O God 8

There is considerable debate about what is Right and what is Wrong, about Good and Evil. Since all virtues on earth are relative (Please read ‘Absolute Virtue’), it is quite possible that someone’s Wrong is another man’s Right and vice-versa. However, Reverend Emerson once said, “God, don’t let me prove right with arguments that I know to be wrong.” This quote is about that ability and I sincerely feel that God gave to most of us, if not to all of us:

I thank you O God 9

God gave us Life – a four lettered word. He gave us Love – another four lettered word – and most of us love the life that God gave us. For others, God ensured that another four-lettered word was given to them so that even if they won’t love their current life, they would know that the future would be better. God gave us Hope:

I thank you O God 10

We often bemoan the fact that nothing is permanent in this universe. One form is always evolving into another. In some cases it is so slow that we ain’t conscious of it. However, it surely is changing. Whilst we think of it, many a times, as a bad thing, the fact is that it would have been hopeless if we were to encounter a permanent situation and world:

I thank you O God 11

We require worldly knowledge. However, worldly knowledge also confines us and puts limits on our imagination and innovation (I have several posts on this such as ‘How Unbiased Or Innocent Can We Become?’ and ‘Being Non-Sensical May Be Far Sighted’). A child, in this aspect, is better than us. I am fond of giving this example that when a bus tumbles down a hill in an unfortunate accident, often the children and infants are saved. There is, therefore, merit in looking at things afresh as a child; somewhat different from the pejorative expression: ‘Putting one’s foot in one’s mouth’. Have a look:

I thank you God 12

The next one is related to it. We sometime feel that we haven’t been given the requisite skills to live and survive. However, the fact is that God has provided for us to live and survive. Here is from Sri Guru Granth Sahib:

Sail patthar mein jant upaaye,
Taa ka rizk aage kar dharaya,
….Un kavan khilaave, kavan chugaave,
Man mein simran karaya”
(The one who gave birth to creatures in moist rocks,
It provided for their nourishment there too,
…..who makes them feed, who provides for them,
Think about it in your mind)

Here is my quote about it:

I thank you God 13

The next one is the simplest of the quotes and should have come much earlier:

I thank you God 14

God made no secret of it. God didn’t send us on a wild-goose chase. However, it has made sure that its own abilities (being the Creator) would be far beyond the sum total of all our individual and collective abilities. Here is the quote that was born out of this:

I thank you O God 15

Yes, there is God, if not as a person or a being, but as a Force or Creator. But, of what use these knowledge had been if God had not blessed us with the ability to reach out to it. And since God made everything, it is conceivable that God only gave this ability to us. Hence lets thank God for having given us this ability:

sunset with young man,special toned and color photo f/x, focus point on the man

The concept of God as that Force to whom we can pray to solve our problems provides us with tremendous relief. Just imagine that if we hadn’t invented God we would have felt alone and helpless. Here is the quote for that:

I thank you God 17

God’s Creation is totally discover-able by us; like they say: Seek and thou shalt find. Here is the quote for thanking God for that:

I thank you God 18

I have discovered – and I am sure each one of you who is reading this would have – that there is newness in God’s Creation everyday, every hour, every moment. It has been medically established that millions of cells in our body are dying everyday and being rejuvenated. Have a look at this, put up by me on the New Year Day of the year 2016:

I thank you God 19

We have thoughts and emotions and ideas and we want to convey to others and listen to theirs. Over centuries, various languages evolved to convey these to others and those who understood these languages had not much difficulty in understanding thoughts, feelings and ideas of others. However, there is a language of humanity that God gave each one of us and it is beyond the languages that we ourselves made. This is a language that is beyond verbal and text means. It is the language beyond all senses too. It is a language between hearts. Here it is:

I thank you God 20

I have maintained that there are more reasons to thank God for than we can think of. We feel that the most precious gift that God has given us is Life. However, each one of us in our lifetime discover that there are many things that God made, for which it is worth giving up life. Taste this:

I thank you God 21

This is something that most of us discover during our lifetime but many of us never think of thanking God for. The fact is that despite our putting a price on many things – the more precious we feel they are, the more is the price – there are quite a few of the most precious things of life that are absolutely free. Have a look at this:

I thank you God 22

We fall in the habit of cursing our memory and the oft heard crib is: “I don’t seem to remember many a thing”. We reason it out that all that God had to do was to give us elephantine memory so that we would never forget anything. However, think again after seeing the following quote:

I thank you God 23

Every once in a while the chips are down for us and we feel that the whole world and even God is lined up against us. I am convinced that God never gives a problem to us without giving us the skills and abilities to solve it. And, it adds to our happiness when we have solved it.

I thank you God 24

And the last one in this part of the series is about Faith, Hope and Love, the building bricks of the house of our happiness. God is, I am convinced, not like human beings (whatever its shape, size and form be). It isn’t seeking happiness by making us think of it all the while. It is purely in our interest. Hence, if you want to have Faith, Hope and Love without ascribing these to God, there is nothing ungodly about it. That knowledge has also come to you from God that I believe in. I would rather thank it for these since I obtain enormous satisfaction and happiness by thanking it for it:

I thank you God 27

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