Dedication to a Lyricist Beyond Compare
On my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne, from the First of January 2020, I started with a weekly dedication to Hasrat Jaipuri, the lyricist to whom we owe the title of the group. Interestingly, the first group that I formed was also named after a song and the title of the group was from the mukhada of a song penned by Shailendra: Dil Ki Nazar Se.
Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra were lyricists in the camp of the music duo Shankar Jaikishan who themselves were known as the “house-musicians of Raj Kapoor”. Whilst Hasrat Jaipuri emerged as the Shahenshah-e-Rumaniyat (Emperor of Romance), Shailendra emerged as the lyricist who delved deep; people are still trying to find out the full-meaning of some of his lyrics.
So, this is our dedication to a Lyricist who
Always dived deep to find pearls
Incidentally, in this blog, I already have two posts on Shailendra:
- The Best Songs Of Shailendra, The Lyricist Beyond Compare – Part I.
- The Best Songs Of Shailendra, The Lyricist Beyond Compare – Part II.
How Did This Series Come About?
When I was young and had just joined the Navy, we used to have this British humour magazine Punch (a weekly magazine at that time) available in our wardrooms. Some of its cartoons were memorable. One of the cartoons showed Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with three stone tablets and pronounced to the gathering, “I hereby give you fifteen (oops, one of the tablets fell down and broke)…er….ten commandments.”
Likewise, I have these friends of SJMF. What they and my sister Kishwar Jaipuri do not know about music in general and Shankar Jaikishan songs in particular, can be written on the back of what used to be the lowest denomination of postage stamps in India: the five paisa stamps!
With the new year I decided to start a series titled Hasrat Jaipuri Song of the Week. I was in the fourth such week when I put up this song erroneously ascribing it to Hasrat Jaipuri. The stridency of their protests would have put the inspired protests against CAA, NRC and NPR to shame. “Damn good post”, they sang in unison, “Except that the song belongs to Shailendra and not Hasrat. Whenever you get time, have your head checked for sanity by somebody qualified.”
I made a quick retreat and decided that I must become the modern Moses and give the gathering: ‘Shailendra Song of the Week.’ That is SSOW in addition to HJSOW.
So, here it is, ladies and gentlemen.
As they say in the aftermath of such sticky situations: ‘Der aaye darust aaye.’
Shakti Samanta Again
For the third week song of HJSOW (you are yet to get it on this blog), I gave you one from the 1958 Shakti Samanta movie Howrah Bridge. Why didn’t his favourite heroine Sharmila Tagore act in Howrah Bridge? Well, La Tagore would have been only 14 years old if she had acted in Howrah Bridge. So, Shakti Samanta waited for her (in the lyrics of a popular song: Ye kali jab talaq fool ban ke khile intezzar intezzar intezzar karo). He waited for her to make her debut in Kashmir Ki Kali whose songs put together by SH Bihari and OP Nayyar made me write a blog about those: Ever Fresh Songs Of Kashmir Ki Kali.
Incidentally, Kashmir Ki Kali and An Evening In Paris (from where this songs has been taken) were Shakti Samanta’s 14th and 16th movies respectively with just one movie Sawan Ki Ghata in between that had La Tagore acting opposite Bozo, something that she must have regretted later since Bozo murdered one of the best songs of the movie (put together by SH Bihari and OP Nayyar): Zulfon ko hata lo chehre se by terrible acting.
Shailendra with Shankar Jaikishan
I am not going to fill up this part of the description with flowery adjectives. Suffice it to say that: Doodh ke jale chhachh ko bhi phoonk phoonk kar peete hain.
Let me tell you something about the unchallenged mastery of Shailendra and SJ pertaining to this song only:
Shailendra First
Shailendra died on 14 Dec 1966, five years before Jaikishan died on 12 Sep 1971. What led to his demise was primarily the setback he received from the box-office failure of his only production: Teesri Kasam.
Next year, we would complete 50 years after his demise. And yet, even till now some of us are discovering some new meaning or the other in his songs.
We were told by the singer Sharda that when S-J asked him to write a simple children’s song he came up with one there too with deep meaning: Titli udhi uddh jo gayi phool ne kaha aaja mere paas (It came out that even in this seemingly children’s song only, he gave a relationship between Body and Soul).
What about the first song of this series? He uses the expression Raat Ke Hamsafar to portray the negative feelings that are as dark as the night and hence are co-passengers with night!
What negative feelings is he referring to? Hatred, belittling, ignoring, trifling with that Sharmila Tagore indulged in with Shammi Kapoor! And now what is happening in the movie? Suddenly, the Subah Pyar Ki is showing its glimpses! This is the first time the sprout of love has broken out between the two contenders. If you have got this right, you can follow the rest of the lyrics easily:
Eg, Sone waalon ko hanskar jagaana bhi hai,
Raat ki chaahton ko sulaana bhi hai
Superb lines. The new sprout of Love between them demands this! By this Shailendra means that Love was dormant all this while and now time has come to awaken it! Raat ki chaahton are negative feelings; these have to be put to sleep! Tell me many other lyricists who have gone this deep!
Seen in this light, one of the best lines of the song with amazing imagination used by Shailendra is: Loriyan gaa rahi hai subah pyar ki! Incredible indeed. Love is always kind and always gentle. It is singing lullabies for the negative feelings to go to sleep!
And a complete denouement takes place in the last stanza:
Kya kya vaade huye, kisne khaai kasam?
Kis nayi raah par hamne rakhe kadam? (as I said, this is the first time mutual love has broken out like a new morning)
Chhup saka pyaar kab ham chhupaaye to kya
Chhup saka pyaar kab ham chhupaaye to kya
Sab samajh paa rahi hain subah pyaar ki
And Now Shankar Jaikishan
Once again no hero-worshiping, no meaningless adjectives.
When the new Subah of Pyar is about to break out between the lovers, they are at night in the Love city of the world: Paris!
S-J have to give a composition and background music that would contrast the delights of this Love City at night with what is happening to the lovers! Take it from me that lesser music directors won’t even come close to this challenge. How do you think they scored? Here is what you can do:
Put the video on mute and watch it first and then watch it with their music! You will know what I mean!!
SJ were the first duo who went international in their music and compositions. With what they had to offer in this song, you can’t have the song anywhere else, say, in Tokyo!
Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle
Makes you feel why not Mohammad Rafi and Lata?
It can’t just be that the first two movies of Shakti Samanta with La Tagore had OP Nayyar’s compositions and hence Asha Bhosle sang for Sharmila Tagore.
Please notice that in this song when she expresses her realisation of Love for him, she also displays a somewhat shy sensuousness (as opposed to the bold sensuousness in her bikini song Aasman se aaya farishta penned by HJ; the first ever bikini song in Hindi movies with an Indian actress). Lata ji is good in many genres of singing but Asha was very well suited to accentuate this sensuousness!
Please enjoy: Raat ke hamsafar…
Raat ke hamsafar thak ke ghar ko chale Jhumati aa rahi hai subah pyar ki Dekh kar samne rup ki roshani Phir luti ja rahi hai subah pyar ki Sone walon ko hanskar jagana bhi hai Raat ke chaahton ko sulaana bhi hai Deti hai jaagne ki sada saath hi Deti hai jaagne ki sada saath hi Loriya ga rahi hai subah pyaar ki Raat ke hamsafar thak ke ghar ko chale Jhumati aa rahi hai subah pyar ki Dekh kar samne rup ki roshani Phir luti ja rahi hai subah pyar ki
Raat ne pyar ke jaam bhar kar diye Ankhon ankhon se jo maine tumne piye Hosh to ab talaq ja ke laute nahin Hosh to ab talaq ja ke laute nahin Janey kya la rahi hai subah pyar ki Raat ke hamsafar thak ke ghar ko chale Jhumati aa rahi hai subah pyar ki Dekh kar samne rup ki roshani Phir luti ja rahi hai subah pyar ki
Kya kya vaade huye, kisne khaai kasam Kis nayi raah par hamne rakhe kadam Chhup saka pyaar kab ham chhupaayen to kya Chhup saka pyaar kab ham chhupaayen to kya Sab samajh paa rahi hai subah pyaar ki Raat ke hamsafar thak ke ghar ko chale Jhumati aa rahi hai subah pyar ki Pyar ki, pyar ki
All in all a beautiful song with lyrics that are both enchanting and deep-meaning.
I hope you liked my choice.
Wait for the next song in the series.
