I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 23 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.
Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #30 – Ye dil deewana hai. So here, then, is the next one:
Song #31
Dekho mausam kya bahaar hai
Our Fascination for Western Tunes/Instruments
The musical heritage that India has is by far the oldest in the world. However, our fascination for Western things is really fascinating. We copy (plagiarise) tunes and introduce Western concepts in our songs at the drop of the hat; or more appropriately the drop of the Gandhi topi.
Having been married to a Catholic, Jim Reeves was a favourite singer in our household. Year after year, he was popular with us for Christmas carols. In addition to Christmas carols, his other songs were popular with us and the one song that used to play over and over again in our house was Bimbo.
Having been written in 1948 and popularised by Jim Reeves in 1953, its popularity was never on the fade.
Chitragupt was one Music Director who was known for fusion; I have already given you his fusion song Jodi hamari jamega kaise Jani? Just like all our MDs (without exception) he wasn’t beyond copying tunes from abroad. He just lifted the tune for Dekho mausam kya bahaar hai from Bimbo:
Bimbo, Bimbo, where ya gonna go-e-o
Bimbo, Bimbo, whatcha gonna do-e-o
Bimbo, Bimbo, does your mommy know
That you’re goin’ down the road to see a little girleo.
Opera House – 1961
Not just foreign tunes and instruments, we were taking large strides into movies with English names: China Town, Modern Girl, Railway Platform, House Full and even Dream Sequence.
Opera House was one such murder mysteries that we were churning out dime a dozen. B Saroja Devi is an actress of Tamil, Kannada and Telugu movies and took a plunge in Hindi movies with a family drama in 1960: Sasural wherein she acted with Rajendra Kumar.
In PL Santoshi’s Opera House too he started out being the typical Indian woman called Saroj from my behna Manik Lakhkar Chava’s home place Nagpur. She seeks job in Bombay as a singer/dancer. Later she becomes Mary D’Souza when she is back in Nagpur. In Bombay itself, she had fallen in love with Ajit Rai (Ajit). He comes chasing her in Nagpur and discovers that she is now Mary D’Souza. Why? The poor girl had seen the murder of Chunilal and the killers are after her! This theme was repeated in Hindi movies so many times that Guineess people approached Hindi movies that this must be a world record for using the same theme in hundreds of movies. By the time, we tricked the Guinness people by changing the name of Hindi movies to Bollywood!
Majrooh, Chitragupt, Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar
Majrooh didn’t allow himself into being typified; from a typical Urdu poet he often went into all kinds of songs whether Western or Indian.
To give credit to Chitragupt, he made this too into fusion song for the stanzas are totally in Indian tune after the mukhada being copy of Bimbo by Jim Reeves.
Mukesh sang for Ajit and Lata Mangeshkar for B Saroja Devi and truly a magical duet was produced.
The Song
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Dekho mausam, kya bahar hai…
मु : देखो मौसम
ल : क्या बहार है
मु : सारा आलम
ल : बेक़रार है
मु : ऐसे में क्यूँ हम
ल : दीवाने हो जाएं ना
छलकी-छलकी
मु : चाँदनी भी है
ल : हल्की-हल्की
मु : बेखुदी भी है
ल : ऐसे में क्यूँ हम
मु : यहीं पर खो जाएं ना
ल : गाती सी हर साँस में बजती सी शहनाइयाँ
मु : साया दिल पे डालती तारों की परछाइयाँ
ल : झांके चन्दा
मु : आसमान से
ल : छेड़े हमको
मु : जान-जान के
ल : ऐसे में क्यूँ हम …
मु : दरिया की हर मौज में अरमानों का ज़ोर है
ल : दिलवालों के गीत का लहका-लहका शोर है
मु : लहरें डोलें
ल : झूम-झूम के
मु : साहिल का मुँह
ल : चूम-चूम के
मु : ऐसे में क्यूँ हम …
I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #31.
Please await Beautiful Duet #32- Ishaaron ishaaron mein dil lene waale.
