Author: Sunbyanyname

Today is the Birth Anniversary of the greatest singer: Mohammad Rafi.

I am putting up Part II of a post that I published seven months ago: Tribute to Mohammad Rafi – My Own Singing – Part I.

There has been no singer, male or female, like Mohammad Rafi. With his singing, he conveyed to us, what can one do to lyrics and composition simply by singing with his kind of passion, modulation, range, style and aura. Indeed, he made many songs immortal by just singing them.

Irrespective of the awards and honours bestowed on other singers, more often than not due to political reasons, many like me feel that Mohammad Rafi was beyond awards including Bharat Ratna.

Therefore, to be able to sing the songs earlier sung by Mohammad Rafi is a blessing and honour. This doesn’t, by any stretch of imagination, mean that anyone of us can match his prowess. It only means that we can take lots of joy and pride in the fact that we lived in the era when he was alive and fondly sing his songs to relive their magic.

Song #7 – Zara sun haseena – e – nazneen

As always, I want to start with my favourite poet and lyricist: Shakeel Badayuni. This blog has more posts on him than on any other lyricist.

The song is from the 1963 Niranjan movie titled: Kaun Apna Kaun Praya starring the living legend Waheeda Rehman and Vijay Kumar. Indeed, it is Vijay Kumar (Anil) who is lip syncing this song to Waheeda Rehman (Asha Devi) in the voice of Mohammad Rafi.

The song was composed by Ravi in the raag of my place in the hills: Raag Pahadi.

Have a look at the most beautiful lyrics:

ज़रा सुन हसीना ऐ नाज़नीं
मेरा दिल तुझ ही पे निसार है
तेरे दम से ही मेरे दिलरुबा
मेरी ज़िंदगी में बहार है

हुई जब से मुझ पे तेरी नज़र
मैं हूँ अपने आप से बेख़बर
हुआ जब से दिल में तेरा गुज़र
मुझे चैन है न क़रार है

तेरे हुस्न से जो सँवर गई
वो फ़िज़ाएं मुझको अज़ीज़ हैं
तेरी ज़ुल्फ़ से जो लिपट गईं
मुझे उन हवाओं से प्यार है

ये हसीन फूलों की डालियाँ
तुझे दे रही है सलामियाँ
मुझे क्यों न रश्क़ हो ऐ सनम
तेरे साथ फ़स्ल-ए-बहार है

Please enjoy: Zara sun haseena e nazneen….

Song #8 – Ek haseen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya

The best of Madan Mohan’s songs were penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Rajinder Krishan and Kaifi Azmi. This was penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan.

It is from the 1967 DD Kashyap movie Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, which was based upon Thomas Hardy’s Tess of d’Ubervilles.

Nutan (Nirmala) was in the title role, ably supported by Dharmendra (Ashok) and Rehman (Ranjit).

The song has not just heart-warming composition by Madan Mohan but really beautiful lyrics:

इक हसीन शाम को दिल मेरा खो गया
पहले अपना हुआ करता था
अब किसीका हो गया

मुद्दतों से आरज़ू थी
मेरे दिल मे कोई आये
सूनी सूनी ज़िन्दगी में
एक शम्मा झिलमिलाये
वो जो आये तो रोशन ज़माना हो गया
इक हसीन …

मेरे दिल के कारवां को
ले चला है आज कोई
शबनमी सी जिसकी आँखें
थोड़ी जागी थोड़ी सोयी
उनको देखा तो मौसम सुहाना हो गया
इक हसीन …

Please enjoy: Ek haseen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya….

Song #9 – Ajahun na aaye balma sawn beeta jaaye

The comedy pair of Mehmood and Shubha Khote was a pair to watch. The comic chemistry between them was something to be seen.

Composers and music directors vied with one another to make songs for them; some of these being based on raagas.

And, who could sing classical songs better than Mohammad Rafi? Indeed, he was the best in most genre’s of songs; but, particularly delighted us in raaga based songs; eg, Man tadpat Hari darshan ko aaj in Raag Malkauns, O duniya ke rakhwale in Raag Darbari Kanada, and Unake khayal aaye to aate chale gaye in Raag Gara.

This was penned by Hasrat Jaipuri and composed by Shankar Jaikishan in Raag Madhuwanti, Taal Kherava. The only other song that I know of, which was composed in the same raag and taal, was Rasmein ulfat ko nibhayen to nibhayen kaise by Madan Mohan.

This song is from the 1964 Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie Saanjh Aur Savera starring Meena Kumari and Guru Dutt besides the comedy duo of Mehmood and Shubha Khote.

Here are the lyrics:

अजहुँ ना आए बालमा, सावन बीता जाए
हाय रे सावन बीता जाए

नींद भी अंखियन द्वार न आए
तोसे मिलन की आस भी जाए
आई बहार खिले फुलवा
मोरे सपने कौन सजाए
आ … अजहुं …

चांद को बदरा गरवा लगाए
और भी मोरे मन ललचाए
यार हसीन गले लग जा
मोरी उम्र गुज़रती जाए
आ … अजहुं …

This is a duet. The original was sung by Mohammad Rafi for Mehmood and Suman Kalyanpur for Shubha Khote.

Please enjoy my rendition of: Ajahun na aaye balma….

Song #10 – Jo guzr rahi hai mujhpe use kaise main batayun

This is from the 1968 Vinod Kumar movie Mere Huzoor starring Raaj Kumar as Nawab Salim, Mala Sinha as Sultanat and Jeetendra as Akhtar Hussain Akhtar.

Salim had been in love with Sultanat. However, Akhtar had earlier saved the life of Salim and the latter had invited him to his palatial bungalow in Lucknow. Akhtar, in the train journey to Lucknow, sees and falls in love with Sultanat, a co-passenger.

This song was sung by Salim when Akhtar and Sultanat break the news about their impending wedding.

I found the lyrics, penned by Hasrat Jaipuri, as most apt for my wife, Lyn, being in advanced state of Alzheimer’s whilst celebrating our wedding anniversary last year.

Here are the lyrics:

जो गुज़र रही है मुझ पर उसे कैसे मैं बताऊँ -२
वो ख़ुशी मिली है मुझको मैं ख़ुशी से मर न जाऊँ -२

मेरे दिल की धड़कनों का ये सलाम तुमको पहुँचे
मैं तुम्हारा हमनशीं हूँ ये पयाम तुमको पहुँचे
उसे बन्दगी मैं समझूँ जो तुम्हारे काम आऊँ
वो ख़ुशी मिली है …

मेरे दिल की महफ़िलों में वो मुक़ाम है तुम्हारा
के ख़ुदा के बाद लब पर बस नाम है तुम्हारा
मेरी आरज़ू यही है मैं तुम्हारे गीत गाऊँ
वो ख़ुशी मिली है …

मेरी ज़िन्दगी में हमदम कभी ग़म न तू उठाना
कभी आएँ जो अँधेरे मुझे प्यार से बुलाना
मैं चिराग़ हूँ वफ़ा का मैं अँधेरे जगमगाऊँ
वो ख़ुशी मिली है …

Please enjoy my rendition of: Jo guzr rahi hai mujhpe use kaise main batayun…

Song #11 – Jaan-e-bahar husn tera bemisaal hai

Talking about the wedding anniversary, here is a song that I sang to Lyn, totally extempore, last year when we were cutting the anniversary cakes.

I recall the lyrics of most of the songs of my favourite poet and lyricist: Shakeel Badayuni. And so is this song. It was composed by Ravi. Shakeel and Ravi mastered songs describing the Husn (Beauty) of a woman. Indeed, Shakeel received two out of his three Filmfare Awards (the only known hat-trick) for such songs with Ravi: Chaudvinh ka chand ho, and Husn waale tera jawab nahin.

I remember having sung this to Lyn on our wedding night too.

The song is from the 1963 BS Ranga movie Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya starring Shammi Kapoor and B Saroja Devi; a guy from the North and a lady from the South, exactly like me and Lyn.

Here are the most beautiful lyrics:

जान-ए-बहार हुस्न तेरा बेमिसाल है
वल्लाह कमाल है, अरे वल्लाह कमाल है

आई है मेरे पास तू इस आन-बान से
उतरी हो जैसे कोई परी आस्मान से
मैं क्या कहूँ खुशी से अजब मेरा हाल है

हाय ये तेरी मस्त अदाएं ये बाकपन -२
किरणों को भी मैं छूने न दूँगा ये गोरा तन
तुझसे नज़र मिलाए ये किसकी मजाल है

मैं खुशनसीब हूँ के तुझे मैंने पा लिया -२
तूने करम किया मुझे अपना बना लिया
ऐसे मिले हैं हम के बिछड़ना मुहाल है

Please enjoy my rendition of: Jaan-e-bahar husn tera bemisaal hai…

Song #12 – Tum ek baar mohabbat ka imtihaan to lo…

The primary reason for me to learn singing was to be able to sing to my wife, Lyn (short for Marilyn) suffering from Alzheimer’s. My biggest reward is her smile and look of recognition.

Lyrics are the most important part of the song for me. The part of the lyrics that I find most apt for her, in this song, is:

मैं अपनी जान भी दे दूँ तो ऐतबार नहीं
के तुम से बढ़के मुझे ज़िंदगी से प्यार नहीं

The song (ghazal) is from the 1960 Hemen Gupta movie Babar starring Gajanan Jagirdar, Azra and Sulochana Choudhury. You may recall Hemen Gupta from two of his celebrated movies: Anand Math and Kabuliwala.

This song was penned by Sahir Ludhianvi, composed by Roshan and sung very beautifully by Mohammad Rafi.

Here are the lyrics:

तुम एक बार मुहब्बत का इम्तहान तो लो
मेरे जुनूँ मेरी वहशत का इम्तहान तो लो
तुम एक बार …

सलाम-ए-शौक़ पे रंजिश भरा पयाम न दो
मेरे ख़ोलूस को फ़िरास-ओ-हवस का नाम न दो
मेरी वफ़ा की हक़ीकत का इम्तहान तो लो
तुम एक बार …

न तख़्त-ओ-ताज न लाल-ओ-गुहर की हसरत है
तुम्हारे प्यार तुम्हारी नज़र की हसरत है
तुम अपने हुस्न की अज़मत का इम्तिहान तो लो
तुम एक बार …

मैं अपनी जान भी दे दूँ तो ऐतबार नहीं
के तुम से बढ़के मुझे ज़िंदगी से प्यार नहीं
यूँ ही सही मेरी चाहत का इम्तिहान तो लो
तुम एक बार …

Please enjoy my rendition of: Tum ek baar mohabbat ka imtihaan to lo…

In the second part, once again, I have given you a wide range of songs of the greatest singer Mohammad Rafi. I hope you liked my selection.

So as not to make the post longer than 30 minutes of your listening pleasure, I give you only six songs at a time.

Please await songs of Part III.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #50 – Chah barbaad karegi hamen in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #51.

Song #51
Woh tum na the woh hum na the
Theme-word: Bina tumhare zindagi shama hai ek mazaar ki

Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness

Today I have already given you a Zindagi song. However, in order to have 150 songs when the group is buried on 08 Mar 2021, I have decided to give you another 17. Similarly, I shall be giving you additional five and seven songs respectively in the Beautiful Duets and Raat or Din series so as to have 200 each there too. This is not counted in RRR Songs since I already have 50 there. However, the lyrics of this penned by Neeraj make it a beautiful RRR Song:

वो हम न थे, वो तुम न थे
वो हम न थे, वो तुम न थे
वो रहगुज़र थी प्यार की
लूटी जहाँ पे बेवजह पालकी बहार की

ये खेल था नसीब का, न हँस सके न रो सके
न तूर पर पहुँच सके, न दार पर ही सो सके
कहानी किससे ये कहें, चढ़ाव की उतार की
लूटी जहाँ पे बेवजह पालकी बाहर की

तुम ही थे मेरे रहनुमा, तुम ही थे मेरे हमसफ़र
तुम ही थे मेरी रोशनी, तुम ही ने मुझको दी नज़र
बिना तुम्हारे ज़िंदगी शमा है एक मज़ार की
लूटी जहाँ पे बेवजह पालकी बाहर की

ये कौन सा मुक़ाम है, फलक नहीं ज़मी नहीं
के शब नहीं सहर नहीं, के ग़म नहीं खुशी नहीं
कहाँ ये लेके आ गई हवा तेरे दयार की
लूटी जहाँ पे बेवजह पालकी बाहर की

गुज़र रही है तुमपे क्या बनाके हमको दर-ब-दर
ये सोचकर उदास हूँ, ये सोचकर है चश्मतर
ना चोट है ये फूल की, ना है ख़लिश ये ख़ार की
लूटी जहाँ पे बेवजह पालकी बाहर की

Normally, we have songs with anything more than two stanzas and these get on our nerves. However, here, even after four, you want more. Such is the excellence of Neeraj’s lyrics.

Cha Cha Cha – 1964 Movie

It was scripted and directed by Chandrashekhar who also acted as the hero of the movie and of this song. He acted opposite Helen. The songs penned by Neeraj and composed by Iqbal Qureshi became very popular:

1. Subah na aayi sham na aayi – Also sung by Mohammad Rafi as this song.
2. Ik chameli ke mandve tale – penned by Maqdoom Mohiuddin the poet who wrote Aapki yad aati rahi raat bhar.
3. Tumse mano na mano mujhe tumse pyar hai.
4. Ek lali ghar se chali.
5. This song.

My Poetry

WOH TUM NA THI

तुम वह नहीं हो जिस से मैं प्यार करता था,
आँखों में आँखें डाल के इज़हार करता था.

मेरी जुबां – ऐ – नब्ज़ पे था तेरी वफ़ा का नाम,
शौक – ऐ – ज़िन्दगी को सलाम सौ – बार करता था.

क्या आलम था वह अब भी दिल को खबर है,
सेहर से ही शब – ऐ – हुस्न का इंतज़ार करता था.

नाज़ुक लबों पे गर्मी – ऐ – जज़्बात थरथराते थे,
तेरी मासूमियत – ओ – नज़ाकत से न मैं इंकार करता था.

सुबह को जब तुम शाम कह के सुनाती थी,
तेरे सजदे में झुक के मैं इकरार करता था.

उल्फत -ऐ -ज़िन्दगी में वो मक़ाम भी आये,
जब तुम थी नहीं फिर भी तेरा दीदार करता था.

काश मैं समझ सकता तेरी दगा – बाज़ी का हुनर,
तुम वह कभी थी ही नहीं जिस से मैं प्यार करता था.

This Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Woh hum na the woh tum na the…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #51 in the series.

Please await Song #52 –  Mere dushman tu meri dosti ko.

Madan Mohan was born on 25 Jun 1924 at Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, where his father Rai Bahadur Chunilal was working as an Accountant General with the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. Madan Mohan spent the early years of his life in the Middle East. After 1932, his family returned to their home town of Chakwal, then in Jhelum district of Punjab, British India. He joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the year 1943. He served there for two years until end of World War II, when he left the Army and returned to Bombay to pursue his musical interests. In 1946, he joined the All India Radio, Lucknow as Programme Assistant, where he came in contact with various artists such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood.

He was very fond of singing, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals penned by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. Soon after, in 1948 he recorded two more private ghazals penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon. In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composer Ghulam Haider (composer) for the film Shaheed (1948 film), though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1948 and 1949, he assisted music composers SD Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress and Nirdosh.

As Music Director, he scored his first big break with the film Aankhen in 1950. He was soon to emerge as a music director par excellence especially for ghazals. Indeed, music director OP Nayyar once said about Madan Mohan that two of his ghazals were better than all that OP Nayyar composed. Some of the best songs of Lata Mangeshkar (she fondly called him “Madan Bhaiyya”) were composed by him on the lyrics of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan.

Some of my favourite songs of Madan Mohan are: Aaj soch to aansu bhar aaye, Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai, Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakham 1973), Aapke pehlu mein aa ke ro diye, Naino mein badra chhaye, Jhumka gira re, Tu jahan jahan chalega (Mera Saya 1966), Aapki nazaron ne samajha, Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabru, Vo dekho jala ghar kisi ka (Anpadh 1962), Aapko pyaar chhupane ki buri aadat hai, Tere paas aake mera waqt nikal jaata hai (Neela Akash 1965), Agar mujhase mohabbat hai, Main nigaahen tere chehre se hatayun kaise (Aap Ki Parchhayiyan), Ai mere dil mujhe bata de (Bhai Bhai 1946), Ari vo shokh kaliyon muskara dena vo jab aayen (Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai 1967), Baad muddat ke yeh ghadi aayi, Haal-e-dil youn unhe sunaya gaya, Jab jab tumhe bhulaya tum aur yaad aaye, Kisi ki yaad mein duniya ko jhain bhulaye huye, Main teri nazar ka saroor hoon, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaayi hai, Teri aankh ke aansu pi jaayun, Wo chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalate hain (Jahan Ara 1964), Hamare baad mehfil mein (Baghi 1953), Bainya na dharo O balma, Ham hain mataa-e-kuchcha-e-bazaar ki tarah, Mai ri main kaase kahun, Tumse kahun ik baat (Dastak, 1970), Bairan neend na aaye mohe (Chacha Zindabad 1959), Basti basti parbat parbat gaata jaaye banjara, Chand madham hai aasman chup hai, Dekh tere Bhagwan ki haalat (Railway Platform 1955), Bhooli hui yaado mujhe itna na satayo, Vo bhooli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayi (Sanjog 1961), Chanda ja re ja re, Main to tum sang nain mila ke (Manmauji 1962), Chhadi re chhadi kaise gale mein padhi, Dil dhoondata hai fursat ke, Ruke ruke se kadam (Mausam 1975), Chhod kar tere pyar ka daaman, Jao hamane dastaan apni sunaayi, Lag jaa gale ke phir, Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim, Shokh nazar ki bijliyan  (Woh Kaun Thi 1964), Do dil toote do dil haare, Doli chadate hi Heer ne bain kiye, Milo na tum to ham ghabraayen, Ye duniya ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin (Heer Ranjha 1970), Ham chal rahe the wo chal rahe the (Duniya Na Maane 1959), Ham pyar mein jalane waalo ko chain kahan (Jailor 1958), Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale, Tujhe kya sunayun main dilruba (Aakhri Dao 1958), Hamse aaya na gaya, Kaun aay mere man ke dwaare, Meri veena tum bin roye, Tu pyar kare ya thukraye (Dekh Kabira Roya 1957), Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain, Hai tere saath meri wafa main nahin to kya (Hindustan Ki Kasam 1973), Hoke majbuur mujhe usne bhualaya hoga, Kar chale ham fida, Khelo na mere dil se, Main ye soch kar uske dar se, Zara si aahat hoti hai (Haqeeqat 1964), Husn haazir hai mohabbat ki saza paane ko, Is reshmi paazeb ki jhankar ke sadake, Tere dar pe aaya hoon (Laila Majnu 1976), Ik haseen raat ko dil mera kho gaya, Kabhi ai haqeeqat-e-muntazar, Sapano mein agar mere (Dulhan Ek Raat Ki 1966), Ishq ki garmi-e-jazbaat kise pesh karun. Mere mehboob kahin aur mila kar mujhase, Naghma o sher ki saugat, Rang aur noor ki baraat (Ghazal 1964), Jaa jaa re jaa saajna, Jaana tha hamse door, Unako ye shikayat hai, Youn hasaraton ke daag (Adalat 1958), Kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi to aayega, Mujhe le chalo aaj us jagah, Sawan ke mahine mein (Sharaabi 1964), Koi shikwa bhi nahin koi shikayat bhi nahin (Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhaare 1966), Main paagal mera manwa paagal (Aashiyana 1952), Meri yaad mein tum na aasnu bahana (Madhosh 1951), Na tum bewafa ho na ham bewafa hain (Ek Kali Muskaaye 1958), Sapne mein sajan se do baaten, Do ghadi wo jo paas aa baithe (Gateway Of India 1957), Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag 1969), Tumhari zulf ke saaye mein shaam kar loonga (Naunihaal 1967), Tu mere saamne hai teri zulfen hain khuli (Suhagan, 1964), and Vo jo milate the kabhi hamsase deewano ki tarah (Akeli Mat Jaiyo 1963).

When I learnt singing, I soon got to sing Madan Mohan. Here I present some of his songs that I sang:

1.   Tujhe Kya Sunayun Main Dilruba.

This song had a composition similar to Sajjad Hussain’s 1952 movie Sangdil song: Yeh hawa yeh raat yeh chandini. Indeed, Madan Mohan acknowledged that he copied Sajjad Hussain’s composition.

The lyrics were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and the song was sung by Mohammad Rafi.

The song was in Mahesh Kaul movie Aakhri Dao starring Nutan and Shekhar.

Please enjoy my own rendition of this iconic song:

2.  Ek Haseen Shaam Ko Dil Mera Kho Gaya.

For this song, Madan Mohan paired with Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. Between the two of them we have Lata Mangeshkar’s most popular song: Lag jaa gale in Raag Pahadi.

The song is from the 1967 DD Kashyap movie Dulhan Ek Raat Ki starring Dharmendra and Nutan. This was the last movie of DD Kashyap who had made his second last movie in 1961: Maya starring Dev Anand and Mala Sinha. Two songs from that movie, composed by Salil Chowdhury, are my favourites: Tasveer teri dil mein and Jaa re jaa re udh jaa re panchhi. However, the movie’s second half dragged and I say the movie by fast-forwarding the second half almost entirely.

Thankfully, Dulhan Ek Raat Ki wasn’t as bad as Maya. Madan Mohan and Raja made memorable songs including Sapnon mein agar mere tum aao to so jaayun.

I saw the movie with my parents in a ramshackle cinema hall in the hill town of Dalhousie.

This song too was sung by Mohammad Rafi. Please enjoy my rendition of it:

3.  Mujhe Le Chalo Aaj Us Gali Mein.

I sang this song about an year ago. The moment people heard it, they told me that no one sings this any more these days. But, I have my memories.

This 1964 Raj Rishi movie Sharabi starred Dev Anand and Madhubala and had some of the best songs of Rajinder Krishan and Madan Mohan. This one always was and is my favourite.

No guessing is required to say that this too was sung by Mohammad Rafi.

Please enjoy my rendition of it:

4.  Bhooli Hui Yaadon.

Mukesh, in his entire singing career of 36 years, sang only nine songs for Madan Mohan. Madan Mohan, like Naushad, knew the limitations of Mukesh and didn’t want to use him. In any case, they had Mohammad Rafi and hence Mukesh wasn’t needed.

This happens to be one of the best that Mukesh sang in his career. Madan Mohan composed it in Raag Kalyan. These very beautiful lyrics were penned by Rajinder Krishan.

The song is from the 1961 movie Sanjog starring Pradeep Kumar and Anita Guha.

Please enjoy my rendition of it (I recorded it about ten months ago). I must caution you that the song has 60 seconds of prelude music:

5.  Lag Jaa Gale Ke Phir.

As I told you, this happened to be the most popular song of Lata Mangeshkar. So, when she left us on the 06 February this year, I wrote two stanzas in tribute for her and used Madan Mohan’s composition to convey my tribute. The original lyrics of the song were penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan.

Please enjoy not just my lyrics but my own rendition of this iconic song:

6.  Meri Yaad Mein Tum Na Aansu Bahan.

I published my rendition of this  Talat Mahmood song on His Death Anniversary, 09 May this year.

It was originally sung by him for the 1951 JBH Wadia movie Madhosh starring Meena Kumari and Manher Desai.

The song was penned by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and composed by Madan Mohan in Raag Jaunpuri, Tal Kaherava.

I hope you’ll enjoy my rendition of it:

So that this post won’t become too long, I shall end here today. Next time I shall give you another six songs of Madan Mohan sung by me in Part II.

YKDN is an acronym for ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne’, a Facebook group that I have for songs and music.

There are many Song and Music groups on the Facebook; but, ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne‘ is different. Most other groups simply have members putting up urls of songs from YouTube and other sources and then members congratulate the choice of the one who has posted by such comments as “Wow”, “I love this too”, “Really nice” and so on.

‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne‘ is different and unique. It is a successor to my group ‘Dil Ki Nazar Se‘, which I had to abandon when some of the members insisted on just putting up urls from YouTube with very little or no contribution of their own. Here is the description of ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne‘:

“A group for serious music lovers who not just relish putting up and listening to songs but also identify these with Lyricists, Music Directors, Singers and Actors who brought the songs to us. The group pays tributes to these four classes of people on their birth and death anniversaries. The group is also interested in sharing knowledge about all aspects of songs including Raagas. The group also has thematic Music Fests at least once in a month. If you are a casual copy-paste music lover who can copy-paste ten songs (urls) from You Tube in ten minutes, this group is NOT recommended for you.”

The name of the group has been derived from the title of a duet between Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar from the 1953 movie Patita starring Dev Anand and Usha Kiran.”

In the year 2016, on24th of April, the group had its first annual meet at Whispering Winds, Kandaghat (Please read an account of that Meet at ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Group Meet At Whispering Winds, Kandaghat’). Whispering Winds, Kandaghat is my house in Shimla Hills, Himachal Pradesh (Please read: ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is – Kandaghat In Shimla Hills’).

Since then, it is held annually in April.

This year too we had it in April but decided to have a Winter Session of the KLF on 05 and 06 Nov. This was the first time that KLF was held in November.

Following were the participants:

KLF Nite at Hotel Falcon Crest

In winters, because of shorter days, we started as early as at 6:30 PM. After the Welcome Address by me and introductions, we cut the YKDN cake and sang our anthem:

The theme of the evening songs was Tanhayi (Akela and any other synonyms included). It was decided that any Tanha song would do even if the theme-word didn’t appear in mukhada or antara of the song.

Nikki, Renu and Suresh were the judges.

I was the first one to start. I started with a song in Raag Pahadi, the raag of this place in the Himalayas. Mohammad Rafi was given a Filmfare Award for singing it on the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri and composition of Laxmikant Pyarelal for the 1964 movie Dosti:

After this, we had a dozen participants in alphabetical order. These included those who were not physically present but sent their recorded songs.

The first one alphabetically also happened to our newest participant Ashwani Sharma.

He sang a song from the 1949 movie Dillagi starring Shyam and Suraiya. The song was penned by my favourite lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, composed by Naushad and sung by Mohammad Rafi:

Next was Evani Leela’s turn:

She had sent a recording of her song, complete with a description as follows:

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #50 in the series. I hope you liked Song #50 – Udhar tum haseen ho idhar dil.

Song #52
Ajj din charya tere rang varga
Theme-word: In the mukhada itself

Punjabi as the Loved Language of Songs

Lets face it; no other language has bound the nation as Punjabi in songs! I recall how even in Kerala people used to sing his Tunak tunak tun. The country’s leading strategist Uday Bhaskar once wrote a full article in The Times of India (Op Ed) about Punjabi Hip Hop taking the world by storm.
Now Punjabi has always been a loved language in Hindi songs. However, lately, it seems to have grabbed for itself even the place of Urdu (another indigenous language of this country). So, nowadays, no one sings to his beloved: Tere dil ke paas hi hai meri manzil-e-maksood. They’d rather address the loved one as Ve maahi!

One other reason is that Hindi (Hindostani) easily merges into Punjabi and vice-versa in songs and the entire package is seamless as in this song.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

The celebrated nephew of the legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is the best qawwali singer of the region (a form of music invented by Amir Khusrow as devotional music). He has, however, sung many a song in Hindi films. Being from Punjab (Faisalabad) he is quite adept at Punjabi in songs. Some of his songs in Hindi films with Punjabi are Hun nahin jeena, Aaja nachle, Jagave saafri raina, Rabba ve, and Veeran naal sardari.

Love Aaj Kal

This 2009 movie was produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan and directed by Imtiaz Ali who gave us another beautiful movie Jab We Met.

The movie starred Saif Ali Khan as a Sardar Jai Vardhan Singh, Deepika Padukone as Meera Pandit and Giselli Monteiro as Harleen Kaur.

This Song

This song is between Saif Ali Khan and Giselli Monteiro. Irshad Kamil penned the lyrics and Pritam composed them into this song:

अज्ज दिन चढ़ेया
तेरे रंग वरगा
अज्ज दिन चढ़ेया
तेरे रंग वरगा

फूल सा है खिला आज दिन
रब्बा मेरे दिन ये ना ढले
वो जो मुझे खवाब में मिले
उसे तू लगा दे अब गले
तेनू दिल दा वास्ता

रब्बा आया दर पे यार के
सारा जहाँ छोड़ छाड़ के
मेरे सपने संवार दे
तेंनु दिल दा वास्ता

आ.. बक्षा गुनाहों को
सुन के दुवाओं को
रब्बा प्यार है
तूने सब को ही दे दिया

मेरी भी आहों को
सुन ले दुवाओ को
मुझको वो दिला मैंने
जिसको है दिल दिया

हो बक्षा गुनाहों को
सुन के दुवाओं को
रब्बा प्यार है
तूने सब को ही दे दिया

मेरी भी आहों को
सुन ले दुवाओ को
मुझको वो दिला मैंने
जिसको है दिल दिया

आसमान पे आसमान
उसके दे इतना बता
वो जो मुझको देख के हँसे
पाना चाहूं रात दिन जिसे
रब्बा मेरे नाम कर उसे
तेनू दिल दा वास्ता

अज्ज दिन चढ़ेया
तेरे रंग वरगा

हा.. माँगा जो मेरा है
जाता क्या तेरा है
मेने कौन सी
तुझसे जन्नत माँगा ली

कैसा खुदा है तू
बस नाम का है तू
रब्बा जो तेरी
इतनी सी भी ना चली

हा माँगा जो मेरा है
जाता क्या तेरा है
मेने कौन सी
तुझसे जन्नत माँगा ली

कैसा खुदा है तू
बस नाम का है तू
रब्बा जो तेरी
इतनी सी भी ना चली

चाहिए जो मुझे
कर दे तू मुझको अता
जीती रही सलतनत तेरी
जीती रहे आशिक़ी मेरी
देदे मुझे ज़िंदगी मेरी
तेनू दिल दा वास्ता

रब्बा मेरे दिन ये ना ढले
वो जो मुझे खवाब में मिले
उसे तू लगा दे अब गले
तेनू दिल दा वास्ता

रब्बा आया दर पे यार के
सारा जहाँ छोड़ छाड़ के
मेरे सपने संवार दे
तेंनु दिल दा वास्ता

[अज्ज दिन चढ़ेया
तेरे रंग वरगा..
अज्ज दिन चढ़ेया..
तेरे रंग वरगा..] x२
अज्ज दिन चढ़ेया

My Own Poetry

I am avoiding giving you one in Punjabi as I gave you one on Guru Nanak’s Birth Anniversary yesterday. However, here is one on similar theme:

Log Kehte Hain Ishq Mein Kya Rakha Hai

क्या कहूँ अब कहने को क्या रखा है,
तूने मेरी जान मुझे खुदा बना रखा है।

दिल नहीं है मेरा एक आईना है जिसमें,
मैंने तुझे सनम सब से छुपा रखा है।

मैं मगरूर रहा कभी किसी के आगे न झुका,
सजदे में तेरे अब सर को झुका रखा है।

अब मेरा नाम ही तेरे नाम से बदला गया,
प्यार में तेरे अपनी हस्ती को मिटा रखा है।

तू चले जाती है, फिजायें भी चली जाती हैं,
कुदरत की हर चीज़ को तूने जो सिखा रखा है।

अपने ही दिल का पता तुझसे पूछता हूँ,
अब तो बता दे मेरे दिल को कहां रखा है।

यादों की लहरें उमड़ती हैं सागर बन के,
हर इक याद को मैंने सीने से लगा रखा है।

पहले तुम भी इश्क करो फिर पूछना यारो,
मैंने क्या पाया और किसको गँवा रखा है।

अगली बार मिलेंगे तो अकेले न होंगे हम, रवि,
मैंने सारे ख्वाबों ओ अरमानों को जगा रखा है।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy (incidentally, it takes about an hour to write such posts!): Ajj din chadheya tere rang warga…

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 #50 – Jaanu jaanu re kahe khanke hai. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #51
Itna to yaad hai mujhe

Anand Bakshi – Laxmikant Pyarelal Again

If they made 1680 songs of 302 movie together, chances are that you know quite a few of their beautiful duets. I can think of at least a hundred starting with their first duet in 1964 movie Mr X In Bombay: Khoobsurat haseena, jaanejaan jaaneman.

Invariably, their duets spelt freshness and romance and many a times it was captivating.

This Duet

I had covered this duet in my Raaga Based Songs of the Day series wherein I gave you – what I felt as – the 101 of the Best Raaga Based Songs in Hindi movies.

This is in Raag Tilang, Taal Kaherava.

It is only apt that I should bring out Raag Tilang today since yesterday only we took up the history of Hindustani Music and I mentioned in detail about the fusion of first Sanskrit and later Hindi music with Islamic music, particularly Sufi music that was introduced by Amir Khusrow.

Tilang belongs to Khammaj Thaat. It borrows a lot from Sufi tradition. It is used a lot in Thumri and Khayal. In the Raagmala at the end of Sri Guru Granth Sahib it is shown as a Raagini of Hindol.

Having been placed in Khammaj Thaat makes it a raaga of the night (second prahar), having romantic mood with a hint of yearning (O sajana barkha bahaar aayi, for example).

In the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Tilang has a lot of Islamic vocabulary too. There are a total of twenty hymns in SGGS having been composed in Tilang: Six by Guru Nanak, three by Guru Ram Das, Five by Guru Arjan Dev, Three by Guru Tegh Bahadur, one by Kabir and two by Namdeo.

Some of the songs composed in Raag Tilang are:

1. Sajan Sang Kahe
2. Main Apne Aap Se
3. Bata Do Koi
4. Aaj Mero Man Been
5. Chota Sa Balama
6. Lagi Nahi Chhute
7. Meri Kahani Bhulne
8. Is Duniya Mein
9. Tum Kahe Ko Neha
10. Is Dil Ke Tukde
11. Man Mora Bawara
12. Kismat Bigdi
13. Paijaniya Chhanke Ram
14. Sawan Ka Mahina
15. Piya Tose Naina
16. Ja Main Tose Naahi
17. Kaise Kahein Hum
18. O Gori Gori Gaon KiI have taken the song from the 1971 HS Rawail (He is incidentally the director of the movie of my all time favourite song: Mere Mehboob, Sunghursh and Laila Majnu) movie Mehboob Ki Mehndi starring Rajesh Khanna and Leena Chandavarkar. Laxmikant Pyarelal composed some really delightful songs in the movie on the lyrics of Anand Bakshi.

Please enjoy Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar (undoubtedly the singers of the best duets in Hindi movies) sing a composition of Laxmikant Pyarelal in Raag Tilang, Tal Kaherava, on the lyrics of Anand Bakshi: Itna to yaad hai mujhe…..

Itanaa to yaad hai mujhe, o, itanaa to yaad hai mujhe, haay,
itanaa to yaad hai mujhe ke unase mulaaqaat huii
baad me.n jaane kyaa huaa, naa jaane kyaa baat huii

Saare vafaa ke karz apane chukaake
kisii se dil lagaake chalaa aayaa
nazare.n milaake, nii.Nd apanii ga.Nvaake
kasak dil me.n basaake chalaa aayaa
din to guzar jaayegaa, kyaa hogaa jab raat huii
itanaa to yaad hai mujhe …

Maare hayaa ke, mai.n to aa.Nkhen jhukaake
zaraa daaman bachaake chalii aayii
pardaa haTaake unakii baato.n me.n aake
unhe.n suurat dikhaake chalii aayii
kis se shiqaayat karuu.N, sharaarat mere saath huii
itanaa to yaad hai mujhe …

Thii ik kahaanii pahale ye zi.ndagaanii
tumhe.n dekhaa to jiinaa mujhe aayaa
dilbar-o-jaanii, sharm se paanii paanii
huii mai.n bas pasiinaa mujhe aayaa
aise mai.n bhiig gayii jaise ke barasaat huii
itanaa to yaad hai mujhe …

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #51.

Please await Beautiful Duet #52 – Ye raatein, ye mausam, nadi ka kinara.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #49 – Laakhon hain nigahon mein or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #50.

Song #50
Chah barbaad karegi hamen maalum na tha
Theme-word: First stanza: Zindagi rog banegi hamen maalum na tha

Remembering Kundan Lal Saigal on His Death Anniversary 18 Jan

He was only 42 years old when he died on this day in 1947; couldn’t wait for his 43rd birthday on 11 April or for the Independence of India on 15 Aug.
This song and two other memorable songs of 1946 movie Shahjehan (a fictitious love story during the time of Emperor Shahjehan) were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri in his debut movie (he having been given a break by the great Naushad Ali who was responsible for the career of many singers and actor including having weaned away Mukesh from imitating KL Saigal). As luck would have, all the three songs that I mention, are eminently suitable for my RRR series (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness):
Jab dil hi too gaya hum jee ke kya karnege (KL Saigal liked it so much that he asked that this song be played at his funeral; which, unknown to him, wasn’t too far after the release of Shahjehan in late 1946.
Gham diye mustaqil, itna naazuk that dil ye na jaana.

Lyrics

Of course, KL Saigal’s singing and acting are superb and so is Naushad’s composition. However, I am primarily a Lyrical man. I maintain that the best of Majrooh was in his very first movie:

चाह बर्बाद करेगी हमें मालूम न था (२)
रोते रोते ही कटेगी हमें मालूम न था (२)

मौत भी हम पे हँसेगी हमें मालूम न था
ज़िन्दगी रोग बनेगी हमें मालूम न था (२)
चाह बर्बाद करेगी हमें मालूम न था

छायी घनघोर घटा चाँद सितारे न रहे
वह उम्मीदें न रहीं अब वह सहारे न रहे
ग़ैर तो ग़ैर ही थे वह भी हमारे न रहे
हमपे ऐसी भी पड़ेगी हमें मालूम न था (२)
चाह बर्बाद करेगी हमें मालूम न था

My Own Poetry

HUM RAHE NA HUM…

तनहाई है, उदासी है, पर इतना शोर क्यूं है?
मुहब्बत अच्छी है तो इश्क पे इतना ज़ोर क्यूं है?

चांद निकला नहीं, वही अंधेरी रात है लेकिन,
यहां कोने में खड़ा मुस्कराता चकोर क्यूं है?

उसकी जुल्फें खुली ना थी, ना ही लहराईं,
चारों तरफ फिर यह काली घटा घनघोर क्यूं है?

खुदा ने बख्शी है आदमी को ताकत ओ मजबूती,
फिर प्यार में उसी का दिल इतना कमज़ोर क्यूं है?

अब मिलते नहीं, न ही मिलने की उम्मीद बाकी है,
फिज़ा अब भी उन्हीं की ओर क्यूं है?

कहने को तो सब लोग खुद इन्हिसार और आज़ाद हैं,
ऊनके हाथों में, रवि, फिर मेरी डोर क्यूं है?

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Chah barbaad karegi hamen maalum na tha…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #50 in the series.

Please await Song #51 –  Woh ham na the woh tum na thi.

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 #49 – Dhak dhak karne laga. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #50
Jaanu jaanu re kahe khanake hai tora kangana

A Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle Duet

I told you today about how OP Nayyar rejected Lata Mangeshkar and chose to have his female songs sung by Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum and we all gained by this experiment.

However, it was SD Burman who brought together Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle in a duet in the 1959 movie Insaan Jaag Utha starring Sunil Dutt and Madhubala. The movie has a fantasy song of mine: Lovers in a boat in a lake in moonlit night. This happened in the second stanza of an adorable song Chand sa mukhada kyun sharmaya.

Of course, the magic of this duet that I am about to give you was brought about not just by Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle and SD Burman but also because of the superb lyrics by Shailendra.

Kangana and Other Pieces of Jewelry

Women in the Hindi movies often lost various pieces of their jewelry that led to many songs such as Jhumka gira re and Dhoondo dhoondo re sajana mere kaan ka bala. Then there are songs in which these jewelry items spoke to women. I have already given you one in which Kangana (they could wear it around wrists or on the ankles) spoke to her in the silence of the night; ie, Raaton ko chori chori bole mera kangana.

Lets have a look at the lyrics:

जानूँ जानूँ री काहे खनके है तोरा कंगना
मैं भी जानूँ री छुपके कौन आया तोरे अंगना

पीपल की छैंया टेल बतियाँ बनाय के
भोले भाले दिल को ले गया उड़ाय के
सखी जानूँ री झूमे है काहे तेरा झुमका
हाहाहा सखी जानूँ री झूमे है काहे तेरा झुमका
मैं भी जानूँ री छुपके कौन आया तोरे अंगना

बैंया मरोड़ के घर के घेराय के
बैठ गए चाइल्वा मन में समाय के
गोरी जानूँ मैं कहाँ पे गिरी है तेरी बिंदिया
गोरी जानूँ मैं कहाँ पे गिरी है तेरी बिंदिया
जानूँ जानूँ री काहे खनके है तोरा कंगना

तू ना कह किसी से मैं भी ना कहूँगी
अच्छा तो बन जा तू उनकी मैं उनकी रहूँगी
कोई क्या करे बाजे जब पाँव की जब पाँव की पयलिया

Naturally, the two women: Madhubala and Minoo Mumtaz are sharing secrets through Kangana, Jhumka and Bindiya

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Jaanu jaanu re kahe khanke hai tora kangana…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #50.

Please await Beautiful Duet #51 – Itna to yaad hai mujhe.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #48 – Roja jaan-e-mann in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #49.

Song #49
Laakhon hain nigahon mein
Theme-word: Zindagi ki raahon mein

Remembering OP Nayyar on His Birth Anniversary, 16 January

Have a look at some of his movies: This one, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Kashmir Ki Kali, Sawan Ki Ghata, Kalpana, C.I.D., Mr and Mrs 55, Aar Paar, Naya Daur, Phagun, Howrah Bridge, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Humsaya, Mere Sanam and Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi. It would be easy to conclude that the success of the movies owed a lot to the songs that he composed. Indeed, in all these movies, such was his magic that each one of them had the maximum number of hit and super-hit songs. He was a perfectionist and highly disciplined music director. There were occasions when some of his musicians reached late and he started the recording with those who had arrived and even those songs became super hits.

In addition to his Westernised songs, he made serious and sad songs too and raaga based songs in addition. He excelled.

Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon – 1963 Movie

Nasir Hussain placed his bet on Asha Parekh whilst other declined to give her a break (Dil Deke Dekho in 1959) and it paid off handsomely. Most movies with her as heroine became hits. This one too. It starred Joy Mukherjee opposite her.

Just as Kashmir Ki Kali, this too was shot in Srinagar.

Songs were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and these, exuding freshness, are fondly remembered even today:

1. “Banda Parwar Thaam Lo Jigar” Mohammed Rafi
2. “Lakhon Hai Nigaah Mein” Mohammad Rafi
3. “Aanchal Mein Saja Lena Kaliyan” Mohammed Rafi
4. “Aji Qibla Mohtarma” Mohammed Rafi
5. “Zulfon Ki Chhaaon Mein” Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
6. “Humdum Mere, Khel Na Jaano” Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi
7. “Dekho Bijli Dole Bin Baadal Ki” Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar
8. “Aankhon Se Jo Utri Hai Dil Mein” Asha Bhosle
9. “Mujhe Pyar Mein Tum Na Ilzaam Dete” Asha Bhosle

This Song

Guitar, or for that matter, all musical instruments, in Hindi movies are merely fashion statements. Guitars are carried on the shoulders, rotated on the floor (like Zeenie baby did in Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko) or to be thrown away after strumming in the beginning of the song (like Salman Khan in O O jaane jaana dhoonde tujhe deewana).

Joy Mukherjee carries it on his shoulder in this song and never strums it. It probably doesn’t even belong to him. OP Nayyar however composed it as a beautiful guitar based song. But then, Nasir Hussain reckoned that OPN had to worry about it and not his hero.

Joy Mukherjee keeps his eyes firmly on the girls in Shalimar Bagh and to hell with the guitar. He is looking for the love of his life, as per lyrics and finds each one lovely and even alluring but somehow lacking “that something” that he was looking in his beloved:

लाखों हैं निगाह में, ज़िंदगी की राह में
सनम हसीन जवाँ
होठों में गुलाब है, आँखों में शराब है
लेकिन वो बात कहाँ

(लट है किसी की जादू का जाल
रंग डाले दिल पे किसी का जमाल) – २
तौबा ये निगाहें, के रोकती है राहें
देखो ले लेके तीर कमान
लाखों हैं निगाह में …

(जानूं ना दीवाना मैं दिल का
कौन है खयालों की मलिका) – २
भीगी भीगी रुत की छाओं तले
मान लो कहीं वो आन मिले
कैसे पहचानूँ, के नाम नहीं जानूँ
किसे ढूँढे मेरे अरमान
लाखों हैं निगाह में …

(कभी कभी वो एक मह-जबीं
डोलती है दिल के पास कहीं) – २
हैं जो यही बातें
तो होंगी मुलाकातें
कभी यहाँ नहीं तो वहाँ

हाय, लाखों हैं निगाह में …

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Lakhon hain nigahon mein…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #49 in the series.

Please await Song #50 –  Chah barbaad karegi hamen.

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #49 in the series. I hope you liked Song #48 – Zindagi ke safar mein.

Song #49
Likhe jo khat tujhe
Theme-word: Savera jab hua wo phool ban gaye, Jo raat aayi to sitaare ban gaye

Neeraj Gopaldas

The commercial failure of the only production of Shailendra (Lyricist): Teesri Kasam (mainly due to the delay in its release by two years due to Raj Kapoor’s priority of releasing his Sangam first) led to Shailendra taking to drinks heavily, which led to his death on 14 Dec 1966, the year of release of Teesri Kasam.

Shankar Jaikishan (Neeraj’s son in an article in The Tribune on 12 Aug 2018 claimed that “rift had developed between Shankar and Jaikishan and Raj Kapoor due to the commercial failure of Mera Naam Joker” (1970 movie) were, therefore, looking for a replacement for Shailendra and Neeraj came in handy. He had begun his career with 1964 movie Cha Cha Cha.

Kanyadaan – 1968 Movie

This movie, directed by Mohan Sehgal was the first movie when Neeraj wrote for Shankar Jaikishan, together with Hasrat Jaipuri. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote four of the songs and Neeraj wrote three. Neeraj’s song became the most popular song of the movie.

It was sung by Mohammad Rafi for Shashi Kapoor. He addressed it to Asha Parekh who, it turned out, was already married when just a girl though she had never met the husband.

Lyrics

लिखे जो ख़त तुझे वो तेरी याद में
हज़ारों रंग के नज़ारे बन गए
सवेरा जब हुआ तो फूल बन गए
जो रात आई तो सितारे बन गए

कोई नगमा कहीं गूँजा, कहा दिल ने के तू आई
कहीं चटकी कली कोई, मैं ये समझा तू शरमाई
कोई ख़ुशबू कहीं बिख़री, लगा ये ज़ुल्फ़ लहराई

फ़िज़ा रंगीं अदा रंगीं, ये इठलाना ये शरमाना
ये अंगड़ाई ये तनहाई, ये तरसा कर चले जाना
बना दे ना कहीं मुझको, जवां जादू ये दीवाना

जहाँ तू है वहाँ मैं हूँ, मेरे दिल की तू धड़कन है
मुसाफ़िर मैं तू मंज़िल है, मैं प्यासा हूँ तू सावन है
मेरी दुनिया ये नज़रें हैं, मेरी जन्नत ये दामन है

My Own Poetry

Tum Ho To Sab Kuchh Hai, Tum Nahin To Kuchh Bhi Nahin

फूल हैं बड़े सुन्दर और रंगीले,
लाल, हरे, नीले और पीले I
इनसे अलग एक है सबसे प्यारा,
वह है सनम चेहरा तुम्हारा I

तुम हो तो ज़िन्दगी है चमन,
तुम नहीं तो ज़िन्दगी वीरान,
फूलों को भी पता है जान-ए-बहार,
तुम्ही तो हो फूलों की जान I

भँवरे बाग़ में गुनगुनाते हैं,
तितलियों संग मन लुभाते हैं I
पर सबसे दिलकश है तुम्हारा गीत,
जिसने मेरा दिल लिया है जीत I

तुम हो तो ज़िन्दगी है सुरीली,
तुम नहीं तो ज़िन्दगी सुनसान,
भंवरों को भी पता है जान-ए-मौसिकी,
तुम्ही तो हो भंवरों की जान I

झरने ताज़गी बरसा रहे हैं,
आशिकों के दिल तरसा रहें हैं I
पर फ़िज़ाएं जो चूमें तेरे रुखसार,
ले के आएं हसीं प्यार की बौछार I

तुम हो तो ज़िन्दगी में ताज़गी,
तुम नहीं तो ज़िन्दगी वीरान,
झरनों को भी पता है जान-ए-शादाब,
तुम्ही तो हो झरनों की जान I

सपनो की दुनिया लगती है रंगीन,
बादलों के ऊपर वह नगरी हसीन,
पर जिसने देखा तेरी आँख का नज़ारा,
ख्वाब-ए-जन्नत से कर बैठा किनारा I

तुम हो तो वो दुनिया पहचानी है,
तुम नहीं तो वो दुनिया अनजान,
सपनो को भी पता है जान-ए-ख्वाब,
तुम्ही तो हो सपनो की जान I

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Likhe jo khat tujhe…

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 #48 – Maine kaha tha aana Sunday ko. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #49
Dhak dhak karne laga

Remembering Saroj Khan on Her First Birth Anniversary After Her Death, 22 Nov 20220

She died this year on 3rd Jul at the height of COVID 19 Lockdowns and hence only twenty people could attend her funeral. What she did to about 3000 songs in Hindi movies would have actually had millions appearing for her death at sudden cardiac arrest.

Not just that she was the first female choreographer in the Hindi movies, her choreography of the songs of the movies often led to the movie becoming super hit. Let me give you some examples: Sridevi’s Hawa hawai song’s choreography was copied not only in movies in other languages but also in Hindi movies! Similarly, this song made Madhuri Dixit and the movie Beta of 1992 super hits.

One can say, with great credibility, that she also helped redefine choreography by focusing on sensuality.

Beta – 1992

Indra Kumar’s 1992 movie starred Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles and star in this beautiful duet too. The song won Saroj Khan the Filmfare Best Choreography Award and helped quicken the heartbeats of many of us. I trace my own insomnia back to this song!

Anil Kapoor and Nadhuri Dixit easily walked away with Best Actor and Best Actress awards and Aunradha Paudwal for the Best Female Playback singer. She sang for Madhuri Dixit and Udit Narayan for Anil Kapoor.

My Own Poetry

I never give my own poetry on Shakeel’s songs. However, Sameer wrote these lyrics and here is my matching poetry:

Here is as light-hearted one as Sameer wrote:

Pyaar Mein Lachaar

बात बात पे समझती हैं मुझे गुनहगार,
पर कहती हैं यही तो है सच्चा प्यार।
चेहरा रहता है लाल जैसे चढ़ा हो बुखार,
पर फिर भी कहती हैं उन्हें है प्यार।
सर हिला के हर चीज़ को करती हैं इनकार,
पर इसमें शक नहीं उन्हें है बहुत प्यार।
डांट खाने पे हम रोते हैं ज़ार ज़ार,
चलो कम से कम उन्हें हमसे है प्यार।
कभी देती हैं ललकार, कभी देती हैं दुत्कार,
कहती है सिर्फ हम से ही है उन्हें प्यार।
जब से हुआ है उन्हें, मेरा जीना है दुश्वार,
हाय, क्यूं हुआ है उन्हें मुझसे प्यार?
फटे कपड़ों में अब किस से करें इज़हार,
कि मेरा बैड लक है, उन्हें है मुझसे प्यार।
हमारा सोना और जीना है उनका उधार,
आह, उनको हम से ही तो है प्यार!
बस अब जीने दे मुझे मेरी यार,
कुछ रोज़ रहने दे अपना यह प्यार।

The Song

These lyrics are by Sameer who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of songs written by him. These were composed by Anand Milind:

अ: (धक-धक करने लगा, हो मोरा जीयरा डरने लगा
सैंया बैंया छोड़ ना, कच्ची कलियाँ तोड़ न) -२

उ: (दिल से दिल मिल गया, मुझसे कैसी ये हया
तू है मेरी दिलरुबा, क्या लगती है, वाह रे वाह) -२

अ: अपना बनाया पीया तूने मुझे, मैं मीठे-मीठे सपने सजाने लगी
उ: देखा मेरी रानी जब मैंने तुझे, मेरी सोई-सोई धड़कन गाने लगी
अ: जादू तेरा छाने लगा, मेरी नस-नस में समाने लगा
उ: ख़ुद को मैं भुलाने लगा, तुझे साँसों में बसाने लगा
अ: रिश्ता, अब ये रिश्ता, साथी टूटेगा न तोड़े कभी
उ: दिल से दिल मिल गया …

उ: उलझी है काली-काली लट तेरी, ज़रा इन ज़ुल्फ़ों को सुलझाने तो दे
अ: इतनी भी क्या है जलदी तुझे, घड़ी अपने मिलन की तू आने तो दे
उ: ऐसे न बहाने बना, मेरी रानी, अब तो बाहों में आ
अ: ऐसे न निगाहें मिला, कोई देखेगा तो सोचेगा क्या?
उ: मस्ती छाई है मस्ती, आके लग जा गले से अभी

अ: धक-धक करने लगा …
उ: दिल से दिल मिल गया …

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Dhak dhak karne laga…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #49.

Please await Beautiful Duet #50 – Jaanu jaanu re kaahe khanke hai.

Zindagi or Jeevan Songs Series

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Oct 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

I hope you liked my choice for Song #47 – Hasne ki chaah ne itna mujhe in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #48.

Song #48
Roja jaan-e-mann
Theme-word: Last stanza: Pyar ke bina meri zindagi udaas hai

Love – the Strongest Influence of My Life

I am a Love man. More than anything, I am in love with God’s Creation and all people and things around me and, of course, Lyn. Hence, I am one person who feels exactly as this line in the song. If Love is not there, I am not there.

Roja – 1992 Movie

Even before AR Rahman, the composer, received two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire, I felt that Roja had his best songs and music. Songs like: Dil hai chhota sa, chhoti is asha; this song, Bharat ham ko jaan se bhi pyara hai, Yeh haseen waadiyan ye khula aasman, Rukmani Rukmani shaadi ke baad kya hua.

Whilst Mehboob, the lyricist, paired with Rahman to make a favourite of mine: Tu hi re from Mani Ratnam’s Bombay starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, this song was penned by PK Mishra. At the age of 65 years, he died on the Christmas Day in 2008 in Chennai where he used to reside, even though a Rajasthani.

In the TOI of the day after his death (all national dailies did features on him basically because of the success) I read that he was so confident of the quality of his lyrics that he didn’t even fix up his remuneration for Roja songs. However, after Roja he frequently paired with AR Rahman.

Arvind Swamy was Rishikumar, a cryptologist with R.A.W. He marries Madhoo in the title role purely by accident. On their honeymoon in Kashmir, he is kidnapped by the terrorists and it is left to the 18 years old bride, Roja, to find him and rescue him.

Since, I have written so much about PK Mishra (One needs not write anything about AR Rahman, he is already the greatest), here are the beautiful lyrics of the song that he sings about Roja whilst in the custody of the terrorists:

रोजा जान-ए-मन तू ही मेरा दिल
तुझ बिन तरसे नैना
दिल से ना जाती हैं यादें तुम्हारी
कैसे तुम बिन जीना
आँखों में तू है आँसू में तू है
आँखें बंद कर लूं तो मन में भी तू है
ख़्वाबों में तू साँसों में तू, रोजा …

१) छू के यूं चली हवा जैसे छू गए हो तुम
फूल जो खिले थे वो, शूल बन गए हैं क्यों
जी रहा हूँ इस लिये दिल में प्यार है तेरा
ज़ुल्म सह रहा हूँ क्यों इन्तज़ार है तेरा
तुमसे मिले बिना जान भी ना जाएगी
क़यामत से पहले सामने तू आएगी
कहाँ है तू कैसी है तू, रोजा?

२) ठंडी ठंडी आए हवा तेरा काम क्या यहाँ
मीत नहीं पास में चाँदनी तू लौट जा
फूल क्यों खिले हो तुम ज़ुल्फ़ नहीं वो यहाँ
झुके झुके आसमान मेरी हँसी ना उड़ा
प्यार के बिना मेरी ज़िन्दगी उदास है
कोई नहीं है मेरा सिर्फ़ तेरी आस है
ख़्वाबों में तू, साँसों में तू, रोजा …

The movie was made in 1992 by Mani Ratnam in 1992. In 1993, it was dubbed in Hindi. The movie won three national awards including the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film for National Integration. Suddenly, Mani Ratnam was a name to reckon with.

My Own Poetry

LOVE BEYOND THE PAIN

Don’t love me, O’ sweet, when we meet,
For there is less
Glee in achieving than in yearning.
From here it’s alluring,
The scent of your tress;
I get my joys in burning,
In pining, in longing
And in sorrow,
And waiting for each tomorrow.
I don’t want to strangle my dreams to death,
You, alone, sit in my dream castle
On an island in a grieving river;
And far below
In a dark dungeon I am thrown.
I reach out my hands without catching ye,
Ye outside smile at me.
And, lo! I wish not my hands were free.
I shall wait…wait till the pains are so much,
That they burn themselves in their own scars,
The waters of grieving river’d calm down,
The cell would break its own bars.
Then you and I’ll live away from town,
In a small hut by a joyous brook.
We’d work, we’d eat, we’d play the deep
Game of love,
And thus at last we’d sleep.

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Roja jaan-e-mann, Tu dil ki dhadakan…..

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #48 in the series.

Please await Song #49 –  Laakhon hain nigahon mein.

I started this series on my Facebook group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne on 18 Aug 20. Since then, many other members have put up these songs. Here, I shall be giving you one of my own, per day.

This is the Song #47 in the series. I hope you liked Song #47 – Aaj ki raat piya dil na todo.

Song #48
Zindagi ke safar mein
Theme-word: Ek baar chale jaate hain jo Din-Raat, Subah-O-Shaam, woh phir nahin aate

Din Raat and not Zindagi Song

I have mentioned this a number of times that Din or Raat are caused by the rotation of the Earth around the Sun. A number of these put together is Zindagi. Here in this song, in the last stanza, the way Anand Bakshi brought out the passing of Din-Raat and Subah-O-Shaam, I would prefer this to be used as a Raat or Din song than Zindagi song. In any case, many of you would agree with me, especially after 08 Mar 2021 that you can’t stop Din Raat, Subah Shaam. You let moments go by, like grains of sand, they don’t return again.

Lets put it this way: the richest man or woman on Earth can buy everything else except the moment gone by.

Raag Bihag

Today is the day when everyone is talking about raagas. I had put up a song in Raag Bihag at a very early stage in my Raaga Based Song of the Day series: Tere sur aur mere geet from Vijay Bhatt’s Goonj Uthi Shehnai. The plot of his Baiju Bawra was copied in Raja Nawathe’s Basant Bahar enabling Shankar Jaikishan to try to outdo Naushad’s 13 raaga based songs in it. In Goonj Uthi Shehnai Vijay Bhatt repeated the magic of raaga based songs through Bharat Vyas and Vasant Desai.

In my holy book Sri Guru Granth Sahib Raag Bihagra occurs on pages 537 to 557. Raag Bihag is from the Bilawal thaat (also in SGGS). Normally, Bihag is used as a wedding raag since it is both romantic and celebratory. However, Rahul Dev Burman has used it here in Karuna ras and not Sringar.

Anand Bakshi and RD Burman

I have already brought out that their pairing was the second most pairing used (the first one being Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal) and some of the most memorable songs in Hindi movies have been created by this pair (Recall Aandhi songs).

Aap Ki Kasam

The song is from the 1974 movie by this name produced and directed (his debut) by J Om Prakash. The names of movies by him had to start with the letter A as told to him by an astrologer (Films people believe in it more than average people since huge chunks of money are involved). So he made such movies as this, Aakraman, Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka, Aakhir Kyun?, Apnapan, Aasha, Aadmi Khilauna Hai and Aan Milo Sajna.

Kishore Kumar

Whatever you do and think, there is no way you can ever find Kishore Kumar anything but adorable. I like some of the serious songs that he has sung including this one. As far as Raaga based songs are concerned, this is what Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi had to say about it, “We are fortunate that Kishore Kumar wasn’t trained in classical music. Else, most of us would have been out of business.”

Lyrics

Very appropriate lyrics for all of us in this group and family called Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. I simply adore the last stanza:

ज़िंदगी के सफ़र में गुज़र जाते हैं जो मकाम
वो फिर नहीं आते, वो फिर नहीं आते

फूल खिलते हैं, लोग मिलते हैं
फूल खिलते हैं, लोग मिलते हैं मगर
पतझड़ में जो फूल मुरझा जाते हैं
वो बहारों के आने से खिलते नहीं
कुछ लोग जो सफ़र में बिछड़ जाते हैं
वो हज़ारों के आने से मिलते नहीं
उम्र भर चाहे कोई पुकारा करे उनका नाम
वो फिर नहीं आते, वो फिर नहीं आते
ज़िन्दगी के सफ़र में …

आँख धोखा है, क्या भरोसा है
आँख धोख है, क्या भरोसा है सुनो
दोस्तों शक़ दोस्ती का दुश्मन है
अपने दिल में इसे घर बनाने न दो
कल तड़पना पड़े याद में जिनकी
रोक लो रूठ कर उनको जाने न दो
बाद में प्यार के चाहे भेजो हज़ारों सलाम
वो फिर नहीं आते, वो फिर नहीं आते
ज़िन्दगी के सफ़र में …

सुबह आती है, शाम जाती है
सुबह आती है, शाम जाती है यूँही
वक़्त चलता ही रहता है रुकता नहीं
एक पल में ये आगे निकल जाता है
आदमी ठीक से देख पाता नहीं
और परदे पे मंज़र बदल जाता है
एक बार चले जाते हैं जो दिन-रात सुबह-ओ-शाम
वो फिर नहीं आते, वो फिर नहीं आते
ज़िन्दगी के सफ़र में …

My Own Poetry

Of course, Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur sang a great song on the theme in an unreleased movie: Nigaahen na phero chale jayenge hum.

Here is my own effort:
Hamen Youn Jaane Na Deejiye

रोक रखिये रात को, सुबह को आने ना दीजिये,
बैठे हैं आपकी बज़्म में, हमें यूँ जाने ना दीजिये।

आज तक हमने मानी है आपकी हर एक बात,
अपने आप को बढ़ चढ़ के, बातें बनाने ना दीजिये।

आपके साथ कई दिन बिताए थे हमने बहार में,
खिज़ा में बीते दिनों की यादों को सताने ना दीजिये।

प्यार में हमें बेहद खुशी का हुआ था एहसास,
चांदनी गयी तो अब आंसू बहाने ना दीजिये।

ग़म-ए-हिज्र की होने को है अब इन्तहा,
ग़म-ए-हिज्र में बेसबर मर जाने ना दीजिये।

आपकी आंखों ने पिलाये थे जाम उल्फत के,
आंखों से अब बेवफाई के पैमाने ना दीजिये।

खाये हैं इस दिल ने हजारों धोखे और फरेब,
दिल को और ज़ुल्म ओ सितम उठाने ना दीजिये।

आपके एहसान तले जल गया आशियां मेरा,
हो सके तो मुझे और ऐसे नज़राने ना दीजिये।

आपकी वफ़ा की गलत फहमी से ज़िन्दा हैं उम्मीदें,
उम्मीदों को इस तरह बेमौत दफनाने ना दीजिये।

रुखसत के बाद भी हम याद आएंगे, रवि,
बीती यादों को तन्हाई में तड़पाने ना दीजिये।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Zindagi ke safar mein guzr jaate hain jo mukaam woh phir nahin aate…