Beautiful Duet Series

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.

On 05 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #6 – Dil ki nazar se. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #7
Tasveer teri dil mein jis din se utari hai

Dev Anand and His Heroines

There has to be something about his aura. How can it be that he had remarkable chemistry with all heroines who acted with him. Most of them, if not all, gave their best performances with him; be it Waheeda Rehman in Guide (Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain, Madhubala in Kala Pani (Accha ji main haar maan jaayo na), Vyjayanthimala in Duniya (Dooriyan nazdeekiyan ban gayi), Sadhana in Asli Naqli (Tujhe jeevan ki dore se baandh liya hai), Kalpana Kartik in Nau Do Gyarah (Aankhon mein kya ji rupahla baadal), Asha Parekh in Mahal (Yeh duniya waale poochenge), Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne (Hey maine kasam li), Zeenat Aman in Heera Panna (Panna ki tamanna hai), Suchitra Sen in Bambai Ka Babu (Deewana mastana hua dil), Hema Malini in Johny Mera Naam (Waada to nibhaya), Zahida in Gambler (Choodi nahin ye mera dil hai, and the best with Suraiya, eg in Vidya (Layi khushi ki duniya with a rare Mukesh singing for him and she singing for herself).

Indeed, such was his image that in Teen Deviyan he successfully wooed all three of them: Kalpana (Are yaar meri tum bhi ho ghazab), Nanda (Likha hai teri aankhon mein) and Simi Grewal (Kahin bekhayal ho kar; he didn’t sing a duet with her).

Dev Anand and Mala Sinha

They acted together in Love Marriage in 1959 and Maya in 1961. Love Marriage, of course, has their unforgettable duet: Dheere dheere chal chand gagan mein with magic created by Shankar Jaikishan and Maya having this iconic duet. And this, after weighing the fact that none of us would place Mala Sinha in the top five favourite actresses.

In this song, for example, her acting is worth watching. Being unbiased, I would place it better than his!

Maya – the Movie

The movie was highly rated movie directed by DD Kashyap. In reality it should be rated among top trash movies of all times. Except for two songs of the movie, both being my favourite (this one and Jaa re jaa re udd jaa re panchhi), there is nothing at all in the movie. Somehow, the quality of movies of that time didn’t match the quality of songs.

The Song

The magic of this song was created by Majrooh Sultanpuri, Salil Chowdhary, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi.

तस्वीर तेरी दिल में जिस दिन से उतारी है
फिरूँ तुझे संग लेके, नए-नए रंग लेके
सपनों की महफ़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

माथे की बिंदिया तू है, सनम
नैनों का कजरा, पिया, तेरा ग़म
नैन किए नीचे-नीचे
रहूँ तेरे पीछे-पीछे
चलूँ किसी मंज़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

तुमसे नज़र जब गई है मिल
जहाँ हैं कदम तेरे, वहीं मेरा दिल
झुके जहाँ पलकें तेरी
खुले जहाँ ज़ुल्फ़ें तेरी
रहूँ उसी मंज़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

तूफ़ान उठाएगी दुनिया, मगर
रुक ना सकेगा दिल का सफ़र
यूँ ही नज़र मिलती होगी
यूँ ही शमा जलती होगी
तेरी-मेरी मंज़िल में
तस्वीर तेरी दिल में…

Other Tasveer Songs

There are quite a few, eg, Tasveer banata hoon teri khoon-e-jigar se, Jo baat tujh mein hain teri tasveer mein nahin, Tasveer banata hoon tasveer nahin banati, Meri tasveer leke kya karoge and Kisi roz tumase mulaqaat hogi (Zara tasveer se tu nikalke saamne aa).

There is no doubt that this happens to be the best Tasveer song of all times.

Please enjoy: Tasveer teri dil mein jis din se utari hai…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #7.

Please await Beautiful Duet #8- Rimjhim ke taraane leke aayi barsaat.

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 #5 – Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #6.

Remembering Manna Dey on His Death Anniversary 24 Oct

We lost him on this day in the year 2013. Having been born on the Labour Day in 1919 in Calcutta, he recorded his first playback song for the 1942 movie Tamanna, a duet with Suraiya that was composed by KC Dey: Jago aayee usha panchhi bole jago.

He soon emerged the singer of choice for raaga based songs. He tried his hand at comical songs too with great success. Some of his duets in the movies are immortal. One of his unforgettable raaga based songs was in Raag Basant Bahar for the movie with the same name: Ketaki gulab juhi. Another unforgettable song of his is from Waqt: Aye meri zohrazabeen. Yet another is Aye mere pyare watan. Needless to say he made a name for himself as a quniqe playback singer.

He was the recipient of Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and finally Padma Vibhushan and to top it all Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Seema – 1955 Movie

I have taken the song from the 1955 Amiya Chakraborty movie Seema starring Nutan and Balraj Sahni.

Incidentally, both the movies won Nutan Best Actress Awards, as did three other movies: Sujata, Milan and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki.

Shailendra’s Lyrics

From Ashok (Balraj Sahni) being a kind-hearted Manager of an Orphanage, suddenly, in this hymn, Shailendra raises the level to God Himself.

Shankar Jaikishan’s Composition

They chose a dignified Raag Darbari Kanada, Tal Kaherava to compose it. It is not my intention to give you intricacies of this raag here. Suffice it to say that if you think of other songs in the same raag and tal (not all by S-J), you would get the feel: Hum tujhase muhabbat karke sanam, Hum tumase juda hoke, Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani pe roye, O duniya ke rakhwale, Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahin and Tora man darpan kehlaye.

My Own Poetry

The Song

Raat or Din Songs Series

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 #6 in the series. I hope you liked Song #5 – Sab kuchh luta ke hosh mein aaye.

Song #6
Raat ne kya kya khwab dikhaye

Beautiful Duet Series

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.

On 05 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #5 – Jhilmil sitaaron ka mausam hoga. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #6
Dil ki nazar se

No. 1 Beautiful Duet in Hindi Movies

As seen by me this is the #1 romantic duet in the Hindi films and all of us deserve it to recall how it was decades ago when we fell in love: the muted (during those times) excitement, the magic, the awe of going into unknown journey (Hrishikesh Mukherjee in his debut directorial attempt has made them go in a boat rowed by him into unknown waters! Just imagine the excellence of his Direction!), and the overwhelming feeling that the celestial bodies: the sky and the moon are rejoicing in your love. Can’t think of a better and more beautiful duet.

Closest to My Heart

This song, as you all know, is closest to my heart. So much so that I still miss the group that I formed with the title of this song. It holds more magic for me than any other romantic duet. According to me it is a perfect mix of lyrics (the starting point of emotions), composition, music arrangement, prelude and interludes, cinematography and outstanding histrionics displayed by Nutan and matched h by h by our own Raj Kapoor, the greatest showman in Indian films ever.

Lyrics with Preludes, Interludes and Coda

Coming to Preludes, Interludes and Coda. As seen by me these are not merely bridges between mukhada and antaras but significant adornments (in this case totally instrumental). Whilst background music in mukhadas and antaras is, as the name suggests, in the background and main carriers of emotions are the lyrics, in preludes, interludes and coda, the music by itself supplements the emotions of the lead actors.

Let me start with the short coda. It results into both sealing their love with tightly holding hands. This is the time when all other emotions should recede into the background: the doubts, the questions (that the lyrics relentlessly ask in the song), and the awe of embarking into unknown territory. There has to be finality about holding on to each other and nothing else. And see how beautifully this end piece has succeeded. Why am I starting from coda? Because the song and its questions are leading to something and once you have it right you will get M1, M2, M3 right!
I need to explain it slightly more about this finality. The first two stanzas have been sung by them separately. The third stanza has been sung by them together but with separate lines. However, just before the end piece they have finished asking questions and sing the mukhada together. Remember they say the family that prays together stays together. Here, the couple that sings together sticks together! Please notice the effect of this coda. They ain’t now looking at the chand, akaash, or anything else. They are just looking into each other’s eyes wherein not just the akaash and chand exists but the entire universe.

Sorry for labouring on this to this extent but if you have got this right, there would be no problem in understanding the prelude, M1, M2 and M3.

Prelude First

Prelude is so beautifully enacted by Nutan that it leaves me totally stunned. She is a woman. Earlier, in another Chand song she had teased him for being Anari (Naive): समझने वाले समझ गये हैं, न समझे, न समझे वो अनाड़ी हैं I Elsewhere, I had already brought out that this song is an extension of those emotions. NOW, she has suddenly understood that he isn’t Anari anymore and that this is the love of her life. The prelude with the notes of accordion starts with joyous feeling but with shyness (of her being a woman; those were not the days when women could express love openly) and the fear of the unknown. These are mixed feelings depicted in the prelude though you feel that probably the joy is more in focus than other emotions. He too has his doubts which are in prominence in the second part of the prelude. His doubts are naturally about his being poor and she being a millionaire’s daughter. At this juncture, let me tell you how confidence builds up for him as the song progresses. So at the end of the second stanza when he says the following (hats off to Shailendra for having thought of that), it doesn’t sound as a ridiculous boast:
सब कुछ हमारा, अब है तुम्हाराI

M1, M2, M3

Now for M1. The origin of this duet is: Seene se uthkar honthon pe aaya. Superb picturisation in words by Shailendra. The notes are indicating muted joy at the discovery of their love and at the next moment the awe of having moved into unknown (and as deep as the sea) territory.
And Shailendra’s lyrics seamlessly fit after M1:

क्यों बेखबर, यूँ खिंचीसी चली जा रही मैं (being physically also rowed by him)
ये कौनसे बन्धनों में बंधी जा रही मैं (deep and unknown territory; no earlier experience)
कुछ खो रहा है, कुछ मिल रहा है
ये बात क्या है, ये राज़ क्या है (the discovery of this secret)
कोई हमें बता दे, दिल की नज़र से

M2 is so typically S-J that if someone was to play this anywhere, without even knowing the song, you would say S-J. It is leading to second antara. It has to be magical; the sheer ecstasy of true love and perhaps a little intoxication too. The notes of M2 say it clearly. Listen to the entire song as an instrumental and you would know what I am saying. The words that follow have enormous meaning because of S-J’s M2 here. You are in another world even before he opens with:

हम खो चले, चाँद है या कोई जादूगर है
या, मदभरी, ये तुम्हारी नज़र का असर हैI

The third interlude or M3 is playful. I would hand it over to Hrishikesh Mukherjee more than to anyone else. Look at the words:

आकाश में, हो रहें हैं ये कैसे इशारे
क्या, देखकर, आज हैं इतने खुश चाँद-तारे

A lesser director would, at this stage, actually take you to the sky and the moon and the stars. Hrishikesh doesn’t let the focus shift from the lovers at all. You want to see the sky? Look into Raj Kapoor’s face. You want to see the moon? Look into Nutan’s eyes!

M3 superbly builds up to this excellent direction and cinematography (I had brought it up several times that S-J were the duo who took into account these aspects whilst composing and giving music to their songs.
Every which way you look at it, this is a perfect romantic duet.

Please enjoy: Dil ki nazar se..

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #6.

Please await Beautiful Duet #7- Tasveer teri dil mein.

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 #3 – Aaj jaane ki zidd na karo in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #4.

Song #4
Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka
Theme-word: Usi ne hai loota maza zindagi ka and in the very last line! Satayega kya gham use zindagi ka.

Remembering Shammi Kapoor on His Birth Anniversary 21 Oct

Recently, I talked about the contribution of Kapoor family to Hindi cinema, which, thanks to their patronage was rid of the parochialism of Bengalis when the Hindi films industry was located in Calcutta. Indeed, Kapoors ensured that talent from all across the country was encouraged.
I told you about the three in the family: the doyen Prithviraj Kapoor and two out of three sons: Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor who were awarded the highest in cinematic excellence: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. And the third son who didn’t get the award was Shammi Kapoor, who really knew how to act!

He acted in all movies with bad names and yet he emerged as the paragon of gentlemanliness: Janwar, Budtameez, Junglee, Bluff Master and so on.

Kashmir Ki Kali

This 1964 Shakti Samanta movie was the debut film of Sharmila Tagore. There was tremendous chemistry between Sharmila and Sharmila and they both enacted their roles with passion: a poor flower girl in Srinagar and spoiled brat of a rich family respectively.
The movie owes its success not just to the romantic pair but also to the freshness of the songs created by SH Bihari, OP Nayyar, Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle; indeed the freshness of the songs competed with the freshness of the songs and we had all kinds of songs too in the movie.

Shammi Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi

Mukesh became the singing voice of Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor gave some of his songs also to Manna Dey. However, Shammi Kapoor stuck with Mohammad Rafi. Hence, some of the best and most romantic songs of Mohammad Rafi are picturised on Shammi Kapoor.

This Song Theme

Many lyricists have penned words in this theme and I shall be giving you many such songs. Zindagi is to be measured by the scale of Love and then you realise that Zindagi pyar ki do chaar ghadi hoti hai, Chahe thodi hi ho yeh umr badi hoti hai. SH Bihari immortalised this theme with lyrics that are, if I may say so, extraordinary:

है दुनिया उसी की, ज़माना उसी का
मोहब्बत में जो हो गया हो किसी का

(लुटा जो मुसाफ़िर दिल के सफ़र में
है जन्नत यह दुनिया उसकी नज़र में) – २
उसी ने है लूटा मज़ा ज़िंदगी का
मोहब्बत में …

(है सजदे के काबिल हर वो दीवाना
के जो बन गया हो तसवीर-ए-जाना) – २
करो एह्तराम उस की दीवानगी का
मोहब्बत में …

(बर्बाद होना जिसकी अदा (???) हो
दर्द-ए-मोहब्बत जिसकी दवा हो) – २
सताएगा क्या ग़म उसे ज़िंदगी का
मोहब्बत में …

Enacting This Song

It is not just the lyrics. The song was immortalised by its outstanding composition (including Manohri’s saxophone), extremely passionate singing by Mohammad Rafi and its enactment in the bar by Rajiv (Shammi Kapoor), the saxophonist and the mustachioed Colonel. The entire effect is as if the lyrics, composition, singing and enacting gelled into one compact performance. No one can ever have enough of this song; it is like eating peanuts; you can’t have one!

My Own Poetry

Zindagi Mil Jayegi Dobara

बारिश कभी रुक जाए,
यकायक बरसते बरसते।
ज़ुबान कभी हो जाए खुश्क,
एक बूंद को तरसते तरसते।
दिल कभी खामोश हो जाए,
ऐसे ही धड़कते धड़कते।
नजरें बन जाएं पथरीली,
दो पल बहकते बहकते।
बादल अचानक छंट जाएं,
चमक के गरजते गरजते।
शमा बुझने को हो तैयार,
सारी रात लरजते लरजते।
आंखों की नमी हो जाए खत्म,
आंसूओं को झटकते झटकते।
मेरे कदम हो जाएं साकिन,
तेरी गलियों में भटकते भटकते।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, on Shammi Kapoor’s birth anniversary today, lets enjoy a song beautifully enacted by him on the lyrics of SH Bihari, composition of OP Nayyar, voice of Mohammad Rafi in the 1964 Shakti Samanta movie Kashmir Ki Kali: Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #4 in the series.

Please await Song #5 –  Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin.

Raat or Din Songs Series

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 fourth song in the series. I hope you liked Song #3 – Tere bina zindagi se koi.

Song #9
Tumhaare nain dekh ke suna hai log jogi ho gaye
Theme-word: In italics in the Lyrics

Laying Bare My Soul

Today, after a long time, I am laying bare my soul in both Raat Or Din Songs Series and Beautiful Duets Series.

There are songs that are close to my heart. One is Shakeel – Naushad – Rafi ghazal Mere mehboob tujhe meri mohabbat ki kasam. The others are Hemant Kumar songs.

I have never put up Mere mehboob tujhe and I am very shy (reluctant) to put up Hemant Kumar songs. If you scan through my posts you’ll realise that I don’t easily put up Hemant Kumar.

Some of you have speculated about the reasons for my reluctance. Even I don’t know fully. Perhaps I feel that if I have to put up these songs close to my heart, the realm that I have built around them in my imagination would be shattered. Incidentally, it used to happen with seeing even videos of the songs close to my heart.

When I was in my late teens, I used to get this feeling in sleep that my soul is flying out of my body and visiting places, providing me aerial view of strange and unknown places. It was such a strong and real feeling that there were times when I tried to hold on to bed in the hope that somehow the soul won’t leave me alone in bed. However, it was beyond me and once I got used to being rid of my fears, I enjoyed the aerial journeys at night.

Our nearest neighbour in Dharamsala was the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and his family. Once, I disclosed about my nocturnal aerial journeys to his wife. She mentioned that this phenomenon with some people had been recorded in books and is related to the Astral. She, however, mentioned that the more people I shared it with, it would go away shortly. It lasted until a few years after I joined the Navy. So, it is perhaps registered in my mind that telling people about matters of my heart make their effect go away.

Some of you may like to comment on it.

Rahgir – The Movie

Rahgir literally means passer-by. Some of you may recall how Rahi is what Kishore Kumar depicted in his movies, trying to find the Meaning of Life. To give him due credit he made movies like Door Ka Rahi to satisfy an inner quest and not for commercial purposes.
It is perhaps a Bengali thing; this movie too was first made in Bengali (the 1963 Bengali movie Palatak). Rahgir too was about finding the Meaning of Life. It was a 1969 movie directed by Tarun Majumdar and starring his wife Sandhya Roy (presently a Trinamool Congress pillar) opposite Biswajeet Roy. Biswajeet Roy received critical acclaim for the movie and it is talked about that it is the finest role that he enacted.

The Song

It was penned by Gulzar and sung by Hemant Kumar on his own composition. I rate his rendition here as one of his finest. The song echoes in my mind all the way from my teenager days of having my soul taking nocturnal journeys.

The Lyrics

तुम्हारे नैन देख के
सुना है लोग जोगी हो गए
तुम्हारे नैन देख के
किसी की आँखे गयी
किसी की प्यास गयी
किसी को जान मिली
हमारी साँस गयी
तुम्हारे नैन देख के
सुना है लोग जोगी हो गए
तुम्हारे नैन देख के

दो नीली आँखे
दो नीली आँखे नीली आँखे
जैसे सपनों में खोई हुई है
यह नीली आँखे
यह नीली आंखे नीली आँखे
जैसे राते दो सोयी हुयी है
किसी को साथ मिला
किसी की बात चला
किसी का दिन बिता
हमारी रात चली
तुम्हारे नैन देख के
सुना है लोग जोगी हो गए
तुम्हारे नैन देख के

लोग कहते है कहते है
इन आँखों से साहिल बहते है
लोग लोग कहते है
इन झीलों में शायद
प्यासे दिल रहते है
तुम्हारी आँख लगे
तो रात सोती है
तुम्हारे जागते ही सावेर होती है
तुम्हारे नैन देख के
सुना है लोग जोगी हो गए
तुम्हारे नैन देख के.

My Own Poetry

MERI ZINDAGI AAPKI AANKHON TALE

आपकी आँखों में मुझे वह झलक मिल जाती है,
ज़िन्दगी दफ़अतन और हसीन हो जाती है I
लोग देखते हैं प्यार दिलरुबा की आँखों में,
मुझे तो सारी कायनात नज़र आ जाती है I
ये आँखें नहीं हैं मेरी ज़िन्दगी की रहनुमा हैं,
ज़िन्दगी के मायने यकीनी मुझे समझाती हैं I
कई बार सोचता हूँ कह दूँ इनसे मैं दिल की बात,
क्या कहूं हया मेरी आंखों में छलक जाती है I
सबेरे का सूरज इनकी पलकें खुलने का इशारा है,
रात का अँधेरा पलक झुकने पे ले आती हैं I
ज़िन्दगी में लाखों ग़म इधर उधर बिखरे हों तो क्या,
ज़िन्दगी के सारे ग़म इनकी लौ भुलाती हैं I
मुझे अब इनके सिवा कुछ और न चाहिए, रवि,
जन्नत – ऐ – खुदा खुद बा खुद मिल जाती है I

Please enjoy: Tumhare nain dekh ke suna hai log jogi ho gaye…

I hope you liked my choice of Song #4 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #5 – Sab khuchh luta ke hosh mein aaye.

Beautiful Duet Series

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.

On 04 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #4 – O neend na mujhako aaye. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #5
Jhilmil sitaron ka aangan hoga

Why This Series?

I have already explained that one of the biggest neglected areas in songs in this group has been Duets. One reason for it is that when we pay tribute to singers on their birthdays and anniversaries, we normally put up solos by them.

Yes, anyone can put it up too: just one song per day after checking with me for next day’s slot.

Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar

They are my all time favourites, We can talk about this pair and that pair but some of Hindi films’ best duets have been sung by them. I have very precious memories of these duets.

Take this one, for example. There is enormous wistfulness that surrounds new lovers; everything looks so beautiful, everything appears heavenly. Everything appears possible!

A boy and girl, in love, were lying on the beach and he was reading Byron’s poetry to her: Roll on thou dark blue ocean….She touched his arm and in a trance said, “Just look, John, the ocean is doing what you are asking it to do”!

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of Love; that also is the trust in the power of Love.

Anand Bakshi and Laxmikant Pyarelal

They were the most versatile pair of Lyricist with Music Director; they made songs of approximately 300 movies. No other pair is even close to their halfway mark. And yet, they maintained quality all throughout.
Take this song, for example. A song depicting this belief in Love was to be made and in the movie she would sing it again at crucial juncture. It had to have lyrics that would be so extraordinary that you too would believe in their Love. Anand Bakshi provided just those:

झिलमिल सितारों का आँगन होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा

प्रेम की गली में एक
छोटा सा घर बनाएंगे
कलियाँ ना मिले ना सही
काँटों से सजाएंगे
बगियाँ से सुंदर वो बन होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा
झिलमिल सितारों का आँगन होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा

तेरी आँखों से सारा
संसार मैं देखूँगी
देखूँगी इस पार या
उस पार मैं देखूँगी
नैनों को तेरा ही दर्शन होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा
झिलमिल सितारों का आँगन होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा

फिर तो मस्त हवाओं के
हम झोके बन जाएंगे
नैना सुन्दर सपनों के
झरोखे बन जाएंगे
मन आशाओं का दर्पण होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा
ऐसा सुंदर सपना अपना जीवन होगा
झिलमिल सितारों का आँगन होगा
रिमझिम बरसता सावन होगा

And then, Laxmikant Pyarelal composed it in a tune that appears to be in sync with their heartbeats. Beautiful.

The Movie

Jeevan Mrityu was the name of this 1970 movie that was produced by Tarachand Barjatya (Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and other such feel-good movies). The movie was directed by Satyen Bose. What memorable movies he made: both Jagriti and Dosti directed by him won Filmfare Best Movie awards. Raat Aur Din and Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi were unforgettable too.

My Own Poetry

I have already given you this a few times:
HUM EK, HAMARI EK…

हम एक, हमारी एक……….. ज़िन्दगी,
कभी एक दूजे की, कभी खुदा की बंदगी I
पैंतीस साल पहले जो मांगी थी दुआ,
उसी का तो अब तक है सिलसिला,
नज़रों का एक होना तो सुनते आये थे,
पर यहाँ तो दिल, ख्वाब, सब एक हुआ I

हम एक, हमारी एक ………….पहचान,
एक दूसरे में बस्ती है अपनी जान I
गरीब थे हम, पर बने रहे अमीर,
हम ही तो थे कल के राँझा और हीर,
दोस्तों ने जिन्हे हमें धनि बनाया,
कहा: “यही तो हैं प्यार की तस्वीर” I

हम एक, हमारी एक ……….. कोशिश,
क्या खूब बनी प्यार की बन्दिश I
ज़िन्दगी में आये कई चढ़ाव उतार,
हम एक संग पहुंचे उनके पार,
ऐसे ही बनी रहे हमारी छोटी सी ज़िन्दगी,
ऐसे ही बना रहे हमारा छोटा सा परिवार I

हम एक, हमारी एक ………. दास्तान,
तू मेरा जहान, मैं तेरा जहान I
कई बरस बाद, हम हवा में समा जाएंगे,
किसी को फिर नज़र नहीं आएंगे,
पर फिर भी देखना लोग भूलेंगे नहीं,
जब प्यार का ज़िक्र हो, हम याद आएंगे I
हम एक, हमारी एक ……… फ़रियाद,
प्यार हमारा बना रहे, मरने के भी बाद I

The Duet

Please enjoy: Jhilmil sitaron ka aangan hoga…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #5.

Please await Beautiful Duet #6 – Dil ki nazar se.

Beautiful Duet Series

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.

On 02 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #3 – Milte hi aankhen dil hua. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #4
O neend na mujhako aaye

Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar

Some of the most memorable duets in Hindi movies have been sung by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar. A few that come to your mind are: Aa neele gagan tale and Chhupa lo yun dil mein pyar mera.

There is an attribute of Hemant Kumar that is not to be seen (easily) in other singers: his singing (especially on his own compositions) immediately transports you to the world of the song.

Let me give you an example. Take Jaal song sung by him on SD Burman’s composition: Ye raat ye chandini phir kahan (loosely based on Raag Kafi). By the time Hemant da sings…

पेड़ों की शाखों पे सोई सोई चाँदनी
तेरे खयालों में खोई खोई चाँदनी
और थोड़ी देर में थक के लौट जाएगी
रात ये बहार की फिर कभी न आएगी
दो एक पल और है ये समा, सुन जा.

…you are already there! You want to hold on to the world of the song!
Lata, in any case, always has matching rendition.

Post Box 999

The movie by this fascinating name was released on 01 Jul 1958. It was a Ravindra Dave movie (two of his movies that you’d easily recall are Satta Bazaar (with that beautiful Hemant – Lata song: Tumhen yaad hoga kabhi hum mile the) and Dulha Dulhan (with another memorable song: Hamne tujhako pyar kiya hai jitna, Kaun karega itna).

If you recall, both the above movies that I picked up at random had songs composed by Kalyani Anandji and so was this song that I am posting now. It looks like KA were the MD of choice for Ravindra Dave.

The Song

This song was penned by PL Santoshi or Pyarelal Santoshi, composed by Kalyanji Anandji and sung by Hemant Kumar for Sunil Dutt and Lata Mangeshkar for Shakila.

PL Santoshi has been more famous as a Producer and Director than for his lyrics.

Look at the Lyrics:

हे: ओ नींद न मुझ को आए,
दिल मेर घबराए
चुप के चुप के, कोई आ के,
सोया प्यार जगाए
ल: ओ नींद …

हे: सोया हुआ सँसार है,
सोया हुआ सँसार
मैं जागूँ यहाँ,
तू जागे वहाँ,
एक दिल में दर्द दबाए

दो: ओ नींद …

ल: एक बीच में दीवार है,
एक बीच में दीवार
मैं तड़पूँ यहाँ,
तू तड़पे वहाँ,
हाय चैन जिया को नहीं आए

दो: ओ नींद …

हे: मैं हूँ यहाँ बेक़रार
तू है वहाँ बेक़रार
मैं गाऊँ यहाँ
तू गाये वहाँ
दिल को दिल बहलाए

दो: ओ नींद …

My Own Poetry

HUSN WAALON KO NA DIL DENA

नींद में आती हो तो नींद हो जाती है दूर,
ख्वाब बन के उठते हैं और हो जाते हैं चूर.
आज तक भूला नहीं है तेरी नज़रों का सरूर,
मैं मदहोश अब भी हूँ, मेरा ही है यह जुनून ओ फितूर.
मुन्तजिर हूँ आज रात मेरे घर आना ज़रूर,
रोशनी के लिए काफी है तेरे चेहरे का नूर.
तेरे इश्क से पहले ना थे हम यूं मजबूर,
तेरे इश्क के बाद हुए हैं अब बेहद्द मश्हूर.
माना हमारा घुट घुट के मरना भी नहीं मन्जूर,
यहाँ हम सज्दे में हैं वहाँ तुम हो मग्रूर.
या खुदा समझ गए तेरी दुनिया का दस्तूर,
कत्ल वह करते गए, ये भी मेरा ही था कसूर.

Please enjoy: O neend na mujhako aaye..

I hope you liked my choice of song for the Beautiful Duet #4.

Please await Beautiful Duet #5- Jhilmil sitaaron ka mausam hoga.

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 #2 – Watan ki raah mein watan ke naujawan in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #3.

Song #3
Aaj jaane ki zid na karo
Theme-word: Waqat ki qaid mein Zindagi hai magar, Chand ghadiyan yahi hain jo azaad hain.

First of All – My Sister Mona Maharaj

This was always the favourite ghazal of my sister Mona Maharaj. She is really very talented. In addition to her singing skills, she has been endowed with extraordinary presentation skills. When my brother in law was in active service of the Indian Army, Mona was often in demand for organising memorable evenings of entertainment. And these would start with her hand crafted invitations that would be delivered to you as if you were selected to receive a present.

I have, to my great luck, listened to her rendition of this ghazal and I do recall the atmosphere she’d build up whilst and before singing it.

Everything favourite of Mona Maharaj eventually becomes my favourite too (she has that effect on me). Everytime I listen to Farida Khanum singing it, I think of Mona Maharaj making the ghazal come alive to me.

Farida Khanum

She was born in Amritsar in the year 1939. Unlike Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, she moved to Lahore from Amritsar in the year 1957. In the 1960s, she was invited by the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan to sing in public and she achieved the kind of stardom she wouldn’t have dreamt about.

She is known by this ghazal penned by Fayyaz Hashmi in the same manner as Begum Akhtar was known for Aye mohabbat tere anjam pe rona aaya penned by Shakeel and Noorjehan for singing Faiz’s nazam: Mujhase pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang.

Just like Ghulam Ali, she is classical singer of Patiala Gharana.

Fayyaz Hashmi

Fayyaz Hashmi was born in Calcutta in 1920. His father, Muhammad Hussain Hashmi adopted the takhallus of Dilgeer as a poet and for writing plays. Coincidentally, my own uncle Harbans Singh also had the takhallus Dilgir (that’s how he spelt it) and has written hundreds of books on poetry and plays. Dilgir uncle started the first academy of performing arts in Chandigarh called Kala Darpan.

Fayyaz Hashmi worked as a poet and screenwriter for both Hindi and Pakistani films. One of his songs sung by Talat Mahmood (in 1941) became very popular: Tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakegi.

This ghazal, thanks to Farida Khanum, is the most popular ghazal that he wrote.

My Introduction to the Ghazal

I cannot have this great ghazal introduced to you without writing something about it. Here is what I wrote about it last night:

गुफ्तगू रहने दो रात गुज़र जाएगी,
चन्द घड़ियों की मुलाकात गुज़र जाएगी।
ज़िन्दगी बख्शी है खुदा ने प्यार के लिए,
फजूल बातों में यह खैरात गुज़र जाएगी।
रेत के ज़र्रे हाथों में अभी आए तो हैं लेकिन,
देखते देखते यह सौगात गुज़र जाएगी।

How to stop Zindagi at a place of your liking and not to let it slip through your fingers like the grains of the sand is the crux of this ghazal. I hope this introduction helps you to dive deep and discover the meaning that is dying to be found out.

The Ghazal

Ladies and gentlemen, you are bound to tell me that I did right by putting it up as Zindagi ghazal and not Raat or Din Song.

Please enjoy: Aaj jaane ki zid na karo…

आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो
यूँ ही पहलु में बैठे रहो
आज जाने की ज़िद न करो

हाय मर जाएंगे
हम तो लुट जाएंगे
ऐसी बातें किया ना करो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो

तुम ही सोचो ज़रा क्यूँ ना रोकें तुम्हें
जान जाती है जब उठ के जाते हो तुम
जान जाती है जब उठ के जाते हो तुम
तुमको अपनी क़सम जानेजां
बात इतनी मेरी मान लो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो

वक़्त की कैद में ज़िन्दगी है मगर
चंद घड़ियां यही हैं जो आज़ाद है
इनको खो कर मेरी जानेजाँ
उम्र भर ना तरसते रहो
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो

कितना मासूम रंगीन है ये समां
हुस्न और इश्क़ की आज बैराज है
कल की किसको ख़बर जानेजाँ
रोक लो आज की रात को
आज जाने की ज़िद ना करो

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #3 in the series.

Please await Song #4 –  Hai duniya usi ki zamana usi ka.

Raat or Din Songs Series

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 third song in the series. I hope you liked Song #2 – Jab raat hai aisi matwali.

Song #3
Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa to nahin
Theme-word: Raat ki baat hai aur zindagi baaki to nahin.

RD Burman and Gulzar

This is my dedication to two geniuses: RD Burman (Pancham) (with three Filmfare awards for Best MD) and Gulzar (the producer (along with J Om Prakash) and director of the 1975 (the year of Sholay) movie Aandhi, the writer of the movie (along with Bhushan Banmali) and finally the lyricist with highest number of Best Lyricist awards (11) amongst his total awards of 20 (another record)).

Gulzar and RD Burman came together in 1972 Parichay with such lovely songs as Beete na bitayi raina and Musafir hoon yaaro. In 1973 and 1974 thereafter, they did one movie each: Namak Haraam (Diye jalte hain phool khilte hain, Nadiya se dariya dariya se sagar and Main shayar badnam) and Doosri Sita (Tu jahan mile mujhe).

In 1975, both the movies together of Gulzar and RD Burman had lovely songs: Aandhi (Tere bina, Tum aa gaye ho, Is mod se jaate hain, and Salaam kijiye) and Khushboo (Do nainon mein aansu bhare hain, O majhi re apna kinara, and Bechara dil kya kare).

It would be right to say that Gulzar got to emphasize the serious side of Pancham that was seen in his first song ever with Lata Mangeshkar: Ghar aaja ghir aaye (In Raag Malgunji for the Mehboob Ameeta starrer Chhote Nawab).

Take this song, for example. We routinely use the phrases: Unforgettable song, Immortal song, and Great song for all kinds of songs. This song, as seen by some, is at #2 in the Best songs of 1970s (the #1 happens to be RD Burman’s father’s song!)

Raat Versus Zindagi

तुम जो कह दो तो आजकी रात, चांद डूबेगा नहीं,
रात को रोक लो
रात कि बात है, और ज़िंदगी बाकी तो नहीं

Great meaning in those words. It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all! In the end if you just get a Raat, that’s better than the entire Zindagi! And can you control the Chand? I have already said in my very first article in my blog on Chand: Lovers feel that the celestial bodies respond to their call of love:

तुम जो कह दो तो आजकी रात, चांद डूबेगा नहीं

Aansu and Kaash

This is a totally different style of aansu. Firstly, the ordinary ones: जी में आता है, तेरे दामन में, सर छुपा के हम, रोते रहें, रोते रहें; which separated lovers meeting after a long time would do. But, the next line is extraordinary: तेरी भी आँखों में, आँसुओं की नमी तो नहीं! This is indeed acknowledgement of the fact that even you have gone beyond shedding tears and by now all the tears have dried! If ever there was a more beautiful expression on tears (after आँसू के धागे से सीते रहे हम जो ज़ख्म तूने दिये) than the Gambler song by Neeraj.

The Year 1975 of the Movie Aandhi

The year 1975 was a watershed year for India and Indian movies. Firstly, we went through Emergency entirely called by Indira Gandhi who felt that the country had to pay for her seat being challenged and upheld in the court. Secondly, the movie Sholay was released that year and we, forever, changed the way we looked at movies. Thirdly, Aandhi was released after Indira Gandhi tried to stop the release of the movie. The movie was allegedly on a love affair of an Indian politician (role tailored on Indira Gandhi, played by Suchitra Sen with resemblance to her) had during a chance encounter with a hotelier (Sanjeev Kumar).

Just like Sholay, the movie owed a lot to its songs composed by RD Burman who had mastered different genre’s of songs including classical, sad, western and comical. Whereas Sholay’s songs were penned by Anand Bakshi, Aandhi had Gulzar to write the most memorable songs ever. Gulzar directed the movie too.

Popularity of This Song

This song happens to be the most popular of the movie and is full of regret and ruefulness at not letting love bloom whilst being over busy with politics.

Its popularity can be made out from the fact that whilst the viewership of Hindi songs on YouTube is in thousands and sometimes may be lakh or so, this song has been viewed by more than 8.5 Crore times!

My Own Poetry

What about my own poetic introduction to the song? Well, here is one though I wish I could give several! It is a totally different style. It is called:

ZINDAGI AB BHI HAI LEKIN…..

ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है
तब नया सूरज उगा था
तब जलते चिरागों की लौ में
अँधेरे दूर भागते थे
अब रौशनी को तरसते रात के साये
बढ़ते ही जा रहे हैं
सबेरा दूर है, बहुत दूर
ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है

ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है
चमन में फूलों की खुशबु से
फ़िज़ाएं मदहोश थी तब
अब मुरझाये फूल गिरते हैं मज़ार पे
सूखे पत्तों के संग
लहर आई थी चले गयी
हम साहिल पे अब भी खड़े हैं इंतेज़्ज़ार में
ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है

ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है
तेरे क़दमों की आहट से
बंधे थे मेरे दिल के तार
तेरी साँसों में तब था
मेरे ही प्यार का खुमार
अब खाली पैमानों की बज़्म में
हम प्यासे खड़े हैं
ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है

ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है
तब हम मुन्तज़िर थे
तेरे अहद-ओ-पैमान से
अब नींद से जागी हमारी आँख
मौत का नज़ारा ढूंडती है
काश उस ज़िन्दगी को रोक लेते वहीँ
जो अब हर कहीं जिन्दगी का सहारा ढूंडती है
ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है

ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है
फरक सिर्फ इतना है:
तब सब कुछ हमारे आगे था
अब सब कुछ हमारे पीछे है
तब हम कहते थे, “यही है ज़िन्दगी”
और अब? अब सवाल ही सवाल है:”बस यही है ज़िन्दगी, क्या?”
ज़िन्दगी तब भी थी
ज़िन्दगी अब भी है

Other Lyricists

As far as returns of Love are concerned, here is another great lyricist telling you how you are lucky to even get Gham in Love:

दर्द ज़माने में कम नहीं मिलते
सब को मोहब्बत से ग़म नहीं मिलते
टूटने वाले दिल होते हैं कुछ खास
दूर से दिल की बुझती रहे प्यास….

The Song

Kaash is the word for this song sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar.

Please enjoy: Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa to nahin….

लता: तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी से कोई, शिकवा, तो नहीं,
शिकवा नहीं
शिकवा नहीं, शिकवा नहीं

तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी भी लेकिन, ज़िंदगी, तो नहीं,
ज़िंदगी नहीं
ज़िंदगी नहीं, ज़िंदगी नहीं

(काश ऐसा हो तेरे कदमों से, चुन के मंज़िल चले
और कहीं दूर कहीं ) – २
तुम गर साथ हो, मंज़िलों की कमी तो नहीं
तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी से कोई, शिकवा, तो नहीं, शिकवा नहीं

(जी में आता है, तेरे दामन में, सर छुपा के हम
रोते रहें, रोते रहें ) – २
तेरी भी आँखों में, आँसुओं की नमी तो नहीं
किशोर: तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी से कोई, शिकवा, तो नहीं,
शिकवा नहीं
तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी भी लेकिन, ज़िंदगी, तो नहीं,
ज़िंदगी नहीं

तुम जो कह दो तो आजकी रात, चांद डूबेगा नहीं,
रात को रोक लो
रात कि बात है, और ज़िंदगी बाकी तो नहीं
तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी से कोई, शिकवा, तो नहीं, शिकवा नहीं
तेरे बिना ज़िंदगी भी लेकिन, ज़िंदगी, तो नहीं,
ज़िंदगी नहीं

I hope you liked my choice of Song #3 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #4 – Tumhare nain dekh ke suna hai log jogi ho gaye.

Beautiful Duet Series

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.

On 02 Dec 20, I gave you Beautiful Duet #2 – Meri Neendon Mein Tum, Mere Khwabon Mein Tum. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #3
Milte hi aankhen dil hua diwana kisi ka

Duets in Playback Singing

The first talkie in Hindi movies was Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara in 1931. Actor singer Wazir Mohammad Khan played a fakir in the movie and recorded the first solo ever in Hindi movies: De de khuda ke naam par. It was recorded with a harmonium and tabla live.

Then, I told you about the importance of director Nitin Bose. For the first time in Hindi movies he introduced the playback singing through the music director Raichand Boral. Nitin’s brother Mukul was the sound recorder who implemented the idea.

Dhoop Chhaon was the name of the movie. Pahari Sanyal and Uma Shashi recorded the first duet in playback singing: Prem ki naiyya chali jal mein mori.

I also told you that Pankaj Mullick was assistant to RC Boral in this movie.

The lyrics were by Pandit Sudarshan whom we shall be covering later (presently I am covering Pt Indra Chandra in my Great Lyricists series on my Facebook page Lyrical).

Those of you are interested may listen to it here:

Since that time, duets evolved beautifully over years. And the standard for love duets was to have it in three stanzas (eg Dil ki nazar se): first stanza by him or her, second stanza by her or him (other than the first singer) and the third stanza jointly by both.

Shakeel and Naushad, Talat and Shamshad Come up With the Most Unique Duet Ever

This happened in the 1950 movie Babul produced by the Music Director Naushad Ali and directed by SU Sunny. It starred Dilip Kumar, Munawar Sultana and Nargis.

The song was sung by Talat Mahmood as playback for Dilip Kumar and Shgamshad Begum as playback for Munawar Sultana.

What is unique about it?

Dilip Kumar is Ashok in the movie, is rich, and has a job as a Postmaster in the movie; not that he does any work as Postmaster.

Nargis as Bela, relatively poor, is in love with him. She is the daughter of the previous Postmaster.

Munawar Sultana is rich landlord’s daughter and provides quite a competition to Bela.

Learning that Ashok is good in Music and Singing, Bela tries the age-old trick of learning from Ashok. And that’s how this song is sung with him teaching her and she repeating line by line everything that he sings.

By the end of the song, as is to be expected, she has learnt about singing, life and love.

Incidentally, the first song of Shakeel – Naushad for the 1947 movie Dard was also picturised on Munawar Sultana and sung by Uma Devi (Tun Tun): Afsana likh rahi hoon. You may like to see it by clicking:

The Lyrics

मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका

पूछो ना मोहब्बत का असर, हाय न पूछो
हाय ना पूछो
पूछो ना मोहब्बत का असर, हाय न पूछो
हाय ना पूछो
दम भर में कोई हो गया, परवाना किसीका
दम भर में कोई हो गया, परवाना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका

हंसते ही ना आ जायें कहीं, आँखों में आँसू
आँखों में आँसू
हंस्ते ही ना आ जायें कहीं, आँखों में आँसू
आँखों में आँसू
भरते ही छलक जाये ना, पैमाना किसीका
भरते ही छलक जाये ना, पैमाना किसीका
अफ़साना मेरा बन गया, अफ़साना किसीका
मिलते ही आँखें दिल हुआ दीवाना किसीका

Please enjoy: Milte hi aankhen dil hua deewana kisi ka…

I hope you liked my choice of the third beautiful duet.

Please await Beautiful Duet #4 – O neend na mujhako aaye.

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 #1 – Yeh Jeevan Hai in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #2.

Songs #2
Watan ki raah mein watan ke naujawan shaheed ho
Theme-word: Shaheed teri maut hi tere watan ki zindagi

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

Because, at the partition in Aug 1947, Pakistan made a nation for Muslims, the Indian Muslims suddenly had to prove their patriotism. This was notwithstanding the fact that Islam is the second largest religion in India and the largest Muslim population outside Muslim countries. Our country has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Pakistan and Indonesia.

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan refused to emigrate to Pakistan and in one of the first movies after partition, the 1948 Ramesh Saigal movie Shaheed (I am giving you a song from a Ramesh Saigal movie again after Yeh dil deewana hai from Ishq Par Zor Nahin), he gave one of the finest patriotic songs. I am personally very fond of it, as I am of most of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan songs.

In this song, we have the second best song with Zindagi as the theme. The first one was put up by Raj Dutta: Zindagi maut ke mil rahi hai gale (Kar chale hum fida jaano tan saathiyo from the 1964 Chetan Anand movie Haqeeqat.

Shaheed – 1948 Movie

This Ramesh Saigal movie had Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal in the lead roles. Dilip Kumar was a freedom fighter as Ram and faced opposition from his own father (Rajbahadur Dwarkadas played by Chandra Mohan in his last screen appearance).

It was a Filmistan movie. Filmistan was a production company formed by erstwhile sound engineer Sashadhar Mukherjee in Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani’s production company called Bombay Talkies. In 1943, he broke away to form this company independently after convincing Himanshu to give a break to his nephew Ashok Kumar who made a number of movies with Devika.

The Song

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan’s lyrics were composed by another Muslim Ghulam Haider and sung by another two Muslims: Khan Mastana and Mohammad Rafi for yet another Muslim Dilip Kumar.

I recall that for a number of years after independence this song continued being the most popular patriotic song,

My Own Poetry

Reproduction of a poem I wrote in May 1999 when Pakistan perpetrated the most heinous infiltration into Kargil, the Indian side of Line of Control (LOC):

जाना है तुमको आज इक फ़र्ज़ निभाने की खातिर,
इस देश की मिटटी का क़र्ज़ चुकाने की खातिर,
उठो ए जवानो सर पे बाँध लो कफ़न,
शहीदों में अपना नाम दर्ज़ कराने की खातिर I

दुश्मन ने इक बार है फिर तुम्हे ललकारा,
दोस्ती के नाम पे है फिर तमाचा मारा,
क्या भूल गया वो इक मुसलमान शायर का कहना:
सारे जहाँ से अच्छा है हिन्दोस्तान हमारा I

विजय हो तुम्हारी ये देश की है कामना,
करना वीरता से तुम दुश्मनों का सामना,
उठो ए जवानो सर पे बांध लो कफ़न,
सारा जहाँ करेगा तुम्हारी वीरता की सराहना I

इस देश के लिए मिट जायेंगे मर जायेंगे हम,
इक इंच भी अपनी ज़मीन का होने न देंगे कम,
सुनो नवाज़, सुनो मुशर्रफ, सुनो ए सरताज,
सीने यहाँ फौलाद के और बाज़ुयों में है दम I

अब कभी इस तरफ न डालो नज़रें बुरी,
इक तरफ लाहौर यात्रा, और बगल में हो छुरी,
इस बार छोड़ देंगे अपने पे काबू करके,
अगली बार LOC पार न करने की, शायद न हो मजबूरी I

जय हिन्द हमारा नारा है, हिन्द हमारी शान है,
खून का हर तिप्का हिन्द के लिए कुर्बान है,
तुमने सोये शेर को जगा डाला है मूर्ख,
दुश्मन, अब तू चन्द दिनों का मेहमान है I

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Watan ki raah mein watan ke nauhawan shaheed ho…

वतन की राह में वतन के नौजवां शहीद हो
पुकारते हैं ये ज़मीन-ओ-आसमां शहीद हो

शहीद तेरी मौत ही तेरे वतन की ज़िंदगी
तेरे लहू से जाग उठेगी इस चमन में ज़िंदगी
खिलेंगे फूल उस जगह कि तू जहाँ शहीद हो, वतन की …

गुलाम उठ वतन के दुश्मनों से इंतक़ाम ले
इन अपने दोनों बाजुओं से खंजरों का काम ले
चमन के वास्ते चमन के बाग़बां शहीद हो, वतन की …

पहाड़ तक भी कांपने लगे तेरे जुनून से
तू आसमां पे इन्क़लाब लिख दे अपने खून से
ज़मीं नहीं तेरा वतन है आसमां शहीद हो, वतन की …

वतन की लाज जिसको थी अजीज़ अपनी जान से
वो नौजवान जा रहा है आज कितनी शान से
इस एक जवान की खाक पर हर इक जवां शहीद हो
वतन की …

है कौन खुशनसीब माँ कि जिसका ये चिराग़ है
वो खुशनसीब है कहाँ ये जिसके सर का ताज है
अमर वो देश क्यूँ न हो कि तू जहाँ शहीद हो, वतन की …

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #2 in the series.

Please await Song #3 – Aaj jaane ki zidd na karo in this series.

Raat or Din Songs Series

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 second song in the series. I hope you liked Song #1 – Saari saari raat teri yaad sataye.

Song #2
Jab raat hai aisi matwali

Shakeel and Naushad

Naushad gave a break to many artistes in Hindi movies, Majrooh Sultanpuri being one of the dozens of people. However, as soon as Shakeel from Badayun in Uttar Pradesh (427 kms NE of Majrooh’s place and 557 Kms NE of Kaifi Azmi’s place) arrived on the scene with the 1947 AR Kardar movie Dard and penned Afsana likh rahi hoon to be sung by Uma Devi (Tun Tun) – another artiste to whom Naushad gave a break – most of Naushad’s songs for the next several years were penned by Shakeel. And what songs they are!

Out of all genre’ of songs, I have dubbed Shakeel as the Poet/Lyricist of Irony; he excelled in it.

I have written volumes about this best pairing ever of Lyricist with Music Director that has given us Hindi movies’ most memorable songs. K Asif’s Mughal – e – Azam was released in 1960 and last year Dhirubhai Ambani Jio Convention Centre was inaugurated on the occasion of Mukesh Ambani’s son Aakash’s wedding. In the Dhirubhai Ambani Square whilst enacting Ras Leela of Sri Krishna with Radha, one of the songs enacted was Mohe panghat pe Nandlal chhed gayo re (Please see: Mohe Panghat Pe – Down The Ages; Remembering Shakeel And Naushad On Holi) . We attended that. We also attended Janamashtami at ISKCON temple in Kharghar (slated to be the biggest temple in Mumbai) and one of the songs prominently sung was Mohe panghat pe. That’s Shakeel – Naushad for you. In every life a little of them is there; Shakeel has an unmatched hat-trick of Filmfare Awards and Naushad was awarded the highest: Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Ek Raat Ki Baat

Prince Salim (Akbar’s son) (Played by Dilip Kumar) rebels against his father due to Akbar’s (Mughal-e-Azam) resistance to Salim marrying the dancer in his court Anarkali (played by Madhubala). He is soundly beaten by his father and is sentenced to death.

Anarkali begs for his life with Akbar and is granted one night (as a wife) with Prince Salim on the promise that she would be condemned to death (instead of Salim) by being entombed alive (Mughals were very fond of this method of execution; if you recall they did it to Guru Gobind Singh’s sons because they refused to embrace Islam).

Akbar was aware that Salim would interfere with her being entombed alive and hence at the end of the night she would drug him (by making him smell the flower in her tiara) and then she would face death.

Shakeel would, therefore, have to come up with a song that would ostensibly sound happy but would be full of Irony. How he delivered:

ये दिल की लगी कम क्या होगी
ये इश्क़ भला कम क्या होगा
जब रात है ऐसी मतवाली – २
फिर सुबह का आलम क्या होगा – २

नग़मो से बरसती है मस्ती
छलके हैं खुशी के पैमाने – २
आज ऐसी बहारें आई हैं
कल जिनके बनेंगे अफ़साने – २
अब इसे ज्यादा और हसीं ये प्यार का मौसम क्या होगा – २
जब रात है ऐसी मतवाली
फिर सुबह का आलम क्या होगा – २

ये आज का रंग और ये महफ़िल
दिल भी है यहाँ दिलदार भी है – २
आँखों में कयामत के जलवे
सीने में सुलगता प्यार भी है – २
इस रंग में कोई जी ले अगर मरने का उसे ग़म क्या होगा – २
जब रात है ऐसी मतवाली
फिर सुबह का आलम क्या होगा – २

हालत है अजब दीवानों की
अब खैर नहीं परवानों की – २
अन्जाम-ए-मोहब्बत क्या कहिये
लय बढ़ने लगी अरमानों की – २
ऐसे में जो पायल टूट गयी फिर ऐ मेरे हमदम क्या होगा – २
जब रात है ऐसी मतवाली – २
फिर सुबह का आलम क्या होगा – २

Shakeel didn’t just write these; he crafted each word like a jeweler would diamonds. Lata Mangeshkar sang it for Nigar Sulatana (As Bahar she too coveted being Salim’s concubine) whilst this ironical Raat is unfolding. It was just a night and yet Shakeel could bring so much of meaning into it.

Another Lyricist who could bring a lot of meaning into just Ek Raat is Gulzar (my next choice of Raat song):

तुम जो कह दो तो
आज की रात चाँद डूबेगा नहीं
रात को रोक लो
रात की बात है
और ज़िन्दगी बाकी तो नहीं

Kuchh nahin rukta…the moving finger writes and moves on!

Waah Shakeel!

Among a hundred things I wrote on his Centenary four years ago (during this auspicious month of August), here is something about him:

Dil pe chot khaana mohabbat ka ek andaaz hai,
Chot khaa ke likhana yeh Shakeel ki awaaz hai,
Waise to kayi aur nagmaagar huyen hain lekin,
Shakeel ki saalgirah haseen shayari ka agaaz hai.

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Jab raat hai aisi matwali…

I hope you liked my choice of Song #2 in Raat or Din series.

Please await Song #3 – Tere bina zindagi se koi.