Category: Poems and Lyrics

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

Hence this series shifted to my page Lyrical.

I hope you liked RRR Song #8: Jaane kahan gaye woh din. Here is the next song:

Song #9
Woh tere pyar ka gham

An Acceptance of One’s Kismet or Destiny

My favourite book Sri Guru Granth Sahib calls it Keerat or something that has been pre-ordained for you. There are people who opposed this concept by the Concept of Free Will that tends to say that everyone is a master of one’s destiny. However, even sages like Swami Vivekanand accepted that the Concept of Free Will is intrinsically flawed and that one has to travel outside the universe to be able to exercise Free Will.

Either way, we accept the diktats of Destiny in varying degrees. We accept that Destiny plays a significant role in the Life of a Man.

Anand Bakshi

Until Sameer (Anjaan’s son) came on the scene as a Lyricist, Anand Bakshi had been the most versatile lyricist in Hindi movies. With Laxmikant Pyarelal alone, he wrote songs for 302 movies, with another hundred or so with RD Burman.

In this song, he brings out this concept of Destiny, albeit in a defeatist manner, the favourite genre of singing for Mukesh. The ruefulness in this song is palpable.

Have a look at the lyrics:

वो तेरे प्यार का ग़म, एक बहाना था सनम
अपनी क़िस्मत ही कुछ ऐसी थी
के दिल टूट गया

ये ना होता तो कोई दूसरा ग़म होना था
मैं तो वो हूँ जिसे हर हाल में बस रोना था
मुस्कुराता भी अगर, तो छलक जाती नज़र
अपनी क़िस्मत ही कुछ ऐसी थी
के दिल टूट गया…

वरना क्या बात है तू कोई सितमगर तो नहीं
तेरे सीने में भी दिल है कोई पत्थर तो नहीं
तूने ढाया है सितम, तो यही समझेंगे हम
अपनी क़िस्मत ही कुछ ऐसी थी
के दिल टूट गया…

वो तेरे प्यार का ग़म, एक बहाना था सनम
अपनी क़िस्मत ही कुछ ऐसी थी
के दिल टूट गया…

Here, Anand Bakshi, writing for Shashi Kapoor in the 1970 S Sukhdev movie My Love (with Sharmila Tagore) blames his broken heart in Love to his Destiny. Indeed, he adds that if it hadn’t been this sorrow, it would have been some other but he was destined to face sorrows!

Daan Singh – The Composer

At first, a few words about its composer Daan Singh (1927-2011). He was one of the most neglected music directors of Hindi films, yet he composed many everlasting melodies, especially the ones with Mukesh.

Daan Singh received musical training from the composer Khemchand Prakash. It’s said that he was taught only Raag Bhairavi for the first 18 months! His professional career started with AIR Jaipur before he shifted to Bombay and started working as Prakash’s assistant. He did get work as a music director for a number of 1960’s movies incl. Bhool Na Jaana, Bahadur Shah Zafar and Matlabi; but none of these see the light of day! However, many songs of Bhool Na Jaana (with Lyrics by Gulzar), became very popular, including three Mukesh solos Pukaro Mujhe Naam Lekar Pukaro, Gham-e-Dil Kisse Kahoon, and Gora Tera Mukhda. He then had a few movies that finally made it to the public before “My Love”. But, despite his huge talent, he couldn’t get much money or name in the Bombay atmosphere, went back to Jaipur and retired there as the Station Music Director.

The 1970 movie “My Love”, directed by S. Sukhdev, didn’t do particularly well at the box office despite its cast that included Shashi-Sharmila duo, Laxmi Chhaya (for multiple dances), Azra, Rajendra Nath, Madan Puri, Nirupa Roy, Jayant and Raj Mehra. Both of the lead actors showed excellent acting and emoting. There was so much else to attract the public including its beautiful scenes of Kenya, the wild life and the world-famous East African Safari. And, it’s soundtrack of seven songs, with many of these becoming very popular.

Daan Singh’s special talent with Mukesh received special acclaim with two iconic songs of this movie. In addition to this soulful heart-wrenching Mukesh song/ghazal (full of pathos and deep anguish that Mukesh had a unique knack of bringing out), the movie had another memorable one: “Zikar hota hai jab qayamat ka, tere jalwon ki baat hoti hai”. During a function in memory of Mukesh, he had said “Mukesh ji understood the Lyrics very well. Anyone, be it a singer, composer, movie director or sound recordist, can excel in his field if he has such deep knowledge of lyrics.”

Mukesh, the legend, will always stay with us through his magical songs. And, we can only plead with him “O Jaanae Wale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Aana”!

My Own Poetry

Powers of Mind Vs Destiny

Today I want to talk about Mind again,
Even if it appears I’ve said it before.
Each one has been given a most powerful brain,
All that we need to do is its powers to explore.
The entire universe exists because of it,
A man without it is a total misfit.

It has been given powers to remember and record.
An equally great power is to forget.
Generations of data it has in it stored,
Both the powers can be liability or asset.
Mind can travel much faster than Light,
It can see far beyond the eyesight.

Mind is far ahead of the computers it designs,
It’s powers appear to be unlimited.
It breaks the shackles of all confines,
It can be slave to the wise and master to the dim-witted.
It can be trained to give what you demand,
Or it can enslave you under its command.

Those who know how to conquer their Mind,
Have in their control the whole universe.
They’re not to their destiny resigned.
Imagination for them is never a curse.
Mind helps its owner to find its Creator,
Mind knows there is no one who’s greater.

The Song

Please enjoy: Woh tere pyar ka gham….

I hope you liked Song #9 in this series.

Please await Song #10: Aakhri geet mohabbat ka suna loon.

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 #27 – O Palanhare Nirgun Aur Nyare or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #28.

Song #28
Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan
Theme-word: Zindagi ke geet ki dhun badal ke dekh le

Remembering Dev Anand on His Death Anniversary 03 Dec

This was a negative role by Dev Anand (not a good guy but a con-man Tony) and the only movie in which the director Guru Dutt used religion (Catholic faith of Goan fisherwoman Maria played by Geeta Bali (superbly portrayed by her) to resist the seduction of Dev Anand as the deceitful man Tony Fernandez.

Sahir Ludhianvi, SD Burman and Hemant Kumar

However, the movie was a super hit and this song is my #1 song of Hemant Kumar singing for Dev Anand. As far as Sahir is concerned, I feel the best he ever wrote was also picturised on Dev Anand in Hum Dono: Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya. However, this is the most adorable and popular. SD Burman composed it in the folk based raaga: Kafi.

This song is a perfect combination of the irresistible urge of lyrics, composition, music, atmosphere and acting by both Dev Anand and Geeta Bali. In its seduction it reminds you of Santana’s Black Magic Woman.

Hemant Kumar sang only 17 songs (duets included) that were picturised on Dev Anand. And yet, each one is unforgettable. Chup hai dharti, chup hai chand sitaare, Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ke mar jaayen, and Hai apna dil to awaara are some that easily come to mind in addition to the two that I have mentioned.

Lyrics

ये रात ये चाँदनी फिर कहाँ
सुन जा दिल की दास्ताँ
ये रात…

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…

लहरों के होंठों पे धीमा धीमा राग है
भीगी हवाओं में ठंडी ठंडी आग है
इस हसीन आग में तू भी जलके देखले
ज़िंदगी के गीत की धुन बदल के देखले
खुलने दे अब धड़कनों की ज़ुबाँ, सुन जा…

जाती बहारें हैं उठती जवानियाँ
तारों के छाओं में पहले कहानियाँ
एक बार चल दिये गर तुझे पुकारके
लौटकर न आएंगे क़ाफ़िले बहार के
आजा अभी ज़िंदगी है जवाँ, सुन जा…

My Own Poetry

Tu Nahin To Chandni Raat Kya Kare?

चांदनी रात है पर तूं मेरे साथ नहीं,
बात तो कुछ है लेकिन वह बात नहीं।

भीगी फिजायें छू लेती हैं आके रुखसार,
उनसे क्या हो जब दिल में बरसात नहीं।

एक ज़माना था शाम ओ सेहर मिलते थे हम,
अब कभी मिलें ऐसे तो हालात नहीं।

लहरे उठती हैं उठ के चली जाती हैं,
दिल की धड़कन को बढ़ा दें इनकी औकात नहीं।

पेड़ों की छाओं में बैठे भी तो क्यूं हो जादू,
ठहरे कैसे ये समां जब हाथ में तेरा हाथ नहीं।

नज़रें रह रह के ढूंढती हैं तेरी नज़रें,
कहाँ है तू इतनी तो अंधेरी रात नहीं।

कैसे अब प्यार हमारा मुकाम तक पहुंचे,
ना तो तुम से न मुझ से जब शुरुआत नहीं।

हम नहीं मिलते यह ज़माने की है पाबंदी,
क्यूं कहती हो, रवि, तेरे दिल में जज़्बात नहीं।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #28 in the series.

Please await Song #29 –  Mohabbat ki jhooti kahani pe roye.

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.

Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #27 – Yaad mein teri jaag jaag ke hum. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #28
Aankhon mein kya ji? Rupahla baadal

Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik, Majrooh and SD Burman

During the Taare, Sitaare Songs Fest I gave you a song of the 1951 movie Baazi; the song having been penned by Sahir Ludhianvi, composed by SD Burman and sung by Geeta Roy. That song in Raag Pahadi is a personal favourite with me and in my Raaga Based Songs series it appears as early as at #7!

If that song displays the chemistry between Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik (nee’ Mona Singha) (she did her college time in Shimla’s St Bede’s College whilst Dev Anand was a student of Government College, Dharamshala. Surely, the hills lent them their charm and spontaneity).

In Baazi, Kalpana Kartik was three years away from marrying Dev Anand (they secretly married on the sets of 1954 movie Taxi Driver). In Nau Do Gyarah, this movie, they were three years into their marriage and the chemistry is even more there.

Nau Do Gyarah

It was an important movie in Hindi films. This was the debut directorial attempt by Dev Anand’s brother Vijjay Anand who proved to be as good a director as Dev Anand was as an actor or brother Chetan Anand was as Director.

Sahir and SD Burman fell apart after 1957 movie Pyaasa and this was the first movie with Majrooh after Sahir – SD Burman break up (though Majrooh had penned for SD Burman before too.

The Song

It is one of the first tete-a tate songs as duet that became fashionable later; eg, Baagon mein bahar hai.

This volley of dialogues between the hero and the heroine was given playback by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. Here is the tete-a-tete:

आँखों में क्या जी
रुपहला बादल
बादल में क्या जी
किसी का आँचल
आँचल में क्या जी
अजब सी हलचल

रंगीं है मौसम
तेरे दम की बहार है
फिर भी है कुछ कम
बस तेरा इंतज़ार है
देखने में भोले हो
पर हो बड़े चंचल
आँखों में क्या जी…

झुकती हैं पलकें
झुकने दो और झूम के
उड़ती हैं ज़ुल्फें
उड़ने दो होंठ चूम के
देखने में…

झूमें लहराएं
नयना मिल जाये नैन से
साथी बन जाएं
रस्ता कट जाये चैन से
देखने में…

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

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Aankhon mein kya ji? Rupahla baadal…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #28.

Please await Beautiful Duet #29- Pyaar hua ikraar hua.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

Hence this series shifted to my page Lyrical.

I hope you liked RRR Song #7: Main ye soch kar uske dar se utha tha. Here is the next song:

Song #8
Jaane kahan gaye woh din

The Days We Wistfully Remember

Nostalgia is a great feeling. Even the days of old that we disliked we remember them wistfully as the days we derived maximum pleasure from.

For example, when we were students in a classroom, we hated sitting there staring at a blackboard and a more somber teacher. However, in our middle and old age, our number one nostalgia is about our school days!

As far as Love is concerned, when it goes sour, we wistfully remember those days when our beloved used to hang on every word that we would say or not say, every gesture, every feeling, everything.

Hasrat Jaipuri

These are exactly the emotions portrayed by Hasrat Jaipuri in this 1970 movie Mera Naam Joker that was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor on a story by KA Abbas. The song instantly became a super hit as were the other songs of the movie. The movie didn’t do commercially very well. However, later, it is recognised as one of the most iconic movies of Raj Kapoor.

Hasrat Jaipuri was used to expressing emotions with dexterity as much as building up the romance. One of his best is from a Shammi Kapoor starrer Pagla Kahin Ka: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge.

Shankar Jaikishan

Shankar Jaikishan were very well versed with raagas and went beyond some of the raagas to compose their songs. Of course, the raag that was their (Jaikishan’s) favourite was Bhairavi. There are movies in which they have composed as many as four songs in this pious raag.

Their second most favourite raag (Shankar’s) was Shivaranjani. One of the best that they composed by Raj Kapoor’s Sangam song: O mere sanam. This one is equally good, if not more.

Raag Shivaranjani

Shivaranjani’s Jati is Audhav-Audhav, that is pentatonic in both ascent (Aaroha) and descent (Avaroha);Madhyam and Nishad are the swar that are varjya, Gandhar is Komal. Rest all are shuddha swar. This raag and Bhopali are similar except that in Bhopali, even Gandhar is shuddha whereas it is Komal in Shivaranjani.

The raag is to be normally performed at midnight.

Lyrics

जाने कहाँ गए वो दिन, कहते थे तेरी राह में
नज़रों को हम बिछाएंगे
चाहे कहीं भी तुम रहो, चाहेंगे तुमको उम्र भर
तुमको ना भूल पाएंगे
जाने कहाँ गए वो दिन …

मेरे कदम जहाँ पड़े, सजदे किये थे यार ने – २
मुझको रुला रुला दिया, जाती हुई बहार ने
जाने कहाँ गए वो दिन …

अपनी नज़र में आज कल, दिन भी अंधेरी रात है – २
साया ही अपने साथ था, साया ही अपने साथ है
जाने कहाँ गए वो दिन …

इस दिल के आशियान में बस उनके ख़याल रह गये
तोड़ के दिल वो चल दिये, हम फिर अकेले रह गये
जाने कहाँ गए वो दिन …

My Own Poetry

KOI LAUTA DE WOH DIN

मुझे याद आते हैं बचपन के वो पल,
लगता न था कभी आएगी कल,
मासूमियत में कह देते थे दोस्तों को:
मैं आता हूँ तेरे पीछे, तूँ चल।

एक एक करके होने लगे वो विदा,
जो रात को भी न होते थे जुदा,
हमारी फुसफ़साहट भी वो सुन लेते थे,
अब नहीं पहुंचती उन तक मेरी सदा।

आती हैं वो सब शरारतें याद,
पेड़ से तोड़े आम का अलग था स्वाद,
क्या लुत्फ था उन हरकतों का,
हालांकि बहुत मार खाई उनके बाद।

क्या अजब खेल था लुकन छिपाई।
कब दिन शुरू हुआ और कब रात आयी,
सब सांझेदारी में बराबर के हकदार थे,
न कोई चीज़ अपनी, न कोई चीज़ परायी।

लगता न था वो प्यारे दिन गुज़र जाएंगे,
तिनके तिनके से बनाये घरोंदे बिखर जाएंगे,
ज़िन्दगी की ऊंचाईयां चढ़ने की ख्वाइश में,
जहां चढ़े बैैठे थे वहीं से उतर जााएंगे।

काश रोक लेते वो दिलकश समां,
हम सब संग संग थे उस जगह जहां,
ढूंढते फिरते हैं उस बीते ज़माने को,
कोई तो बता दो वो बचपन गया है कहां।

The Song

Please enjoy Mukesh singing for Raj Kapoor: Jaane kahan gaye woh din….

I hope you liked Song #8 in this series.

Please await Song #9: Woh tere pyar ka gham.

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 #26 – Ai jaate huye lamho in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #27.

Song #27
O Palanhare, Nirgun aur Nyare
Theme-word: Bhagwan ye jeevan tumhi na sanwaroge to kya koi sanware

Happy Birthday Udit Narayan

He was born on this day in 1955, The 1980 movie Unees Bees was a milestone for him since he got to sing with Mohammad Rafi. Later, he also got a chance to sing with Kishore Kumar.

For playback singing, he is the recipient of four National awards and five Filmfare awards. He is also the recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

Among his songs that are my favourites, the top song is the one picturised on Aamir Khan and Ayesha Jhulka in the 1992 movie Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander: Pehla nasha pehla khumar (that I shall be giving you today in Beautiful Duets series). One reason for this is, of course, Aamir Khan and also because Papa kehte hain sung by him for Aamir Khan was also my favourite for the film QSQT.

Lagaan 2001

Coincidentally, even this song is from an Aamir Khan production Lagaan and picturised on Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh. He got to sing with Lata Mangeshkar and Sadhana Sargam.

Bhajans happen to be my most favourite genre’ of music and songs. It has probably to do with my Sikh background and love with Sri Guru Granth Sahib, a compilation of hymns in 60 raagas.

Since the time AR Rahman came on the scene as Music Director and Composer, he has not only won more awards than any other MD in history but also his compositions have transcended all boundaries of music; both classical (raaga based) and others.

In this one, on the lyrics of Javed Akhtar, he has come up with a tune that portrays not only the emotions of the villagers as supplicants (the only right way to petition God) but a quiet faith that God would listen to them. Whilst the hymn is being sung, the mood shifts from desperation and despondency to silent confidence. All credit to AR Rahman for a composition that would convey this.

Lyrics

ओ पालनहारे
निर्गुण और न्यारे
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं
हमरी उलझन, सुलझाओ भगवन
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं
तुम्हीं हमका हो संभाले
तुम्हीं हमरे रखवाले
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं
[तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं]x२

चन्दा में तुम्हीं तो भरे हो चांदनी
सूरज में उजाला तुम्हीं से
ये गगन है मगन
तुम्हीं तो दिए हो इसे तारे
भगवन ये जीवन
तुम्हीं ना संवारोगे
तो क्या कोई सँवारे
ओ पालनहारे
निर्गुण और न्यारे
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं

जो सुनो तो कहे
प्रभुजी हमरी है बिनती
दुखी जन को, धीरज दो
हारे नहीं वो कभी दुखसे
तुम निर्बल को रक्षा दो
रह पाएं निर्बल सुख से
भक्ति को, शक्ति दो
भक्ति को, शक्ति दो
जग के जो स्वामी हो,
इतनी तो अरज सुनो
हैं पथ में अंधियारे
दे दो वरदान में उजियारे
[ओ पालनहारे
निर्गुण और न्यारे
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं
हमरी उलझन, सुलझाओ भगवन
तुमरे बिन हमरा कौनो नाहीं]x ३

My Own Poetry

I have, literally, hundreds of my poems on the theme to choose from since this is the reflection of my own emotions. I have picked one at random:

Bahut Diya Dene Waale Ne Mujhako

कैसे कैसे कभी इस दिल में अरमान थे,
कुछ ऐसे जज़्बात जिनसे हम अनजान थे।

शुरू शुरू में तो ऐसा लगता था हमें,
क़दमों तले सातों आसमान थे I

यह भी एहसास हुआ कई बार हमें,
बाहों में अपने दोनों जहान थे I

मिलने की खुशी चंद घंटों की थी,
ना मिलने से हम कितने परेशान थे।

हम मजबूर इस तरह हुए हालात के हाथों,
कभी ग़मगीन और कभी हम पशेमान थे।

ज़िन्दगी की राहों में हमदर्द तो नहीं मिले,
पर हर मरहले पे देखा खड़े हैवान थे।

हौले हौले हमने देखा एक अजूबा,
हमारी तरह लोग भी ज़िन्दगी से हैरान थे।

जहाँ भी गए लोगो की भीड़ थी लेकिन,
दिलों के रास्ते पूरी तरह सुनसान थे।

वक़्त बीत गया, ज़िन्दगी पीछे रह गयी,
दो चार घड़ी इस जगह हम मेहमान थे।

कल आएगा, नए कारवां होंगे, पर कैसे भूलें,
इस धरती पे हम भी कभी इंसान थे।

भगवान, फिर भी तेरे सजदे में है रवि,
जो कुछ भी पाया सब तेरे एहसान थे।

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: O palanhare, nirgun aur nyaare…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #27 in the series.

Please await Song #28 –  Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan.

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 #27 in the series. I hope you liked Song #26 – O mere sanam, O mere sanam.

Song #27
Do hanso ka joda bichhad gayo re
Theme-word: Raat ki aas gayi, Din ka sahara bhi gaya

Punjabi with Strong Likes and Dislikes

Even if I want to deny it, I can’t; I am a Punjabi and the saying that Punjabis have strong likes and dislikes me fits me like a glove. For example, I was never fond of Bozo and hence, Bozo may as well stand on his head (which too he must have done among many other crazy stuff as trying to open a valve clockwise and anti-clockwise) and still make no difference with me. For me, Bozo is pits; close to Zero that one of his songs says we Indians discovered.

Now this song has all the people that I adore:

Shakeel Badayuni, the best Lyricist ever.
Naushad Ali, the best Composer ever.
Lata Mangeshkar, the best Female Playback Singer ever.
Vyjayanthimala, the best dancer ever in Hindi movies. She won the Filmfare Award for her role in this movie.
Dilip Kumar, the best actor ever because of whose incarceration Vyjayanthimala has to express her emotions through this song. Many people were surprised that he lost out to Raj Kapoor for the Filmfare Award for his role in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (another Ganga!). Most people felt that this was the lifetime performance by Dilip Kumar in his own production for which he had Nitin Bose direct the movie. In any case, the number of Filmfare Awards won by Dilip Kumar had not been exceeded by any other actor.

Ganga Jumna (that’s how it is spelt in the posters) – the 1961 Movie

All in all, the 1961 movie Ganga Jumna became an iconic movie indeed. I saw it in a matinee show in Vasco when I had already joined the Navy and observed that people sang every song together with the actors and spoke most dialogues too.

The movie had a story by Dilip Kumar and dialogues by Wajahat Mirza. Miraza and Shakeel ensured that there was no gap or difference between dialogues and songs (in many a movie I have seen this mismatch whence the songs are in chaste Urdu and the dialogues in Hindi). Both happened to be in Awadh dialect and Mirza won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award.

Dilip Kumar was Gangaram or Ganga in the movie. His areal brother Nasir Khan was Jumna and Vyjayanthimala was Dhanno, a village girl.

Because of his earnings as a servant in an obnoxious family, Ganga is able to get good education for his brother Jumna. The movie’s song Insaaf ki dagar pe bachcho dikhayo chal ke was adjudged as the best children’s song ever in a national poll. However, what Ganga hadn’t reckoned was the machinations of a corrupt and cruel feudal system that gets him in the jail for no fault of his. Dhanno and he are in love publicly (Nain lad jaihen) and now that Dhanno realises Ganga has been wrongly convicted (he eventually becomes a dacoit with a golden heart), she is heart-broken. Shakeel, Naushad, and Lata help her express her emotions through this song.

Not a Dance Number

This is not a dance number of Vyjayanthimala. The dance number is Dhoondo dhoondo re sajana which I regard as her most heart-warming dance ever with such beautiful lyrics by Shakeel that it stuns you. However, this one is probably the best song of the movie in all respects:

दो हंसों का जोड़ा बिछड़ गयो रे
गजब भयो रामा, जुलम भयो रे
दो हंसों का जोड़ा…

मोरा सुख चैन भी, जीवन भी मोरा छिन लिया
पापी संसार ने साजन भी मोरा छिन लिया
पिया बिन तड़पे जिया, रतिया बिताऊँ कैसे
बिरहा की अगनी को असुवन से बुझाऊँ कैसे
जिया मोरा मुश्किल में पड़ गयो रे
गजब भयो रामा…

रात की आस गयी, दिन का सहारा भी गया
मोरा सूरज भी गया, मोरा सितारा भी गया
प्रीत कर के कभी प्रीतम से ना बिछड़े कोई
जैसी उज़डी हूँ मैं, ऐसे भी ना उजड़े कोई
बना खेल मोरा बिगड़ गयो रे
गजब भयो रामा…

जीते जी छोडूँगी सैय्या ना डगरीयाँ तोरी
बीत जाएगी यूँ ही सारी उमरीया मोरी
नैनों से होती रहेगी यूँ ही बरसात बलम
याद में रोती रहूँगी तेरी दिन-रात बलम
नगर मोरे मन का उजड़ गयो रे
गजब भयो रामा…

The Song

As a Raat Or Din (this song has both) Song, it must rank quite high for the beauty of its lyrics.

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Do hanso ka joda bicchad gayo re…

I hope you liked my choice of Raat or Din Song #27.

Please await Raat or Din Song #28- Ek din bik jaayega.

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.

Last time, I gave you Beautiful Duet #26 – Ek pyar ka nagma hai. So here, then, is the next one:

Song #27
Yaad mein teri jaag jaag ke hum

Shakeel – Naushad – Rafi – Lata

The 1963 Harnam Singh Rawail movie Mere Mehboob has what I feel is the best ever written not just by Shakeel Badayuni but the best song ever: Mere mehboob tujhe meri mohabbat ki kasam. It was sung separately (not as a duet) by both Rafi for Rajendra Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar for Sadhana. That was in Raag Jhinjhoti and an outstanding Raat Or Din Song. However, I can never put it up.

Yaad mein teri is, of course, a separation song and longing for each other. I feel that the song has very beautiful lyrics:

याद में तेरी जाग-जाग के हम
रात भर करवटें बदलते हैं
हर घड़ी दिल में तेरी उल्फ़त के
धीमे धीमे चिराग़ जलते हैं

जबसे तूने निगाह फेरी है
दिन है सूना तो रात अंधेरी है
चाँद भी अब नजर नहीं आता
अब सितारे भी कम निकलते हैं
याद में तेरी जाग-जाग के हम …

लुट गयी वो बहार की महफ़िल
छुट गयी हमसे प्यार की मंज़िल
ज़िंदगी की उदास राहों में
तेरी यादों के साथ चलते हैं
याद में तेरी जाग-जाग के हम …

तुझको पाकर हमें बहार मिली
तुझसे छुटकर मगर ये बात खुली
बाग़बान ही चमन के फूलों को
अपने पैरों से खुद मसलते हैं
याद में तेरी जाग-जाग के हम …

क्या कहें तुझसे क्यूं हुई दूरी
हम समझते हैं अपनी मजबूरी
तुझको मालूम क्या के तेरे लिये
दिल के गम आँसुओं में ढलते हैं
याद में तेरी जाग-जाग के हम …

Look at the highlighted portions of the lyrics and you’d probably understand what I mean.

My Own Poetry

Of course, I can never give my poems in the same post as Shakeel’s lyrics/poems/ghazals. I can only give what I have written about him.

However, here is about his songs:

Shakeel ke naghmon ki kabhi yaad mujhe nahin aati,
Yaad unaki aati hai jinhen hum bhool jaate hain;
Yahan to har sehar hoti hai unaki shaayari se,
Har shaam unake geeton ko hum dohraate hain.

How Did This Song Come About?

The movie Mere Mehboob had its famous song Mere mehboob tujhe shot in Aligarh Muslim University. That was to describe the emotion of Anwar Hussain Anwar (Rajendra Kumar) after a chance encounter with Husna Bano (Sadhana) even when she was veiled. Ashok Kumar as Nawab Buland Akhtar Changezi approves of the match even though the Nawab is well off and Anwar is poor. They are formally engaged and a wedding date is decided.

All very well? Two things happen that change things for them. One, Anwar is discovered in the company of a lowly courtesan Najma (who is actually Anwar’s sister) and Two, Nawab’s mansion is to be auctioned (his wealthy days are over) and he must marry his sister Husna to Munne Raja (Pran).

The lovers, hence, find their apple or love cart having been upset.

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Yaad mein teri jaag jaag ke hum…

I hope you liked my choice of Beautiful Duet #27.

Please await Beautiful Duet #28- Aankhon mein kya ji, rupahla baadal.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

Hence this series shifted to my page Lyrical.

I hope you liked RRR Song #6: Khushi do ghadi ki mile na mile. Here is the next song:

Today, 08 March, is the Birth Centenary of this great poet and Lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi. He was born on this day in 1921 to a Gujjar Muslim family in Karimpura, Ludhiana, Punjab.

I was born near Ludhiana too. Ludhiana was and is famous for its Hosiery mills. Many an Indian has gone all the way to London to buy a lovely looking cardigan, only to see from its label that it was manufactured in Ludhiana. Sahir is as popular, if not more.

It is not my intention to summarise his life from birth (he was born as Abdul Hayee) until his end on 25 Oct 1980; his college days, love interests (he was romantically linked with Amrita Pritam and Sudha Malhotra).

I merelydesire to recall his poetry and songs that are close to my heart.

Poetry through rhyming has only limited choices; eg, Raat with barsaat, mulaqaat, saugat and baraat. However, the art lies in how a poet and lyricist uses such rhymes. Sahir was, indeed, a great one in this respect.

Here is how I describe this prowess of his:

अच्छी शायरी वो काफिया है जो दिल में उतर जाए,
एक तसव्वुर है जो रात को भी सेहर बनाए।
साहिर को मिली थी वो जादू की कलम*,
पढ़ने वाला यकायक यहां से उस पार पहुंच जाये।

(*After all Sahir was his takhallus (pen-name described him as ‘Magician’)

Let’s take a fine example of this imagination.

I take you to the 1952 Guru Dutt movie Jaal with  SD Burman having composed this unforgettable song of his in Raag Kafi; Hemant Kumar‘s voice fills the atmosphere with requisite enchantment and enigma:

पेड़ों की शाखों पे सोयी सोयी चांदनी,
तेरे ख़्यालों में खोयी खोयी चांदनी,
और थोड़ी देर में थक के लौट जाएगी,
रात यह करार की फ़िर कभी ना आयेगी,
दो एक पल और है यह समान,
सुन जा दिल की दास्तान….

A similar flight of imagination was used in 1960 Pyare Lal Santoshi movie Barsaat Ki Raat starring Bharat Bhushan and Madhubala; a song composed by Roshan in Raag Kalyan:

हाय वो रेशमी ज़ुल्फ़ों से बरसता पानी
फूल से गालों पे रुकने को तरसता पानी
दिल में तूफ़ान उठाते हुए
दिल में तूफ़ान उठाते हुए जज़बात की रात
ज़िंदगी भर नहीं भूलेगी वो बरसात की रात

Now that we are talking about Zindagi (Life), we might as well acknowledge that he had mastery to present the truths of Life.

Take this one from the 1961 Dev Anand movie Hum Dono, composed by Jaidev (also from Ludhiana) in Raag Gara. I consider these as his best and most stinging lines:

कौन रोता है किसी और की खातिर ऐ दिल,
सबको अपनी ही किसी बात पे रोना आया
कभी खुद पे कभी हालात पे रोना आया
बात निकली तो हर एक बात पे रोना आया।

Take this song from 1955 Subodh Mukherjee movie Munimji starring Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant; SD Burman having composed:

जीवन के सफ़र में राही, मिलते हैं बिछड़ जाने को
और दे जाते हैं यादें, तनहाई में तड़पाने को
जीवन के सफ़र…

Let’s go towards Duniya or Zamana songs; songs that are his signature songs wherein he gets to air the ills of the society.

The first one is from the 1957 Guru Dutt movie Pyaasa starring Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. This was the last movie in which SD Burman composed his songs before that fell apart. These are surely among his best lyrics:

ये महलों, ये तख़्तों, ये ताजों की दुनिया
ये इनसां के दुश्मन समाजों की दुनिया – २
ये दौलत के भूखे रिवाज़ों की दुनिया
ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाये तो क्या है – २

हर एक जिस्म घायल, हर एक रुह प्यासी
निगाहो में उलझन, दिलों मे उदासी
ये दुनिया है या आलम-ए-बदहवासी
ये दुनिया …

जहाँ एक खिलौना है इनसां की हस्ती
ये बस्ती है मुर्दा-परस्तों की बस्ती
जहाँ और जीवन से है मौत सस्ती
ये दुनिया …

जवानी भटकती है बेज़ार बनकर
जवां जिस्म सजते है बाज़ार बनकर
जहाँ प्यार होता है व्यापार बनकर
ये दुनिया …

ये दुनिया जहाँ आदमी कुछ नहीं है
वफ़ा कुछ नहीं, दोस्ती कुछ नहीं है – २
जहाँ प्यार कि कद्र ही कुछ नहीं है ये दुनिया …

Let’s now go to the 1965 Ram Maheshwari movie Kaajal. His songs were composed by Ravi. This one depicts a bad man trying to prove himself as a virtuous man and these are really extraordinary lyrics:

अच्छों को बुरा साबित करना दुनिया की पुरानी आदत है,
इस शय को मुबारक चीज  समझ माना के बहुत बदनाम है यह
छू लेने दो नाजुक होंठों को…

When it came to matters of Love and Romance, he wrote extraordinary lyrics. Sample this from this 1963 M Sadiq movie Taj Mahal (whose song Jo wada kiya got him the first out of two Filmfare awards that he received):

पाँव छू लेने दो फूलोँ को इनायत होगी,
वर्ना हमको ही नहीं इनको भी शिकायत होगी

Or take this from the 1957 BR Chopra movie Naya Daur starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala (OP Nayyar having given his signature horse-trot beat to the song):

आ: दिल कहे दिलदार मिला, हम कहें हमें प्यार मिला – २
र: प्यार मिला हमें यार मिला, एक नया संसार मिला – २
आ: आ …, आस मिली अरमान मिला
र: ओ …, जीने का सामान मिला
दोनो: मिल गया एक सहारा, ओ ओ ओ ओ
माँग के साथ तुम्हारा …

But, more than the Romantic songs and duets, he excelled in songs with sadness and deprivation.

I start with giving you this unforgettable song (my all time favourite) from the 1956 GP Sippy movie Chandrakanta starring Bharat Bhushan and Bina Rai. This should rank among the best songs of Mohammad Rafi, composed by N Dutta in Raag Bhimpalasi Tal Dadra:

मैं वो नग़मा हूँ जिसे प्यार की महफ़िल न मिली
वो मुसाफ़िर हूँ जिसे कोई भी मन्ज़िल न मिली
ज़ख्म पाएं हैं बहारों की तमन्ना की थी मैं ने चाँद सितारों …

The 1964 Ved Madan movie Gazal had this extraordinarily beautiful and soulful number from Mohammad Rafi. The occasion is for Sunil Dutt to read out (or sing) a Sehra on the wedding of his beloved Meena Kumari to Rehman. It is certainly among the most memorable lyrics of Sahir Ludhianvi:

मैने जज़बात निभाए हैं उसूलों की जगह (२)
अपने अरमान पिरो लाया हूँ फूलों की जगह
तेरे सेहरे की …
तेरे सेहरे की ये सौगात किसे पेश करूँ
ये मुरादों की हसीं रात किसे पेश करूँ?

We have had quite a few of Sahir’s songs sung by Mohammad Rafi. Lets look at other singers.

There was this beautiful number sung by Manna Dey for the 1965 Yash Chopra movie Waqt; Ravi having composed it in Raag Pilu, Tal Dadra: Ai meri johra zabeen, tujhe maloom nahin. However, my favourite is this one sung by Talat Mahmood for the 1955 Bimal Roy movie Devdas starring Dilip Kumar in the title role with Vyjayanthimala playing the courtesan Chandramukhi and Suchitra Sen playing his beloved from childhood days: Parvati or Paro:

किसको खबर थी
किसको यकीन था,
ऐसे भी दिन आयेंगे,
जीना भी मुश्किल होगा और मरने भी ना पाएंगें

हम जैसे बर्बाद दिलों का जीना क्या और मरना क्या,
आज तेरी महफिल से उठे कल दुनिया से उठ जायेंगें

In this one stanza song, Sahir narrated the crux of the complete story of Devdas penned by Sharat Chander Chattopadhyay.

Lets turn to his hymns now.

First one is from the 1965 film Kaajal. Ravi composed it in Raag Darbari Kanada:

तोरा मन दर्पण कहलाये
भले बुरे सारे कर्मों को देखे और दिखाए

Sahir used scriptures very well in this to portray how God resides in us in our Mind and that we are as good or as bad as we think.

Hum Dono had this beautiful bhajan that was often played on Doordarshan and A.I.R. when the issue of communal harmony came up:

अल्लाह तेरो नाम इश्वर तेरो नाम
सबको सन्मति दे भगवान

Then, some of the best ever qawwalis in Hindi movies were penned by him such Na to karwaan ki talaash hai, composed by Roshan.

Today is the International Women’s Day and Death Anniversary of the First Lady of Indian Cinema: Devika Rani who was also the first ever recipient of the highest in cinematic excellence: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Sahir’s father abandoned his mother Sardar Begum since he was basically of lustful nature. Sahir looked after his mother. He had this to say about Aurat or woman:

औरत ने जनम दिया मर्दों को, मर्दों ने उसे बाज़ार दिया
जब जी चाहा कुचला मसला,
जब जी चाहा दुत्कार दिया

तुलती है कहीं दीनारों में,
बिकती है कहीं बाज़ारों में
नंगी नचवाई जाती है,
ऐय्याशों के दरबारों में
ये वो बेइज़्ज़त चीज़ है जो, बंट जाती है इज़्ज़तदारों में

In the end I am not going to give you what everyone else gives: मैं पल दो पल का शायर हूँ, पल दो पल मेरी कहानी है since I don’t believe that applies to him.

I am going to give you a non film ghazal, a favourite of mine:

हवस-नसीब नज़र को कहीं क़रार नहीं
मैं मुन्तिज़र हूं मगर तेरा इन्तज़ार नहीं

हमीं से रंग-ए-गुलिस्तां हमीं से रंग-ए-बहार
हमीं को नज्म्-ए-गुलिस्तां पे इख्तयार नहीं

अभी न छेड़ मोहब्बत के गीत अए मुतिरब
अभी हयात का माहौल ख़ुशगवार नहीं

तुम्हारे अह्द-ए-वफ़ा को अहद मैं क्या समझूं 
\ुझे ख़ुद अपनी मोहब्बत का ऐतबार नहीं

न जाने कितने गिले इस में मुज्तिरब हैं नदीम
वो एक दिल जो किसी का गिलागुसार नहीं

गुरेज़ का नहीं क़ायल हयात से लेकिन
जो सोज़ कहूं तो मुझे मौत नागवार नहीं

ये किस मक़ाम पे पहुंचा दिया ज़माने ने
कि अब हयात पे तेरा भी इख्तयार नहीं

His political views coincided with Nehru’s. Here is what he wrote on Nehru’s death, something that is applicable to him too especially on his centenary:

Jism ki maut koi maut nahin hoti
Jism mit jaane se insaan nahin mar jaate.

Sahir will never die.

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 #25 – Tere naam ka deewana in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #26.

Song #26
Ae jaate hue lamho zara thehro
Theme-word: Mujhako hai zindagi ki kasam

Waqt Hai Ke rukta Nahin

Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny was one of the earlier navy novels that I read (such books and movies were responsible for my decision to join the Indian Navy) had this beautiful quote: “Wasted hours are just as painful in the beginning as in the end; only, in the end, it is more obvious.”

So, if most of you look back at this year much later, it would become obvious why we want to shut down this group, which, in its concept, is the best of Music/Songs groups on Facebook.

We let the grains of sand pass through our fingers and do nothing except to share shibboleths that the group is important to us.

Border – 1997 Film

Films regarding patriotism and valour of the armed forces makes the makers laugh all the way to the bank. Being a member of the armed forces, seeing some of them, I too get carried away that perhaps they really feel for the brave jawans. Far from it.

JP Dutta was no different. He made this film about the Battle of Longewala in the 1971 Indo-Pak War and had all the lements that Chetan Anand had about the Indo-China War of 1962″ Haqeeqat. This included even songs. For example, if Haqeeqat had a song about (not) getting mail from home, viz, Main ye soch kar uske dar se utha tha, Border followed suit and had its own: Sandeshe aate hain.

Naturally, desh prem theme is so strong that the movie won Best Film and Direction awards for JP Dutta both at the National and Filmfare levels besides various other awards.

Clichés

One of the clichés for war time movies is that on the honeymoon night (the focus of Hindi movies is always love) a telegram is received calling him to border. Somehow, wherever the loving couple is, the men from his unit find him to deliver the telegram (thank God that the Indian Postal authorities have now done away with the telegram and Hindi film makers will have to find some other way of appearing the poor guy consummating his wedding).

This cliché in Border is about Sunil Shetty as Bhairon Singh Shekhawat enjoying his honeymoon with his wife Phool Kanwar (Sharbani Mukherjee) when this wretched telegram is received. He is in a hurry to join duty. However, Jawed Akhtar, Anu Malik and Roop Kumar Rathod think they have enough time to squeeze in an emotional song (people who are watching the films often have to be egged along the right emotions!) And hence, this song.

Nevertheless, since it is the job of the movie makers to make such songs, they become good at it and even this is a fine and memorable song.

Lyrics

ऐ जाते हुए लम्हों ज़रा ठहरो ज़रा ठहरो
मैं भी तो चलता हूँ ज़रा उनसे मिलता हूँ
जो एक बात दिल में है उनसे कहूं
तो चलूं तो चलूं हूं हूं हूं हूं
ऐ जाते हुए लम्हों …

ज़रा ठहरो ज़रा ठहरो
उनके चेहरे की ये नरमियां
उनकी ज़ुल्फ़ों की ये बदलियां
उनकी आँखों के रोशन दिये
उनके होंठों की ये सुर्खियां
सब उनके हैं जलवे मैं चलने से पहले
साँसों में आँखों में ख्वाबों में यादों में
और इस दिल में तुमको छुपा के रखूं
तो चलूं तो चलूं …

मैं कहीं भी रहूं ऐ सनम
मुझको है ज़िंदगी की कसम
फ़ासले आते जाते रहे
प्यार लेकिन नहीं होगा कम
जिन्हें चाहूं जिन्हें पूजूं
उन्हें देखूं उन्हें छू लूं
ज़रा बातें तो कर लूं
ज़रा बाहों में भर लूं
मैं इस चाँद से माथे को चूम लूं
तो चलूं तो चलूं …

My Own Poetry

Chalo Intezaar Karte Hain

तू भी देखना एक ऐसा भी दिन आएगा,
आंसुओं से मेरे तेरा दिल पिघल जाएगा

मेरी ना श से तुझे कोई शिक्वा ना होगा
तेरे दिन तो क्या जहान संवर जाएगा

प्यार और इश्क़ मुझे करना ही ना था
घुट घुट रोज़ मुझे मरना ही ना था

अब सोचता हूँ क्यों चला गया वहां
तेरी राहों से मुझे गुज़रना ही ना था

सोचा था ज़िन्दगी का हमसफ़र मिला है
मेरी तनहा रातों का सहर मिला है

हम जिसे पीते रहे दवा जान के, ऐ दिल,
अब पता चला के ज़हर मिला है

खैर ग़म- ऐ-इश्क़ की कोई तो होगी मंज़िल
यह बेवफा निकली, यह हर वक़्त रही संगदिल

यह ज़िन्दगी तो रो रोके गुज़ार दी हमने
आने वाली ज़िन्दगी शायद ना हो मुश्किल

चलो इंतजार करते है! चलो इंतज़ार करते हैं!
ठोकर खा चुके हैं फिर भी प्यार करते हैं

तेरे वादे पे तो तमाम उम्र गुज़र गयी लेकिन
हम अब मौत की वफ़ा का ऐतबार करते हैं|

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Ae jaate hue lamho zara thehro…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #26 in the series.

Please await Song #27 –  O palanhare, nirgun aur nyare.

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 #26 in the series. I hope you liked Song #25 – Zikr hota hai jab qayamat ka.

Song #26
O mere sanam, O mere sanam
Theme-word: Jis din se huye ek duje ke, Is duniya se anjaan hain ham

Shankar Singh Raghuwanshi

So strong was the bonding between Shankar Singh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal that they were never addressed singly; they were always known as Shankar Jaikishan. Jaikishan was seven years younger to Shankar and died 16 years earlier and yet the Music Director’s name continued being Shankar Jaikishan.

There was never an attempt to separate them or have a tiff between them. They emerged as the best music duo the Hindi films ever saw; so much so that if you came across a popular tune or song, it was most likely that Shankar Jaikishan would have composed it. Some of their songs have remained at the top of popularity charts all these years such as Baharo phool barsao and Teri pyaari pyaari surat ko.

Today is the birth anniversary of Shankar. It is not my attempt to think of them as seaparately and yet, we all know that whilst Bhairavi was a favourite raag of Jaikishan (so much so that he named his daughter Bhairavi), Shivaranjani was the favourite of Shankar.

And hence this song. See how many gods are involved: Shankar, Kishan, Bhairavi, Shivaranjani. No wonder that the duo ruled the music world. It is my assessment that they will continue to do so.

Raag Shivaranjani

Raag Shivaranjani is a Raag that belongs to Kafi Thaat. The mood of the raag is Karuna Rasa (pathos) that suited both Shakeel and Ravi very well. However, the MDs who had this as their favourite (both of them as opposed to Bhairavi that was favourite of Jaikishan only) were Shankar Jaikishan. Some of their popular numbers in this Raag are: Awaaz deke hamen tum bulao, Baharon phool barsao, Dil ke jharokhe mein tujhako bithakar, Jaane kahan gaye woh din, and O mere sanam.

Some of the popular numbers of other composers in this raag are: Banake kyun bigada re, Dhak dhak karne laga, Kahin deep jale kahin dil, Mere naina sawan bhaadon, Mujhe kuchh kehna hai, Rimjhim ke geet sawan gaaye, Sawan aaye sawan jaaye, Tere mere beech mein, and Yaad teri aayegi.

Shivaranjani’s Jati is Audhav-Audhav, that is pentatonic in both ascent (Aaroha) and descent (Avaroha);Madhyam and Nishad are the swar that are varjya, Gandhar is Komal. Rest all are shuddha swar. This raag and Bhopali are similar except that in Bhopali, even Gandhar is shuddha whereas it is Komal in Shivaranjani.

The raag is to be normally performed at midnight.

Why would SJ Compose This Song in Shivaranjani?

The main thing is Karuna ras. It is, as seen by me, the best song of the 1964 Raj Kapoor movie Sangam that portrayed a Love Traingle between Rajendra Kumar, Vyjaynthimala and Raj Kapoor. She used to love Rajendra Kumar and vice versa. However, Raj Kapoor swept her off her feet and so compulsive and obsessive was his love (Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahin? and O mehbooba) that she married him.

Once married, she was a typical Hindu wife of those days (there is only one love and life; ie, with my husband. Meena Kumari portrayed the same in Dil Ek Mandir with the triangle being between Rajendra Kumar, Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar).

However, just like Raaj Kumar in Dil Ek Mandir, here Raj Kapoor had doubts after marriage; especially after he finds love letters exchanged between Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala (Ye mera prem patr padh kar Tum hainran na hona).

He couldn’t wait to express hi distrust with Dos dost na raha.

Life became a misery for Vyjayanthimala. In this song, she expresses her abiding love for her husband Raj Kapoor and talks about the sacredness of the relationship despite the earlier (and now terminated) love affair.

Shailendra

I would like to say that a lot of credit for the song should come to Shailendra too. Just like his other songs (eg, Madhumati song with the line Main nadiya phir bhi main pyaasi) there is element of ruefulness in the song; total Karuna in lyrics too:

ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम
दो जिस्म मगर एक जान हैं हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम

तन सौंप दिया, मन सौंप दिया
कुछ और तो मेरे पास नहीं
जो तुम से है मेरे हमदम
भगवान से भी वो आस नहीं – २

जिस दिन से हुए एक दूजे के
इस दुनिया से अनजान है हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम

सुनते हैं प्यार की दुनिया में
दो दिल मुश्किल से समाते हैं
क्या गैर वहाँ अपनों तक के
संग भी ना आने पाते हैं – २
हमने आखिर क्या देख लिया
क्या बात है क्यों हैरान है हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम

मेरे अपने, अपना ये मिलन
संगम है ये गंगा जमुना का
जो सच है सामने आया है
जो बीत गया एक सपना था – २
ये धरती है इन्सानों की
कुछ और नहीं इन्सान हैं हम
एक दिल के दो अरमान हैं हम
ओ मेरे सनम ओ मेरे सनम

Vyjayanthimala

Hats off to Raj Kapoor for having made a movie wherein, like Bimal Roy’s Madhumati, Vyjayanthimala is the main protagonist of the movie. Here, in the end, she rues being tossed about between the two bosom pals: Rajendra Kumar and Raj Kapoor.

This is a party scene. And Vyjayanthimala being the best dancer in Hindi movies, ever, has danced in amny parties. However, here she took her acting and histrionics a few notches higher by posing with dignity, elegance and self-pity.

Lata Mangeshkar – Mukesh

I could have given this song also in the Beautiful Duets series but that’s not my style. Lata sang for Vyjanthimala and Mukesh has always been the singing voice of Raj Kapoor in his movies.

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy on the birth anniversary of Shankar, a song penned by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan for the 1964 Raj Kapoor movie Sangam: O mere sanam, O mere sanam…

I hope you liked my choice of Raat or Din Song #26.

Please await Raat or Din Song #27- Do hanson ka joda.

RRR Songs (Songs of Regret, Repentance and Ruefulness)

I started this new series on 17 Jan 21 on my Facebook Group Yaad Kiya Dil Ne. My efforts failed to involve people in writing their own stuff about songs and music rather than copying and pasting from here and there or worse, just sharing url of songs from YouTube. Hence, I had decided to give the group a burial that it deserved rather than making it like thousands of groups on Facebook about songs with nothing unique about them at all.

I hope you liked RRR Song #5: Chandni raaten pyaar ki baaten. Here is the next song:

Song #6
Khushi do ghadi ki mile na mile

Kishore Kumar All The Way

Just four days ago I took up Koi lauta de mere beete huye din. That was from his movie Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein, a movie that he produced and directed and wrote the story of. He starred in the movie too and had his son Amit act in the movie as his mute son after he, Kishore Kumar, returned after doing his time as a soldier. What is more, he was the Music Director of the movie and we still fondly the songs of the movie including Aa chal ke tujhe main le ke chalun.

Door Ka Rahi that he made seven years later, in 1971, was also written, produced and directed by him, starred him and his son Amit (besides his elder brother Ashok Kumar and his daughter in the movie Tanuja). He was also the music director of the movie and composed and sang most of the songs:

1. Beqraar dil gaaye jaa.
2. This song: Khushi do ghadi ki (my favourite).
3. Jeevan se na haar.
4. Chalti chale jaaye zindagi. (Hemant Kumar).
5. Panthi hoon main us path ka.
6. Main ek panchhi matwala (sung by his son).
7. Mujhe kho jaane do.
8. Ek din aur aa gaya. (Maana Dey)

Except for Chalti chali jaaye zindagi penned by Shailendra, all the others were penned by Irshad, this being one of the four movies in which he penned songs.

Why is This a Favourite?

Because of the lyrics. These reflect my own emotions and this is how I feel about closing down the group:

खुशी दो घड़ी की, मिले ना मिले
शमा आरज़ू की, जले ना जले
खुशी दो घड़ी की …

रहगुज़र में कई मन्ज़िलें भी मिलें (२)
देख कर एक पल, दम लिया फिर चले
खुशी दो घड़ी की …

हर कदम पर नए मर्हले थे खड़े (२)
हम चले दिल चला, दिल चला हम चले
खुशी दो घड़ी की …

My Own Poetry

BAHUT DIYA DENE WAALE NE MUJHAKO

कैसे कैसे कभी इस दिल में अरमान थे,
कुछ ऐसे जज़्बात जिनसे हम अनजान थे।

शुरू शुरू में तो ऐसा लगता था हमें,
क़दमों तले सातों आसमान थे I

यह भी एहसास हुआ कई बार हमें,
बाहों में अपने दोनों जहान थे I

मिलने की खुशी चंद घंटों की थी,
ना मिलने से हम कितने परेशान थे।

हम मजबूर इस तरह हुए हालात के हाथों,
कभी ग़मगीन और कभी हम पशेमान थे।

ज़िन्दगी की राहों में हमदर्द तो नहीं मिले,
पर हर मरहले पे देखा खड़े हैवान थे।

हौले हौले हमने देखा एक अजूबा,
हमारी तरह लोग भी ज़िन्दगी से हैरान थे।

जहाँ भी गए लोगो की भीड़ थी लेकिन,
दिलों के रास्ते पूरी तरह सुनसान थे।

वक़्त बीत गया, ज़िन्दगी पीछे रह गयी,
दो चार घड़ी इस जगह हम मेहमान थे।

कल आएगा, नए कारवां होंगे, पर कैसे भूलें,
इस धरती पे हम भी कभी इंसान थे।

भगवान, फिर भी तेरे सजदे में है रवि,
जो कुछ भी पाया सब तेरे एहसान थे।

This Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Khushi do ghadi ki mile na mile…

I hope you liked Song #6 in this series.

Please await Song #7: Main ye soch kar uske dar se utha tha.

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 #24 – Tora man bada paapi in Zindagi or Jeevan Songs series. Let’s start with Song #25.

Song #25
Tere naam ka deewana tere ghar ko dhundhta hai
Theme-word: Jaan-e-wafa o jaan-e-jigar, ye zindagi hai to ek safar, Is safar mein ek musafir humsafar dhundhta hai

Anand Bakshi – Laxmikant Pyarelal

They paired together in a record 302 movies. One would thing that quantity was at the expense of quality. Amazingly, they continued having quality and popularity of their songs. They came together for the 1964 movie Mr X In Bombay with that great Kishore Kumar song: Mere mehboob qayamat hogi. Their last movie together was the 1992 movie Aashiq Awara. In these 29 years, Anand Bakshi wrote 1680 songs for them. That makes it nearly 58 songs per year and nearly 5 songs per month!

Suraj Aur Chanda – 1973 Movie

This movie from where I have taken this song was directed by T Madhava Rao (Madhav Rao in the poster) and starred Sanjeev Kumar, Rita Haskar (credited as Meeta in the poster), Sujit Kumar (Sujeet Kumar in the poster) and Bindu. Sanjeev Kumar is Suraj in the movie and Rita Haskar is Chandavati and thus the name of the movie.

Mohammad Rafi

Mohammad Rafi sang some really beautiful songs for Laxmikant Pyarelal starting with their first movie together: Parasmani (Woh jab yaad aaye bahut yaad aaye) and followed by Dosti (Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere.

I love this song. One, for its excellent lyrics, two for its beautiful composition, three for its outstanding rendition by Mohammad Rafi and four by a carefree (his style) acting by Sanjeev Kumar as if he was cut out for this role (his characteristic).

Lyrics

तेरे नाम का दीवाना तेरे
घर को ढूंढता है
इस नजर पे दिल फ़िदा है
उस नजर को ढूंढता है

आवाज़ दिल की पहचान ले
मै कौन हु तू ये जान ले
इक रात का सितारा इक शहर
को ढूंढता है
तेरे नाम का दीवाना तेरे
घर को ढूंढता है

जाने वफ़ा ो जाने जिगर
ये ज़िन्दगी तो है एक सफर
इस सफर में एक मुसाफिर
हमसफ़र ढूंढ़ता है
तेरे नाम का दीवाना तेरे
घर को ढूंढता है

फलों में जैसे ही रंग ो फूल
मुझको छुपाले आँखों में तू
मेरा दिल तड़प तड़प कर
दिल वॉर को ढूंढ़ता है
तेरे नाम का दीवाना तेरे
घर को ढूंढता है

My Own Poetry

I am giving you my first ever Love Poem that I wrote at the age of 16 years:

TU

एक मुद्दत से तमन्ना थी जिसे कहने की,
बात वो अब भी मैं कह नहीं पायूँगा सनम,
ज़िंदा हैं अश्क़ अब भी जो बहाये मैंने,
मैं उन अश्कों मैं कभी बह नहीं पायूँगा सनम I

याद आएँगी मुझे खामोश ओ मजबूर रातें,
अपने ही आप से मैं करता रहा था बातें
सोचा था अब तेरे दीदार को ना तरसूँगा कभी
जो न मुझे मिल सका उस प्यार को ना तरसूँगा कभी
सोच कर फिर वही मायूस सा हो कर सोचा
बिन तुम्हारे मैं रह भी ना पायूँगा सनम
वो बात अब भी मैं कह नहीं पायूँगा सनम I

मेरे बारे में कभी तुमने भी ये सोचा होगा
ये भी एक और दीवाना है दीवानो की तरह
मैं जो रौशन हूँ सियाह रात में शमा की तरह
मेरा परवाना है यह भी परवानो की तरह
सोच कर तूने इतना तो सोचा होता:
इतने सितम मैं सह भी ना पायूँगा सनम
वो बात अब भी मैं कह नहीं पायूँगा सनम I

खुद को मुझसे इतना भी ना तू दूर समझ
अपने परवाने को इतना भी ना मजबूर समझ
मैं अगर चाहूँ तो इतनी भी है ताक़त मुझ में:
याद को तेरी मैं इक तू ही बना सकता हूँ
इक तो तू है जो मेरी हर बात को समझे वहशत
अपनी तू को मैं हर इक बात सुना सकता हूँ
तुझको सजाना चाहूँ तो ज़ुल्फ़ भी छूने नहीं दे
अपने अरमानो से तेरा हर अंग सजा सकता हूँ
गम नहीं अब जो तू लाख भी रूठे मुझसे
अपनी तू को मैं जब चाहे मना सकता हूँ I

The Song

Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy: Tere naam ka deewana tere ghar ko dhoondhta hai…

I hope you enjoyed my choice for Song #25 in the series.

Please await Song #26 –  Ai jaate huye lamho zara.