Sahir Ludhianvi: Silver Memories, Romantic Sahir Options Rating

[HumTum]

Sis, you should take up writing on a large scale. There is a whole of lot good reading audience out there on the net. Keep up the good work sis.

[Hari Ram]

Madhavi,

Here is one more reader.
Please post your writings more often.

Hari Ram

[mmuk2004]

T, HT and Hari Ram,

I did wallow in that appreciation... . Thank you for your encouragement.

[mmuk2004]

For Ash whose presence I miss and for BC who had requested a response to this particular song...

Sansaar Se Bhage Phirte Ho (Lata) and Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare (Rafi)
Chitralekha (1964)


First, some information about the novel by Bhagwati Charan Verma on whose book the movie was based. Could not confirm the dates but my guess is that it was published between 1933 and 1935. The novel is a period piece set in Chandragupta Maurya's time and, as BC had suggested in his quotation on sin, the novel is at one level a quest for finding out the meaning of sin. It is the story of two disciples of a sage who want to find out about Sin. The sage instead of giving them an answer sends them to the real world to find it out for themselves. One is left with a Samant (worldly life) and the other with a Yogi (ascetic life). The heroine Chitralekha intersects both worlds moving the story to its climax and by the end of the year both the disciples have different views on who the sinner was. Maybe the book sympathizes with one point of view over the other but it does hold out the possibilities of exploring how different contexts can change our perceptions drastically. (Have not read the novel, am extrapolating heavily from accounts of the novel).

Now a few words about the director of Chitralekha: Kidar Sharma, a director known for his original ideas, his superb lyrics and poetic sensibilities seems to have been quite taken up with the idea of Chitralekha. He bought the filming rights for it (read somewhere that Bhagwati Charan Verma was not too happy with the liberties Kidar Sharma took with the novel though)... and directed it in 1941 at the beginning of his career and then at the very end of his career in 1964, he attempted it again with big names (Meena Kumari and Pradeep Kumar), unfortunately the film flopped. Kidar Sharma very often wrote the dialogues for the films he directed and often wrote the lyrics too. (A digression but I found this fascinating...Kidar Sharma wrote the dialogues and lyrics of the Saigal version of Devdas("Dukh Ke Ab Din Beete Nahin" and "Balam Aayo Baso Mere Man Mein" The cameraman of this film was Bimal Roy who remade the classic inspired by Kidar Sharma's lyrics. Bimal Roys's Devdas had Sahir as the lyricist). I am not familiar with the songs of the earlier Chitralekha except for one famous track by Ramdulari "Tum Jao Jao Bhagwan Bane Phirte Ho" (lyrics by Kidar Sharma and music by Khan Sahab Jhande Khan). Apparently Kidar Sharma got all the songs (12) of this movie composed in Raag Bhairavi.

It is worth noting that Kidar Sharma deviated from the norm and chose to get Sahir to write the lyrics for his second production of Chitralekha and Sahir rose to the occasion to pen some of the most philosophical and yet tremendously popular songs for this film. At the heart of this beautifully composed album by Roshan (who had formed a productive partnership with both Kidar Sharma (Neki aur Badi, Bawre Nain) and Sahir(Babar, Barsaat Ki Raat, Dil Hi To Hai..) are the two golden solos by Lata and Rafi, “Sansaar Se Bhaage Phirte Ho” and “Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare”.

Very briefly the film is about a courtesan Chitralekha who is in love with a Samant (Pradeep Kumar) who is engaged to someone else. The father of the bride sends the ascetic (Ashok Kumar) to dissuade the Samant from falling “prey” to Chitralekha’s charms. In the film Chitralekha is impressed by the Sadhu and decides to become his disciple but is later disenchanted with him when she realizes that he himself lusts after her. (Am commenting entirely from very vague memories of the film seen on DD aeons ago…please correct me if I am wrong).



Sansar se bhaage phirte ho, bhagwaan to tum kya paaoge
Is lok ko to apna na sake, us lok mei bhi pachtaaoge

Ye paap hai kya ye punye hai kya, reeton par dharm ki mohren hain
Har yug mei badalte dharmon ko, kaise aadarsh banaaoge

Ye bhog bhi ek tapasya hai, tum tyaag ke maare kya jaano
Apmaan rachaiyta ka hoga, rachna ko agar thukraaoge

Hum kehte hain ye jug apna hai, tum kehte ho jhoota sapna hai
Hum janam bita kar jaayenge, tum janam gawa kar jaaoge



In the contesting philosophies of “Bhog” and “tyaag”, here is Sahir taking the epicurean stance through the eloquent yet simple words of the courtesan. The woman is the epitome of what the ascetic life would consider sinful or evil. She lives a life of pleasure surrounded by wealth and glamour and indulges in all the pleasures of the flesh... The song is a statement of faith in epicurean philosophy and its extremely simple structure (hum and tum) and the counter pointing images that she uses make the ascetic philosophy of renunciation look barren and self centered.

Sansaar se “bhaage phirte” ho Bhagwaan ko tum kya “paoge”/Is lok ko bhi apna na sake us lok mein bhi pachtaoge… the pejorative phrase “bhaage phirte ho” sets the tone of the song … making the ascetic philosophy of renunciation look childishly self centered and escapist and thus grandiloquent in its claim to achieve Truth or God.

The next lines captures such her materialist philosophy so simply… to attempt to explain it any other way seems heavy handed… Sin and Redemption are temporal man made concepts given sanctity and authority by Religion, and yet when religions themselves are subject to time and change… how they can be viewed as ideal, absolute concepts…

She views “bhog” as a meditation too… “tum tyag ke mare kya jano” , to aesthetically appreciate the beauty of life and to accept it is also a way of paying homage to God. She has embraced life in its fullness while they have denounced it as “Maya” … she will leave it having “fulfilled” her life whereas they will leave it with a sense of loss.

Sahir is known for putting the most complex thoughts in the simplest of lines and this song a showcase for his mastery in this skill.

...will post "Man Re" in just a bit.

[Hari Ram]

For Ash whose presence I miss…

Sansaar Se Bhage Phirte Ho (Lata) and Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare (Rafi)
Chitralekha (1964)



Sansar se bhaage phirte ho, bhagwaan to tum kya paaoge
Is lok ko to apna na sake, us lok mei bhi pachtaaoge

Ye paap hai kya ye punye hai kya, reeton par dharm ki mohren hain
Har yug mei badalte dharmon ko, kaise aadarsh banaaoge

Ye bhog bhi ek tapasya hai, tum tyaag ke maare kya jaano
Apmaan rachaiyta ka hoga, rachna ko agar thukraaoge

Hum kehte hain ye jug apna hai, tum kehte ho jhoota sapna hai
Hum janam bita kar jaayenge, tum janam gawa kar jaaoge

In the contesting philosophies of “Bhog” and “tyaag”, here is Sahir taking the epicurean stance through the eloquent yet simple words of the courtesan. The woman is the epitome of what the ascetic life would consider sinful or evil. She lives a life of pleasure surrounded by wealth and glamour and indulges in all the pleasures of the flesh... The song is a statement of faith in epicurean philosophy and its extremely simple structure (hum and tum) and the counter pointing images that she uses make the ascetic philosophy of renunciation look barren and self centered.

Sansaar se “bhaage phirte” ho Bhagwaan ko tum kya “paoge”/Is lok ko bhi apna na sake us lok mein bhi pachtaoge… the pejorative phrase “bhaage phirte ho” sets the tone of the song … making the ascetic philosophy of renunciation look childishly self centered and escapist and thus grandiloquent in its claim to achieve Truth or God.

The next lines captures such her materialist philosophy so simply… to attempt to explain it any other way seems heavy handed… Sin and Redemption are temporal man made concepts given sanctity and authority by Religion, and yet when religions themselves are subject to time and change… how they can be viewed as ideal, absolute concepts…

She views “bhog” as a meditation too… “tum tyag ke mare kya jano” , to aesthetically appreciate the beauty of life and to accept it is also a way of paying homage to God. She has embraced life in its fullness while they have denounced it as “Maya” … she will leave it having “fulfilled” her life whereas they will leave it with a sense of loss.

Sahir is known for putting the most complex thoughts in the simplest of lines and this song a showcase for his mastery in this skill.

Madhavi,

Chitralekha is a great album.
When I think of Sahir, the first song that comes to my mind is 'sansaar se bhaage phirte ho'.
I feel, sensing the power of this poem, Roshan has produced an equally great song from it.
Your writings are a pleasure to read; thanks very much.

Hari Ram

[Anupama]

For Ash whose presence I miss and for BC who had requesed a response to this particular song...

Sansaar Se Bhage Phirte Ho (Lata) and Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare (Rafi)
Chitralekha (1964)


First, some information about the novel by Bhagwati Charan Verma on whose book the movie was based. Could not confirm the dates but my guess is that it was published between 1933 and 1935. The novel is a period piece set in Chandragupta Maurya's time and, as BC had suggested in his quotation on sin, the novel is at one level a quest for finding out the meaning of sin. It is the story of two disciples of a sage who want to find out about Sin. The sage instead of giving them an answer sends them to the real world to find it out for themselves. One is left with a Samant (worldly life) and the other with a Yogi (ascetic life). The heroine Chitralekha intersects both worlds moving the story to its climax and by the end of the year both the disciples have different views on who the sinner was. Maybe the book sympathizes with one point of view over the other but it does hold out the possibilities of exploring how different contexts can change our perceptions drastically. (Have not read the novel, am extrapolating heavily from accounts of the novel).

Now a few words about the director of Chitralekha: Kidar Sharma, a director known for his original ideas, his superb lyrics and poetic sensibilities seems to have been quite taken up with the idea of Chitralekha. He bought the filming rights for it (read somewhere that Bhagwati Charan Verma was not too happy with the liberties Kidar Sharma took with the novel though)... and directed it in 1941 at the beginning of his career and then at the very end of his career in 1964, he attempted it again with big names (Meena Kumari and Pradeep Kumar), unfortunately the film flopped. Kidar Sharma very often wrote the dialogues for the films he directed and often wrote the lyrics too. (A digression but I found this fascinating...Kidar Sharma wrote the dialogues and lyrics of the Saigal version of Devdas("Dukh Ke Ab Din Beete Nahin" and "Balam Aayo Baso Mere Man Mein" The cameraman of this film was Bimal Roy who remade the classic inspired by Kidar Sharma's lyrics. Bimal Roys's Devdas had Sahir as the lyricist). I am not familiar with the songs of the earlier Chitralekha except for one famous track by Ramdulari "Tum Jao Jao Bhagwan Bane Phirte Ho" (lyrics by Kidar Sharma and music by Khan Sahab Jhande Khan). Apparently Kidar Sharma got all the songs (12) of this movie composed in Raag Bhairavi.

It is worth noting that Kidar Sharma deviated from the norm and chose to get Sahir to write the lyrics for his second production of Chitralekha and Sahir rose to the occasion to pen some of the most philosophical and yet tremendously popular songs for this film. At the heart of this beautifully composed album by Roshan (who had formed a productive partnership with both Kidar Sharma (Neki aur Badi, Bawre Nain) and Sahir(Babar, Barsaat Ki Raat, Dil Hi To Hai..) are the two golden solos by Lata and Rafi, “Sansaar Se Bhaage Phirte Ho” and “Man Re Tu Kahe Na Dheer Dhare”.

Very briefly the film is about a courtesan Chitralekha who is in love with a Samant (Pradeep Kumar) who is engaged to someone else. The father of the bride sends the ascetic (Ashok Kumar) to dissuade the Samant from falling “prey” to Chitralekha’s charms. In the film Chitralekha is impressed by the Sadhu and decides to become his disciple but is later disenchanted with him when she realizes that he himself lusts after her. (Am commenting entirely from very vague memories of the film seen on DD aeons ago…please correct me if I am wrong).



Sansar se bhaage phirte ho, bhagwaan to tum kya paaoge
Is lok ko to apna na sake, us lok mei bhi pachtaaoge

Ye paap hai kya ye punye hai kya, reeton par dharm ki mohren hain
Har yug mei badalte dharmon ko, kaise aadarsh banaaoge

Ye bhog bhi ek tapasya hai, tum tyaag ke maare kya jaano
Apmaan rachaiyta ka hoga, rachna ko agar thukraaoge

Hum kehte hain ye jug apna hai, tum kehte ho jhoota sapna hai
Hum janam bita kar jaayenge, tum janam gawa kar jaaoge



In the contesting philosophies of “Bhog” and “tyaag”, here is Sahir taking the epicurean stance through the eloquent yet simple words of the courtesan. The woman is the epitome of what the ascetic life would consider sinful or evil. She lives a life of pleasure surrounded by wealth and glamour and indulges in all the pleasures of the flesh... The song is a statement of faith in epicurean philosophy and its extremely simple structure (hum and tum) and the counter pointing images that she uses make the ascetic philosophy of renunciation look barren and self centered.

Sansaar se “bhaage phirte” ho Bhagwaan ko tum kya “paoge”/Is lok ko bhi apna na sake us lok mein bhi pachtaoge… the pejorative phrase “bhaage phirte ho” sets the tone of the song … making the ascetic philosophy of renunciation look childishly self centered and escapist and thus grandiloquent in its claim to achieve Truth or God.

The next lines captures such her materialist philosophy so simply… to attempt to explain it any other way seems heavy handed… Sin and Redemption are temporal man made concepts given sanctity and authority by Religion, and yet when religions themselves are subject to time and change… how they can be viewed as ideal, absolute concepts…

She views “bhog” as a meditation too… “tum tyag ke mare kya jano” , to aesthetically appreciate the beauty of life and to accept it is also a way of paying homage to God. She has embraced life in its fullness while they have denounced it as “Maya” … she will leave it having “fulfilled” her life whereas they will leave it with a sense of loss.

Sahir is known for putting the most complex thoughts in the simplest of lines and this song a showcase for his mastery in this skill.

...will post "Man Re" in just a bit.

Nice write-up, Madhavi, as usual.


Read this:-

On November 11, the demolition men finally made sure that the last brick that held the bungalow built by the great poet, Sahir Ludhianvi was smashed to rubble. With it one more landmark was wiped off from the face of Mumbai, which Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh dreams of turning into another Shanghai and is only too willing to destroy others’ dreams to realise his own.


Sahir’s bungalow was the place where he sat and wrote some of his immortal poems and lyrics. He had an entire bungalow to himself (he was a bachelor). But he spent his best time in a corner where he worked on his masterpieces. This was the bungalow which was visited by some of the all time great film makers like B R Chopra, Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra and music directors like S D Burman, Khayyam and N Dutta and singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohhamad Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur who sat waiting for him to come up with the kind of poetry that only he could write. This was the bungalow he spent most of his time even after he had built his own apartment in Juhu called ‘Aashiyan,’ the name of the most popular collection of his poems and this was the bungalow where he returned home one evening and breathed his last.


Sahir’s bungalow has now become a part of history and in its place will come another monstrosity of a multi-storeyed building blocking the sea, which was one of Sahir’s major source of inspiration.



This demolition came just after the apartment he lived in at ‘Aashiyana’ was taken over by the society of the building because he had no heir. His most valuable collection of books and volumes of unpublished writings were sold to the raddiwala. All that lives on now are his poems in any number of books and his songs for films that will live forever.


All the best bungalows built by men who came to Mumbai with nothing are being demolished or converted into some place else one by one. The bungalow Kishore Kumar built which has stories that can go into one of the most interesting books, has been turned into a spa where there is a gym where reiki and other health related classes are held.

Padmashri Rajinder Singh Bedi had his own bungalow in Matunga in Central Mumbai. He sold it when he made up with his son, director Narendra Bedi and shifted to his son’s own bungalow on Mumbai’s famous Linking Road. His son died suddenly and Bedi saab who couldn’t take the shock followed him soon after. The bungalow has now been razed to the ground for a posh executive club to stand in its place.

The palatial home Manoj Kumar built has vanished from the map of Juhu. Mr Bharat
(Manoj) now lives in an apartment while a huge complex is coming up in a great hurry.


The sprawling bungalow of the late film maker Pramod Chakravorty was nowhere just three months after his death. He had plans to convert the same bungalow into a better bungalow to be named after his wife, Lakshmi, but his dream died with him and in the place of his bungalow, a bungalow built by a man who was once just a typist is now being built.


The bungalow the late Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt built at a cost of just Rs 8 lakh almost 50 years ago has made way for twin towers called Imperial Heights. Their children, Sanjay Dutt, Priya and her husband, Owen, Namrata and her husband, one time actor Kumar Gaurav and their children live in different apartments in these towers.


Dimple Kapadia who was born and brought up at Samudra Mahal, a palace facing the sea at Juhu, has shifted to her own apartment in Vastu, while Samudra Mahal stands like a haunted palace, with estate agents eyeing it like vultures.


Dimple’s estranged husband Rajesh Khanna’s bungalow ‘Aashirwad’ on Carter Road in Bandra, facing the sea, where thousands once thronged every day to seek the aashirwad, of the once upon a time superstar, is one of the most haunted homes today. The ex-superstar occupies one corner of his own bungalow which is in a mess in many ways.


The original underground bungalow of Jitendra on the posh Pali Hill is a home of the past for the family, who have now shifted into a virtual Buckhingham Palace like bungalow in Juhu. Only recently there was talk about the bungalow of the greatest ever Indian showman, Raj Kapoor’s famed bungalow going up for sale, but his sons immediately smashed the rumour.


The bungalow Dilip Kumar built on Pali Hill now has only one man living there, his younger brother, Ehsaan Khan. The legendary actor has been living in the sprawling mansion of his wife, Saira Banu and visits his own bungalow once in a way. The bungalows of the veteran actor, Pran, actors Vinod Mehra and Ranjit and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the veteran director who died recently were brought down some years ago.


The only bungalows that still stand in all their splendour are the bungalows of Dr B R Chopra, his brother, Dr Yash Chopra, the brothers Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan, the two bungalows of Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Hema Malini, Rishi Kapoor, Shakti Samantha, Dharmendra and Shahrukh Khan, the only star of the new generation to have a massive bungalow called `Mannat’ at the Lands End in Bandra. All the other stars are or seem to be satisfied with their apartments in all the high rises which have come up all over for reasons of security and to maintain their privacy, according to them.


Tourists and visitors from outside who have always had a peep at the bungalows of stars and other celebrities, will miss some of these bungalows which have vanished. And I wonder if there will be any more bungalows if Vilasrao’s dream of changing Mumbai to Shanghai comes true.

http://content.msn.co.in/Entertainment/Bol...106_312.htm#top

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was extremely upset & shocked to read this.

Raddiwala?

If, by any chance anyone happens to come across this RADDIWAALA please let me know.

[mmuk2004]

Chitralekha is a great album.
When I think of Sahir, the first song that comes to my mind is 'sansaar se bhaage phirte ho'.
I feel, sensing the power of this poem, Roshan has produced an equally great song from it.

Hari Ram,

I wish someone would elucidate on the music of these songs too... I am very shaky when it comes to understanding the nuances of classical music, or any music for that matter basically depending on my untrained ear and a passion for music... If someone could talk about the musical composition of the songs alongside the analysis it would present a much more complete picture. If you have any sort of knowledge of classical music, please please elucidate... (e.g. how did Roshan bring out the mood of the song...is it based on any specific raga etc... and I also wondered why Kidar Sharma chose Raag Bhairavi for all the twelve songs for his previous version of Chitralekha...

[mmuk2004]

This demolition came just after the apartment he lived in at ‘Aashiyana’ was taken over by the society of the building because he had no heir. His most valuable collection of books and volumes of unpublished writings were sold to the raddiwala. All that lives on now are his poems in any number of books and his songs for films that will live forever.

Anupama,

Thank you for the article... had no idea about this... sad indeed. While one realises that change does occur and it is with a sense of loss and sadness that we see older things pass away... what is really more upsetting it the kind of utter callousness with which we treat our national figures... I almost cannot believe the raddiwala story... It seems like a wierd replay of Pyaasa... I cannot believe that people just let go of Sahir's unpubished works in such a crass fashion... it seems surreal!!!

[Hari Ram]

Hari Ram,

I wish someone would elucidate on the music of these songs too... I am very shaky when it comes to understanding the nuances of classical music, or any music for that matter basically depending on my untrained ear and a passion for music... If someone could talk about the musical composition of the songs alongside the analysis it would present a much more complete picture. If you have any sort of knowledge of classical music, please please elucidate... (e.g. how did Roshan bring out the mood of the song...is it based on any specific raga etc... and I also wondered why Kidar Sharma chose Raag Bhairavi for all the twelve songs for his previous version of Chitralekha...

Madhavi,

I have a common man's approach to music appreciation.
For me, any music that makes a good listening and that never get bored of listening is good music. The Chitralekha song is well above these criteria. I too would be interested if someone would enlighten us on the music compositions of Chitralekha; perhaps, Mandrake?

Very saddened to hear the fate of Sahir's bugalow in Anupama's post. BTW, what is meant by 'Raddiwala'?

Hari Ram

[mmuk2004]

BTW, what is meant by 'Raddiwala'?

Raddiwalas are guys who go door to door buying old newpapers and magazines...

[mmuk2004]

Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai...

I went back to Kabhi Kabhi after such a long time impelled by a random, definitive rejection of the film at a party..."What an a-jhel movie"...

Yes, the movie is quite melodramatic at times, especially in the last fire scene, yes, Shashi Kapoor as Rakhee's genial, liberal, large-hearted husband seems too hearty at times, and his inviting his son to a drink in front of his disapproving wife does not seem particularly hip now, and Amitabh Bachchan does not seem so awesomely handsome in his fur-lined jacket, and alas, superimposed on Rishi Kapoor's youthful flair in "pyar kar liya to kya/pyar hai gila nahin/teri meri umar mein/kisne ye kiya nahin" is my recent mental image of an ageing star with bags under his eyes... And yes, apart from suhaag raats themselves being passe, a suhaag raat where the husband asks his wife to read a poem by an ex-lover does not strike one as being the height of tragic irony.

And yet...have a little patience with the movie, as you have to, with a lot of older hindi films, and you can be rewarded with so many surprising insights and many radical and complex ideas that many of today's film tend to lose track of in their super slick presentations.

The movie is literally centered around this song... it expresses itself as a longing, a desire, a bitterness, a regret and all these are subtlely woven together to create the word love. The movie deals with many kinds of love, and to its credit, imbues it with a richness and complexity rarely seen in hindi films. The love between Rakhee and Amitabh is compared and contrasted to so many other kinds of love, cutting across generations and across relationships. In the older generation there is the love between Rakhi and Shashi Kapoor, between Waheeda and her fiance, amongst the younger generation, there is the love between Rishi and Neetu and the infatuation of the young and slightly spoilt Pinky for Rishi which Rishi exploits a little cruelly to get back at Neetu. There is also the relationship between Shashi and Rishi, between Amitabh and Pinky, between Neetu and her adopted parents and the tentative, delicate one between her and Waheeda. All these complex relationships are finely textured and interwoven into the film which is framed in the opening sequence of the developing attraction between Rakhee and Amitabh and finds its closure in the tentative developing relationship between Waheeda and Amitabh.

[mmuk2004]

To come back to the poem/song...

There are three versions of the poem. The original, darker and more difficult urdu version by Sahir in Talkhiyan, the less difficult and less bitter version of the original that Amitabh recites in the movie when Rakhi is married off to Shashi Kapoor and the more romantic version by Mukesh when the lovers, Rakhee and Amitabh, are shown romancing amidst gorgeous locales. The romantic version is sung again by Lata interspersed by some lines by Mukesh, when she sings it to Shashi Kapoor on their wedding night.

The original poem from Talkhiyan
(with the meanings of difficult words in brackets in the poem itself)

Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke zindagi teri zulfon ki narm chaon mein
Guzarne pati to shadaab(pleasant) ho bhi sakti thi
ye teergi(darkness) jo meri zeest(life) ka muqaddar hai
teri nazar ki shuaaon(brighness) mein kho bhi sakti thi

Ajab na tha ke main begaana-e-alam(stranger to the world) ho kar
Teri jamaal(beauty) ke ranaaiyon(elegance) mein kho rehta
tera gudaaz(tender) badan teri neembaaz(half-open) aankhen
Inhee haseen fasaanon mein mahv(drowned) ho rehta

Pukarti mujhe jab talkhiyaan(bitternesses) zamaane ki
Tere labon se halaavat(sweetness) ke ghoont pee leta
Hayaat(life) cheekhti phirti barhanaa(naked) sar aur main
Ghaneri zulfon ke saaye mein chhup ke jee leta

Magar ye ho na saka aur ab ye aalam hai
Ke tu nahin, tera gham, teri justjoo bhi nahin
Guzar rahi hai kuch is tarah zindagi jaise
Ise kisi ke sahaare ki arzoo bhi nahin

Zamane bhar ke dukhon ko laga chuka hun gale
Guzar raha hun kuch anjaani rahguzaaron se
Muheeb(dreadful) saaye meri samt(towards) badhte aate hain
Hayaat-o-maut(life and death) ki purhaul(deceitfully) khaarzaaron(a place full of thorns) se

Na koi jadaa(road), na manzil, na roshni ka suraag
Bhatak rahi hai khalaaon(darkness) mein zindagi meri
Inhi khalaaon mein rah jaoonga kabhi kho kar
Main jaanta hoon meri hamnafas(companion) magar yun hi
Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai...


Amitabh's rendition for the movie (simplified version)
(after Rakhee gets married to Shashi Kapoor)

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke zindagi tere zulfon ke narm chaon mein guzarne pati
To shadaab(pleasant) ho bhi sakti thi
Ye ran-jo-gham ki siyahi jo dil pe chaayi hai
Teri nazar ke shuaaon(brightness) mein kho bhi sakti thi

Magar ye ho na saka, magar ye ho na saka
Aur ab ye aalam hai
ke tu nahin, tera gham, teri justjoo bhi nahin
Guzar rahi hai zindagi aise
Ke ise kisi ke sahare ki arzoo bhi nahin

Na koi raah, na manzil, na roshni ka suraag
Bhatak rahi hai andheron mein zindagi meri
Inhi andheron main reh jaoonga kabhi khokar
Main janta hoon meri hamnafaz magar yunhi
Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai...

Mukesh/Lata Romantic version

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke jaise tujhko banaya gaya hai mere liye
Tu abse pehle sitaron mein bas rahi thi kahin
Tujhe zameen pe bulaya gaya hai mere liye

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke ye badan ye nigahen meri amaanat hain
Ye gesuon ki ghani chaon hai meri khatir
Ye honth aur ye baahen meri amaanat hain

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke jaise bajti hain shehnayiyan si raahon mein
Suhaag raat hai ghunghat utha raha hoon main...
Simat rahi hai tu sharma ke apni bahon mein...

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke jaise tu mujhe chahegi umar bhar yun hi
Uthegi meri taraf pyar ki nazar yunhi
Main janta hoon ke tu gair hai magar yunhi...(2)
Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai...

[mmuk2004]

Sahir fans sometimes see the changes in the original version as a selling out to the commercial demands of Bollywood. Sahir has, they further argue, much better nazms to his credit, and this one gets undue attention because it is rendered in Amitabh's mesmerizing baritone. I don't think in the arguments the romantic one even gets the minimal attention it deserves at least as a counterpoint to, or even as an extension of, the bitter version of the song.

To deal with the first two versions first... I am attempting a comment on the original version of "Talkhiyan" without doing much reference on the composition of the nazm itself, so it is open to corrections and additions. The persona in the original nazm is surrounded in stupefying and frightening darkness, and from there he remembers with regret that his life might have been different if he had let himself adore his beloved and had allowed himself to be protected from harsh reality in the brighness of her company. He might have avoided the screams of naked reality, he asserts, hiding behind her beautiful tresses. But it was not possible.... and he has embraced much of the sadness of the world and now that she is not there in his life, he does not even feel the tragedy of her loss, or the desire for her... life is frighteningly bare and dark and yet, lost in that barrenness he sometimes remembers...

Amitabh's version does not refer to the original poem's more complex perception of the romantic space. The original poem refers to the romantic space too as escapist and an evasion of reality and the irony of his situation lies in the fact that rejecting that for the real world has pushed him into further, illusory darkness. The film version is simpler, it remains at the level of a desire for the beloved which is not allowed to the hero and hence the bitterness, the rejection of those memories and the slide into darkness and denial. While this rendition does not yield the complexity of the original version, it is tailored to the demands of the character of Amitabh and furthermore to the story of the film.

The song belongs to the fleshed out story of the film. It is about a sensitive poet, who can sing lines such as "main pal do pal ka shayar hoon", it is about a passionate romance that does not culminate in marriage, changing the poet's career. He becomes much more cynical, more involved in succeeding in the world as a rich businessman, and he too gets married to a girl his parents have chosen for him and he has a daughter with her who he adores. But the film is not just his story, it is the story of Rakhee too, she was in love with Amitabh but she gets married to Shashi, a well-to-do businessman who adores her but cannot compose poetry to save his live. She falls in love with her easy-going and adoring husband and they have a son who they love. It is also the story of Waheeda, who was in love with her fiance and has an illegitimate child who she is forced to give away for adoption, before she gets married to Amitabh, an aspect of her life about which Amitabh is totally unaware. It is also the story of two young, carefree lovers, Rishi and Neetu who decide to marry with no clouds in sight until the girl realises that she is adopted and unaccountably wants to find out about her real mother. And she does that in the face of a great deal of opposition, she hurts her adopted parents who cannot understand why she needs to do that, her fiance is upset that she needs to leave the loving protection of her adopted parents to disrupt the life of another household. And disrupt it she does, she arrives at Waheeda and Amitabh's house, a surprise and unwanted guest after having fought with her fiance. Rishi, follows her to the place and creates another confusion when Amitabh and Waheeda's daughter, Pinky falls for him, and who he uses as a bait to annoy Neetu and to stay on in the house. And it is at this point that all the stories come to a head. For Amit, so passionate towards Rakhee and so cold towards his wife it is a journey of discovery. I find it amazing that Yash Chopra could give such negative overtones to Amitabh's character, in a commercial set up where playing negative characters is certainly not the norm. Amitabh's behaviour towards his wife is mean compared to Shashi's reaction and it is definitely underlined in the film. And kudos to Amitabh for playing it in a low-key fashion rather than with aplomb.

And to come back one more time to the song, it is not the bitter song in the movie that reminds one of the complexity of love...it is the romantic song... the passionate song of the lover...

"Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai
Ke jaise tujhko banaya gaya hai mere liye
Ye gesuon ki ghani chhaon hai meri khatir
Ye honth aur ye bahen meri amaanat hain...

So passionate, so confident in asserting that his beloved has been made for the sole purpose of being in love with him.

"Tu abse pehle sitaron mein bas rahi thi kahin
Tujhe zamin pe bulaya gaya hai mere liye..."

Beautiful, exaggerated lines underscoring the intensity and passion of their love and the perfection of their relationship. And yet, the twist at the end of the song gives it a completely different mood.... "Main janta hoon ke tu gair hai magar yun hi..." It does not shatter the previous passionate assertions of the song with bitter irony, itstead it imbues it with an intense regret, as a moment that remains unfulfilled... In the film, the bitterness of Amitabh's position as the unfulfilled lover is not the final solution, it is more a coming to terms with life's uncertainties in unpredictable ways and affirming the complexities of other relationships. The film is about moving on, about keeping the faith of other relationships and yet does not negate the emotion of the passionate lovers...through the song, it takes a look back into older, forbidden passions with a wonderful line "Main janta hoon ki tu gair hai magar yunhi..."

[anjvajay]

Madhavi,
Mujhe Susan Sontag yaad aa rahin hain...

Aur 'Chakle' ka adaptation yaad aa raha hai...

[mmuk2004]

Aur 'Chakle' ka adaptation yaad aa raha hai...

Ajay, shayad aap ya Anu, ya koi aur Sahir stalwart bata sakenge "Mataa-e-Ghair" ka publication date. As usual there is very little information available online on the nazm. I have included the meanings of some of the words that I found tough to understand (available online)

Mataa-e-Ghair(Someone else's property)

Mere khwabon ke jharokhon ko sajane wali
Tere khwabon mein kahin mera guzar hai ke nahin
Poochkar apni nigahon se bata de mujhko
Meri raton ke muqaddar mein sehar(dawn ) hai ke nahin

Char din ki ye rafaaqat(company ) jo rafaaqat bhi nahin
Umr bhar ke liye azaar(illness ) hui jaati hai
Zindagi yun to hamesha se pareshan si thi
Ab to har sans giranbaar(unbearable ) hui jaati hai

Meri ujadi hui neendon ke shabistanon(place to pass the night ) mein
Tu kisi khwaab ke paikar(form ) ki tarah ayee hai
Kabhi apni si, kabhi ghair nazar aati hai
Kabhi ikhlaas(sincerity) ki moorat, kabhi harjai hai

Pyar par bas to nahin hai mera, lekin phir bhi
Tu bada de ke tujhe pyar karoon ya na karoon
TUne khud apne tabassum(smile) se jagaya hai jinhen
Un tammannaon kaa izhaar karoon ya na karoon

TU kisi aur ke daman ki kali hai lekin
Meri raatein teri khushboo se basi rehti hain
Tu kahin bhi ho tere phool se aariz(cheeks) ki kasam
Teri palkein meri aankhon pe jhuki rehti hain

Tere haathon ki haraarat(warmth), tere saanson ki mehak
Tairti rehti hai ehsaas ki pahnai(clothing) mein
Dhoondhi rehti hain takhayeel(imagination) ki bahein tujhko
Sard raaton ki sulagti hui tanhai mein

Tera altaaf-o-karam(favors and kindness) ek haqueeqat hai magar
Ye haqeeqat bhi haqeeqat main fasana hi na ho
Teri maanoos(intimate) nigahein ka ye mohtaat(guarded) payaam
Dil ke khoon karne ka ek aur bahana hi na ho

Kaun jane mere imroz(today) ka farda(tomorrow) kya hai
Qurbatein(closeness) badhke pashemaan(ashamed) bhi ho jati hain
Dil ke daman se lipati hui rangeen nazrein
Dekhte dekhte, anjaan bhi ho jaati hain

Meri darmaanda(helpless) jawani ki tamannaon ki
Muzmahil(exhausted) khwaab ki taabeer(result) bata de mujhko
Tere daaman mein gulistaan bhi hain, veraane bhi
Mera haasil, meri taqdeer bata de mujhko.



Sone Ki Chidiya(1960): Talat version:

Pyar pe bas to nahi to hai mera lekin phir bhi
Tu bata de ke tujhe pyar karoon ya na karoon

Mere khwabon ke jharokhon ko sajane wali(2)
Tere khwabon mein kahin mera guzar hai ke nahin
Pooch kar apni nigahon se bata de mujhko
Mere raaton ke muqaddar mein sehar ke nahin
Pyar pe bas to nahin hai ...

Kahin aisa na ho paon mere tharra jayen(2)
Aur teri marmari baahon ka sahara na milen
Ashk behte rahen khamosh siyah raaton mein
Aur tere reshmi aanchal ka kinara na mile...
Pyar par bas to nahin hai...


Sone Ki Chidiya(1960): Asha version

Pyar par bas to nahin hai mera lekin phir bhi
Tu bata de ke tujhe pyar karoon ya na karun
Pyar par bas...

Tune khud apni nigahon se jagaya tha jinhen(2)
Un tamannaon ka izhaar karun ya na karun
Tune jis dil ko bade pyar se apnaya tha(2)
Usko shikwon ka gunahgaar karoon ya na karoon(2)
Pyar par bas to...

Jis tamanna ke sahare pe thi jeene ki ummeed(2)
Wo tammanna bhi pasheman(ashamed) hui jaati hai
Zindagi yun to hamesha se pareshaan si thi(2)
Ab to kuch aur bhi veeran hui jaati hai(2)
Pyar par bas to...