Friday, December 26, 2008

Srigopal Shroti's Tribute to Shankar-Jaikishan and Shailendra


TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN–24–


SHAILENDRA


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Srigopal Shroti



”CHALTE CHALTE THAK GAYA MAIN, AUR SAANJH BHI DHALNE LAGI,TAB RAAH KHUD MUJHKO, APNI BAAHON MEIN LEKAR CHALNE LAGI.”…….SHAILENDRA WAS CLOSE TO LIFE ALL ALONG HIS POETIC CAREER…..THIS IS EVIDENT FROM THE ABOVE LINES…..HOWEVER IT IS UNKNOWN FOR WHICH FILM THIS STANZA WAS WRITTEN….
KNOWN WRITER BHISHM SAHANI’S WORDS RELATE……”AFTER ARRIVAL OF SHAILENDRA A NEW VOICE IS ECHOED IN THE LITERARY FIELD (IN MUMBAI 1947). THIS WAS THE VOICE TO ADDRESS THE RULERS OF THE THEN INDIA AFTER GETTING THE INDEPENDENCE…….AND IT WAS A CHALLENGING VOICE WITH STRONG EMOTIONS. IT WAS HAVING THE LOVE FOR HIS COUNTRYMEN BESIDES CHALLENGING THE LEADERS IN THE WORDS…..
”LEADERON NA GAO GEET RAMRAJ KA, IS SWARAJ KA/ KYA HUA KISSAN KAMGAAR RAJ KA.”



THIS SHAILENDRA WAS THE POET OF POOR AND LABOUR CLASS, ECHOING THEIR VOICE IN HIS POEMS………HIS POEMS ARE A PART OF HINDI LITERATURE AND IN 1949, HE WROTE A POEM:



"HAR ZOR-JULM KI TAKKAR MEIN HARTAL HAMARA NAARA HAI/ TUMNE MAANGEN THUKRAI HAIN, TUMNE TODA HAI HAR WADA/ CHHEENA HAMSE ANAJ SASTA, TUM CHHATNI PAR HO AAMADA/ TO APNI BHI TAIYARI HAI, TO HAMNE BHI LALKARA HAI.”



–HE ALSO WROTE IN 1948 AFFECTED BY THE THEN PREVAILING CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY::



””BHAGATSINGH IS BAAR NA LENA KAYA BHARATWASI KI, DESHBHAKTI KE LIYE AAJ BHI SAJA MILEGI PHHANSI KI,…YADI JANTA KI BAAT KAROGE, TUM GADDAR KAHAOGE,…..BAND-SAND KI CHHODO, BHASHAN DOGE, PAKDE JAOGE”’.



–HE AGAIN REITERATED HIS FIRMNESS IN FAVOUR OF THE LABOUR-CLASS……"LEADERJI PRANAM TUMHEN HAM MAJDOORON KA/ HO NYOTA SWEEKAR TUMHEN HAM MAZDOORON KA, EK BAAR IN GANDI GALIYON MEIN AA JAO/..GHOOME DILLI-SIMLA, GHOOM YEHAN BHI JAO"



—HOWEVER UNDER THE PRESSURE OF NEGATISM, HE WAS HOPEFUL:…””TU ZINDA HAI TO ZINDAGI KI JEET PAR YAKEEN KAR/…AGAR KAHIN HAI SWARG TO UTAR LAA ZAMIN PAR”’.



SHAILENDRA WROTE HIS OWN DESPONDENCY IN THE FILM LYRICS: FOR EXAMPLE TO REMEMBER HIS MOTHER (FILM:AB DILLI DOOR NAHIN”)….”’.MAATA O MAATA TU JO AAJ HOTI/YUN TADAPTA AGAR MUJHE DEKHATI, TERA DIL TOOT JATA”’………..AND IN ‘CHHOTE NAWAB’—-”’ILAHI TU SUN LE HAMARI DUA/…SALAMAT RAHE SAAYA MAA BAAP KA.”’……HE LOVED HIS MOTHER TOO MUCH.



–BUT HE DID NOT FORGET HIS RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS HIS MUSIC DIRECTORS, TOWARDS FILM SITUATIONS, SUCH AS ”’BHAY BHANJANA VANDANA SUN HAMARI/…DARAS TERE MAANGE YE TERA PUJARI(BASANT BAHAR)……AND EVEN IN LIGHT SITUATIONS, THIS SERIOUS WRITER LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED AND WROTE ””AAIIYA KARUN MAIN KYA SUKU SUKU(JANGALI),..LAL CHHADI MAIDAN KHADI…(JANWAR),….NAKHREWALI…VOH TO KOI AUR THI JO AANKHON SE SAMA GAI DIL MEIN (NAI DILLI)…………..HE WAS STILL NOT AWAY FROM HIS PAINS OF THE DOWNTRODDEN, AND PENNED:



”’SURAJ ZARA AA PAAS AA, AAJ SAPNO KI ROTI PAKAYENGE HAM……/AI AASMAN TU BADA MEHRABAN, AAJ TUJHKO BHI DAAWAT KHILAYENGE HAM”’(UJALA)….NEXT HE COMES UP WITH ”’KYON NA ROTIYON KA PED HAM LAGAA LEN, ROTI TODEN, AAM TODEN,….ROTI-AAM KHA LEN.””



CUD U NOTICE THE SIMPLICITY OF LIFE, POETRY, LYRICS, HIS AFFECTION TO LABOUR CLASS, HIS CHALLENGE TO THE RULERS…..AND THEN ACCEPTING THE TERMS OF THE PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS TO WRITE THE LIVE SITUATIONS IN THEIR FILM SONGS.



WAS HE A LYRICIST ONLY…NAY…FIRST HE WAS A POET THEN CIRCUMSTANCES MADE HIM A LYRICIST, BUT TO SAY, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO PART ”POET” SHAILENDRA FROM THE ”LYRICIST” SHAILENDRA……”AJEEB DASTAN HAI YE, KAHAN SHURU KAHAN KHATAM, YEH MANZILEN HAIN KAUN SI, NA VO SAMAJH SAKE NA HAM””’…”TU PYAR KA SAAGAR HAI….””ANDHE JAHAN KE ANDHE RAASTE, JANYE TO JAYEN KAHAN.””…”ASLI NAQLI CHEHRE DEKHE, DIL PE SAU SAU PEHRE DEKHE……”HAM SIMHASAN PAR JAA BAITHEN JAB JAB KAREN IRADE…”….”’BARSANE LAGE SHAB TO KYA NEEND AAYE, UDHAR KADKE BIJLI, IDHAR JAAN JAAYE…..”’KOI MATWARA, AAYA MERE DWARE….””’SAJANWA BAIRI HO GAYE HAMAR….” ”CHALAR MUSAFIR MOH LIYA RE PINJRE WALI MUNIA””’HAM TO JAATE APNE GAON, SABKO RAM RAM RAM, APNI RAM RAM RAM….”””DIL KI GIRAH KHOL DO….”LAAKHON TAARE AASMAN MEIN, EK MAGAR DHUNDHE NA MILA…”’ ”’O SHAMA MUJHE PHOONK DE”’……WE TALKED ABOUT THE POET SHAILENDRA AND LYRICIST SHAILENDRA……..AND HE WILL BE IMMORTAL, TILL FILM MUSIC SUSTAINS…………….TO CONTINUE ,…………gshroti@in.com……

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Tribute to SJ & SHAILENDRA by Srigopal Shroti


TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN–23–

SHAILENDRA•December 20, 2008


MOSTLY Shailendra’s songs were written on the philosophy of life. and when he died on 14th Dec 1966 (birthday of Raj Kapoor), the radio was playing …..”KE MAR KE BHI KISI KO YAADE AAYENGE, KISI KE AANSUON MEIN MUSKURAYENGE, KAHEGA PHOOL HAR KALI SE BAAR BAAR, JEENA ISEE KA NAAM HAI”…….AND RAJ SAAB WAS SO NERVOUS AND SAID ”’MERE TO SHABD HI KHO GAYE” AND AGAIN IN DESPERATION HE ASKED SHAILENDRA?””’YAAR TU NE KHUDA KE PAAS JAANE KE LIYE MERA JANMDIN HI CHUNA”’.
HOWEVER AS HAPPENS SEVERAL THINGS IN EVERY MAN’S LIFE, SO SHAILENDRA WAS NO EXCEPTION…..HE WAS DRINKING TOO MUCH, BESIDES BEING CHAIN SMOKER……ONE DAY EVENING, WHEN HE WAS ENTERING HIS HOME FULLY DRUNK, HIS LEGS COULDN’D STAND AND HE TOOK SUPPORT OF THE DOOR, AND…….THERE WERE LAUGHTERS FROM THE NEIGHBOUR’S HOUSE, HE SAW THERE AND ENTERED…..THEN HE WROTE IN A FILM……”’JUNGLE MEIN EK MOR NAACHA, KISI NE NA DEKHA, HAM JO THODI SI PEEKE ZARA JHUME, HAY RE SABNE DEKHA”’……EVERY SITUATION WAS A SONG FOR HIM……BIRTH, DEATH, LIFE, GHARIBI, AMIRI, MAUSAM, LOVE, FEELINGS, HAPPINESS, SADNESS, SHRINGAR, BEAUTY, HUNGER, THIRST AND ….SIMPLICITY OF LIFE, CLASSICAL, WESTERN:
: PL COME WITH ME::
”DIL KA HAAL SUNE DIL WALA, SIDHI SI BAAT NA MIRCH MASALA, KEHKE RAHEGA KAHNEWALA””(SIMPLICITY)…….LOST LOVE ””GALE LAGI SAHAM SAHAM, BHARE GALE SE BOLTI, VO TUM NA THI TO KAUN THA TUMHIN TO THIN, SAFAR KE WAKT MEIN PALAK PE MOTIYON KO TOULTI, VOH TUM NA THI TO KAUN THA, TUMHIN TO THIN…..SAARE BHED KHUL GAYE, RAAZDAAR NA RAHA, ZINDGI HAMEN TERA AITBAR NA RAHA, AITBAR NA RAHA”” (IMAGINE THE TEARS ON EYELID—-AND THAT IS –SAFAR KE WAKT MEIN PALAL PE MOTIYON KO TOULTI, VO TUM NA THIN TO KAUN THA….TUMHIN TO THIN…..(Here is th Poet Shailendra)
AS A SON HE HAD GREAT FAITH IN HIS MOTHER AND WHEN SHE LEFT LEAVING A YOUNGER SHAILENDRA, THIS PAIN REMAINED IN HIS HEART THROUGH OUT HIS LIFE AND HE BECAME A DISBELIEVER OF FAITH IN GOD…….HOWEVER IN FILMS UR SENTIMENTS ARE NOT VALUED, BUT WHEN TIME CAME, DESPITE HIS DISBELIEF, HE WROTE: ”DUNIYA NA BHAYE MOHE AB TO BULA LE CHARNO MEIN CHARNO MEIN TERE CHARNO MEIN”’
DURING DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AND EVEN NOT ON TALKING TERM HE HINTED S-J: CHHOTI SE YE DUNUYA PEHCHANE RAASTE HAIH, KAHIN TO MILOGE KABHI TO MILOGE, TO POOCHENGE HALL–(-LATER TAKEN IN RANGOLI)…..AND CHALLENGED HIS RAJ SAAB ”HAM BHI HAIN TUM BHI HO, DONO HAIN AAMNE SAAMNE…(WENT TO JIS DESH MEIN GANGA…)……HE WAS A FIGHTER POET, BEING INDIAN FOLLOWING KALR MARX. STRANGE.FEW EXAMPLES MORE FOR THE OLDIES AND GOLDIES:;”CHAKKE PE CHAKKA, CHAKKE PE GADI””RAAT KE HASAFAR, THAK KE GHAR KO CHALE”,”TERI YAAD DI SE BHULANE CHALA HUN”..LLKHON TARE AASMAN ME, EK MAGAR THUNDHE NA MILA.”’TERA MERA PYAAR AMAR PHIR KYUN MUJHKO LAGTA HAI DAR”’MEHTAB TERA CHEHRA, EH KHWAB MEIN DEKHA THA””DIL KI GIRAH KHOL DO CHUP NA BAITHO, KOI GEET GAAO” ”SAVERE WALI GADI SE CHALE JAYENGE” ”TUMHARI BHI JAI JAI HAMARI BHI JAI JAI” ”TUM BIN SAJAN BARSE NAYAN” ”KOI MATWALA AAYA MERE DWARE”’JEENA YEHAN MARNA YAHA AND MANY SONG OF TEESRI KASAM…AND HUNDREDS MORE .
IN 1963 RANJIT MOVIETONE PRODUCED ”BEHRUPIYA” WITH RAJ AND VYJAYANTIMALA. MUSIC DIRECTORS WERE S-J. THEY RECORDED A SONG IN MANNADA’S VOICE BY SHAILENDRA WHICH WAS””HANS KAR HANSA, RO KAR RULA”..BUT FILM FAILED TO BE RELEASED…..HOWEVER, IN 1983, PRODUCER SHADAB MADE A FILM NAMED ”FILM HI FILM” WITH THE PIECES OF FILMS WHICH WERE NEVER RELEASED…..IN THIS ”FILM HI FILM”, HE INCLUDED THAT SONG OF BAHURUPIYA……..to continue…….gshroti@in.com………

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN..22–

SHAILENDRA•December 14, 2008

Srigopal Shroti


ONE imp instance i am remembering on the ”punyatithi” Dec.14, of great poet/lyricist oF HINDI FILM MUSIC…….Previously i have mentioned that late Shailendra had the knowledge of customs of different regions….and this was well depicted in the SONG FROM ”SANGAM”—”HAR DIL JO PYAR KAREGA, VOH GAANA GAYEGA……..”……IN BETWEEN THE SONG, WHEN LATAJI’S TURN COMES TO SING AFTER THE BEAUTIFUL INTERLUDE OF VIOLINS……HERE SHAILENDRA WROTE……”AB KAH DOONGI, KARTE KARTE KITNE SAWAN BEET GAYE, JAANE KAB IN AAKHON KA SHARMANA JAYEGA”……DEEWANA SAIKADON MEIN PAHCHANA JAYEGA…….IN THE BEGINNING, I WAS CONFUSED, WHETHER IT WAS KAHTE KAHTE OR ”KARTE KARTE”, …..LATER WHEN DEEPER WE WENT, IT CAME TO KNOW THAT IN INDIA THE VIRGIN GIRLS KEEP FAST ON ”SAWAN” MONTH OF HINDI CALENDAR…..TO GET A GOOD HUSBAND….AND THIS WAS THE MICRO-SIGHT OF SHAILENDRAJI EXPRESSING THE THOUGHTS BEHIND ””JAANE KAB IN AAKHON KA SHARMANA JAYEGA””. GREAT………..HOW LIVELY IT FEELS.
SHAILENDRAJI WAS SO SIMPLE THAT HE DID NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE COMPOSERS FOR WHOM HE WAS WRITING AND AMONG THEM WERE: SD BURMAN, ROSHAN, SALIL CHAUDHARY AND PERHAPS KALYANJI ANANDJI…..AND DID JUSTICE TO THE SONGS COMPOSED BY THEM…..BUT FOR HIMSELF……HE THOUGHT ”BAHUT DIYA DENE WAALE NE TUJHKO, AANCHAL HI NA SAMAYE TO KYA KEEJAI”’…..
BECAUSE OF SHAILENDRA’S PRESENCE, THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE WAS INFLUENCED BY HIS THINKING…..EVERYBODY WAS SERIOUS……”WHAT THE POET BRINGS OUT OF HIM”’…..RAJ SAAB HIMSELF CONFESSED THAT SHAILENDRA PLAYED A GREAT ROLE TO MAKE R.K. AN HISTORICAL CAMP………SHAILENDRA HAD REFLECTIONS IN HIS WORDINGS AND BY LISTENING THE SONG, WHOLE SCENE SPREAD OUT BEFORE UR EYES….e.g. ”’NEEL GAGAN KI CHHAON MEIN DIN RAIN GALE SE MILTE HAIN, MAN PANCHHI BAN UD JAATA HAI, HAM KHOYE KHOYE RAHTE HAIN”’……AMOMG THOUSAND PEARLS, A FEW ARE FOR U TO HUM:
”MAIN NADIYA PHIR BHI MAIN PYAASI, BHED YE GEHRA BAAT ZARA SEE”,…..”O JAANE WAALE HO SAKE TO LAUT KE AANA”’……”YAAD NA JAAYE BEETE DINO KI..”’…..”RUK JAA RAAT THAHR JAA RE CHANDA”…….”MAN RE TU HI BATA KYA GAUN”….”NAACHE MAN MORA MAGAN TIK DA DHIGI DHIGI”’….”BAHAR BANKE VO MUSKARAYE HAMARE GULSHAN MEIN”….”RAADHIKE TUNE BANSURI CHURAI”…..”AAJA AAI BAHAR, DIL HAI BEQRAR..””….”KAANTON SE KHEENCH KE YE AANCHAL”….”JAO RE JOGI TUM JAO RE”……..more to follow……gshroti@in.com…………

Monday, December 8, 2008

TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN–21–SHAILENDRA

MAARE GAYE GULFAAM…..AJI HAAN MARE GAYE GULFAAM…….

Srigopal Shroti


IN previous posts, i did not write much about SHAILENDRA, ONE OF THE FOUR PILLERS, THRILLING THE MUSIC LOVERS WITH HIS IMMORTAL LINES AND STANZAS IN HINDI FILM MUSIC WORLD.
SHAILENDRA WAS FIRST A POET AND THEN A LYRICIST…….BECAUSE HE HAD THE HEART OF A POET, WHICH IS EVIDENT FROM HIS POETIC CAREER BEFORE ENTERING INTO FILMS….AND TILL LAST HE REMAINED A POET.
I REMEMBER HRIKISHESH MUKHERJI’S COMMENTS THAT THESE LINES CUD BE PENNED DOWN BY SHAILENDRA AND SHAILENDRA ONLY….AND THESE TWO LINES ARE A GREAT PART OF THE SONG FROM ”ANARI” AND THEY ARE:”’DIL PE MARNE WALE MARENGE BHIKARI.”’….SACH HAI DUNIAWALON KE HAM HAIN ANARI”’…..AND…..”’TOOTA JIS TARE PE NAZAR THI HAMARI”’…..SACH HAI DUNIAWALON KE HAM HAIN ANARI.”…..FIND OUT THE PAINS OF A CHEATED LOVER IN THESE TWO LINES.
SHAILENDRA WROTE NEARLY 1000 SONGS IN 150 FILMS DURING HIS 18 YEARS CAREER IN FILM INDUSTRY . ……SHAILENDRA KNEW THE FEELINGS OF A COMMON MAN, BESIDES HAVING GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF INDIAN CUSTOMS OF MANY PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE OF THIS HIS SONGS WILL REMAIN A PART OF THE INDIAN CULTURE.
—-HE STARTED HIS DEVOTION TO LITERATURE FROM THE YEAR 1938 WHEN HE USED TO WRITE WITH THE PEN-NAME , ‘SHACHIPANI’. …..IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT THE WRITINGS OF A LITERATEUR ARE TOTALLY DEVOTED TO THE LITERATURE….BUT IN THE CASE OF SHAILENDRA, HIS POEMS CONSTITUTED A GREAT PART OF HIS FILM LYRICS.
HOWEVER IN PRIVATE LIFE, HE WAS MUCH INFLUNCED BY KARL MARX, MAHATMA GANDHI AND SANT KABIR…….HE WROTE ”SOU SALAAM US KARL MARX KO JISNE MUKTI MARG DIKHAYA”……WAS IT NOT IRONICAL THAT THE FOLLOWER OF KARL MARX WAS THE FOLLOWER OF THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-VIOLENCE OF GANDHIJI……HE WROTE ”AAZADI HO AISI KE KHOON BAHAYE BINA MILE, PATTHAR KA ANTAR CHHIL JAYE”……..ONLY AN INDIAN SOUL CAN ABSORB THESE TWO CONTRADICTIONS…….SEE THE KABIR’S INFLUENCE IN ”MAIN NADIYA PHIR BHI MAIN PYASI, BHED YE GAHARA BAAT ZARA SEE”…..FILM SONGS OWE THE DEEPER SENSE OF REALISM TO SHAILENDRA…….
HAVE SOME EXAMPLES HERE ”KAATH KA TUKDA BEH JAATA HAI, LOHA DOOB KE REH JAATA HAI, GYANI SOCH VICHAR, NAIYA TERI MAJHDHAR”’, …….”KAAM NAYE NIT GEET BANANA, KOI NA MILE TO AKELE MEIN GAANA, MEET AUR PREET KA GEET RAHE , LOOT SAKA NA KOI YE KHAJANA…..MERA NAAM RAJU, GHARANA ANAM”……”NA HAATHI HAI, NA GHODA HAI, WAHAN PAIDAL HI JAANA HAI…..SAJAN RE JHOOTH MAT BOLO, KHUDA KE PAS JAANA HAI”……”AB. KI BARAS BHEJ BHAIYA KO BABUL, SAWAN MEIN LEEJO BULAYE RE”……”’SAARE BHED KHUL GAYE, RAAJDAR NA RAHA, ZINDAGI HAME TERA AITBAR NA RAHA””…….”’JO JISSE MILA SEEKHA HAMNE, GAIRON KO BHI APNAYA HAMNE, MATLAB KE LIYE ANDHE HOKER ROTI KO NAHIN POOJA HAMNE…..AB HAM TO KYA SAARI DUNIA, SAARI DUNIA SE KAHTI HAI…….HAM US DESH KE WASI HAIN JIS DESH MEIN GANGA BEHTI HAI”’…………TO CONTINUE………gshroti@in.com……..