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……