Fading Memories….Unforgettable Songs: June, 2016

Welcome to our June, 2016 episode of ‘Fading Memories. Unforgettable Songs’. I have cast my net to suggestions from the friends as well as my own random search for the present episode.

We will first take up a few of the songs of 1940s. These songs have been forwarded by Sumantbhai (Dadu) from his great treasure trove collection.

Sautan Ke Ghar Na Jaiyo – Aabroo 1943 – Sitara Devi – Pt Govindram

A young, petite Sitara Devi performing so effortlessly what may be termed as ‘cabaret’ of those days!  With a typical Kothawali song mukhda, Sitara Devi’s known expertise in Kathak dance form, shall we call this song a fusion recipe!!

Pune Se Layi Paan Re – Aabroo(1943) – Sitara Devi and Nazir –  Pt. Govindram

This is one great find while searching for the YT link to the previous song. This stage show is our own home-cooked recipe…..

Ghunghat Pat Nahin KholuN, Mukh Se Koochch Na BoluN – Bharthari 1944 – Kajjan Bai – Khemchand Prakash

Kookat Koyaliya Kunjanme  – Bharathari  1944 – Kajjan Bai – Khemchand  Prakash

While searching for the YT links to the two unknown gems of Kajjanbai, I landed upon –

Chanda Des Piya Ke Jaa – Bharathari 1944 – Amirbai Karnataki – Khemchand Prakash

This is one of those songs that I always had the very back of the memory, but called a trigger by Sumantbhai to get this song to listen to.  This must rank as one of the great songs of Amirbai Karnataki.

Maana Ke Tum Hasin Ho – Moorti 1945 – Mukesh – Bulo C Rani – Pt. Indra

Here is one of those rare Mukesh ‘sweet’ melodies that missed the popularity band wagon. What else Bulo C Rani could have done to hit the jackpot?

Whilst on a YT link search for the previous songs, I landed upon –

Tailap Ki Nagri Mein Gana Nahin Bajana Nahin – Prithvi Vallabh 1943 – Menka Bai & Rafiq Ghaznavi – Saraswati Devi

I recall that we had bought the cans of this film for screening in our open-air garden theatre of our colony in 1960s.  It was this film that had led me to read the novel, written so majestically by K M Munshi (a.k.a. Kanhaiyalal Munshi.) K M Munshi was a close associate of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the integration of the states in the post-independence period as well in the reconstruction of the Somnath temple. He has penned some of the classic Gujarati works. He is also equally well-remembered as the founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

The principal protégé in this song, Sohrab Modi, is one name that shall be remembered in the history of Indian Films for his stellar contribution in so far as the films on historical subjects are concerned. YT search also gives us an excellent Films Division documentary, directed by Yash Chaudhary : Sohrab Modi

We now go back to recall some unfinished agenda of our April, 2016 episode.

We had taken upon a very selective look at some of the songs @ Ode to the Great Indian Family that have been set to some of our basic family relationships.  Presently, we will take up one more song, which also would lead us to the songs of a related subject in our present episode –

Meri Chhoti Si Bahan Dekho Gahne Pahan Sasural Chali Hai Ban Than Ke – Toofan Aur Diya (1956) – Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt – Vasant Desai – Bharat Vyas

This song talks about the sister getting ready to leave her (father’s) home and take up a new life at her in-laws home. This particular event in a traditional Indian marriage ceremony is remembered by our friend Bhagwan Thavrani, too.

Remember that Lata gem  Doli Chad Ke Heer Ne Bain Kiye from HEER RANJHA ? It is such a heart- rending Farewell-to-Daugher Song where Heer takes leave of her parents, and her beloved Ranjhana too, before going to her sasuraal…

This genre of songs, is sung in the style of lamentation (Bain – बैन, a sort of silent weeping,विलाप). In traditional Punjabi folk music form, it is usually sung in Punjabi Bhairavi without any percussion of rhythm and itself is called HEER.

One of the foremost Punjabi “heer”’ singer is Asa Singh ‘Mastana’ whose famous Heer Lo Apana Jahan Duniyawalon, Ham Is Duniya Ko Chhod Chale from the film DOOJ KA CHAND (1964, Roshan, Sahir Ludhyanvi) we have heard and enjoyed immensely.

HEER RAANJHA is originally a Punjabi epic verse written by Sufi poet Waris Shah of 18th century and various portions of that long epic are sung as HEERS by many Punjabi folk singers including Asa singh. The story has been made into three pre-independance films of the same name and another in 1948 which had some good Lata and Geeta Dutt songs. The movie we all know was made in 1971 by Chetan Anand which was unique in the sense that it was in an opera form with all the dialogues in verse written by the great Kaifi Azmi. There are a couple of Pakistani films and a Punjabi movie also based on the epic love story. Punjab had incidentally, other love stories of Mirza Saahibaan and Sohni Mahiwal too. A few films have been made on these stories as well, but this one was the most famous and tragic.

In between, there was an Indian movie of 1956, named HEER, starring Nutan and Pradeep Kumar with music by Anil Biswas. This film did not have a Heer Song.

And we, the music maniacs can never forget the great HEER from MERA NAAM JOKER which, to me is the best of Heer’s (even better than Lata’s Heer, again to me!) – Sadke Heer Tujh Pe Faqeer Sadke. Mohammed Rafi is simply divine in this song. For this Heer, we all have to not only salute the great Rafi but also to Raj Kapoor who knew very well that this Heer is not Mukesh’s cup of tea and only and only Rafi can do full justice to it….

We have also pick up two of several classic Heer renderings:

Heer Waris Shah – Heer Ranja (Pakistani) 1970 – Noor Jehan, Ghulam Ali & Naseem Begum

Ghulam Ali –

We will end our present episode with two very unique Mohammed Rafi Songs. I picked up the first one while searching for Pt. Govindram – Mohammed Rafi combination.

Tera Jalwa Jisne Dekha Wo Deewana Ho Gaya – Laila Majnu (1945) – with S D Batish – Pt. Govind Ram – Tanvir Naqvi

To the veteran YT visitors this is quite a known clip for its fame on account of the song being one in which Mohammed Rafi has played a cameo role.

If Rafi saab is cannot be seen quite easily in this clip, then there is another one wherein we can clearly see Rafi @ 0.36.

Some of us cannot be faulted for recalling a more popular version of this mukhda,

Tera Jalwa Jisne Dekha Woh Tera Ho Gaya, Main Ho Gayee Kisi Ki Who Mera Ho Gaya – Ujala (1959) – Lata Mangeshkar – Shanker Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri

 

Whilst I was searching for Khayyam – Manna Dey combination songs, I came up on –

Mohabbat Aisi Hoti Hai– Shola Aur Shabnam (1961)- with  Manna Dey, Jagjit Kaur –

As may be seen from the clip, the song must have been visualised to represent some very unique situation. However, for us what is perhaps more interesting is the very typical Rafi and Manna Dey gay abandon that can be felt in this song

If you have such songs to share, you are most heartily welcome…..