TU HAI WAHI DIL NE JISE

Song 104:

So what if he had sung the same song of love with someone else years ago? The singing dancing diva took it in her stride, pondered over it with equanimity. He had a past and that was that. Was his past his true love indeed? Or more a folly of youth that he chose to humour? There was no way to know that.

Yet every love was similar in many ways. Every woman was the same woman, wanting love, security, stability, caring and comfort. So who was the perfect match for him, the soft, simple and borderline 'bhenji-ish' Poonam or the definitely more chic and with-it  but scarred and angst-ridden Tina he met later (from yesterday's version of the song pasted below)? Poonam lacked that certain 'je ne sais qois' but you could see he encouraged her to perform well. She seemed more submissive too while Tina had a spark.

Did both soothe his senses in the same way. Who made his heart race madly? Who cooked warm dinners for him? Who was an honest critic of his work? Who nursed him when he was unwell? Who fought with him over trifles? Who waited anxiously when he was gone? Who went to temples and asked for mannats for him? Who got annoyed if he forgot an important date?

Could one be a substitute for the other? Could the new ever make him forget the old? Or then maybe Poonam and Tina were one and the same. They were the same woman. The way every woman was the same, with the same needs and wants, same quircks and idiosyncracies, same moods and insecurities.  Or maybe Hindi film style, they were plastic surgery ka kamaal, where somehow the pretty but dumbish Poonam evolved into the hot and happening Tina? 




Yesterday's song:

Asha and Kishore were always a riot together. When they sang, it was as if time stood still, it was as if youth and exuberance were caught in abundance and bottled for posterity. Their feelings were spontaneous, their needs urgent, their wants expressed and fulfilled.

Theirs were the songs of evergreen love, anxious and waiting. Every parting was filled with promises to meet again soon. Restlessness, zeal, anticipation, ardour defined them. They were inseparable, two peas in a pod. All they did all day was to plan and plot, ways to be together. It was almost cruel to let go. Lazy afternoons morphed into golden sunsets. Dusks embraced mysterious twilights. Amber dawns evolved into naughty noons. She dressed to ensnare him. He understood the meaning or logic behind so many different colours by observing the effect they had on her moods.

The connection was so deep and true that it needed no outside validation. They were meant to be. The whole universe had conspired to get them together, come calamity or blue weather.

When Kishore and Asha sang, you just listened and believed in eternal love.

VAADA TO NIBHAYA

Song: 103

The famed Nalanda University has reopened today after 800 years. Isn't that a truly momentous occasion? Situated in Bihar's Rajgir district, Nalanda University started its first academic session yesterday, nearly 800 years after the ancient education institution was destroyed. Students attended four sessions on the first day, 9am to 1.30pm.

Congratulatory messages poured in. Nobel laureate and NU chancellor Amartya Sen was the first to call and wish the students. Members of NU governing body, Wang Bangwei, Wang Gungwu, NK Singh, George Yeo and Anil Wadhwa, too, sent laudatory wishes to the students and faculty members. "Congratulations. Indeed a moment of great satisfaction," Singh's message read.

In 1193, the Nalanda University was sacked by the fanatic Bakhtiyar Khilji, a Turk; this event is seen by scholars as a late milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India.

The complex was built with red bricks and its ruins occupy an area of 14 hectares. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet, China, Greece, and Greater Iran. The great library of Nalanda was so vast that it is reported to have burned for three months after the invaders set fire to it, ransacked and destroyed the monasteries and killed or drove the monks from the site.

As historian Sukumar Dutt describes it, the history of Nalanda university "falls into two main divisions—first, one of growth, development and fruition from the sixth century to the ninth, when it was dominated by the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age; the second, one of gradual decline and final dissolution from the ninth century to the thirteen—a period when the tantric developments of Buddhism became most pronounced in eastern India."

In 2006, Singapore, China, India, Japan, and other nations, announced a proposed plan to restore and revive the ancient site as Nalanda University and all one can say is unhone 'Vaada to Nibhaya'! Well, all’s well that ends well.

So while this Asha Bhosle song is a typical situational Bollywood number, albeit featuring two of the greatest stars ever, my point in putting it up today is simply that it is shot in the beautiful and aesthetic environs of Nalanda. The expanse of the campus will give you some idea about the illustriousness of such a University centuries ago. There’s something about institutions with great ambience and aesthetic appeal that pulls you like a magnet every morning to visit them and dedicate yet another day to learning and evolving. May education evolve and flourish and never be destroyed by anyone.

SAARE JAHAN SE ACHHA HINDOSTAN HAMARA

Song 102:

Asha Bhosle, contrary to popular belief sang many solemn and serious songs. She could charm with pristine innocence as in this song, her voice befitting a child. This song is a wonderful alternate rendition of the enduring patriotic poem of the Urdu language. Written for children in the ghazal style of Urdu poetry by poet Muhammad Iqbal, the poem was published in the weekly journal Ittehad on 16 August 1904.

Recited by Iqbal the following year at Government College, Lahore, it quickly became an anthem of opposition to the British rule in India. The song, an ode to Hindustan—the land comprising present-day Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan—both celebrated and cherished the land even as it lamented its age-old anguish. As Tarana-e-Hindi, it was later published in 1924 in the Urdu book Bang-i-Dara.

Iqbal was a lecturer at the Government College, Lahore at that time, and was invited by student Lala Har Dayal to preside over a function. Instead of delivering a speech, Iqbal sang Saare Jahan Se Achcha. The song, in addition to embodying yearning and attachment to the land of Hindustan, expressed "cultural memory" and had an elegiac quality. In 1905, the 27-year-old Iqbal viewed the future society of the subcontinent as both a pluralistic and composite Hindu-Muslim culture. Later that year he left for Europe for a three-year sojourn that was to transform him into an Islamic philosopher and a visionary of a future Islamic society, which in fact was his prerogative.

In spite of its creator's disavowal of it in his later years, Saare Jahan Se Achcha has remained popular in India for over a century. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have sung it over a hundred times when he was imprisoned at Yerawada Jail in Pune in the 1930s.The poem was set to music in the 1950s by sitarist Ravi Shankar and recorded by singer Lata Mangeshkar. Stanzas1, 3, 4, and 6 of the song became an unofficial national song in India, and were also turned into the official quick march of the Indian Armed Forces. Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian cosmonaut, employed the first line of the song in 1984 to describe to then prime minister Indira Gandhi how India appeared from outer space. Saare Jahan se Achcha, indeed! And somehow I find this gentle Asha Bhosle version so much better than the many other more military versions.  

TORA MANN DARPAN KEHLAYE

Song 101:


Asha Geeta could get spiritual and how! When they applied their mind and voice to it, they could transform into treasure troves of calmness, peace and wisdom. The words were gems of learning, the mood was ethereal(in a different way this time), the tunes soared and took home right in your heart. 

For there is no love greater than the love of that supreme being who is the ultimate, omnipresent, omnipotent power. Call him God or a manifestation of our own mind. It is true that we can escape any jury in the world, we can escape God too but we can not escape the verdict of our own heart. 

This song for instance places abundant power in the human mind. More than any God or scriptures or rituals, it is our own mind that governs us. The mind is the mirror that shows us the path to right or wrong.Whenever one is in a dilemma about right or wrong, it is best to look into your heart and listen to what it says. It will not lie to you.

It is a bhajan but it rises above mere idol worship. It delves deeper into the psyche and the God within all of us. Written beautifully by none other than Sahir Ludhianvi, put to music by Ravi and sung oh so beautifully by Asha Bhosle. Have a nice day!

AYE KASH KISSI DEEWANE KO

Song 100:

Reached a giddy 100 in this incredible journey, unfathoming so many emotions, moods and situations. From pure romance to fun, frolicky numbers, from sad tomes of dejection and pessimism to bouyant songs of hope, we travelled many ups and downs.   

Asha and Geeta never failed us. Each song opened a new chapter of anticipation and yearning. We communicated unwittingly. We reached each other's deepest core of feelings and fears. At the end of the day love remained a mystery. As long as you don't have love you wait for it anxiously. You dream of rosy pictures. You feel yes, this time I will do it right, I will make it work.

Once you do find love, there start a new set of problems, issues, desperations and frustrations. In this journey of finding different facets of love, one wisened to the fact that it is best to savour and value what you have. Feel fortunate that you met love, lived love and felt love so deeply, it touched everything you did. You embraced the agony with the ecstacy. You wallowed in misery when he was gone but just the thought of him was enough to make you happy. You looked on at novices in a mature, know it all manner, finding amusement in their foolhardy quests for love. You had been there and done that. You were wiser, saner now. You could take love with a pinch of salt or maybe with a shot of vodka.

Would you have it any other way? No. Would you feel the same for anyone else? No. Would you do it all over again? Perhaps yes! I am celebrating this century with this beautiful duet by Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar where they thoroughly thrash out all about longing for love and longing for your loved one!

ZARA HAULE HAULE CHALO

Song 99:

He was a wild one. He liked to explore unchartered territories, throwing caution to the winds. He loved his work and often got so engrossed in it that nothing could stop him when he wanted to go on his adventurous recce.

He could compartmentalise love, career, duties, responsibilities. Work was work and nothing could really distract him away from his goals.

While the singing dancing diva liked this quality about him, she often took it upon herself to remind him of some good things in life. She was following him for one. She was waiting for him. She wanted him to be successful in his endeavours but she also wanted him to know that there was no getting away from her.

The rhythmic trot of his horse became the beat of her wistful song. The beautiful environs gave just the right ambience for a tete a tete. He was silent, yes. Not betraying any emotion, resolute and focussed.

But in her heart she knew he loved her song. For in the endless twilight of mysteries lurking behind every rock and cranny, the only thing steady and constant was her love for him. On cold, bitter nights, her song lit up his body with a glowing warmth. It reminded him that there was a golden morning, not too far away from wherever he was, a light at the end of the tunnel of night's own sordid longing for peril.

O P Nayyar's music, Asha Bhosle's voice and Sharmila's dimples are enough to enjoy this song on this rainy night.

WAQT NE KIYA KYA HASEEN

Song 98:

When it came to melancholy songs of pain and remorse, Geeta Dutt's voice sliced the heart like a sugar-coated sledgehammer. The passage of time, estranged ties, two hearts that once beat as one had found their individual paths. Their conflicting ideologies created a chasm so deep that there was no looking back. Geeta Dutt at such times could temper her seductive lilt with sombre pathos. The mood was reflective, introspective. Could one have avoided this?

Where were the days when they could tide over all differences with good humour and immense love and empathy? Nothing was permanent. Nothing is permanent. People meet, attracted to each other like two charged atoms in the vast universe. They converge for some time, reflecting each other's glory, energising each other, feeding off each other's magnetism and charisma. Sooner or later the magic wears off. People move on. Or rediscover old, familiar patterns. You can shed some tears. Or harden and become cynical. You can only tell yourself-never again.

Geeta Dutt sailed through this expressive song written by Kaifi Azmi and composed by S D burman, that defined an epoch of winning and losing. There were no victory laps if your loved one was not there to share it with you. No matter how much you had wanted that milestone, when the one who mattered the most did not share your joy, the victory was incomplete, those bouquets were but paper flowers, kaghaz ke phool......

AE CHAND ZARA CHHUP JA

Song 97:


Sometimes full moon appeared not after 28 days but an eternity. Too much time had elapsed in dark despondency. Those were dark days. With stark choreographies and grim screenplays. There had been no hope anywhere in the near future. The diva had almost turned into a Dresden doll, ashen, lifeless. She had torn herself from her dreams and lived propped on a shelf like a trophy of some sort. The weather outside had no effect on her, nor did any elements of nature. And just when the world seemed to have closed its doors to any semblance of wondrous magic, the moon shone one day in all it's glory. It's beauty was so aching, that a tear appeared on the doll's eyelids and trickled down her cheeks. Her painted visage seemed smudged but those kohl filled eyes looked real now, not measured to fine perfection to please anyone.. These eyes had lustre and glimmer, dreams and desires.

She urged the moon to go hide somewhere for a while, for its maddening effect was rendering her speechless. And Boy did she have a lot to say! She had so much to share, so much to unburden, to uncover and express. She wanted him all ears, listening, consoling, cajoling, coaxing out all her secrets. Those tales that lay buried deep in her heart could fill many nights. Once she had told him all, only then would she be in a position to admire the moon again. Only then would her poems flow like rivers, her words would dance uninhibited. On his manly shoulders, she could rest her head and forget all worries. She knew he would make her feel at home anywhere. Then every night would be full moon night. Every night would be something to look forward to. Just for tonight she wanted the blinding moon to go hide somewhere.....

JAANE KAHAN MERA JIGAR

Song 96:

Its election season in full swing and the rhetoric has reached a strange cat-and-mouse fight levels. Someone's losing his jigar, someone's losing her mind, someone's losing his temper and someone's losing any rational thinking while the chaotic country is losing any semblance of order.

Some people are losing their memory selectively, others are losing allies. People are hunting through each other's past offices and associates to hunt out some piece of information they could use against them somehow or the other. There's a lot of political wooing going on. Some are making a quick buck doing in-your-face propaganda, making complete asses of themselves, some are losing track of what they said last night on national television and rolling back their statements. Not a day goes by without a new explosive video being leaked (yup of the eyeball-grabbing kind) or a hilarious photo-op gone awry being propelled into Twitterverse with punitive condescension.

In this election jamboree new definitions are being coined, of age-old words such as 'secular' and 'communal'. Meanings are being distorted and twisted to suit one's narratives, Principals of colleges are giving political advisories en-masse to students via email, religious gurus are holding fort in their holier than thou garb, betis and bahus in hibernation have ironed their cotton handloom sarees and pulled out their Kolhapuri chappals and hit the campaign trail.

In all of this, a much needed fun song that might help you unwind and take it easy. Geeta Dutt and Rafi are funny and jovial in this song that sounds almost like light hearted office watercooler banter. Johny Walker was perhaps the first comedian for whom songs were conceptualised and sung by A-list singers such as Rafi. His co-star who is probably someone called Yasmin is rather cute and easy on the eye, albeit a one-song wonder.

The song is from Mr and Mrs 55 in which the lead actor Guru Dutt played a cartoonist. All the cartoons depicted in the movie were actually done by the stalwart of the art in India, R K Laxman whose 'common man' is perhaps the most recognisable cartoon character in India. Well let's hope these elections don't yet again make a cartoon of the common man of India. In a strange twisted manner the song  and the mannerisms of the actors are symptomatic of the political scenario today, very little sense but entertaining nevertheless. 

SACH HUE SAPNE TERE

Song 95:

One thing you could not take away from the singing dancing diva was her ability to find many reasons to smile and rejoice about. She could be thrilled to see waves crashing on a sea shore, she could go into raptures over a glorious sunrise, she could giggle away cooking biryani for loved ones.

She was a grateful soul who appreciated the good things in life. Nothing was worth fretting over forever. He was by her side, in spirit always. His one smile, one word of encouragement, one little gesture sparked a wild dance of joy and abandon in her soul.

Yes, he was given to sullenness, he could be pretty pessimistic at times. She too could be a bundle of nerves and low-energy on some days. But together they almost always managed to complement each other. They filled each other's gaps. They finished each other's sentences. They caught a mood, a hint, a nuance miles away.

They did not have to agree on every philosophy in the world. But they came home to the same warmth. After fighting their individual battles all day, they could share a cup of tea watching a pink sunset, tie and renew their bond and melt into each other's horizons. The dawn next day was always memorable....  

NA MAIN DHAN CHAHUN

Song 94:

Geeta Dutt too could be the voice of pristine purity and austerity. In this duet from Kala Bazar written by Shailendra and composed by S D Burman, accompanied by Sudha Malhotra, Geeta Dutt essays a rare tranquillity and peace.

It was in moments of turmoil that one could turn to ones faith. As long as your faith was peaceful and non-intrusive, guiding and correcting, it always showed you the right path. The song depicts the inner conflict of Dev Anand who is set on a path of dishonesty and worshipping money above all. How different is petty thuggery from working for covert organisations to spread false agendas and narratives today. Vitiating the atmosphere with falsehoods and divisive politics is today's biggest mafia.  

Such money brings no happiness or prosperity. At the end of the day you realise that health is the greatest wealth, and two square meals of honesty are better than wrongly acquired riches. The riches dazzle but they eventually frazzle. The riches compete but eventually deplete. The moolah lures but rarely endures. The gold shines but unduly entwines. The feasts fatten but eventually flatten.

If one could be happy with just enough. Two words of love, a glorious sky over your head, cool breeze, enduring music, clothes that don't weigh you down, friends who love and pick up your calls at 2 am or answer those mundane I-wanna-connect DMs, peace of mind, time to work and plenty to rest and recoup, read a book, go for a walk, smell a rose, talk to your kid and not at her, there's enough to be thankful for.

The conflict was gone, the path was clear. If every day some ethereal song could show us the right way, we didn't even need to name that religion, we didn't need religion. 

WOH HANS KE MILE HUM SE

Song 93:

Asha and Geeta were fun-filled voices, frolicksome and full of verve. But there are times when the most fun-filled heart goes through a low ebb. Nothing seems to work. Everything is dark and gloomy. Asha Bhosle could very well carry a pensive song convincingly too.

The movie has one of the rare roles with the hero playing a reporter, Jitendra (Dharmendra) who exposes dangerous working conditions in a mine owned by one of his employer's crooked creditors. He loses his job. When disaster strikes at the mine, Amita (Mala Sinha), daughter of the paper's deceased founder re-employs him. Her interest in him is more than just journalism. Unknown to her, her younger sister (Tanuja) is romantically linked to the reporter. The resultant conflict and anguish culminate in the sisters attempting to sacrifice their future happiness for the sake of the other.

This song composed by O P Nayyar  and written by Sheven Rizvi and Aziz Kashmiri is almost in the ghazal genre, expressing unrequited love and the remorse that comes with it. There were times when no matter how close the singing-dancing diva was to her loved one, there seemed an unfathomable chasm between the two. Call it different ideologies or circumstances. Two hearts were left in the lurch. There were no clear answers.

It all seemed like a big figment of her imagination. Maybe he was just entertaining himself. Maybe this is how he was with everyone, oozing life and laughter wherever he went. Maybe to know him was to love him. But he loved the world, he loved humanity. She was a teeny weeny part of that huge world that he loved. While she felt she was fortunate to have been showered with the warmth of his seamless heart once, could she live by a vague, distant promise? No, maybe not.

She was selfish when it came to love, like all humans are. She wanted to own him, to always have him by her side, come ecstasy or illness. She wallowed in self pity. She shed a few lonesome tears. The night was long and endless and there was no light to be seen anywhere, for now....

MERI JAAN MUJHE JAAN NA KAHO

Song 92:

After having taked a warm shower and washed off all the colours of Holi, they were purged of all the dirt and sins of the world. They receded into their tranquil, squeaky clean world with not a trace of artifice. He in his comfy, pure white kurta pajama, she in a soft saree, the shade of love. It was time to unburden the heart. It was time to let go of pretenses. It was time to let him know why she feared being so close to him.
She was almost scared of being loved by him the way he did. She knew the intensity of his love would scorch her.

What they had shared was a fleeting shower of awesomeness. It had left her replenished for life. But she did not know whether she could let him call her his jaan, his 'life'. Could life last forever? How far could she be his life? She loved him immensely and that was the precise reason why she distanced herself (or tried to, in vain). When their twin lips had met, it was like two worlds coming together, two destinies and two lives. And today after he had soiled her in his urgent love, and later after he had warmly soaped her bare back, she had suddenly felt like the luckiest woman on earth. She didn't want to blink in that dream-like night. As the rain trickled outside, she sang deep into the night, keeping herself awake, for she feared when she woke up, they might not be together.

JAB JAB TUMHEIN BHULAYA

Song 91:

You know I always thought Asha and Lata did not sing many songs together. There were always these stories of an intense rivalry between the two sisters. It was surmised that Lata was the manipulator and did not tolerate any music director playing favourites with any other singer. Many brilliant singers such as Suman Kalyanpur and other singers from the South were sidelined as there was an unwritten code of always offering the best songs to Lata. Now I don't know how much truth there is to these conjectures. It happens in every field, I suppose.

But as I go on this journey to explore more songs, I find Lata and Asha did sing many diverse songs together. You have to just scroll back a few past entries to see what a range of duets they have sung. This is a beautiful one from the ghazal genre, composed by Madan Mohan and written by Rajendra Krishan. Both Lata and Asha display depth and hold over this classical tune, with some nice kathak by Minu Mumtaz and a very young looking Aruna Irani. Well, I can't help imagining what level this song could have reached had it been performed by a more accomplished actor. It certainly deserved perhaps a Meena Kumari or a Madhubala or Vyjayanthimala even in terms of cinematic presence.

But art needs to be appreciated for what it is. Each character has a certain place in the film. All I am saying is this song could have been elevated to another level. It's great to listen to still, recreating a golden era, when both kathak and the ghazal flourished in Mughal courts, giving a popular expression to the often over-exaggerated palace intrigues and royal stresses and strains that made for engaging period dramas.  

CHHAP TILAK SAB CHHINI RE

Song 90:

At other times, the two sisters, Lata and Asha, sang together in a spiritual Sufi flavour, singing to Khusro's legendary poetry, Chhap Tilak Sab Chhini from the 13th century, in the rather forgettable movie 'Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki'. The lyrics are somewhat altered from the original and the video is truly ghastly. It totally escapes me how this spiritual and mystical poetry could have the kind of interpretation it had in the movie or how did it find it's way there in the first place. I will spare you the video. I certainly do not find any cognisance with Raj Khosla School of Film-making. 

Yet nothing can take away from the beauty of the tune, the song composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and the way the two sisters do justice to the sweet, sublime lyrics. The song describes that state of love when you are somewhat bereft of the effect it has had on you. 

Love can be emboldening, boosting and edifying. It often pushes you to become the best you can be in any field, by giving your dreams wings and that much needed bouyancy.
At other times it may make you feel totally powerless and controlled. 

Here's the original poetry of Amir Khusro with a translation I found on the net, and then the song:

Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Prem bhatee ka madhva pilaikay
Matvali kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Gori gori bayyan, hari hari churiyan
Bayyan pakar dhar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Bal bal jaaon mein toray rang rajwa
Apni see kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Khusrau Nijaam kay bal bal jayyiye
Mohay Suhaagan keeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay


Translation
You've taken away my identity, by just a glance.
By making me drink the wine of love-potion,
You've intoxicated me by just a glance;
My fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them,
Have been held tightly by you with just a glance.
I give my life to you, Oh my cloth-dyer,
You've dyed me in yourself, by just a glance.
I give my whole life to you Oh, Nijam,
You've made me your bride, by just a glance.

A strong love can make you feel strong. But in some moments it can also make you feel incredibly weak. You feel like a mere shadow of your true self, as if this unseen, unknown figure came, consumed you, hollowed you from within and walked away. The anguish at knowing that you have no control over your own self, your thoughts and feelings is daunting. You almost want to undo the damage and escape it all. Go hide somewhere. Get your old self back. You're coloured in a different hue but some days you want to wash it all off and be your own pure self once again....

AJI CHALE AAO

Song 89:

Asha Bhonsle and Lata singing together always made for a song of kinship and kindred spirits. This is one of the oldest songs they sang together in 1956, from the thriller Halaku, written by Shailendra and composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The lively composition is picturised on Helen and Minoo Mumtaz (who was Mehmood's sister), both rather graceful dancers. I can watch Helen numbers forever and ever, especially when I am feeling low and they always cheer me up. But I notice Minoo Mumtaz matches her moves well here.

This was an era when many Hindi movies were based on tales from the Arabian Nights and beyond, bringing in exotic flavours, costumes and a different lilt in the music.

In this movie, Halaku (Pran), the powerful emperor of Iran, rules the country wisely and with an iron hand. When he comes upon one of his subjects, Niloufer (Meena Kumari), he stakes his claim on her and wants her to be his wife, despite of his wife (Minoo Mumtaz), who opposes his marriage plans. Niloufer, who loves Pervez (Ajit), refuses to submit to Halaku, he turns his wrath on both Niloufer, Pervez, and his wife. Will Niloufer and Pervez survive the ruthless Halaku? Well for that you would have to catch the movie.

For now I love the mood this song creates, with Asha and Lata spelling delicious anticipation and open-hearted invitation.

MANN KYUN BEHKA RII BEHKA

Song 88:

Intend to be more consistent this New Year's in my writing. Which also means all forms of writing. This was a blog I fondly nurtured for most of last year, spurred by a feverish energy and pace. I want to at least complete a 100 songs, a round figure of some sort and see it mature and mellow, picking it off and on. So while we were at Asha Lata and Usha sisterly team songs, here's one by Asha and Lata that is quite timeless. Two of the most gorgeous faces, the very epitome of Indian beauty grace it on-screen too-Rekha and Anuradha Patel(where the hell did she disappear and why?)

The song from 'Utsav' harks back to a bygone era when supposedly this land was much more liberal and liberated in many ways. The story based on a 5th century BC Sanskrit play called Mrichchakatikam (The Little Clay Cart) has the royal courtesan Rekha have an incidental interlude with a commoner and this song apparently shows how she befriends the commoner's wife Anuradha and gives her a few tips on the fine art of keeping men hooked on, well-versed as she is in all the rasas or elixirs of life. There is no jealousy between them even though they are fascinated briefly by the same man, only a joyous sharing and treating relationships as a skill and an art and expanding the horizons of knowledge for mutual pleasure.

Kudos to Shashi Kapoor for having explored so much as a producer in terms of themes and genres. His films may not have all been commercial successes but certainly left many incisive and memorable movie experiences that went off the beaten path and thus were magical in their unique allure.

The casting here too is perfect, the costumes divine and authentic and the song almost hypnotic on a sleepless night as this! I think I am just freaking out being the truant late nighter in my parent's home trying to re-live those times as a teenager when a curfew to sleep on time invariably meant come midnight and you had everything else but sleep on your mind!;-)

If you want to just listen to the melodious song uninterrupted: