This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.

Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan – 3
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         Bombay Gangout – Part 3
         Lunch and After.

The arrangement for the lunch was in an adjacent cave in the dungeon itself.  We took leave of Mastermind, who had thus far been connected online with us, with the promise to reconnect, once the luncheon proceedings were done with.

I must say that the spread was really inviting, and the arrangement by the Bombay Syndicate was marvelous.  The spread included Kolhapuri mixed vegetables, masaala chhole, matar pullao, seasonal mixed vegetables and dahi bhalla, with the regular trimmings of a variety of salads, variety of paapad, tandoori naan bread and roti, and various flavors of pickles and chutney.  For me, the Kolhapuri mix veg was the best item for that lunch.  As the participants were helping themselves and settling down, our premier guest for the day finally arrived.  There was a general sound of ‘aha’ and ‘welcome’ from around the table, as we saw Nalin ji Shah come down the stairs into the dungeon.  Three four of us walked over to receive him, and Ben Katie did a very traditional ‘charan sparsh’ welcome.

For those who may not be familiar, Nalin ji is (was, now retired) an insurance agent by profession, working for LIC.  From his own descriptions, it seems that the LIC job was a secondary part time job.  His first love since childhood has been Hindi films and film music.  As he grew up, he developed excellent writing skills, and became a film journalist historian of repute.  He wrote a column titled ‘Off Track’ in the Bombay newspaper ‘Mid Day’, that ran for many years.  In addition, I think the most important aspect of his personality is his friendliness, and the ease with which one gets into a conversation with him.  This quality stood him in good stead, over the years.  Many important film personalities – actors, music directors, singers, lyricists, producers, directors were on first name terms with him.  He himself said once, that he does not know why would all these famous folks, all of them stars in their own right, would come and confide in him, about their personal experiences and episodes of life, which they would otherwise never dare to discuss in public.  He says his memory of full of numerous such personal secrets that he would not and cannot share with anyone.  In short, his memory is a compendium of the history of Hindi films and film music, and he has many an interesting tales to tell.  He also has a deep interest in poetry, especially Urdu ghazals, and his conversations are liberally interlaced with very relevant she’r (couplets) and verses.  He is right now in the process of editing and enlarging his collection of articles in Mid Day, for publishing as three book – anthologies of articles on film, film music and artists.

Nalin ji’s arrival marked an amplification of the already high flying spirits of the gang members and friends present.  As the lunch plates were done with, and the dessert was served.  Ah yes, I missed out the dessert when I described the spread earlier – we had hot gulab jamuns and ice cream with strawberry syrup.  Aah, Mastermind, you should have been there.  😉

And so we all were gathered around the two dining tables, and the conversation just continued to flow, as it is, right there.  All the gang members and friends attentive and engrossed in the stories and comments from the stalwarts, viz, Nalin ji, Suresh Chandvankar ji and Mohan Joshi ji. Of course, Nalin ji held the floor, with his oratorical skills.  The discussion, of course was entirely around the Hindi films and film music.  Nalin ji narrated a very interesting anecdote.  A few years earlier, he was a regular at Shivaji Park, for his evening walks.  As it happens usually, there develops a group of friends over a period of time, as people see and meet each other.  One person in Nalinji’s circle turned out to be a film producer.  Of course, on account of this common theme, many discussions happened with him.  Nalin ji shared one of them.  His producer friend dissented with Nalin ji’s point of view that there is a general deterioration in the quality of music in the films of the current era, as compared with the films of the earlier decades.  He maintained that the music of the current era is also good, and asked Nalin ji to explain and justify his stand.  So Nalin ji asked him why does he think that the music of today is as good as the music of yesteryears.  The producer friend countered by saying that Nalin ji maintains that the music and lyrics of the songs in the current era are ‘nonsense’, but then ‘nonsense’ songs were created even in the earlier decades.  Nalin ji asked him to give examples of any nonsense songs from the early decades.  The producer friend quickly reeled out a long list that included songs such as “Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon, Kiya Hai Wahaan Se Telephone”, “Ek Do Teen Aa Ja Mausam Hai Rangeen”, “Mere Dil Ki Ghadi Karey Tik Tik Tik Jab Baje Raat Ke Baarah”, “Aana Meri Jaan Meri Jaan Sunday Ke Sunday” etc.  Nalin ji said, yes, agreed these are ‘nonsense’ type songs.  Then he asked the producer friend to cite some similar examples from the current era.  The gentleman paused and thought for a couple of moments, and then said he could not readily recall any examples from the current era.  Nalin ji smiled and said that he had answered his own question.  After fifty years, he could still recall the ‘nonsense’ songs, but he could not name a single song from the past five years.  It was the quality of music and melody that has made these songs stick in our memory, whereas songs of the recent era do not have that sustaining quality.

Suresh Chandvankar ji indicated his agreement.  Suresh ji is an aficionado of music of the early decades, both film and non-film, and he himself has a huge collection of records.  He also cited an anecdote, wherein he happened to be in a gathering where some discussion on the song and music of an upcoming film were being discussed and planned.  The film producer (of that film, not the one in the above anecdote by Nalin ji), directed the lyrics writer, “. . .kuchh bhi likho lekin Gulzar jaisa nahin likhna” (write anything you want to, but do not write like Gulzar).  He added that this is a sad commentary on the quality of people who lead the production effort in the industry.

The discussion was very animated and interesting, and practically all of us were so engrossed that we did not realize that the time was way past the scheduled lunch hour.  IndiaMan and Nahm ji quietly urged the gathering to return to meeting room and the agenda on record.  With some hesitation, the movement started and the group walked back.  As we all settled down, we realized that the internet connectivity was gone.  A message was sent to the support staff, but after a wait of few minutes no response or action happened.  So NeatInsider and I walked over the to the innkeeper’s alcove and appraised him of the difficulty.  The innkeeper, quite uncharacteristically, replied about his probable inability to address our problem, since it was a Sunday, and the technical support team were enjoying  a day off.  Things could have come to sharp exchange, but then we left, heavily disappointed.  Lack of internet meant that we could not get back online to connect with other gang members; and I was very concerned that Mastermind would be waiting.  The thought sent a chill down my spine. . .

Anyway, we returned to the meeting room, conveyed the somber news to the gathering.  Gulp down and chin up, we decided to proceed with the agenda.  All settled, the next agenda was another examination for the gang members.  The quizmaster for this round was IndiaMan.  He had prepared a set of audio recordings, of the sounds of the past missions, from things seen and events we have been privy to.  IndiaMan would play on his electronic gizmos, the leading bars of the audio clips, and the candidates were supposed to guess and complete the remaining audio.  The way IndiaMan had designed it, one could pick and choose a specific decade in the gang’s history, and / or a specific flavor of the mission assignment.

At first it was decided that the members present will be tested in alphabetical order.  And so the rounds started.  Sometimes the candidates were able to quickly guess, and at other times, missed completely.  But an interesting phenomena appeared. For every such audio clip used in the test, our friend Mohan Joshi ji always had the correct answer, and not only the correct identification, but he also narrated some related information about the event or the artists involved in the audio clip.  It was really fascinating to see how quickly his memory storage and retrieval system responded to the queries, simply amazing.

After a few rounds, it became somewhat evident that the guessing game method needed improvement.  So the IndiaMan changed the deployment strategy mid way.  The query was now presented to the group as a whole and whoever could answer was allowed to respond.  Of course, care was taken that Mohan Joshi ji would respond only if the rest of the entire group had given up.  This was a very interesting tour of the past missions and the related audio recordings, as many old memories were touched upon once again, across a cross section of time periods, performers and genre flavors.

Time had flown by.  It seemed as if we had just returned from lunch.  And lo, the door opened slightly and the head of the Unvanquished appeared in the crack; to inform the gathering that the afternoon tea was served.  A quick glance at the clocks on multiple digital devices in the room, and everyone was amazed, wondering where all the time of the day had gone.  Time simply whizzes by, as one is having fun. (I had once read somewhere that if one wanted to live very long, then one must subject oneself to extreme boredom; because when one is bored, the time passes slowly, and so one lives longer.  Don’t know for sure – I have not tried it myself 😀 😀 ).

The reminder for afternoon tea also quickly brought to mind that certain administrative items relating to gang rules and regulations had still to be covered.  In any case, the syndicate was already apprehensive about the repercussions of missing internet in the post lunch sessions.  And so we were all wary of missing any more of the gang regulations, thinking about Mastermind and more spine chilling calls.  So immediately the gathering was informed that a couple of regulatory items will be visited immediately and then we shall break for tea and snacks.  Our fearless leader, Raanchiwala Gaanewaala took the mike, and gave a brief about the current accomplishments of the gang.  He also talked about some upcoming plans, including the website being developed, which will have more data and more search capabilities than the current information infrastructure.  Some queries and suggestions followed, which were discussed.

The gathering was then informed that a visual record of the meeting will have be made.  Quick rearrangements were made, and all the gang members and invited friends gathered together in another part of the cave to click the visual evidence of the gangout.  Unvanquished was roped in to handle the recording devices, as the members all pulled together for the proud memento moment.  With beaming faces, putting on brave smiles, the recording session was completed.  Immediate results of this recording appeared heartening.  (Copies of the recording have been emailed out to gang members.  In case any member has not received, he/she is requested to contact IndiaMan, to get the same).

After the recording session, the gathering moved to the refectory area once again, for cups of tea / coffee and snacks.  Variety of conversations were in progress around the tea / coffee dispensers and snack tables.  The day was now winding down, and the last hurrah of excitement was evident.  Members were trying to cram as much into the remaining hour and minutes of the gangout, and this cup of tea signaled the upcoming end of the scheduled program of this rare and remarkable gangout.

At the end of the tea session, two or three participants begged leave, in the face of long transit times for their return journeys.  Nahm ji and her associate departed, as did a couple of invited friends.  That set the mood for goodbye hugs and handshakes, with some very precious and poignant moments.  The day had been such a charm, with the key that we met so many people dear to our hearts, who thus far had simply been names and comments.  We dearly missed the ones who could not make it – Mastermind, JSR Moochhwaala, DejaVu007, Avey-of-Discard, the Spirit-of-Chaos and her Mom, Aparna (Her Majesty), and our dear friend, the Illuminating Moon from the culinary capital of Deccan, the cool Thandapani from the heartland of Punjab, the Red Oudhi from Lucknow, the Mountainside Harvester in the European highlands, the Mamadapur in the east of middle, the Singnet Shaker, the AncientSage Sury, the Sasha Dry from the land of Ben Katie, and a few more.  A resolution was mooted that such a gangout should become an annual affair, and we should diligently plan for it, at least once a year.  The proposal has been codified, documented and sent to Mastermind for approval and future directions.

As the first wave of departures ended, the remaining group repaired back to the meeting cavern once again.  But by this time, we did not have much time left for any more substantial agenda.  Our fearless leader began preparing to leave for his return flight.  Now the packing and winding up started happening in earnest.  Of course, as I had described earlier, the largest packaging effort was that of IndiaMan, as we all helped him to unwire all the comms and gadgetry that had been set up in the morning.  It was quite an amount of effort to square away the two and a half knapsacks in which he carried is ‘everything’ for the gangout – marvelously remarkably prepared.

And so the wonderful day closed down.  There were more poignant moments as we all said more goodbyes and ascended the staircase to come to the world of living.  IndiaMan, Ben Katie all suggested some more visual recordings, next to the poster announcing the gangout and the display of flowers in the foyer area.  It was almost as if all of us were hesitant to depart.  But eventually we had to.  Everblessed Comet would escort Ben Katie along the unfamiliar routes, the fearless leader commandeered a three wheeler to the airport destination, and the rest of us dispersed to the local rails, some going north and some going south.  SignalTimer and I were to travel south for a meeting with another friend who shares this passion.  More about that meeting in the next episode.

As we were departing, something was nagging in my mind as I tried to recall a line from a song heard long back.  The exact words of that song did not appear to me, not for many a day.  Till I got this email from our ultra secret operative, Nahm ji, with the suggestion to include this song in this series.  And my mind jumped with glee as the line that I was trying to reconstruct in my mind, appeared in front of me – “Mumbai Nagri Sab Se Pyaari”.  Ah yes, that was the feeling with which I departed from the gangout on that day.  For the simple reason that it was in the “Mumbai Nagri” that I was able to meet so many of my dear friends (gang members, co-conspirators, fellow schemers etc. etc.)

The film is ‘Chand Aur Suraj’ from 1965.  The film is directed by Dulal Guha, and the main cast of actors includes Ashok Kumar, Nirupa Roy, Dharmendra, Tanuja, Tarun Bose, Sajjan, Dhumal, Madhumati, Asit Sen etc. amongst others.  The films has some very endearing numbers, coming from the pen of Shailendra and the music direction is by Salil Chaudhry.  The song is performed as a Lavani folk dance, one of the most popular folk music and dance genres in Maharashtra.  The occasion seems to be the wedding day of Dharmendra and Tanuja.  Amongst other present for the occasion, one case see worried faces of Nirupa Roy and Tarun Bose.  The main dancer – is she Madhumati?  I request our friends and readers to confirm or correct this guess.

The song talks of more landmarks of Bombay, especially the Powai lake and the Aarey milk colony.  These landmarks are in the north eastern part of the metropolis, further east from Goregaon and Andheri.  And so, we continue with the songs that celebrate this remarkable ‘Maayanagri’.  Yes, more to come.  🙂

Aah, the beautiful memories of the gangout gathering continue to be fresh.

The heart says – “Chal Chal Jaaun Yaa Mumbai Laa”.

And the mind is thinking – when is the next gangout?  🙂

NOTE:  On popular demand; gang members codification scheme

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Audio

Video

Song – Meri Aur Unki Preet Puraani Chal Chal Jaaun Ya Mumbai Laa (Chand Aur Suraj) (1965) Singers – Asha Bhosle, Lyrics – Shailendra, MD – Salil Chaudhry

Lyrics

meri aur unki preet puraani
chal chal jaaun aa mumbai laa
meri aur unki preet puraani
chal chal jaaun aa mumbai laa
mumbai nagri sabse pyaari
wahin basey manmeet mera
aaa re
raama ji ji ji ji ji ji

gayi ik din piya sang mein aarey
gayi ik din piya sang mein aarey
dekhe rangeen pyaare nazaare
lagaa phoolon ke desh mein aayi
gayi aage dekhi powai
lagaa phoolon ke desh mein aayi
gayi aage dekhi powai
khula neela gagan n n n n n n n n
khula neela gagan
jisme main thi magan
wahin sudh budh main aayi rakh rakh rakh
meri aur unki preet puraani
chal chal jaaun aa mumbai laa
mumbai nagri sabse pyaari
wahin basey manmeet mera
aaa re
raama ji jeebo harey ji ji ji

bambai mere sapnon ki rani
bambai mere sapnon ki rani
mere unke milan ki kahaani
tu ne sach kar ke sapne dikhaaye
do bhatke huye dil milaaye
tu ne sach kar ke sapne dikhaaye
do bhatke huye dil milaaye
raat din main tera a a a a a a a a haaye
raat din main tera
naam loongi sadaa
zindgani hai ye jab tak tak tak
oy meri aur unki preet puraani
chal chal jaaun aa mumbai laa
mumbai nagri sabse pyaari
wahin basey manmeet mera
aaa re
raama ji ji ji ji ji ji
ji ji ji ji ji ji

aaa aaaa aaaa
aaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaa
hooo oooo ooooo
oooo ooooo ooooooo

———————————————————-
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
———————————————————-

मेरी और उनकी प्रीत पुरानी
चल चल जाऊँ या मुंबई ला
मेरी और उनकी प्रीत पुरानी
चल चल जाऊँ या मुंबई ला
मुंबई नगरी सबसे प्यारी
वहीं बसे मनमीत मेरा
आ रे
रामा जी जी जी जी जी जी

गई इक दिन पिया संग मैं आरे
गई इक दिन पिया संग मैं आरे
देखे रंगीन प्यारे नज़ारे
लगा फूलों के देश में आई
गई आगे तो देखि पवाई
लगा फूलों के देश में आई
गई आगे तो देखि पवाई
खुला नीला गगन न न न न न न न न
खुला नीला गगन
जिसमे में थी मगन
वहीं सुध बुध मैं आई रख रख रख
मेरी और उनकी प्रीत पुरानी
चल चल जाऊँ या मुंबई ला
मुंबई नगरी सबसे प्यारी
वहीं बसे मनमीत मेरा
आ रे
रामा जी जीबो हरे जी जी जी

बंबई मेरे सपनों की रानी
बंबई मेरे सपनों की रानी
मेरे उनके मिलन की कहानी
तूने सच करके सपने दिखाये
दो भटके हुये दिल मिलाये
तूने सच करके सपने दिखाये
दो भटके हुये दिल मिलाये
रात दिन मैं तेरा आ आ आ आ आ आ आ हाए
रात दिन मैं तेरा
नाम लूँगी सदा
ज़िंदगानी है ये जब तक तक तक
ओए मेरी और उनकी प्रीत पुरानी
चल चल जाऊँ या मुंबई ला
मुंबई नगरी सबसे प्यारी
वहीं बसे मनमीत मेरा
आ रे
रामा जी जी जी जी जी जी
जी जी जी जी जी जी

आss आssss आss
आss आssss आsssssss
होss ओssss ओss
ओss ओssss ओsssssss