Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan… ye hai Bambai meri jaan
Posted on: December 5, 2008
While watching very old movies, one big attraction for me is to watch how places looked like in those days. It is especially for this reason that I watch movies of 1950s and earlier.
In some cases, watching the songs provides loads of information about places.
If one wants to see how Bombay was like 50 years ago, one can watch a few old movies including their songs. In fact, there are a few songs dedicated to Bombay.
One such song is from CID (1956). It goes “Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan… Ye hai Bambai meri jaan”. It is fun and instructive to watch how Bombay (Bambai in Hindi) looked like in 1956. Those days, life was far less hectic, and the population far more manageable, and economy was much less developed unlike now. Those were the days when textile mills were the major industry there. A car were called “motor”, and Bombay has tongas ( horse driver carriages) those days. And surprise, surprise, there used to be Trams too in Bombay in those days.
Watching this song is a wonderful trip down memory lane. Johny Walker, the leading comedian of those days, sings this song on screen. He keeps bumping against people, and after each such collision, he ends up with the purse of the other person. Yes, he is a pickpocket, going about his business Bollywood style, viz with a song on his lips. The pretty girl towards the end of the song is Kumkum.
The song is sung by Rafi ( for Johny Walker) and Geeta Dutt ( for Kumkum) also joins in towards the end. Majrooh Sultanpuri has written the lyrics which to me also doubles up as a valuable historical document.
PS- Thinking how many popular Bollywood songs would end up being favourite songs of beggars in Bombay local trains, I wonder if this song became popular with the pickpockets of those days. Though I suppose singing this song while picking pockets would be a dead give away. For that reason, even beggars would have decided not to risk singing this song. But I may be mistaken, of course.
Song- ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan (CID) (1956) Singers-Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Lyrics-Majrooh, MD- O P Nayyar
Lyrics
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ha ha ha ho ho ho
he ha ha ha
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
kahin building kahin Traame, kahin motor kahin mill
miltaa hai yahaan sab kuchh ik miltaa nahin dil
kahin building kahin Traame, kahin motor kahin mill
miltaa hai yahaan sab kuchh ik miltaa nahin dil
insaan kaa nahin kahin naam-o-nishaan
zaraa hat ke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin race
kahin daaka, kahin faaka kahin thokar kahin thes
kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin race
kahin daaka, kahin faaka kahin thokar kahin thes
bekaaron ke hain kayi kaam yahaan
zaraa hat ke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
beghar ko aawaaraa yahaan kahte hans hans
khud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business
beghar ko aawaaraa yahaan kahte hans hans
khud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business
ik cheez ke hain kayi naam yahaan
zaraa hat ke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
buraa duniyaa jo hai kahtaa aisaa bholaa tu na ban
jo hai kartaa wo hai bhartaa ye yahaan kaa hai chalan
tadbeer nahin milne ki yahaan
ye hai Bombay ye hai Bombay meri jaan
suno mister, suno bandhu
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai aasaan jeenaa yahaan
suno mister, suno bandhu
yeh hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeenaa yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
12 Responses to "Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan… ye hai Bambai meri jaan"
December 6, 2008 at 1:21 am
Johny Walker was one comedian who began to get one song per movie after this song.
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December 6, 2008 at 3:39 am
Thanks you for this song. My son loves this one as well as the one from Pyaasa, “Sar jo tera chakraye ya dil dooba jaaye …” There is one more song that Rafi sang for Johnny Walker, “Jangal mein more nacha kisine na dekha …” in Madhumati, which was also an excellent song, sung in a light vein. Rafi could sing any kind of song for anyone.
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December 6, 2008 at 3:49 am
Yes, I am thinking of posting all these other Johny Walker songs in this blog.
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October 31, 2010 at 3:14 pm
No doubt almost all the songs of CID were superbly composed and that is why for his this work OP Nayyar was the front runner for the the best FilmFare Award along with Shanker-Jaikishen(Chori-Chori) in 1956.
This song if hailed as a cult song today was the a straight lift of O Darling O Darling O Darling Clementia
which is an American folk ballad.
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October 31, 2010 at 6:50 pm
There are many songs in Hindi movies that are inspired from western tunes. In many cases, the desi tunes are improved versions of the original songs. That way, I am not one to complain.
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December 26, 2011 at 4:16 pm
very cute song :D..makes me wonder how bombay used 2b 1c upon a time 😉
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October 24, 2016 at 10:53 am
Please allow me to point out a notable and important miss in the lyrics of the song following ‘ Jo Hai Karta , Won Hai Bharta , Hai Yehan Ka Chalan ‘ . It is ‘ Daadaagiri Nahin Chalne Ki Yahan ‘ sung by Geeta Dutt . How sweetly rtshe utters ‘ Daadaagiri ‘ .
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October 24, 2016 at 1:04 pm
Yes, needs to be corrected, thanks for pointing the mistake 🙂
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October 18, 2018 at 3:29 pm
I have always thought it to be ‘daadaagiri nahin chalne ki yahaan’ and not ‘tadbeer nahin milne ki yahaan’ as you ve written.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
December 5, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I love that Johnny Walker always got his own song…I love him. Just looking at him makes me laugh.
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