Kab tak niraasha ki andhiyaari
Posted on: September 22, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Music has always been an enchanting appeal for me, since my childhood. Having grown up on a listening diet of radio programs on AIR and Radio Ceylon, the music of Hindi films has been the best charm for me. In the eighties, fresh out of college, and into my first job, the earnings meant that now I could buy music that I wanted to listen. Cassette tapes were the popular media in those days, and making copies of music from records was a rampant cottage industry.
When I started selecting music for recording for my own collection, I remember, the very first few cassettes were KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Mallika Pukhraj and Begum Akhtar. And the shop where I got these recorded, the owner would take a long and indulgent look at this young fellow, who had an interest in the records not many people referred to. And even my family, parents and all, expressed surprise that I was listening to the sounds that were their favorites from a few decades earlier. I would assure them that yes, I do have a strong interest in Shammi Kapoor and ‘Yahoo’ also, but these basic sounds from the 30s and 40s, somehow speak to my heart.
This song has been with me for many decades. One of the best pieces if inspirational poetry that was ever put to paper, and then to the raga, rendered in the deep bass voice of Pankaj Babu. The words and verses are simply delightful. A young doctor facing hostility from his own family, for having married against their wishes. Deeply convinced about doing the right thing and helping the needy, he is trying to find roots, far away from his family, with his wife by his side. The encouragement required to get on with life and to accomplish one’s dreams, is so wonderfully summed up in this song.
‘kab tak niraasha ki andhiyaari’ – O till when the shadows of despair will be
‘aas ki daamini damkaa degi yehi badariyaa kaari’ – the lightning of hope will be born in this very gloomy and dark clouds.
All the verses are such a pick-upper. The poet extracts a sea of positive possibilities, in everything that he sees.
‘jugnu ban ke chamak rahi hai chhupi hui ujiyaari’ – the hidden brightness is already twinkling in the form of fireflies.
and
‘jaise laaj ka ghunghat kaade koi sundar naari’ – behind the bashful and timid veil there is hidden a beautiful face.
I would suggest to listen to each verse and get into the meaning of it, and I promise it will light up your heart with joy.
The complete song is in two parts. The video clip includes a brief lead in scene, as well as, the interlude where good things are beginning to happen for this young couple, both are so meaningful to understand the context of the entire song. In the first part, the young doctor is challenging the darkness, and saying, o well, the darkness will not stay forever. And then in the second part he is celebrating the dawn of a new day, and the illumination that had wiped out all despair and gloom from the entire world – ‘bhai jagat ujiyaari’.
Doctor (1941) is a classic landmark film produced under the banner of New Theatres, Calcutta. (A fairly detailed synopsis of the film is available online) . The role of the primary protagonist is played by Pankaj Babu himself. In this clip, the role of his life companion, Maya, is played by the actress Panna. The lyrics of this film have been shared by Aarzoo Lucknowi, and AH Shor. However, I have not been able to track down specific information as to which songs are written by which poet. The musical composition is by Pankaj Babu himself.
PS- It turns out that this song is written by A H Shor.
Enjoy this timeless gift of encouragement.
Audio
Video
Song-Kab tak niraashaa ki andhiyaari (Doctor) (1941) Singer-Pankaj Mullick, Lyrics-A H Shor, MD-Pankaj Mullick
Lyrics
kab tak niraasha ki andhiyaari
kab tak niraasha ki
aas ki damini damkaa degi
yehi badariyaa kaari
kab tak niraasha ki
sookhe ped ki har daar hai
ras ki bhari pichkaari
jaise laaj ka ghoonghat kaade
koi sundar naari
aas ki damini damkaa degi
yehi badariyaa kaari
kab tak niraasha ki andhiyaari
kab tak niraasha ki
kajre rain ki bhor ko samjho
kaare nayan ki jyoti
kaare nayan ki jyoti
jugnu
jugnu ban ke chamak rahi hai
chhupi hui ujiyaari
aas ki damini damkaa degi
yehi badariyaa kaari
kab tak niraasha ki
(interlude)
bhai jagat ujiyaari
bhai jagat ujiyaari
jhalak thee jiski andhiyaari mein
yehi thee wo ujiyaari
dekho bhai jagat ujiyaari
ban gayee kaajal jaagi aankh ka
simat ke rain andhiyaari
bhai jagat ujiyaari
nainan jal se
seenchaa thaa jisko
hari hui wo kyaari
nainan jal se
seenchaa thaa jisko
hari hui wo kyaari
bigadi banaane waale tu ne
rakh li laaj hamaari
dekho bhai jagat ujiyaari
ban gayee kaajal jaagi aankh ka
simat ke rain andhiyaari
bhai jagat ujiyaari
bhai jagat ujiyaari
20 Responses to "Kab tak niraasha ki andhiyaari"
September 22, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Arun ji,
Thanks for the appreciation. 🙂
As I checked the Geet Kosh, as well as the web site on Pankaj Babu at http://www.pankajmullick.com/, I do not find a mention of Kavi Pradeep. The web site specifically identifies the lyricist as AH Shor.
Please confirm.
Rgds
Sudhir
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September 22, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Sudhir ji,
I am sorry,but my comment was based on the info provided in the song posted here on 14-3-2011 and I presumed it to be correct.
However,later,on searching for the lyricist of CHALE PAWAN,I found that the album of DOCTOR,published by Saregama lists the name of SHOR as the Lyricist of CHALE PAWAN… and I feel there is no reason to refute this claim by them.
This info is available on http://www.smashhits.com,www.raagaa.com,www.musigle.com etc sites,which I checked myself.
-AD
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September 22, 2011 at 2:17 pm
contd………
This album also gives details as to which song is written by which Lyricist.Pl do check up for info.
-AD
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September 22, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Arun ji,
Thanks for the link and info; it will be very useful for me in the coming days.
Rgds
Sudhir
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September 22, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Sudhir ji,
While anyway we are on the subject of PM’s songs,I will provide you some more info,which I believe will be useful to you in your quest for songs with correct information.
MY SISTER(1944) was a Saigal movie,which became a hit and its songs are even today very popular among the lovers of Saigali music.In this film Saigal sang 4 songs,but 3 out of these are also sung by Pankaj M.These are NOT version songs.
The story behind it is….
When B.N.Sircar,owner of New Theatre planned MY SISTER,his cast included Pankaj Mullick as the Hero and also as the Music director.The shooting started and 6 reels were shot with 3 songs,filmed on and sung by PM already recorded.They were 1)Aye Qatib-e-taqdeer, 2)Chhupo na chhupo na and 3)Do naina matwale.
At this stage,Sircar felt that taking Saigal as a Hero for MY SISTER would be a better proposal than PM,considering Saigal’s popularity in those days.He discussed this matter with PM,who magnanimously agreed to this suggestion.
Saigal,who was in Bombay that time was contacted and summonned to Calcutta.Saigal had great respect for Sircar,whom he considered as a Mentor,reached Calcutta immediately and the entire film was reshot with these 3 plus 1 more song in Saigal’s voice and were naturally used in the film.
Both the records,by Saigal and PM became hits.
When you present songs of Pankaj Mullick,please include these songs also.Let the connoisseurs enjoy both versions.
-AD
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September 22, 2011 at 4:56 pm
contd…….
If you dont get the Pankaj Mullick’s these 3 songs anywhere,I am having these with me,and I will gladly forward them to you.
-AD
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September 22, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Indeed it will be great to have the Pankaj Mullick versions of the same songs that were sung by K L Saigal too.
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September 22, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Arun ji,
Thanks for the details behind this episode. Your storehouse of background information is immense; information that is not easily available elsewhere.
I will definitely let you know in case I need help with the songs themselves. 🙂
Rgds
Sudhir
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September 22, 2011 at 11:22 pm
Sudhir ji,
These songs are available on the site you mentioned earlier.I have checked them.
-AD
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September 23, 2011 at 1:09 am
Oh, what a wonderful feeling it is, to not just listen to songs on this blog but also to read the write-up and the knowledgeable comments! Collectively they build up the treasure that this blog is.
I must confess that I have always been quite ignorant about songs before 1947 or so – I know only a few. Thanks to this blog, I am getting to know more of these – and am really enjoying this discovery.
A couple of questions/suggestions:
1) I see a name mentioned in the write-up as “Mallika Pukhraj”. Am ashamed to admit I have NEVER heard this name before. I checked here to see whether Atul has posted any songs – and I find one song in his stats saying “Malika” (not sure if it’s the same person and even what that song is).
So I read up on her on wikipedia. It says “..She was among the greatest singers of British India in the 1940s, and after Partition of India in 1947, she migrated to Lahore, Pakistan [6], where she received further fame, through her radio performances with composer, Kale Khan.”
Apparently she was well-known for ghazals too. Would be lovely if she could be showcased more on this blog.
2) Now that we have got as many of Saigal saab’s songs as we could have, I was wondering whether we can do the same for others like Pankaj Mullick? And Zohrabai Ambalewali? (“akhiyan milaake” is one of my all-time favourite songs). And others from that period like Rajkumari? And maybe even Shamshad Begum and Ameerbai Karnataki?
The main reason I’m suggesting this is that gems from these singers are either very difficult to locate or not even available or disappearing very fast from availability. If we can preserve them here in one place, that would be like preserving a national treasure.
When we have people like Arunkumar Deshmukhji, Sudhirji, Prakashchandraji and some others here, I have hope that this is a venture that we can succeed in. I myself will not be able to contribute much (anything) unfortunately – except in the form of encouragement. 🙂
Thanks to everybody here – what a great place this is for old gems!
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September 23, 2011 at 6:45 am
Raja, the Malika who has one song to her credit is not Malika Pukhraj. This Malika in the blog is the sister of Mumtaz !
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September 23, 2011 at 1:37 am
Raja ji,
Great comment, and yes, very encouraging.
Mallika Pukhraj, as a singer probably never sang for films. Arun ji can correct me if I am wrong. Her non film classical songs and ghazals used to be a craze in the 40s. Her signature song ‘Abhi To Mein Jawaan Hoon’, so soulfully rendered, can still run a tingle up your spine, six decades after it was recorded.
And yes, we should and we are trying to get together as much of the completely available performances of the artists of yesteryears. Hope we should be able to get there sooner rather than later.
Cheers and best regards
Sudhir
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September 23, 2011 at 10:20 am
Raja ji,Atul ji and Sudhir ji,
1)
MALIKA PUKHRAJ(1912-20040 was born in Hamirpur near Jammu,to Gulzar Begum and Abdulla Khan.At 3 yrs. she was learning music from UstadAli Baksh Kasuria(father of Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan),at 5 yrs,she went to Delhi to learn from Ustads Momin khan,Mulla Baksh and Ashiq ali.
When she returned to Jammu at 7 yrs. her fame had already reached there and she sang at the coronation of Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir.She was made a gazetted officer at 7 yrs,with Rs.500/ p.m.
She married Sd,Shabbir Hussain,a literary figure,at 17 yrs.She met many poets,and sang on AIRadio.Her Urdu was excellent and she sang Gazals so well that later she stopped singing Dadras and Thumaris.
She migrated to Pakistan.She has won many awards.
In 1977,she was invited for the Centenary of AIR and awarded’Legend of Voice’ award.
She sang her famous gazal’Abhi to main jawaan hoon’ in the function and DDNational shows this song even now many times.
She never sang for any film.
2)
I suggest that one separate section may be started on this blog to post all songs of Saigal,Pankaj Mullick and may be Jagmohan etc with a title
“Timeless music from the Immortal Legends” or similar one.
While including the songs,all the comments also must be posted alongwith it,as they too contain valuable info.
-AD
NB- more info and audios of her popular songs are available on
http://www.malikapukhraj.com
-AD
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September 25, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Sudhir ji,
I would love to have your take on the above suggestion(point no.2).
-AD
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September 25, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Arun ji,
Apologies, it appears that I missed reading this comment when it was posted earlier, thanks for drawing my attention to it.
The suggestion 2, needs to be discussed, since it could mean some basic changes to how this blog is structured, plus how the content relating to various aspects i.e. time periods, artists, genres etc. should be managed. Atul ji’s guidancein this regard and his thoughts about how this blog should evolve further, is primary. I suggest we can do some offline discussion over email, and then make some choices.
Rgds
Sudhir
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
September 22, 2011 at 11:43 am
Sudhir ji,
I must say,you are equally adept at writing about P.Mullick too.
A small correction. Along with Arzoo and Shor,one more Lyricist,Pradeep also wrote the famous song ‘CHALE PAWAN KI CHAAL’ in this film.
-AD
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September 22, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Who is the lyricist of this song ?
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September 22, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Atul ji,
I just checked with the web site http://www.pankajmullick.com/. It lists AH Shor, as the lyricist for this song, ‘Kab Tak Niraasha Ki’.
Rgds
Sudhir
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September 22, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Thanks for this information. So A H Shor becomes the latest addition to the list of lyricists figuring in this blog.
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