Nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein kho gaya hoon main
Posted on: January 9, 2012
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Remembering Mahendra Kapoor today, 9th Jan, his birth anniversary.
Mahendra ji was born in Amritsar, Punjab on 9th January, 1934. As a child and a teenager, he was very much enamored and inspired by Rafi Saab. Right from childhood, he had a very good singing voice and a penchant for singing, no doubt motivated by his singing idol. He received his education in music from some very well known names of that era, viz., Pt. Husnlal, Pt. Jagannath Bua, Ustad Niaz Ahmed Khan, Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan, and Pt. Tulsidaas Sharma.
In the late 1950s, at the All India Youth Festival, he was the top winner in the All India Metro Murphy Singing Competition. Soon he moved to Bombay to follow the footsteps, and to build a singing career in films. His first break was in 1958, with the famous music director Naushad, for the film ‘Sohni Mahiwaal’. He has one song in this film, but what a fantastic and strident rendering it was, under the baton of Naushad Saab. This iconic song “Chaand Chhupaa Aur Taare Doobe” (already posted on this blog) was a resounding debut for him. Next came V Shantaram’s ‘Navrang’ in 1959, and under direction of C Ramchandra, came a number of gems that went on to become hugely popular – “Aadhaa Hai Chandramaa Raat Aadhi” , “Shyamal Shyamal Baran, Komal Komal Charan” and “Ye Maati Sabhi Ki Kahaani Kahegi”. Also in this film is the famous trio song with Asha ji and C Ramchandra, “Arre Jaa Re Hat Natkhat, Na Chhoo Re Mera Ghoonghat”. Mahendra ji had arrive on the film scene, and went on from strength to strength after that. Of course his ratings could never rise to the level of Rafi Saab or Kishore Da, and in that sense, he is considered a hugely underrated and underutilized singer. But as so many posts will make evident, his singing prowess is second to none. And in the measure of range and depth, he has no peer amongst his contemporaries.
This song is from an obscure film from 1966, Sushila. The lyrics are by Jaan Nissar Akhtar and the music composition is by C Arjun. The rendering by Mahendra ji is so soft, and so velvety – it shows his mastery over the range, from the low all the way to the highest octaves.
Enjoy this wonderful song – a sojourn into the beauties of nature, and an expression of being lost in it. Wonderful song.
nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein kho gayaa hoon mein
inhi haseen bahaaron mein kho gayaa hoon mein
Absorbed in these beautiful vistas,
Pleasing to the eyes,
I am spellbound
Entranced with the lovely spring
That abounds this place,
I am spellbound
nazar = eye; glance
nawaaz = pleasing; favorable
nazaaron = vistas; scenarios
har ek phool mehaktaa huaa sharaaraa
har ek zarraa chamaktaa huaa sitaaraa hai
inhi zameen ke sitaaron mein kho gayaa hoon mein
Each flower is a fragrant wisp of sparkle
Each mote of dust seems like a shining star
Enraptured with these lovely stars on the earth
I am spellbound
phool = flower
mehaktaa = fragrant
sharaaraa = sparkle; lightning
zarraa = mote of dust
sitaara = star
kabhi hawaa ne lagi aur bhi lagaa di hai
kabhi ghataa ne tadap kar mujhe sadaa di hai
kabhi nadi ki pukaaron mein kho gayaa hoon mein
The gentle breeze is sometimes
Fanning the tender flames (of emotions) within
The bevy of clouds sometimes
Calls out to me in ecstasy
Sometimes the flowing waters of the river beckon me
And I get spellbound
lagi = in context – fire; as in ‘dil ki lagi’
ghataa = clouds
tadap = actually means anguish, agony; but in context it is more of a heightened ecstasy
sadaa = call
pukaar = (also) call
har ek cheez mein ae husn tujhko to dhoondaa hai
tujhi ko pyaar kiyaa hai tujhi ko poojaa hai
teri hi raah guzaaron mein kho gayaa hoon mein
O beautiful one
I search for you in all these wonders of splendor
I express my love for you
I worship you
In the paths
That you may have walked
That may lead to you
I tread adrift, astray – and lost
(NOTE: the exhortation to ‘ae husn’ is a poetical reference to someone who is a beloved, maybe real, or may be imaginary as yet.)
ae husn = o beautiful one
poojaa = worship
raah = path
raah guzar = path that has been walked (by someone before)
Song-Nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein kho gaya hoon main (Susheela)(1966) Singer-Mahendra Kapoor, Lyrics-Jaan Nisaar Akhtar, MD-C Arjun
Lyrics
hmmmmm
la ra la raaa
aaaaaa
nazar nawaaz
nazaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
inhi haseen bahaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
har ek phool
mehaktaa huaa sharaaraa hai
har ek zarraa
chamaktaa huaa sitaaraa hai
inhi zameen ke sitaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
kabhi hawaa ne lagi
aur bhi
lagaa di hai
kabhi ghataa ne tadap kar
mujhe sadaa di hai
kabhi nadi ki pukaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
har ek cheez mein ae husn
tujhko dhoondaa hai
tujhi ko pyaar kiyaa hai
tujhi ko poojaa hai
teri hi raah guzaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein
kho gayaa hoon main
10 Responses to "Nazar nawaaz nazaaron mein kho gaya hoon main"
January 9, 2012 at 6:33 pm
What a lovely song!
I came to know of this song only last week while searching for a suitable song for discussion on Mahendra Kapoor’s birth anniversary.
About Mahendra Kapoor’s mastery over the octave range, I am reminded of a very popular Marathi song sung by him. He was required to sing this song with a low pitch mukhda and high pitch antras keeping his Marathi diction perfect. He did it successfully and this song has become one of the iconic songs of Marathi films.
Here is the video link of Marathi song : http://youtu.be/uIkw0to83OE
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January 9, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Another lovely post by you, Sudhirji.
And yet again I learn the meaning of a word.
I’ve known this word “zarra” for a long time, especially from that song from Aabroo “har chehra yahaan chand, har zarra sitaara”.
I used to wonder what the meaning of “zarra” was.
Now I know. 🙂
Thank you so much, Sudhirji!
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January 9, 2012 at 10:54 pm
This song reminds me of two songs of MK from Dharmputra
bhool sakata hai bhala kaun yeh pyaari aankhen
aaj ki raat nahin shikwe shikayat ke liye (yet to be posted)
-Khyati Bhatt
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January 10, 2012 at 1:17 am
Khyati ji, Sadanand ji, Raja ji, Arun ji,
Thanks for your kind appreciation.
Arun ji, thanks for the additional details on Mahendra ji. I will add one more anecdote that I had read on the internet. It appears that while recording for songs of Navrang, the wire connecting the mike for Mahendra ji, malfunctioned. After one or two minutes into the recording, C Ram suddenly entered the singer’s cabin, and demanded why Mahendra ji was not singing. Both Asha ji and Mahendra ji looked at Ram with surprise, and Asha ji commented that Mahendra ji was singing, and rather well. Then the malfunction was locaed, and the recording started again. The song was ‘Aadha Hai Chandramaa. . .’.
Rgds
Sudhir
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January 10, 2012 at 4:30 pm
A SAD NEWS
The Heroine of shammi Kapoor in PROFESSOR,
KALPANA
expired in Pune on 4th January 2012.
Her death was announced yesterday by her daughter and son-in-Law.
Kalpana mohan was sufferring from Cancer and was being treated at Ruby Hall,Pune.
-AD
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January 10, 2012 at 8:44 pm
Sorry to hear that. RIP. I have seen only two movies of her – Professor and Teen Deviyan (Dev Anand). I read somewhere that she was related to some film personality and hence she came in to film industry. Is it true?
-Khyati Bhatt
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January 10, 2012 at 9:47 pm
Khyati ji,
KALPANA MOHAN was born on 18-7-1946.Her father Avani Mohan was a freedom fighter and very close to Pt.Nehru.He was an active member of All India Congress committee also.Kalpana,who trained in Kathak,was often called by Nehru ji to dance in Rashtrapathi Bhavan,when some foreign dignitaries came.
She was spotted by Balraj Sahni and writer Ismat Chugtai who advised her to go to Bombay.She landed in bombay and bagged PROFESSOR-62.She also acted in Naughty Boy,Saheli,Pyar kiye jaa,teesra kaun,Teen Deviayan,Tasveer and nawab Sirajuddaula.
She married a Naval Officer in 67 and divorced him in 72.
She shifted to Kalyani Nagar,Pune in 1992,on doctor’s advice for change of climate.
She was NOT related to any film personality.
-AD
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January 10, 2012 at 9:56 pm
Arunji,
Thanks for clearifying and introducing real KALPANA ji to me. What a lucky girl! Close to our Pt. Nehruji!
-Khyati Bhatt
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
January 9, 2012 at 6:04 pm
Sudhir ji,
Thank you for writing a very informative article on Mahendra Kapoor.
MK was an ardent disciple of Rafi saab and he always used to say this.For him Rafi saab was more than a mentor.
In one of the interviews he gave,which was published in the book “Woh bhuli dastaan” by Subhashchandra Jadhav,he narrated his first interaction with Rafisaab,thus-
” He was 12 year old and he heard Rafi’s” Yahan badala…’ from Jugnu and he was simply thrilled.he was so anxious to meet Rafi that he secured Rafi’s address from a friend.MK was from a well to do family and they had a car with driver.Rafi was staying in kitaab Manzil in Bhendi Bazaar,Bombay.MK went to his house alone and directly in the car.Rafi was staying in a 1-room flat.MK had trained his driver and accordingly his driver told Rafi that this boy’s elder brother sings very well and that he is Rafi’s great fan.Rafi asked them to bring his brother.Accordingly,next Sunday MK and his brother went to Rafi.Rafi’s elder brother hameedbhai was there.he somehow understood the truth and asked them to tell him the truth.Then MK revealed his passion and regards for Rafi.Since Rafi was also from Amritsar like MK and also Punjabi,their vibes matched immediately and after that Rafisaab always supported him.The following Sunday MK’s father met Rafi saab and told him that ‘MK is your chela hereafter.’Rafisaab made him learn Classical music and he learnt Harmonium from B.M.Vyas and Tabla from D.R.Nerurkar. ”
Secondly,as popularly understood,Sohni Mahiwal-1958 was NOT his debut film.
Mahendra Kapoor was given a break by composer V.Balsara the film MADMAST-1953 in which he sang 2 duets(one with S.D.Batish and one with Meena Kapoor).This fact is mentioned by shri Hamraaz also in the song list of Madmast-53.After this his first solo came in ‘DIWALI KI RAAT’from composer Snehal Bhatkar in 1956.
The Sohni Mahiwal song came later.
Even for NAVRANG,according to MK in this interview,it seems V.Shantaram was not at all in his favour,but C.Ramchandra insisted for MK and after the recording of its first song by MK,V.Shantaram embraced Mahendra Kapoor !
-AD
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