Ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
Posted on: February 25, 2012
This article is written by Raja, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Tolstoy is reported to have said “Music is the shorthand of emotion”. Nietzche is supposed to have said “Without music, life would be a mistake”. A quote attributed to Aldous Huxley goes “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible, it is music”.
And music is also the reason we are all here on this blog. For all of us, whichever part of the planet we find ourselves in, we certainly have one strong emotion in common – all of us love old Hindi film songs. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.
Speaking for just myself, I know I’ve been pretty crazy about Hindi songs for as long as I can remember. Not that I can sing to save my life 😉 but that rather important (if not particularly thrilling) detail has never deterred me from launching into a song purely on the spur of the moment. To the considerable displeasure of those around me, I may add.
Yes, music has been an integral part of my existence. I don’t know how life would have turned out otherwise (I guess I would still probably have been ok) but I don’t really want to think of a life without music.
In this context, I do not know how to thank enough all those who have been part of creating this music ecosystem for me. The composers, the singers, the orchestra, the writers, everybody who has been a part of building this wealth of music – I humbly salute them and owe them all my thanks for their contribution to my enjoyment.
In the Hindi film music context, there are of course many names that come readily to mind.
If I start at the beginning – and my knowledge of Hindi music starts sometime in the 1930s/40s – I think it must start with KL Saigal saab / Pankaj Mallick. I knew a few of their songs earlier but thanks to Sudhirji, I’ve learnt of a lot more about them and their songs on this blog here.
Then, moving further into the 40s, the first name that comes to my mind is Naushad. Probably thanks to Ratan and Anmol Ghadi. And later, in the 50s, Baiju Bawra and Mughal-e-Azam, among many other classics. Naushad, to me, will always be a very special music director because in a sense he was THE icon of the golden era of Hindi music in the 40s/50s.
Then other names too – Anil Biswas, Husnlal Bhagatram, SD Burman, Shankar Jaikishen, Roshan, C. Ramchandra, Sajjad Hussain, OP Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Salil Choudhary, Vasant Desai, Ravi, Hemant Kumar. All had varying degrees of success in that golden era of the 40s/50s and even part of the 60s. I’m sure I’ve missed out some names – but they’ve all contributed to hours and hours of listening pleasure for me.
Of all of these, I want to talk a bit about SD Burman here because this happens to be his 300th song on this blog.
SD Burman (or “Burman da” as he was popularly known) was another of those absolute stand-out icons of the golden era of Hindi film music. In fact, Naushad may have been a pioneer in his own way but SD Burman can rightly be called THE colossus of Hindi film music of the 50s and 60s.
Just one look at the quality and quantity of his work leaves me stunned. Often (as we have sadly noticed), quantity comes at the expense of quality but in Burman da’s case, he never allowed that to happen. He never compromised on quality – and that is one reason why it’s hard to find a bad Burman da song. Yes, you may find some “more outstanding” than others but a bad one? Hmm, that would be quite a search.
There’s a lot to be found about Burman da on the net and from other sources. I will try not to repeat what’s already out there. Also, I must admit that there are probably far more competent people here to talk about Burman da than me because my musical journey with Burman da effectively started with Aradhana (1969) and that was very much at the fag end of his career.
I was still very young when Aradhana was released – and it turned out to be a massive, massive hit. The songs were a rage all over the country. At that time, I did not know about SD Burman’s illness, I did not know that RD Burman had composed some of the songs – all I knew is that the songs were on everybody’s lips and the music director was SD Burman.
So that was my “official” introduction to Burman da. I say “official” because later on I learnt that many songs that I used to know, even before Aradhana, were composed by Burman da. I just didn’t know it at that time. For example, “Ye dil na hota bechaara” and “Hai apna dil to aawaara”.
Unfortunately, Burman da ‘s health in the 1970s seemed to continue to be frail, though he did compose music right till his death in 1975. His music of the 70s is just as melodious as any music you can find – songs of Sharmilee, Tere Mere Sapne, Abhimaan and Mili are testimony to this – but somehow I have the feeling that I never got to see Burman da’s music when he was really in his prime.
And what music that was!!!
No other music composer can claim to have delivered SO many hit songs for SO many hit movies . Granted that there’s much more to a film than just its music but it cannot also be denied that in the 1950s/60s, it was often the music of a film that carried it. It is difficult to even remember a hit film of that period that did not have hit music, such was the impact of the music on a film’s success.
And, with his amazing sense of the pulse of the audience, Burman da knew exactly how to compose those tunes! He brought that typical Rabindra Sangeet style to many of his songs – but could completely switch to western style, or even numb his music to enhance its effect, depending on the situation.
For example, for one of my all time favourites “ye mehlon, ye takhton, ye taajon ki duniya” sung by Rafi saab to outstanding lyrics by Sahir, there’s hardly any music – and that’s Burman da’s genius. By not forcing his music into the song, he ensures that the song’s lyrics and the pathos in the singer’s voice grab the attention of the listener.
Then there were those Burman da tunes that you could identify from a mile as having his stamp on them. Songs like “Mora gora ang lai le mohe shyaam rang dai de (Bandini) ” or “Khaayi hai re hamne qasam sang rahne ki (Talaash) ”.
Then there were those madcap songs for Kishore Kumar – Burman da was equally adept at composing “hum they wo thi aur sama rangeen samajh gaye na” (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi) in a catchy tune that immediately had his audiences in his control. Or “Ek ladki bheegee bhaagee si ” from the same film.
There are plenty of stories about Burman da – his idiosyncracies, his constant “paan-chewing”, his tiffs with Lata and Sahir, his love for Kishore as his own son, and many more. These only added to the legend of Burman da – but the fact is that it was his body of work that spoke for him more than anything else. Controversies and gossip can create hype for a while but substance is what finally ensures you leave behind a legacy.
And what a legacy Burman da has left us.
I will never try to pick my favourite Burman da song. Or even my top ten Burman da songs. Because I will just not be able to. Heck, just Baazi (1951) alone has “Tadbeer se bigdi huyi taqdeer banaa le ” and “Suno gazar kyaa gaaye”, both songs I love. And that’s just ONE movie.
From Geeta Dutt’s “Mera sundar sapna beet gaya(Do Bhai)(1947)” to the very end, Burman da kept churning out one musical masterpiece after another, as if he was just cooking a routine meal. (By the way, that’s another thing Burman da was known for – being very fond of cooking).
Dev Anand knew a good thing when he saw it. From the very beginning, he knew that Burman da’s music had something special about it and would click. So Burman da became a regular with Nav Ketan and was a fixture in Dev Anand movies (even if they were all not under the Nav Ketan banner). And how many lovely songs / movies they came up with together – Baazi, Jaal, Taxi Driver, House No. 44, Munimji, Funtoosh, Paying Guest, Nau Do Gyarah, Solva Saal, Kaala Pani, Manzil, Kala Bazar, Bambai Ka Babu, Baat Ek Raat Ki, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Teen Deviyan, Guide, Jewel Thief, Prem Pujari, Gambler, Tere Mere Sapne, all the way to Chhupa Rustam.
When Burman Da fell seriously ill after composing just one song for Guide – and suggested to Dev Anand that he use another composer (maybe RD) – Dev refused. He said he’d wait for however long it took Burman da to get back. Or he’d just go ahead and make the film with just that one song. Such was Dev Anand’s respect for Burman da.
Then there were the Guru Dutt classics like Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi Aur GhulamKaaghaz Ke Phool. The songs in these films have gone on to become timeless masterpieces. In just one film alone (Pyaasa), on one hand, you’ve got Hemant Kumar’s soulful “Jaane wo kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila ”, you’ve got Rafi saab’s angry “Ye mehlon ye takhton”, you’ve got Geeta Dutt’s teasing “Jaane kyaa toone kahi jaane kyaa maine suni ”. And then you’ve got Rafi saab’s rollicking song for Johny Walker “Sar jo tera chakraaye yaa dil doobaa jaaye ”. Each one absolutely perfect! 10/10, in my opinion.
Then there are the Bimal Roy movies like Sujata and Bandini. Again, timeless masterpieces here. How, oh how, did Burman da manage to compose these? I can listen to the songs of these movies with my eyes closed and just marvel at Talat’s mellifluous “Jalte hain jiske liye” or Asha Bhosle’s lovely “Kaali ghata chaaye mora jiya tarsaaye ”. And every time I listen to “Mere saajan hain us paar” (Burman da’s own voice), I feel like I’m travelling in a boat on the Hooghly river 🙂 . Burman da was just such a master at dragging you right into the soul of a song!
Then there are the, what I’d call, “independent” movies. Like Insaan Jaag Utha. A film that contains one of my favourite songs “Jaanoon jaanoon re chhupke kaun aaya”. Another song with Burman da’s stamp all over it!
Burman da used a variety of singers, depending on the song. Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mahmood, Hemant Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, even Mukesh (who Burman da did not use very much) have all sung superhit songs for Burman da.
For my knowledge of Burman da songs, I must also thank one of my friends from my younger days. He was a big fan of Burman da and Dev Anand. As a result, at any given point in time, he’d be singing something like “Khoya khoya chaand khula aasmaan” or “Ham bekhudi me tumko pukaare chale gaye” or “Maana janaab ne pukaara nahin”. In fact I first heard these songs only from him. Another song that I’d hear a lot in those days (and didn’t know it was a Burman da song) was “Nazar laagi raajaa tore bangley par ”. My friends would often tease me with this song! Much later I learnt that it was from Kala Pani.
All in all, the influence Burman da has had on Hindi film music cannot be estimated. It’s probably best not to try – it would more likely devalue his contribution. I, for one, cannot think of what we would have missed without his music.
Today, as his 300th song on this blog, I am presenting one of his (in my opinion at least) less-known songs. The movie is well-known, it is Solva Saal (1958). The movie is best-known for “Hai apna dil to aawara” and “Dekhoji mera haal badal gayi chaal , And possibly “Yahi to hai wo yahi to hai ”.
But all these songs have already already posted, so I’ve gone for “ye bhi koi roothne ka mausam” by Asha Bhonsle.
This is a song at the start of the film where a naive Waheeda thinks her “boyfriend” (Jagdev) cares about her. He seems upset and she sings this song to get him out of his bad mood. The song has several Burman da components about it – my lack of knowledge about the intricacies of music prevent me from describing it further but let’s just say that if I’d been played this song and asked to identify the composer, I’d have unhesitatingly said “Burman da”.
(I was toying between this song and “uff kitni thand hai, jalta hai badan” from Teen Deviyan. That’s another lovely song but I went with this one from Solva Saal because I thought it showcases Burman da better. Ok, I’ll be honest – I think Waheeda also may have had something to do with my choice. ;-)). She almost always does. ? Anyway, I hope Atul posts this other song also soon.
So here’s “ye bhi koi roothne ka mausam”. Enjoy and drink in Waheeda’s oh-so-beautiful face. Oh, sorry, I meant Burman da’s oh-so-beautiful music. 😉
Audio
Video
Songer-Ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane (Solva Saal)(1958) Singer-Asha Bhonsle, Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri, MD-S D Burman
Lyrics
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
kismat se aate hain pyaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
dekhoon sawan doley
bheegi zulfen khole
dekhoon sawan doley
bheegi zulfen khole
maano re o bhole
o bhole bhaale babu
o bhole
o bhole bhaale babu
o bhole
dekho rukte nahin hai bahaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
kismat se aate hain pyaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
dhadkan ke ye gaane
chitwan ke afsaane
dhadkan ke ye gaane
chitwan ke afsaane
tum suno deewaane
deewaane tu kya jaane
deewaane
deewaane tu kya jaane
deewaane
aji milte kahaan hain karaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
kismat se aate hain pyaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
dil se dil jodo bhi
do naina modo bhi
dil se dil jodo bhi
do naina modo bhi
o sainyya chhodo bhi
chhodo bhi banana sainnya
chhodo bhi
chhodo bhi banana sainnya
chhodo bhi
kahin beete na yoon hi ye pyaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
kismat se aate hain pyaar ke zamaane
ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane
4 Responses to "Ye bhi koi roothhne ka mausam hai deewaane"
February 25, 2012 at 11:40 pm
Thanks, Khyatiji.
By the way, I just realised a mistake in my write-up. I should have said Kaagaz Ke Phool instead of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. The music for SBG was not composed by Burman da but by Hemant Kumar. Sorry for the mistake.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
February 25, 2012 at 10:33 pm
Rajaji,
Aap ki lambayi ???, sorry aap ki likhayee ki lambee to badhti hi ja rahi hai (which I love it). Aap likhane ke maharathi ho. Kya khub likha hai! S.D.Burman is one of my fav MD. Thanks for the informative write up.
Congratulations Atulji for this milestone.
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February 26, 2012 at 1:07 am
—– ditto —–
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February 26, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Thank you, Krishnaji. Glad you liked it.
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