Kaisa ujda chaman khushi ka
Posted on: March 23, 2012
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
A very remarkable song indeed. Not just for the words and music, but the way the music is arranged, and the manner in which it has been rendered. The special feature of remark-ability can either be told, or can be perceived by listening to the song itself. Maybe some of the readers would pause reading this write up, listen to the song and then come back to read the rest of it. And possibly, some readers can recognize what is special about this song.
So now, that you may have heard this song and then came back to read this, or maybe just continued reading, here is the special thing about this song. This song is a very, very difficult song to render. Back in 1937, it is possible that this is the first song of its type, that was attempted by the music director and the singer. The discerning listeners would have perceived – there is no pause in the song, no pause of any significance. The manner in which the music is arranged, there is no music-only interlude between the mukhdaa, and the antaraas. The vocal singing is simply continuous from beginning to the end. And what does that mean? That the singer has really very miniscule opportunities to take a breath in between the words, or the lines. Whatever perceivable breathing space is there, is really not sufficient to carry the entire song in one go. And yet, it is done. The singer Kanan Devi is making do with really tiny opportunities to breathe in between. And what a marvelous rendering she has done under the circumstances – one does not hear any sound of quick breath, and the singing itself goes to a high pitch at least 3 to 4 times in the song. Try to imagine the amount of control, and effort, and practice it would have taken for her to render this marvelous piece of singing. One must remember that this original recording was done in the times when the technology only allowed the recording of the full song in one single and continuous session. If anything became amiss, then the entire session had to be re-done from start. From that perspective, the rendering of this song becomes even more significant.
Mukti is a 1937 production from New Theatres. Directed by PC Barua, the star cast includes Barua himself, Kanan Devi, Menaka, Nawaab, Jadish Sethi, Pankaj Mullick, Kalyani, Nand Kishore, Girdhari, Prafull Roy, Devbala etc. In the video clip, at the end of the song, one can also see Jagdish Sethi, playing the role of Kanan Devi’s father, enter the scene
The music is composed by Pankaj Mullick, but there is a surprise here. The music for this song is by RC Boral. The conceptualization, the arrangement, and the guidance is by him. It is said that it took some days to practice this song, till RC Boral was satisfied to its rendering by Kanan Devi. Another note of some significance, though now lost in the folds of history. RC Boral and Kanan Devi are known to have had an emotional relationship. If one looks at the career of Kanan Devi, more than 80% of her songs are sung under the baton of RC Boral. Arguably, they are the first such pair of music director and singer to be so linked.
Listen to this, oh so, sentimental song – a very unhurried rendering, but what a remarkable one for a music arrangement that is so difficult.
(NOTE: I have not been able to catch one or two words in the beginning of the first antaraa, indicated by (??). Request other readers to please help in deciphering the correct starting word(s) in this line)
kaisa ujdaa chaman khushi ka, kaisa naseebaa phoot gayaa
My garden of happiness
Oh how it is now so devastated
What a turn of providence this is
That my destiny lies shattered
(NOTE: chaman = garden;
naseebaa = variant of ‘naseeb’ = fate destiny)
phool bhi rukhsat, boo bhi rukhsat, rang bhi gul ka chhoot gayaa
The flowers, they are withered
Their fragrance, it has disappeared
And the colors, they are faded, gone
(NOTE: rukhsat = depart, departed
boo = fragrance)
((??)) abhi to wafaa ka putlaa
ghar se niklaa, dil se na niklaa
un ki lalak hai abhi baaki, dekhne mein to chhoot gayaa
((??))
. . the icon of love and trust
Left my home
But has not left my heart
Seemingly, he has left and gone
But the heart still longs for him
(NOTE: wafaa = love, trust
putlaa = icon, statue
lalak = longing)
kuchh jo pataa bhi us kaa paaye
kyaa moonh le kar saamne jaaye
aayega wo kyun laakh bulaaye
ye bhi sahaaraa toot gayaa
Oh wish, I could locate his whereabouts
But how shall I go to face him now
I may request him a thousand times
But he will not return
Alas, this sustaining bond
Its broken too
Audio
Video
Song-Kaisa ujda chaman khushi ka (Mukti)(1937) Singer-Kanan Devi, MD-R C Boral
Lyrics
kaisa ujdaa chaman khushi ka
kaisa naseebaa phoot gayaa
kaisa ujdaa chaman khushi ka
kaisa naseebaa phoot gayaa
phool bhi rukhsat
boo bhi rukhsat
phool bhi rukhsat
boo bhi rukhsat
rang bhi gul ka chhoot gayaa
kaisa ujdaa chaman khushi ka
kaisa naseebaa phoot gayaa
((??)) abhi to
wafaa ka putlaa
ghar se niklaa
dil se na niklaa
un ki lalak hai abhi baaki
dekhne mein to chhoot gayaa
kaisa ujdaa chaman khushi ka
kaisa naseebaa phoot gayaa
kuchh jo pataa bhi
us kaa paaye
kyaa moonh le kar
saamne jaaye
aayega wo kyun
laakh bulaaye
ye bhi sahaaraa
toot gayaa
kaisa ujdaa chaman khushi ka
kaisa naseebaa phoot gayaa
naseebaa
phoot gayaa
6 Responses to "Kaisa ujda chaman khushi ka"
2 | Arunkumar Deshmukh
March 23, 2012 at 10:51 am
Sudhir ji,
Thanks for hosting this old song from Mukti-37.
Once when I had gone to Calcutta,way back in the early 60s,may be 60 or 61-I am not sure,he had shown me this film in a theatre.the print was horrible and the sound was terrible,but I was shocked to see the theatre almost full.The film was a part of some New Theatre Film festival.
MUKTI-1937 was actually a revolutionary film,I would say.In those days to make a film on adultery was surely an adventure,but then the young team of NT was always trying offbeat stories-first in Bengali and then in Hindi or at the same time too.
P.C.Barua not only directed the film,wrote its s/play and acted the Hero’s part also.the story was by Sajanikant Das and Dialogues were by A.H.Shore.He also wrote Lyrics along with Arzoo Lucknowi.AHShore was associated in other hit films like,Street singer,Doctor,Maaya,Nartaki,Thokar,Kapal kundala etc.
The cinematographer of this film was an young Bimal Roy.
Prashant(PCB) was an artist who painted nudes and has a romantic image,connecting him with many models.He is married to Chitra(KananDevi),daughter of a rich businessman.The father in law always tells him to mend his ways and there are quarrels in Chitra and Prashant and the father in law,but to no use.Finally,the marriage breaks and they are divorced.Chitra marries a millionaire,when she comes out of this trauma,on father’s insistence,but prashanta is haunting her always in thoughts.
After divorce Prashanta goes to the jungles of Assam,where he is enjoying life among wild elephants,other animals,and also in the company of jharna(Menaka),wife of the Innkeeper.the local trader is an enemy of prashant.
Once Chitra and Bipul,her husband come to Assam for elephant hunting.By mistake the pet elephant of Prashant is killed by them.Prashant comes to know that Chitra is here,but avoids meeting her.
One day the villainous Trader,enemy of Prashant tries to corner and rape Chitra.Prashant saves her from him,but gets killed and dies at Chitra’s feet-giving her the final MUKTI from him.
-AD
314
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3 | Arunkumar Deshmukh
March 23, 2012 at 10:54 am
contd….
My friend in calcutta —–these words should be read in place of “he” in the 3rd line of the write up.
-AD
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March 31, 2012 at 1:34 am
Arun ji
Thanks for your detailed synopsis of the film – dependable as always. 🙂
Derubala ji
Thanks for your message, and suggestions for deciphering the missing words. It seems close, and I will again make an effort to check out the particular line.
Rgds
Sudhir
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March 1, 2013 at 11:25 pm
As I have explained elsewhere, Munshi arzoo, A.H.Shor and Arzoo Lucknowi are three names of one and the same person. He was a good actor too and has lip singed eight songs of Kidar Sharma in Devdas. Also, some other songs in the films of New Theater. He was in the New Theater in 1934 onwards but could not be accommodated as the lyricist prior to Mukti, i.e. 1937. B.N. Sirkar had offered to him the job of a lyricist as He was an establshed Urdu poet with a very large following of disciples and fans; but that was not to be as already there were films in the making and most of the lyrics were being written by Kidar Sharma. So, Arzoo acted in a couple of films and wrote dialogues for Mukti, under the name of A.H.Shor which indicated his full name, Anwar Hussain Shor. Arzoo was his takhallus and Lucknowi as he belonged to Lucknow. There is a lot of confusion on internet in this regard and I hope, my humble effort would remove it.
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May 7, 2015 at 3:46 pm
Thank you all for the video , the lyrics, and the missing words. Can anyone write what TAAL is being played and what RAAG the song has been sung in
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
March 23, 2012 at 6:12 am
As her father said to her…”Uske liye kya rona, beti, woh to tere kabil hi nahi” that reminds me of this quote…
“No man/woman is worth your tears, and the one who is won’t make you cry”
Well, she was first Kanan dasi, next Kananbala than Kanan Devi…
Since you asked special about the song, this young woman dreams and hopes are shattered now she has to cope, survive and move on with her life with new direction.
But even with heavy heart she is in-control of her emotions…as she confirm her father with the solid determination…Jane dijiye, pitaji…very elegant touch. (as I am a woman … I like it :)…..)
I think the missing words…Jab rooh se gira wafa ka putla..
Very nice song…her voice reminds me of my mom voice.
.
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