Beena madhur madhur kachhu bol
Posted on: March 24, 2012
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
It is a bit of a surprise for me that one of the songs which I had heard from my mother in my childhood was intact in my memory even though I had no occasion to listen to on the radio or watch on the TV thereafter. This is more so when I was engulfed on those days by the popular songs of the early 50s. As I came to know much later, this song was the most popular one attaining the tag of the highest sales of gramophone records for HMV in 1943. The song was ‘beena madhur madhur kachhubol’ from the film RAM RAJYA (1943). I was not aware of details of the song until I watched the video clip of the song for first time on YT few months back. Before that, I was under the impression that it was a non-filmy classical song.
RAM RAJYA (1943) was produced under the banner of Prakash Pictures (owned by brothers Vijay and Shankar Bhatt) and directed by Vijay Bhatt, whose name I was familiar with due to his films like ‘Hariyali Aur Raasta’ (1962) released during my younger days. The star cast included Prem Adib (Ram), Shobhana Samarth(Seeta), Umakant ( Laxman), Chandrakant, Shanta kumari, Madhusudan, Badri Prasad etc. The lyrics were written by Ramesh Gupta and the music was provided by Shankarrao Vyas who was the elder brother of Pandit Narayanrao Vyas of Gwalior Gharana and disciple of the renowned classical singer Vishnu Digambar Paluskar.
The film was a huge success and it ran for over 100 days, a rare feat in those days. It is stated that this was the only film that Mahatma Gandhi watched during his life while convalescing in Juhu, Mumbai in 1945. The unprecedented success of the film brought Vijay Bhatt laurels and adulation. He was felicitated all over India as the torch-bearer of Indian culture. The film was remade in 1967 in colour, again produced under the banner of Prakash Pictures and directed by Vijay Bhatt. However, audience did not like the film’s new avatar.
While discussing this song, I feel that I should give some brief about Saraswati Rane, the playback singer of this song who later became one of the well known Hindustani classical singers. Her profile is very interesting.
Saraswati Rane (4/10/1913 – 10/10/2006), born as Sakina was the daughter of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan ( the founder of Kirana Gharana) and Tarabai Mane. After separation from her husband, Tarabai gave new names to all her four siblings with her surname Mane. So Sakina became Saraswati Mane. After her marriage with Sunderrao Rane, she became Saraswati Rane. She was the younger sister of Hirabai Barodekar and Sureshbabu Mane both of them being doyens of Hindustani classical music. She learnt classical music from her elder brother and also from ustads of Jaipur and Gwalior Gharanas. She started her career as an actor in Marathi film and later as a playback singer in both Marathi and Hindi films but gave up acting by the middle of 50s to concentrate on classical singing. I came to know of her as a playback singer only after watching a video clip on YT from the film ‘Bhumika’ alongwith her grand daughter Meena Faterphekar who is also a classical singer belonging to Kirana Gharana. Recently, I came across one more song of her in the film ‘Sargam’ (1950). [ Saraswati Rane’s detailed profile can be accessed by clicking on her name appearing here ].
Fortunately, the video clip of this song is available in good quality. The song is picturised on an actor whom I am not able to identify. The actor sleeping on the swing is Shobana Samarth (Seeta). Prem Adib as Ram can also be seen in the picturisation of the song. I have seen Prem Adib in films like ‘Anokhi Ada’ (1948) but never imagined that he would look so handsome in the role of Ram. The lyrics of the song are in chaste Hindi. I think some of the words like ‘kallol’ ( frolicking), ‘bhramar’( bumble bee), ‘prachand’ (extreme) in this song have rarely been used in other Hindi film songs.
What a marvelous song! After it had the mohar (hallmark) of a singer who was a renowned classical singer in the making and the music director whose guru was V D Paluskar, a renowned classical singer.
Audio
Video
Song- Beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol Singer-Saraswati Rane, Lyrics-Ramesh Gupta, MD-Shankarrao Vyas
Lyrics
kachhu bol
bol
bol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
shaant mahi jhankaar sunaa de
shaant mahi jhankaar sunaa de
jeewan ke sab taar hilaa de
jeewan ke sab taar hilaa de
ek baar phir madhur dhwani mein
ek baar phir madhur dhwani mein
manjul manhar kar kallol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
aaj nayee wo raag sunaa de
aaj nayee wo raag sunaa de
jis se jad mein chetan aati
jis se jad mein chetan aati
bichhad jaayen naa tere saathi
bichhad jaayen naa tere saathi
sanjeevani amrit ras ghol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
beenaa madhur madhur kachhu bol
bhor bhaye bekal man dole
bhor bhaye bekal man dole
kal naa paaye bhramar ban dole
kal naa paaye bhramar ban dole
birah vedanaa prachand howe
birah vedanaa prachand howe
prithvi gagan uthhen sab dol
7 Responses to "Beena madhur madhur kachhu bol"
2 | Arunkumar Deshmukh
March 24, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Kamath ji,
RAM RAJYA-1943 was an iconic film in Hindi film industry.The kind of fame and popularity it garnered in those days can not be imagined.For many many years,after this movie,Shobhana Samarth was treated as Seeta,wherever she went and people,especially,women and old people used to touch her feet.She used to be garlanded too.She herself has stated all this in her several interviews.
Almost all the songs were hit,however one song that became a rage in those days was’ Bharat ki ek sannari ki hum katha sunate hain,vyatha sunate hain.” Viewers used to weep in the theatre while wathcing this scene.The song itself is wonderful to listen to.It is a very long song,in which Lav and Kush depict the story of Seeta to Ram in his Darbar.
The singers of this song were not known for many years,as no names were mentioned on the records.It was popularly believed to have been sung by Yashwant buwa Joshi and Yashwant Nikam,for many years,but the director of the film Vijay Bhatt clarified in December 1987 that this song was sung by RAM APTE AND MADHUSUDAN.Even the lyricist Ramesh Gupta also corroborated this fact.(ref-LB-72).
If someone(like you) can post this song, today’s music lovers can enjoy this Amar song.
Secondly,Saraswati Rane started playback singing in 1938 itself.She stopped singing in films as a protest to Music companies for their refusal to give enough weightage to singer.In earlier days,singers names were not mentioned on the records,but the star or the character who sings it on screen his name would be printed on the record labels. For example,when the singer was Rane,the name of Vanamala,who sang it on the screen was on the label.Another point was also of royalty.
-AD
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March 24, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Thanks for the supplementary information.
You are correct about the song ‘Bharat ki ek sannari ki hum katha sunate hain’. It was a better known song among the listeners than ‘beena madhur madhur’ even in later years.
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March 24, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Extremely Superior Song.
The song is based on Raag BhimPalashi,which is noon raag.
And Superior background event was just passed.
It is noon. Most uneasiness is prevailed in the climate. To have some relaxation Seeta mata urged Sakhi Chitralekha to lighten the climate.
Which was the extremely difficult task for Chitralekha who knew the mystery and could not open the mouth.
So Veena – the instrument – was requested to say something nice.
I wept whenever i heard the song.
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March 31, 2012 at 2:26 am
Sadanand ji
Thanks for posting this wonderful gem of a song – a creation that is still fresh after almost seven decades. Loved to hear it again. 🙂
Rgds
Sudhir
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
March 24, 2012 at 12:32 pm
The name of the renowned classical singer Paluskar is normally written as D.V. Paluskar, not V.D. Paluskar, who sang as Baiju Bawra in competition with Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in film Baiju Bawra.
On a side note, Ram Rajya is also the film for which Manna De sang his first few and very beautiful songs, viz. “Chal tu door nagariya teri”, “ajab vidhi ka lekh kisise padha nahi jaaye”, “tyagmayi tu gayi, teri amar bhavna amar rahi”. Request you to include the last two in the blog if you can find good copies.
Amirbai Karnataki also acted and sang in Ram Rajya, and might have looked similar to the lady singing “Beena madhur madhur” at that time, but am not certain whether it is her.
I have seen the film twice, shortly after release and again in late 70’s, and it was a great musical masterpiece.
dk
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March 24, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Agarwala ji,
I think there is some confusion in your mind about the clan of Paluskars.
Vishnu Digambar Paluskar(18-8-1872 to 21-8-1931) or V.D.Paluskar was a noted classical singer and a great music teacher to many well known singers.His son Dattatraya Vishnu Paluskar(28-5-1921 to 25-10-1955) or D.V.Paluskar,born in Nashik-Maharashtra was a child prodigy and himself a well known classical singer of fame in his short life-he died young at only 34 years of age.
Actually the father of the senior Paluskar was Digambar Gopal Paluskar who was also a wellknown Kirtan singer of Kolhapur state with Shahu Maharaj.
-AD
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March 24, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Thanks for clarification about Paluskars.
In day to day reference among my relatives and friends, I refer them as Sr. Paluskar (V D Paluskar) and Jr. Paluskar (D V Paluskar) just to avoid confusion. I should have given that prefix in my article also.
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