Kesariya pagdi bani rahey
Posted on: May 24, 2012
This article is written by Sudhir,a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
The history of Rajasthan is a legendary saga of warriors and warfare over the centuries. The annals of Rajput clans date back to pre-Christ era, and the origins of the various dynasties are linked back into pre-history to the lineage of Lord Ram of the Suryavansh (Sun Dynasty). As per the chronicles of the Rajput dynasties, they trace their origins to Luv, the son of Lord Ram. Their flag, which is supposedly the flag of Prince Luv, is the insignia of Sun on a crimson background, still flutters on the forts and palaces in Rajasthan.
As the history goes, after the passage of Lord Ram from this earth, Prince Luv moved west and established the city and state of Lavasthali or Lavkot. Over the ages, the name transformed and we now know this place by the name of Lahore (now in Pakistan).
The early records of history name Maharaja Kanak Sen as the king of Lavkot in the 2nd century AD. From Lavkot, this dynasty expanded their kingdom covering what is presently known as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Maharaja Kanak Sen established the city of Bir Nagar, named after his youngest of the four sons, Bir Sen. Bir Nagar is now known as Chittor, and it became the capital city of Mewar, the stronghold of Rajput defiance of the Muslim dynasties that ruled from Delhi and Agra. Since the advent of Islam into India, and the beginning of the Muslim rule in north India, the kings and dynasties of Rajputs have been at war with the kingdoms and dynasties that ruled Delhi.
Into this lineage, called the Sisodia Rajputs, was born Pratap Singh, more famously known as Maharana Pratap, the most illustrious warrior king in the history of Rajasthan. Over the centuries, the Sisodia Rajputs as with many other Rajputs clans and kingdoms, did not capitulate to the emperors of Delhi, and were in constant war with the throne of Delhi.
Today, Jayeshtha Shukla Tritiyaa, the third day of the waxing moon cycle of the month of Jayeshtha, is the celebration of the birth anniversary (as per the Hindu calendar) of this legendary king, general and leader of Mewar. As per historical records, he was born on 9th May, 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, as the eldest son of Maharana Udai Singh. He is the 54th generation in the recorded chronicles of the Sisodia dynasty. In 1567, Chittor was overrun by the forces of Emperor Akbar, and Maharana Udai Singh moved to Gogunda, rather than to give in to the forces of the Mughal empire. Maharana Udai Singh passed away in 1572, and Pratap Singh was crowned as the next king of Mewar. The ongoing struggle for the recapture of Chittor continued to be his primary objective. In a time and age when Emperor Akbar had taken over parts of Rajasthan either by force or through diplomacy (matrimonial alliance into the royal family of Jaipur), the state of Mewar was the leading light in defiance to the Mughal supremacy.
Akbar had control of Chittor but not the kingdom of Mewar. The people of Mewar swore by their Maharana, denying Akbar his ambition of being the Jahanpanah of Hindustan. In 1573, Akbar sent six diplomatic missions to Mewar to get Rana Pratap to agree to his suzerainty, but Rana Pratap turned down each one of them, only willing to sign a peace treaty if the sovereignty of Mewar would be intact. The last of these missions was headed by Raja Maan Singh, the brother-in-law of Akbar himself. Maharana Pratap, angered that his fellow Rajput was aligned with someone who had forced the submission of all Rajputs, refused to sup with Raja Maan Singh. The lines were completely drawn now.
Akbar blockaded Mewar from the rest of the world and alienated Mewar’s traditional allies, some of whom were Maharana Pratap’s own kith and kin. In preparation for the inevitable war with the Mughals, Maharana Pratap moved his capital to Kumbhalgarh, where he was born. He commanded his subjects to leave for the Aravali mountains and leave behind nothing for the approaching enemy – the war would be fought in a mountain terrain familiar to the Mewar army but not the Mughals. The Bheels of the Aravalis were completely with him. Maharana Pratap himself undertook several penances, to remind himself, and all his subjects, why they were undertaking this pain – to win back their freedom, their right to exist as they wished. He took a vow to eat from leaf-plates, sleep on the floor and would not shave. In this self-inflicted state of penury, the Maharana lived in mud-huts made from mud and bamboo.
In 1576, the famous battle of Haldighati was fought with 20,000 Rajputs against a Mughal army of 80,000 men. The battle was fierce though indecisive. The Rajput army was not defeated but Maharana Pratap was surrounded by Mughal soldiers. It is said that at this point, his brother, Shakti Singh, appeared and saved his life. Another casualty of this war was Maharana Pratap’s famous and loyal horse Chetak, who gave up his life trying to save his Maharana. The valor of Chetak is eulogized by Bharat Vyas in the famous song “O Pawan Veg Se Udne Waale Ghode”from the film ‘Jai Chittor’ (1961).
After this war, Akbar tried several times to take over Mewar, albeit unsuccessfully. Maharana Pratap himself was keeping up his quest for taking Chittor back. However, the relentless attacks of the Mughal army had left his army weaker, and he barely had enough money to keep it going, and the Maharana, anguished at the state of his subjects, was beginning to lose his spirit in fighting Akbar. It is said that at this time, one of his ministers, Bhama Shah, came and offered him all this wealth – a sum enabling Maharana Pratap to support an army of 25,000 for 12 years.
In one incident that caused him extreme pain, his child’s meal – bread made from grass – was taken away by a dog. This episode cut into Maharana Pratap’s heart deeply and he began to have doubts about his resolute refusal to submit to the Mughals. Perhaps in one of these moments of self doubt he wrote to Akbar demanding “a mitigation of his hardship”. Overjoyed at this indication of his valiant foe’s submission, Akbar commanded public rejoicing, and showed the letter to a literate Rajput at his Court, Prince Prithiraj, who was the younger brother of Rai Singh, the ruler of Bikaner. He had been compelled to serve Akbar because of his kingdom’s submission to the Mughals. An award-winning poet, Prithviraj was also a gallant warrior and a longtime admirer of the brave Maharana Pratap Singh. He was astonished and grieved by Maharana Pratap’s decision, and told Akbar the note was the forgery of some foe to defame the Mewar king. “I know him well,” he explained, “and he would never submit to your terms.” He requested and obtained Akbar’s permission to send a letter to Pratap, ostensibly to ascertain the fact of his submission, but really with a view to prevent it. His letter, in the form of a poem, have become famous in the annals of patriotism.
The now-famous letter led to Maharana Pratap reversing his decision to submit to the Mughals. After 1587, Akbar relinquished his obsessive pursuit of Maharana Pratap and took his battles into Punjab and India’s Northwest Frontier. Thus for the last ten years of his life, Maharana Pratap ruled in relative peace and eventually freed most of Mewar, including Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh, but not Chittor. But his broken spirit overpowered him in his twilight years. In his last moments he swore his successor, Crown Prince Amar Singh to eternal conflict against the foes of his country’s independence. Maharana Pratap was never able to win back Chittor but he never gave up fighting to win it back.
This offering from the film ‘Jai Chittor’ (1961) is an eulogy for the honor of Mewar, and the Maharana, as the keeper of that honor. The film, produced under the banner of Rajni Chitra, is directed by Jaswant Jhaveri. The main cast of actors includes Jairaj, Nirupa Roy, Bipin Gupta, Ram Singh, Sunder, Shyam Kumar, Rajkumar, Arvind Pandya etc. The songs of this film overflowing with themes of valor and patriotism, and come from the pen of Bharat Vyas. The music composition is by SN Tripathi. This song is rendered in his inimitable style by Manna Dey.
On screen, this song is performed by Sunder. The setting appears to be a small gathering in the court of Maharana Pratap, the role played by a dashing and stately looking Jairaj in the film. Sunder is rendering this song, extolling the saffron turban worn by the king, as the zenith of the honor of Mewar. I have not seen this film and can only speculate. My guess is that this song is representative of the poetical letter sent by Prithiraj Singh to Maharana Pratap. The words and the flow appear as an effort to refresh the memory of the historical honor of Mewar in the mind of Maharana. The honor of a land is the king, and the honor of the king is the crown that he wears. In this song, the crown is the traditional turban that is worn by the Rajput kings, and the words are a reminder of its significance and the reputation.
In this video clip, we also see Nirupa Roy, who plays the role of Maharana’s wife in this film. Beckoned by the sound of the singer’s words, she comes to the doorway to the main court and stands there listening with pride, as Sunder pays this marvelous tribute to the honor of Mewar, and applauds the courage and heroism of Maharana Pratap.
Maharana Pratap is remembered in the history as a symbol of defiance to foreign rule, and represents the spirit of the independence of the people of this country. A very emotional salute to him today on his 472nd birth anniversary.
(NOTE: In the video clip, there is a momentary break, due to which one line is not fully heard. I have marked that line by (??). I would request other readers to please give the correct line, in case anyone has it.)
Song-Kesariya pagdi bani rahey(Jai Chittor)(1961) Singer-Manna Dey, Lyrics-Bharat Vyas, MD-S N Tripathi
Lyrics
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
yeh mukut hamen beete yug ke
veeron ki yaad dilaata hai
hum marudhar ke matwaalon ko
nav jeevan sudha pilaataa hai
is ki duniyaa mein dhaak rahi. . .
is ki duniyaa mein dhaak rahi
((??) bhid kar duniyaa ye. . .)
oonchaa mastak, onnchaa lalaat
sabse oonchi ye naak rahi
aaaaaaaa aaaaaaa
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
bharat maa ke abhimaan tumhi
aandhi bijli toofaan tumhi
rann mein dahaadney waaley
in sheron ki ho santaan tumhi
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
jab tak praanon mein praan rahey
apne marudhar ka maan rahey
jag ko kampit karne waala
maaru ka gunjit gaan rahey
is pagdi ki bas shaan rahey. . .
is pagdi ki bas shaan rahey
hum bhi kuchh hain ye dhyaan rahey
rana prataap, prithvi, saangaa
in veeron ka abhimaan rahey
aaaaaaaa aaaaaaa
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kitnon ke sar qurbaan huye
kitnon ke mahal masaan huye
kitne parwaane amar durg
is pagdi par balidaan huye
is or hamaare prataap ne. . .
is or hamaare prataap ne
lohu ke saagar bahaa diye
lohay ke chaney bahaadur ne
dushman ko naakon chabaa diye
aaaaaaaa aaaaaaa
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
shaahi toofaan ke aagey bhi
raana ki aandhi ruki nahin
ye ek anokhi pagdi hai
jo un kadmon par jhuki nahin
mewaar pati ke sar par ye
kirnon ki jyoti tani rahey
aaaaaaaa aaaaaaa
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
kesariya pagdi bani rahey
3 Responses to "Kesariya pagdi bani rahey"
May 25, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Simply excellent Sudhirji. Wonderful song and even more wonderful write up.
LikeLike
May 25, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Sudhir ji
I missed this one.
“Sorry” for that and
“Thanks” for the song and informative post.
Regards
Prakash
LikeLike
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
May 25, 2012 at 3:18 am
Sudhir ji,
During radio days this song often reminded me and sometimes clashed in my mind of Manna Dey singing a dramatic song with a patriotic in nature in ‘Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal 1963 ‘Thi Subh Suhaag Ki Raat..’ by Neeraj
In 2008, I visited Kumbhalgarh fort on my trip to India. That fort reminded me of the Great Wall of China. The way up high is the breathtakingly beautiful palace. You could walk at the fort and can see the magnificent panoramic view of the high mountains and the lush greenery.
I know the story of Maharana Pratap, I visited haldighat and tomb of Chetak.
But didn’t know about the surrendering deeds, so the story made very interesting.
Here…Dey …singing…This subh suhag ki raat…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkjwkYbz8Zs
LikeLike