This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.

I was looking up the list of anniversary names on google. Well, of course, I wanted to find out what the 75th anniversary is celebrated as. Now, the fact that 25th is Silver and 50th is Gold, is well known, and well established. Beyond that, going to 75th and on to 100th, I find differing opinions. Many folks would refer to 100th as the Diamond Jubilee, with no specific preference for the 75th. Then again, there are folks who want to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee at the 75th itself going to non specific things like ‘Diamond+Pearl’ Jubilee for the 100th. I am not much convinced with this sequence. Then I found one reference where the 75th anniversary is referred to as Platinum Jubilee. Now this I would think, is a better reasoning. We keep the Diamond for the 100th, and celebrate the 75th as Platinum – more expensive than Gold, but less expensive that Diamond. Makes sense?

Ok, I am sure you have got the point already, or rather you knew it all along and were just waiting for it 🙂 :). So I will cease my beating-about-the-bush routine, and welcome all to the 7500th offering on this blog. Yes, today we are at the 75th century milestone for the blog, and if you ask me, the mood is getting dizzy and euphoric. The project started off as song-a-day on 19th July, 2008, and we have been at it now for a total of 1,670 days. With the original intent, we would have been posting the 1670th song today. But no, we are at more than 4 times that score, and in addition, at an entertainment quotient that is many, many times more.

The numbers are getting to the levels where they become a boggle for the mind. After some mental calisthenics, the patience to track them simply gives way to euphoria, and the mind says, let the music flow, and do not disturb me with the arithmetic. And so I set about doing something different for this write up. And in the process I discovered an answer to a question that has been pestering me for long – ‘when did this blog stop being what its name says?’. We have discussed the history and initiation of this blog many times, and Atul ji himself and Raja ji have told us about how this blog came about. Today, I browsed through the posts from the initial days of this blog, and I was really amused to see how this thing really took shape starting from the July 19th, 2008 when Atul ji set up this blog and posted the first song, “Miley Na Phool To Kaanton Se Dosti Kar Li”, (‘Anokhi Raat’, 1968).

But pardon me, before I proceed further, I would like to take a digression. I am sure most of us are very immensely familiar with the classic icon ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ (1983). Anyone who has see this film will never ever be able to forget it. And I am sure, the memories will serve us well to recall the opening scene on this film. Two amateur photographers Vinod Chopra (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir Mishra (Ravi Baswani) have opened a new photography store – ‘Beauty Photo Studio’. The opening scene of the film is the day of the inauguration of this store. The duo have made lots of preparations, the store entrance is decorated, a table is laid out with samosas and laddus and namkeen and gulab jamuns, and ah yes, drinks too. A local person of political influence has been invited to cut the ribbon. As the camera moves into the scenario, the two friends are shown sitting in front of their new store, all the arrangements for inauguration around them, and both of them are dozing. Vinod is shown holding a fly swatter, as he tries to keep the flies away from the foodstuff. The first dialogue exchange between them is Vinod asking Sudhir, “Muhurat ka time nikla jaa rahaa hai, aur aap soye padey hain “ (The auspicious time for inauguration is passing, and you are asleep), and Sudhir responding with “Muhurat ka time to dhaai ghante pehle nikal chukaa hai“ (The auspicious time is already past, two and half hours ago). It is very clear that they have been waiting for the crowd, the clients, and the local politician, and no one has turned up, even that it is more than two hours beyond the announced time for inauguration. They cross question each other about the invitees they were both supposed to get, they discuss about the money that has been spent on the preparation and setup, and they also keep assuring each other – “Dheeraj. . . Dheeraj rakh, mehmaan aayenge, zaroor aayenge” (Patience. . .be patient, the guests will come, they will surely come).

Fast forward 25 years to July 2008, and I return to my original thread. Just keep this digression in mind and we shall be revisiting it shortly.

So, it is July 19th, and Atul ji has posted his first song. Promptly there is a comment from Raja ji, and a reply from Atul ji. July 20th, same routine, song posted, comment from Raja ji, reply from Atul ji. And this routine is repeated for a few days. Then on 3rd August, 2008, the song posted is “Gaadi Bulaa Rahi Hai”(‘Dost’, 1974), and there is a break in the routine. Raja ji – no comment. Regardless, Atul ji presses on doggedly (pun intended). August 4th comes and goes, and still no comment from Raja ji. Then a technical disaster happens on August 5th, and Raja ji is immediately back in circulation. The song posted is “Guni Janon Bhakt Janon” (‘Aansoon Aur Muskaan’, 1971). The link provided is not working. So Atul ji fixes that, and provides an alternative link on YouTube. So any way, August 5th is the day marked as the first ‘Video Not Working’ message, and we find Raja ji back on the scene, putting in his comments, and the much needed moral support, no doubt. I am sure by now, the readers would have latched on to the connection with the ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ digression already. Two friends, have set up a new music store (blog) on the internet. The operational plan is being followed religiously, but there are no guests who have stepped in as yet, even for a look-see. 😀 😀 And I really wonder which one of these two was holding the fly swatter. Info on that I have not been able to locate.

And so, it continues for a few more days. Raja ji’s attendance is not regular, but he is there. On August 12th, Atul ji posts “Dukhi Mann Mere Sun Mera Kehna” (‘Funtoosh’, 1956). Now, since the inception of this blog, the songs pedigree has been localized in the 1970s and 1980s, with a handful of popular hits from the 60s thrown in. For this song, the comment from Raja ji is, “Good song…like you say, one of the oldest sad songs of Kishore.”. To which Atul ji replies, “Raja, now I have come across even older sad songs from Kishore, which I will post soon.”. In hindsight, knowing where this blog has been over the past four and half plus years, and having traced and posted songs from as far back as 1932 and 1931 so far, this exchange seems so naïve and innocent. That is August 12th.

Soon we come to August 15th, and the first celebration song is posted – “Jahaan Daal Daal Par Sone Ki Chidiyaan Karti Hain Baseraa”(‘Sikandar-e-Azam’, 1965). And immediately following on August 16th that year, is the festival of Rakhi, and yes, the first festival song is posted – “Bhaiyyaa Mere Rakhi Ke Bandhan Ko Nibhaana” (‘Chhoti Bahen’, 1959). This incidentally is the second song from 1950s, and at 1959, the second oldest song in the blog thus far.

The guests are still not visible anywhere. The wait and the test of patience continues for Vinod and Sudhir, oops, sorry, for Atul ji and Raja ji. 🙂

Comes August 19th and the blog completes one month of existence. Of course the idea of celebrations would not even have occurred to the two friends, who are still waiting for people to show up at their doorstep, I mean, at their web address. 🙂 This day is remarkable in one sense though, and that is the exchange between Raja ji and Atul ji. The song posted is from the 1980s – “Matlabi Hain Log Yahaan Par” (‘Begaana’, 1986). The write up by Atul ji starts with the words “These days, I have been unearthing some forgotten gems of Kishore Kumar. Surprisingly, these forgotten songs are not all that old. These songs were recorded in 1980s.”. The comment from Raja ji is “Guess what, Atul ? I have NEVER heard this song or even heard of this song. This is the first time I am hearing this.”. And the response from Atul ji, even more rib tickling, so to say, “This song is new even for me.”. In hindsight, yet again . . . :). (They are talking about a song from 1986, not knowing what the future has in store – we would be unearthing rarities all the way back to the first days of talking cinema in India.)

And then comes the day that changes everything on this blog forever and ever. That grand event is the arrival of the first connoisseur for this blog, and the red letter day is August 27th. The first comment from a visitor. And the prize person is a lady by the name Shalini Austin. First time, someone else other than Raja ji, has read a post the same day it is posted, and immediately commented on it the same day. I would like to clarify that it is not the case that if you visit these initial posts today, there are no comments on them. There are. But these comments came much later as music lovers began to discover the treasure that is posted on this blog. So Shalini ji has the honour of being the first visitor to this blog, who made her presence known with comments. And it appears that she was very regular for some time. I have as yet browsed the initial posts for some weeks only. I see the name of Shalini ji for the first time today. Maybe Atul ji can add more about her.

Now, my last para stated that things changed on this blog forever and ever. So what was that change? For that you must hold on to your seats. It is almost as if Atul ji was just waiting for this to happen. It is August 27th that the first reader comments on this blog. And I tell you, Atul ji’s enthusiasm knows no bounds. Figuratively like a poet searching for audience 😀 :D, it seems that Atul ji was just waiting for readers. And as soon as he had one, he unleashed himself on the internet and the pace on this blog was accelerated 3 TIMES. Starting with August 28th, Atul ji started to post THREE songs a day. And this blog has not been ‘Song A Day’ since that fateful day. 🙂 😦 .
This question has been in the back of my mind, as to when this blog ceased to be ‘Song A Day’. Now we have the answer. But truthfully, my expectation was that this change may have come much later and slowly over a period of time. What I did not expect was that it would happen just forty days after the initiation of the blog, and it would happen just on the flick of a switch. I can imagine the scenario thus. Complete with his earphone helmets, his charger, and his mouse, every night Atul ji is standing vigil at the edge of the internet cloud. His long cape is flowing in the night breeze, and his piercing vision from behind the dark glasses is keeping an eye on the multitude of electronic messages that are streaming by in the cloud. He stands and waits for the signal meant for him, for the one sign that would be the harbinger that it is the time now. The night of August 27th would have fallen as usual. Atul ji taking his post and waiting for the streaming electrons in the networks, to bring that sign to him. It could have been any night, but no, it was pre-ordained that it would be the 27th August, 2008. And when the signal did come, Atul ji was ready. He whipped up his charger, raised the mouse like a knight getting ready for a jousting match, and roared at his fastest keyboard speed, the words ‘CHARGE’, and launched himself on the unsuspecting internet cloud. After that, the world of online Hindi film music was never the same again. 😀 😀

And that, my friends, is a sideways view of the Brief History Of Time, sorry, the Brief History Of Atul-Song-A-Day. This historical view has been teeming inside for many days, and was waiting for the right moment to appear. And what better occasion than the Platinum Jubilee of our blog.

Gosh, it has been 1,670 days since this ‘Gaanewaala, Raanchiwaala’ decided that he would quietly post one song per day, and see where it goes. And then, just forty days later, that is 1,630 days ago, things took a sudden upturn, and the galloping charger of Atul ji has raced to 7,500 songs. And we must thank Shalini ji, first and foremost, for that.

As an aside, I would like to add a couple of other info points that I discovered today. That Mem Didi (of http://www.memsaabstory.com) discovered this blog in October 2008, and she has been with us ever since, most likely the earliest guest to this blog who is still active. And the second interesting thing, it was December 23rd that for the first time a guest posted a disagreement with the write up. This interesting event happened for the song “O Hansini, Meri Hansini” (‘Zehreela Insaan’, 1974), and the guest name is Nick Tulsa.

One more very interesting thread for further analysis occurred to me, and that is the make up and the content of the main write up itself. If you check out the first song, the format Atul ji started with is as follows.
The write up starts with the word ‘SITUATION:’, followed by a brief description of a situation that may occur in real life, why it can occur, what would be the emotions of the people involved etc. And then he would introduce the song and say, how this song fits that situation. This pattern followed for. . . two posts. And my query to Atul ji is, what made him change his mind so fast? 🙂 Anyways, I will not pursue this analysis today, and will take it up on another upcoming milestone of similar stupendous proportions.

Ah, been a long wait to get to this song. But wait, before that, I would also like to introduce the other major celebrations and milestones we hit with this song today. It not one, not two, but three more major milestones that are getting accomplished today.

First, this song takes the tally of songs by Lata Mangeshkar to 2,200. Lata ji continues to be the lead artist on this blog. She is closely followed by Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle, but so far the gaps being maintained are constant. A lot has been documented on this blog and elsewhere, about this sterling performer, who has attained an image of a legend that goes beyond the boundaries of nations. A lot has been said about her, the includes both the bouquets and the brickbats. Yes, a lot of controversial and opinionated things have been said and written about her, all of which may not be untrue. But I do appreciate the comment from our friend Shekhar Gupta ji. In one such controversial discussion that we had amongst the members of this blog, without commenting on the controversies, he suggested that we should focus on the artistic capabilities and accomplishments of the individual, and not be distracted by the true or fabricated controversies. When I read this comment from Shekhar ji, I was very pleasantly reminded of what this blog is all about. Atul-Song-A-Day (or Atul-6Songs-A-Day 🙂 ) is about appreciating music – discovering it, analyzing it, discussing it, and above all appreciating it. That is what lovers do, right. We are music lovers, and
this blog is decidedly a labor of love. And so, a great applause for this wonderful artist, getting her 2200 rendering posted here.

Second, this song is also a major milestone for Geeta Dutt. Geeta ji completes her 4th century on this blog – this is the 400th song rendered by her that now finds a place here. A most venerable artist, she has had a career cruelly cut short by personal tragedies. Geeta ji has been active since the early years of the 40s decade in the Hindi film music and song world. But it was working with SD Burman in the 1947 film ‘Do Bhai’ that really launched her into national recognition, with the sounds of “Mera Sunder Sapna Beet Gayaa”. And with the same film, she also wrote her own epitaph, literally, when she sang, “Yaad Karoge, Yaad Karoge, Ik Din Hum Ko Yaad Karoge”. One of the leading singing voices of 1950s, she broke away from the industry in early sixties after personal tribulations and the demise of her husband, Guru Dutt, took her on to a journey of sorrow and self effacement. After a decade of being in exile, there were signs of a comeback in the early seventies, but it was not to be. She passed away in July of 1972, leaving behind a broken story of unfulfilled promises. And a whispering sound in the winds of night, “Waqt Ne Kiya, Kya Haseen Sitam” (‘Kaaghaz Ke Phool’, 1959).

And third, and an equally important milestone. This song also celebrates the 4th century of that Prince of Music from the royal family of Manipur in the east, Sachin Dev Burman. A music director whose roots are deep into the soil of this land and this culture, and whose folksy tunes have captured many a heart and imaginations. His best time of the day for composing melodies was his early morning walks, wherein he would compose his tunes just on the sounds of humming, and the rhythms played in soft clapping of hands. Most of his works are a result of such morning sojourns that would last sometimes for one or two hours. Sachin Da also possessed, a commanding singing voice that has no equal. The manner in which he renders the lines “Kahaan Ye Himaala Aisa, Kahaan Aisa Paani. . . Yehi Wo Zameen Jiski Duniya Dewwani” – the just the sound of his voice on these words sends tingling waves of pride and exhilaration through the spine. (NOTE: from the song “Prem Ke Pujaari, Hum Hain Ras Ke Bhikhaari” (‘Prem Pujari’, 1970). No matter what the film would be, under his music direction, one would be hard put to isolate a song that one would not like. Many would be familiar, that he has never ever agreed to sing playback for any actor. All the songs he has sung for Hindi or Bengali films, are played in the background. This wonderful music maker of towering proportions breathed his last in October 1975, after completing the music for the film ‘Mili’.

And now, this song that brings together these three celebrated artists. As we closed in on the 7500th songs, Atul ji mentioned to me that there are many artists very close to individual milestones. In the discussion that ensued, we decided to attempt bringing together a few such milestones. That sent me to the Geet Kosh volumes, and I spent a good time scanning the songs lists to locate possible combinations of artists coming together for a song. That, indeed, is a daunting task. When one considers two artists, it is still relatively easier to get some songs they may have done together. As soon as we try to go beyond two, the search becomes very complex, and the results are to be found in single digits. Then to top it, there are other considerations. One, the song should not be already posted here. And two, the song should be traceable and available to make the post possible. After eliminating a few possible possibilities, we decided on this song, that met the maximum possible criteria, at this time. There is one online version available on the YouTube, but the audio of that version is really poor. That sent me scrambling to my collection. I was able to locate a good quality version of this song, and uploaded it.

The song is from a 1954 film by the name ‘Radha Krishna’. The films comes from the banner of GP Productions, is produced by GP Sippy and is directed by Raja Nene. In this film, N Datta was the assistant to Sachin Da, as with many other films in the 1950s. The film, as per the name, is a historical play based on the life and pastimes of Lord Krishna. The main cast of actors is Kamini Kaushal, Ratan Kumar, Agha, Jankidas, Vasantrao Pehalwan, Rajan Kapoor, Rajkumar, Maruti, Indu Pal, Ruby Pal, Shakuntala, Shanta Kunwar, Autaar Krishna, Kalyan Bhatia, Chandrakant Shukla, Zarina, Shireen, etc. The film has 9 songs in all, coming from the pens of Pt. Narendra Sharma, Sahir Ludhianvi and Satyendar Athaiyyaa. This particular song is written by Sahir.

The song is a duet of love that is sung by Radha and Krishna, in which they sing about the apparent duality of their forms, and the actual oneness that always keeps them together. Both of them speak alternately about what they mean to each other. The words are beautiful, and the music is just magic. At one level, this an exchange between divinities, and at another level, digging in deep, one finds so many philosophical concepts about life, about living and about relating to each other.

A line in the song expresses thus, “Dhaara Ka Roop Hai Saagar, Saagar Ka Roop Hai Dhaara” – what a wonderful representation of the fundamental oneness of everything – the wave is the ocean, the ocean is the wave, and the two are inseparable, one cannot be without the other. Every line in this song carries such deep implications. And so, once again, a grand congratulation to all, on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee of this blog. And a song of divine comprehensions, a superb creation that you will definitely enjoy.

Song-Tum bansi ho main taan (Radha Krishna)(1954) Singers-Lata, Geeta Dutt, Lyrics-Sahir Ludhianvi, MD-S D Burman

Lyrics

tum bansi ho main taan
hum tum do nahin
tan do hain ik hai praan
hum tum do nahin
tum bansi ho main taan
hum tum do nahin
tan do hain ik hai praan
hum tum do nahin

ye janam janam ke bandhan
ye janam janam ke naate
jug jug se bhes badal kar
hum yun hi aate jaate
main khoj humn tum pehchaan
hum tum do nahin
tan do hain ik hai praan
hum tum do nahin
tum bansi ho main ta. . .an
hum tum do nahin

tum kadamb ho shaam salone
main komal pushp lata hoon
tu meri roop kahaani
main teri prem katha hoon
main taak hoon tum vardaan
hum tum do nahin
tan do hain ik hai praan
hum tum do nahin
tum bansi ho main ta. . .an
hum tum do nahin

tum neele gehre saagar
main milan ki pyaasi dhaara
dhaara ka roop hai saagar
saagar ka roop hai dhaara
main bhakti tum bhagwan
hum tum do nahin
tan do hain ik hai praan
hum tum do nahin
tum bansi ho main ta. . .an
hum tum do nahin
———————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
———————————————

तुम बंसी हो मैं तान
हम तुम दो नहीं
तन दो हैं इक है प्राण
हम तुम दो नहीं
तुम बंसी हो मैं तान
हम तुम दो नहीं
तन दो हैं इक है प्राण
हम तुम दो नहीं

ये जनम जनम के बंधन
ये जनम जनम के नाते
जुग जुग से भेस बदल कर
हम यूं ही आते जाते
मैं खोज हूँ तुम पहचान
हम तुम दो नहीं
तन दो हैं इक है प्राण
हम तुम दो नहीं
तुम बंसी हो मैं ता॰॰ss न
हम तुम दो नहीं

तुम कदम्ब हो शाम सलोने
मैं कोमल पुष्प लता हूँ
तू मेरी रूप कहानी
मैं तेरी प्रेम कथा हूँ
मैं ताक हूँ तुम वरदान
हम तुम दो नहीं
तन दो हैं इक है प्राण
हम तुम दो नहीं
तुम बंसी हो मैं ता॰॰ss न
हम तुम दो नहीं

तुम नीले गहरे सागर
मैं मिलन की प्यासी धारा
धारा का रूप है सागर
सागर का रूप है धारा
मैं भक्ति तुम भगवान
हम तुम दो नहीं
तन दो हैं इक है प्राण
हम तुम दो नहीं
तुम बंसी हो मैं ता॰॰ss न
हम तुम दो नहीं