Jis raat ke khwaab aaye
Posted on: March 19, 2013
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular cotributor to this blog.
The name of Habba Khatoon, the Kashmiri poetess may not be familiar to many people. This name became familiar to me only sometime in 1987 when Muzzafar Ali ( of Umrao Jaan fame) announced his plan to make a film on the life of Habba Khatoon. Dimple Kapadia was taken for the title role with Vinod Khanna in the role of the first husband of Habba Khatoon. The title of the film was changed to ‘Zooni’, Habba Khatoon’s maiden name. The lyrics were to be written by Shahryar and Khayyam was to give the music direction. Muzzafar Ali believed that Zooni’s life was the powerful vehicle to project the real Kashmir. After nearly 20 months of shooting in Kashmir, the film was shelved in 1989 probably due to the rise of militancy in the Kashmir valley. I got my hand on a small video clip of the film on YT uploaded by Basheer Ali who was the Director of Photography for the film. From the content of the clip which also has a part of the song ‘rukh-e-dildaar deedam daras ko aaye preetam’ picturised on Dimple Kapadia, it appears that it was made as a part of marketing the film for international audience. The video clip is here.
Surprisingly, I was not aware of the fact that a film titled ‘Habba Khatoon’ was under production some time in 1980 under the direction of B R Chopra with Sanjay Khan and Zeenat Aman in the lead roles. One song written by Ali Sardar Jafri was already recorded by Naushad, the music director of the film. This film remained incomplete, the reason being not known. That two film makers were interested in making films on the life of Habba Khatoon gave me an impression that her life story must be interesting. So I browsed through some websites on Habba Khatoon and her love poems translated in English. I can say that Habba Khatoon’s life story was not less than a Greek tragedy on which any sensitive film maker would be glad to make a film.
Habba Khatoon (1554-1609), born as Zoon (Moon) or Zooni, also known as ‘Nightingale of Kashmir’ was born in a village of Chandrahaar in the outskirt of Srinagar in the Kashmir valley in a family of a well to do Zamindar. She learnt Quaran and Persian under a maulvi and grew up as a highly intelligent damsel with a sweet voice. It is said that people from nearby and far off villages used to came to Chandrahaar village to see her beauty and to hear singing in her melodious voice. This prompted her father to hurriedly get her married to a carpenter boy against her wishes who was dull and illiterate. Her husband could not appreciate her sweet voice and poems. He hated her for not being helpful in assisting him in the fields nor in the household work. Her early poems reflect the hardship she faced in the hands of her husband and mother-in-law.
Then there was a twist in her life story. One day when Habba Khatoon was sitting in the shades of chinar trees singing her own poems, Yusuf Shah Chak, the son of Kashmir ruler while on a hunting expedition heard her singing. When he went to see her, he was stunned by her beauty and voice. Soon they fell in love with each other. Since she was already married, her new acquaintance with Yusuf was unacceptable to the society. The matter went to the King’s court where after listening to her submission, the king decreed the divorce to her husband but prohibited his son Yusuf marrying her. However, after sometime, Yusuf eloped with her and got married with Yusuf giving her a new name – Habba Khatoon. After the death of the king, Yusuf took the reign of Kashmir in his hand and Habba Khatoon became the queen.
However, their happy and contended life was short-lived as people at large dissatisfied with Yusuf’s rule went to Mughal Emperor for intervention. Emperor Akbar called Yusuf to Delhi. He was arrested when he reached Delhi and jailed in a small village in Bihar while simultaneously taking over Kashmir. Habba Khatoon was shocked by the treatment to her husband and after sometime, she left the palace and renounced the world wandering aimlessly through Kashmir Valley singing separation songs. Most of her love lyrics reflecting separation from her husband were born during her wandering days. After about 20 years, this singing poetess died unsung without meeting her husband who also died while languishing in the jail. She was buried near her cottage on the banks of Jhelum river. Her love lyrics which were in Kashmiri language are still popular among the shepherds while travelling in remote areas of Kashmir, boatmen of Jhelum river, farmers in the fields and ladies on the looms.
I have given the links below for those who may be interested in knowing more about Habba Khatoon and her love poems. I have drawn some of the information from these links while writing the preceding 3 paragraphs of this article for which I am grateful to authors of the write-ups in these links:
Habba Khatoon – Her Life and Work
Habba Khatoon – Philomela of Medieval Kashmir
Habba Khatoon – Biography and Some Poems in English (Translated)
As I said earlier, Naushad had recorded a song for B R Chopra’s aborted film HABBA KHATOON (1980). The song is ‘ jis raat ke khwaab aaye’ sung by Mohammed Rafi on the lyrics of Ali Sardar Jafri. In an interview, Naushad talked about this song’s recording, a gist of which is given below:
I called Mohammed Rafi for a rehearsal of a ghazal for ‘Habba Khatoon’, the film which could not be completed. When I sang a couplet from the ghazal, I saw Mohammed Rafi n tears. When I asked him what was happening to him, he said that he felt very good with this ghazal. He further said that now a days, he sings such songs which travel through his throat but does not reach his heart. I told him not to get emotional and do some rehearsals of the ghazal for recording. After some days’ rehearsals, the ghazal was recorded. As soon as the recording was over, a tearful Rafi came and embraced me. I again asked him as to what was happening to him now a day as he was becoming more and more emotional. I told him to take his fee for the song. Rafi said that he would not accept any fee for this song by saying that money would not have given him as much happiness as he got by singing this song. With these words, Rafi departed from the recording studio. Incidentally, this ghazal was his last one with me during his life.
I had always seen Mohammed Rafi smiling – whether in pictures or in the video footage. The above incidence quoted by Naushad shows that behind his ever smiling face, there was his sensitive nature which he kept to himself most of the time.
This ghazal rendition by Rafi has brought to the fore the expression of love befitting Habba Khatoon.
Audio
Song-Jis raat ke khwaab aaye (Habba Khatoon)(1980)(UR) Singer-Rafi, Lyrics-Ali Sardar Jafri, MD-Naushad
Lyrics
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
sharmaa ke jhuki nazren
honthon pe wo baat aayi
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
paighaam bahaaron ka
aakhir mere naam aaya
phoolon ne duaayen dee
taaron ka salaam aaya
taaron ka salaam aaya
aap aaye to mehfil mein
aap aaye to mehfil mein
naghmon ki baraat aayi
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
yeh mehki huyi zulfen
yeh behki huyi saansen
neendon ko chura lengi
yeh neend bhari aankhen
yeh neend bhari aankhen
taqdeer meri jaagi
taqdeer meri jaagi
jannat mere haath aayi
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
chehre pe tabassum ne
ek noor saa chhalkaaya
kya kaam chiraagon ka
jab chaand nikal aaya
jab chaand nikal aaya
lo aaj dulhan ban ke
lo aaj dulhan ban ke
pehlu mein hayaat aayi
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
sharmaa ke jhukin nazren
honthon pe woh baat aayi
jiss raat ke khwaab aaye
wo khwaabon ki raat aayi
8 Responses to "Jis raat ke khwaab aaye"
March 19, 2013 at 11:50 pm
Sadanandji,
Thanks for introducing HK. I had heard her name but was not aware of her life or her contribution. Like Nahmji,
I also had seen YT video “last song….”, but never got curious about the writer.
Nahm,
Thanks for the advice on not taking the Srinagar Airport route to visit Kashmir. My kids wants to see this place since long, but we are scared because of safety issues and hence just postponing our dream vacation.
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March 24, 2013 at 7:09 pm
What a beautiful ghazal!! Sung by Rafi Saab in his inimitable style. Thanks for the write-up on Habba Khaatoon.
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January 15, 2016 at 8:34 am
One of the best songs of Rafi Saab. Very touchy and tears just roll down automatically listening to it. Being a great fan of this great singer, I bow to his voice and humility.
Dr. M. Shekhar Kumar
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June 7, 2016 at 11:17 pm
The greatest musician and the greatest singer
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Surendran Nambiath (@S_Nambiath)
September 1, 2016 at 12:09 pm
Completely agree with you, Vijayji! I do not think that in the next 10 generations, any singer can hold a candle to Rafi Saab!!
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January 4, 2017 at 5:58 pm
Tears coming after hearing the song,very heart touching song..Sir Rafi is amazing..#Respect🙏🙏🙏
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February 25, 2017 at 9:37 pm
Unbelievable imagination in the lyric I have ever seen in any other songs and what ruhani melodious voice of Rafi.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
March 19, 2013 at 10:27 pm
Sir,
Thanks a lot for the informative post on Habba Khatoon. I was curious when I read about the film ‘Zooni’ at the time it was announced. I knew Dimple was playing the title role. But the film never happened and I also forgot all about it.
Than last year when we went to Kashmir, one Driver who was taking us to the airport started talking about this, when my husband told him that we were from Mumbai. He said Muzzafar Ali had come to Kashmir for making a film on Habba Khaatoon. I was the one who supplied him with the name of the movie ‘zooni’ he couldnt recall. He had a lot to say about Muzaffar Ali and his generosity.
Than as we neared the airport the nightmare of departure at Srinagar began. It is hellish, with so many security checks. Since than I am advising everybody, do whatever you want to do, but dont leave via Srinagar Airport. In all this , I forgot about Habba khaatoon also. Reading your post brought it all back.
Anyway, the song is nice. I have seen the link of this song on youtube marked as ‘ last song Rafi sang for Naushad sahab ‘, but never got around to actually seeing which song it is.
Thanks and regards.
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