This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.

The counter has been stuck at double one triple nine, for three days now. That, I am sure, will have beaten all the records in the books.

I tried to search Cricinfo and other sources on the internet, trying to figure out the record for the longest time the batsman has spent on the crease, between the score of 99 and 100. I am not able to dredge out this specific record. I was able to get to records that say that the longest time spent on crease to reach 100 is 9 hours and 17 minutes. The honor goes to Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan in the 1977 match in Lahore against England. The concept of ‘nervous nineties’ is very well known in cricket. Most batsmen tend to slow down when they get into the nineties, and become extra careful, with the desire to not lose their wicket and reach the magic figure of a century mark. It would be interesting to get into the details of the innings mentioned above. Mudassar Nazar spent 9 hours and 17 minutes to get to 100. I wonder how much time he took to move from 90 to 100, and more specifically, how much time he took to move from 99 to 100. In all, he spent better part of the playing hours of two full days on the crease.

Note: Let’s keep the mention of Lahore in the back of our minds. This is going to crop up once again, a little later in this write up itself.

So, I am glad that eventually I have been able to get this post out.  Atul ji and I had talked about this number some days back, and had decided on the celebrations that we will highlight at this major milestone. What transpired after that has been primarily a disaster of individual time plans, both for me and Atul ji. I will not dwell on these details today, and will share them in my next post. Suffice to say that time crunch took the spring out of this milestone post. However, I assure you that the whoosh of the surprise and the sounds of ‘wow’ would still be audible across the length and breadth of Atuldom, as the readers get to the details of what this celebration is about, and what a fantastic discovery we have at hand. And yes, Lahore is very intimately linked in. 😉

And so the question arises, “अगर ग्यारह हज़ार लड़कियां थीं, तो बारह हज़ार क्या हैं” (if it was eleven thousand girls, then what would be twelve thousand (going by the name of the Hindi film ‘Gyaarah Hazaar Ladkiyan’)).

OK, yes. Let us welcome today, the song at the 12000^th ‘पायदान’. Wow, that is a number I am sure Amin Sayani ji would never have imagined as a ‘पायदान’. But that was then, and this is now. That was Radio Ceylon and Binaca, and this is Atul Song a Day and the musical bandwagon. No comparisons, though. Just a sign that times now are different. In Atuldom, all songs are ‘सरताज गीत’ (‘Sartaaj Geet’). And every song makes its appearance once. But then, there are ‘Sartaaj Geet’ and there are ‘Sartaaj Geet’. That is to say, some ‘Sartaaj Geet’ are more ‘Sartaaj’ than other ‘Sartaaj Geet’. Today’s song is one such ‘Sartaaj Geet’ that is the ‘Sartaaj’ of ‘Sartaaj Geets’.

Seems, it has become somewhat convoluted. Let me unravel this. To start with, I need to talk about the artist celebration that is being highlighted today.

Ladies and Gentlemen; today we proudly present the 3000^th song of Lata ji, to be posted on this blog. At this score, Lata ji is way ahead of all other artists listed on our ‘Some Stats’ page. Going by numbers, this amounts to nearly 56% of all the songs that she has sung in Hindi films. Ah yes, we still have about 44% more to go, or to say, a little over 2400 or so songs still to be covered on our blog. So who is complaining. The fun and the joy is in the journey, more, much more than it is in arriving at a destination. And so the bandwagon rolls on, and on, and . . .

Ah but, before I get too carried away by this rolling bandwagon, let us talk about the special song that is being posted today. Or I should use the word unraveled. From the amount of checking with songs lists and books, and consulting with some knowledgeable friends, yes, ‘unraveling’ is a more appropriate word than ‘presenting’. With this song, we probably have at hand, a discovery of major proportions.

Let me take you back to a very detailed discussion that happened on these pages, as we were trying to address the query posed to us by AK ji (of Songs of Yore), about the first song of Lata ji. After a good amount of research, and discussions, that involved our dear Arun ji, Harmandir ji, Harish ji and other data-historians of HFM, we came to a conclusion that the ‘first’ song of Lata ji will have to be presented under many categories. With the timelines as available in the compiled data, we were able to determine the following,

• That the first song Lata ji recorded is for a Marathi film ‘Kiti Hansaal’ (1942), but the song got excluded from the film; it is no longer traceable
• That the first song of Lata ji that is recorded AND included in the film, is for the film ‘Pahili Magalagaur’ (1942, also Marathi).
• That the first Hindi song that Lata ji recorded, is actually in a Marathi film ‘Gaja Bhaau’ (1944).
• That the first Hindi song that Lata ji recorded FOR A Hindi film, is for the film ‘Badi Maa’ (1945).

So far, we are listing all songs and films in which Lata ji appeared herself, and performed her own songs on screen. This continued through 1946 in the films ‘Subhadra’, ‘Sona Chaandi’ and ‘Jeevan Yatra’. In all these films so far, Lata ji is performing her own songs on screen. That changed in the year 1947.

• That the first Hindi song that Lata ji recorded as PLAYBACK, is for the film ‘Aap Ki Sewa Mein’ (1947). The song “Paa Laagun Kar Jori Re, Shyam Mo Se Na Khelo Hori” from this film is the start of playback singing career, that continues all the way to the present. Her most current playback recording in a Hindi film is for ‘Satrangi Parachute’ from 2011. And even more recent is the recording, from 2013, is of a playback song for the Marathi film ’22 June, 1897’.

All the above items merit a detailed discussion in their own right. Today, we pick on the 3^rd bullet above, and present a very surprising new twist to it. From all the available listings and information, the Marathi film ‘Gaja Bhaau’ contains 4 songs recorded in the voice of Lata ji. Three of these are in Marathi, and one is in Hindi. The title line of the Hindi song is listed as “Mata Ek Sapoot Ki, Duniya Badal De Tu. . .”.

But what I present today is another Hindi song from the same film, which has so far remained unlisted and eluded all recorded information. From the available information, taken from the record label, this is one more Hindi song that was recorded for the Marathi film ‘Gaja Bhaau’. The singing voice is identified on the label as that of Lata Mangeshkar. The very peculiar and unique thing about this 78 rpm gramophone record is that the second side of this record is blank. This is the first time that I heard of such a record, and that too from a time period as late as 1944. I have seen some very old records, from the early 1900s, in collections of my friends, which are recorded only on one side. But all these are recordings of English music, made in European recording studios. Today’s song is from one such record, which is probably unique in the hierarchy of recorded Hindi film songs, as far as my knowledge goes.

At this juncture, I will introduce to the readers, Khalid Mehmood ji, a very dear and a very special friend. I have met him in person only once, but that one meeting seems to have cemented a friendship that feels to be ages old. Khalid Bhai is from Lahore. (See, I told you we shall be revisiting this city within the post itself). How we came in touch is a very interesting episode.

Khalid Bhai is a passionate fan of Hindi films and film songs from the golden era. And not just a fan, he is an avid and an eager collector of records of Hindi film songs from that era. The 78 rpm records of Hindi film songs, are pretty much traded in the same way in Pakistan, as they are India. These records are to be found with ‘kabaadis’ (waste merchants) and in ‘chor bazaars’ – temporary market places that sell second hand things of ALL types. Original conception is that such marketplaces are manned by ‘thieves’, who want to make some money from the items they pilfer. All that is because there continues to be very passionate and absolutely die-hard fans of Hindi film music in Pakistan also.

Khalid Bhai collects records of Hindi film songs. His passion for this type of music, manifests itself in the form of a website that he has created and manages – ‘oldhindisongslata.com’. The name of the website says it all – “Old Hindi Film Songs, Lata”. He came across this record at one such ‘chor bazaar’ in Lahore, and picked it up from the seller, without a second thought in his mind. On examining the details, the record turns out to be a rare treasure of immense value. For this song is one of the two songs which constitute the very first Hindi song ever recorded by Lata ji.

Khalid Bhai was introduced to me by Harmandir ji. In one of the earlier issues of the ‘Listener’s Bulletin’, Harmandir ji had reviewed this website managed by Khalid Bhai. When Khalid Bhai came to know about the review article, he got in touch with Harmnadir ji over phone. Needless to say an immediate friendship of lasting value, was established. There is nothing more endearing to a person suffering from some unique malady, to meet with another person who suffers from the same. There is such an unmatched joy in sharing and exchanging notes about personal sufferings and agonies  – ‘koi to aur hum sa beemaar mila’ (ah, to meet another person who suffers from the same malady).

Harmandir ji, sensing the depth of passion in Khalid Bhai, sent to him volume 3 of the Geet Kosh. He sent it by registered post to Lahore. The package was not delivered. A worried Harmandir ji continued to follow up with Khalid Bhai. After about three weeks of waiting for the package, Khalid Bhai decided to pay a visit to the local main post office.

Let me now also share some more details about him. He is a journalist and a press reporter with the Jung group of newspapers and media channels in Pakistan. His India connection is that he is the resident correspondent in Pakistan of the Sahara Samay group of newspapers and news channels (of India). In that connection, he visits India very frequently. And also, being a journalist, he has good connectivity within the government and related institutions in his country.

So he paid a visit to the local main post office and enquired about the package. After some effort, the package was located. It was sitting unattended in a shelf in the mail sorting room in the post office. Reason – package contained pages upon pages of material that is printed in Hindi, and it comes from India. The package was held under suspicion of some covert communication. Khalid Bhai talked to the officials at the post office, and explained to them the content of this tome. Still not fully convinced, the package was sent for translation and verification to another department. Only after the nature of contents was established, did the officials agree to release the package to Khalid Bhai.

But still a twist was in store. The post office slapped a custom duty – whopping amount of five thousand rupees, which is almost five times the value of the book. Khalid Bhai readily paid the duty and took possession of the package. Later, he described this episode to Harmandir ji, explaining to him how the book finally reached him. And Harmandir ji expressed his wonder that Khalid Bhai paid such an astronomical amount for a book that he cannot even read himself. To this, Khalid Bhai responded, “आपने इतने प्यार से मुझे ये तोहफा भेजा, इसको हासिल करने के लिए मैं कुछ भी कीमत देने को तैयार था”. (“You sent me this gift with such love and affection, I would have paid even a greater amount if necessary, to acquire it”). This one sentence of Khalid Bhai says everything that needs to be said about the bonding between lovers of music, a bonding that knows no boundaries and does not care about distances.

A little after this episode, I got an email from Harmandir ji, informing that Khalid Bhai will be in Delhi on one of his routine official visits. I immediately responded and connected with Khalid Bhai, and we set up time for a meeting in Delhi. I informed our local group of music lovers, and a get together was arranged at my place on 11^th March. That day in the morning, I drove down to Punjab Bhavan where Khalid Bhai was staying, and brought him home. Shortly, many friends of our group in Delhi joined. Srinivas Ganti has posted on Facebook, a group photo of that day’s get together.

The meeting lasted well over four hours. We talked about and discussed many things related to songs and films and artists, about the film industry in India and Pakistan, before and after 1947. Another very close connection surfaced, as many of us in the group have our roots in the cities that are now in Pakistan. Khalid Bhai, though born in Lahore, belongs to a family that hails from the Haryana state in India. There was a lot of nostalgia and sharing that happened, as we talked about the times and memories of the past. The connect between us was so strongly apparent in this exchange.

It was a memorable meeting, that will always remain very close to our hearts. Many other local friends who could not make it that day, felt sad for missing out on this connection. But we hope to meet again very soon, as his work brings him to India, and to Delhi quite frequently.

It was at this meeting that Khalid Bhai introduced us to this song. He described how he got hold of the gramophone record, and how he himself was amazed to read the details on the label, identifying this as a song that is missing from all information listings that we have of Lata ji’s songs, including ‘Lata Samagra’, the latest compilation by Suman Chaurasiya ji of Indore. I later on checked with him, as well as with some other friends including Arun ji and Harish ji. They have not heard about this song, and that if this song is what the label details say it is, then it is definitely a remarkable discovery.

Incidentally, the other Hindi song from this film – “Maata Ek Sapoot Ki. . .”, is not yet traceable in public domain. Khalid Bhai is dearly hoping to get this song also. I request our readers and friends to please share any information that may be available, about this other missing song from this film.

When this song would have been recorded in 1943/44, Lata ji would have been just about fifteen years old. It is just the second or the third year that she has started to record songs for films. The voice in this song really sounds very young, almost childlike. The suave and the polish of the sounds of “Khamosh Hai Zamaana, Chup Chaap Hai Sitaare” (‘Mahal’, 1949) is still a few years away. And yet, there is a delight in the sound, as the expressions are being attempted to match the emotions projected by the words.

The film – ‘Gaja Bhaau’ (in Marathi). Music director – Datta Davjekar. Lyricist – not known. The singer – making her début into the world of Hindi film song. I wonder if she would have thought at that time about 2016, what the future held in store for her; that she would be a legend in her own lifetime, honoured and celebrated the world over.

Important Note: This update is delayed; actually this information was sent in by Harish ji, very early in the morning, within like a couple of hours of the post. He has sent me the scanned image of the page from a book that most probably is the Marathi Filmography. The film is produced under the banner of Prafulla Chitra, Kolhapur. It is produced and directed by Master Vinayak. Story is written by CV Bavdekar and CV Nadkarni. Screenplay and dialogues are by SA Shukul.

The song writers are also identified. The songs of this film are written by SA Shukul and Pt Indra. Harish ji has added an important observation, saying that most likely, the Marathi songs in this film are written by SA Shukul and the the Hindi songs are written by Pt Indra. Although the individual songs are not credited to specific songwriters, the obnservation by Harish ji sounds highly logical and probable.

The cast of actors is listed as Damuanna Malvankar, Dada Salvi, Lata Mangeshkar, Vishnupant Jog, Sumati Gupte, Nalini Nagpurkar, Bhaurao Dataar, Baby Achrekar and GD Madgulkar.

Interestingly, only the song “Mata Ek Sapoot Ki. . .” is listed as the Hindi song, with the annotation that this is the first Hindi song ever recorded by Lata ji. So this strengthens the observation that this song i.e. “Door Desh Se Aaane Waale. . .” is an unreleased / unused song of this film.

Harish ji, many many thanks for this update.

Her 3000^th song on our blog. Her first recording of a Hindi song. A matter of proud distinction, an admiration of delightful accolades, a veneration of values cherished for decades, an appreciation that fills the listening hearts with pleasures of melody. All of them come together in this celebration of 12000 songs on our blog.

Thanks for all the music Lata ji. It has been, and continues to be, a wondrous journey.
“Paa Laagun Kar Jori Re”.

Song – Door Desh Se Aane Waale. . .  Piya Milenge (Gaja Bhaau (Marathi)) (1943) Singer – Lata Mangeshkar, Lyrics – [Unattributed], MD – Datta Davjekar

Lyrics

door desh se aane waale..ay
aane waale hoy…
hoy…
aane waale..ay..ay
piya milenge
piya milenge
dukhde mann ka
bujhta deep jalaaya
aa aa
samay suhaana aaya
khil jaawo
bagiyon ki
khil jaawo
bagiyon ki
kaliyo..on
samay suhaana aaya

pawan jhakora…
pawan jhakora
door desh se
ik sandesa laaya..aa
laaya..aa..aa
ik sandesa laaya..aa
samay suhaana aaya

pal chhin par main
ghar ke dwaare
pal chhin par main
ghar ke dwaare
dekh rahi raah teri
raah teri
door desh se aane waale
aane waale..ay..ay
ab na kariyo deri
bahut dinan se
mere mann ko
tadpaaya
tarsaaya
tadpaaya
tarsaaya
samay suhaana aaya

pag pag par
phool bichhaa doon
khushboo jag mein phailaa doon
arre arre o papihaa bol
arre arre o papihaa bol

kya
hoon
kyaa bataaogi maalan

piya milenge
piya milenge
dukhde mann ka
bujhta deep jalaaya
aa aa
samay suhaana aaya
khil ja..aao
bagiyon ki
kaliyo..on
samay suhaana aaya

——————————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
———————————–——————-

दूर देश से आने वाले॰॰ए
आने वाले होय॰॰
होय॰॰
आने वाले॰॰ए॰॰ए
पिया मिलेंगे
पिया मिलेंगे
दुखड़े मन का
बुझता दीप जलाया
आ॰॰आ॰॰
समय सुहाना आया
खिल जावो
बगियों की
खिल जावो
बगियों की
कलियों॰॰ओं
समय सुहाना आया

पवन झकोरा॰॰
पवन झकोरा
दूर देश से
इक सँदेसा लाया॰॰आ
लाया॰॰आ॰॰आ
इक सँदेसा लाया॰॰आ
समय सुहाना आया

पल छिन्न पर मैं
घर के द्वारे
पल छिन्न पर मैं
घर के द्वारे
देख रही राह तेरी
राह तेरी
दूर देश से आने वाले॰॰ए
आने वाले॰॰ए॰॰ए
अब ना करियों देरी
बहुत दिनन से
मेरे मन को
तड़पाया
तरसाया
तड़पाया
तरसाया
समय सुहाना आया

पग पग पर
फूल बिछा दूँ
खुशबू जग में फैला दूँ
अरे अरे ओ पपीहा बोल
अरे अरे ओ पपीहा बोल

क्या
हूँ
क्या बताओगी मालन

पिया मिलेंगे
पिया मिलेंगे
दुखड़े मन का
बुझता दीप जलाया
आ॰॰आ॰॰
समय सुहाना आया
खिल जा॰॰वो
बगियों की
कलियों॰॰ओं
समय सुहाना आया