Barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwaa
Posted on: August 17, 2021
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws
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We are in the midst of Saawan, the 5th month of the Hindu calendar. Besides, being a holy month for Hindus, it is also a month for romanticism. After experiencing the scorching summer for a couple of months, rains bring a great relief to the people. By the time, the month of saawan starts, the rains have already transformed not only the dry agricultural fields into green but also the surroundings areas. Also, in the saawan month, the intensity of the rains gets reduced allowing the inter-play of showers and soft sunrays. All these changes in the climate make the atmosphere congenial for romanticism. Longing, rejoicing and separation become the part of the romantic month of saawan for those in love. Poets, writers and artists have been inspired by the romaticism of saawan in their works.
In ‘Meghdoot’, written by Kalidas about 1600 years ago, there is no direct reference to ‘saawan’ in the poems. But the reference to the clouds gives an indication of the rainy season when the exiled Yaksha on a mountain sees a cloud perched on the peak. He requests the cloud to deliver his message to his beloved in the Himalayan city of Alaka. Probably, this was the inspiration for some ‘saawan’ songs in Hindi films, the popular one being saawan ke baadalon unse ye jaa kaho from ‘Rattan’ (1944).
In the 14th century, Amir Khusrau wrote a ‘saawan’ poem, ‘amma mere baba ko bhejo ri ke saawan aaya’. The poem was written in a form of the conversation between the mother and her newly married daughter staying in her sasural (in-law’s place). The full song is as under:
amma mere baba ko bhejo ri ke saawan ayaa
beti tera baba to boodha ri ke saawan ayaa
amma mere bhai ko bhejo ri ke saawan ayaa
beti tera bhai to baala ri ke saawan ayaa
amma mere mamu ko bhejo ri ke saawan ayaa
beti tera mamu to baanka ri ke saawan ayaa
Probably, Amir Khusrau wrote this piognant poem in the background of a convention among the some of the Hindu families that the newly married daughters stay with their parents during the month of saawan, among other reasons, to celebrate the festivals like Naag Panchami, Teej, Raksha Bandhan, Shri Krishna Janmashtmi etc. for the first time after the marriage. In olden days, it was either father, brother or the maternal uncle who would bring the newly married girl to her parent’s house. Khusrau’s poem is the reflection of a newly married girl who is longing to visit her parent’s house in the month of saawan but unable to visit as her father is too old and her brother is too young to undertake the journey to fetch her.
As against this, for the girl whose marriage has been fixed, the month of saawan is the longing for her fiancé. There is an eagerness to meet him. The mood of joie de vivre is well expressed in Shailendra’s lyrics in aaye re din saawan ke in the film ‘Gaban’ (1966).
The rejoicing mood in Meerabai’s bhajan, barse boondiyaan saawan ki which Lata Mangeshkar sang, became very popular though it was a non-film song. I will not be surprised if other poets of Bhakti movements at that period also wrote on the month of saawan.
In the Urdu drama, ‘Inder Sabha’ (1850s) which was written in verses by Amanat Lucknawi, there is a ghazal praying for the early arrival of ‘saawan’. He had used the metaphor of saawan in various romantic instances, like the swirling of beloved’s ‘zulfen’ and ‘dupatta’ to that of the clouds of saawan. A somewhat similar metaphor was used by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan in the mukhda of the song, zulfon ki ghata lekar saawan ki pari aayi in ‘Reshmi Roomaal’ (1961).
This was an unique ghazal in the sense that it had two matla (the first she’r) and had used ‘radif ‘(repeat words) – ‘saawan ki’ in all the 11 she’rs of the ghazal. One can say that it was a ‘saawan dominated’ ghazal. The first two she’rs of the ghazal are as under:
dil ko marghoob hai thandi hawa jo saawan ki
maangta hoon main sada haq se duwa saawan ki
yaad aata hai wo sabza wo ghata saawan ki
shaql dikhlaaye kahin jald khuda saawan ki
And lastly, Amanat Lacknawi writes:
ae ‘Amanat’ yah nikaali hai zameen tu ne nayi
pahle thhi kiski ghazal tere siwa saawan ki
Not all the poets used in their poems, the context of ‘saawan’ in the conventional sense of romance, separation and rejoice. Neeraj used the month of saawan in one of his ghazals to depict the ironies of life. He said:
ab ke saawan mein ye sharaarat mere saath huyi
mera ghar chhod kar kul shahar mein barsaat huyi
zindagi bhar to huyi guftugoo ghairon se magar
aaj tak hamse na hamaari mulaakaat huyi
Hindi film music has also been influenced by ‘saawan’ songs since the sound films appeared in 1931. Unfortunately, in the initial period of sound films, the songs were rarely released on gramophone records. Due to non-availability of the films’s print, most of songs from the films of early 1930s have been lost. The earliest ‘saawan’ song’ from the Hindi films for which I could get the mukhda of the song is from ‘Maharani’ (1934) in which the song ‘saawan ghan barse chaatak kyun tarse’ was listed. However, the song is not available. As far as I know, the earliest ‘saawan’ song from Hindi films that is available for listening (also for watching) is naahin aaye ghanshyam from the film ‘Devdas’ (1935). There has been a steady flow of ‘saawan’ songs in Hindi films since the inception of sound films.
Some of the ‘saawan’ songs in Hindi films which are of my liking (not an exhaustive list) are as under:
saawan aaye na aaye – Sadhana (1939)
saawan ke nazaare hain – Khazaanchi (1941)
kayi din se saawan barasta hai rimjhim rimjhim – Samaaj (1954)
thandi thandi saawan ki phuhaar – Jagate Raho (1956)
do boonden saawan ki – Phir Subah Hogi (1958)
garjat barsat saawan aayo re – Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)
deewaana huwa baadal saawan ki ghata chhaayi – Kashmir Ki Kali (1964)
saawan ke din aaye sajanwa aan milo – Bhumika (1977)
saawan ki aayi bahaar re – Junoon (1978)
lagi aaj saawan ki phir wo jhadi hai – Chaandni (1989)
Notwithstanding my above list, if someone was to ask me to instantly give one example of ‘saawan’ song from the Hindi films, the first song that will invariabnly come to my mind is rimjhim gire saawan sulag sulag jaaye man from ‘Manzil’ (1979) The reason is that I had watched the film and the song was picturised on Amitabh Bachchan and Maushumi Chatterjee in the midst of real rains. This song gives a real feel of the atmosphere of the month of saawan.
Our Blog has covered as many as 99 ‘saawan’ songs. The count could be more as tagging of few ‘saawan’ songs may have been missed. I am presenting today, a lovely ‘saawan’ song, ‘barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa saawan ka aaya mahina’ from the film ‘Papeeha Re’ (1948). HFGK is silent on the singers of the song. However, I am fairly sure that the two voices sound like that of Munawwar Sultana and Zeenat Begum.
From the lyrics of the song, it appears that Zeenat Begam is singing for an actress doing a male character in this song sequence.
Audio Clip:
Song-Barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa saawan ka aaya maheena (Papeeha Re)(1948) Singers-Munawwar Sultana, Zeenat Begam, Lyrics-Mulkraj Bhakri, MD-Dhaniram
Both
Lyrics
barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa
saawan ka aaya maheena
o na jaa pardes
o na jaa pardes
na jaa
na jaa haan
mera mushqil tum bin jeena
saawan ka aaya maheena
tum to chale pardesiya
yahaan laagega kaise jiya
o piya
kaahe ka jadoo kiya
jo thhaa jaana chhod ke hamko
jo thhaa jaana chhod ke hamko..o o o
kaahe ka jaadoo kiya
o raaja
phir kaahe ka jaadoo kiya
barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa
saawan ka aaya maheena
naukri karne ko jaana zaroori
gori jaana zaroori
aayi badi majboori
dil mein tu apne aake basaa le mori
aake basaa le
phir kaahe ki doori sajaniya
phir kaahe ki doori
barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa
saawan ka aaya maheena
maar tu goli naukari ko
o raaja naukari ko
morey raaja
rah jaa tu mere paas
dekh sooratiya bhookh mitegi mori
bhookh mitegi
nainon ki jaayegi pyaas
o morey raaja
nainon ki jaayegi pyaas
barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa
saawan ka aaya maheena
na ro tu na ro
na ro tu na ro
o meri raani na ro
o meri raani
kaahe bhayi tu udaas
ab to karoonga teri main chaakri
ho teri main chaakri
tera banoonga daas
o meri raani
tera banoonga daas
barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwa
saawan ka aaya maheena
5 Responses to "Barkha ki rut hai baanke balamwaa"
August 17, 2021 at 11:28 am
Pratap ji,
‘tum bin’ fits well in the lyrics line.
Thanks for going through the write-up.
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August 17, 2021 at 5:34 pm
The word ‘Saawan’ means much more than mere rains. But rain is described in many ways like megha, barkha, mehn etc. and for filmy songs, baadal, bijli, barsaat, paani barasna etc. all are in the same vein.
Nothing has described the various facets of life and emotional outpouring with the help of rains in all the above words and other terms, like hindi film songs have done, over the golden era and beyond.
Some which come readily to mind are:
https://atulsongaday.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/rimjhim-ke-geet-saawan-gaaye/
https://atulsongaday.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/meghaa-chhaaye-aadhi-raat-bairan-ban-gayi-nindiyaa/
Different moods of film songs.
Thanks and regards.
August 17, 2021 at 8:48 pm
Dear Sadanand ji,
What an appropriate Topic with the rains pouring outside in Goa and perhaps in Mumbai as well! It is said that the excess of charged ions in the atmosphere give rise to a sense of elation and romance in us, as in this song from MELA (1948)
Also pathos in those who are separated from their loved ones, as in this song from from BANDINI (1963)
With warm regards
PARTHA CHANDA
August 18, 2021 at 10:01 pm
Further to the above, as per the Bangla Calendar, Shravan is the 4th month of the year, after BAISAKH, JAISTHA and ASHADH and is also followed on both sides of the Radcliffe Line.
PARTHA CHANDA
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
August 17, 2021 at 10:13 am
Well written informative post.
?? – “tum bin”.
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