Jheeni Ram Jheeni Chaadar, Sada Ram Ras Bheeni
Posted on: July 2, 2023
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, 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 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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I was not aware of a film titled ‘Parinati’ (1986) which is pronounced in Hindi as परिणति (Inevitable). In fact, when I came across the title of the film on the internet a few days back, I was subconsciously reading it as ‘Parineeta’. The film was available for viewing on one of the video sharing platforms. I watched the film last week and found it to be gripping and heart wrenching.
‘Parinati’ (1986) was based on ‘Amit Laalsa’, one of the short stories written by Vijaydan Detha, an acclaimed Rajasthani writer. The film was produced and directed by Prakash Jha which was financed by National Film Development Corporation. The cast included Surekha Sikri, Basant Josalkar, Sudhir Kulkarni, Sharda D’sorus, SM Zahir, Anang Desai, Yusuf Kurram, Nandita Das, Prabhat Jha, Surendra Rajan, BD Singh, Master Kartikeya Sharma, Jasmina Kadhi etc. Most of the actors for the film were from National School of Dramas, Delhi. The film’s Censor Certificate was dated August 28, 1986. The film was released on September 5, 1986. ‘Parinati’ Is director Prakash Jha’s third film after ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ (1984) and ‘Damul’ (1985). Later, he directed classic films like ‘Gangajal’ (2003), ‘Rajneeti’ (2010), ‘Satyagraha’ (2013) etc. Almost all of his films are with social and political messages. ‘Parinati’ Is also one of such films in which he depicted a very simple and honest rural family for whom the circumstances bring changes in their nature, making them greedy to such an extent that led to the destruction of the whole family. The story of the film is as under:
In a Rajasthani village long back, Ganesh (Basant Josalkar) lived with his wife Kurja (Surekha Sikri) and 10-year-old son Lachman. They were very happy even with the meager income which they earned from making and selling pottery. As was the practice those days, Ganesh decided to get Lachman married early to a potter’s daughter from another village when they were still children. After marriage, Lachman and his child-wife continued to live with their respective parents. Since the village is a thoroughfare for travelers, a wealthy merchant decides to construct a well and a homestay (dharamshala) for travelers for which Ganesh is given responsibility. He becomes the caretaker of the homestay and his wife, Kurja cooks food for them for which they gets a good salary apart from a residential house. Over a period of time, they build a good reputation for taking care of travelers. They are so honest that they do not accept gifts or tips from their guests. Ganesh and his family is very happy with their comfortable life.
One day, a family of two sons and the parents who were on a long pilgrimage, reaches Ganesh’s homestay. The old mother is very sick, but sons have to proceed for their business else they would incur heavy losses. Ganesh’s family takes care of their mother and the father. On sons’ return, they find his mother completely recovered from her illness. The mother also knows astrology. She studies the hands of Ganesh’s son, Lachman and predicts that he is very lucky and would earn a lot of money. The travelers request Ganesh to allow them to take Lachman with them to their city not as a worker but as a partner in their business. They will make him wealthy in 12 years. At first, Ganesh and Kurja are reluctant to send Lachman with traders as he is their only son. However, seeing the better prospects of their son after becoming a partner in a business and earning money, they agree to the proposal.
Days pass after Lachman goes with the traders, Ganesh and Kurja feel separation from their son unbearable. They feel that it would have been nice if they could get gifts or financial help from the wealthy travelers who spend nights in their homestay so that Lachman could return earlier than schedule and start business in the village itself. One day a newly married couple with parents come to stay in Ganesh’s homestay. The bride was wearing a lot of gold and other ornaments besides some more carrying in a box. Ganesh and Kurja feel that it would have been nice to have so much gold and jewelries so that their son could be called back and start the business in the village itself. In the night, they hatch a plan to kill the guests to take their gold and jewelry. They execute the plan and dump their bodies in a marshy land near their homestay. The gold and jewelry put in the box are dumped in the well. However, Ganesh and Kurja do not call back their son as they fear that a sudden acquisition of so much wealth will arouse suspicion in the minds of the villagers.
Now Ganesh and Kurja become bolder in executing the killing of some more wealthy travelers so that more money is added to the kitty for the start-up business for their son. 12 years have passed since the separation from their son, and he is expected to return any day. While thinking about his return, Ganesh sees a wealthy trader passing by his homestay. The wealthy trader comes to the homestay to spend the night. Ganesh and Kurja are tempted to kill the trader for the last time as he has so much of wealth more than what they have so far accumulated by killing travelers. Ganesh executes the killing and dispose off the body in the usual way.
Next day, Lakha (Nandita Das), the daughter-in-law of Ganesh and Kurja visits them to inquire about her husband, Lachman (Anang Desai) who had returned to the village after the completion of 12 years and had met her. He has told her that he would be visiting his parent and spend the night there to check whether they would recognise him as his son after such a long period. There is bewilderment as well as shock on the faces of Ganesh and Kurja as a realization dawns to them that last night Ganesh has killed his own son. The greed for money has overwhelmed so much that they failed to recognize their own and the only son. Without replying to Lakha, both of them walk toward their room and get themselves locked in the room. Lakha pleads with them to open the door and tell her as to the whereabouts of her husband. The film ends with Lakha observing the spillover of blood on the ground from the entrance of the locked room which makes her cry.
The film’s end can be interpreted as Lakha having got the hint that her husband, Lachman has been killed and her in-laws, Ganesh and Kurja have committed suicide after closing the door of the room. After all, they have done such an unimaginable blunder that they cannot face their daughter-in-law and now they have no purpose to live.
The film was majorly shot in Shri Dungargarh town about 70 kms from Bikaner. This is a fantastic film. The film has a gripping narrative akin to the short stories of Munshi Premchand. All the actors in the film, whether in major or minor roles, have performed exceedingly well. Director, Prakash Jha has realistically crafted the film despite limited resources at his disposal (being a low budget film). I am surprised as to how this film never came into limelight. Incidentally, the film won the National Film Award (1986) for the best costumes for the authenticity in the use of costumes in the film. I understand that a Kannada film, ‘Aa Karaala Ratri’ (2018), directed by Dayal Padmanabhan, has the same story.
The film has only one song, “Jheeni Ram Jheeni Chaadar”. The name of the singer is not known. It appears that the song is rendered by one of the Rajatahani folk singers of that time. Probably, the song was not released on records/CDs. The prelude to the song is Sant Kabir’s ‘question and answer’ couplets. The main song is predominantly based on one of Sant Kabir’s popular Nirgun Bhajans, “Chadariya Jheeni Re Jheeni“. So, this song can be ascribed to Sant Kabir. The song is set to music in Raag Kedar by Pandit Raghunath Seth.
The song is picturised on a group of Rajasthani folk singers and musicians who perform outside the homestay of Ganesh and Kurja in the night when their only son has already taken by the traders to their city to train him in the business. In the midst of the song, Ganesh and Kurja also joins them to listen. The song is a sort of an indirect advice to Ganesh and Kurja to keep their body and soul clean like the finely woven sheet for making it use worthy.
I liked the answers to the ‘question couplets’ which roughly translate in English as under:
Knowledge is thinner than water. Sin is heavier than earth.
Anger is more dangerous than fire and Stigma is blacker than kohl
All nirgun bhajans of Sant Kabeer look simple in words but they lead to deep philosophical interpretations. In this bhajan also, the human body is compared with a finely woven sheet of cloth – chaadar. It takes about nine months to complete weaving of this chaadar, like a human body takes nine month to form completely in the mother’s womb. After the chaadar is ready to be used, it cannot remain with the user permanently. How long it would remain with the user depends upon how delicately and how carefully he uses it without making it dirty. Human life is also not perpetual. One day, it has to leave this world. So, use your life to the fullest extent by keeping it ‘clean’ and remembering the Almighty.
Video Clip
Song – Jheeni Ram Jheeni Chaadar, Sada Ram Ras Bheeni (Parinati)(1986) Singer-Unknown male voice, Lyrics-Sant Kabeer, MD-Raghunath Seth
Lyrics
aa aa aaaaaaa
aa aa aaa aaa
aaaa aaa aa aa
aaa aaaa aaaa aa aa aa aa aa
aaaa aaaaa aa aa aaa aaa aaaaa aa aa
jal se patla kaun hai
aa aa aa aa
kaun bhoomi se bhaari…ee ee ee ee ee hai aa aa
kaun agan se tez hai….ae ae ae ae
kaun kaajal se kaaro
jal se patla gyaan hai
gyaa…..aaa aaan hai ae ae ae
jal se patla gyaan hai
paap bhoomi se bhaari..ee
bhaari..ee
aa aa aa aa
krodh agan se tej hai
kalank kaajal se kaaro
jheeni raam jheeni chaadar
sada ram ras bheeni
chaaduri ras beeni haan
jheeni chaadar jheeni raam
ashtakanwal pur charkha chaale
paanch tantu ras bheeni
ashtakanwal pur charkha chaale
paanch tantu ras bheeni
aath maas nu banti lagi
aath maas nu banti laagee
moorakh maili keenee
jheeni raam jheeni chaadar
jheeni raam jheeni
sada ram ras bheeni chaadar
ram naam ras bheeni chaadar
jhat karu dhobi poora miliya
taaye re taasu deenhi
jhat karu dhobi poora miliya
aa aaa aaa
taaye re taasu deenhi
aa aaa aaa
daas Kabee……eeer
aaaaaaaaaaaaa haa hi
daas Kabeer jugat see odhee
deenhi jaisi deenhi ee ee
aa aa aa aa aa
deenhi deenhi deenhi
deeni jaisi deeni j
jheeni ram jheeni chaadar
raam naam ras bheeni
————————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
————————————————
आ आ आsssss
आ आ आss आs
आsss आss आ आ
आs आss आss आ
आ आ आ आ आ
आss आsss आss आ आ आ
आs आs आs आsss आ आ
जल से पतला कौन है
आ आ आ आ
कौन भूमि से भारी॰॰ई॰॰ई॰॰ई
हा आ आ
कौन अगन से तेज है॰॰ए॰॰ए
कौन काजल से कारो
जल से पतला ज्ञान है
ज्ञा॰॰आन है॰॰ए॰॰ए
जल से पतला ज्ञान है
पाप भूमि से भारी॰॰ई
भारी॰॰ई॰॰ई
आ आ आ आ
क्रोध अगन से तेज है
कलंक काजल से कारो
झीनी राम झीनी चादर
सदा राम रस भीनी
चादुरी रस बीनी हाँ
झीनी चादर झीनी राम
अष्टकंवल पुर चरखा चाले
पाँच तन्तु रस भीनी
अष्टकंवल पुर चरखा चाले
पाँच तन्तु रस भीनी
आठ मास नु बनती लगी
आठ मास नु बनती लागी
मूरख मैली कीनी
झीनी राम झीनी चादर
झीनी राम झीनी
सदा राम रस भीनी चादर
राम नाम रस भीनी
झट करु धोबी पूरा मिलिया
ताय रे तासु दीन्ही
झट करु धोबी पूरा मिलिया
आ आ आ
ताय रे तासु दीन्ही
आ आ आ
दास कबी॰॰॰॰॰॰ई
आ आ आ आ आ आ आ
दास कबीर जुगत से ओढ़ी॰॰ई
दीन्ही जैसी दीन्ही॰॰ई॰॰ई
आ आ आ आ आ
दीन्ही दीन्ही दीन्ही
झीनी राम झीनी चादर
राम नाम रस भीनी
7 Responses to "Jheeni Ram Jheeni Chaadar, Sada Ram Ras Bheeni"
July 2, 2023 at 10:35 am
Great Post !!! Thanks for introducing us this movie. I do not remember to have watch this movie on TV.
Like the picturization of this song particularly in view of the story of this movie.
Thanks a lot again.
Regards,
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July 2, 2023 at 5:39 pm
Shaayad Doordarshan dwaaraa late 80`s mein is film ka premier kiyaa gayaa thhaa,
(us time mein small budget ke filmon ko doordarshan waaley aisey hee pehle dikhaathe thhe, films like Woh Chhokri, Anant yatra, Rukmavati Ki haveli, Asambhav,Antaheen,Swayam,Kisee ek phool ka naam lo,Main Zindaa hoon, Ruyee ka bojh,Hamari shaadi, kamla ki maut,Sadgati,current,Thhodaa saa roomaani ho jaaye,Andhi Gali, Panchavati etc……..)
usee time maine is film ko dekhaa thhaa,
Surekha sikhri aur anang desai,Banwari Tanejaa inn logon ka acting to yaad hai, par nandita das yaad nahin aa rahaa, Main guess kar rahaa thhaa Rajendra gupta bhi hai karke is film mein, par I think he is not there in the film……..
Thanks Sadanand ji for the song, gaanaa to mujhe yaad hi naheen thhaa is film mein hai karke, climax scene to yaad hai……Thanks for the introduction of the song…….
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July 2, 2023 at 11:31 pm
sorry for the mistakes Rukmavati ki haveli and Kisee ek phool ka naam lo these two were Tele plays or Short films…….
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July 2, 2023 at 10:16 pm
Nice write up, as usual, Sadanand ji.
Surprisingly, parinathi means expertise in Kannada. Normally, words derived from Sanskrit have similar meaning across different languages. Of course, I am assuming it is derived from Sanskrit.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
July 2, 2023 at 5:37 am
I remember this movie well. It was shown by Doordarshan in the award winning films segment. It affected me a lot, so simple yet so chilling.
I will listen to the song later.
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