Sewaa ke hum vratdhaaree
Posted by: Atul on: August 21, 2024
This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, 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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Today’s song is from a very old film- Janmabhoomi-1936.
During the British Raj, film makers had to be very careful in making a film to ensure that nothing derogatory or against the Raj was found in the film. Making a Patriotic film was a risky business and hence hardly any direct patriotic dialogue or songs could be found which would incite the Censor Board to hold their film for issuance of the Censor Certificate.
In the late 1930s and the early 1940s Gandhi’s image was influencing the Indian people and his views and speeches impressed the people. Film Janmabhoomi-1936 was one such film which depicted the work of two like minded Gandhian young people wanting to do social work for the downtrodden in the society. Since they were a man and a woman, that too young, it was easier to spin a love story in the background. Social work or upliftment of the downtrodden always had opponents and that automatically provided a clash of philosophy in the film.
Today’s film was directed by Franz Osten and the music was by Saraswati Devi (born Parsee, name Khorshed Minocher-Homji, 1912 to 9-8-1980) and the cast was Ashok Kumar, Devika rani, Pramila, Chandraprabha, Peethawala, Kamatha Prasad, Mumtaz Ali etc. The Lyricist was J. S. Casshyap ‘ Natwa’ and the Cinematographer was Joseph Wirsching – a German.
The film was made by Bombay Talkies, which was established in 1934, as a Public Limited Company, by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. They both had work experience in this field in England and Germany and they were quite impressed with the work pattern of the Germans. They had recruited all technical staff with Germans.
Germany had a very good name in India during the olden days i.e. during the early part of the last century. In India,all things German were considered the Best- even better than the Vilayati or the British things !
Very few people know that Indian Cinema had a little known connection with the rise of Hitler in Germany in 1932-33. A group of men , engaged in Cinema in Germany, flocked to India in the 30’s and played a vital role in Indian Cinema and the arts of that time. After Hitler took over Germany in 1933, the German Cine Studio’s glory days were over and they were turned into Nazi Propaganda Machines !
It was at this time that several of its men left the studio and arrived in India, and contributed to Indian cinema’s formative years.
The foremost among them is Frantz Osten, a German whom Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani met at the UFA when they went to train there (they worked with Lang and Marlene Dietrich). Osten had already been directing films for the couple since 1925, when he made Light of Asia for them from Germany.
In 1934, he came to India and the next year, after Rai founded Bombay Talkies ‘ the legendary film studio in Malad that now lies in ruins ‘ Osten directed its first film.
He went on to direct the famous Devika Rani-Ashok Kumar starrer, Achhyut Kanya, without much knowledge of Hindi. The film, which featured the song “Main ban ki chiriya”, was shot by Cinematographer Joseph Wirsching; the sets were designed by Karl von Spreti, the laboratory was headed by Zolle, and the sound recordist was Len Heartley. This was Osten’s team of UFA ex-members who worked for Rai’s state-of-the-art studio.
Osten and his fellow Germans directed 16 films for Rai. It was a remarkable feat for people who knew little Hindi ‘ mistaking the word “bulbul” once for a pair of bulls.
“It’s not clear if they had anything to do with the Nazi ideology, either way,” said film historian Amrit Gangar, who has written a book on Germans in the Indian film industry.“If they did, it would not show in their films. But there were two other people who almost certainly migrated to India because of the persecution of Jews.”
Franz Osten(23-12-1876 to 2-12-1956) Hindi director, born in Munich as Franz Ostermayer, the elder brother of successful producer Peter Ostermayer. They set up a travelling cinema, Original Physograph (1907) and founded Munchner Kunstfilm (1909) after Osten had been making shorts for Pathé, Gaumont and Eclair. Their first feature: Die Wahrheit (1910). Osten’s début as director: Erna Valeska (1911). War correspondent in 1915. Joined Peter’s company Emelka (later Bavaria Film) in 1918. Made Der Ochsenkrieg (1920) with young cameraman Frank Planer of later Hollywood fame, one of Osten’s several contributions to a budding genre that after WW2 became known as the Heimatfilm. In fact, the Ostermayr/Osten brothers claimed to be the originators of the genre.
When Himansu Rai and Emelka made a deal to produce Prem Sanyas aka Light of Asia, Osten was assigned to direct. Continued directing Rai’s productions, often shooting in India as well as in Europe, in addition to directing for numerous companies in Berlin. Moved with cameraman Josef Wirsching and set designer Karl von Spreti to India to work at Himanshu Rai’s Bombay Talkies (1934).
While in Bombay, became a member of the Nazi Party (1936). Interned by the British at the outbreak of WW2 while shooting his last film there, Kangan. Released and allowed to return to Germany (1940). Employed by Bavaria Film until 1945, for casting and setting up its film archive. In addition to Indian films, directed 33 silent features and 10 sound films.
After WW2 became manager of a Bavarian spa. His Indian films, following UFA tradition, were huge Orientalist spectacles with elephants, camels and expansive vistas often shot in deep focus. Effective authorship shared by producer Rai and scenarist Niranjan Pal. Adopted European conventions to introduce main actors, e.g. backlit mid-shots in soft focus gradually becoming more contrasted; also used mobile outdoor shots as in the railway-crossing sequence of Achhut Kanya. Strongly influenced younger Bombay Talkies film-makers Amiya Chakrabarty and Gyan Mukherjee, though they used his techniques for very different purposes.
Filmography-1925: Prem Sanyas, 1928: Shiraz, 1929: Prapancha Pash, 1935: Jawani Ki Hawa, 1936: Achhut Kanya, Janmabhoomi, Jeevan Naiya, Mamata, Miya Bibi, 1937: Izzat, Jeevan Prabhat, Prem Kahani, Savitri, 1938: Bhabhi, Nirmala, Vachan, 1939: Durga, Kangan, Navjeevan.
In addition to the German team in Bombay Talkies, there were three more Germans who also came to India and worked in Hindi films. One was Walter Kauffman (1-4-1907 to 9-9-1984). The other was Wilhelm Haas (18-6-1915 to 30-3-1979), who was a writer. Both were friends. Kauffman, Haas and Bhavnani worked together in Premnagar (1940), Naushad’s first film as music director. Kauffman composed the background score; Haas wrote the screenplay.
“ Kauffman is also the person behind the All India Radio signature tune. Haas was a member of the Indian chapter of PEN,” Gangar said. Haas also wrote the script for Bhavnani’s Jhooti Sharam (1939). The third German was Paul Zils ( 1-6-1915 to 30-3-1979 ). Zils, believed to be a Nazi sympathizer, turned up in India under strange circumstances: he was bound for Indonesia in a steamer that got torpedoed by an Indian naval ship during World War II and he was taken prisoner.
After his release, because of his film experiences, the leadership of the sales department in Ezra Mir led a government documentary production company called him to join Information films of India. End of October 1945, he came to Bombay and started his work. Following the closure of the Information Films of India Zils was freelancing and in 1948 founded his own company Documentary Films of India; in 1949 India created a new state production company Films Division. To popularize the documentary he was supported in 1949 among others by Mulk Raj Anand , B.K.Karanjia , Vikram Sarabhai , Frene Talyarkhan and Jagmohan. In 1950-1952, Zils tried as a feature film director, turning three films with Dev Anand .
The other major German in Hindi films at Bombay Talkies and elsewhere was Joseph Wirsching. Josef Wirsching (22 March 1903 – 11 June 1967) sometimes credited as Joseph Wirsching, was a German cinematographer, who became a pioneer in cinematography in India and who contributed to the heritage of Cinema of India and still photography in its improvement into a scientific art of expression. His association with Indian cinema started in 1925, when he worked with another German, Franz Osten, in the Indo-European collaboration, The Light of Asia. Thereafter he settled in India, went on to work in over 20 films with Bombay Talkies and subsequently with Kamal Amrohi in Mahal (1949), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) and his masterpiece Pakeezah (1972), though he died while it was still under production.
Born in Munich, Germany, where he also did his schooling. After his schooling he joined ‘Blau Weib Films’ in Munich as an apprentice photographer; he studied photography theory in the state run ‘Gewerbeschule’ in Munich. He married Charlotte Mϋllberger in Germany on 28 January 1929. Their only son, Wolfgang Peter Wirsching was born in Bombay, India in 1939. He died in Bombay on 11 June 1967, after a massive cardiac arrest. His photographic collection is now maintained by grandson Georg Wirsching.
In 1923, he joined ‘Emelka Film Studios’ (present day ‘Bavaria Films’) as an assistant cameraman cum laboratory assistant and was later promoted to Film Cameraman in a short span of time and was involved as an assistant/cameraman. After Emelka he joined Bombay Talkies in Bombay, India, as a director of Photography in 1935 and shot these films…
Jawani Ki Hawa (1935), Level Crossing (1936), Mother-Always Tell Your Wife (1936), Achhut Kanya (1936), Jeevan Naiya (1936), Janmabhoomi. (1936), Izzat (1937), Prem Kahani (1937), Miyan Biwi (1937), Savitri (1937), Jeevan Prabhat (1937), Nirmala (1938), Vachan (1938), Mamta/Bhabi (1938), Nav Jeevan (1939), Kangan (1939), Durga (1939).
As he was a German national living in British India, In 1939 he was interned for the period of World War II in an internment camp for foreign nationals, firstly in Ahmednagar, then Dehradun and finally Satara. He was ultimately released from internment in 1947 after which he returned to ‘Bombay Talkies’ which by now had changed ownership. He did these films….Ziddi-1948, Mahal-1949, Sangram-1950, Maa-1952, Shamsheer-1953 and Baadbaan-1954.
After his stint in Bombay Talkies he joined Kamal Amrohi’s Mahal Pictures as director of Photography in 1959 and did two films namely Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) and Pakeezah (1972), his only colour film. This film was completed in part after his demise in 1967 and was released in 1972. The remaining scenes which were shot after his demise are clearly noticeable. The famous Paan gali scene is credited to him. He even shows up on screen as a large bearded man in the crowd in the film. ( adapted from Bombay talkies- A Story, wiki, books of Isaq Mujawar and Babu Moshoi and my notes ).
The story of the film Janmabhoomi-1936 was….
Ajay(Ashok Kumar) and his beloved Protima(Devika Rani) fight for the welfare and justice of the Indian villagers. They invite the anger and enmity of the local Zamindar(Kaiser) and a conservative fanatic Sanatan(Pithwala). These two villains give a lot of trouble to the workers-these things occupy almost 70% of the film scenes, but Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani jodi is not broken. Ultimately they are able to convert Zamindar and Sanatan to their side. Zamindar gives up his entire property for the cause of villagers’ welfare. Thus Class conflict is changed to class collaboration.
Today’s video song is sung by Ashok Kumar and chorus. Enjoy….
Song-Sewa ke hum vratdhaari (Janmbhoomi)(1936) Singer- Ashok Kumar, Lyricist- J.S.Casshyap, MD- Saraswati Devi
Chorus
seva ke hum vratdhaari
seva ke hum vratdhaari
seva se nahin hatenge
seva se nahin hatenge
seva ke hum vratdhaari
seva se nahin hatenge
hum sabki pahal karenge
hum sabki pahal karenge
seva se nahin hatenge
seva se nahin hatenge
hum sabki pahal karenge
seva se nahin hatenge
hal jotenge chune(?) bunege
sab hi kaam karenge
hal jotenge
chune(?) bunege
sab hi kaam karenge
hum jhoothi shaan tajenge
hum jhoothi shaan tajenge
seva se nahin hatenge
seva se nahin hatenge
daldal jungle saaf karenge
gaddhe pokhar taal bharenge
daldal jungle saaf karenge
gaddhe pokhar taal bharenge
janam bhoomi se rog sog ko
hum nirmool karenge
janam bhoomi se rog sog
ko hum nirmool karenge
maata ke laal banenge
maata ke laal banenge
seva se nahin hatenge
seva se nahin hatenge
seva ke hum vratdhaari
seva ke hum vratdhaari
seva se nahin hatenge
seva se nahin hatenge
hum sabki pahal karenge
hum sabki pahal karenge
seva se nahin hatenge
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
August 21, 2024 at 11:43 am
Arun Ji
Thanks for the post. Very interesting to know about German technicians’ contribution to Hindi Cinema. LOL on reading about what Germans interpreted ‘Bulbul’ as.
I did not know Saraswati Devi was born, a parsee !!!
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August 21, 2024 at 6:54 pm
Dear Satish ji,
Thanks for your appreciation. Not many people are aware of the Germans’ contribution to the upcoming Indian film industry.
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