Kaise Jiye Teri Birhan Saajan
Posted on: July 23, 2026
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.
| Blog Day : | 6579 | Post No. : | 2047q |
Today’s song is from the social film ‘Dhobi Doctor’ (1954).
The film was made by Ranjit Movietone, Bombay. It was directed by Phani Mujumdar (husband of actress Monica Desai, the younger sister of actress Leela Desai), and the music was by Khayyam. This was his 4th film (3rd independent film) after he took the name Khayyam. Earlier he was using the pseudonym of Sharma ji. He gave music independently as Sharma ji in two films = ‘Parda’ and ‘Parivartan’ (in 1949) and working as part of the team Verma ji-Sharma ji, for 1 film – ‘Heer Ranjha’ in 1948.
[Editor Note : The full name of Verma ji of this duo is Rehman Verma. He worked as MD in Bombay till 1947, and then migrated to Pakistan when partition happened. As per Geet Kosh his name appears only in one film, ‘Heer Ranjha’ of 1948, as part of the duo Verma ji-Sharma Ji.]
‘Footpath’ (1953) was the first film (made by Ranjit Movietone), for which he took the name Khayyam. The story of why and how he changed his name is interesting.
In one of the interviews Khayyam gave to Abhijit Desai in the 80s, he narrated his first meeting with the Ranjit boss Chandulal Shah, thus –
When I got ‘Footpath’, everyone knew that I had taken the name ‘Sharma ji’ for films. I had an appointment with Zia Sarhadi and Chandulal Shah, the owner of Ranjit studios, producers of ‘Footpath’. Zia saab had already heard my tunes and he had liked my work. This was only a formal meeting.
Seth ji was sitting on a big chair. “Un ke wo safed baal aur trademark white coat bhi tha”. As soon as he saw me, he shouted at me loudly – “Asli naam kaya hai ?”. He had known about my name Sharma ji and he had felt it was not good. I knew this. So, when he shouted at me, I shouted even louder than him, “Mohammed Zahoor Khayyam Hashmi”.
He liked Khayyam part of my full name, and he shouted double than me – “Aaj se Khayyam likho”.
The meeting ended there only and I came out wiping my sweat.
[Editor’s Note : However, as per Geet Kosh, the name Khayyam appears first time for the 1951 film ‘Pyaar Ke Baaten’, which was produced by Nargis Art Concern, the company owned by Jaddan Bai. What can be the reason behind this difference in information, is not known.]
The cast of the ‘Dhobi Doctor’ was Usha Kiran, Kishore Kumar, Kanhaiyalal, Sumati Gupte, Baby Asha Parekh, Shivraj, Krishnakant and many others. There were 2 lyricists, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Sardar Jafery. HFGK does not indicate who wrote which song, but a footnote explains that both lyricists collaborted to write all the 7 songs. In the history of Hindi cinema, there are few more films where 2 or more lyricists wrote songs together. Some such films are, ‘Changez Khan’, ‘Miss Bombay’, ‘Buzdil’, ‘Chandralekha’, ‘Anyaay’, Shee’sh Mahal’, ‘Darbar’, ‘Hum Log’, ‘Pardesi’ etc.
The title of the film was funny because during our childhood, I remember, a bogus doctor or an RMP doctor was called ‘Dhobi Doctor’, because he would wash off the patient of his money without curing him ! But this film had nothing to do with that and it only indicated that a person from a dhobi family was a doctor.
The story of the film, as given in Film India dated 24-1-1954 was….
Ramu (childhood role played by Jagdeep) is the son of a poor dhobi, Mahadeo. Ramu is smart and intelligent. His elder sister, Lakshmi is very proud of her younger brother. Every evening, Lakshmi walks through the fields to pick him up from the school to take him back home.
One day, Lakshmi falls ill. Mahadeo has no money to bring a doctor to the village. Having ranked top in his class in the school examination, Ramu has to attend a prize distribution ceremony. But Lakshmi cannot accompany him as she is ill. After the prize distribution ceremony, Ramu returns home quickly to show his Didi the books he received as the prize. He finds that his Didi is dead. Choked with grief, he asks his father as to why Didi died. Mahadeo has no answer except that he was so poor that he could not afford to call a doctor. The broken-hearted Ramu vows that he would become a doctor and treat free the poor in the village.
Mahadeo works hard to earn more money for the fulfillment of Ramu’s dream. In the school, Ramu is taunted by some of his rich classmates for a dream of a poor Ramu of becoming a doctor but he is indifferent to the taunts. Ramu’s hard work and his father’s struggle bring fruits. He finishes his school with good performance and gets admitted to the medical college.
Ramu’s aptitude for medical studies attracts the attention of the vice principal, Professor Tripathi. He takes a greater interest in Ramu’s studies. Ramu becomes a doctor. Professor Tripathi helps him further in his practice by placing his laboratory at Ramu’s disposal. He also allows Ramu to study in his residence since his house in the village is far-off. Professor Tripathi has a young daughter, Uma (Usha Kiran) who plays pranks with Ramu. Gradually, Uma falls in love with Ramu. However, he is too shy to reciprocate the love. Moreover, he is aware that he is the son of a poor dhobi and Uma is the daughter of a rich father. There is a struggle between his heart and the realities of the situation. However, at the end, they unite after overcoming the stumbling block of the society.
Kishore was my favorite actor and singer till the late 1960s. After his success with ‘Aradhana’ (1969) songs, he became mainly a singer, but my love for him as a singer stopped at that point. Kishore was famous for his songs and his many marriages. Let’s take a look at these aspects of his life. Kishore Kumar was a popular artist but in his heart, he was always in quest of peace, tranquility, and happiness from home. In search of a good family life, Kishore married 4 times.
The first time, he married Ruma Ghosh (later Ruma Guha Thakurta), a small-time actress in 1950. There was stiff opposition from his family, because like his brother Ashok Kumar, they wanted him to marry a girl from a non-filmi background, selected by them. This marriage caused him many mental problems and if Dada Burman had not helped him that time, Kishore would have gone back to Khandwa. The first marriage lasted up to 1958, but gave him a son Amit Kumar.
The second marriage (in 1960) was with Madhubala, who was still recovering from the break up with Dilip Kumar. She had undergone a lot of mental agony arising out of the court case by BR Chopra, and Dilip’s statement in court against her and her father Ataulla Khan. Kishore also knew about her heart illness. This marriage was opposed from both sides. Kishore had even converted to Islam for her sake. Within a few days of their marriage, Madhubala returned to her father’s home. This marriage lasted till her death in 1969.
The third marriage (in 1976) with Yogita Bali was so casual that it was almost a joke. In this private and hasty marriage ceremony, Mehmood acted as Kishore’s father and Shammi Kappor did the kanyadaan as Yogita’s father. This marriage lasted for 2 years on paper, but Yogita returned to her home, when she fell in love with Mithun Chakraborty.
Finally, Kishore Kumar got his ultimate love, satisfaction and happiness with his 4th marriage with Leena Chandavarkar (in 1980). Just before marriage, she had undergone mental trauma of being present when her first husband (son of Goa’s first CM – Dayanand Bandodkar), committed suicide in front of her. Kishore was already over 50 years of age at this time, but he became extremely happy when they got a child, Sumit Kumar, from this marriage. It remained a happy marriage till he suddenly died in 1987.
Here is a part of the interview where Kishore talks about each of his marriages. Interviewer is Pritish Nandy-
Pritish Nandy: What went wrong with Ruma Devi, your first wife?
Kishore Kumar: She was a very talented person but we could not get along because we looked at life differently. She wanted to build a choir and a career. I wanted someone to build me a home. How can the two reconcile? You see, I’m a simple minded villager type. I don’t understand this business about women making careers. Wives should first learn how to make a home. And how can you fit the two together? A career and a home are quite separate things. That’s why we went our separate ways.
Pritish Nandy: Madhubala, your second wife?
Kishore Kumar: She was quite another matter. I knew she was very sick even before I married her. But a promise is a promise. So I kept my word and brought her home as my wife, even though I knew she was dying from a congenital heart problem. For 9 long years I nursed her. I watched her die before my own eyes. You can never understand what this means until you live through this yourself. She was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully. She would rave and rant and scream in frustration. How can such an active person spend 9 long years bed-ridden? And I had to humour her all the time. That’s what the doctor asked me to do. That’s what I did till her very last breath. I would laugh with her. I would cry with her.
Pritish Nandy: What about your third marriage? To Yogeeta Bali?
Kishore Kumar: That was a joke. I don’t think she was serious about marriage. She was only obsessed with her mother. She never wanted to live here.
Pritish Nandy: But that’s because she says you would stay up all night and count money.
Kishore Kumar: Do you think I can do that? Do you think I’m mad? Well, it’s good we separated quickly.
Pritish Nandy: What about your present marriage?
Kishore Kumar: Leena is a very different kind of person. She too is an actress like all of them but she’s very different. She’s seen tragedy. She’s faced grief. When your husband is shot dead, you change. You understand life. You realize the ephemeral quality of all things. I am happy now.
Here is a song from today’s film, sung by Asha Bhosle. Enjoy…..
Song – Kaise Jiye Teri Birhan Saajan (Dhobi Doctor) (1954) Singer – Asha Bhosle, Lyricist – Majrooj Sultanpuri/Sardar Jafri, MD – Khayyam
Lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
aansoo piye
teri birhan saajan
tadpe tera dard liye
aansoo piye
aansoo piye
teri birhan saajan
tadpe tera dard liye
aansoo piye
chaahun agar aana
aa na sakoon main
aa na sakoon main
zulm ki deewaaren
dhaa na sakoon main
dhaa na sakoon main
zehar piye
teri birhan saajan
tadpe tera dard liye
aansoo piye
aansoo piye
teri birhan saajan
tadpe tera dard liye
aansoo piye
guzr gayin ratiaan
neend naa aayi
neend naa aayi
ab na sahaa jaaye
dard e judaai
dard e judaai
kaise jiye
teri birhan saajan
tadpe tera dard liye
aansoo piye
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
आँसू पिए
तेरी बिरहन साजन
तड़पे तेरा दर्द लिए
आँसू पिए
आँसू पिए
तेरी बिरहन साजन
तड़पे तेरा दर्द लिए
आँसू पिए
चाहूँ अगर आना
आ ना सकूँ मैं
आ ना सकूँ मैं
ज़ुल्म की दीवारें
ढा ना सकूँ मैं
ढा ना सकूँ मैं
ज़हर पिए
तेरी बिरहन साजन
तड़पे तेरा दर्द लिए
आँसू पिए
आँसू पिए
तेरी बिरहन साजन
तड़पे तेरा दर्द लिए
आँसू पिए
गुज़र गईं रतियाँ
नींद ना आई
नींद ना आई
अब ना सहा जाए
दर्द ए जुदाई
दर्द ए जुदाई
कैसे जीये
तेरी बिरहन साजन
तड़पे तेरा दर्द लिए
आँसू पिए
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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