Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs

This article is written by Avinash Scrapwala, 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.

It was in 1985 that after appearing my 12^th exams, and as usual to take up some work in summer vacations, that I joined a Nagpur based Construction Company at Parli Vaijnath. Results for the exams were on favourable and I failed, so I continued working and after almost eleven months as the project was over, looking into my sincerity and dedication the site incharge recommended and arrange a job for me in Delhi based company working there for the expansion project. And going by the circumstances in a middle-class family, I dropped the idea of joining ‘regular education’ and instead thought that maybe I should opt for distance education – which however, become possible only after three and half years almost. . .

Well, when I joined this Delhi based company the first thing coming to my mind was travelling to Delhi and that way travelling India, because I had only visited Nagpur by that time, which was a big city for me other than the place where we were staying near Akola. I had not imagined then where I am heading to and how my life will be shaped or anything serious like that – I just kept going. I ended up working in this company for almost seventeen and half years.

After Parli Vaijnath the next destination for me was Koradi (Nagpur) for a short period, then to Kota (Rajasthan) for seven and half years, then to Phulpur (Allahabad) for two years, from there to Aonla (Bareilly) for almost six years. In between to Sonepat (Haryana) for a short period. Again Bareilly and from there to  Ghaziabad (UP), this was again for a short period of six months, then to Mundra (Kachchh-Gujarat) in between Kandla-Adipur (Kachchh-Gujarat). I spent almost eleven years in Kachchh before I left a job – reasons are part of another article 🙂 , but mainly to prove myself that I can do anything 🙂 .

Couple of months I was without job when I got an opportunity to join a company of my very first boss, who had by then become an owner of a company. This was my coming back to roots – return to Maharashtra after almost twenty-seven years. I spent almost two years in Nagpur to return to Gujarat – to shift my wife and as my daughters were already studying there so that I can proceed for my first overseas job in Kenya.

***

As I left my home state for work in 1988, I was always thinking of getting back there to be with my parents to have a settled life after marriage. However, as years passed by it didn’t happen even after my trying and appearing for several interviews. This longing for going back to Maharashtra was still there for many years when I was a bachelor and till many years after I got married. But as years passed, and I continued with my job, I slowly lost the interest of going back to my home state or the neighboring state. Then it was like if not Maharashtra at least Gujarat where industries were flourishing and job opportunities were more.

During this period, I always used to think about my childhood friends and other peoples who were well settled at the nearby places in home state and living a well settled life. I was envious of them, because from my batch I think I was the only one who had to leave the state and had to struggle, and move from place to place.

In our family also, before me, only my youngest uncle who had joined army was the first person to leave the state and travel across India. All other relatives either paternal or maternal were settled in Maharashtra only. After my army man uncle and me, it was after many years that one of my cousins got an opportunity in Germany and he is there since many years now.

So, I was always dreaming about the ‘fursat ke raat din’ and in turn the ‘smooth life – the ‘sahal rastaa’. . . Let us read some lines about this, that Javed Akhtar has written in his poem ‘Doraahaa’ (taken from his book ‘Tarkash’ (Quiver) and transliterated in English). I remember these lines with reverence – these were recited by my Guru and Motivational Speaker Shri Rooshikumar Pandya ji in one of his programs I attended, and that is how I became aware of it.

ye jeewan ik raah nahin
ik doraahaa hai
 
pehlaa rastaa bahut sahal hai
is mein koi mod nahin hai
ye rastaa, is duniya se bejod nahin hai
is raste par miltey hai
reeton ke aangan
is raste par miltey hai
rishton ke bandhan
is raste par chalnewaale
kehne ko sab sukh paate hai
lekin
tukde tukde ho kar
sab rishton mein bant jaate hai
apne palle kuchh nahin bachtaa
bachti hai
benaam si uljhan
saanson ka indhan
jis mein unki apni har pehchaan
aur un ke saare sapne
jal bujhte hai
is raste par chalnewaale
khud ko khokar jag paate hai
upar-upar to jeete hai
andar-andar mar jaate hai

***

But then I get to travel many places, working new job environments, facing new problems, visiting new places, adjusting to the new environments, different cultures, different cuisines 🙂 ; I start enjoying this way. . .

And the motivating things were – thinking about armed forces who are way not only from their homeland but away from their families too? How they survive? People who get transferred on regular intervals? How they cope with it? Even government servants. Or we also have employees getting transferred every now and then within a short period of time, how they deal with it? What are their sufferings?

And, working at or visiting construction sites and places around them and the ‘sub-travel’ that happened during this,  I was always reminded of the famous novel ‘Rangbhoomi’, by Munshi Premchand ji, and I used to think how years back he had written about the industrialization and its effects, and how it affects people’s behaviour staying away from their homes or had to leave their families in search of job and survival.

And I realized that my sufferings are not even a fraction of what these people were already going through in their lives.

***

After spending almost fifteen years (out of my home state Maharashtra where I left on 29.11.1988 to reach Kota then) in north India, I finally got a placement in a Delhi based company for their plant in Kachchh-Gujarat. I spent five and half years in one company and then shifted to another company in search of ‘growth’ – personal as well as professional.

When I made this change my HR head used to ask me that what change I got? Am I happy? And he was always telling me that ‘the sky is the same everywhere’. . .

Well, during those years I was reading and studying Sahir almost on daily basis and again somehow the circumstances at work were not giving me satisfaction. ‘Shaahi Ki Zanjeerein Todte Chalo’ – this song was daily going through my mind then, and as I shared it, it appeared on the blog on 02.12.2014 and within a week I ‘broke the shackles’ to put in my papers. I resigned without having another job in hand. I was ready to take new challenge but I didn’t expect of what it finally turned out to be for me.

I was without job for almost two and half months. Here we go back to the remaining part of the poem of Javed Akhtar Saab,

doosraa rastaa
bahot kathin hai
is raste mein
koi kisi ke saath nahin hai
koi sahaara dene waala haath nahin hai
is raste mein
dhoop hai
koi chhaaon nahin hai
jahaan tassalli bheekh mein de de
koi kisi ko
is raste mein
aisa koi gaaon nahin hai
ye un logon ka rastaa hai
jo khud apne tak jaate hai
apne aapko jo paate hai
tum is raste par hi chalna
 
mujhe pataa hai
ye rastaa aasaan nahin hai
lekin mujhko ye gham bhi hai
tumko ab tak
kyun apni pehchaan nahin hai

(Javed Saab had written this poem to his daughter Zoya)

***

Somehow, luckily, I got an opportunity and a job in Nagpur and somehow bitter-sweet I survived those two years again to change for a new job for which I would have to stay away from my family. Somehow these days are also passing now and the assignment will be finished soon. Or I will part the ways again, as yet once again I am feeling to move to other ‘horizons’. . .

I don’t know if what happened in my case had also happened with other people too. When I left the job in Gujarat and came back to Nagpur to work in a company which was owned by my very first boss when he himself was in service in another small construction company then. Then the company I joined in Kenya is where one of my earlier bosses already working as a director and with whom I had worked at two project sites in India years earlier, and I was coming back to him after almost eighteen years.

I get to relive the ‘nostalgia’ (in different settings now though) of those years again when I was junior to them and even junior in my professional life and when I came back to them at least I had achieved something in my professional life.

Still, working in different professional organisations, the question remains – Am I satisfied? Am I successful? Have I excelled myself since my previous work settings and professional journey?

Am I satisfied where I have reached from where I started?

And naturally ‘satisfaction’ and ‘success’ parameters are different for each individual.

So, it cannot be measured 🙂 . Some may be ‘satisfied but not successful’ and some ‘successful but not satisfied’ (I had once read it somewhere 🙂 ). But of course, the yardstick varies from person to person.

justju jiski thi usko to na paaya hamne
is bahaane se magar dekh li duniya hamne
(Shaharyar)

 ***

Almost nine months back, my family had to shift from Anand to Vadodara as my daughter had got a job there. This was the first time in all these twenty-four years after my marriage that the ‘shifting’ of household was going to be done without me!! I remember one night when I was going to bed in my camp and was just looking at my room made from ‘China structure’ the thought just came to my mind was – how many ‘roofs’ have I changed till now – (Kiraaye ke makaanon se lekar apne makaan tak aur phir se kiraaye ke makaanon tak. . .).

What I had achieved so far. . . And most importantly what I have contributed so far wherever I had been?

I quote Javed Akhtar again, ‘Krishanchander’ from the collection ‘Tarqash’.

apni zindagi mein tumne kya kiya?
kisi se sachche dil se pyaar kiya?
kisi dost ko nek salaah di?
kisi dushman ke bete ko mohabbat ki nazar se dekha?
jahaan andheraa tha wahaan roshni ki kiran le gaye?
jitni der tak jeeye, is jeene ka kya matlab tha?

Or take this from Sahir, when Naresh Kumar Shaad interviewed Sahir

‘When and where were you born?’

Sahir’s reply was ‘Young man, this is a routine question. Instead, when you ask me that question, add ‘why were you born?’ (taken from Akshay Manwani’s ‘Sahir Ludhianvi -The People’s Poet’

***

I remember one of my Bengali colleagues who was with me at Kota and had knowledge about palmistry telling me that wherever I will be I will be loved and remembered there. . . “lekin paisa rahega nahin tumhaare paas“. The same thing was told to me by my landlord at Bareilly who had a knowledge of astrology, ‘beta, jo bhi kamaaoge kharch ho jaayega’ 🙂 .

 But as I look back now, I feel happy about this journey till date;

ye ejaaz hai apni aawaargi ka
jahaan bhi gaye daastaan chhod aaye
(Habib Jaalib)

 And yet once again I am facing the same question again ‘I have to go from where I am’ but where? The addiction to travel to different places and meet different peoples, new problems, new observations – will that allow me to settle?

jidhar jaate hain sab, jaana udhar achchhaa nahin lagta
mujhe paamaal raaston ka safar achchhaa nahin lagta
(Javed Akhtar)

Or take this conversation as mentioned by Javed Akhtar while elaborating on his poem ‘Aawaargi’ the conversation between a master and his servant, from a story by Albert Camus;

I am going away from here

Where are you going? (Servant asks the Master)

I am going away from here that is where I am going

And I am sure there are many who must have enjoyed their respective ‘aawargis’, and there must be many who are enjoying now and there will be many who will choose their path when their ‘dil’ says and enjoy their ‘aawaargi’. . .  Here the ‘enjoyment’ is enjoying the ‘struggles’, the ‘sufferings’, the ‘hard work’, ‘the success’, the ‘failure’, the ‘regrets’, the ‘loneliness’, the ‘company’, ‘the good and bad decisions’, but keep going on and finding one’s own way in this journey of life. . .  I had been fortunate to meet few of them in my life and they have contributed a lot to the society too and left a mark of themselves around the peoples and places they were with. . .

हमारे हर शऊर -ए -ज़िन्दगी का राज़ ठहरेगी यही आवारगी
कल बाइस -ए -एज़ाज़ ठहरेगी 
– ओबैद आज़म आज़मी 

(शऊर -ए -ज़िन्दगी = जीवन की समझ
बाइस -ए -एज़ाज़ = सम्मान का कारण )

***

Javed Akhtar’s take on ‘aawaargi’ begins with these lines from the nazm ‘aawaara’ by Majaaz Lucknowi.

shehar ki raat aur main naashaad-o-naakaaraa firoon
jagmagaati jaagti, sadakon pe aawaaraa firoon

I request readers to go through this link – ‘Aaawargi’ – and listen what Javed Akhtar had said about his poem ‘aawargi’ – the song we are enjoying today.

In Hindi movies, there are many songs and many famous ones too, having the word ‘aawaara’ used in them. However, I think that ‘Aawaara Hoon’ from ‘Aawaara’ (1951) and one non-filmy song of Bhupen Hazarika ‘haan aawaara hoon’ are the closer to the theme of ‘aawaargi’ as mentioned by Javed Akhtar. Let us see the following stanzas each taken from these two songs;

aabaad nahin barbaad sahi
gaataa hoon khushi ke geet magar
zakhmon se bharaa seenaa hai meraa
hansti hai magar ye mast nazar
duniyaa aaa
duniyaa mein tere teer kaa yaa taqdeer kaa maaraa hoon
yaa gardish mein hoon aasmaan kaa taaraa hoon
aawaaraa hoon, aawaaraa hoon

and

jahaan kahin dekhe zindagi ke rang
wahaan thehar gaya
aawaargi mein aawaargi ko
manzil bana liya
maine dekhi hai kahin
gagan choomti oonchhi ataari
aur khaaq chhaanti dekhi hai wahin
zindagi bechaari
kahin dekhi hai kabhi
chaukhaton par
jhoolti phulwaari
murjhaayi kahin
khil na saki
ik kali bechaareee
maine dekhn hain zameen pe kai
bujhte huye sooraj
jalta hai jo aakaash mein
wo raat ka taara hoon
haan aawaara hoon

Even the song “Aawaara Ae Mere Dil“is another nice song. I may be forgetting some other songs – the readers may please add to this list of ‘aawaargi’ theme.

***

Now let us consider the peoples involved in this creation – the song of today – and the phase they were passing through in each of their individual lives. Because this composition is overall so nice that I was in dilemma on whose anniversary or special occasion I should present it. But since the ‘first creation’ are the lyrics I thought it appropriate to be posted on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Javed Akhtar (17 January). Wishing him belatedly on his seventy fourth birth anniversary and wishing him a healthy and peaceful life ahead.

RD Burman the composer, I think, has given one his best and all-time great composition. And I would rate in the same category as “Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar Jaate Hain Jo Maqaam“, “Raah Pe Rehte Hain, Yaadon Pe Basar Karte Hain“. Early eighties were the period when Pancham Da’s career was on the declining phase, though during this period to 1994 till ‘1942 A Love Story’ happened he had given many beautiful compositions to us.

Kishore Kumar was already ruling the roost then but somewhere he was eager to go back to his roots to Khandwa ‘chal re musaafir chal re ab apne garb ko chal re’. And somewhere in this song we can find from his voice that he was eager to return back to Khandwa as early as possible which did not happen as he passed away in 1987.

 ***

 ‘Duniyaa’ (1984) was directed by Ramesh Talwar for Dharma Productions, Pvt Ltd. It was produced by Yash Johar. Hiroo Johar was the associate producer of this movie. Naresh Malhotra was the Chief Assistant Director of this movie. Editing of this movie was done by the famous Waman Bhonsle and Gurudutt Shirali. This movie was passed by Censor Board on 18.09.1984.

It had Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Amrita Singh, Prem Chopra, Amrish Puri, and Pran. It also featured Satyen Kappu, Mac Mohan, Javed Khan, Arvind Deshpande, Sulbha Deshpande, Akbar, Dhumal, Master Rinkoo, Baby Pooja, and supported by many others. Pradeep Kumar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Om Puri makes a guest appearance in this movie, while Saira Banu appeared in a very special appearance in this movie.

Story, Screenplay and dialogues of this movie were written by Javed Akhtar who also wrote the lyrics of the six songs in this movie. Music for this movie was composed by RD Burman. And I think this album can be included in one of the best of Pancham Da, as this movie has all good songs. Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Mahendra Kapoor gave their voices to the songs in this movie.

No video clip of this song is available so far. I have also not watched this movie and so do not know in which context this song might have appeared in the movie.

[Acknowledgements – Javed Akhtar’s book ‘Tarqash’, Javed Akhtar on Tata Sky Active – ‘Aawaargi‘ episode.]

Song – Phirte Hain Kab Se Dar-b-Dar (Duniya) (1984) Singer – Kishore Kumar, Lyrics – Javed Akhtar, MD – RD Burman

Lyrics

phirtein hain kabse dar-badar
ab is nagar
ab us nagar
ik doosre ke hamsafar
main aur meri ee ee aawaargi
naa-aashna har rehguzar
naa-meharbaan sabki nazar
jaayen to ab jaayen kidhar
main aur meri ee ee aawaargi
phirtein hain kabse dar-badar
ab is nagar
ab us nagar

ik din mili ik maahjabeen
tan bhi haseen
jaan bhi haseen
dil ne kahaa hamse wahin
khwaabon ki hai manzil yahin
khwaabon ki hai manzil yahin
phir yoon huaa
wo kho gayee
to mujhko zid si ho gayi
laayenge usko dhoondh kar
main aur meri ee ee aawaargi
phirtein hain kabse dar-badar
ab is nagar
ab us nagar

ye dil hi thha jo seh gayaa
wo baat aisi keh gayaa
kehne ko phir kya reh gayaa
ashqon ka dariyaa beh gayaa
ashqon ka dariyaa beh gayaa
jab keh ke wo dilbar gayaa
tere liye main mar gayaa
rotein hain usko raat bhar
main aur meri ee ee aawaargi
phirtein hain kabse dar-badar
ab is nagar
ab us nagar

ham bhi kabhi aabaad thhe
aise kahaan barbaad thhe
be-fiqr thhe aazaad thhe
masroor thhe
dilshaad thhe
masroor thhe
dilshaad thhe
wo chaal aisi chal gayaa
hum bujh gaye dil jal gayaa
nikley jalaa ke apnaa ghar
main aur meri ee ee aawaargi
phirtein hain kabse dar-badar
ab is nagar
ab us nagar
ik doosre ke hamsafar
main aur meri ee ee aawaargi
phirtein hain kabse dar-badar

ab is nagar

ab us nagar. . .

[Following stanza is not included in the song/movie.
It is part of the ghazal written by Javed Akhtar.]

aasaar hain sab khot ke
imkaan hain sab chot ke
ghar band hain sab got ke
ab khatm hain sab totke
kismet ka sab ye pher hain
andher hain
andher hain
aise huye hai be-asar
main aur meri aawaargi

———————————————————
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Avinash Scrapwala)
———————————————————

फिरतें हैं कबसे दर-बदर
अब इस नगर
अब उस नगर
इक दूसरे के हमसफ़र
मैं और मेरी॰॰ई आवारगी
ना-आशना हर रहगुज़र
ना-मेहरबान सबकी नज़र
जाएँ तो अब जाएँ किधर
मैं और मेरी॰॰ई आवारगी
फिरतें हैं कबसे दर-बदर
अब इस नगर
अब उस नगर

इक दिन मिली इक महजबीन
तन भी हसीं
जान भी हसीं
दिल ने कहा हमसे वहीँ
ख़्वाबों कि है मंजिल यहीं
ख़्वाबों कि है मंजिल यहीं
फिर यूं हुआ
वो खो गयी
तो मुझको ज़िद सी हो गयी
लायेंगे उसको ढूंढ कर
मैं और मेरी॰॰ई आवारगी
फिरतें हैं कबसे दर-बदर
अब इस नगर
अब उस नगर

ये दिल ही था जो सह गया
वो बात ऐसी कह गया
कहने को फिर क्या रह गया
अश्कों का दरिया बह गया
अश्कों का दरिया बह गया
जब कह के वो दिलबर गया
तेरे लिए मैं मर गया
रोतें हैं उसको रात भर
मैं और मेरी॰॰ई आवारगी
फिरतें हैं कबसे दर-बदर
अब इस नगर
अब उस नगर

हम भी कभी आबाद थे
ऐसे कहाँ बर्बाद थे
बे-फिक्र थे आज़ाद थे
मसरूर थे
दिलशाद थे
मसरूर थे
दिलशाद थे
वो चाल ऐसी चल गया
हम बुझ गए दिल जल गया
निकले जला के अपना घर
मैं और मेरी॰॰ई आवारगी
फिरतें हैं कबसे दर-बदर
अब इस नगर
अब उस नगर
इक दूसरे के हमसफ़र
मैं और मेरी॰॰ई आवारगी
फिरतें हैं कबसे दर-बदर

अब इस नगर

अब उस नगर॰ ॰ ॰

[नीचे दिया गया अंतरा, जो इसी नज़्म का हिस्सा है,
फिल्म के लिए रेकॉर्ड नहीं किया गया।]

आसार हैं सब खोट के
इमकान हैं सब चोट के
घर बंद हैं सब गोट के
अब ख़त्म हैं सब टोटके
किस्मत का सब ये फेर हैं
अंधेर हैं
अंधेर हैं
ऐसे हुए हैं बे-असर
मैं और मेरी आवारगी