Archive for the ‘Tribute song’ Category
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.
| Blog Day: | 4331 | Post No.: | 15625 |
Today, May 27, 2020 is the 56th Remembrance Day of India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. I also remember this day for two other reasons. First, it was the day when my SSC result was out in the morning and second, I had to attend my maternal uncle’s marriage. That day was almost like current lockdown situation except that the trains were running and we could go out. A pall of gloom was visible on almost every one’s faces I met at the marriage. The question in their mind was ‘After Nehru, Who?
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a visionary and the architect of modern India. For a newly independent country, charting of a growth path was necessary. The policies were directed towards creating infrastructure facilities like construction of major dams, power plants and setting up of heavy industries like steel plants, engineering and chemicals. Higher educational institutes like Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) and other scientific institutes like All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMs) were set up. He was also the architect of non-alignment movement during the cold-war years.
There were also brickbats for Pandit Nehru’s policies. His handling of Kashmir issue in 1948 and his China policies were highly criticised. Also, the food crisis in the 1960s were blamed for not giving importance to the agricultural sector in the Five-year plans. The foremost critics of Nehruvian policies in those days were Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia of Socialist Party, Hem Barua, H V Kamath and Barrister Nath Pai of Praja Socialist Party, Balraj Madhok of Jan Sangh and Hiren Mukherjee of Communist Party of India. Despite their relatively much lower number of seats in the parliaments, they were forces to reckon with as the leaders from the opposition parties.
I remember in my teen that during the parliament sessions that the newspapers will carry front-page news of the criticism of Government’s policies by one or more of the names of the leaders I mentioned above. Some of these names may not ring bell to the new generations. Most of them were good orators. It was the charismatic presence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who aptly handled heated debate upholding the democratic norms in the parliament.
After the General Election of 1957, one more strong critic of Pandit Nehru’s policies entered the Lok Sabha. He was 33-year old Atal Bihari Vajpayee of Jan Sangh. There used to be heated arguments between the young Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Nehru in Lok Sabha. One of the anecdotes which Atal Bihari Vajpayee revealed during a ‘no confidence’ motion against his Government in 1996, proves that despite serious differences, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s admired Atal ji’s performance in the Lok Sabha. Let us read in Vajpayee’s own words which he spoke in Hindi (translated by me in English):
Once during the heated debate in the Lok Sabha, I told Nehru ji that he had a mixed personality in which he was both Churchill and Chamberlain (former prime ministers of the U K – first was supposed to be hawkish and the second dovish in crisis management). Nehru ji did not get angry. In the evening, I attended at a function organised for a visiting foreign dignitary. At the venue, Nehru ji saw me and called at his place to complement me for my rousing speech of that day in the Lok Sabha. He took me to one of the foreign dignitaries and introduced me by saying ‘he is a young leader from the opposition who always criticises me, but I see in him a great future’.
And what a great statesman Atal Bihari was as well. In 1977, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Foreign Minister, he came to South Block to take charge of his ministry. While walking in the lobby of his office, he noticed that Nehru ji’s portrait was missing from the wall. He called his officials and asked them as to what happened to the portrait. There was no answer. After some time, he found that Nehru ji’ portrait was back in its place. Both these anecdotes indicate the greatness of both these leaders and their relationship in which there was no malice despite serious political differences.
Some of the IPTA members belonging to Hindi film fraternity were also the critics of the Nehruvian policies. Majrooh Sultanpuri in 1948 wrote a poem calling Pandit Nahru a stooge of Hitler and the slave of the Commonwealth for which he was arrested in 1949 by the then Chief Minister of Bombay State, Morarji Desai. Sahir Ludhianvi’s satirical song, cheen o arab hamaara hindustaan hamaara had an implicit criticism of the Government’s policies for widening the gap between ‘haves’ and ‘haves not’.
Shailendra was also the critics of Nehru. He had written a sarcastic poem on Nehru’s visit to the UK in June 1953 to attend the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth. In today’s scenario, probably, Shailendra would have become a persona non grata in South Block. But with Pandit Nehru, it was different. The following anecdote which I read on the facebook page of Dinesh Shankar Shailendra, the youngest son of Shailendra, throws some light which indicates that Pandit Nehru had no malice towards his critics.
Sometime after the Chinese aggression in October 1962, Pandit Nehru invited some members of Indian Film Industry to Delhi to personally thank them for doing programmes for the Indian Army to boost their moral and also raise funds. Raj Kapoor with his core team comprising Shankar-Jaikishan, Mukesh, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra were also the guests. All the guests were waiting at the venue but Nehru ji got delayed. A bored Shailendra told Raj Kapoor that he was tired of waiting and would like to go back to his hotel room. He also said that there were so many important guests and he would not be missed. Raj Kapoor agreed.
After some time, Pandit Nehru arrived and personally met all his guests. While talking to Raj Kapoor, Pandit Nehru suddenly asked ‘Where is Shailendra? – the man who wrote hothon pe sachchaayi rehti hai, jis desh mein ganga behti hai. Raj Kapoor was in a quandary. He immediately sent Shankar to bring Shailendra from his hotel room which he did. A relieved Raj Kapoor proudly introduced Shailendra to Pandit Nehru who insisted getting photographed exclusively with Shailendra. Nehru ji told Shailendra that he would personally sign the picture and send it to him which he did.
It was, therefore, no surprise that the finest tributes to Pandit Nehru following his death on May 27, 1964 came from his critics. After reading them, I feel that they have all come from the bottom of their hearts and also out of immense respect for him. Kaifi Azmi wrote a heart-felt song, meri aawaaz suno, pyaar ka raag suno for ‘Naunihaal’ (1967). He also wrote a nazm, Nehru in 1964. Sahir Ludhianvi wrote a nazm, Jawaharlal Nehru soon after the death of Pandit Nehru.
Pandit Nehru was a great admirer of Hindi and Urdu poetry. He was a fan of poets like Josh Malihabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala and Harivanshrai Bachchan with whom he used to interact with them on poetry. There are anecdotes on Pandit Nehru’s friendship with these poets which also reveal that Pandit Nehru took criticism from his friends without malice towards them.
Pandit Nehru was instrumental in setting up of Children’s Film Society of India in 1955. He had invited Kidar Sharma to direct the first film for the children, ‘Jaldeep’ (1956). The film won the award of the best film under children’s film category at Cannes Film Festival in 1957. For the next children’s film, ‘Bachhon Se Baaten’ (1957), Kidar Sharma requested Nehru ji as a part of the film. One can say that Pandit Nehru acted in a film where he was the main actor. [Source: Kidar Sharma’s autobiography, ‘One And Lonely Kidar Sharma’ (2002)].
Shailendra wrote a non-film song as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru. On the occasion of the 56th Remembrance Day of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, I am presenting the same non-film song ‘phool khilega baaghon mein’ (1964) which is rendered by Mukesh. The song is set to music by Shankar-Jaikishan.
Audio Clip:
Song-Phool khilega baaghon mein jab tak ghulaab hai pyaara (Mukesh NFS)(1964) Singer-Mukesh, Unknown voie, Lyrics-Shailendra, MD-Shankar Jaikishan
Chorus
Chorus + Mukesh
Lyrics
Chacha Nehru
amar rahen
Chacha Nehru
amar rahen
Chacha Nehru
amar rahen
phool khilega baaghon mein
jab tak gulaab kaa pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
Nehru naam tumhaara
jab tak hai iss jag mein
chanda suraj kaa ujiyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
humko hai dukh humne kho daala apna humjholi
jiske saath deewaali thhi uske sang khelen holi
kaun bada ab hum jaise ban ke khilwaad karega
pyaar karega jhagdega jhoothi taqraar karega
khilega jag ke aangan mein
jab tak bachpan pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
kaun manga kar dega humko bhaalu haathi cheete
bachpan ke din apne to bachpan se pehle beete
kaun hamen chitti likhega pyaar bhari bhaasha mein
haay tumhen bhi hum likh paate kaash aur tum jeete
jab tak bachche muskaayenge youn nirmal jaldhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
wo muskaan hamaare jaisi hriday jeetne waali
wo gussa jo sheetal hai jaise barkha matwaali
wo ghudki jo sikhlaati hai sabak yaad kar lena
wo baaten jaise bikhraaye phool phool ki daali
yaad aayengi jab tak dukh mein degi yaad sahaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
phool khilega baaghon mein jab tak gulaab ka pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
chale gaye ho lekin lagta hai tum yahin chhupe ho
jaise hum bachchon se aankh micholi khel rahe ho
bagiyaa ke phoolon mein bikhri hai muskaan tumhaari
nadiyon ke sang chalte ho parvat ke saath khade ho
jab tak baaki hai duniya mein jo kuchh bhi hai pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
kabhi na bhoolenge hum tumne itna pyaar diya hai
kabhi na murjhaayega tumne jo gulzaar diya hai
hamen tumhaari yaadon ki saugandh ke hum bachche bhi
yogya banenge uske tumne jo sansaar diya hai
jab tak mehnat ke haathon jaayega vishwa sanwaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
hum sachche insaan banen
hum dost banen vishwaasi
hum chaahe jo hon pahle hon achchhe Bharatwaasi
kabhi na ho ab jung zameen par
desh rahen sab mil kar
jung ek hi ho duniya mein
bhookh rog aur dukh par
jab tak bahti hai is duniya mein Ganga ki dhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par chaacha naam tumhaara
phool khilega baaghon mein
jab tak gulaab kaa pyaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
chaacha naam tumhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
chaacha naam tumhaara
tab tak zinda hai dharti par
chaacha naam tumhaara
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
Recent comments