A Song with Deeper Insights

Sudhirendar Sharma

My previous music note on ‘एक प्यार का नगमा है मौजों की रवानी है’ evoked interesting responses from my friends whom I send this piece on Whatsapp – emotive and reflective. While some found themselves lost in past memories, few others thought they could make their life more meaningful. We may not realize but words woven into lyrical compositions are powerful to transform moments. I sometimes wonder why ‘song appreciation’ is not taught as a subject, on the lines of courses on ‘film appreciation’!

However it is never my intention to make anyone ‘sad’ but rather ‘thoughtful’ after listening to my choice of songs, even if it is at the cost of shedding a tear or two. Only humans shed tears, it is said, because life evolved out of water and we often lament the home we have abandoned. You may or may not buy this argument but would agree that if tears were less viscous, on account of high protein content, these would not have left marks on our face leaving many of us not to hide tears!

Back to songs, but with tears this time. I can claim that this song will have a healing impact on you. A bit of introduction first. Producing poetry in demand has been the hallmark of lyricists, and yet the best of poetry was never in short supply. Imagine someone writing cheap songs like ‘धूप में निकला न करो रूप की रानी, गोरा रंग काला न पड़ जाए’ and ‘लड़की नहीं तू लकड़ी का खम्बा है, बक बक मत कर नाक तेरा लम्बा है’, and then turning up with a soulful melancholy of hope turned upside ‘हम थे जिनके सहारे,  वो हुए ना हमारे, डूबी जब दिल की नैया,  सामने थे किनारे. The lyricist is Shyamlal Babu Rai, who was popularly known as Indivar. This deep, emotional and touching song composed by Kalyanji-Anandji is from 1970 film ‘Safar’.

The duo of Kalyanji-Anandji used a limited range of notes with a smooth transition from one note to the next, making  songs soothing and melodious. Though the duo never aligned with a star or a production house, their fine blend of melody, instrument arrangements, and lovely orchestration mesmerized music lovers of all generations. They seemed to get absorbed in the situation to compose simple but melodious songs that accentuated the emotions in the lyrics. Their sad songs continue to haunt, like the one under reference. 

Indivar’s couplets refer to the unmet value of human relationships. Only in loss we begin to value it, and take it for granted when all is well. The lyrics have deeper insights, the flow of tears on the screen (to my mind) could be spontaneous. But that is what life is all about, whether or not you like it. It is a haunting number that has accompanied me since my college days.

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