“through the act of living, the discovery of oneself is made concurrently with the discovery of the world around us. . ."

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Morning Raga



Its early morning, 0600 hrs. P has left, finally, for Dehra Dun. She will catch a flight to New Delhi today from Kochi and thence to Dehra Dun. Back from the Railway Station, I switch on the PC and listen to old Hindi songs of my favorite singers, Talat Mahmood, Hemant Da and Mukesh. ‘Jalte hain jiske liye’ is Talat’s most popular song; it is as well one of the ten greatest Hindi film songs. I am wafted back into the past. It drifts through me like the morning mist. One of the lesser known but very beautiful song of Mukesh is ‘Koi dil mein hai aur koi hai nazar mein, mohabbat ke sapne’. Even many devotees of Mukesh have not heard this song. I heard it for the first time in 1978, when a friend gifted me a record of this song, which had ‘Laut ke aa’ also. Hemant Kumar – I always think of him as Hemant Da - has a very special place in my heart.



Nothing like remembering the past; of whatever that you can still remember. One of the benefits of ageing is that you have so many things to remember and reflect upon. Happy, sorrowful memories, they are a part of you. I wikipaedia Mukesh and am shocked to learn that he was only 53, my age, when he died in 1976. Hemant Da’s passing away in 1989 still gives me pain. I was on a month-long trek in the Himalayas at that time. I had carried a little tape recorder and a few cassettes, among which my then most precious possession, those of Hemant Da. In the one month I was away I had not read newspapers. It was only after reaching home and browsing through old newspapers that I learned about his death. I was in Darjeeling at that time and had passed through Calcutta, where Hemant Da breathed his last. Even now, it breaks my heart.



I listen to Hemant Da’s ‘Chupa lo yun dil mein pyar mera’. An indescribable feeling, a mixture of immense sorrow, joy and a sense of detachedness envelops me. Death, the inevitable culmination of our life! Like Talat sang – ‘Zindagi denewale, sun. Teri duniya se dil bhar gaya, mein yahaan jite ji mar gaya’…

In spite of all the hurtful, despicable, deceitful and whatever and whatever things that is happening in India, I am happy to be born here, though by sheer coincidence. I breathe, I eat, I live in this part of the world. I am so grateful to this nation for all the happiness that her sons and daughters have given me. Happiness and gratitude hugely overwhelm sorrow and ire. I am at rest, at peace, realizing this truth.

******* Balachandran V, Trivandrum 03.10.2010

11 comments:

  1. i havent heard this either...‘Koi dil mein hai aur koi hai nazar mein, mohabbat ke sapne’. i love old film music and i love listening AIR for the same reason. chupa lo yun dil is also a perennial fav of mine! and i love the way ure post ended... see there are things in this country we can be proud and happy about! cheers!

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  2. oh, K, you'll love it! It is there in my music playlist. Just click get tracks or click the next song a few times till you reach it. You can also listen to directly from Youtube.

    There have been too many posts in the blog circle these days, either reg CWG or the Ayodhya verdict or some other such deplorable incident in our country. I was feeling a bit upset at all the cynicism and bitterness and criticizing that followed. And then - Hey, Presto! The music helped me break out of it! Isn't that wonderful?

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  3. Any account of music of ester years would be incomplete,without a mention of Madan Mohan. I don't think there was any one else who could create such heavenly music.And also,Mukesh and his Bhooli Hui yaaden..

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  4. @Doc: You are right. The list could go on and on... I have made my own special collection of Mukesh songs, begining with Dil Jalta Hai. I copied them from different sources. I used to give it to friends who love Mukesh.

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  5. An ageless timeless voice, like a kuyil's indeed. We'll go mad without such music.

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  6. Jalte hain jiske liye...this song is very special to me .My dad used to sing this very often(he is no more with us).We still have the tape of this song recorded in his voice(that old style tape recorder).I love listening to old music on You Tube and its kind of a ritual to share my fav music on FB(face book) almost every night.

    The song Taal mile nadee ke jal se is one of my most fav.I love Mukesh,geeta dutt,manna dey and many others.
    You got me all nostalgic.

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  7. @Prabhakar: You said it, we'll go mad without such music. It helped me get out of my blues.
    Kavitha: I love them all! But, I just like consider Hemant Da as my special. I could listen to him all my life... When I was young, Mukesh was my favorite. Later I came to understand the depth of Hemant Da. Actually all singers - why, there are a lot of good people in the world and I am in love with them all! :)

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  8. Time can stand still!
    Why is it that such men are not born again. Or is it that we dont see them still?

    The soothing power of their music has been enhanced perhaps by the solitude too?

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  9. @Anil: Humanity is evolving into- 'Humoney"!

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  10. Tho' I know not the songs you speak of, in some of your writings, I do know the feelings of music, which I dearly love, memories and yesteryear. You speak of warmth and tenderness of what was including pain of loss..It reminds me of many things. You write it with peace.............

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  11. @Kavitha: Isn't it wonderful that there are so many of us who share the love for those great songs?

    @Sandy: I wish I could tell you the meaning of these songs! My Hindi isn't that good. You might hear a few of them in my music playlist. You might love them, just for the melody and the mood!

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