Jal bhi chuke parwane ...

Long overdue for this blog...

With my micro-miniscule knowledge and, insignificant to nil experience in classical and ghazal gaayiki, I symbolize chhoti mooh badi baat perfectly whenever I attempt to talk about this pristine genre of music ...
especially when I want to take the name of a legend called Mehdi Hassan.

Here, I have attempted the most challenging task of picking only a few out of my most favorite ghazals of the Ustaad, Mehdi Hassan.

It happened to me during the 80s ... when mainstream Hindi film music was losing steam ... huffing, puffing and panting after a stupendous run through the golden era up till the 70s.

The first drizzle of awareness, of a lyrically and magically musical genre of music called ghazal, fell on me when I heard Pankaj Udhas in an offbeat tele-film called Agnidaah. I remember the movie only because of Pankaj Udhas's version of Dil dhadakne ka sabab yaad aaya, a lovely, melodious song that played several times in the background.

Even in mainstream bollywood music, I have always found myself paying special attention to the gaane ke bol, appreciating good lyrics over good background music. But I used to find the poetry in ghazals and nazms a bit overwhelming. The complex metaphorical language of the lyrics was intimidating, yet intriguing. Moreover, seriously shayarana Urdu was a different beast !
So in those good ol days, I would pick my ghazal choices purely based on the attractive voice of the singer.

Like many many others out there, my first taste of the mithaas of some seriously supreme Mehdi Hassan ghazals was with the melodious
Ranjish hi sahi, dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa .

The poetry was powerful, yet easy enough to absorb and appreciate, even for a beginner. Above all, the soft romantic voice that was rendering the song was the hook that sunk me deep into this genre of music.

Jaise tujhe aate hain na aane ke bahaane,
aise hi kisi roz na jaane ke liye aa...



Yeh to bas shuruat thi...

When Mehdi Hassan entered my world of music listening, he kick-started me on a journey to collect some of the best poetry ever to grace the ghazal scene, sung to perfection by the man himself.

Listen to the easy flow of heart wrenching poetry, etched to perfection with the depths of emotions in his voice ! ... Pure bliss !

Early days of effervescent youth is filled with colorful life and romance. So obviously in my budding Mehdi Hassan ghazal collection, the romantic songs and catchy tunes were most popularly demanded by me. I would fast-forward the dull melancholic and serious ghazals to get to the melodious
Khuda kare ke mohabbat mein yeh maqaam aaye, kisi ka naam loon, lab pe tumhara naam aaye

And of course, my favourite was the world's favourite romantic ghazal too ...

Apni jazbaat mein nagmaat rachaane ke liye
maine dhadkan ki tarah dil mein basaya hai tujhe ...
Main tasavvur bhi judaai ka bhala kaise karun,
maine qismat ki lakeeron se churaaya hai tujhe ...



Soon, I caught up with some more sweetness in the romantic Duniyan kisi ke pyar mein jannat se kam nahin ... and some bitterness in the romantic Mujhe tum nazar se gira to rahe ho, mujhe tum kabhi bhi bhula na sakoge.

The soulful voice emoting the simple lyrics of Sata sata ke humein ashkbaar karti hai
or the melodious flow of pathos in the slow and sombre Yeh dhuaan sa kahan se uthta hai , combined with the supreme poetry of the ghazals have created a potent, intoxicating, melodious genre for me, called 'Mehdi Hassan'.

I am still struggling to get a good audio of sata sata ke humein. Until then my scratchy radio version will have to do.

No matter how many times I have heard these songs, and continue to hear them, they never step down from my collection ! Ever !

Growing up in this genre, as I continued to develop my passion and the gaana parakhne ki samajh, I found myself giving special appreciation to the original versions of Mehdi Hassan songs that are recorded in studios. His voice in the original recordings has a unique 'doob jaao' factor that beautifully accentuates the "feel" in the lyrics. The voice brings out the fuzzy emotions in the poetry, wrapping the words in just the right amount of pathos, pain and passion.

Falling in love with the genre of ghazals was easy, even though deep Urdu scared me silly. It still does ! But I have made some progress over time.

The effort of understanding the words in context of the lyrics, is absolutely essential to appreciate the poetry in ghazals. I make that effort.
When I listen to Mehdi Hassan rendering the poetry, masterfully modulating his voice around the words, stressing each syllable the right way to highlight the emotional nuances in the lyrics, I find the effort is thoroughly enjoyable.

This is what I mean ...



How easy was it to grow my Mehdi Hassan collection those days when broadband was way too narrow ?
Just a little bit of struggle, I would say ... like meddling with my Phillips 2-in-1 to catch any music program aired anywhere in the world, hoping to capture Mehdi Hassan's voice in blank cassettes. Making sure not to overwrite an already filled side A of the cassette !

Even though, it was easy to get hold of the music albums that were easily available in the local HMV stores, the road got rough during the khazaane ki khoj, when I got greedy and wanted good audible versions of all the awesome songs that I was catching on the radio.

That is the reason I spent almost 20 years looking for the original studio recording of the immensely popular ghazal
Jal bhi chuke parwane ho bhi chuki ruswai
I especially find this original studio recorded version a gem, an absolute collectible, because it gives me an achy throat every time I listen to it ...
This is a ghazal which I had heard on rare occasions on some weird, offbeat, non-filmi desi musical programs on some unheard of videsi radio stations.

Ik shaam wo aaye the, ik raat farozaan thi,
wo shaam nahin lauti, wo raat nahin aayi



Somewhere, some early time during this journey, I remember obsessing over a slow ghazal set in a monotonous tune, which I had accidentally heard on one of those weird radio programs.
During a repeat transmission, I recorded it on a Hitachi 60 min cassette. The recording stopped in the middle because the tape had run out.

For years after that, that scratchy bit was the only piece of the song I had access to. As far as I searched, no audio track in any compilation in the market carried this ghazal, and after a while, I gave up the search altogether.

The dull music and the soft voice of the singer lulled me .. almost hypnotically, like no other song in my bollywood collection at that time. But, I didnt know who the singer was.

It was years later, when knowledge was just a google search away, that I could connect the voice of Mehdi Hassan to this Faiz ghazal.

Phir nazar mein phool mehke, dil mein phir shammein jali,
phir tasavvur ne liya us bazm mein jaane ka naam



Another Faiz ghazal that found its soulmate in Mehdi Hassan's voice ...

Tum aaye ho na shab e intzaar guzri hai,
talaash mein hai sehar baar baar guzri hai..



The treasure hunt continued as I stumbled upon a rare recording of dil mein ab yun tere bhoole huye gham aate hain... in the familiar soft, melting voice.

Hmm... Mehdi Hassan and Faiz ! It would be criminal if I missed mentioning THE most in-demand Gulon mein rang bhare baad e nau bahaar chale

... a sure cure for dry eyes !



There were pockets of time in life when I was exposed to various musical Mehdi Hassan resources, and those times I obsessively collected his ghazals. And then there were other times, times of hibernation, when my current weird music collection would keep me company until I hit the next favourable pocket of time in life ... !

The colorful days of youth ... there is no reason why a gray, dull tune or some boring out-of-the-ordinary poetic catch phrases in a ghazal, would get any attention from me. Yet, years ago, a gray 'n dull voice did fill my colorful times, and I faced a perfect moment filled with failing words, when I listened to this amazing ghazal for the very first time ...

Kaise chupaun raaz e gham deeda e tar ko kya karun ...



... and this has remained in my most wanted ghazal playlist for years !

I can see how Mehdi Hassan's famous ghazals and film songs have earned him the crown as the King of this genre of music. When I watch and listen to the videos of Mehdi Hassan's live performances, when I listen to how his voice and his emotions punctuate the poetic expressions in the words, I have understood why his ustaadi is undisputed.

Listen to the amazing rendition of Wo dil-nawaz hai, lekin nazar-shanaas nahin, mera ilaaj mere charagar ke paas nahin and feel free to concur with me.



Did the crown also cover all the other rare gems that have not gotten the attention they so deserved?

A shockingly well hidden gem in the Mehdi Hassan khazana is the intensely powerful Bulleh Bulleh Shah poetry ki jaana main kaun which has passed through the heart and soul of several musicians who have rendered this awesome poetry.
From Abida Parveen to Rabbi Shergil, to the Pakistani rock band Junoon, some of Bulleh Shah's poems have been syruped with pure sufi, sufi-rock and pure rock flavours.

If the lyrics of Bulleya ki jaana main kaun humbles me with the powerful, awakening questions, then hearing it in Mehdi Hassan's voice makes me misty eyed every single time I experience this song.
Each time he repeats the verses bullehya ki jaana main kaun, he stresses on a different word, a different syllable... generating some serious soul-power with his soft, honeyed voice.

What a pure and sacred connection to the self !

Here, there is no powerful voice in high volume, there is no strong and rhythmic drum beats to lull the senses, no catchy tune either.
There is just the velvetty soft richness of Hassan saab's voice that flows me though every nuance of the lyrics, through the mysteries of Bulleh Shah's verses, guiding me into the labyrinths of my existence.



For easy listening, I recommend the awesomely romantic Rafta rafta wo mere hasti ka saaman ho gaye and the romantically awesome pyar bhare do sharmile nain.

For a more deeper experience, change over to the slow 'n sombre
Ulti ho gayi sab tadbeerein, kuch na dava ne kaam kiya or the nostalgic Bhooli bisri chand umeedein, chand fasaane yaad aaye, tum yaad aaye aur tumhare sath zamane yaad aaye.

A jhalak of the ustaadi of the ustaad, yet another masterful stroke, can be experienced in the rarely heard Mohe panghat pe nandlal chhed gayo re... which sounds similar to the Lata Mangeshkar song from Mughal-e-aazam

I find the lyrics in this song quite extrodinary... there is Ghalib, and then there is also Meer and all are weaved in with the mukhda. What a brilliant composition brought to life by the Ustaad !!
A unique, one of a kind, amazing song...



A must-mention classic, that is guraranteed a place in any Ghazal playlist in the world, is ofcourse the Mughlaai masterpiece
Baat karni mujhe mushkil kabhi aisi to na thi...

And if the Mehdi Hassan classic is played on screen by the Ustaad himself, it is called sone pe suhaaga. There is nothing else that needs to be said ...



Several years ago, a locally made collection called "Finest ghazals of Mehdi Hassan" spotted me during a casual shopping experience in New Delhi's Nehru Place. This album put me in touch with some of the best works of the mastreo. Alongside the soft honeyed Gulshan gulshan shola-e-gul ki, zulf-e-saba ki baat chali and the melodious Kaise kaise log hamare jee ko jalane aa jaate hain, there was a beautiful ghazal that sped me along the khoj to hear more from this extraordinary ghazal singer.
A rare ghazal that remains rare despite the efforts of the Internet to shrink the world...

Saari kahani bechaini ki maathe pe likh deti hai,
aisi baat ke ghutte ghutte mooh tak aaye aur reh jaaye ...



The pick of my playlist at this moment is the awesomely amazing, yet rarely talked about

Suraj ubhra, chamka, dooba, laut aayi phir shaam..
Shaam huyi phir yaad aaya ik bhoola bisra naam,
Phir mann doob gaya saajan mein, doob gaya... !



Unusually long post dedicated to the mastreo !
Hmm... very short infact.

I want to wrap up, but while looking for youtube links to present in this blog, I found this rare classic, which reminds of Lata Mangeshkar's nainon mein badra chhaye and couldn't resist adding it here



... which will surely lead us on to expand this discussion to add Mehdi Hassan's other classical and semi classical jewels into this khazana ...



Thank you, Mehdi Hassan saab, for gracing our times with your golden voice and for the immense joy you have spread in our world ... May god bless you with good health and happiness, forever !

READ MORE!

Just beat it... he just did

MJ is a fine example of a name that is bigger than the man himself.

Many say he is the best that ever was or that ever will be, and many others are ready to disagree. But no one can ignore the effect he had on a whole generation, the humongous difference he made to the pop scene of the Universe.
I come from the MJ generation and I have watched this phenomenon sweep my time. The mania swept over even smaller cities and remote places in southern parts of India where most of the popular music was either from Kollywood or from early morning alarm clocks.

The time when Thriller was smashing records and a stunned world was mesmerized over his magical moonwalk.

Not to forget how it ushered in the new and improved pop era of the 80s' Bollywood.

Bolly, Kolly, Tolly, all the woods in the neighborhood were dancing to his tunes. From Mithun to Hrithik, with Prabudeva & Govinda inbetween, time has seen many and more of MJ wannabes in bollywood. Some wannabes imitated, while others were inspired and they improvised brilliantly on the MJ moves.

How can we forget our inspired Bappi da's Indian Michael Jackson with his Belle (not in) Jeans ...




... and the arrival of the Tollywood Thriller




The man ...



and his moonwalk...



Could he have revived his career ... ever ? Could he have returned to the unimaginable heights that he had once scaled ? Could he have EVER been accepted by the world as "normal" again ? Will his epochal musical memories ever sideline the black & white shades of his eccentric persona ?

Maybe his death was a sure shot guarantee that the world as one would once again talk about him, and while talking about him, would incidentally remember his music too.

And it did.

READ MORE!

Barkha bahaar & Ras ki puhaar

Baarish, barsaat, barkha, baadal, badra, ghanghor ghata, rimjhim, saawan ... did I miss anything ??

Songs about rain, in rain, of rain, for rain …

Naah.. this post is not intended for dudes to drool over drenched damsels, neither is it a roll-call of the “A list” of songs picturized in the rain... Rather, this post is about some bollywood songs that use rain as an excuse to make a sentimental statement; the songs that use rain to the fullest, in lyrics, and in portraying the mood of the scene.



I could spend the rest of my life youtubing the endless list of songs in and around rain ! It's amazing to see just how many are out there ... stereotypical, monotonous, filmy, bollywoody moments, that use rain as the backdrop, rain as the visual component for accentuating a romantic theme. Sometimes as a supporting role to a hyper-active character’s chulbulapan, or at times to simply bring out the sensuality of the situation, or dardnaak laments of a longing heart ...

Instead of rattling off all the rain songs that I can remember from memory, instead of grabbing every rain song blessed by Google God, let me hand-pick a few that most often miss the list of most popular bollywood rain songs.

Let me not pick the obvious picks… Let me pass Sridevi's mega popular rain-dance in Lamhe, or a nostalgic Vinod Khanna reminiscing his lost love in Chandni wohi aag seene mein phir jal padhi hai, lagi aaj sawan ki phir woh jadhi hai or the silly ‘n cute Shahrukh ‘n Madhuri ‘n the brood chak dumm dumming in DTPH or a wet ‘n white totally-lost-it Kajol in DDLJ ... These are some nostalgic YCMM - Yash Chopra Monsoon Moments ... !

I am not going to talk about those songs that use rain to depict the mood in the scene, as a visual factor only, where the lyrics don’t call for rain or shine. I will try to avoid talking about the oft-repeated ones like Raj Kapoor 'n Nargis's famous umbrella scene wala Pyar hua ikraar hua hai, pyar se phir kyun darta hai dil... A great song indeed ! It is a perfect pick for a romantic melodious - "a complete package" - song .... rain or otherwise. But without the visuals, without having watched the scene itself, the song does not bring rain to our imagination.
As a kid, I remembered this song for the melody, the sing-along factor, and more so because, in the initial "whoz umbrella is it anyway" moment of the song I thought Nargis was going to sneeze :-)



Hmm... come to think of it, rain is just plain boring water, uninteresting, shapeless, colorless, odourless, with no khaas baat about it … jiss mein mila do lage uss jaisa ... so it simply dissolves the mood of the moment into itself, and washes gently over the already heightened emotions.

So what would be a good rain song that is light hearted and romantic, and yet does not overplay the sensuousness that is so typical of the romance-in-the-rain scenes lately … Bheegi bheegi raaton mein, Zeenat and Rajesh Khanna lost in their meethi meethi baaton mein, in aisi barsaaton mein, asking the million dollar question ki kaisa lagta hai...!!?? This song combines the right amount of romance, sensuality, impish chulbulaapan all baked into equally interesting lyrics and catchy music to make a piping hot dishy rain song, cooked just right. One of the most wanted songs in anybody's rainy playlist, I am sure ...



Absolutely avoiding the rimjhim rumjhum love story from 1942, and the gzillion bheegi bhaagi si jhatak mataks from Raveena, Sonali, Karishma, et al, I thought of mentioning the ol rimjhim ke geet saawan gaaye, haaye, bheegi bheegi raaton mein… but I wont.


Skimming throught the rainy words, from baarish to saawan, the words that drenched us in melodious rain when rim jhim ke tarane leke aayi barsaat, I am stopping at barkha ... which brings out one of the most melodious songs ever created.
Simplicity takes centerstage again as Sadhana proves that wet need not be wild, to weave magic in melody ... THE barkha song, where soft tender romance rains down ras ki puhaar ...



And then I move on to avoid picking the chanchal chulbubi songs ... like Zeenat trying to woo an obviously unimpressed Manoj Kumar
teri do takiyaan di naukri ve mera laakhon ka saawan jaaye...
The lady sure had her priorities straight !

No. Let me not go down the list of Hema Malini's one-on-one with the saanwri ghata ... asking o ghata saawari thodi thodi baawri ho gayi hai barsaat kya. or Chameli going Bhaage re mann kahin aage re mann chala, jaane kidhar jaanu na ... simply enjoying the incessant rain that is as unstoppable as her spirits.

But by the time Sridevi, Madhuri, Kajol, Karishma, Kareena, Raveena, came with their respective rain dances, creating their identity in bollywood, the rainy list had already grown beyond the count of any other mausam's mention in a song.

As I was googling for rain songs, and intentionally skirting around the usual megahits, I hit upon this mega song which I was hearing after, I dont know how many years... ! This is a colourful flashback into my good ol bhooli bisri Doordarshan days :-) and hence gets a special entry into this write-up...
This gaana talks of no baarish, no barsaat, neither saawan nor badra, nor megha, nor rimjhim nor any ghanghor ghata... but a very unique reference to rain as ... "Vrishti".
I think this may be a bengali or Marathi song originally. A very sweet, simple sa gaana, no big stars, no jhatak mataks, nothing great about the song, no clue what the heck this movie is about ... but the more I watch the song on youtube, the more I like it ! Moreover it is a perfect fit for this topic … hai na …



Life is beautiful...
... when you have discovered the simple joys in life, like the pleasure of jumping into a puddle of rain water, or simply walking in the rain .... And when the ordinary, messy monsoons become a thing of wonderment... like it never has been before... pehle bhi yun to barse the baadal, pehle bhi yun to bheega tha aanchal, then the deheka saawan and beheka mausam takes over your senses totally and it just doesn't allow the bubbling excitement to settle down to a more practical matter of catching the darn cold.



So often, intzaar is associated with rains Garjat barsat saawan aayo re, laayo na sang mein hamre bichde balamwa ... And at times when absence and longing needs no thundering clouds or down-pours to dramatize the pain ...



And then there is the real deal...
The rain itself.
Not an occasion for romance... no chiffon-clad rain dance, no time for frivolous thak dina dhin, or dhin chaak dhin or whatever...
coz there are some careless truths cracking open in the dry heat ...

Tak tak sookhe parbat aankhen taras gayi,
Baadal to na barse, aankhen baras gayi ...
Pyaasi mamta neer bahaaye …
Ik ritu aaye, ik ritu jaaye, mausam badle na… badle naseeb.

A rural spin to the occasional yet rare rains... the life giving heavenly showers, again, there is no sultry sensuous dance number or even the hint of love or romance, this is as close to reality as we can get in our dreamland ...



Better still, why wait for the unpredictable rains, if rain is only symbolic of a restless mind, a heart in love, then rain can be imaginary as the emotion itself.. hai na ?

Saawan aaye ya na aaye, jiya jab jhoome, saawan hai !
Taar mile jab dil se dil ke, wohi samay mannbhaavan hai ...

All this shor sharaba for a boring process of precipitaion in clouds in nature's water cycle....
Be it washing away tears, sprouting love, beckoning the blooms of aane wali bahaar, or simply a reason to get wild… the rain makes the imagination as fertile as the green fields it pours down on.

So, chaahe duniyaan idhar ki udhar ho jaaye, bollywood mein baarish, barsaat and ghanghor ghata will forever shine .. even on a rainy day !

READ MORE!

Teri awaaz ke saaye...

Where and how do I begin... ? It was so easy for them to reach us because they had the power and mastery of their art to do so. But it is extremely humbling for me to even want to aspire to write a few words, as a small tribute to these awe inspiring legends.

A voice that transcends borders, languages and man-made boundaries to embrace the world in the most fundamental way, washing it with waves of pure delight, cleansing and filling the hearts with hope and longing...

That is how I would describe Begum Akhtar, Farida Khanum, Abida Parveen and Iqbal Bano ... the crème de la crème of the very few ladies who have graced the world of ghazal gaaiki.


In return for their blessings, the world stands in awe, admiration and deep respect, in abundance, for these ladies who have stood the test of time, against social and cultural pressures, and yet never faltered in their dedication to the art ... Almost like worship in its purest form.



It is like ... truth. There is nothing beyond truth ...
Truth, as in the most basic, most deepest connection that the verses of the poet, makes with our hearts ... pure, undiluted, unadultrated, through the powerful voices of these legends. They are called legends because, they will always be talked about for being inimitable, for being pioneers in perfecting the art of ghazal gaayiki. Not only did they reach the heights of fame and success, but also reached the deepest depths of our souls ... to affect us in the most basic way. That's why I call it the truth. Because, there is nothing beyond truth.

It never fails to move me to tears when I listen to Farida Khanum, and each time I listen to her, I wonder how fearlessly she uses the occasional kharaash in her voice to accentuate the right emotion in the poetry ! Amazing !!
A different genre, a different style ... Asha Bhosle... I adore the way she adds her breaths while singing a song ! When she takes the small gasping breaths, the sighs and sharp sounds of it adds the required fire to inflame the sentiments she potrays with her voice.
These are little, insignificant things ... hai na? But, when there is no special musical arrangements to appreciate, when there is no technically advanced sound system to suit our modern day gadgets, I do admire these little personal touches of the singers who have taken their song rendition above and beyond anything that technology can ever hope to produce.

I dont know where I read this, whom to give credit to, or how I got this into the Senty's rants 'n randomness collection, but I have noted these simple words down here because it reflects my thoughts about these amazing ladies :

High as the heavens,
Broad as the earth,
It shines upon the world,
Solid as the ground,
Lofty as the mountains,
Never faultering, never failing,
Brilliant like the sun,
Bright like the moon,
Constant as heaven and earth ...

Dasht-e-tanhai mein, aye jaan-e-jahaan larzaan hai, the Iqbal Bano signature song, is one of the finest examples of a singer's mastery over ghazal gaayiki. Listen to it a gzillion times and more ... and each time, revel in that ecstatic goose-bumpy feeling as she uses her deep throated, slightly nasal, a little too heavy, perfect voice to paint every color possible into one of the most heart wrenchingly romantic poems ever written.

Utth rahi hai kahin qurbat se teri saans ki aanch.
apni khushboo mein sulagti hui maddham maddham ...
door ufaq paar chamakati hui qatra qatra,
gir rahi hai teri dildaar nazar ki shabnam



The sublime moments when one listens to her Daag-e-dil humko yaad aane lage are often taken for granted. We expect the moments to be sublime because, Iqbal Bano infused such emotions in her vocals that transcended understanding. She simply made us feel the raw poetry in all its finesse.

She has shared so much of her soul with the world, through her gaayiki. Now it is time for that soul to rest in eternal peace.

The legend has now transcended into immortality ... retired from her physical existence.

In this tribute, I give a special mention to Iqbal Bano's Faiz ghazals because they are a part of my every day life. I listen to them so often that I cannot NOT talk about them here. These ghazals are the reason for my developing deep interest in Iqbal Bano.

jo ruke to koh-e-giraah the hum, jo chale to jaan se guzar gaye
rahe yaar humne qadam qadam, tujhe yaadgaar banaa diya ...


Even situational songs from films, be it Pareshaan raat saari hai, sitaaron tum to so jaao or the ever popular Ulfat ki nai manzil ko chala, or this personal favorite of mine Ik halki halki aahat hai, ik mehka mehka saaya hai stands rock solid, winning by miles and more, against the new-age new-generation of new music.

Her excellence in classical singing dominates the talk when the topic of Iqbal Bano's ghazal gaaiki is raised. Apart from that, for me, Iqbal Bano's relationship with the world through poets from classical Ghalib, Daag to contemperory Faiz, remains the flavor of the day, every day.

The dignity, the grace, the dedication and devotion to the art, the humble personality, all added to the power in her voice that rendered some of the most deepest poetry of our times, staying honest and true to the intended emotions of the poet.

Wo qayamatein jo guzar gayin, thi amaanatein kai saal ki,
koi had nahin hai kamaal ki, koi had nahin hai jamaal ki

A small playlist from my personal favorite Iqbal Bano collection ...

READ MORE!

Ya ilaahi, yeh majra kya hai ...?

This blog needs a kick, a nutritious energy drink like a mug of Boost, a stimulus package to revive the slump in activities, and bring it back to life.

So what better way to do it than talk about, cry about, sing about, the most talked about, cried about, sung about, danced about, filmed about, fought about, died about "duh" king of all emotions... LOVE ! As in, wachamacallit... pyar, ishq, mohabbat.

It's known to be the most mundane, yet over-rated, over-played, over-hyped, yet omnipresent feeling that is ever misunderstood and more often, taken for granted.

There exists only one true love, the sincere love for food.... said George Bernard Shaw. Hmm...I could extend it to true love of music as well.
Most often we do tend to knead and twist the heart and make pretzels out of this fancy human emotion.

But love, that's felt the right way, in all its intensity and sincerity, can be rewarding, like a freshly baked pretzel, giving that comfy, warm and toasty feeling.

I dont like pretzels that much ... If you haven't tasted it before, it can fool you into thinking that its a gud se bana meetha dish, but most pretzels are salty ! So maybe I should say love is like jalebi ! But if we count the calories, cholesterol, carbs and sugar, I guess pretzel is more healthier for the heart :-)

Confusing? Ya, thats the way love goes !

Lets put it this way, Love is neither sweet as a jalebi nor salty as a pretzel, Neither is it bitter nor spicy.

Love is like water, the sole provider of life on the planet, essential for existence.
Like water, love is shapeless, tasteless, colorless, odorless, yet it quenches a thirsty heart, shaping it with its sweet, colorful and fragrant senses.

Sirf ehsaas hai yeh rooh se mehsoos karo,
pyar ko pyar hi rehne do koi naam na do ...

probably the closest to defining the meaning of love in any bollywood song...



Lets move on...
To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer, to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness - Woody Allen.

The suffer in happiness raises the topic of the eternal shama parwana relationship. There are way too many poems, shers and songs around this mystical, bizzare relationship.

Parwana jal raha hai, magar jal raha hai kyun...
yeh raaz jaanna hai to, khud ko jalaa ke dekh !

Maybe if the parwana had put on a pair of smarty pants and an attitude, raised an eyebrow at the shama, and shot a "dude, you are hot ... but I aint that dumb !" then we would never have had the khazana of good ol songs and shayiri that we do now !

But then, that was love in a selfless form.
Of course it is selfless only so long as the exaggerated sense of self-importance, the ego, is not involved. Yet there is no denying the fact, that love alone makes the world go round.

As poetically put by Mir Taqi Mir, in simple verses ...

mohabbat mein dil hi ko ro baithiye,
mohabbat mein ji muft kho baithiye

mohabbat se hai intzaam-e-jahan
mohabbat se gardish mein hai aasmaan



Unfortunately, it is one of the hidden rules that defines the order of the universe. The rule states that a romancing heart breeds shame and resentment in another. Its the well known ishq kabhi kariyo na rule.
Because, as love awakens, so does the pain associated with it.
And thats how and why we get these amazing, precious, songs !

True,
kisi aur gham mein itni khalish-e-nihaan nahin hai ...
But how is that going to stop hearts form falling in love? In today's practical world of social existence, of survival, of fast-foods, of stock market and quick bucks, who has the time to look for true love !
It is as if its not worth finding, fighting for, anymore.

dil mein kisi ke pyaar ka jalta hua diya,
duniyan ki aandhiyon se bhala yeh bujhega kya

So what happens when the dil can't keep up with the aandhi ?
Out goes the diya !

Ok, so what about true love then? It could stumble onto you, one fine day, unannounced.
Recognize it, nurture it, treasure it. Set it free. Let it spread its wings and fly away and clear the test of time, let it weather the storms, of high and low seas...
Remember to stop by and check it out at a future point in life ... coz it may never have left your side.
Woh naqsh kya hua jo mitaaye se mit gaya,
woh dard kya hua jo dabaaye se dab gaya ...



Of late, with the awakening of the new generation before its due, as seen in the movies and songs and real-life stories happening around us, love is being shot out of turn, like a misguided missile... bombarding our world with its intricate complexities. Mistaken, misunderstood, misinterpreted ... just missed.

Now, in these times, patience takes precedence over love.
Lets wait for the times when this eternal, pure, and sincere feeling is given its rightful place, given the due respect it deserves.

O romance ... where art thou ?

READ MORE!