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15 Songs of Shailendra: The Art of Simply Expressing Deepest Thoughts

December 14, 2016 | By and

Shailendra’s seemingly simple lines are layered with meaning, with purpose and with the deepest thoughts, feelings, emotions and realisations. We compiled a brief list of 15 songs that give a glimpse of his massive range – encompassing songs of love and romance, songs of introspection and philosophies, songs of spiritual awakening and harsh social realities, songs of that celebrate liberation and songs that express the anguish of entrapment.

Raj Kapoor and Shailendra

Raj Kapoor and Shailendra (Pic courtesy: Google Image Search)

Poets specialise in certain kind of poetry – some are romantic, some metaphysical, some spiritual and some plain humorous. But when you talk of Shailendra, it is impossible to slot him into a genre, a style, a mood or a philosophy.

On the face of it, Shailendra’s lyrics are simple. You don’t need to dive for the dictionary every now and then when you hum his songs to search for meanings of unknown words. Simplicity is his hallmark.

But is that all there is to his poetry? Far from it. Those seemingly simple lines are layered with meaning, with purpose and with the deepest thoughts, feelings, emotions and realisations.

On Shailendra’s death anniversary, we compiled a brief list of 15 songs that give a glimpse of his massive range – encompassing songs of love and romance, songs of introspection and philosophies, songs of spiritual awakening and harsh social realities, songs that celebrate liberation and songs that express the anguish of entrapment. His 17-year-career spanned an awe-inspiring spectrum of poetry and songs that connect and affect us till today.

Jeena isi ka naam hai

We start this journey with who else but Raj Kapoor. It is a curious twist of fate that Shailendra and Raj Kapoor, the two fast friends share this date for two diametrically different reasons. Shailendra left this world the day Raj Kapoor celebrates his birth anniversary. Together with Shankar Jaikishan, the duo created some of the masterpieces of Hindi film music.

When you wonder about the purpose of life, this song gently reminds you in the simplest of logic – if you can bring about a smile on a face, if you can share someone’s sorrows, if you have a heart that brims with love, it is a life worth living. Raj Kapoor in his characteristic Chaplinisque style livens up this beautiful song, set to music by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Mukesh.

Kisiki muskuraahaton pe ho nisar
Kisika dard mil sake to le udhar
Kisike vaste ho tere dil me pyar
Jeena isi ka naam hai

Kisiki muskuraahaton pe ho nisaar (Anari, 1959) Shankar Jaikishan / Mukesh

A prayer of a saddened heart

When a prayer emanates from deep within the soul, it shatters the skies. The doomed Anarkali turns to the Almighty, with a heart-wrenching, plaintive plea and yet clinging on to a ray of hope that her prayers will be heard.

Main kya doon tujhe mera sab lut chuka hai
Dua ke siva mere paas aur kya hai

It is all that she can do to save her prince.

Na dil todna dil ki duniya basaa kar

Dua kar gham-e-dil, khuda se dua kar (Anarkali, 1953) C. Ramchandra / Lata Mangeshkar

Straight from the heart

The common man on the street has a song too, and a story to tell. Shailendra’s expertise in expressing the hard realities of life with tongue-in-cheek humour sparkles in this gem composed by Shankar Jaikishan. You can’t help smiling at the ironical story the tramp narrates while drumming his duff.

Chhote se ghar mein garib ka beta
Main bhi hoon Ma ke nasib ka beta
Ranj-o-gham bachpan ke saathi
Aandhiyon mein jali jeevan baati
Bhookh ne hai bade pyaar se paala

Every child is the apple of his mother’s eye even if he has to face storms, hunger and penury. But it’s a world that protects the rich and the influential. So remember to follow the rules laid out for the ordinary man or you could be at the receiving end of a ruthless system.

Gham se abhi aazad nahi main,
Khush hoon magar aabad nahi main
Manzil mere paas khadi hai,
Paanv me lekin bedi padi hai
Taang adaata hai daulat wala

Who else but Shailendra could paint such a stark picture of the wide chasm between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ in the simplest of words.

Dil ka haal sune dilwala, seedhi si baat na mirch masala (Shree 420, 1955) Shankar Jaikishan / Shailendra

When Nature celebrates love

Sketching vivid imagery with words was Shailendra’s forte. And here he paints the picture of a starry night, when two lonesome lovers enjoy their togetherness beside the river and the gentle breeze is their only companion.

Yeh raatein yeh mausam nadi ka kinara yeh chanchal hawa (Dilli Ka Thug, 1958) Ravi / Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle

Love is… the world in its entirety

What happens when you finally find the love of your life? You feel you’ve got everything you could hope for from this world. Simple.

Mujhko tum jo mile, yeh jahaan mil gaya

Hemant Kumar and Geeta Dutt got together for some great duets not only in Hindi but also in Bangla and this one surely is one of the best of their repertoire together. Composed by Geeta Dutt’s brother Mukul Roy, this song is steeped in the Bengal style of music – soft, serene, sugar-coated. Geeta Dutt’s sweetness is perfectly matched with Hemant Kumar’s deep romanticism. When Hemant Kumar begins the song with a spontaneous humming, it immediately sets the mood of something leisurely and melodious. Shailendra’s lyrics make every lover’s heart do a hop and skip.

Mujhko tum jo mile (Detective, 1958) Mukul Roy / Shailendra / Geeta Dutt and Hemant Kumar

Dreams

Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anuradha explored the dreams, aspirations, emotions and despair of a successful singer-dancer who quits her flourishing career to choose to be the wife of a committed doctor, trying her best to adjust to a life of loneliness and boredom in a village.

Jaane kaise sapnon mein kho gayi ankhiyan,
main to hoon jaagi mori so gayi ankhiyan

This song, set to an excellent music score by Pandit Ravi Shankar beautifully captures the dreams of a young woman in love – playful, happy, hopeful and lost in her own sweet world.

Jaane kaise sapnon mein kho gayi ankhiyan (Anuradha, 1960) Pandit Ravi Shankar / Lata Mangeshkar

Wistful wishes to relive those golden days

Don’t we all wish to relive some of our golden days – of childhood, of youth, of love and romance, of being with friends and family, of delightful memories and precious dreams? All of us would relate to this song in our own individual ways – wistfully wishing if only those times could return just once.

Koi lauta de mere beete huye din,
beete huye din wo mere pyare palchhin

Koi lauta de mere beete huye din (Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein, 1964) Kishore Kumar / Kishore Kumar

The World and Me

The quintessential existential question – who do I listen to? The world sings a different tune. My heart sings quite another. And caught in this dilemma, it becomes a question of choice – of resolve, of decisions, of knowing one’s own self, of listening to one’s inner voice or the racket outside.

Anil Biswas, in his swan song, created an everlasting ghazal, giving full justice to this introspective poetry by Shailendra. It’s a song of every individual – who has the courage of conviction to make a choice.

Kuchh aur zamana kehta hai
kuchh aur hai zid mere dil ki
Main baat zamaane ki manoon
Ya baat sunoon apne dil ki

Kuchh aur zamana kehta hai (Chhoti Chhoti Batein, 1965) Anil Biswas / Meena Kapoor

In Search

It’s a realisation that dawns slowly. But there comes a time when you realise you came alone and you will leave alone. Shailendra’s lyrics encapsulate the ultimate truth of life, sketching the path each individual must trudge. Alone.

Kehte hain gyani,
duniya hai faani,
pani pe likhi likhayi
hai sabki dekhi,
hai sabki jaani,
haath kisike na aayi
kuchh tera na mera
Musafir jayega kahaan

Wahaan kaun hai tera (Guide, 1965) S D Burman / S D Burman

Liberation

How do you portray a sudden ecstatic realization of freedom, a release that lets you take flight as you wish too with no strings pulling you back? In a masterstroke of song usage, Shailendra’s lyrics set to tune by SD Burman and rendered by Lata Mangeshkar created a song that uplifts every woman’s heart till today for sheer buoyancy.

This song that came to be known as the “first feminist song of Hindi cinema” threw the spotlight on a woman’s struggle to break out on her own and give wings to her dreams – at a time when no one had heard of ‘empowered women’. And in a daring experiment, SD Burman started the song not from the mukhda but from the antara – Kaanton se kheenchke yeh aanchal.

Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai (Guide, 1965) S D Burman / Lata Mangeshkar

An Ode to the Uparwallah

An ode to the beloved camouflaged in a ‘prayer’ to the “uparwallah” – a delightful double meaning! It required the genius of Shailendra to write lyrics that would sound innocuous enough to resemble a plaintive prayer and yet serve as a veiled love song to Dev Anand’s lady love Waheeda Rehman perched right above on the bunk overhead! Can you blame her parents for mistaking their co-passenger as a devotional singer lost in his world of prayers?

Even we sigh at times and hum this line as a wistful question to the Almighty and smile the next moment when we remember the situation it has been used in! When master craftsmen such as Vijay Anand, SD Burman, Shailendra, Dev Anand and Rafi get together, their creation connects generations through. Notice the use of the flute to replicate a tuneful train signal. Masterpiece in entirety!

Apni to har aah ik toofan hai, upar wala jaan kar anjaan hai (Kala Bazar, 1960) S D Burman / Mohd Rafi

Every bride’s cry

Shailendra was very fond of his children, a doting father to his daughters. In this song, Shailendra expresses the anguish every bride feels when she is destined to be far away from her home she has known to be her own since birth. A daughter’s heart cries out to her father to send her brother to take her home. It’s a song that makes tears well up in the eyes and get a lump in the throat every time you hear it.

Bairan jawaani ne chheene khilone
aur meri gudiya churayi
Babul thii main tere naazon ki paali
Phir kyun huyi main parayi

Shailendra’s razor-sharp lyrics poignantly express the agony of the girl who suddenly finds herself becoming a stranger to the family which once nurtured and cherished her with unconditional love. SD Burman’s soulful music coupled with Asha Bhosle’s expressive singing make this song one of the most evocative songs of Hindi film music.

Ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko babul (Bandini, 1963) S.D. Burman / Asha Bhosle

Alone

Teesri Kasam, Shailendra’s dream project had songs that were rooted to the soil of the rustic hinterland of Bihar. Using the folk dialect, Shailendra delved into a range of emotions – from the fluffy Paan khaaye sainyya hamaro to the philosophical Duniya banane wale kya tere mann mein samaai, kaahe ko duniya banai; from the gentle reminder of Sajan re jhooth mat bolo, Khuda ke paas jaana hai to the spirited Chalat musafir moh liya re pinjre wali muniya.

But we picked this lonesome number for the sheer dexterity with which Shailendra delves into an anguished woman’s heart. The imagery is so vivid, you cannot help being touched by her pain of being left childless and abandoned with nothing to look forward to.

Sooni sej gode mori sooni,
marm na jaane koye
Chhatapat tadpe ek bichari mamata aansu roye
Na koi is paar hamara, na koi us paar hamara
Karamava bairi ho gaye hamaar

Sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamaar (Teesri Kasam, 1966) Shankar Jaikishan / Mukesh

Dramatic irony

Hindi film music has this unusual genre of dramatic irony songs where the song is sung only for a particular person amid a crowd of people who are blissfully unaware of the communication that is happening between two characters. As the audience, we know. The characters on the periphery have no clue.

Ajeeb daatan hai yeh is one of the brightest and most beautiful examples of dramatic irony songs. Shailendra’s lyrics speak of Meena Kumari’s quiet pain at seeing the one she loved now married to someone else. She sings only for Raj Kumar and he knows it. Her friends merrily hum along, enjoying their picnic. It’s a love song, it’s a song of broken trust.

Kisika pyaar leke tum,
naya jahaan basaaoge
Yeh shaam jab bhee aayegee,
tum humko yad aaoge

Ajeeb daastan hai yeh, kahaan shuru kahaan khatam (Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, 1960) Shankar Jaikishan / Lata Mangeshkar

Leave behind your footsteps on the sands of time

As an endnote, let us go back to one of his earliest films – Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen. What Shailendra wrote in the garb of a ‘palli geeti’ or farmer’s song from rustic eastern India was prophetic. He perhaps knew that he is destined to create poetry that will withstand the test of time – songs that will continue to sparkle in the hearts of music lovers because they speak of universal values, everyday experiences and ultimate truths.

And they connect. They make the listener feel – ‘Now how did he know this is exactly what I wanted to say but could never find the right words!’
Well, the songs are about us. Simple.

Apni kahaani chhod ja
Kuchh to nishani chhod ja
Kaun kahe is ore tu phir aaye na aaye

Dharti kahe pukar ke beej bichha le pyar ke (Do Bigha Zameen, 1953) Salil Chowdhury / Manna Dey

https://learningandcreativity.com/silhouette/shailendra/

Creative Writing

Whether you are new or veteran, you are important. Please contribute with your articles on cinema, we are looking forward for an association. Send your writings to amitava@silhouette-magazine.com

Editor in Chief, Learning and Creativity; Consulting Editor, Silhouette Magazine. A former business journalist, Antara writes extensively on the changing trends of music, direction and filmmaking in cinema. Her articles aim to provide well-researched information on the legends of cinema for the movie and music enthusiast. She is also the Founder-Editor of Blue Pencil, a New Delhi-based publishing house. She edited and published Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman, the biography of SD Burman written by HQ Chowdhury. She has co-authored a chapter on Hemant Kumar's Bengali music in the acclaimed book The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar, written by Manek Premchand. Her articles have also been published in Dearcinema.com and Du-kool.com. Antara is Editor-Creative Director of Wisitech InfoSolutions Pvt. Ltd.
All Posts of Antara Nanda Mondal
Consulting Editor Learning and Creativity and Silhouette Magazine. To talk of a few passions of Peeyush, one must start with music. He is known to be a collector of music and information pertaining to Indian cinema (majorly Hindi) spanning a period from early 1930s to 1980s. He has a large collection of Bengali and Punjabi music and material as well. He also boasts of a huge library of related material. Peeyush has delivered talks and lectures on music appreciation, contributed write ups in numerous news papers and magazines. He has co-authored a tribute publication on Anil Biswas. He has co-hosted radio talk shows on music and met and interviewed a number of personalities. Occasionally, he delivers talks even now. Peeyush has been the founder secretary of the prestigious, Vintage Hindi Music Lovers Association in Bangalore that honored Anil Biswas in 1985. He is known as a storehouse of old Hindi music and information regarding music and movies. Peeyush is well read in Vedic culture and literature and is invited in various centers to deliver enlightening lectures on Vedic values. His range spans from four Vedas to Upanishads and Darshans as well as Bhagvad Gita. He has delivered talks on Yog Darshan in Yoga schools and large gatherings. He currently lives in Oshawa, Ontario in Canada.
All Posts of Peeyush Sharma

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18 thoughts on “15 Songs of Shailendra: The Art of Simply Expressing Deepest Thoughts

  • Naveen

    Dear Peeyush ji and Antara,

    With this article on Shailendra’s songs, you connected straight with my soul.

    Several of these songs featured by you were included in our program on Shailendra. His words truly represented the finest of human emotions in a statement which could not be expressed in simpler words.

    Of my most favourite in this class is the song “हैं सबसे मधुर वो गीत जिन्हें, हम दर्द के सुर में गाते हैं”

    ..and this line takes my breath away each time I dwell on it:

    पहलू में पराये दर्द बसाके, हँसना हँसाना सीख ज़रा, तू हँसना हँसाना सीख ज़रा

    1. Antara

      Naveen ji,

      Thank you so very much!
      The song you have mentioned is a particular favourite of mine as it reminds me of Shelley’s Ode to a Skylark “Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts”.

      Its a classic Talat Mahmood song and incredibly deep in meaning. In fact, the songs of Patita are completely in a class of their own!

      Our objective was to cover the various genres and we could only touch the tip of the iceberg. Shailendra’s range is so incredibly wide and just as deep.

      Will eagerly await your next event on Shailendra. 🙂

  • A Bharat

    All the while I was reading this interesting article the suspense kept on mounting as to what’s coming next and each time I was out guessed!

    For the basic factor is that we never associate some of the most familiar songs with Shailendra. For most of us it has to be a Shanker Jaikishan song and when we find his lyric in Anarkali or Do Bigha Zameen we feel stumped.

    Again his ability like Rajendra Krishen to pen a “soft” Urdu lyric as against the consciously “Urdu” films we know catches us by surprise.

    As for the sheer thought content the song of Guide or Patita stands way above many such songs.

    Congratulations Peeyush and Antara. Your decision not to stick to the established composer-wise pattern has yielded golden results!

    1. Antara

      Thank you so much Bharat ji! Your appreciation sar aankhon par.

      When Peeyush ji picked the songs, his list spanned a cross-section of top music directors and moods. When we started building the article, it was very difficult to filter and pick a few. Then we decided to explore the massive variety of moods, styles, thoughts, expressions all bound by a common thread – simplicity.

      Hence we ended up with a mixed bouquet where we had to leave out so many amazing creations – each more beautiful that the other.

      Thank you so much for enjoying it just as much we enjoyed putting it together! 🙂 _()_

  • Peeyush Sharma

    Thank you Naveen ji. That is quintessential Shailendra; pehlu mein paraye dard….or kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nissar...or, dil hi to hai isne shayad bhool bhi ki hai…

    That was his poetic beauty. it touches the right emotion and chords with simplest of words.

  • Nutsure Satwik

    Wow. Not for nothing he was known as Kaviraj. The depth of his philosophy and the simplicity of his writings touch the chords of a common man.

    Whether it is ”Wahan kaun hai tera” or ”tu pyar ka sagar hai” there is no beating about the bush. The message is clear. Total submission to almighty.

    When it comes to sensuality the bard put sensuality in his down to earth style. For example in Teesri Kasam he pens ”hamane mangai surmedani le aya zalim banaras ka zarada” and the way Waheeda, he puts an humble beetle leaf at a very high pedestal without losing it’s sexuality and sensuality. Never once he sounds vulgar.

    Whether it was ”Aaja ab to aaja” from Anarkali or ”Kaha ja raha hai to aye jaane wale” from Seema or ”Man Mohana bada jhoothe” from same movie, his earthiness marks his style. Lovely article and selection of songs.

    1. Antara

      Thank you so very much Dr Satwik ji!

      You have put it so succintly – “The depth of his philosophy and the simplicity of his writings touch the chords of a common man.”

      Such profound thoughts and such an incredibly simple manner of expression – it requires no extra efforts to understand. But each line leaves you wondering at the many layers it carries.

      It was very difficult to choose from the many, many, many songs that have so many layers – the deeper and deeper you go, the discovery becomes even more amazing.

      For example how do you pick one song of Teesri Kasam or Guide or Anari or Patita or Bandini or…… – phew! It just leaves you wishing that if only you could go on for ever. 🙂

      Thank you so very much again! Your comments mean a lot to me!

  • Amla Shailendra Mazumdar

    Thank you Antara for this heartfelt and in depth tribute.

    Whilst you cover most of the genres there are few close to my heart which may not have been covered due paucity of time or other reasons.

    NARRATIVES

    Shailendra’s story telling or narrative skills are seen in a few of his songs. His ability to sum up epics in a 4 to 5 minutes song is a master stroke unique to him.

    If we see for example the Ramlila written for Ab Dilli Door Nahin.

    Shivji bihane chale palki sajayee ke from Munimji depicting the wedding story of Shiv-Parvati.
    Or the simple once upon a time story of a king, queen and princess- Samaa Albela din hai milan ki – a dance drama in Anuradha.

    Oh but how could I not include Duniya ki sair karlo from Around the World in 8 Dollars here?

    FESTIVALS

    Holi songs from Ek Gaon Ki Kahani and Pooja

    Holi and Diwali are covered again in the same song from Guide… Priya tose naina laage re

    RELATIONSHIPS

    Mother-child relationships…
    Munna bada pyara from Musafir
    Maata o maata jo tu aaj hoti from Ab Dili Door Nahin
    Juhi ki kali meri ladli from Dil Ek Mandir

    Mother- child could get sub divided into loris which there are plenty of good examples.
    Shailendra earned a posthumous Filmfare award for the lullaby from Bhramachari.

    Brother-sister…Bhaiya more rakhi ek bandhan ko nibhana from Chhoti Bahen

    FOLK

    Bichhua from Madhumati
    Chalat musafir moh liya re from Teesri Kasam

    DREAMS

    Although you touch DREAMS, this can form a complete chapter in Shailendra’s repertoire.
    Khuli hai aankh magar, khwab hai wahi ka wahi from Miya Biwi Raazi,
    Sapnon ki suhani duniya ko aankhon mein basana mushkil hai from Shrikant, and
    O zindagi ai meri bebasi from Sapnon Ka Saudagar
    would be an integral part of that chapter for me.

    1. Antara

      Amla Di,

      We are deeply humbled by your exhaustive analysis of the missing links in our article. Each genre of poetry from Shailendra ji’s repertoire that you have elaborated is so rich in beautiful and enriching songs.

      The most difficult part as I had mentioned earlier too is to pick songs as representative of a genre. Even within a category or genre you don’t find two songs alike.

      Piya tose naina laage re was part of the original list but we settled for Wahan kaun hai tera eventually for the depth of ultimate truth in it. Your observation of this song being a kaleidoscope of festivals is so correct. Similarly, Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain is one the most beautiful representations for a couple starting out on a life together. It goes much beyond a love song. Now you see? Even after picking 2 songs from one film Guide, we are still wondering how we could leave out the others!

      For Folk too, the original choice was Bichhua from Madhumati since Peeyush ji had already covered Chalat musafir (Teesri Kasam) a few days ago in his writeup on Shankar Jaikishan. But eventually to club ‘folk’ with ‘viraha’, we picked Sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamaar. The incident you narrated the other day about director Basu Bhattacharya being quizzed about what the song meant and his candid answer is simply amazing! So many side stories revolve around these beautiful songs, giving us a glimpse of their creative genesis.

      Relationships of course – Mother-child relationship songs you have mentioned are iconic. So is the brother-sister Rakhi song. And one of my ever favourites is Chota sa ghar hoga baadalon ki chhaon mein (Naukri, 1954) which covers both 🙂 A son or brother’s simple wish to give a comfortable life to his mom and sis.

      And then if I may add the beautiful imagery of seasons with the most beautiful rain song – these lines come to mind the moment you hear the first pitter patter of rain – Rimjhim ke taraane leke aayi barsaat (Kala Bazar, 1960)

      Of course, with all these genres we need to have sequels to our writeup for sure and get more such engaging perspectives from you and all our readers. Its just so very motivating. We are really grateful to you for taking so much time to write this beautiful analysis.

      As Shailendra ji had observed in the simplest of words: Choti si yeh duniya pehchane raaste hain… Its a beautiful world and getting smaller by the day! Hope to see you come back with more such amazing comments.

      Thanks again!

      1. Peeyush Sharma

        Ek se badh ke ek… What a repertoire Shailendra had!

        Munimji was all Sahir, but when this song situation was conceived Shailendra had to be summoned. I believe this was a pre-scripted (in some way) that Shailendra had recited at a public function and then re-fathomed into a superb song; Shivji Bihane chale. No other song on Shiv Byah has been there to match this Shailendra-SDB-Hemant wonder that amuses even today.

        For me, Rimjhim ke tarane leke is the last word on rain songs in Hindi films. The lyrics, music, orchestration, singing, shot conception, everything stands out and remains etched in memory.

        Thanks for your detailed comments Amla ji.

  • Silhouette Magazine

    Some comments on this article received on Facebook:

    Seema Shailendra: Thank you Antara and Peeyush jee for this beautiful write up to remember Shailendra jee on his 50th death anniversary. I found your tribute as one of the very best. It’s so nice to see how each and every song of Baba has touched so many hearts.

    It’s amazing to see even after fifty years these songs are fresh in people’s mind and they guide each one in their life. I find all my answers in these songs and they give me the courage to deal with every situation in life.

    They are gems and you are so right in saying selecting fifteen best song was a hard choice for you. We face the same situation when asked to name his best works as each and every song is the best.

    Pls keep up the good work. Thanks again.

    Dharma Kirthi: Excellent critique of the finest poet of our times Shailendra .. covering most of his genres. I know it is so difficult to choose a few songs from his rich body of work.

    I wish you had increased the number of songs to include a few more from SJ’ and Salil Choudhary combination..as most and best of his songs were from these two composers…

    Thank you Antara and Peeyush for the write up.

  • Antara

    Thank you so much Seema ji

    These songs are part of our being now. They affect us, enrich us, give us solace, make us emotional, help us understand the immense value of simple things of life… We just put these experiences into words 🙂

    Delighted and grateful at your comments. _()_

    Thanks a lot Dharma ji,

    It was a very difficult choice indeed. We had to restrict to just 15 songs …. its a mindblowing repertoire…

    And our objective was to pick a spectrum of moods – SJ and Salil Da most certainly and not to forget SD Burman with whom he created some of the best known classics…. what a team they made…! Thanks again!

  • Ashok M Vaishnav

    Shailendra’s range can be studied under each of the music directors with whom he had bulk of his work (SJ, SDB, or Salil Chowdhury) or under different music directors with whom he did relatively less number of songs.

    So Antara and Peeyush ji have enough subjects to work upon in so far as Shailendra is concerned.
    And of course we readers have several more occasions to still participate in their wonderful passages.

    1. Antara

      Thank you Ashok M Vaishnav ji!

      We are overwhelmed at the response to our tribute to Shailendra ji – the comments we’ve received are broadening the scope of discussion, offering new insights and perspectives.

      The enriching feedback shows the power of these everlasting songs which talk of universal truths – we are all affected by them in some way or the other.

      For sure we will be doing more stories on this subject – the songs of Shailendra are many splendored – so many hues to unspool and discover. Of course, he has worked with the widest spectrum of music directors – from the prolific SJ, SDB and Salil Da to music directors who did just a few films such as Pt Ravi Shankar, Mukul Roy, Suhrid Kar, and even one of Bengal’s most famous music directors who never ventured into Hindi – Nachiketa Ghosh.

      Allow me to add this beautiful song in a Bengali hit Indrani sung by Mohd Rafi, written by Shailendra and composed by Nachiketa Ghosh. Its a top favourite for me 🙂

      We sincerely appreciate your support in listing our articles in your esteemed Carnival of Blogs

        in such detail. Its really, really motivating!

        Thanks again!

    2. Peeyush Sharma

      What lovely comments and I must thank each ad every one for leaving such comments and appreciating the write up.

      The Indrani number has been a long time favourite of mine, such a different flavour that music composition has.
      Thanks for posting the song Antara.

    3. Vijay Kumar

      Wonderful selection, and each song so well deconstructed. If I have to have my way, I will bring in that Woman Under The Hammer (aa ja ab to aaja) song, as also that great duet dam bhar jo udhar muh phere – the Moon at lovers’ beck and call !

      And how I am to leave out ye shaam ki tanhaaian…. separated for eons and yet the wait …? For life-death meta physics, I will root for tu pyaar ka saagar hai.

      Antara, how did you leave the love ode with unmistakable spiritual trappings…. or vice versa ….. mere man ke diye ? It is one of the finest for its words, its music and its on screen execution.

      And my surprise inclusion will be… raat ke humsafar…. I just marvel at the words.

    4. Antara

      Vijay ji… I was so very eagerly waiting for your feedback!

      200% agree with every word you say… these songs you have listed are unmissable but as the post was getting longer and longer, I added the link to your post below which covered some of these songs …., your deeply probing analysis is in a class of its own 🙂

      Your analysis of Mere man ke diye is in your story on Bimal Roy… where you brilliantly draw out the symbolism in the picturisation of the song, providing an eloquent “backdrop to the quasi lament – the song of love-related despair and pain”

      And here is the link for our readers to your essay: https://learningandcreativity.com/silhouette/bimal-roy/

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