{"id":2138,"date":"2015-08-30T02:27:32","date_gmt":"2015-08-29T20:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=2138"},"modified":"2020-07-16T22:12:50","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T16:42:50","slug":"shailendra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/shailendra\/","title":{"rendered":"Shailendra: The Spirit with a Mass Connect"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_2139\" style=\"width: 244px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2139\" class=\"wp-image-2139 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra-234x300.jpg\" alt=\"Shankardas Kesarilal popularly known by his pen name Shailendra\" width=\"234\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra-117x150.jpg 117w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra-312x400.jpg 312w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra-300x385.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra-150x192.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/shailendra.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2139\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shankardas Kesarilal popularly known by his pen name Shailendra<br \/>(30 August 1923 \u2013 14 December 1966)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Shailendra was a phenomenon &#8211; the Mustard Seed!\u00a0 The Seed that not only sprouted through the deep dust of poverty it found itself buried under, but also took the essence of that dust for its creative flourish.<\/p>\n<p>In <em>dil ka haal sune dilwala<\/em> (<em>Shree 420<\/em>), there is a stanza that alludes, rather cryptically, to his early years of penury,\u00a0 of hardship, of struggle:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Chhote se ghar mein garib ka beta<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Main bhi hoon maa ke naseeb ka beta<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ranj-o-gham bachpan ke saathi<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Aandhiyon mein jali jeevan baati<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Dhoop ne hai bade pyaar se paala\u2026\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But Shailendra is not complaining. He is almost portraying his unensconced early life as his strength. The second sentence\u00a0 &#8211; \u2018<em>Main bhi hoon maa ke naseeb ka beta\u2019 <\/em>&#8211;\u00a0 carries a deeper layer of meaning than is apparent. Shailendra is assertive that he is what he is owing to the accumulated good <em>karma <\/em>(<em>naseeb<\/em>) of his mother.\u00a0 What he implies, though unsaid, is that his early poverty too is part of a larger destinational design.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Ramayya Vastawaiyya <\/strong><\/em>(<em>Shree 420<\/em>, 1955)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rW72kDrJvwA\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In an earlier track \u2013 \u2018<em>Awara hoon\u2019<\/em>, which became and still is a trans boundary craze\u00a0 &#8211; he is romancing with poverty, with wretchedness,\u00a0 extolling the meaningless meandering, and equating the vagabond with a fallen star! I wonder, why the Ministry of Tourism has not thought of adopting this poem on the lilt as the anthem for the Incredible India Overseas. It will impact.<\/p>\n<p>His \u2018<em>Ramayya Vastawaiyya<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em> is not a run-of-the-mill love song. He is putting poverty on a higher pedestal existentially, something to cherish, almost!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Uss desh mein tere pardesh mein<\/em><br \/>\n<em>sone chaandi ke badle mein milte hain dil<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Iss gaon mein, dard ki chaavn mein<\/em><br \/>\n<em>pyaar ke naam par hi dharakte hain dil\u2026\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Shailendra\u2019s love muse often sourced poverty. And whenever that happened, he connected, he truly became people\u2019s poet, he became timeless.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shailendra \u2013 the optimist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hope and optimism were part of Shailendra\u2019s DNA. It will be an easy argument that a lyricist writes as the cinematic context demands and Shailendra was no exception.\u00a0 This, however, holds good only to a point. Deeper creations do give the lyricists the critical literary freedom, to internalize their own take on the situations.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, the number from <em>Boot Polish<\/em> \u2013 <em>\u2018Tumahare hain tumse daya maangate hain<\/em>\u2026\u2019 This lament of existential haplessness, this address seeking compassion and succour to battle the fated destitution and denial\u2026Every time I hear this I feel an inexplicable rawness, a vulnerability within, with eyes turning a tad moist.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, mercifully, Shailendra still throws an ember or two to flicker the hope for the spirit apparently buried under absolute darkness.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Yateemo kee duniya me har dam andhera<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Idhar bhool kar bhee na aaya savera<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Kisi shaam ko ek pal bhar jale jo<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ham aasha kaa aisa diya mangate hain\u2026\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I have often thought if Shailendra\u2019s dalit descent weighed with him sub-consciously as he wrote this poem of gripping pathos.<\/p>\n<p>In the other <em>Boot Polish<\/em> number, Shailendra is unrestrained &#8211; the optimist in him becoming a seller of dreams :<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Humse na chhuhpao baccho humein to batao<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Aane wali duniya kaisi hogi samjhao<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Aane wali duniya mein sab ke sar pe taj hoga<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Na bhookon ki bheedh hogi<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Na dukhon ka raj ho<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Badle ga zamana yeh sitaaron pe likha hai<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Nanhne munne bacche teri muthi mein kya hai&#8230;\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This song, to my mind, is one of a kind, incomparable. The innocence in tatters pronounces the eventual emergence of a world which will be humane and just. And Shailendra carries conviction, easily connects, as he lends a cosmic design to the conception.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Nanhne munne bacche teri muthi mein kya hai\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(<em>Boot Polish<\/em>, 1954)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UJvcbkxG20A\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Shailendra\u2019s \u2018<em>Kahan ja raha hai tu\u2026\u2019<\/em> (<em>Seema, 1955<\/em>) is, in a sense, a song of hope. It is different, is directed to one who is mired deep in dehumanized yet habituated circumstances, and is suddenly brought face to face with a new world of hope, of redemption. The pull of life is too strong but a plunge into the unknown, even if for eventual good, is resented to.\u00a0 Nutan on-screen looks a physical expression of this killing dilemma &#8211; to be or not to be!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2140\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2140\" class=\"wp-image-2140 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Nutan-in-Seema-300x192.jpg\" alt=\"Nutan in Seema (1955)\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Nutan-in-Seema-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Nutan-in-Seema-400x256.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Nutan-in-Seema-150x96.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Nutan-in-Seema.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2140\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nutan on-screen looks a physical expression of this killing dilemma &#8211; to be or not to be! (Nutan in Seema, 1955)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>However independent of expressions on-screen, it is the words of Shailendra and the singing of Rafi that give this song &#8211; I consider it a quasi bhajan \u2013 a song of timelessness.<\/p>\n<p>When Rafi says <em>\u2018Kahan ja raha hai\u2026\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>his voice impacts through the cloak of the temporal and of the material to reach the innermost. And Shailendra some where slips in an amazing expression \u2013 an aphorism, a truth of life: \u2018<em>Nishan manjilo ke pairon ke chaale<\/em>\u2026\u2019 the blisters on my treading sole, each a strand of existential sufferance!<\/p>\n<p><em>Ab ke baras<\/em> \u2026 (<em>Bandini, 1963<\/em> ) is an exceptional composition \u2013 a creative synergy of three geniuses \u2013 Bimal Roy, SD Burman and Shailendra. I am not sure if it will be correct to call it a lament that carries hope. But it no doubt holds out emotional sustenance, even if surreal, to the convict under a jail sentence. Arguably, Asha\u2019s best number.<\/p>\n<p>And look how Shailendra achieves it. Nostalgia is a great release if the present is un-mitigating with all doors closed. He has projected and extended the nostalgia, the memory of the good times, into a wishfulness for the future. Remarkably, the burden of the moment present is transcended. The convict uses her nostalgia to weave a world of fantasies, of hope.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shailendra &#8211;\u00a0 the visionary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shailendra had a vision of the times to come. I have sampled three tracks \u2013 each a huge entertainer.<\/p>\n<p>The first one from Shailendra\u2019s debut film <em>Barsaat (1949)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Patli kamar hai tirchhi nazar hai<\/em><br \/>\n<em>khile phool si teri javaani<\/em><br \/>\n<em>koi bataaye kahan qasar hai<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Mai chanchal madmast pavan hoon<\/em><br \/>\n<em>jhoom jhoom har kali ko choomun\u2026\u2026<\/em><br \/>\n<em>meri zindagi mast safar hai<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Mai bahate dariyaa kaa paani<\/em><br \/>\n<em>khel kinaaro se badh jaau, bandh na paau<\/em><br \/>\n<em>nayaa nagar nit nayi dagar hai\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Philandering being flaunted as a virtue &#8211; almost mockingly to the lament and pining of a smitten and loyal heart. At another level, the song seems to articulate a counter view \u2013 that satiation of the senses is be-all and end-all &#8211; boldly daring the sensibilities and the mores of the times.\u00a0 Shailendra foresaw the realities of a time much beyond.<\/p>\n<p>In <em>Mud mud ke na dekh (Shree 420),<\/em> Shailendra\u2019s advocacy of an individual-centric, self-serving approach to life, driven by malleability and adaptability, even if at the cost of traditions and time-honoured values, might have surprised many.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>D<\/em><em>uniyaa ke saath jo badalataa jaaye <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>jo isake shaanche me hi dhalataa jaaye <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>duniyaa usiki hai jo chalataa jaaye.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Mud mud ke na dekh\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(<em>Shree 420<\/em>, 1955)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/R3D3YNmg-Ak\" width=\"100%\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Maya humbling Vidya had a cinematic context but it was an opportunity for Shailendra to anticipate, though much ahead, a time that would unfold itself eventually. And how true \u2013 the mantra for survival is to surge ahead relentlessly irrespective of its moral and social cost, or fall by the wayside!<\/p>\n<p>In the pacy track of <em>Anar<\/em><em>i,<\/em> <em>1956&#8230;1959<\/em>, created and meant to give foot-tapping light entertainment, Shailendra almost nonchalantly slips in three words: <em>Duniya saabun tel<\/em><br \/>\n\u2013 the world will be toiletries and perfumeries!\u00a0 How true!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shailendra \u2013 his love muse<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shailendra\u2019s love muse was generally related itself to the subjective, to the subtle, to the emotions than to carnal or erotic. I have sampled five of his poems.\u00a0 Of course, I have reasons to like each one of them.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ye sham ki tanhaayien (Aah,<\/em> 1953<em>) &#8211; <\/em>arguably one of the best of Lata. The\u00a0 lover forlorn is distraught, pining, in wait\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0\u00a0 a wait that has an eonic dimension\u00a0 <em>&#8211; \u2018<\/em><em>jis raah se tum aane ko the, uske nishaan bhi mitne lage\u00a0 \/ aaye na tum sau sau dafa, aaye gaye mausam\u2026\u2019 <\/em>\u00a0There is a resigned acceptance of the realities, and yet the wait!<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Mitti se khelte ho baar-baar kis liye\u2019<\/em>\u00a0(<em>Patita<\/em>) &#8211; this song is a complex emotion intertwining sadness, haplessness, bitterness laced with low anger, and, above all, remonstration &#8211; why tantalize a speck of dust into the visions of the grand ?\u00a0 Why adorn a life in ruins?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Zara si dhool ko hazaar roop naam de diye<br \/>\nzara si jaan sar pe saat aasamaan de diye<br \/>\nbarabaad zindagi ka ye singaar kis liye\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The poem alludes to the series of misfortunes that Radha (Usha Kiran) finds herself subjected to &#8211; Shailendra-Lata-Shankar Jaikishen super synergy.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Mitti se khelte ho baar-baar kis liye<\/strong><\/em>(<em>Patita<\/em>, 1953)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fblWyQP0iKs\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Another score from <em>Aah:<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Jo main jaanati unke liye, mere dil mein kitnaa pyaar hai<\/em><em><br \/>\nitnaa pyaar main karti kyon<br \/>\nJo main soch samajh ke chalati, hud se baat guzarti kyon<br \/>\nAnjaane nainon se ulajh ke<br \/>\njeete jee main marti kyon\u2026\u2026<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is an absolutely &#8216;feminine&#8217; poem. What a beautiful description of emotions of a girl, besotted, for the first time, not in herself, unable to bear the love pang, remonstrating therefore with herself on her perceived acts of &#8216;omissions&#8217;! Shailendra is at his subtlest best.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2141\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2141\" class=\"wp-image-2141\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Raj-Kapoor-and-Shailendra.jpg\" alt=\"Raj Kapoor and Shailendra \" width=\"350\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Raj-Kapoor-and-Shailendra.jpg 576w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Raj-Kapoor-and-Shailendra-150x96.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Raj-Kapoor-and-Shailendra-400x256.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Raj-Kapoor-and-Shailendra-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2141\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raj Kapoor and Shailendra (Pic courtesy: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apnaorg.com\/research-papers\/satish-9\/\">Apnaorg<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hira, the nautanki bai of <em>Teesri Kasam<\/em>, is deep within the quintessential \u2018other half\u2019 \u2013 day-dreaming to become the companion, the wife of the bullock cart driver Hiraman.\u00a0 Yet her unenviable credentials\u00a0 and the consequent dilemma\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0 to be or not to be &#8211; head knowing the futility of it all, but the heart will not give up! And the damning feeling at the top of that that Hiraman treats her as a \u2018devi\u2019. Yet Hira Bai unfolds and blossoms for few fleeting moments when the young ones of a village treat her as a bride: \u2018<em>laali laali doliya mein laali re dulhaniya\u2026\u2019<\/em> Shailendra\u2019s poem in simple innocent words puts Hira\u2019s fancies on the wings.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Laali laali doliyaa mein laali re dulhaniya<\/em><br \/>\n<em>piyaa ki piyaari bholi bhaali re dulhaniya<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Lautegi jo godi bhar hamein na bhulaanaa<\/em><br \/>\n<em>laddoo pede laanaa apne haathon se khilaanaa<\/em><br \/>\n<em>teri sab raatein hon diwaali re dulhaniya<\/em><em>\u2026\u2026.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>\u2018Mere man ke diye\u2019 (Parakh) &#8211; <\/em>an exceptionally deep song. Lata transports the words where it appears an invocation &#8211; and Sadhana&#8217;s illuminated grimness gives the song-essence a physical form.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Mere man ke diye \/ yoonhi ghut ghut ke jal tu mere laadle<\/em><em><br \/>\n<em>o mere laadle<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>khaaq ho jaaye \/ hum pyaar ke naam par\u2026<\/em><em><br \/>\n<em>pyaar ki raah mein roshni to rahe<\/em><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>O my hope, my aspirations within<br \/>\nRemain lighted even if just<br \/>\nDespite a choking mope without&#8230;..<\/p>\n<p>No matter if I am effaced in love<br \/>\nBut thou shall yet illuminate its path&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shailendra \u2013 His \u2018otherworldliness\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is generally believed that Shailendra was a non-believer. But his poems strongly suggest to the contrary. The life-death metaphysics that runs through the poems he penned is not just a response to the cinematic contexts but seems articulated with conviction. The doctrine of soul migration \u2013 <em>\u2018uss paar\u2019<\/em> &#8211; is almost a refrain in many of his works. The destinational view of life is so easily discernible, so unmistakable.<\/p>\n<p>The prayer that reflexively comes to mind is \u2018<em>Tu pyaar ka sagar hai\u2026\u2019 (Seema).<\/em>\u00a0 It is predominated by a sentiment of surrender to Him, is a beseech to hold-hand in one\u2019s passage through this life inscrutable and beyond.\u00a0 Shailendra is profound, is Kabirusque, as he muses:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Tu pyaar ka sagar hai\u2026.. <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Idhar jhoom ke gaaye zindagi udhar hai maut khadi<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Koi kya jaane kahaan hai seema uljhan aan padi<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Kaanon mein zara keh de<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ke aaye kaun disha se hum<\/em> \u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Here, and now,<br \/>\nThe life celebrates itself<br \/>\nBut the death beacons<br \/>\nA moment later, there,<br \/>\nWhat demarcates the two<br \/>\nIs an existential riddle,<\/p>\n<p>O The Wise One<br \/>\nWhisper in my eager ears<br \/>\nWhich yonder did I really<br \/>\nCome from!<\/p>\n<p>It is rare, very rare when a song transcends its cinematic context to become a timeless message, acquires an autonomous standing of its own. <em>Tu pyaar ka saagar hai<\/em> is one such score.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Tu pyaar ka sagar hai\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(<em>Seema<\/em>, 1955)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e2D-kjOMNF0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In \u2018<em>Bol ri kathputli bol\u2026\u2019 (Kathputli<\/em>), Shailendra travels still deeper. He is hinting at a spiritual layer\u00a0 &#8211; Purush and His manifestation Prakriti. This song is exceptional as the two dimensions run through concurrently &#8211; one that connects us to the mundane and the other to the Creator-Created metaphysics &#8211; and will pass for a love song as also a <em>bhakti geet<\/em> in the tradition of Kabir. And what makes this as one of the best Shailendra-SJ composition is the lilt on which it is set.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Bol ri kathaputali dori kaun sang baandhi, sach batala tu naache kis ke liye <\/em><br \/>\n<em>baavali kathaputali dori piya sang baandhi main naachun apane piyaa ke liye\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Kathaputali ka khel ye duniya saanvariya us paar i&#8230;<\/em><br \/>\n<em>jahaan jidhar saajan le jaaye, sang chalun main chhaaya si<\/em><br \/>\n<em>vo hain mere jaadugar main jaadugar ki maaya si&#8230;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Mat ro mata&#8230;.<\/em>\u00a0 <em>(Bandini<\/em>) is a patriotic song which is as much self addressed as it is to comfort the mother who gave martyr the birth. It is not at all addressed to the countrymen as most of the patriotic songs are, though most of us yet empathise with the man headed for the gallows,\u00a0and cry internally, and some visibly too..<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2142\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2142\" class=\"wp-image-2142\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/bandini-mat-ro-mata-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"'Mat ro mata' - the freedom fighter walking to the gallows singing in Bandini\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/bandini-mat-ro-mata-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/bandini-mat-ro-mata-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/bandini-mat-ro-mata-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/bandini-mat-ro-mata-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/bandini-mat-ro-mata-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2142\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8216;Mat ro mata&#8217; &#8211; the freedom fighter walking to the gallows singing in Bandini<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At a deeper layer, Shailendra has woven very subtly, implicitly, in this patriotic song, the doctrine of indestructibility of the spirit as he alludes to the emergence of the martyr as a star in the sky, as flourishing blooms where his body would perish, and his rebirth with the birth a nation! This patriotic song has a dimension that transcends the mundane:<\/p>\n<p><em>Phir janamungaa us din jab aazaad bahegii gangaa \/ Unnat bhaal himaalay par jab leharayega tiranga\u2026\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Ajab tori duniya, O more rama\u2026\u2019. (Do Bigha Zameen, <\/em>1953). This philosophical muse too reminds one of Kabir Das. It is amazing how Shailendra could convey such deep thoughts in such a heart-to-heart rustic lingo. Look at the stanzas, each carries a deep thought \/message: The world remains un-understood despite its many conceptions \u2013 <em>bedhab tori duniya<\/em>. The other stanza says: Despite the man\u2019s heroics, his gigantic feats, this world is still not his &#8211; <em>Ho ke hamari, hui na hamari, alag tori duniya<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>And in the final<em> antara<\/em>, Shailendra sounds a bit bitter and definitely sarcastic: Religion \/ compassion are all aspects of money power, where a poor man should go? And I will accept this as your world if you ensure that your men are not treated as commodities and traded upon &#8211; <em>jab tere bandon kii jaan bikey naa, hai tab torii duniyaa! <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Aa ja re mei to kab se khari uss paar\u2026\u2019 (Madhumati<\/em>) This song, more than any other in the film, connects one to the story. Each stanza is about journey beyond this life and before. If there is <em>iss paar<\/em> there has to be a <em>uss paar<\/em> too. But Shailendra interweaves so brilliantly the station of a soul unfulfilled, uncomplemented\u2026 \u2018<em>Main deeye ki aisi baati<\/em>, <em>jal na saki jo bujh bhi na paati, aa mil mere jeevan saathi<\/em>&#8230;\u2019<\/p>\n<p>And then<em>, \u2018Main nadiya phir bhi mein pyaasi<\/em>\u2026\u2019 and Madhu (Vyjayantimala) actually seems to convey that &#8230;full of life, fluidity, flow&#8230; and invitation to the one descending from <em>\u2018uss paar\u2019<\/em>! Black and White and the accompanying haziness have always bewitched me. And this one \u2013 \u2018Aaja re&#8230;\u2019 is at the very top.\u00a0 Shailendra at his best.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Aaja re pardesi\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(<em>Madhumati<\/em>, 1958)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Mm21SSgUHe8\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Mere saajan hain uss paar\u2026\u2019 <\/em>(<em>Bandini<\/em>) &#8211; is a synergy of the best of Shailendra, SD Burman the music composer and the singer, Bimal Roy the director and last but not the least Nutan the actress. Kalyani (Nutan) though brutalized by time ignores a rare happy turn in her life and rushes to unite with her physically rotting old flame &#8211; in an act of complete self effacement and sacrifice! The scene has an other-worldliness about it. Shailendra\u2019s words in the background so tellingly bring out the inner turmoil and pain of the central character. And this love song almost acquires a spiritual aura in the singing of the eastern mystic namely Sachin Dev Burman.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>O re maajhii, O re maajhii, O mere maajhii<\/em><em><br \/>\nMere saajan hain us paar, main man maaar, huun is paar<br \/>\nO mere maajhii, abakii baar, le chal paar, le chal paar<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ho\u2026 man kii kitaab se tuu, meraa naam hii mitaa denaa<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Gun to na thaa koii bhii, avagun mere bhulaa denaa<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Mujhe aaj ki bidaa kaa, mar ke bhii rahataa intezaar<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>O re maajhi\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(<em>Bandini<\/em>, 1963)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XurZtjUhhAs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Shailendra seems certain about the destinational character of life as he explicitly expounds:\u00a0 \u2018<em>aagaz ke din tera anzaam tai ho chuka, jalte rahen hain jalte rahenge ye zameen aasmaan<\/em>\u2026\u2019 (<em>Patita<\/em>).\u00a0 But why Shailendra is so emphatic about the preponderance of <em>dukha<\/em> in existence symbolized by punishing <em>zameen<\/em> and <em>aasmaan<\/em>? It could be out of his experience. Or did he want to convey that cosmic dispensation is essentially cruel?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2143\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2143\" class=\"wp-image-2143\" src=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Teesri-Kasam.jpg\" alt=\"Teesri Kasam\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Teesri-Kasam.jpg 480w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Teesri-Kasam-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Teesri-Kasam-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/08\/Teesri-Kasam-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-2143\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In \u2018chithiya ho to har koi baanche, bhagya na banche koi, karamva bairi ho gaye hamaar\u2026\u2019 he lends a destinational hue to karma itself (Teesri Kasam, 1966)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>And in<em> \u2018chithiya ho to har koi baanche, bhagya na banche koi, karamva bairi ho gaye hamaar<\/em>\u2026\u2019\u00a0(<em>Teesri\u00a0 Kasam<\/em>), he lends a destinational hue to <em>karma<\/em> itself &#8211;\u00a0 that one\u2019s own actions \u2013 <em>karma <\/em>\u2013 will turn against if that is so destined! So true in his own case. His ambition to produce this film, <em>Teesri Kasam<\/em>, turned out to be his karma that boomeranged.\u00a0 And I can\u2019t help recalling a stanza from his immortal creation <em>\u2018Ramaiya vastaiwaiya<\/em>\u2026\u2019 that \u00a0seems to sum up Shailendra&#8217;s own life &#8211; from being poor to a star, and then the star that faded and the world just moved on, without a care !<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Rasta wahi aur musafir wahi \/ ek tara na jaane kahan chup gaya<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Duniya wahi duniya wale wahi \/ koi kya jaane kis ka jahan lut gaya\u2026\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The man who perhaps had in him divinity and cigarette smoke in equal measure was betrayed by the world he trusted.\u00a0 Perhaps it was so destined. And perhaps the irony of the two &#8211; Shailendra and Raj \u2013 sharing their dates of death and birth respectively was part of larger Cosmic Design!\u00a0 But if the dead could speak, Shailendra surely would have the fourth refrain (kasam ): don\u2019t even trust your own being, for that also is known by the name friendship !<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u2018Dost dost na raha, pyaar pyaar na raha<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Zindagi humen tera aitbaar na raha\u2026\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Shailendra died young, very young, arguably before reaching his creative apogee. He knew this as he ebbed towards his end. He seemed to have accepted the irrevsibility of his circumstances; was stoically resigned to it.\u00a0 He was bare-bones, almost brutal in his expression:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>Zindagi khwab hai, tha hame bhi pata<br \/>\nPar hame zindagi se bahut pyaar tha<br \/>\nSukh bhi the, dukh bhi the, dil ko ghere hue<br \/>\nChaahe jaisa tha, rangin sasaar tha<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Aa gai thi shikaayat labo tak magar<br \/>\nKise kahate to kya kahana bekar tha<br \/>\nChal pade dard dekar to chalate rahe<br \/>\nHaar kar baith jaane se inakar tha<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Char din tha basera hamaara yahaan<br \/>\nHam bhi mehaman the, ghar to us paar tha<br \/>\nHamasafar ek din to bichhadana hi tha<br \/>\nAlavida alavida alavida alavida.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>(Choti Choti Baatein, <\/em>1965<em>)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But between the celebration of love in \u2018<em>barsaat mein humse mile tum sajan<\/em>\u2026\u2019 and the half lament in \u2018<em>rula ke gaya sapna mera\u2019<\/em>, Shailendra remained a creative meteor which did not fade,or rather ever remainedon the ascension, till he breathed his last. He versified every human emotion, every mood in a lingo that was kabirusque, that connected.\u00a0 His creative and literary legacy is <em>kalateet<\/em>, so true to his own words \u2013 <em>apni kahani chod ja, kuch to nishani chod ja\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><em><strong>Apni kahani chhod ja<\/strong><\/em> (<em>Do Bigha Zameen<\/em>, 1953)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vD-AWCj9Chc\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>More to read in Music Makers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/sahir-ludhianvi\/\">Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par Voh Kahaan Hain: Songs of Sahir<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/tribute-majrooh-sultanpuri-film-poet-millenium\/\">Majrooh Sultanpuri: Film Poet Of The Millennium<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/gulzar-multi-faceted-director\/\">Gulzar: Redefining Poetry and Purpose In Cinema<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shailendra versified every human emotion, every mood in a lingo that was kabirusque, that connected. A tribute to the ace lyricist on his birth anniversary by Vijay Kumar.<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":778,"featured_media":2139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[821],"tags":[1322,1320,1323,1321,1324,1325],"class_list":["post-2138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-makers","tag-lyricist-shailendra","tag-shailendra","tag-shailendra-and-raj-kapoor","tag-shailendra-lyricist","tag-shailendra-songs","tag-songs-of-shailendra"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/778"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5208,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138\/revisions\/5208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}