Romance for the Faraway Land

Wishing all the readers and their families a very Happy Holi, and the greetings for the ongoing month of the Ramdan. May the Almighty shower all His blessings on everyone

DP Rangan has set romance in the air with his “Love is Bliss”. This is the season when the dullest person starts feeling desirous. I remember a folk proverb, “Phagun mein budhwa devar laage”. In the context of Hindi films, it generally refers to the romance for a person. I have explored romances for various types: Romancing the pardesi balma; Romancing the stranger, Romancing the beimaan balma, Romancing the anaadi balma. and so on. But the romance can be for inanimate objects also. The news and social media are full of pictures of hordes of tourists descending upon Japan to watch its cherry blossoms. Northern Lights are eternal favourites. There are people crazy for Stonehenge and Machu Picchu. Apart from resources and time, one has to have a wanderlust. Some may feel, it is quite discordant to talk about romance in the midst of the raging Epic Fury in the Middle East, और भी ग़म हैं ज़माने में मोहब्बत के सिवा, but the life has to move on.

1. Is paar priye madhu hai tum ho us paar na jaane kya hoga (Harivansh Rai ‘Bachchan’), recited by Amitabh Bachchan.

Long ago, Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s “Is paar priye madhu hai tum ho, us paar na jaane kya hoga” cast a spell on me. I thought the poet meant it as the romance for a Faraway Land. I was disappointed somewhat when I later learnt that the poet was extolling the certainty of the present – the known, and expressing apprehension about what lies in the faraway land. My fellow blogger Anita Rupavataram is my go-to person for any literary doubts. She too confirmed the latter meaning. She added another interesting trivia that in the movie Lal Patthar (1971), when Raj Kumar is drowned in alcohol, he recites, “Is paar priye madhu hai, tum ho, us paar na jaane kya hoga”. I have not checked it out. You may, but if you prefer my meaning, go by what another eminent poet has said about poetry: It is to be enjoyed, not understood. Don’t worry too much about what the poet might have meant; every reader has his own meaning. Among several renderings available on YouTube, I find the one by Amitabh Bachchan most melodious. You can make out he has understood the poetry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8irON4xTq3M

2. O re maanjhi mere saajan hain us paar, main man maar hun is paar, abki baar le chal paar by SD Burman from Bandini (1962), lyrics Shailendra, music SD Burman

But there is no ambiguity in SD Burman’s plaintive cry to the boatman to take him to the other side as his saajan is there. Shailendra does not waste his words. In the last stanza he uses two different expressions: Main bandini piya ki, main sangini hun saajan ki. The protagonist, Kalyani (played by Nutan) is pulled by two sides. One, the train that will take her to her ‘piya’ Dharmendra and a bright future – in her ‘Bandini’ phase, she came in contact with the handsome jail doctor, Dharmendra. The other, the boat ready to depart with her saajan Ashok Kumar, afflicted with an incurable disease. At that moment the surrogate boatman song is sung by an unknown person at Good Luck Tea House, and finally Nutan makes a choice which was not rational, but there is a higher calling – Main wahin ja rahi hun jahan mujhe jana chahiye. I have not seen a more poignant ending than this: the last 5 minutes of the film purge all misunderstandings she has been carrying on so far. Such scene is not likely to be repeated:  a train station on one side, and a steamer ghat on the other used to be a common sight in Bihar and West Bengal. In high floods, the steamer service was suspended creating  two worlds, ‘is paar’ and ‘us paar’. With rivers being bridged at several places, that romance is gone.

3. Sun mere bandhu re, sun mere mitwa, sun mere sathi re by SD Burman from Sujata (1959), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music SD Burman

There was something ethereal about SD Burman’s boatman songs. The two protagonists have realised the feelings for each other, but are too shy to express it. At that moment this boatman song comes as a surrogate conveying a beloved’s desire to be eternally with her lover.

4. Awara hun, ya gardish mein hun aasman ka tara hun by Mukseh from Awara (1951), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

The previous song written by Majrooh Sultanpuri did not use the words ‘us par’ explicitly. Going back to Shailendra again we see this beautiful vagabond song; the awara is homeless, but he is an eternal romantic like the original Tramp Charlie Chaplin. Our awara has no one waiting for him ‘us paar’, but that does not come in the way of his happiness.

Ghar baar nahin, sansar nahin, mujhse kisi ko pyar nahin
‘Us paar’ kisi se milne ka iqrar nahin, mujhse kisi ko pyar nahin
Anjan nagar sunsan dagar ka pyara hun, awara hun

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECqKJO0uR7Y&list=RDECqKJO0uR7Y&start_radio=1

5. Wahan kaun hai tera, musafir jayega kahan by SD Burman from Guide (1965), lyrics Shailendra, music SD Burman

It seems Shailendra and SD Burman were eternal romantics of the Faraway Land. In this song that rolls with credit titles, the poet and the singer acknowledge, Koi bhi teri raah na dekhe, nain bichhaye na koi, so what is the point of going “wahan”. Coming to a fork, Dev Anand realises the futility of going there, so he chooses a new path.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haO0ucjvxeo&list=RDhaO0ucjvxeo&start_radio=1

6. Tu pyar ka sagar hai, teri ek boond ke pyase hum by Manna Dey from Seema (1955), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar-Jaikishan

You see a rebellious Nutan locked in as a punishment for her wild behaviour in the orphanage. The Manager Balraj Sahni is an inveterate optimist and a believer in reformation. He believes he can reform Nutan, too, though she has been bruised badly by her unsympathetic and cruel relatives. She is desperate to break free as Balraj Sahni sings this bhajan:

Ghayal mann ka paagal panchhi udane ko beqaraar
Pankh hain komal aankh hai dhundhli, jana hai saagar paar

Another manifestation of romance for the Faraway Land.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2D-kjOMNF0&list=RDe2D-kjOMNF0&start_radio=1

7. Us paar saajan is paar dhaare, le chal maanjhi kinaare by Lata Mangeshkar & chorus from Chori Chori (1956), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan

We are discussing the songs of 1956 in our year-wise reviews and this film is one of the best composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. In a cornucopia of absolutely melodious songs, I am not too enamoured of this song. But this was a year when whatever SJ touched turned gold. ‘Us paar saajan’ compelled me to listen to it carefully. This time the lyricist is Hasrat Jaipuri, a romantic at heart if ever there was one. The song is quite melodious to the ears. Nargis is swimming furiously to escape from her pursuers, to reach her saajan who is ‘us paar’. This side is a dangerous stream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhZdivn9yjg&list=RDGhZdivn9yjg&start_radio=1

8. Kahan le chale ho bata do musafir sitaaron ke aage ye kaisa jahan hai by Lata Mangeshkar from Durgeshnandini (1956), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, Music Hemant Kumar

Hemant Kumar was riding a wave of popularity in 1956. One of his best scores in 1956 was Durgeshnandini which had this beautiful song of romance for a Faraway Land.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZXB7ZVqoX8&list=RDDZXB7ZVqoX8&start_radio=1

9. Tum kahan le chale ho, ye kaun sa jahan hai zara sang mere tum aao to tum aao to by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh from from Poonam Ki Raat (1965), lyrics Shailendra, music Salil Chowdhury

There are countless songs of romance for a magical land. My big favourite is this song composed by Salil Chowdhury, picturised on Manoj Kumar and Kumud Chhugani.

10. Aa chal ke tujhe main le ke chalun ek aise gagan ke taley,  jahan gham bhi na ho, aansoon bhi na ho, bas pyar hi pyar paley by Kishore Kumar from Door Gagan Ki Chaanv Mein (1964), lyrics Kishore Kuar, music Kishore Kumar

I just said there are countless songs on this theme. Let me end this post with this Kishore Kumar bonanza; he is the singer, lyricist and music director of this song. He was also the lead actor, director and producer of the movie. In his dreamland, there is no sorrow, no tears, Bas pyar hi pyar paley. Quite a fertile imagination, but that is what dreams are made of.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer

The song links have been added/embedded only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog has no commercial interest, and does not claim indirectly or directly, nor suggest any copyright over these songs.