Romancing with ‘Zindagi’

tn-ZindagiDev Anand described his autobiography as ‘Romancing with Life’. He got to sing on the screen, Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya, Har fikr ko dhuyen mein udata chala gaya, embodying this philosophy. But he continued with his romantic hero image well into his 70s to the dismay of his fans. To me, he appeared as if he was not romancing with life, but with Dev Anand the screen star, who was long past his ‘Use before’-date.

Many will say in his defence that one has to be in love with oneself to be romancing with life forever. You can contrast him with Meena Kumari who, despite all the success and acclaim, lived a lonely life and died a lonely death, a life void of love. She gave vent to her torment thus:

ज़िन्दगी क्या इसी को कहते हैं
जिस्म तन्हा है और जां तन्हा

हमसफर कोई ग़र मिले भी कहीं
दोनों चलते रहे तन्हा तन्हा

राह देखा करेगा सदियों तक
छोड़ जायेंगे ये जहां तन्हा

चांद तन्हा है आसमाँ तन्हा

We can’t even fathom her loneliness and dejection with life. Unable to cope with heartbreaks, she hit the bottle and hurtled down the path of self-destruction. Nargis paid her tribute to Meena Kumari on her death, “Meena – Maut Mubarak Ho!.”

There is another kind of pain and agony which ennobles and elevates a person. Pt Bhimsen Joshi was seized by a restless agony when he heard Ustad Abdul Karim Khan’s iconic Thumri, Piyaa bin naahi aavat chain. He left home as a child, wandered from place to place in search of his Master. After learning from several gharans and Gurus, he found his Master in Sawai Gandharva, and went on to be honoured with Bharat Ratna.

In the novel Phoolsunghi, the two friends, Haliwant and Ramnarayan, go to the same soiree. On return, Haliwant gets engrossed in his account-keeping, but for Ramnarayan such was the enchantment of the tawaif Meenabai’s love ballad that he “surrendered his entire being to its melody”. And when Haliwant mocks him that men do not pine and groan, they use their prowess to seize the things they covet, Ramnarayan replies, “I have done the same. Seized the things I love: agony, suffering and unforgettable experience of that evening, everything.” (See Notes at the end. – AK)

The shayar Krishna Bihari ‘Noor’ says in his inimitable style:

ज़िन्दगी से बड़ी सज़ा ही नहीं
और क्या जुर्म है पता ही नहीं

Living life in the fast lane with private yachts, executive jets, calendar pin-up girls, ₹2 crores wrist watch, and luxury homes in different parts of the world, may seem the ultimate romancing with life, as long as it goes. But all this is not worth ending up as a fugitive from law running from courts to courts in London, trying to escape extradition.

The real romancing with life is spreading joy around you despite all the sufferings. Anand just completed fifty years of its release. Rajesh Khanna, suffering from terminal cancer, gave a profound philosophy for all: Zindagi badi honi chaahiye, lambi nahin (Live a big life, even if it is not a long one!). Unimaginable horror awaited Jews ending up in Nazi concentration camps. But Roberto Benigni could create joy even in that living hell for his child and all of us in ‘Life is Beautiful’ (1997).

One class I admire for their zest in life is our politicians. Even well past eighty-five years of age, their desire to serve the people never wanes. The family-owned parties, as many are, have to like it or lump it. A party with a difference elevated them to the ‘Margadarshak Mandal’. They had to be taken there kicking and screaming.

For an average person, life is not all roses or all thorns. It is a mix of ups and downs. A scholar friend tells me, Gita is not a religious text, it is a psychological and philosophical guide to the art of living. In 2.38, Lord Krishna, the Friend, Teacher and Redeemer to the wavering Arjun, enjoins him – and it is a lesson for the mankind – Fight for the sake of duty, treating alike happiness and distress, loss and gain, victory and defeat. (सुखदुःखे समेकृत्वा…)

Our film songs romance with various colours of life – Zindagi ke rang kai re. I have to thank SOY reader S Joseph for suggesting this theme. There are hundreds of songs having the word ‘Zindagi’ in mukhada or antara. But I have been restrictive, confining myself to the songs in which ‘Zindagi’ is the main subject. Therefore, many excellent songs I have excluded, such as Zindagi ke denewale, zindagi ke lenewale, preet meri tod ke bata tujhe kya mila – it is a song of remonstrance to the one who is responsible for giving or taking away life. But Zindagi kitni khoobsurat hai would fit.

1. Life is exhilarating

Kitni jawan hai zindagi kitni jawan bahaar by Rafi from Shehnai (1964), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Ravi

Biswajit is having a men’s day out on the beaches and gardens in Bombay. If there is a bevy of girls around, life can be all joy and fun. Dancing with his gang of friends, he sings this exhilarating song. Since the gang also includes Johnny Walker, he too sings a stanza, also in Rafi’s voice. So this Rafi solo is actually a ‘duet’. The girls give them company in the fast-paced dance.

2. Life is beautiful

Zindagi kitni khoobsurat hai by Hemant Kumar from Bin Badal Barsaat (1953), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Hemant Kumar

For the newly married Biswajit on his nuptial night, the life is beautiful. It could not be expressed better than Hemant Kumar. There are several excellent songs on this theme: There is a nice Talat Mahmood-Asha Bhosle duet, Hai zindagi kitni haseen, aata nahin mujhko yakeen/ Batao mere humnasheen, kahin ye khwab to nahin; and one everyone remembers, Zindagi ek safar hai suhana. Zindagi pyar ka geet hai is another way of saying that life is beautiful. Zindagi kitni khoobsurat hai has a twin version in the voice of Lata Mangeshkar, too. In a Twin song, my preference between the male and female version is well known to the readers.

3. Life is surrendering oneself to someone in love

Ye zindagi usi ki hai jo kisi ka ho gaya, pyar hi mein kho gaya by Lata Mangeshkar from Anarkali (1953), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C Ramchandra

Anarkali was a high point of C Ramchandra’s career, and Ye zindagi usi ki hai became an immortal song of Lata Mangeshkar. Her no concert was complete without this song. Here is the happy version of the song.

If you surrender yourself to someone, you have to be prepared for the agony of separation too. Here is the sad version of this song.

4. Life is a strange saga

Zindagi ka ajab fasana hai, rote rote bhi muskurana hai by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar from Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965), lyrics Shailendra, music Anil Biswas

Life makes strange demands; even if you are crying inside, you have to smile. Its last line brings in the element of death as the ultimate end of love. The maestro, in his swan song in Hindi films, comes up with a masterly composition in the voices of his favourite singers.

ज़िन्दगी का अजब फसाना है
रोते रोते भी मुस्कुराना है

इश्क़ में जानते हैं जान गई
फिर भी कहते हैं आज़माना है

कैसी मुश्क़िल है कोई क्या जाने
आग को आग से बुझाना है

दिल लगाया था पर न थी ये खबर
मौत का ये भी एक बहाना है

5. Life is lonely; Death is lonely

Chaand tanha hai aasman tanha, NFS ghazal, written and sung by Meena Kumari, music Khayyam

I have quoted some couplets from this beautiful ghazal of loneliness, written and sung by the lonely Meena Kumari, composed by the great Khayyam. Her poetry is one of her contributions to the field of art.

6. Life is a punishment

Zindagi se badi sazaa hi nahin, ghazal written and recited by Krishna Bihari ‘Noor’

I have briefly mentioned this ghazal by Krishna Bihari ‘Noor’ (8.11.1926 – 20.5.2003). It is a delight to hear him live, reciting his favourite ghazal in a mehfil.

ज़िन्दगी से बड़ी सज़ा ही नहीं
और क्या जुर्म है पता ही नहीं

इतने हिस्सों में बंट गया हूँ मैं
मेरे हिस्से में कुछ बचा ही नहीं

ज़िंदगी मौत तेरी मंज़िल है
और कोई रास्ता ही नहीं

सच घटे या बढ़े तो सच ना रहे
झूठ की कोई इन्तिहा ही नहीं

जड़ तू चाँदी में चाहे सोने में
आईना झूठ बोलता ही नहीं

ज़िन्दगी से बड़ी सज़ा ही नहीं
और क्या जुर्म है पता ही नहीं

And here is my translation:

There is no greater punishment than Life
And you don’t even know what Is your offence

I have been split into so many parts
That there is nothing left in my share

O Life, Death is your destiny
There is no other way for you

Truth, if minimised or enhanced, does not remain Truth
But Lie is unbounded

Whether you frame it in silver or gold
The mirror never tells a lie

7. Life is a crazy wind

Ye meri zindagi ek paagal hawa by Lata Mangeshkar from Ziddi (1964), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music SD Burman

Asha Parekh sings this song at a party acting as a crazy possessed person, shocking everyone – the hero Joy Mukherjee, villain Madan Puri seeing furtively through the screen, and others. The last stanza is her plaintive cry of suffering – Mera ye dil zakhmon ka hai gulshan, Aahein bharun ya shikwe karun ya ansoo ke jam pi lun, which indicates that she had been compelled to put on the act. Hasarat Jaipuri-SD Burman is an uncommon lyricist-MD combination.

8. Life is a revelation after falling in love

Dil lagakar hum ye samjhe zindagi kya cheez hai by Mahendra Kapoor from Zindagi Aur Maut (1965), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music C Ramchandra

This is another rare lyricist-MD combination. This has a twin version, too, in the voice of Asha Bhosle.

9. Life is an illusion

Zindagi khwab hai khwab mein sach hai kya jhooth kya by Mukesh from Jaagte Raho (1956), lyrics Shailendra, music Salil Chowdhuri

A beautiful film seen through the prism of the poor villager Raj Kapoor, who has come to the city for a better life and strays into an apartment complex to quench his thirst. Taken for a thief, he hides from place to place to escape from his pursuers, and sees the hypocrisy, greed and unholy dealings of the city-bred people who are respectable by the day. This song lip-synched by a drunken Motilal fits perfectly with the theme showing that life is a illusion. (‘Dream’ does not fit here for ‘khwab’, you can go for ‘delusion’.)

9. Life is a puzzle

Zindagi kaisi hai paheli kabhi ye hansaye kabhi ye rulaye by Manna Dey from Anand (1971), lyrics Yogesh, music Salil Chowdhury

It is a fair that I include a song from Anand on its Golden Jubilee of release. Rajesh Khanna knows of his illness. Underneath his cheerful, zany exterior there is a pain he tries his best not to reveal before others. But on the beach with children and balloons, his emotions pour out.

10. Life is a tough examiner

Zindagi imtihan leti hai by Anwar Hussain, Kamlesh Avasthi and Suman Kalyanpur from Naseeb (1981), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music Laxmikant-Pyarelal

Life is a tough testing agency. It not only grades you, if you fail, it may snuff out your life.

11. Life is a morass

Zindagi kya hai, gham ka dariya hai, Na jeena yahan bas mein na marna yahan bas mein by Rafi from Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (1963), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Ravi

Shammi Kapoor is trapped in a morass, neither living nor dying is in his hands. Another song of gloom.

12. Everyone loves during life, but some do even after death

Zindagi mein to sabhi pyar kiya karte hain by Mehdi Hassan from Pakistani film Azmat (1973), ghazal by Qateel Shafai, music Nashad

Death figures very prominently in this ghazal too, by Qateel Shafai, sung so beautifully by Mehdi Hassan, but the tone is not of dejection, but of intense romance. I was delighted to see Nashad here, we are familiar wth him due to superb songs of Naghma and Baradari. The poet realises the life is too short for his love, so he has to carry on the romance in after-life too. Longer versions of this ghazal, sung by Mehdi Hassan, in concerts and mehfils are also available on YT.

13. Life is embarrassed by my name!

Zindagi aaj mere naam se sharmati hai by Rafi from Son of India (1962), lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad

After heaping all the suffering on our hero, instead of feeling remorse, his life is embarrassed even at the mention of his name. This was a Mehboob film that didn’t fire up the screen, but Naushad (the real Naushad) nevertheless gave a great tune.

14. Life has two shades

Zindagi ae zindagi, zindagi tere kitne roop by SD Burman from Zindagi Zindagi (1972), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music SD Burman

As if to show life has two shades, the film has a double name Zindagi Zindagi. In his last Hindi film song, SD Burman maintains his other worldly quality.

Notes and acknowledgement:
1. ‘Meena – Maut Mubarak Ho!’: Nargis’s tribute to Meena Kumari was published in June 1972 issue of Urdu film journal ‘Shama’. Its English translation is included in the compilation ‘Ye Un Dino Ki Baat Hai’, a selection of 30 reminiscences, pen portraits and perspectives, from ‘Shama’ on different artists of that era, translated by Yasir Abbasi.

2. ‘Phoolsunghi’ is a Bhojpuri novel by Pandey Kapil, published first in 1977. It is set in the Bhojpuri belt of Chhapra and adjoining areas, in the colonial period of 1840-1931. Peopled by the Company’s angrez opium agent who, entranced by the local culture, ends up as a saintly Revel Baba with a medicine box, aristocrats, zamindars, havelis, tawaifs, purvi songs, folk singers, and ferocious nomads, it is a beautiful tale of relationships, agony and ecstasy, heartbreaks and goodness. It would have remained unknown to the world but for its English translation by Gautam Chaturvedi, recently published by Penguin, which has become quite a literary sensation. I would strongly recommend it, Gautam’s translation itself is high literature, available on Amazon. Some sentences from this book I have cited in quotes.

Disclaimer:
Song videos have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog claims no copyright over these, which rests with the respective owners

243 comments…read them below or add one

  1. AK ji ;

    I at this hour glanced thru my favorite subject and found it very interesting topic and very well supported by good golden period songs . The sub heads is a great idea and one can post songs under sub heads with good memories that one lives with.

    a song now to start with ….zindgi as punishment ….

    Ye Kya Zindagi Hai….Lata…Koh e noor….Naushad….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHucMczDzaM

  2. A very beautiful write up and a lovely song selection. Most of the songs covered here are known to me and could not have been left out . The word ‘Zindagi’ has been used frequently in HFM for obvious reasons and the variety of songs in HFM on this theme is vast .I thank you for the reading recommendations and the Penguin book ‘Phoolsungi’ will enter my long TBR books list now and hope to find its ‘Kindle’ version.

    ‘ Zindagi pyar ki do…’/ 1953 / ANARKALI / Rajinder Kishan / CR / Hemant

    https://youtu.be/0J3BAC6ePJc

  4. KS Bhatiaji @1,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation appreciation. Life has so many shades, I have listed a few. The readers can add many new. I came across, Ye kya zindagi hai, but didn’t find it anywhere Naushad’s great songs for Lata Mangeshkar.

  5. Mr S Joseph @2,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Zindagi pyar ki do char ghadi hoti hainis another beautiful song from the film. Life is the few moments of love. Though small, it is worth a long life. I just notice, Anand‘s philosophy seems to have some similarity with this. Phoolsunghi’s Kindle version is also available.

    @3,
    Zindagi hai kay is another good song exploring various shades of life.

  6. Ak ji
    I was toying with this idea for some time but found that many bloggers had written about the same idea and thought that nothing new could be added. But your write up and the choice of songs both are exceptional. You have explored different ” pahalus” of Zindagi exquisitely . I am particularly delighted by the inclusion of Mehdi Hasan gazal “Zindagi me to sabhi”.
    I would add another pahalu of Zindagi here. It is actually
    a part of the dialogue before the song but most of the video & audio versions include the dialogue.
    Here Dev Anand says, ” Zindagi bhi ek Nasha hai dost ……..” and then you are taken to a different world by this sublime composition rendered so passionately by Rafi.
    Din dhal Jaye – Guide – Shailendra- SDB
    https://youtu.be/Px2qOfTB8aY

  7. Mr Muli,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Thankfully I had not read any other blogger on this theme, otherwise I might have felt discouraged. What you read gets lodged in your memory, which becomes a block to think anew, and there is also an apprehension that some ides or phrases may inadvertently creep in. Thus, when Mr Joseph suggested this theme, it was a blank canvas for me. As and when some interesting thoughts or connections came to mind, I would jot it down.

    “Zindagi ek nasha hai is a nice thought. Let us explore some song on this.

  8. AKji:

    A melodiously philosophical post that captures the complexity of ‘zindagi’ well. A complex system is often characterized by the presence of chaos which, in mathematics, is a phenomenon in which minute differences in initial conditions may result in difficult-to-predict, divergent paths for two similar elements (read Haliwant and Ramnarayan of Phoolsunghi) subjected to apparently similar environment. For mere mortals, open acceptance (rather than resistance) may be the best strategy. Here is ‘Zindagi, zindagi, mere ghar aana’ (Bhupinder and Anuradha Paudwal in Dooriyan; MD: Jaidev):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtYND8LoVYo

  9. AK,
    Let me first thanks Mr. Joseph for suggesting this theme and you have as usual boosted it with your writing.
    I fail to understand why you did not add (inspite of mentioning it) one of the best written songs on Zindagi by Sahir.
    Zindagi ke rang kai re for Aadmi aur Insaan. I will do that.

    https://youtu.be/NgNauh7ZBMA

    Aadmi aur Insaan had another very popular Zindagi song.
    Zindagi Ittefaq hai needless to say beautifully written it is Sahir again.

    https://youtu.be/zydzLExLt1k

    You have a couple of Rajinder Krishnan songs but the song, I think, is one his best is on Zindagi from Sharda.

    Chahe Zindagi Se Jitna bhi bhag re tere dil mite ki na aag re.

    https://youtu.be/fwj9KJKIQUY

    हमसफर गर मिले भी कहीं
    दोनों चलते रहे यहां तन्हा
    AK in the couplets you have quoted from Meena Kumari’s excellent ghazal there are two mistakes.
    In first line “ कोइ” is missing after “हमसफर”

    The second one,
    दोनों चलते रहे यहां तन्हा
    it is not “यहां तन्हा”
    It is “तन्हा तन्हा”
    according to me the missing word ,“ कोइ” does not effect the essence of the poetry because “ कोइ” can be silent {understanable), but second one, change of one word, for me, makes but makes a huge difference.
    What do you think?

  10. Akji,

    An excellent write-up highlighting various facets or aspects of Zindagi, complemented by a wonderful selection of songs.

    For me, this is a nice coincidence as last Sunday, I was updating my own songs lists on Jeeevan, Pal and Zindagi.
    Don’t know if it already there or not, but, maybe, someone can write a parallel theme on “Jeevan” songs.

    The oldest one on Zindagi, that I know:

    Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani 1946
    Vasant Desai- Diwan Sharar – Khan Mastana
    Zindagi zindagi zindagi koi supna nahin zindagi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3kpkxglGdc

  11. Nice post,
    Among the commonly used words by Lyricists Zindagai is one and also
    isq, pyar, mohabath etc.

    I am sure by the time next post of topic surfaces many will join to post their choices with zindagi songs and here are mine.

    1 yeh zindagi ke mele – From Mela sung by Rafi – Music Naushad
    2 Zindagi ka safar ha ye kaisa safr – sung by Kishore – Safar – MD : KA
    3 zindagi ke safar mein jo gujar … sung by KK – Aap ki kasam
    MD : RD Burman
    and there are many but I am content with three

  13. Canasya @8,
    As expected from a mathematician, you have poured गागर में सागर. In ‘Phoolsunghi’ though both Haliwant and Ramanarayan get the same stimuli, they start from different initial conditions – the former is under the employment of the Company, which gives him some status in the Society. (Later he also inherits his benefactor, Revel Saheb’s haveli and wealth). Ramnarayan, on the other hand, is a poor Brahmin, given to music. They happen to be the closest of friends, the incident I have mentioned leads to their rupture, only to meet several years later in poignant circumstances. Among many subtle shades of relationships, this is also an important one.

    Zindagi, zindagi mere ghar ana is an excellent song having layers of meanings.

  15. You wouldn’t believe this! Yesterday, I suddenly wondered whether there is a Zindagi based post!

    Zindagi is definitely a Safar.

    Zindagi ek Safar hai suhana…
    Kishore and Asha versions.
    ANDAZ.

    Zindagi ka Safar, Hai ye kaisa Safar..
    Kishore.
    SAFAR.

    Zindagi ke Safar mein gujar jaate hain jo makam.
    Kishore. .
    AAP KI KASAM.

    All Kaka in his heydays.

    Zindagi is a big Mela.

    Ye Zindagi ke mele..
    Rafi.
    MELA.

    Zindagi can take you to your Manzil, yet..

    Laayi kahan ae Zindagi
    Hai samne Manzil meri
    Phir bhi Manzil tak main jaa na sakoon..
    Asha ( appears on screen), Lata ( playback for Zaheeda ).
    TAXI TAXI.

    Composer Hemant Bhosle succumbed to Cancer a few years ago.

    Zindagi Bewafa bhi hoti hai.

    Rote huye aate hain sab..
    ..
    Zindagi toh Bewafa hai
    Ek din tukrayega..
    Kishore.

    MUQADDAR KA SIKANDER.

    Zindagi Bewafa hai ye maana magar..
    ( Tum jo aaye Zindagi mein baat ban gayi..)
    Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

    ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI.

  17. Thanks to Josephji for suggesting the topic and congratulations to AK for a lovely write-up and song selection!

    In this song, Kamal Hassan asks Life to embrace him in the same way that he has embraced the latter.

    ‘Aye Zindagi Gale Laga Le’ by Suresh Wadkar , from ‘Sadma’ (1983). MD – Ilaiyaraja, Lyricist – Gulzar

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw5FN0Dpy3Y

  18. Zindagi is a new Jung in every step.

    Zindagi har kadam ek nayee Jung hai..
    Multiple versions.

    MERI JUNG.

    Zindagi is meant for enjoying, hasne gaane ke liye.

    Zindagi hansne gaane ke liye hai pal do pal..
    Kishore.
    ZAMEER.

    Zindagi is the other name for Zindadili.

    Zindagi Zindadili ka naam hai..
    Geeta Dutt.

    SHER E HIND ( 1955 ).

    Zindagi Zindadili ka naam hai..
    Rafi.
    ZINDA DIL.

    I think Anand ( Kaka Khanna ) uttered the above lines in ANAND. He certainly did say
    Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin.

  20. Mumbaikar @9,
    First of all I have to thank you profusely for your literary critique.

    Zindagi ittefaq hai was in my thoughts, it can have an interesting tagline, ‘Life is a game of dice’. I somehow missed it under time pressure. And thanks for adding the philosophical song Chaahe zindagi se kitna bhi bhaag re. ‘Agar markar bhi chain na mila to kahan jaayenge’ inspires to face all the trials and tribulations life.

    And thanks for pointing out the mistakes in ‘Chaand tanha hai aasmaan tanha’, since corrected. You have sharp eyes, ears and recall. Even the word ‘koi’ has a significance. It emphasises that the ‘koi’ can be an absolute stranger. Similarly, ‘tanha tanha’ emphasis the loneliness – though walking together, they remain lonely in their own spaces. This has some similarity with Vinod Kumar Shukla’s poem “Hatasha se ek vyakti baith gaya tha” in ‘Romancing the Stranger.

  22. Zindagi, of course, is a Geet, Music.

    Zindagi pyar ka Geet hai
    Ise har dil ko gaana padega..
    Kishore and Lata versions.

    SOUTEN.

    Zindagi ek Geet hai
    Ise honton pe saja le..
    Abhijeet.

    YASH ( 1996 ).

    Zindagi is a big gamble, ek Jua.

    Zindagi ek Jua hai..
    Asha.

    ZINDAGI EK JUA.

  23. DUNIYADARI, the Marathi movie, had

    Zindagi Zindagi, doston ki duniyadari mein haseen..

    It has recently been recorded by celebrities.
    Dr Rajesh ji, details and links, please.

  25. Dr Deshpande @10,
    I would think ‘jeevan’ is the same as ‘zindagi’, so I don’t see much scope for another post, though each word have hundreds of songs. My criteria for writing a post is not only the availability of songs, but also that I should be able to say something on the theme. ‘Zindagi zindagi zindagi koi sapna nahin zindagi‘ is a nice contrast to ‘Zindagi khwab hai‘

    @14,
    Life is Yo-Yo: I like it.

    @16,
    Life is a beautiful journey
    Life is a drama: ‘Hum sab kathputaliyan hai’? I recall Anand had a dialogue like this.

    @19,
    Life is a gamble, perhaps we can say this also as Life is a game of dice.

  27. AK ji ,
    Mumbaikar ji @ 8
    Posted 2 sahir songs from Aadmi aur Insaan . Here is another song on Zindagi from another Sahir who perhaps was not as famous . Sahir hoshiyarpuri here uses a very unusual metaphor for Zindagi in the last couplet ( my penchant for searching in antaras) of the gazal .
    Zindagi ek sulagatisi Chita hai Sahir
    Shola banati hai ye na bujhke dhuan hoti hai
    Kaun kehta hai – Jagjeet & Chitra
    https://youtu.be/7coH7SImyzk

  28. Mr Vasudevan @11,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. All the songs you have mentioned show different colours of life.
    1. Ye zindagi ke mele – A fair has many shops, eateries, games, exhibits. Thus, it is a metaphor various shades of life.
    2. Zindagi ka safar hai ye kaisa safar – Though the subject is ‘safar;, we can interpret ‘zindagi ka safar’ as ‘zindagi’. Thus, shall we say it says, Life is a puzzle – ‘Koi samjha nahin koi jana nahin’
    3. Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain jo makam, phir nahin aate – Life is seizing the moment?

  29. One’s Love Story can be the whole Zindagi.

    Ek pyar ka nagma hai..
    ..
    Zindagi aur kuchh bhi nahin
    Teri meri kahani hai…
    Lata, Mukesh; Mukesh.

    SHOR.

    One’s beloved can be his / her Zindagi.

    Tu meri Zindagi hai..
    Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal.

    AASHIQUI.

  30. Shekhar @12,
    All the three songs are very nice. In Zindagi bhar nahin bhulegi wo barsaat ki raat, the emphasis seems to be on the reminiscences of that rainy night. The first one Zindagi bhar gham judaai ka is a little gray. It can mean his entire life is obsessed with the pain of separation.

  31. Zindagi, of course, is a sport _ Khel. Someone passes toh someone else fails.

    Zindagi hai Khel
    Koi pass, koi fail…
    Manna Dey.

    SEETA AUR GEETA.

  32. Main TV lene nahin aaya hoon, apne mare hue bete ki asthi lene aaya hoon. Kya ek baat ka uske bete ke rakh par adhikar nahin hai?

    Anupam Kher’s scene with the AC in SAARANSH bring tears to my eyes even today, 2021, when I am 60, as they did in 1984, when I was 23. I consider his performance as one of the best in Indian Cinema. Mahesh Bhat has handled the theme very sensitively.

    Amit Kumar, Vasant Dev and Ajit Varman have given a heart touching

    Har ghadi dal rahi sham hai Zindagi
    Dard ka doosra naam hai Zindagi..

    Ajnabi aankh si aaj hai Zindagi..

    Batke huye panchi ki raat ( raah ? ) hai Zindagi..

    What else can Zindagi be for an aging father who is devastated by his young son ‘s tragic death!

  33. Dr Shetty @15,
    That is some coincidence. And yesterday I was feverishly working on the post!

    ‘Life is a beautiful journey‘: I have included its shorter version. But this one can be seen as a different shade.

    Zindagi ka safar hai ye kaisa hahar: From beauty, it shifts to the undecipherable aspect of life – ‘Koi samjha nahin koi jana nahin.’ This song has been mentioned by Mr Vasudevn @ 11, a few minutes ahead of you. He has also mentioned your other songs, Ye zindagi ke mele; Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain jo makaam. That is another coincidence. I have responded to it @28.

    Layi kahan ae zindagi/ Hai saamne manzil neri/ Phir bhi manzil tak main ja na sakun – ‘Life plays a mirage’, or you can think of a better expression?

    ‘Life is unfaithful’ – ‘Bewafa’ good one.

    @18,
    Life is a battle – Nice one, the battle at Kurukshetra. I heard a nice talk by Dr Karan Singh on Gita: A Kurukshetra is going on inside every person, the battle between good and evil, hope and despair, and so on.

    Life is to enjoy life – That was Dev Anand’s ‘Romancing with Life’.

    @22,
    Life is a love ballad
    Life is a gamble
    Both mentioned earlier by Dr Deshpande @19, 21. It is gamble that someone can beat you by a few minutes.

    @29
    You are my life – Rajendra Krishna said many years ago in a more profound manner, ‘Ye zindagi usi ki hai jo kisi ka ho gaya’

    @31,
    Life is a sport: Good one. Have sportsman spirit.

  34. Ashwin @17,
    Thanks a lot. Kamal Hassan has now embraced life with full vigour. He is in the TN fray, it would have been nice if Rajini Saar was also there. It is an irony of our electoral system that not everyone is allowed to serve the people.

  35. Dr Deshpande @21,
    It is interesting everyone comes up with ‘Life is a love ballad‘. Not surprising, the regular readers of Songs of Yore are engrossed in life which is a song of love.

    @24,
    Badi sooni sooni hai zindagi ye zindagi: This is a good one, slightly different from lonely life. I don’t know whether ‘Life is desolate‘ fits.

    @26
    Even with little, life is beautiful. Contentment,. Kabir said, साईं इतना दीजिए..

  36. Mr Muli @27,
    Nice one. Life is a slow torture. I pity this Sahir, using his takhallus is no good for him, people will always mistake him for the the Big Sahir.

  38. Nice entertaining topic! The other zindagi song I remember here is from MAYA (don’t know if it was mentioned ) Zindagi hai kya sun meri jaan by Rafi again and on Dev Anand! Of course one of the most outstanding songs on the subject Zindagi ittefaq hai.

  45. Till you find your lost love(r) , or at least his/her picture, your Zindagi would be a ‘ lifeless ‘ corpse ( bejaan lash…not that I have come across a living corpse/jeeta jaagta lash in my medical career!)

    Ye meri Zindagi bejaan lash thi
    …
    Teri tasveer mil gayi..
    Shabbir Kumar.

    BETAAB.

    ( Friends from the Medical college with whom I watched the movie said, Amrita Singh’s performance was bejaan!)

  46. Akji
    Two scintillating compositions by Madan Mohan , both post 70 & both painting Zindagi in poignant
    shades & obviously in Antaras
    1 Aaj Socha to aanso – Haste Jakhm
    – Kaifi Azmi – Lata
    Rah gayi Zindagi dard banke
    dard dil me chupaye chupaye
    https://youtu.be/PcOfJLdIh1M
    2 Rasme ulfat ko – Dil Ki Rahe – Naqsh Layalpuri- Lata
    Bojh hota Jo gamo ka
    to utha bhi lete
    Zindagi bojh bani hai
    To uthaye kaise
    https://youtu.be/PTXd3PWYKOA

  53. AK, Zindagi is such an obvious theme for a post on film songs that I am surprised it took you so long to come to it. I always assumed this theme must have been covered adequately in one of the other blogs, but judging by the enthusiastic response to your post that’s probably not true.

    Your own list contains wonderful songs on many different aspects of life. Many more have been added in comments. I can’t think of any songs beyond those that have already appeared here. However, there are songs which use words like jeevan, umar etc. ‘Jeevan se lambe hain bandhu, yeh jeevan ke raste’ – life as an unending journey; ‘Umariya ghat-ti jaaye re’ – life as a losing battle. And then there are songs that reflect on the riddle called life without actually using the word – ‘Ajeeb dastan hai ye’.

    ‘Zindagi se badi sazaa hi nahin,’ is a profound observations. There is a philosophy called antinatalism that holds it is better not to be born. It has roots in ancient Greece with links to the Buddhist view of life as dukkha. This Wikipedia article has more:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinatalism

    It would be a lucky person indeed who has not experienced phases of life when it appeared to be an unbearable burden. Fortunately music and company of friends are two great antidotes – SoY provides both.

  54. A good post AKji.
    My god! So many facets of Zindagi you have put forth. So different post you have written!
    And soooooooooooo maaaannyyy songs are added already.
    Let me see, if I can add any,
    Bas Ek Sazaa Hi to Hai Zindagi from Jailor
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nBvCIHOcUQ

    Zindagi Hai Kya SUn Meri Jaan
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvK4JVLWCWk

    Zindagi Zulm Sahi
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd0d52WW2mQ

    Zindagi Mujhko Dikha de Rasta
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1vgQrDr_K4

    I hope I have manged to add different songs than already added.

    Anup
    🙂

  55. KB @38,
    Selling ice-cream is another way of romancing with life. And i come back to my point, Dev Anand, even as an ice-cream thelawala is Dev Anand, the debonair star.

  56. Mr Joseph @39,
    Another song on ‘Life is a strange saga‘.

    @40,
    And that saga is small. The pleasure is ephemeral, so make the best of it.

    @41,
    Wah. Same thoughts but in a very different way, the life is too short for telling the whole story.

    @44,
    Ae meri zindagi tujhe dhoonun kahan: Nice one. Search for the lost life, it left without a good by, or any sign.

    @47,
    Zindagi ki kasam ho chuke tere hum: The man swears by hi life that he has fallen with love with the lady. To my mind, reference to ‘life’ is incidental.

    @48,
    Tang aa chuke hain kashamkashm-e-zindagi se hum: The subject is again not ‘zindagi’, but about frustration with the hassles of zindagi

    @49,
    Same as #48. Same Sahir nazm was used in two films with somewhat different lyrics.

    @51,
    Zindagi ke safar mein akele the hum, mil gaye tum to dil ko sahara mila: Beautiful song, an my great favourite, but reference is indirect.

    @52,
    Humein to sham-e-gham mein kaatni hai zindagi apni: This is a gray area. Can be accepted. A beautiful song.

  57. Dr Deshpande @42,
    Zindagi hai zinda: Hear for the first time. ‘Life is alive and kicking’ – this is a nice song of hope and joy.

    @43, 50
    Nice philosophy. I have mentioned this in the beginning. One has to love oneself for loving life. Life is beautiful.

  58. Dr Shetty @45,
    ‘Bejan lash’: Nice detection of the oxymoron. I remember the first Ibne Safi novel I read was ‘Lash ki Hatya’! in my college days. What do you say to ‘Zinda lash’? If this is permitted, why not ‘Bejan lash’? Point to ponder.

  59. Mr Muli @46,
    Excellent thoughts. The first one could be seen as ‘Life is a punishment‘. Or, ‘Life is an ocean of suffering‘? The second one is distinct, Life is an unbearable burden.

  60. AK ji ;

    Wow ! Half a century in less than a day.! It seems we all are on a fast track though the life is slow due to covid. Yes Life as they say is short but it is long enough to enjoy what Anmol Ghadi has to offer.

    A few songs that I could gather hoping they are not repeats ….

    Jiyenge Magar Muskura Na Sakenge – Mukesh….NFS….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSKBuzJuNEA

    Tumhen Zindagi Ke Ujale Mubarak – Dharmendra, Mukesh, Purnima

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Iq_pfISaEc

    Dost Dost Na Raha | Sangam ||Shankar Jaikishan….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVgpdNsOHO4

    Ulfat Ki Zindagi Ke | Hangama 1952 | Lata Mangeshkar , Rafi , CR

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SorAGbVQ-RM

    Zindagi Hai Yaa Koi Tufaan Hai -, Asha , Khan Mastana – ZINDAGI YA TOOFAN –

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ODlIeSjnY

    Muze Tumse Kuch Bhi Na Chahiye [ main yeh bhul jaayunga yeh zindgi] | Kanhaiya , Mukesh..SJ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RaoB9usogQ

    …..to be contd…..

  61. Subodh @53,
    Perhaps I did not come to ‘Zindagi’ because it is so obvious. Mr Joseph mentioning it was a nudge for me. The readers have added many new dimensions to ‘Life’ as expected.

    ‘Jeevan’ is equivalent. I confined myself to ‘Zindagi’ thinking the readers would mention it. Thanks for mentioning Jeevan se lambe hain bandhu. ‘Life is an unending journey‘ conceals layers of meaning. The tone of the song is pathos. ‘Life is a losing battle’ is another profound thought.

    Thanks for enlightening me about ‘Antinatalism’ and its connection to Buddhist thoughts. I would go into it at leisure.

    I am happy that SOY has become an important part of life for many.

  62. Anup @54,
    Thanks a lot.

    Bas ek saza hi to hai zindagi and Zindagi zulm sahi are definitely new songs. The latter is my great favourite. Thanks a lot for adding them.

  63. KS Bhatiaji @60,
    I hope ‘Covid’ has not caught you, and your reference is to nuisance it has created all around. Take care. I admire your spirit. And none of the songs have been mentioned. Thanks a lot. These are my great favourites, but my criteria was that ‘Zindagi’ should be the direct subject in the song.

  64. Joseph ji ;

    You took over me in posting my favorite song….zindgi ke safar mein akele theey hum…from Nartaki . There is one more song by Asha from same film…aaj duniya badi suhani hai [ and i must quote this song as Hans ji favorite too].

    AAJ DUNIYA BARI SUHANI HAI -ASHA BHONSLE -SHAKEEL BADAYUNI -RAVI – NARTAKI ( 1963

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqsFkiKGHsA

  65. AK ji;

    Not at all . I am perfectly fine and enjoying SoY even at this hour ….which is my favorite time to communicate. I am sorry if I have hurt ones feelings.

  67. Life we live is in two modes – physically+ psychologically ( mentally)
    Both modes totally interlinked helping or hurting each other
    Culturally we are more inclined to the second mode
    Nature has made life continuous through urge to reproduce, those who fail, their suffering not understandable
    Ending life forcefully ( suicide) is instinctive to end extreme pains
    Ending others’ innocent lives (terrorism) is the worst form of cruelty
    ” Zindagi ki Talash me …. SATHI 1991
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLbbE0a0ig

  69. Manoj @67,
    Very perceptive thoughts. Some appear to be living purely in the physical world, though deep down they may be quite intense and reflective.

  70. Jeevan…..

    Jeevan se na tu haar jeenewale..
    KK.

    DOOR KA RAHI.

    Jeevan chalne ka naam
    Chalte raho subah o sham…
    MK, MD, Shyama.

    SHOR.

    If Manoj Bharat Kumar had to do Cycle balance here, Jeetendra did it in
    GHAR SANSAR.

    Jeevan ke raste mein…
    KK, Mhd Aziz, Alka Yagnik.

    Premnath, Jaya Bhaduri are replaced by Kader Khan and Sridevi.

    Ye Jeevan hai
    Is Jeevan ka
    Yahi hai…
    KK

    PIYA KA GHAR.

    Jeevan hai ek sapna
    Madhur suhana sapna..
    KK,AB.

    HONEYMOON.

    Is Jeevan ki yahi hai kahani…
    KK/ Lata.

    ALAG ALAG.

    Har ek Jeevan ki ek kahani hai..
    Lata.

    BEZUBAN.

    Mera Jeevan kora kagaz..
    KK.

    KORA KAGAZ.

    Mera Jeevan kuchh kaam na aaya
    Jaise sookhe ped ki chaya .
    KK.

    MERA JEEVAN.

    Jeevan ke din chote sahi..
    KK

    BADE DILWALA

    Jeevan ek sangharsh hai..
    Kavita Krishnamoorthi, Mhd Aziz.

    JEEVAN EK SANGHARSH.

    Jeevan mein tu darna nahin..
    KK.

    KHOTE SIKKEY

    Jeevan mein humsafar..
    KK.

    TAXI TAXI.

  71. Ak ji
    Joseph ji has not only suggested the theme but has posted beautiful songs also. @52 he has posted a vintage Noor Jahan song which narrates how the heroine is forced to live ( katani hai Zindagi)
    Here is another vintage this time from Lata
    Katati hai ab to Zindagi marane ke intezaar me
    Naaz- Anil Biswas – Prem Dhawan
    https://youtu.be/w44lHkwujSI

    And this one almost mocks the thought of Marne ka intezaar
    Maangne se Jo Maut mil jati – Sunhere Kadam – Bulo C Rani – Mahendra Pran- Lata
    https://youtu.be/CiYIqGS0LCY
    Though Zindagi makes a fleeting appearance in this song in the first antara , it reverberates with the theme of Maut & Zindagi.

    And as an antidote to both Sahir here for once in a flamboyant mood
    Chahe koi khush ho – Taxi Driver – SDB-Kishor JW & others
    https://youtu.be/zBTA_JPjm6o

  72. Dr Shetty @70,
    ‘Jeevn’ too had all the shades as in ‘Zindagi’. There are still many left: ‘Jeevan hai madhuban’, and by the Master Saigl, ‘Jeevan been madhur na baaje’. And a very fast Vasant Desai duet, must be one of the fastest. The beauty is it starts with a slow prelude, and suddenly the two stars/ singers get into a frenzied pace:

    Jeevan mein piya tera saath rahe by Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar from Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Vasant Desai
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hekj4MgNRG4

  73. Mr Muli @71,
    Life’s destination is death: Sounds cool. That itself can be an interesting them. There are so many songs which contain these opposite thoughts: Jeena teri gali mein marna teri gali mein. If one could will death, why anyone would choose life? Our mythology has an absolute opposite. King Yayati was cursed premature old age by Shukracharya. On his plea for mercy, the rishi mitigated it – if any of his sons is willing to swap his youth with the father’s old age. Yayati had no compunction in asking his sons. Only one agreed, and Yayayi went on to enjoy a thousand years of worldly pleasures. Taxi Driver had another excellent song of joy, Dil se mila ke dil pyar kijiye, koi suhana ekraar kijiye.

  74. Dr. Shetty @23

    As requested, here’s the song from the Marathi movie, Duniyadari – 2013, one of the biggest successes in Marathi cinema.

    Zindagi Zindagi doston ki duniyadari mein haseen meri zindagi

    MD- Samir Saptiskar Lyrics- Sachin Pathak

    There’s a nice incorporation of the Hum Dono song –
    मै जिंदगी का साथ निभाता चला गया
    हर फिक्र को धुंवे में उडाता चला गया

    Sung by Marathi actors – Sachin Pilgaonkar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sumeet Raghavan, Sunil Barve, Prasad Oak, Kedar Shinde, Pandharinath Kamble, Siddharth Jadhav, Vaibhav Mangle, Ankush Choudhary, Swapnil Joshi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evSskekTWeY

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sD4_Y2_uTU

  76. Life makes you a stranger to yourself.

    AKji has already covered this in the post Romancing The Stranger with this ghazal by Jagjit Singh – Hum to yun apni zindagi se mile, ajnabi jaise ajnabi se mile.

    As they fit the theme here, I am re-posting the songs inspired by the same thought, which I had posted there:

    Sailaab 1990
    Bappi – Javed Akhtar – Amit, Asha
    Mujhko ye zindagi lagti hai ajnabi
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZPzvjJTZT4

    Tadipaar 1990
    Nadeem Shravan – Sameer – SPB, Alka
    Yeh zindagi kabhi kabhi ajnabi si lagti hai
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1szv7S-Qxc

    Asmaan Se Ooncha 1989
    Rajesh Roshan – Indivar – Kumar Sanu, Sadhana, Anwar, Abhijeet
    Zindagi se jab mile ajnabi lagi
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMwNBSHEyJA

  77. Life is Smoke…

    Faasla 1974, one of the many medium order movies that Shabana Azmi starred in the 70s, that were hardly noticed.

    I had seen the movie on DD somewhere in 80s and this song was the only thing that I could remember, even though I don’t smoke!!

    Jaidev- Kaifi Azmi – Bhupinder

    Zindagi cigarette ka dhuan
    ye dhuan jaata hai kahan

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMpD72aQW7Y

  79. ASHIQUI.

    Zindagi is beautiful when you are falling in/ are in love.

    Sanson ki zaroorat hai jaise Zindagi ke liye
    Bas ek Sanam chahiye Ashiqui ke liye. ..

    Dheere Dheere se mere Zindagi mein aana..

    Tu meri Zindagi hai …

    But, when you are separated from your beloved, Zindagi is poison!

    Ab tere bin jee lenge hum
    Zehar Zindagi ka pee lenge hum…

    When the distributors, journalists saw ASHIQUI before the release, they gave it a Thumbs down .
    ..Mahesh Bhat has made Chitrahaar with two gawky leads. But, the music made it a blockbuster.
    At the Filmfare awards, it was a clean sweep in the Music department _ Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal, Sameer, Nadeem Shravan.

    ..

  80. Dr Deshpande 76,
    The third song, Zindagi se jab mile, ajnabi lagi has poor audio, but its lyrics has closest echo of Jagjit Singh’s ghazal.

    @77, 78
    Nice songs.

  81. Dr Shetty @79,
    Thanks for all the information. Among new songs, Ashiqui songs I liked. Nadeem-Shravan also became the top dog of film music.

  82. AK ji;

    Yes , Dr Shetty and Dr Deshpande are really giving a lot of songs for us to entertain …..and so also Joseph ji . The topic is favorable to all as we all are connected to Zindagi in various phases of our own times and your sub heads quotes defines them all.

    Some more to add on…

    Ae Meri Zindagi Aaj Raat Jile – Sheila Ramani – Dev Anand – Taxi Driver – Hindi Songs – S.D.Burman

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ITbSJ2ee0

    mujhe ishq hai tujhi se meri jaan zindgani..Ummeed 1962_Mohd.Rafi _Shakeel Badayuni_Ravi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7dFnA8HXK0

    Yeh Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai | Mohammad Rafi | Title Song

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPUEeUoofmE

    …..to be contd….

  84. Mr Joseph , Mr Muli and all fans of SJ ;

    Here is my favorite melody so passionate with nice rhythm , beats and interludes . A song that smoothen my nerves and lyrics that connects me for all positive thinking.

    Do Din Ki Zindagi – Lata Mangeshakr – POONAM…SJ…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ntNquTw9w

    ….to be contd…

  85. Bhatiya ji
    I was about to call it a day after completing preparations for tomorrow’s routine and browsed SOY to catch the gem posted by you. Here is another do din ki Zindagi ( so we are making it do duni chase!)
    Do din ki Zindagi ye kaisi hai Zindagi – Satyakam – AB-LP- Lata
    https://youtu.be/NdKl3vifKYc

  87. Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli ;

    Thanks for your prompt action . Yes some of our colleagues do have common stamps of collector songs….and I do remember them MD wise. This song and the movie Satyakam is my favorite film . In fact all the movies made by Hrishi da were great.

    So moving further here are some more songs to proceed on . All these songs I suppose fits on to the sub heads of this great topic.

    Aaj Yeh Meri Zindagi – | Asha Bhosle | Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke…Ravi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6GnaEVjpGs

    Na Jaane Kyun | Chhoti Si Baat (1976)….Lata….Salil da….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1t_Eeo-OQM

    to be contd….

  90. Ak Ji
    In your write up song no 12 is a beautiful gazal by Mehdi Hasan expressing love even after death. This duet from Pakeezah expresses the same emotion
    Zindagi khatm bhi ho Jaye agar
    Na kabhi khatm ho ulfat ka Safar
    Chalo Dildar Chalo – Gulam Mohhomad – Kaif Bhipali – Lata & &Rafi
    https://youtu.be/OtM1WVwEO44

  91. Just one more song I would like to add as I am a big fan of SJ.

    zindagi mujhko dikhade raastha – a Rafi solo – from the film
    Saanj aur savera picturaized on Mahmood

  95. @KS Bhatiaji @82,
    All the songs celebrate the joy of ‘Zindagi’. Ya zindagi kitnai hassen hai‘ assumes that haseena will come around.

    @83,
    ‘Ye zindagi hamari kya khhob zindagi hai: ‘Strange are the eays of Life!’: It is a perfect piano song too.
    ‘Meri zindagi tere pyar mein’: – An excellent composition by Kalyanji-Anandji. This film also had an iconic Mukesh song – ‘Hum chhod chale hain mehfil ko‘.
    ‘Zindagi se puar katna seekh le‘: Translation – ‘Love yourself’.

    @86,
    ‘Tune humein kya diya re zindagi’: I was imagining SD Burman singing the song, the experience would have been ethereal.
    ‘Gham nahin gar zindagi veeran hai’: Interesting thought. ‘Na milta gham to barbadi ke sfsaane kahan jaate’!
    ‘Zndagi ki yhai reet hai’: Victory-defeat, joy-sorrow you get everything in life.

  97. Mr Joseph 88, 89,
    Very few people are posting vintage songs. Nice discovery.

    @92,
    Ek hasrat ti ki mujhko pyar mile: Nice Mukesh song

    @93,
    Nice song of ephemeral life. SEveral on this theme have been posted.

    @94,
    ‘Life is all destiny‘. – But is it the entire truth.

  98. Mr Muli @90,
    ‘Kabhi na khatm ho ulfat ka safar’ – Very poetic expression. The words are probably superios to Mehdi Hassan’s nazm.

  105. EK BAAR KAHO, 1980.

    Dev Kohli, Bappi Lahiri.

    Ek baar kaho, mujhe pyar karti hai
    ..
    Pyar Zindagi hai, pyar bandagi hai..
    BL, Sulakshana Pandit.

    Char din ki Zindagi hai
    Jaa rahe hain din,
    Do gaye tere aane se pehle
    Do gaye tere bin…
    Yesudas.

    Yeh Zindagi char din ki hai
    Pyar kar le…

    MUQADDAR KA SIKANDER.

    Pyar Zindagi hai, pyar bandagi hai…

    EK BAAR PHIR , 1980.

    Jeevan ek Sauda hai..
    A Paudwal, Vinod Pandey, Raghunath Seth.
    ( Ye paude, ye pathe, ye phool, ye hawaye was a hit song.)

  106. AK
    What an alluring post. Classification of zindagi under various attributes and emphasising with a matching song is a stroke of genius. But for this refined approach, merely the word zindagi in a song would find place here and comments would probably have been more than double than what it is now. You have thrown a challenge to one and all and it is being met head on. Thanks AKji for this doozy of a post.
    A sound knowledge of the lyrics is a desideratum and I would fail as I consider myself a knucklehead in this regard. So no songs from me and skidoo promptly.

  107. Abhi mujh mein kahin
    Baaki thodi si hai Zindagi..

    A beautiful song by Sonu Nigam in
    AGNEEPATH.

    Gun gun guna re…
    …
    Zindagi ke rashan mein gham ulta zyada hai…
    Sunidhi C, Udit N.

    O Saiyan…
    …
    Meri adhoori kahani lo dastan ban gayi
    ..
    Zindagi ne pehni hai muskaan.
    Roop Kumar Rathod.

    Shah ke rutba, Shehenshah si teri baaten
    ..
    Zindagi toh har kadam nayi disha mein hai…
    Sukhwinder S, Anand Raj Anand, Krishna.

    Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Atul Anand

  109. Dr Deshpande @100,
    ‘One does not get love very frequently.‘

    @101,
    Nice one. ‘I know life is an illusion, yet I love it too much.’

    @102, 103. 104,
    Nice songs and nice captions. Let me make some verbal changes in the life-kite: ‘Life is a kite that has been snapped from its thread‘

  111. Mr Rangan @106,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. About lyrics, you know enough to write a substantive post on a lyricist. The readers have tremendous recall and knowledge of songs. Once you can compile various shades of ‘Zindagi’, songs would start falling in those boxes.

  112. Ak ji
    You asked us to explore Zindagi ek Nasha theme . It is pretty difficult to find a song befitting the theme .
    So far no song on Nasha & Zindagi has been posted.
    This is a gazal by Pankaj Udhas may fit in to the theme
    Ek taraf uska ghar ek taraf maykada – Jafar Gorakhpuri
    https://youtu.be/6W0ZJkT-aecn the opening lines
    Shayar travels from
    Teri nigah se aisi sharab pi li Maine
    To
    Nigahe yaar se Zindagi pa li Maine
    & Then he asks gham-e-Zindagi to decide uska ghar ya maykada.
    But to the discerning the answer lies in the following stanza
    Uske dar se utha to
    Kidhar jaaunga
    Maikada chhod dunga
    To main Mar jaaunga .
    Obviously jaan hai to Jahan hai

  113. How lovely! A truly melodious piece. And thank you so much for your very kind words of aporoval for Phoolsunghi. It means so much to me.

  116. Ak ji
    I unnecessarily went to the extent of Pankaj Udhas in 80s to find some connection between Zindagi _ Nasha.
    Majrooh had already done that in 50s and the protagonist of this theme enacted it on screen
    Hum bekhudi me tumko – Kala Pani – SDB – Rafi
    https://youtu.be/JB9RfKNAf2k
    Soagar me Zindagi ko utare chale Gaye
    And Utara Jo Nasha to humne ye jaana
    Sare wo Zindagi ke sahare chale Gaye
    And Dube nahi ham hi yun
    Nashe me akele
    So Zindagi here is overflowing with Nasha.

  117. AK @ 20
    ‘tanha tanha’ emphasis the loneliness – though walking together, they remain lonely in their own spaces.
    There you go you, have explained it thoroughly.

    Mr. Muli @71 AK @ 73
    Taxi driver had one more joyful “ zindagi “ song
    Taxi Driver (1954) – Ai Meri Zindagi Aaj Raat Jhum Le

    https://youtu.be/PbQCtJQAkoA

    In Ek mahal ho sapnon ka Sahir had two philosophical “zindagi” songs
    Dekha Hai Zindagi Ko – Kishore Kumar
    https://youtu.be/TiVt_ZTyXrQ
    Zindagi Guzarne Ko Saathi Ek Chahiye
    https://youtu.be/39uGj-Fz1mA

  120. Gautam @113,
    It is a delightful surprise to have you here. Welcome to Songs of Yore and great to have your acquaintance. I read one of your interviews in which you said in wry humour that you find you have become famous. So I would look forward to an opportunity to welcome you on SOY properly. Most of the readers of this blog have no acquaintance with Bhojpuri culture, except the old Bhojpuri film songs. But many would read your translation of ‘Phoolsunghi’. I am sure they would like to know more from you.

  121. Ak ji
    Hum aur tum aur ye Nasha & nashe me hum nashe me tum were
    among the first few songs that came to my mind but I thought that they did not explicitly mention Zindagi & hence did not post them
    Here is another one talking about Sagar , bekhudi and Zindagi .
    Koi Sagar Dil ko behlata nahi – Dil Diya Dard Liya – Shakeel – Naushad – Rafi
    https://youtu.be/XisFzdMbGGY

  122. Mr Joseph @114,
    Chhoti si ye zindagi: A very good night-club song by Lata Mangeshkar. Life is short, but enjoy is to the full.

    @115,
    Interesting song of remonstrance to the one responsible for heartbreak.

  123. Mumbaikar8 @117,
    Thanks. But in all such explorations of meanings you have been the catalyst.

    Both songs of Sahir have deep meanings.

  125. AK ji

    Wow…What a wonderful blog! I am at a loss as to how I missed it earlier. I was googling for songs based on different Ragas, and fortunately stumbled upon SoY. I am amazed to see the posts by expert contributors with in depth analysis of Hindi film vintage music and the equally resourceful comments by other readers.

    Beautiful songs on Zindagi…

    I would love to add some to the list of songs already mentioned above like Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi hairan hoon main, Aanewala pal janewala hain, hosake tho isme zindagi bitalo etc. There seem to be many songs which enunciate philosophy of life, give advice on how to live life etc. without mentioning the word zindagi.

    Looking forward to many more delightful and insightful posts and comments.

    VB

  128. VB @125,
    Welcome to SOY and thanks a lot for your generous praise. Readers have enriched this blog with their passionate following, comments, and guest articles. Yes, ‘Zindagi’ songs are endless.

  133. AK ji @95;

    Perfect observation for…

    ‘Tune humein kya diya re zindagi’: I was imagining SD Burman singing the song, the experience would have been ethereal…….

    Yes it would have been great pathos song if SDB rendered it . There are plenty of SDB songs that were originally composed and sung by him before they got converted and changed according to hindi film song situation. One of such song with same feelings…..

    Kya Yeh Zindagi Hai – Lata, SDB[?] – Yeh Gulistan Hamara …SDB

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2m8CspvtNw

    to be contd…

  140. Ak ji , Bhatiya ji @ 137
    Bhatiyaji has posted 2 Rafi songs .
    Here is one more
    Tujhe Kya sunau main dilruba – Aakhari Daav- Majrooh- MM
    In his post on Rafi – MM songs Akji
    has called this as one of the greatest & an iconic song of Rafi.
    I had listened this song before I knew that there was ye Hawa ye raat ye chandani coming much earlier . And even after listening ye Hawa , the impact of tujhe Kya sunau is intact.
    https://youtu.be/PgpnCC1oCIo

  152. AKji, visited SoY rather late this time. But better late than never, though. There is one song of Bhupinder’s from the movie Bedard(1982) that I love. It has stayed with me ever since I watched the movie on DD as a child. This is a song that deserved a lot more popularity. Zindagi or life is treated as a mate or a friend in this song. The lyrics are by Naqsh Lyallpuri and the music is by Kanti Kiran. It is sung mellifluously by Bhupinder.

    Zindagi Tu Mera Saath Dena
    Pyaar Se Haath Mein Haath Dena
    Karz Mujhko Chukane Hain Har Saans Ka

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7wbkDtsb3E&list=RDi7wbkDtsb3E&start_radio=1
    Do listen to the full song to appreciate its depth!

  153. Anita,
    Nice song. One ‘zindagi’ ghazal that has similarly stayed with me is Zindagi jab bhi teri bazm mein laati hai humein by Talat Aziz from Umrao Jan (1981), lyrics Shaharyar, music Khayyam. In this too life can be seen as a friend who escorts the person to the right place.

    Zindagi jab bhi teri bazm mein laati hai humein
    Ye zameen chaand se behtar nazar aati hai humein

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-_CY0iP1CM

  154. Dr Deshpande @130,
    Tumhein zindagi ke ujaale mubarak: In my list of about the best KA song for Mukesh. The ultimate in love, wishing the light for her, but accept darkness for himself. These songs do not have ‘zindagi’ in mukhada but they have same thoughts:

    1. Agar mujhse mohabbat hai mujhe sab apne gham de do: It has ‘zindagi’ in antara.
    2. Tum apna ranj-o-gham apni pareshani mujhe de do

    @131,
    Another KA song, nut Mukesh was well past his prime.

    @132,
    Both songs are very mellifluous.

    @134,
    Somehow many new songs do not stick to my mind.

    @146,
    Ansoo bharin hain ye jeevan ki raahein from this film, which everyone knows, also incidentally a ‘zindagi’ song.

    @147,
    I have not heard this song. But the film did have an iconic song which everyone knows, ‘Tumhare bulaane ko ji chaahta hai’.

    @148,
    Excellent song. see the difference when Mukesh was in form. Tu meri zindagi hai, tu meri har khushi hai is a very common theme. Our iconic Tujhe kya sunaaun main dilruba, tere saamne mera haal hai has the same theme: Meri har khushi tere dam se hai/Meri zindagi tere gham se hai etc.

    @149,
    Nice song.

    @150, Yes, unfortunately. सकल पदारथ एही जग माही/ करमहीन नर पावत नाही.

    @151,
    ‘Zindagi ke rang kai re’

  155. KS Bhatiaji @133,
    SD Burman’s original were always a different class. Kya ye zindagi hai: I had not heard it earlier.

    @135,
    A very nice song.

    @136,
    Obviously both my great favourites.

    @137,
    Nice songs.

  156. Mr Joseoh @138, 139,
    Nice ‘Zindagi’ songs.

    @141,
    Nice marching song. This must be Sahir Ludhiyanavi’s debut as a lyricist.

    @143,
    Excellent song advocating to enjoy life with fun.

    @144,
    Zindagi zindadili ka naa mai: But why sad tune?

    @145,
    Similar theme, but now appropriate beat.

  157. Mr Muli @140,
    I am on the same page with you on Tujhe kya sunaun main dilruba versus He hawa ye raat ye chaandni. Sajjad Hussain need not have been so worked up..

    @142,
    I accept it with delight, and with the ritual cliche, ‘in all humility’. 🙂

  159. Mr Muli,
    Superb songs. Each song of Umrao Jan is a piece of art. Muzaffar Ali himself is an artist, and you see his sensibility in the entire film.

  160. AK,

    This topic is so close to the heart of everyone and most of SOYers having seen a lot of zindagi that this stupendous response to familiarly great post is but natural. This topic as well as any zindagi song brings to mind many stories of life which are important in one’s life. The songs are all great and our all star team of friends have harvested most of the crops above as well as below earth. I have something to say on Dev Anand/Meena Kumari issue, but that I would keep for later. Now I try to post some songs which may be useful.

    Bhatiaji has always me in mind as he is in my mind. So he remembers my favourites as he mentioned the Nartaki songs. He also posted my favourite song from Ye Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai. This film had another zindagi song by Asha Bhosle which is even better than this one. ‘Jeene ka agar andaz aaye to kitni haseen hai zindagi’ epitomizes the life philosophy.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_UVID3sHzQ

    I think the next song also has taken clue from this philophy. ‘Mile na phool to kanton se dosti kar li’.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRs6ITGWmk

    If we go back to 1950 film Sargam, we find our eternal philosophy en-capsuled in the beautiful song ‘tinak tin tani do din ki zindagani’ in the voices of Lata Mangeshkar and Saraswati Rane.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQck0FRfEQU

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQck0FRfEQU

  161. There are some situations when maut takes precedence over zindagi. It is then we need the philosophy of life. Here are a few songs.

    Zindagi bhati nahin aur maut bhi aati nahin – Geeta Datt – Imtihan (1949)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65kLc37xt0M

    Maut kitni bhi sangdil ho magar zindagi se to meherban hogi – Asha Bhosle – Aaj Aur Kal
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF9-2K9JvAQ

    Kahin se maut ko lao ke gham ki raat kate – Mohammad Rafi – Mera Qasoor Kya Hai
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEwDZnykHrU

  162. Hans ji;

    Glad to find yourself back in action . With so many years of our togetherness we know each others interests and likings. I have a mix bag to offer which covers golden and modern period and some sad ones
    inspired by your sad songs…..

    Meri Tamannaon Ki Taqdeer | Holi Aaee Re (1970) ..Mukesh…KA

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGdfXxs8BzQ

    Yeh Zindagi Ki Uljhanen..Gharana….Asha…Ravi…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK4GSoICD-c

    Zinda Hoon Is Tarah Ke ….Mukesh…Aag…Ram Ganguly

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnSr82qQ34

    Samjhauta Ghamon Se Kar Lo (Male)…Kishore…Samjhauta…KA

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91mA7GA6mIk

    …to be contd..

  165. Hans @160,
    Thanks a lot.
    Jeene ka andaz aye to kitni haseen hai zindagi: This is undoubtedly a song of optimism.
    But Mile na phool to kaanton se dosti kar li seems to be of resigned acceptance.
    Tinak tin tani: The picturisation is of a comic situation. The girls are talented in music, but in this scene one of the singers mocks the type of ustad who considers verbal acrobatics as music.

    @161,
    Interesting songs of ‘Maut mubarak ho’.

  169. AK ji; SSW ji;

    Today is world water day and I am remembring my career and this wonderful song of the golden period . A sharp ear just reveal that this tune is based on one of the Germany’s polka Tike Tok songs that are usually played during October Beer festivals.

    Chhal Chhal Paani Hamari Zindagani – Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey – AMANAT….Salil da

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJWx1Fm6OTg

  171. Dr. Rajesh Deshpande ji @167; AK ji ; Hans ji;

    I love this song from Anari and I always felt that this song deserved award against….Sub kucchh sekha humne . Kisii ki muskaraton pe …have deeper meaning . Anyway both are penned by Shailendra and I am too happy that the film , its music and songs made it to top of filmfare awards.

    Here is some more songs from SJ camp….

    chhoti si ye zindgani re,char din ki jwaani teri,haa’y re..Aah1953_ Mukesh_Shailendra_S J…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luxhUeR5izI

    Shree 420 – Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh [ Zindgani ke safar mein tu akela nahi hai ….]- Manna Dey – Asha Bhonsle…SJ….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3D3YNmg-Ak

    Hamein Bhi De Do Sahara ….[ Ajab yeh zindgani hai ]… – Mohammed Rafi – Seema…SJ…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTvgcXlpsKo

    ….to be contd…

  173. Dr. Rajesh Deshpande ji @167; AK ji ; Hans ji;

    In continuation some songs that I think should fit various sub heads bills.

    Aye Mere Pyare Watan ….Manna Dey…Kabuliwala…Salil da…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKPTcK8PoR4

    Aaj Gham Kal Khushi Hai Yahi Zindagi – Mohammed Rafi – JAWAB -…Nashad [ or Ravi ?]….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdjm1Es40sk

    Raat Bhar Ka Hai Mehman Andhera – Md Rafi, Sone Ki Chidiya…OPN

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NufQfRt0uCQ

    ….to be contd..

  176. Venkatraman ji;

    Whenever I think of Hemant’s songs I remember your contributions to this great singer.

    YEH ZINDAGI HAI EK SAFAR Hemant Kumar Lyric Prem Dhawan Music Anil Biswas Film Rahi (1953)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uxgjxbGN4g

    Keh Rahi Hai Zindagi Hemant Kumar Jalti Nishani (1957) Anil Biswas / Qamar Jalalabadi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp14SIyqtk0

    YEH HANSTA HUA CARAWAN … SINGERS, HEMANT KUMAR & ASHA BHOSLE … FILM, EK JHALAK (1957)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei2sJalD9zw&t=14s

    …to be contd…

  178. Akji , Pradeepji
    Pradeepji has posted 4 songs from Ashiqui . In Golden era Mere Mehboob was as big a musical hit as Ashiqui, if not bigger. Here are 4 songs from that film referring to Zindagi , all in Antaras
    1 Mere Mehboob tujhe – Lata
    https://youtu.be/xzPGBnKt8z0e mere Pyar ki tabir
    Meri jaan-e-gazal
    Zindagi Meri tujhe
    Yaad kiye jati hai
    2 Tumse ijhar-e- Hal – Rafi
    https://youtu.be/CGE1RUmHjRMaise majboor ho Gaye hai dilse
    Soche samajhe bagair katil se
    Zindagi ka sawal Kar baithe
    3 Tere Pyar me Dildar – Lata
    https://youtu.be/9JD22f4BZxEu hi Meri Zindagi hai
    Tu hi Mera Pyar hai
    4 Yaad me Teri jag jag ke – Rafi & Lata
    Zindagi ki udas raho me
    Teri yado ke saath chalte hai
    https://youtu.be/r0wc0IUJ5WY

  179. Dr Deshpande @167,
    To live is to surrender oneself to someone’s smile. Typical Shailendra.

    @168,
    Meri zindagi ek khwab hai
    Jo pee na sake wo sharab hai
    It is not only what you say, but how you say it conveys the meaning. From the tempo I guess it is a night club dancer who is tempting patrons.

    @170,
    Aadmi jo kahta hai, aadmi jo sunta hai
    Zindagi wo sadaayein peechha karti hain
    Life is nostalgia for your past experiences.

    @172,
    A generic song of being an optimist.

  180. KS Bhatiaji @169,
    Can you plese post some ‘Tick Tock Polka’ song? Some I checked on YT seemed to my ear bear a very feeble resemblance.

    @171,
    Nice. Different shades of life by SJ.
    Chhoti si ye zindagani: Somehow a tonga driver or a boatman, singing a philosophical song look very apt.
    Mud mud ke na dekh, Zindagani ke safar mein tu akela hi nahi hai: Complete contrast from the above.

    @173, 174,
    Nice songs of somber mood.

    @175,
    Aap jaisa koi meri zindagi mein aye: How a song becomes a rage. The orchestration, the words and picturisation all make it an everlasting song of joy.

    @177,
    You do have huge memory bank of different shades of life!.

  182. Bhatiaji @175

    Aap jaisa koi meri zindagi mein aaye was the top chartbuster of 1980 and Qurbani, the blockbuster movie.
    I was in 9th Std that year and I recollect the craze of the song. An iconic song, I still enjoy it!!

    Here’s a meaningful Zindagi song from Qurbani.
    KA- Indeevar – Manhar, Kanchan, Anand Kumar

    Hum tumhe chahte hai aise
    marne wala koi zindagi chahta ho jaise
    ….zindagi bin tumhare adhuri
    tumko paalu agar har kami meri ho jaye poori

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cR-oWrC4E

  184. ‘Hum tumhein chaahte hain’ was soft, melodious – contrast from ‘Aap jaisa’, but extremely popular.

    ‘Zindagi mil ke bitayenge’ fitted with the spirit of ‘Satte Pe Satta’

    Thanks for adding these songs.

  186. Mr Joseph,
    A classic of that era. It is a two part song. One reliable source mentions two more singers: Paresh Banerjee and Sheela. Sheela is in the cast. She had also sung another early classic, ‘Tum bin hamri kaun khabar le, Govardhan Giridhari’ in Sohrab Modi’s ‘Pukar’ (1939). Therefore, it is quite likely that she is the female voice in the song.

  187. Akji ,Bhatiyaji
    Few more SJ songs ( when they were past their prime)
    1 Suni Suni saans ki sitsr par – Lal Patthar – Neeraj – Asha
    https://youtu.be/0aq3T0a4I0o
    Contrasting play of Zindagi by Neeraj
    2 sau baras ki Zindagi se achhe hai – Sachaai-
    Rajinder Kishan – Rafi Asha
    https://youtu.be/Z2y7vMn7mkE
    There is a famous line in a Marathi poem by legendary poet / dramatist
    Ram Ganesh Gadkari ( Govindagraj ) which loosely translated will be
    A moment of love overpowers torrent of deaths
    RK might have been influenced by that idea (if he had come across the poem)
    3 Chale ja chale ja chale ja – Jahan Pyar Mile – Hasrat-Rafi Suman
    https://youtu.be/t-qSQU9nJVg

  188. @ 185 & 186
    Sheela is the actress singer who is singing the last antara of the second part of the song. She acted in a few of Sohrab Modi’s movies and mostly sang her own songs.

  189. Saath Saath 1982
    Kuldeep Singh – Javed Akhtar

    Tumko dekha to yeh khayaal aaya
    Zindagi dhoop tum ghana saaya – Jagjit Singh

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GRqHkV9Bls

    Kyun Zindagi ki raah mein majboor ho gaye – Chitra Singh

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyXSPgFaioM

    Ye bata de mujhe Zindagi – Jagjit, Chitra

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AumU9YhxaR8

    Pyar mujhse jo kya tumne to kya paaogi….
    …..zindagi ka yeh safar tumpe to aasan rahe…
    …..zindagi tumko sunaegi fasane kitne – Jagjit

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWS0ohF0y08

  190. Mr Muli @187,
    Nice songs.
    Marathi poem, you translation is makes it very close to Sau baras ki zindagi se achche hain. You mean SJ, and not RK? Incidentally, what would be the BMI of Shammi Kapoor in this song?

  192. AK Ji @180;

    Yes , some time music takes us to back of memories ….specially interludes or instrumental music across countries. This happened once when we visited small German town in Georgia called Helens about 50 miles from Atlanta , USA. This town has been kept as it was 150 years ago when this was inhabited by Germans who were engaged in making asbestos sheets and related items during that time but had to shut the industries owing to pollution concerns in that area. The town is favorite of visitors and tourists who want to know the culture that existed in the past. The town latterly overflows with Beer and Polka dance music. The October festival Parade is a treat for us to watch. Everyone wears cloths of those times and make merry reliving their past. Music is played round the clock and town with bright lights always bears festive look round the year .

    Beer Barrels and Polka dances are the themes that makes this visit a memorable one. Visited this site on three occasions and have made videos and fotos of this …and kept in my albums and pen drives.

    Coming to related music ….there are many on you tube ….but the one I like the best is what that comes close to Tick Tock and our own Amanant song is ……

    Tick Tock Polka – Mollie B & Ted Lange, (Home Session #18), Tik Tok Polka….[ song starts after 1.03 ] …..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJH_e85pP3I

    Mollie B & Ted Lange are very talented couple. Mollie can play five to six instruments in a single song itself. they are very famous in America and are specially invited to perform in every state .

    As we listen to such beats we do remember similar beats in ….Mausam aya hai rangeen bajee hai hoole holle been ….from Dholak. So one leads to other as we listen in Progressive format .

  193. AK Ji;

    Life is abundant and various shades never can ever make it redundant .

    Dwelling on the beauty of life is what I saw in one of the most beautiful Italian movie of all times…LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL . This single movie had best of everything in its story , screenplay, acting , direction and music .

    A complete institute of cinema in a single movie. Won many awards and Oscar as best movie in foreign category. The theme music itself makes life worth living with passion.

    Great Movie Themes 6: Life Is Beautiful 1 (Main Theme)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaV633eoH5c

  194. Ak ji
    I am sorry that I used a misleading abbreviation .
    Actually it was for Rajinder Krishan. I thought that as a lyricist he might have been influenced by the line
    As for Shammi’ s BMI in sachaai , It was a small mercy that the other hero’s girth was yet to reach that proportion .

  196. AK ji, you mentioned about songs discussing zindagi as nasha that made me wonder if you have done a post on songs dealing with ‘nasha’, ‘jaam’ etc. If not, it’d be wonderful if you could do it.

  198. neeruahaf @196

    Thanks for posting the song from Hip Hip Hurray 1984.
    I had recalled it at the beginning but it slipped off my mind later.

    I too like the song, even the movie was nice and well-made, one of the early directorial ventures of Prakash Jha.

    Here’s one more song from the film. Its the part of the title song and comes at the end of the movie.

    Maidan hai saari zindagi and khel hai saari umr ka
    Vanraj Bhatia – Gulzar – Shailendra Singh

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcpGyCESIBs&t=12s

  202. Dr Deshpande @189,
    I have heard the songs, but I am ‘discovering’ songs of the film Sath Sath now. The most nuanced lyric is ‘Kyun zindagi i raah mein majboor ho gaye/ Itne kareeb aye ki hum door ho gaye‘. The latter thought seems to be replica of Tumhein zindagi ke ujaale mubarak../Tumhein pa ke hum khud se door ho gaye the, tumhein kho ke hum apne paas aa gaye hain.

    @191,
    Ye zindagi ka mausam aur ye sama suhana: A typical romantic duet of joy when everything is hunky dory.
    Aye zindagi ke sathi jana na zindagi se: Can’t help remarking that a piano song has to be more dignified.

    @199,
    Aye ho meri zindagi mein tum bahar ban ke: Nice song of a later era.

    @200,
    Badi udas hai zindagi: In an earlier era the tune would have been poignant.

    @201,
    New song for me.

  203. KS Bhatiaji @192,
    Nice memory. US specialises in ‘preserving’ such historic villages as what they call ‘living museums’. We have started doing something like this, e.g for example a ‘village’ outside Jaipur is a popular tourist dining out in the evening on charpoys, hukka, snake dance, puppet show etc.

    @193,
    Interesting. Sergio Leone also presented his own view of life in his Spaghetti Westerns. The opening caption of For a Few Dollars More is “The place where life had no value, death sometimes had its price. That is why bounty killers appeared.” Remember a poor imitation, “Sarkar ne kitna inaam rakha hai re”. Music played a very prominent role in his operatic shootout scenes. That was a music that sent a chill down one’s spine.

  204. Mr Muli @194,
    Now I understand. It needed lateral thinking. I remember you mentioned a shayar who had the misfortune of being named as Sahir. The granddaddy-type young college going heroes was a part of that era. These days, they are more conscious of fitness and at 50 appearing as college student does not cause that much violence to our senses.

  205. #198: Dr. Rajesh Deshpande ji

    Glad to know that you too like the song and the movie Hip Hip Hurray. I remember watching this version of To Sir With Love on Doordarshan and have never forgotten it. Prakash Jha was in fine touch as were the actors.

    Thanks for providing link for that concluding part of the title song. It seems Vanraj Bhatia was experimenting with a number of voices: Yesudas, Shailendra Singh and in another song “Jab Kabhi Mud Ke Dekhta Hoon Main” which I have incidentally posted in the “Ajnabi” post, the singer is Bhupinder.

    In the Mukesh song that you have posted (#201) as Mukesh saab concludes the opening ‘sher’ with “….aur kya pate hain hum?”, it seems he is going to start with Ye Mera Diwanapan Hai. Did you feel the same way too?

  206. Akji
    Jindagi ka geet is a phrase used in number of songs but perhaps it is used most emphatically by Sahir in that ageless Melody
    Ye raat ye chandani – Jaal – SDB – Hemant Kumar
    https://youtu.be/4GfUK9Urb6
    Is hassen aag me tu bhi jalake dekhle
    Jindagi ke geet ki
    Dhun badal ke dekhle
    But singing jindagi is a relatively less used theme
    Ga Rahi hai jindagi – Aanchal – C Ramchandra – ka I Pradeep- Mahendra Kapoor & Asha
    https://youtu.be/PlYjgogVRAs

    Suno jindagi gaati hai – Pagala kahi ka – Hasarat – SJ- Rafi & Asha
    https://youtu.be/tJiADUmjFKA
    Sachaai was in 1969 & Pagala kahi ka came a year later. I could not get video of the song to check growth in BMI of Shammi’.

  207. Bhatiaji, @ 162
    The songs ‘ye zindagi ki uljhanen’ and ‘zinda hoon is tarah ke game zindagi nahin’ I was to post with another song of optimism. Since you have posted them, I would only post this one:
    Gham pe dhool dalo from Prem Pujari, which has ‘kanton ki dagariya zindagani hain’ in the mukhda itself.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DGREn0iGqs

  209. AK Ji @203;

    Yes, besides living museum we now have wedding destination parties where living in past is carried over as fast forward information on culture. Charpoys and Muddas [ cane stool] were other items which were essentials in every home of the 50s and early period. Those were the days when visitors and invitees used to carry their own bistars [bedding , blankets , quilts etc ] and trunks and reach a week before the wedding date. In Gurgaon, haryana we have a very nice atmosphere like this in hollywood like destination called ….Kingdom Of Dreams. A must visiting place for any traveller on move.

    You yourself have quoted the movie ….Life Is Beautiful …in your write-up and that prompted me to post that beautiful theme from the same movie. I am a great fan of western cowboy movies and have forever liked their instrumental background and theme music . Our own movie Sholey was inspired by such western movies . RDB excelled and was always sorted out as MD for Dharmendra , Feroz Khan or Danny starrer movies.

    hope you liked the Tick Tock Polka music.

  210. Hans ji @207;

    Song from Prem Pujari is a great reminder of my final year when this song was favorite song of our back benchers….a booster for encouragement to study hard .

    How hard the studies were but Life still remained beautiful, so enjoyed every moment of Life . Times comes and goes but life remains forever .

    Tu Iss Tarah Se Meri Zindagi Mein (HD) – Aap To Aise Na The…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJVrKhMbh1Q

    Watan Ki Amanat Meri Zindagi Hai | Rupa 1946 | Shamshad Begum, Mohammed Rafi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPCZFhDQtQ4

    Zindagi Ki Na Toote Ladi | Kranti (1981)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJvrGOLQ9Dk

    Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai | Shor | Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Santosh Anand

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYsmXP8Jk4c

    Yun Lagne Lagi Aajkal Zindagani (HD) | Santosh (1989)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq3JC1nj_gs

  214. KS Bhatiaji @209,
    I did like Tick Tock Polka. Thanks.

    Mind makes strange connections. Life is beautiful took me to Sergio Leone’s For A Few Dollars More which starts with “Where life had no value: Death, sometimes, had a price”. A major part of Life is Beautiful was Roberto Benigni’s efforts to hide his child in men’s barracks to save him from gas chambers. Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid had a scene in a lodging house in which he had to hide the kid to keep the authorities from taking the child away to an orphanage. I think persons in creative field may be making such connections involuntarily.

  215. AKji @ 203:

    According to the following video, the eerie music in Sholay was played on an ‘instrument’ assembled by RDB using parts of a truck differential! Rijram, who is no more, reportedly played it with the bow of a Sarangi. Perhaps more resourceful persons such as Arun ji and SSW ji could provide more information.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc-ZMFilyyo&t=109s

  216. Neeruahaf @205

    Yes, even I saw the movie on DD for the first time and liked it. As you mentioned, the actors did a good job and looked the part they were playing.
    Later on, I managed to add its VCD to my collection. I am now motivated to revisit the film. Hopefully, the VCD still works otherwise will rely on YT.
    Hip Hip Hurray was always underrated and is hardly mentioned in the list of films for which Prakash Jha is well-known.

    And regarding the Mukesh song @ 201, I totally agree with you. The way the second line of the opening verse is sung, it actually takes you to Ye mera diwanapan hai.
    I guess, the similarity is because of the same team being responsible for both the songs – SJ- Shailendra – Mukesh

  218. Rahulji @206

    Suno zindagi gaati hai from Pagla Kahin Ka is an Asha solo, not a Rafi-Asha duet.
    Its a dance song picturized on Madhumati during the Prem Chopra – Helen marriage party. Shammi Kapoor arrives on the scene only towards the end of the song.
    In my opinion, his BMI here was the same as in Sachchai though he did look less old in some portions of Pagla Kahin Ka as compared to Sachchai.

  219. Dr. Rajesh Deshpande , Neeruahaf, Muli ji , Hans ji;

    Whenever I think of Nasha , whisky ,Beer , wines etc . my mind gets diverted to those who popularized it on big screen like ….Johny Walker, Keshto Mukerjee , Om Prakash ….and so on. I for myself is Tea Tootler , 75, and on strict whiskey diet thru out my life; but have always liked watching people and actors drinking and enjoying with their stepping going here and there in reverse ballroom dance . A song that I liked the most….

    dekhta chala gaya main..Rafi_Lata_Rajindr K_MadanMohan

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M85F-C6EUMc

  220. Canasya @215,
    RD Burman was quite given to experimenting with sound from different objects. You might have seen STOMP show in New York. That is RD Burman magnified 1000 times with more weird objects and movements.

  221. Canasya ji @215;

    Yes, RDB created a great atmosphere in Sholey thru some brilliant sound effects and background music . Amitabh playing harmonica is a classic instrumental musical peace that almost runs as theme music . Other sounds like those filmed on jhoola in slow motion ….all were fantastic . Director Sippy did splendid job in Shammi Hema movie …Andaz …too. There also the theme music and beautiful background music score by SJ is worth listening again and again.

    A song from SJ bag…..

    Yahudi – Ye Duniya Haye Hamari Ye Duniya…Rafi…SJ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efpc3blJhkU

  223. Ak,
    Beginning with two relatively contemporary songs describing Zindagi uniquely?
    First one by Gulzar from The Sky is Pink | Zindagi Tune Kaisa Toss Khela Hai
    https://youtu.be/08twjogR3R4

    Second if from a Pakistani drama that was very popular in Mumbai couple of years back.

    Zindagi gulzar hai.
    https://youtu.be/0E03piON20w

    Back to our good old classic by Amirbai Karnataki from Elan

    Amir Bai Karnataki – Aai ajal aye zindagi – film Elaan 1947
    https://youtu.be/AfoOXL33Jm0

    You are not encouraging songs of synonyms of zindagi but I cannot not stop myself from posting this beautiful song from chor bazar, in here SB has consciously used the phrase umr e rawa ka karwan instead of zindagi. Seems zindagi would fit the meter but instead he has used the phrase. Soooo beautifully.

    Chor Bazar (1954) – Chalata Rahe Ye Karavan
    https://youtu.be/WS89ffr7xpw

  224. #217: Dr. Rajesh Deshpande ji. That’s a beautiful song of Mukesh saab and not one which I had heard earlier. Also third song of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan saab ‘discovered’ recently. Very underrated lyricist.

    #219: K.S. Bhatia ji: Thanks for sharing that lovely nasha song of Madhubala and Johny Walker. Very addictive though Lata ji cannot quite keep up with the tempo set by Rafi saab.

    #223: Mumbaikar8 ji: Thanks for sharing that mesmerizing song of Amir Bai Karnatki ji. The more I listen to her, the more I realise just how rich her voice was.

  225. Akji , Rajeshji, Bhatiyaji
    Rajeshji thanks for correcting my mistake.
    Bhatiyaji had earlier asked to post songs from C- graders . Here is one of them
    O jindagi ke saathi – Fareb – Usha Khanna – Asad Bhopali- Suman Kalyanpur
    https://youtu.be/4hv2WL_3_Vg
    Devkumar & Piano looks to be a weird combination.

  226. Rahulji,

    Actually, I had already posted this Fareb song @191.
    Of course, with so many songs being posted, it is not easy to keep a track. I often wonder if there is any way by which we come to know that a particular song is being repeated.

    Here are couple of B/C grade movies songs, not posted according to me:

    Raat Andheri Thi 1967
    Usha Khanna – Akhtar Romani – Asha, Sharda

    Zindagi pyasi hai pyaas bujha de koi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae3yuBX7U6M

    Wahan Ke Log 1967
    C Ramchandra – Shakeel – Asha

    Zindagi ka nasha halka halka suroor

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LujSY5PtUsE

    Door Nahin Manzil 1973
    SJ – Anjaan – Rafi

    Ajeeb zindagi hai yeh kabhi Khushi kabhi hai gham
    ( reminding one of ajeeb dastan hai ye)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJDxhlvfl3g

  229. AK, @ 165

    What you said about ‘mile na phool’ is also correct and what I said is also correct. Zindagi is such a complex thing. Actually, I wanted to post another set which I mentioned in 207 with ‘gam pe dhool dalo’ which also mentions zindagi as kanto ki dagariya. There is another of our common favourite ‘phoolon se dosti hai, kanton se yaari hai, aise maje ki pyare zindagi hamari hai’ which I was also to post. I think life moves in accordance with situations in which we find ourselves. In ‘Guide’, Dev Anand thinks like ‘wahan kaun hai tera’ on his release from jail, but soon he finds himself in a situation where he is so useful to the people around him that they worship him as god’s emissary. Similarly, in Chitralekha, the heroine tells Ashok Kumar, ‘hum janam bita gar jayenge, tum janam ganwa kar jaoge’ in the song ‘sansar se bhage phirte ho’, in response to his tirade, but, later she has to go to him when the situation becomes adverse to her. So I think ‘kanton se dosti kar li’ is not negative and is better than the situation when some persons say ‘mile na phool to zindagi se tauba kar li’. Another great song which highlights this contrast of ‘phool’ and ‘kante’ is ‘tere phoolon se bhi pyar tere kanton se bhi pyar’, which does not contain the word itself but is surely talking about ‘zindagi’.

  230. Muli ji, @ 212

    I totally agree with you on the Guide song. In fact Guide is such a favourite with me. I cannot forget the story when I saw it for the first time. I had gone to Rohtak on some business, but while in the bus I saw the film’s poster. I was so enamoured with its music and both the lead actors being my great favourites, I went straight to the cinema hall and bought a ticket though more than half of the film had already been screened. Even the ticket babu said ‘ab kya dekhoge’. I entered the cinema hall when the second antara of the song ‘gata rahe mera dil’ was running and Waheeda Rehman was coming on the screen holding the shoulder of Dev Anand. Ever since that scene is etched in my memory and there is a special thrill when I reach that part of the film whenever I watch it.

  231. Hansji
    I too have an indelible memory about guide. I saw it for the first when I was 7-8 years old. It was in my native place which was almost a village at that time. The only theatre there had a single machine and after about 2 or 4 reels there was a break as the change of reels had to be done manually. As soon as the break began the hall reverberated with catcalls and choicest abuses hurled at the person doing that job,
    In case of guide there was some error on the part of that person and after the first such break he loaded the last reels containing the Dev’s monologue & his death. And despite the abuses of viewers who spotted the error it continued till the end. Another memory of that viewing is the films division documentary which showed glimpses of India New Zealand test. I distinctly remember the shot where EAS Prasanna took a caught & bowled wicket

  232. Mumbaikar8 @223,
    aai ajal ae zindagi: We had a long discussion on its meaning. And as usual your explanation was scholarly. My great favourite. I am welcoming synonyms. ‘Jeevan’ is an obvious synonyms. But if a reader posts a song where a phrase conveys the sense of ‘life’, I would expect he or she to benefit us with explanation.

  233. Dr Deshpande @227,
    Beautiful song. Ijazat was high point of Gulzr-Asha Bhosle-RD Burman. I like Mera kuchh saman tumhare paas pada hai even more. That is too entirely about life, though it does not mention the word zindagi. Mumbaikar8 @223 will be very happy. She has been quite prescient.

  234. Hans Ji ;

    Song….Kya se kya hogaya bewafa tere pyar mein….a condition after suffering …could also be part of zindagi that failed after romance. And turning point…yeh achhanak Markas [ Kishore Sahu] ki kaise yaad aagayi ?

    Now some songs that I suppose are your favorite too…..

    KYA AJAB SAAZ HAI YE SHEHNAI DO HI SUR KA…..Rafi..Ravi….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQhK8RuP9Rc

    Mohd. Rafi “Kitni Jawan Hai Zindagi”…Shehnai….Ravi…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MPKNSpo_Bk

  235. AK ji;

    Movies of the 60s were full of Life and romance . The reason was the musical comedies which were partly based hit movies of hollywood movies of those times starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day , Gene Kelly and so on. The Indian twist and turns in the story and screen plays were fantastic for any benchers to enjoy during those times.

    Shammi kapoor was always in forefront followed up by joy Mukerjee , Biswajeet and others. Perhaps Shammi’s …Jawaniyan yeh must must bin piye ….lead the startup….Joy Mukerjee bounced back OPN masterpiece…..

    Lakhon Hain Nigahon Mein – Mohammed Rafi – PHIR WOHI DIL LAYA HOON –

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCp_Qm4PA3o

  236. Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli , Dr. Rajesh Deshpande , Ms. Mumbaikar 8 Hans ji;

    Here are some songs having various shades of Zindgani…

    Zindagi Hai Pyar Se – Various artists – SIKANDAR….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_mgR_YgrQQ&t=102s

    Woh Zindagi · Mukesh…Sapnon Ka Saudagar….SJ….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWelNcGyBRg

    Jeevan Ke Do Raahe Pe Khade – Lata Mangeshkar Classic – Chhoti Si Mulaqat ….SJ….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsILKtw-Ex8

    Kal Ho Naa Ho Lyric Video – Title Track|….Sonu Nigam [ his best perhaps]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_e90zbRzpg

    ….to be contd….

  238. KS Bhatiaji @234,
    I just wanted to say from the sidelines that Kitni jawan hai zindagi is one of my greatest favourites of Rafi. It is #1 in my post.

    @235,
    I agree with you with a qualification. I like to revisit the Hollywood classics, but Bollywood’s 60s ‘romantic musicals’ seemed very cliched. I am put off by many Jubilee superhits, one such is Sasural.

    Lakhon hain nigah mein is my another favourite.

    @237,
    We have been discussing Rafi’s. C Arjun – Punarmilan takes me to Paas baitho tabiyat bahal jayegi. A great song. It has a stanza:
    Zindagi jhoomne par machal jayegi
    Maut bhi aa gayi ho to tal jayegi
    Paas baitho tabiyat bahal jayegi.

  239. Ak ji
    Here are few RDB – Zindagi songs
    Tum meri Zindagi me- Bombay To Goa-Rajinder Krishan -Lata & Kishor
    The song was not included in the movie
    https://youtu.be/PN0rH8dLn28

    kabhi palako pe aansoo hai – Harjayee- Gulshan Bawara- Kishor
    https://youtu.be/sBrpAsGotEM

    3 Wahi Chal mere dil- Shaukin – Yogesh- Suresh Wadkar
    https://youtu.be/F1Q6EhEyljQ

    4 Ye Zindagi Kuchh bhi sahi- Romance- Anand Bakshi- RDB
    https://youtu.be/QxBuqBDtwFA
    One of the best of RDB as a singer.

  240. Mr Muli,
    Tum meri zindagi mein is really melodious. It has the old era feel. Kabhi palkon pe aansoo hain has meaningful lyrics.

  241. AK ji
    This is one more post of outstanding quality. Thanks.
    Due to pre-occupation I have not been able to read the comments or go through numerous songs that have been linked up.
    You have posted a lovely duet from film Chhoti Chhoti Baatein. Has someone linked up a great song, ‘Zindagi Khwab hai’ from this film? This song came up with the titles portion of the film and maybe was composed after the death of Moti Lal (who died prior to the release of this movie).

    Great tune and great lyrics and great rendition by Mukesh.The lyrics go as follows:
    Zindagi khwab hai
    Tha hamein bhi pata,
    Par hamein zindagi se bahut pyar tha.
    Sukh bhi the dukh bhi the
    Dil ko ghere huwe chahe jaisa tha
    Rangeen sansaar tha.
    Aa gayee thi shikayat labon tak magar
    Kis se kahte to kya
    Kahna bekaar tha.
    Chal pade dard pi kar to chalte rahe
    Haar kar baith jane se inkaar tha.
    Chand din tha basera hamara yahan
    Ham bhi mehmaan the
    Ghar to us paar tha;
    Hamsafar ek din to bichhadna hi tha
    Alvida alvida
    Alvida alvida.

    AK ji, that’s how a man should die – no regrets, no ill-feelings, no thought of desires and no moh-maaya! As Sahir wrote in a song ‘….Maro to aise kaise tumhara kuchh bhi nahin’.
    Thanks

  242. AK ji
    My apology. Sahir’s song(film Bahu Beti) goes like this
    Jiyo to aise jiyo jaise sab tumhara hai
    Maro to aise jaise tumhara khuchh bhi nahin.

    I have just discovered that Shailendra’s song mentioned in my comment has been linked up by Rajesh Deshpande ji
    Thanks

  243. Tyagiji,
    Thanks a lot for your appreciation. You can be sure in a few days time the readers would post all the known songs on a theme.

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