The love for music is universal. Almost everybody likes some form of music. Over the years, I have loved a lot of songs. Somewhere down the road, many of these songs have become hits. I don’t have a favorite song as such but I have a whole list. Being a hit means that a song is loved by many people. Also it means that it is heard more number of times than normal. I have found myself falling out of love toleoverplayed songs so much so that I wished they had never become such a hit.

And there are some songs which never become hit for some reason of the other. The lyrics are good, the song is good, the singer has sung it well but then it does not work with the people. Over a period of time, it gets lost in time somewhere and when you hear it once in a blue moon, its bliss. These songs could have been hits and for some reasons, they never were or they did not enjoy the success that they deserved.

This is about those songs;

The Bhoole bisare Geet, The lost songs!

==========================================

The Pakistani band “Strings” came back in 1990. They had a huge hit “Sar kiyae” and the music video was quite a hit. I saw Strings back in 1990s when the Pranoy Roy’s news magazine on Doordarshan “The world this week” showed international news. During those days, India and Pakistan were bitter enemies and no exchange of any kind was allowed. Many popular music from Pakistan did find a way in India like the most popular and hugely copied “Hawa Hawa”. Watch the video for the most popular song of my school days featured in a Hindi movie called “Don-II”. At the end of the video look out for Shahrukh Khan’s home “Mannat”in the background.

Strings did became quite popular then but then they disappeared and came back years later in 2002 with “Duur” and then in 2003 with “Dhaani”. The best song in “Duur” was the title song and of course “Anjaane”. Anjaane has a very good video where a man is shown running on the streets giving up his worldly possessions one by one which binds him to something. At the end he becomes one without an identity still running.

By 2000 the band was reduced to two members, Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia and they had grown up from geeky teenagers to a style of their own. 2003’s album Dhaani’s best song is the title song. It featured mostly women doing all kind of men jobs but the greatest part is the guitar played in the song. Strings does takes its name from the guitar after all.

Song: Dhaani
Album: Dhaani
Artists: String
Lyrics: Zehra Nigah
Music: Strings
Year: 2003

Dhaani

Dhaani
Re dhaani
Chunariya
Dhaani, re dhaani…chunariya
Kude baadal ke saiye may lehraye gi
Mujhe tarpaye gi, chali jaye gi
Jaisay bijuriya
Mastaani…
Re jhoke ki surat may chu jaye gi
Sharmaye gi aur itraye gi
Jaisai nadiya
Deewaani…
Dhaani, re dhaani chunariya
Haye dhaani…
Saye may uske barso ka jaaga
May so jau
Uski sajti savarti dhanak main
Main ghar banau
Apnay ghar may kaee chand tare utari sajau
Khushbuo say bhare raasto may kho jau
Kude baadal ke saye may lehraye gi
Mujhe tarpaye gi, chali jaye gi
Jaisay bijuriya
Mastaani…
Dhaani
Re dhaani
Chunariya
Haye dhaani
Tun uske baarish may dhul ke hai ghiste
Aur nikharte
Ru uski zamino ke chehro se milte
Aur damakte
Uske andaz jaisai hai mosam ate jaate
Usse sargam bhi haste haste jagmagate
Kude baadal ke saiye may lehraye gi
Mujhe tarpaye gi, chali jaye gi
Jaisay bijuriya
Mastaani…
Dhaani
Re dhaani
Chunariya
Dhaani, re dhaani…chunariya
Dhaani re…

==============================

Bhoole Bisare Geet Archive

Yesterday…..

So?

Now what?

==================================

Note: Lize and Mathew brought the cake today. I was pleasantly surprised. And surprisingly 15 people remembered to wish me. Not bad!

What happens when you give a Nikon D50 DSLR to a 12 year old? The 12 year old goes on a clicking spree. She points and clicks at anything that catches her fancy.

So that’s what Sheena did when I gave her the camera. She went on a clicking rampage. I did not get to see the pictures properly in Delhi but when I came back, I was quite surprised by the quality of the photos. But then who taught her to click?

Posting some of the best one and the debut of a 12 year photographer

Green

A pond filled with vegetation. I guess its the water lilies but I wouldn’t know

Horse Power

The new and the old. They co-exist quite peacefully

The biggest Branch

The beauty of the picture is the timing. Sheena clicked the picture when the tree branches were exactly below the brick-kiln’’s chimney. It was taken from a fast moving car which makes it a great timing or a very good luck

The Man and the Animal

This is the photo of the man who was crossing the road and for a brief moment he looked back, maybe to avoid the speeding vehicles and at that moment he looked right into the camera and she clicked

Heavy Weight Champion

A common sight in UP, you see trucks, tractors and horses carrying what appears to be big heavy bags. I am told that these is the outer covering of wheat grains and is quite light. It acts as a good fodder for cattle’s. A reflection of the mirror can be seen in the left corner of the picture.

Public-Transport

Many town in UP can be a witness to this scene. Over crowded buses and rickshaw and any form of vehicle. I liked this picture because even though it was taken from behind the drivers seat, it had captured most of the subject quite well

\

The Future and the Future

I almost did not notice the picture. A real contrasting situation where a boy works at a young age to live the future while the school boys in the background would study to make their future. Its a picture of a emerging India turning their back to the underdeveloped India. Am I reading too much into an accidental photo?

Divine Guidance

Faith!

Waiting

A lone boy waits what looks like a bus stand. What’s a “Hot Mix plant site”?

Road

Notice the blue Jeep in the background and remember the old Hindi movies of the 70s. That’s why the picture is here and of course its a very good photo.

Copyright Violation??

The other IPL.

Delhi is hot and when the mercury climbs to more than 43 degree Celsius, it really can be called hot. So I would rather be in a cool AC than be in the hot summer with the sun shining bright and hot winds making me hotter. Its like the sun heats up the wind and the fan just recycles the hot air. At least you don’t sweat that much as in Mumbai.

Sunday, 4th May as I get up late, I prepare myself to be back home. Pack all the goodies and clothes, I bid Vijay‘s mother goodbye. The family is already in Amsterdam. Its not that hot in Amsterdam. I remember that!

Even after shopping and buying a tripod for my camera in the famous Sarojini Nagar Market, I hardly waste time. The market filled with Sunday shoppers hardly gives an idea about the bomb blast in Diwali 2006. The dead may have been forgotten or maybe nobody like to remember ugly incidents. I guess it the later.

The flight back to Mumbai is at 15:55 Hrs. Feels like the prices on Bata Shoes, those which sell at Rs. 99 only. In spite of an effort to delay I reach Palam Airport at 1:30 PM. I bid Raju, goodbye. He has been kind showing me around Delhi in the absence of the family.

I try to find a place to sit but all the seats are occupied. Who comes for a domestic flight more than 2 hours before the flight. I look at the Jetlite counter and its empty. People won’t be here before 3:00 - 3:30 PM. I pass my time looking at people around and trying to buy cold-drinks I don’t need. The renovated Delhi Airport is quite modern and it wasn’t the same when I came here with Mom back in 2006 and still I am trying to pass time.I look at the time on my cell phone and its been just two minutes since I looked at it.

I decide to go on the other side, check in and get done with my security check. Its better getting everything ready rather than wait for the time to pass standing and staring at people. Its kind of rude, I guess.

I check in and get done with the security check. As expected, the other side is quite empty and unfortunately, the ACs don’t work there. I groan. Not much has changed here. Its still sparkling clean but still hot.

I take a seat in front of the big fan kept in the waiting area. I like being at the airport alone. You can watch people traveling, all kind of people, businessmen/women, people out to meet their friends/family and people on jobs trying to attend the next meeting somewhere in India or maybe plain tourist. Airport is different from any other traveling medium maybe because of the comfort and maybe the luxury associated with it.

But there is one thing I have observed. In spite of all the luxury and speed associated with Flying, people hate flying, even in business class. How could one explain the mad scramble to get in and then get out of the plane. Notice the way everybody is ready to dart out even before the plane stops. Everybody hates flying.

Even with the non-working ACs, the waiting area was quite cool. I knew I could not spend 2 hours waiting and watching people but maybe I had anticipated it and maybe knowingly and unknowingly I carried a book. As I started reading Ruskin Bond’s “Our trees still grow in Dehra”, I was lost in the semi-autobiographical short stories.

Long time ago I would read a lot and would spent hours reading that I would lose track of time. Since I started my job, I had stopped reading. Now there are too many distraction that picking up a book and reading it without losing interest has become a thing of the past and yet I started going through the pages of the book and the sound around me became a whisper.

I was taken into Dehradun as I imagined the town as if I lived in it. That’s the power of books. A good writer will let you get wild with your imagination and describe the world as he/she sees it. I occasionally looked up to find the crowd increasing but then the stories were more interesting. The stories  are about innocence of childhood to small incident which did not even have an ending. Small incident came alive as if happening in front of you.

By 3:30 PM, I looked up to find a considerable crowd around me. People standing and when people stand, I find it guilty to sit and enjoy. Its like everyone is cursing you as you enjoy the comfort. I walk around and thankfully the boarding for my flight is announced.

As expected there is a mad rush to get in. These very people would want to get out faster than they entered. I show my boarding pass and get into the waiting bus to take us to the plane. A man inside informs his friend that he is about to board the plane. He gives the details of the plane and the time it might take.

“S2 - 105″ He shouts on the phone. The person at the other end was probably trying to make some sense.

“ASS, ASS” He shouts again “ASS-2, ASS-2″

‘Ass’ indeed. I spot a distinctive smile. Everyone around me spots a grim face. Not one person is smiling. How could they not get the joke?I continue smiling as the man shouts the plane information

“ASS, ha ha ASS-2, 105″

I get down from the bus to face a strong hot wind. No sweat but the air suffocates you. Hot burning air. The sky has turned cloudy. It might rain and maybe the air will cool down. I am the last person in the line to get in the plane

I am telling you, everybody hates flying!

43 Degree Celsius. Hot wind (Lou) blowing which just sucks the air off the skin.

An extended worst version of the rickshaw and people packed like sardines in it.

And still the man perched on the top of the rickshaw is comfortable enough to sleep

========

Note: Taken en route to Shona Kund in Uttar Pradesh. Taken from the comfort of a car AC.

MIDC, Andheri is to Suburbs what Nariman Point is to South Mumbai. Lined with companies and export units, this is where most of the software industry works. Traffic for the whole day, this place is the buzz of activity in the suburbs.

When you pass the MIDC headquarters and take a right to go toward SEEPZ, you come across the Tunga International Hotel. Just before Tunga, where the BEST buses enter the gate to enter the MIDC BEST bus depot, you have a big hole just next to a big drain, just diagonally opposite to Tunga International Hotel. The hole has been open for quite a long time now. In the day time, you will probably find MTNL technician joining wires and having a cup of tea as the drain flows some feet from them.

The hole acts as a speed breaker for the vehicles going toward MIDC. Sometimes it can take a long time to cross the never-stopping-traffic road. Behind a hole is a generator station. Next to the gate of the high wall of the generator, just next to the big office building stands a pani-puri vendor.

Last Friday, one of my colleague did not come to office and I had to fill in for him. By the time I left from office, it was already past 9:00 PM. It would take me more than an hour to be home an I was feeling very hungry. I did not want to eat anything heavy as mom had prepared dinner.So the next choice was eat light so that I can survive without a hunger pang till I reach home.

The pani puri wala was the obvious choice as I came out of the office. He had less customers as the once busy area slowly becomes less crowded as people head for thier homes. Tired people trying to go home. I stand near the pani puri vendor as he serves his sole customer. I look around as I wait for my turn keeping an eye on the bus from SEEPZ.

It was at this time when I saw him, sitting right in front of me, thin and easily missed, he sits lazily in front of me, uninterested and bored. One of the thousands strays of Mumbai, nobody would notice him. If I have been the same person 4 years ago, even I would have missed him.

I give a short whistle and he attentively looks up trying to find the source of the whistle. I smiled as I remember another dog back in Amsterdam who would be equally confuse by the whistles. I give another whistle and he looks at me. His tail starts wagging as he looks at me with expectation of food or affection. I can never tell.

He walks up to me, stretches his legs and then stretches his body back, the same way Sheru would stretch his body when he wanted me to take him out. His tail is constantly wagging. A dog does not need much to be happy and when he is happy, he cannot hide it.

The pani puri wala starts giving me pani puri and the dog sits looking at me expecting me to throw something in his way. The pani puri wala reads my mind and throws a puri at the dog.

“Woh khata hai?” (Does he eat puri?) I ask him

He smiles “Sab khata hai sahab” (He eats everything)

I finish my plate of ravishing, spicy pani puri. He hands me a shev puri. The dog is still hopeful. I take the shevpuri and gives it to the dog.

“Usko dena hai sahab?” The pani puri wala asks me “Woh poora din yahich baitha rehta hai” (He sits here the whole day)

“Rehne Do”(Leave it) I reply “Maine de diya” (I already gave)

Surprisingly the pani puri wala hands me another shev puri, this time strictly for me.

“Woh bahut khata hai sahab”(He eats a lot sir) He tell me

“Abhi bhi itna patla kaise” (Still so thin?) I look at the dog savoring the spicy shev puri

“Koi aur kutta mooh nahi lagayega” (no other dog will even touch it) He says “Yeh 2-3 plate din ke khatam karta hai” (This one eats 2-3 plates a day)

I look as the dog finishes and turns back for more.

I bend down to pat the dog

“Choona nahi sahab” (Don’t touch him) the pani puri wala warns me “Uchlega aap par” (He will jump on you)

I still go ahead and pat him. The dog goes berserk and starts jumping around, his tail wagging furiously.

“Dekha sahab maine kahan tha” (See, I told you)

“Daro Mat. Mujhe adat hai” (Don’t worry I am used to it)

I smile at him. Its been a long time when somebody jumped so happily after seeing me even though it may be for the puri I gave him. I try to calm him but dogs can be quite enthusiastic sometime. Instinctively the pani puri wala throws another puri at the dog and the dog leaves me for the puri. I cross the road toward the bus stop.

I look back as the dog is eating another puri thrown in by the pani puri wala. I have been reading Abodh’s blog for a long time now and he is the one who is in charge of Welfare of Stray dogs. He has always seen that the strays are taken care by the people on the streets, be it the street vendors or people working on the streets. I see my bus coming. I look at the dog for the last time before getting in.

In the fast city like Mumbai, dogs have come to live a life of their own and somehow they have learned to survive. The dog opposite the Tunga Hotel did learn to survive too and maybe he will survive for a long time. I don’t know his name neither the Pani Puri wala but I guess I can name him;

Puri - The dog who likes to eat the puri from the pani puri.

==============================

More Mumbai

Money can buy you anything, try getting a rickshaw to the shortest distance from any Mumbai suburban station in the evening…

The love for music is universal. Almost everybody likes some form of music. Over the years, I have loved a lot of songs. Somewhere down the road, many of these songs have become hits. I don’t have a favorite song as such but I have a whole list. Being a hit means that a song is loved by many people. Also it means that it is heard more number of times than normal. I have found myself falling out of love toleoverplayed songs so much so that I wished they had never become such a hit.

And there are some songs which never become hit for some reason of the other. The lyrics are good, the song is good, the singer has sung it well but then it does not work with the people. Over a period of time, it gets lost in time somewhere and when you hear it once in a blue moon, its bliss. These songs could have been hits and for some reasons, they never were or they did not enjoy the success that they deserved.

This is about those songs;

The Bhoole bisare Geet, The lost songs!

==========================================

Euphoria came into the Indian music scene in 1998. As I learn from their website, they have been existing much earlier but the first album came in 1998. The album was “Dhoom” and it is remembered for the teasers before the album where the lead singers go as “Dhoom pichak dhoom”. 1998 was a year of remixes. The Indian pop scene was almost dead with some sparks here and there. 

The album went on to become a superhit and Euphoria ruled the Indian music scene for quite a long time.

The band came with their 5th album in 2006 titled “Mehfuz“. I had not heard of the album or the song and it did not catch my fancy like “Dhoom” not until I was searching “Maieri” and like it always happens jumping from one video to another, I chanced upon “Mehfuz”. Mehfuz means feeling secure and I was moved by the soulful song.

It is not exactly in a forgotten song because apparently the album did ok and yet it is heard so rarely that it feels that the song is lost in time somewhere. Everyone needs to find a feeling of being secure and this feeling can come from different source for different people. I guess everyone feels secure in love and the soulful lyrics convey just that. Good lyrics by Palaash Sen and good music too. This one remains one of my favorite

Song: Mehfuz
Album: Mehfuz
Year: 2006
Singer: Palash Sen
Music: Palash Sen/Deekshant
Lyrics: Palash Sen

Zindagi Hai dhuan to kya
Bujh gayi har subah to kya
Rootha mujhse khuda to kya
Ho gaye hum juda to kya
Faasle they hazaaron darmiyan,
Waqt ke they hazaaron imtehaan
Fir bhi ban ke nishaan,
Tere honthon ke kisi kone mein Hansi ki tarah
main mehfuz hoon
Teri aankhon ke chipe dard mein Aansoo ki tarah
main mehfuz hoon
Bewajah har wajah to kya
Begunahii hai gunaah to kya
Beasar hai dua to kya
Ho gaye hum juda to kya
Raaz gehre hazaron bepanah
Lafz thehare hazaaron bejubaan
Fir bhi ban ke nishaan Tere honthe ke kisi kone mein Hansi ki tarah
main mehfuz hoon
Tere kesu ke mude pannon meinYaadon ki tarah
main mehfuz hoon
Mehfuz hoon Teri aankhon mein
Mehfuz hoonTeri yaadon mein
Mehfuz hoonTeri baaton mein
Mehfuz hoonTere baalon mein
Mehfuz hoon
Faasle the hazaron darmiyaan
Waqt ki thi hazaron aandhiyan
Fir bhi ban ke nishaan
Tere honthon ke kisi kone mein Hansi ke tarah
main mehfuz hoon
Tere kaandhe ke chipe til meinVaadon ki tarah
main mehfuz hoon

Bhoole Bisare Geet Archive

=====================

Message: I am out of town for few days so reply to the comments will be next week (As if I am prompt in replying)

A Short Story

==============================

She sat on the sofa as her husband hurried with his morning chores. It was a good thing that he did not expect her to help him get ready for the office like all other husbands do and she did not need to make breakfast.

“The company had a wonderful canteen” was his response of not having breakfast at home. She watched him as he switched on the TV and munched some biscuits and prepared tea himself. He read the newspaper, drank tea and watched the news as he handled three task quite efficiently. The News channel was showing the new affair of another movie star.

“What crap news?” He said as he shut down the TV.

She sat there on the sofa still a little sleepy. It was her morning routine as she watched him get ready for office. She went late to office and watching him get ready had just become a routine. Moreover his fidgeting with the cupboard in the morning did not let her sleep. It was more relaxed watching him get ready.

“You want to go out today evening?” He asked her reading the cartoon section

“Huh?” She snapped back into reality

“Out? Do you want to go out today evening?”

“No!” She managed a small smile

He looked up from his paper to see any sign of anger or frustration or just plain irritation but nothing. He was expecting something after yesterday night’s fight or “argument” as she liked to call it.

“Look….” He started “We just need time together and…..”

“I guess we will talk in the evening then” She cut him short

He sighed and continued with the tea finishing off the cartoons.

“Am I doing something wrong?” He had asked her yesterday

“No” She had replied in one word

“Then why do I feel that I am guilty of a bigger crime here”

“That’s not your fault”

“Then who’s fault it is?”

“I need time” She had said

He raised his hands in frustration and walked out of the room. She sat there on the bed tears streaming out of her eyes

“That’s a really big teddy”

“Huh?” She was jolted back into the present again

“The teddy” He pointed out to the big soft teddy bear kept on the wall unit “Its big”

She nodded in agreement. The big pink teddy bear had come with her after marriage. It was not a present from her family. He knew that. It was from someone special, more special than him. It was a big cuddly teddy bear and he somehow had come to hate it. He had kept quite and tried to make her talk but she just wouldn’t mention it. She would try to stay away from him and somewhere he felt that she was not happy. She tried and he knew that she did but somewhere something was missing in that relationship. He looked at the teddy bear. Cute, cuddly and holding secrets.

“I will call you” He said as he picked up his bag

She nodded as he walked toward the door.

“Bye” he muttered

“Hummm” she acknowledged

The door shut behind him and she could hear his steps walk away from the house. The house became quite again. She looked at the clock. She would have to start getting ready if she needed to go to office on time. She got up tying her hairs. As she walked toward her bedroom she noticed the teddy bear, pink teddy with a satin ribbon kept on the wall unit. It was indeed big.

She had brought it home after her marriage. She had received it two Christmas back from ‘him’.

“So what are you giving me on Christmas?” She had asked him

“Christmas?” He had called her long distance “Why?”

“You should be giving me a Christmas present”

“Why?” His voice had the surprised tone at the other end

“Just like that”

“But you don’t celebrate Christmas” He tried to reason

“So?”

So why do you want a present?” He was still surprised

“Nothing doing” She loved to demand from him “I want a present for Christmas and you better send me a present”

“How come you “Demand” a present”

“Because I can” She had laughed “And you forgot my birthday present too”

“Oh that?” He had not forgotten her birthday but did not send her a present either

“You have 10 days” She warned him “I want the present”

“Ok fine” He had given up “Give me your address”

She had smiled as he gave in to her demand. She enjoyed the right over him and he enjoyed giving her that right. She had forgotten about the conversation the next day just like she teased him everyday and she liked teasing him. She was surprised when she received the huge teddy bear 10 days later. Just a small message about friendship. Nothing else.

She was so happy and cuddled with the teddy that night. That was more than 2 years back. He was out there somewhere some part of the world. The “friendship” did remain that, a friendship. They never broke up because they were never “together”. He had choose to stay away from her and he was a past.

The problem was her “past” was creating havoc with the present. She was not able to give herself emotionally to her husband and that was troubling her marriage. She knew she was losing time. She looked at the Teddy again. Things would have been quite different if situation had turned the way they had expected. She was stuck in the past and she knew she had to save the present. She walked on to the Teddy bear. She had made a decision. It was time!

—————————————

He walked toward the house with flowers in his hands. He was determined to make things simpler for her and easy for himself. Her silence was not making things easier. Six months after the marriage, there was still a distance between them, a distance he really tried to lessen and couldn’t. The morning conversation had him confused more.

He walked toward his home trying to built up a conversation in his head with her. He was determined to make her smile and then they would be happy, together.

As he walked to his door, he stopped. Just outside the door, beside the garbage bin was the teddy bear, big pink teddy bear. He looked at the teddy bear. Slowly he smiled. He didn’t need the flowers but he still kept them, for her.

He put the keys into the door. He knew, everything would be fine from now on

=======================================

Note: Based on a small incident that happened some time back with a lot of fiction.

===================

Fictionaries

I tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness around me. I knew the way around the room but still walked cautiously to avoid the heavy  rocking chair. Darkness spread everywhere as my eyes adjusted to the little light seeping from outside. I could make out the shape of the furniture,

It was a full moon and opening the curtains let the light inside lighting the room. I lay on the floor and looked into the darkness. Everything was so quite. Somewhere children were playing. I guess lappa chuppi. That’s the best game to play in the dark. You can never guess.

Slowly the children moved away and I heard them walking away. I guess they found a new game, to play somewhere else.

Silence again!

And in the darkness and breaking the silence was the voice of a girl, singing.

Singing?

Yes it was definitely singing with the distinct sound of harmonium. In fact it was not one but two girls singing. They were not singing any movie song but some classical songs. How come I never heard them before? Today it was so distinct.

I hear them today because of the silence. They must be singing everyday but the melody gets lost in hundred of sounds of the city. Not the sounds but the noise of the city, a city on the move, busy not to notice the music around. Sometimes its not necessary to shout to be heard but a little silence does help and today was the silence. The music in the dark appeared to be surreal.

Suddenly the lights came to life. There was a loud collective cry of happiness from the children. The darkness disappeared and the moonlight became insignificant. The girls had stopped singing or maybe i couldn’t hear them. Slowly the decibel level increased as televisions became alive and started broadcasting mindless stuff labeled as entertainment

The melody was lost in the noise, again.

=====================

Note: Written after a power cut.