Music, the food for soul, tells a lot about the person you are. You pick favourite twenty songs and you risk exposing yourself to the world.
I take that risk now. I judge others on the basis of music they love. I therefore must allow my readers to judge and to criticize me.
These are my favourite twenty’ Gair Film Songs’ Most of them were cut by popular playback singers before they jumped on to the roaring bollywood music bandwagon. These songs are an eclectic mix of Urdu Ghazal, Hindi Geet and Folk. I admit these songs are not for everyone. Only the carefree souls will appreciate them. Some I have brought up from the times of yore. Others have long been forgotten and their voices consigned to dustbin of history. But most of them have been a part of my growing up. Every evening when the sun goes down, they come back to haunt me and to remind of times when life was music, and I was all ears.
Listen to them when you have no cares in the world.When your day’s duties are done and you are alone.
Or on rainy evenings and in the company of romantic friends.
When listening serve only light drinks or strong aromatic tea. Although there be food on the table, no one should eat. Arrange flowers randomly and let their fragrance waft through the room.
Listen with your eyes closed. And your ears open.
- Tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakegi
My favourite lines:
tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakegi
yeh teri tarah mujh se to sharma na sakegi
Main baat karoonga to yeh khamosh rahegi
Seene se laga loonga to yeh kuch na kahegi
Uljhi hui raton ko yeh suljha na sakegi
Yeh ankehn hain thehri hui, chanchal woh nigahen
Yeh hath hain sehme hue, aur mast woh bahen
Parchai to insaan ke kaam aa na sakegi.
In hothon ko Fayyaz main kuch de na sakoonga
Is zulf ko bhi haath main mein le na sakoonga
Aram woh kya degi jo tarpa na sakegi.
Tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakegi .
The golden voice of king of romance Talat Mahmood at his very best. Easily his most memorable song.
- Dil ko tumse hai pyar kyon, yeh na bata sakoonga main.
Jagmohan’ Sursagar’ - a rare gem. My fav lines .
Pehle milan kee chaon main,
Tumse tumhare gaon main,
Aankhen hui thee char kyon?
Yeh na bata sakoonga main.
Roop kee kuch kamee nahin,
Duniya main ik tumhee nahin,
Par main tumharee yaad mein,
Rehta hoon beqarar kyon?
Yeh na bata sakoonga main.
Tum ko nazar main rakh liya,
Dil main, jigar main rakh liya,
Khud main hua shikar kyon,
Yeh na bata sakoonga main.
- Tum aao rum jhum Kartee payal kee jhankar liye
The ever green Mohammed Rafi. He excels in this Madhukar Rajashthani composition.
My fav lines:
Yahi jo ghariyan hai jeevan ki
Pyasee tere madhur milan kee
Beet gayee to phiir nahin aanee
Yeh sundar upahar liye
- Sajni, Nathlee se toota moti re.
The rich classical voice of Manna Dey. The words seem to melt into one another. Predicament of a new bride on her tryst with love.
- Jhulana Jhulao Ree .
The Golden Voice of KL Saigal, could have been his first record. There are no words to describe it. It is two minutes of sheer bliss.
- Chalo Na Gori Machal Machal ke abhee to balapan hai.
Kaun na chahe prem ki kaliyan?
Sab ko bhayen pee kee galiyan,
par yeh raah kathin hai.
Chalo na gori.
CH Atma . Rich baritone voice. Unforgettable music. Pure and simple wording.
- Preetam aan milo.
Bheegi raat main per ke neechey aankh micholi khel rachaya
Preetam yad karo jab tumne prem bhara ik geet sunaya .
Aan milo .
C.H. Atma again A woman pines for her love. And what soft sensuous style!
- Ghazab Kiya tere vaade pe aitbaar kiya .
Mohammed Rafi sings Daag Dehelvi’s evergreen ghazal.
- Geet kitne gaa chuki hoon is sukhee jag ke liye, aaj rone do mujhe kuch ek apne bhee liye.
Asha Bhosle. She must have been truly sad when she sang this. Quite unlike her boisterous numbers.
- Kahan tu jaa ke aisee lagan lagaye .
Asha Bhosle sings Kabeer compostion. Her voice flows like the Ganga on Benares Ghats. Smooth and mellow.
- Mera Pyaar mujhe lauta do.
Talat Mahmood. A desperate lover. Wants his love back, and how! Ever had a broken heart? Listen to this one.
Thukrane se pehle mujhko lauta do woh preet ki batein,
Meri hansi, mastiyan meri, lauta do woh chandni ratein,
Mere sapnon ko lauta do, mera toota dil lauta do
Mera pyaar mujhe lauta do .
12. Itnee see baat batayenge, Kya yaad tumhain hum ayenge?
Mohammed Rafi . Madhukar Rajashthani. Unbeatable combination. Rafi’s hindi pronunciation is superbly chaste.
My fav lines
jab solava sawan ayega
raaton kee neend churane ko
majboor karengee sab sakhiyan
pritam ka naam batane ko
yauvan ke bankepan main jab
kuch sapne ulajh reh jaenge
Kya yaad tumhain hum ayenge?
- Chand mere chand se takra gaya.
Talat mahmood. King of romance at his romantic best. My fav lines
Ho gaye doray gulabee gaal ke!
Rang to dekho sharabee aankh ke!
Jisne dekha be-piye lehra gaya!
Zulf main rangat hai kaali raat ki!
Raat bhee kaisi, kisi barsaat ki!
Zulf lehrayee to baadal cha gaya!
Chand mere chand se takra gaya.
Ever kissed a young woman and still stayed in your senses? You will sing this song as you look into her eyes. As her wet lips shiver and her eyes drop. You will love the glow on her face. Simply out of this world feeling.
- Chupke se Kabhee jab yaad meri sapnon se tujhe chaunka de.
Velvet Smooth . Like the rarest wine. Talat Mahmood. My fav lines.
Milte hee tujhe bahon main chupa galon pe tere sar rakh doonga
Suljhaoonga uljhe baalon ko, Hathon ko kabhi main choomoonga
Chha jayega ek nasha aisa, jo dil ki umangen behaka de.
15 Youn na reh reh kar hamein tarsaiye .
- Hairat se tak raha hai jahan-e-wafa mujhe
Master Madan . Before he died at the tender age of 16, he sang just two songs. Both are such masterpieces. Like paintings by Rafael or Rubens. Full of life. If you havent heard them, you dont know what divine music is.
- Lagta Nahin Hai jee mera ujre dayar main .
No one could do more justice to Bahadur Shah Zafar than Habib Wali Mohammed. His voice seems to echo in the grave of the late Emperor
- Baharon se keh do mere ghar na ayen.
Mukesh. He never quite did it again.
- Dheere se jana bagiyan main, bhanwara dheere se jaana bagiyan main.
S.D. Burman - The musical genius. This song is has a strong eastern flavour. Kishore kumar did the greatest disservice to SD by singing it’s parody and he did it so badly. This song is not so much about words, but like a Baul fakeer, the singer bares his soul in music.
My fav lines:
Aaj hai chandni rati
Mere jeewan ka saathi hai jo
Sowat hai neend magan main,
Bhanwara dheere se jaana bagiyan main.
- Aj kuch aankh main nami see hai.
Jagjit Singh. Whats he doing in this list? This is perhaps his only number that deserves mention here.