Mehdi Hassan……the name needs no introduction and his songs no recall. His gazal’s are legendry which is also incidentally the album I am going to review today consisting of the following songs.
Main Hosh mein tha……
Usne jab meri taraf pyar……
Har Dard ko…….
Kahan Gayi woh wafa……
Jab bhi Peekar……
Aap ki aankhon ne…..
Ther thodi der……
Jahan Jaake chain se…..
For the people unintroduced to this his gazal’s…..I have here quoted some of his stanzas…..If you try to just brazenly read through this review, it’ll mean nothing to you…..but if you read the stanzas they way they’re meant to be read……by the time you finish reading this, you’ll know a lot of things you didn’t. For example, “a b c d e f g” (3) means, you stop at “g” and repeat the entire line 3 times…..simple?….Now a little extension…… “a b c d e f g” (3) “h I j k l m n o p” (5) means after you have repeated the earlier line 3 times, you stop at “p” and repeat the lines between (3) and (5) “h-p” 5 times……and not the entire thing…okay?…..try it guys and you wont regret it.
“main hosh mein tha to phir us pe mar gaya kaise (3), yeh zeher mere lahu mein utar gaya kaise”--- This is one the most brialliant songs I’ve ever heard in terms of the nature of the song. It has a touching and a resonating classical stroke throught the entire musical account. This is the kind of song you want to listen to innumerable times in the rainy weather right now in Gujarat…...One of the most beautiful stanzas in this gazal is ‘Kuchh uske dil me lagavat zaroor thi varna (3), woh mera haath (5), daba kar guzar gaya kaise’. I’d bet my eye, that if you and your better half are listening to this gazal in the sprinkling rain…….. there is no way on earth, he/she wouldn’t snuggle up close to you and hold your hand.
‘Usne jab meri taraf pyar se dekha hoga (3), mere bare mein bade gaur se socha hoga.’ – This song is tailor-made for countless people like me, people who have a soft spot for somebody but unfortunately the person who you like, already has a got a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. I know from my own personal experiences and also a lot of my friends just how exactly that feels………You cannot wish the best in the world for her because she has hurt you, but you still cannot wish the worst for her. A case where talking with her/him only results in more of an heartache, and so you decide the less you talk, the better chance you have of getting over him or her. The times you do talk to her, you try to appear cheerful and she thinks that you have finally gotten over her…….wonderfully worded by Mehdi Hassan as follows……’Has ke hum baat karlete hain unse khurshin (2), Haal apna woh samaj lete hai achha hoga (2)’’ usne jab meri taraf pyar se dekha hoga ………’
‘Har dard ko ai jaan main, sine me chhupa lu (2), kaante teri raho ke main palkho pe saja lu’—The sequel to the above, where you still wish the world for her and that she never feels the hurt or pain you did. You think about the person 24/7…..and more often than not dream about him or her “Bichdi hain meri neend bhi, bichda hai tu jabse (2), jee chahe tuje roj hi khwabon mein bula du”. A real-classic this one, Mehdi Hassan, logically through all his songs seems to narrate a story, a story which touches you in the deepest parts of your heart. “Yeh ishq ka inzaam bhi, inzaam hai koi (2), tere liye duniya ke main har inzaam utha lu”
Now for my personal favourite….’Jab bhi peekar’….This song reverberates the feelings of thousands of men in the world for whom alchohol is the only solace….. something that gives them the will to live. Men who are out with their dates on New years eve when an announcement comes through on the loudspeaker that “At the stroke of midnight, I want every man to be standing next to the person who makes his life worth living….” And at the stroke of midnight, the barman almost gets trampled in the rush to him….This is a real true-blue devdas song, a song that will resonate through your ears for an entire day without tiring you, providing you with the strength to bear your loss…..”Jab bhi maikhane se lekar hum chale, saath lekar sainkdo aalam chale (2)’ Another one........’Thak gaye thei zindagi ki raah main (5), ho ke maikhane se taaza hum chale’…..By this time you are under the heavy influence of alcohol and Mehdi Hassan’s voice….and you sing out loud blaming the world…… “Jitne gum zaalim zamaane ne diye (4), dafn karke maikhane mein hum chale”
Now for the last song, literally the last song……This is the song that will leave you eyes wet….The man is now in his last stages……..and wishes for everlasting peace……..
“Jahaan jaake chain se mar saku, kabhi laut ke bhi na aa saku (2) Mujhe koi aisi jagah bata, jahan tujko dil se bhula saku”. This song cannot have any words describe it…..Words cannot do justice infact, to any song in the album…..And now for perhaps my favourite stanza Mehdi Hassan has ever written…… “Jab samaj main kuch bhi na aa sake, to nateeja waqt pe chhod de (2), Mujhe kuchh na de, duaa hi de, teri naksh dil se mita saku”
My words as carefully as I have tried to choose them maybe give you a 0.0000001% effect of the actual effect of Mehdi Hassan’s songs……If you’re a broken-hearted soul this CD is for you….and even if you aren’t…..consider yourself lucky…..and get this CD anyways…..so you know what happens to someone when you break their heart.