This article is written by Raja, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
It is with mixed emotions that I write this post.
No, it’s not quite what you’re thinking. Usually “mixed emotions” involve an element of happiness, tempered with sadness. Like parents sending their son or daughter abroad for higher studies. On one hand, they’re happy for their child’s future, on the other there’s an element of sadness that they will be separated by a considerable amount of distance and time.
But in my case, the component in the mix is not sadness. It is tremendous guilt.
Yes, on one hand, I am very happy to be writing this post as it marks a double milestone for the blog. On the other hand, I am riddled with guilt at not visiting this blog quite as often as I’d like to. It is something I need to set right.
And I am glad to be back here today. Like I said, this song celebrates a double milestone for the blog. When Atul sent me an e-mail a short while ago, telling me about this and asking me if I could do a write-up for the occasion, I immediately jumped at it. I’ve always considered it an honour to write a post here – and although I’m in danger of being dubbed the “milestone” guy – I do enjoy every occasion to write a post here, even if most of them have only been “milestone” occasions.
Onto the milestones.
First of all, this is the 9800th song on the blog. Yes, that’s the NINETY-EIGHTH hundred song of the blog. When one puts it this way, it is natural to think of that mega milestone that we should be hitting in the near future. It is almost upon us and is only a matter of time now.
In cricketing terms, this blog can now be said to be not just in its “nervous nineties” (which it has been for a while now), but “just one shot away” from the magical number.
But in reality, while in cricket, that one shot (or two runs) can be got in many ways, sometimes through a lucky edge or Chinese/French cut, there is no such short cut for this blog.
Every single one of the remaining 200 songs (to get to the magic milestone) will have to be worked on – song by song, with the rigour involved in listening to the song, writing down the lyrics, getting the song-creators’ details and preparing a write-up to introduce the song to the public.
And this is the process that has happened for every single one of the 9800 songs so far. No short cuts, no compromises. Anybody who knows Atul even a little bit knows that he is uncompromising in his approach towards quality and thoroughness. And that is definitely one of the things that differentiates this blog from many other song/film sources out there. Here, while we celebrate quantity, it is never at the cost of quality.
So 9800 cheers then to Atul for bringing this blog to where it is today. The rest of us have been happy travelers on this journey, contributing (and I bite my lip a bit, trying to hide my guilt, using this term) from time to time, some more regularly than others (Oh, Mother Earth, open up and take me in your grasp!).
Now onto the other milestone.
Not only is this the 9800th song here, this song also happens to be the 800th song of our beloved Kishore Kumar here on this blog.
Yes, isn’t that just so wonderful? 800 songs now for Kishore da here. I feel SO honoured and humbled to have the opportunity of posting this song in very fond memory of him.
We’ve often discussed Kishore da here. I have myself done a few write-ups on various occasions remembering him. But however much we discuss him, I never get tired of talking about him. (I have the same with Rafi saab too).
Kishore da was, to me, the ultimate all-rounder. He did everything –acting, singing, writing songs, composing them, producing, directing – he did them all. He entertained the public, in whatever capacity he presented himself to them.
In cricketing terms (sorry, I tend to use cricket analogies a lot – I hope you don’t mind), to me, he was the Gary Sobers of Hindi cinema. Totally dependable – you always knew you had something to look forward to when you knew Kishore da was associated with a film.
Speaking personally (and I’ve said this before), I grew up with Kishore Kumar songs.
My first recollection of him was with the songs of “Aradhana”. I was very young then – not only was the film a massive hit, but the songs were an absolute rage. I don’t remember how many times “mere sapnon ki rani” and “roop tera mastana” played on radio in those days. But it felt like either one or the other was playing every day, in some programme or the other.
As it turned out, that was just the start of Kishore Kumar’s staggering rise to singing stardom. Of course, he’d been singing for two decades before this – and had sung many a lovely, and even popular, song – but had never quite caught mass public imagination or received mass public adulation like he got, once the songs of Aradhana clicked.
From then on, it was just one song after the other. He kept on rolling out hit after hit (many of them benefiting Rajesh Khanna) – and I, as a kid, was happy to keep lapping them all up. During that period, regardless of whether the movie was a hit or a flop, Kishore Kumar’s voice ruled.
In school, we’d often sing his songs – “musafir hoon yaaron”, “o maajhi re”, “o mere dil ke chain”, “dil aisa kisi ne mera toda”, “meri bheegi bheegi si”, “aadmi jo kehta hai” – and so many others, each of us trying to sing in that baritone voice, trying to outdo the others.
Yes, those were fun days, full of music and songs – and I have to thank Kishore Kumar for playing a big part in giving me those songs that made up my childhood.
At that time, I was caught up in that period – the 70s. Later, I got to listen to more of Kishore’s older songs – and the more I listened, the more I loved them. I totally fell in love with “piya piya piya”, “wo dekhen to unki inaayat”, “meri neendon mein tum”, “chhoti si ye duniya”, “mere mehboob qayamat hogi”, “khwab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat”, “jeevan ke safar mein rahi”, “chhod do aanchal zamana kya kahega”, “ajnabi tum jaane pehchaane se lagte ho” – and so many others from generations earlier to mine.
Then there was Kishore Kumar the producer/director. It is ironic that the man known best for comedy could produce movies as sensitive and touching as “Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein” and “Door Ka Raahi”. Surely there was a facet of this man’s character that had somehow never been allowed to be presented to the public by other producers, so he chose to make these films himself, to present this other side of him? I am glad he did – he was too talented to be straitjacketed by anybody.
Let us now move onto the song for the occasion.
Today’s song is a Kishore da song from a 1983 film – Katha. Starring Deepti Naval, Naseeruddin Shah and Farouque Shaikh.
Now normally 1983 is not a year I remember particularly fondly for cinema.
If I remember right, by then, we’d started seeing the oft-spoken about 1980s decline. Whether it was the disco rage, or the not-so-naturally-culturally-fitting remakes of South Indian cinema, or even the mighty Amitabh Bachchan’s movies of the time, none of it quite appealed to me.
Besides, I was also quite busy with my studies at that time and didn’t have too much time to watch random films of questionable quality.
So I hardly watched many movies of that period – but two movies that come to mind are Ardh Satya and Katha.
I haven’t seen Katha since – so my recollection is of over 30 years ago – but I recall liking it a lot at the time.
With a cast like Deepti, Naseer and Farouque Shaikh, it is hard not to like a film. But besides that, I remember it was a sweet sort of film. Naseer is the shy neighbour of Deepti in a chawl, unable to express his feelings to her while the smooth-talking Farouque Shaikh manages to weave his way into her life and heart. Naseer can only look on. Given my age at the time, I could easily identify with one of the male characters (no, not the smooth-talking one).
This song “maine tumse kuchh nahin maanga” is one that I don’t recall top of head but Atul sent it to me today. And when I heard it, I couldn’t help feeling that it is a very different type of song. Its composition is anything but traditional. And yet, thanks possibly to the instruments used and Kishore’s voice, it is very pleasant to listen to.
This unconventional tune is composed by Raj Kamal. I remember first hearing his name with “Sawan Ko Aane Do”, a fairly popular mid 70s movie, best-known for its title song. Raj Kamal did not compose for too many movies but he does have to his credit the music for the very popular BR Chopra produced Mahabharat series of the 1980s.
The lyrics are pure Hindi – and written by Indu Jain. I notice that the Indu Jain – Raj Kamal combination also produced songs/music for Chashm-e-Baddoor (also a Deepti-Farouque starrer), so that was a partnership that could have delivered more, if they’d chosen to be more prolific.
The picturisation is on Naseeruddin Shah and Deepti Naval, though it is a background song playing on a record player. I don’t remember this part of the movie but I’m guessing Naseer is imagining Deepti to be in love with him.
Listening to the song, I couldn’t help feeling that it must have not been an easy song to sing. It does not have the usual predictability of tune, it has pauses at unusual places, it has intonations in places. And yet Kishore da, being Kishore da, breezes through it all.
Am happy to pay tribute to him for his 800th song on this blog. He will always be in our hearts. And his songs will always be on our lips.
I hope you enjoy the song too.
Full audio
Real video (partial)
Made up video
Song-Maine tumse kuchh nahin maanga (Katha)(1983) Singer-Kishore Kumar, Lyrics-Indu Jain, MD-Rajkamal
Lyrics
Maine
tumse
kuchh nahin maanga
Maine tumse
kuchh nahin
maanga
aaj de do
aaj de do
sau baras se jagey in nainon ko
neend ka vardaan de do
de do
maine tumse kuchh nahin maanga
gherti khushbuyen
phir wahi aahatein
baarha chaunkna
phir wahi karvatein aen aen
wohi baahon ke gheron mein bandhna aa
wohi nazron ke saaye mein tapna aa
kab talak dor
kheenchegi ee mujhko
kab talak dor
kheenchegi ee mujhko
chhod do
mera
abhimaan
de do
de do
maine tumse
kuchh nahin maanga
in andheron se ae joojhoonga kaise
kis tarah raushni
itni main jheloon
yaadon ki bheed takraa rahi yoon
Haath baandhe huye chhoor ho loon oon
chhatpataate hriday ko daya kar
chhatpataate hriday ko daya kar
saans lene ka
adhikaar
de do
de do
maine tumse kuchh nahin maanga
aaj de do
aaj de do
sau baras se jage in nainon ko
neend ka vardaan
de do
de do
maine
tumse
kuchh nahin
maanga
—————————————————-
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Avinash Scrapwala)
—————————————————-
मैंने
तुमसे
कुछ नहीं माँगा
मैंने
तुमसे
कुछ नहीं माँगा
आज दे दो
आज दे दो
सौ बरस से जगे इन नैनों को
नींद का वरदान दे दो
दे दो
मैंने तुमसे कुछ नहीं माँगा
घेरती खुशबुएँ
फिर वही आहटें
बारहा चौंकना
फिर वही करवटें एं एं
वोही बाहों के घेरों में बंधना आ
वोही नज़रों के साये में तपना आ
कब तलक डोर
खींचेगी ई मुझको
कब तलक डोर
खींचेगी ई मुझको
छोड़ दो
मेरा
अभिमान
दे दो
दे दो
मैंने तुमसे
कुछ नहीं माँगा
इन अंधेरों से ए जूझूंगा कैसे
किस तरह रौशनी
इतनी मैं झेलूँ
यादों कि भीड़ टकरा रही यूं
हाथ बंधे हुए चूर हो लूं ऊं
छटपटाते ह्रदय को दया कर
छटपटाते ह्रदय को दया कर
सांस लेने का
अधिकार
दे दो
दे दो
मैंने तुमसे कुछ नहीं माँगा
आज दे दो
आज दे दो
सौ बरस से जगे इन नैनों को
नींद का वरदान दे दो
दे दो
मैंने
तुमसे
कुछ नहीं
माँगा
