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18 February 2015

Word Play: Shaam

Photo credit: imgkid.com
Many moons ago, I had begun a new category of themed lists. I titled it 'Word Play' and under that category, I began to list songs that began with a particular word. Going through my lists recently, I realised that that category has been woefully under-represented. In all these years, I've written just three posts - Raat, Piya and Chand, probably the most ubiquitous of 'words that occur frequently in Hindi films songs'.

The 'rules' for this category were frighteningly simple: the song had to begin with the chosen word. (At the most, the word could be the second one in the first line.) Preludes to songs didn't count. And two, it has to be the word itself, not its variations.

The advantage, of course, to doing so, was that the songs chosen under this rule were not restricted in terms of genre (they could be of love or heartbreak, meetings or separation, betrayal or helplessness...) or setting (urban, rural, or in-between). I didn't have to worry about the distinctions I make in my own mind, or about explaining those to my readers.

The words that I have picked before - raat, piya, chand - are all inextricably linked to one another. And so, while choosing a word for the post this time, I dithered between chandni (moonlight) and shaam (evening/twilight), and finally decided on the latter. Perhaps because in the north-east of the US, at this point, we do not have twilight. One minute the sun is shining brightly at us, making driving westwards difficult, the next, we need to put on our headlights. 

But I have fond memories of shaam in India. My earliest memories are of the temple bells ringing in the distance, my grandmother lighting the lamp in the puja room, and then bringing out the smaller lamp to place next to the tulsi plant. It's of tagging along with my mother or aunt to the nearby temple, watching the smoke of myriad oil and ghee lamps swirling away into the darkness beyond, and the idol of the Devi, bright and beautiful with her chandan-smeared face, and her red-silk clad figure glowing in that light. It's of walking home in that almost-darkness, the cows wending their way back home as well, the bells around their neck tinkling gently, as the cowherds stopped them from meandering off the grassy side paths. 

As I grew older, it was of all the times that I sat on the window sill, my fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee, weaving gossamer castles in the air. It's of sighing over the cute boy who smiled at me when I was walking home from college, of giggling with my cousin over a 'love' letter that someone had passed to us, of losing myself in a description in a book, and dreaming. Shaam was the perfect time for all this.

And so I decided it was time indeed to explore this word, and the different emotions that are contained within... I had spent some time looking for the songs that populate this list, and here, in no particular order, are my final selections. 

1. Ye shaam ki tanhaayiaan
Aah (1953)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
I posted this song once before, in my post on Songs of Waiting. The context goes thusly: Raj (Raj Kapoor) and Chanda (Vijayalaxmi) are almost-betrothed to each other. Well, their fathers would like to see them wed. So begins a correspondence between the two. Only, little does Raj know that the 'Chanda' he has been writing to is her little sister, Neelu (Nargis). As their correspondence continues, Neelu and Raj begin to understand each other better; slowly, they become friends, and as night follows day, that friendship deepens into love. At this point, Neelu does not know how to draw the curtains on her charade, and one day, Raj's father sends a formal proposal of marriage - between Raj and Chanda. The latter, not having ever seen the man, and not knowing anything about him, vetoes the proposal. 

It is when Raj, taken aback at what he considers his love's duplicity, confronts his 'Chanda' through a letter that he realises that he has been writing to the wrong sister all this time. But the lovers get past this hurdle, and Raj agrees to present himself at Neelu's house with a formal proposal for Neelu's hand. And Neelu waits and waits. And waits. For a man who doesn't come. And as evening passes into twilight, Neelu's anguish knows no bounds.  
 Jis raah se tum aane ko the
Uske nishaan bhi mitne lage
Aaye na tum, sau sau dafaa
Aaye gaye mausam  

Khamoshi (1969)
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Music: Hemant Kumar
Lyrics: Gulzar
 One of my favourite Kishore Kumar numbers for more than one reason, Khamoshi is a film I have never been able to revisit, despite a 'different' storyline (suspect medical procedures excepted), and excellent acting from a stellar cast. 

Arun (Rajesh Khanna) is in love with Radha (Waheeda Rehman), a love he thinks is reciprocated. Little does he know that Radha has walked the path of unrequited love - for Dev (Dharmendra), a patient in the mental hospital where she works, and whom she helped bring out of depression following some highly suspect medical advice from the doctor-in-charge. Little does he know that Radha's mental status is now beginning to slowly disintegrate as she withdraws deeper and deeper into the realisation that the man she loves has never loved her, nor even known that she loves him, and that she doesn't love the man who loves her. But right now, Arun lives in hope...
 Mera khayaal hai abhi jhuki huyi nigaah mein
Khili huyi hansi bhi hai, dabi huyi si chaah mein
Main jaanta hoon, mera naam gunguna rahi hai woh
Yahi khayaal hai mujhe, ke saath aa rahi hai woh
 
Footpath (1953)
Singer: Talat Mahmood
Music: Khayyam
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri and Ali Sardar Jaffrey
From a very under-rated film, where Dilip Kumar takes a breather from playing tragedy-struck lover to plumb the depths of despair as a man (Noshu Sharma) who is waging an ongoing battle against penury, and who takes to black marketing and extortion to triumph over his adversity. He succeeds, and very well too, until a pesky journalist threatens to expose the edifice built on deceit and chicanery. Will he take that ultimate step to protect himself or will he, finally, listen to his conscience?

Meena Kumari plays Mala, his lady love, and the scenes between them, even the serious ones, provide the lightness in a dark film. As Noshu waits for his Mala, he reaches the point where he feels the moonlight is cruel, and the separation, torture.
Chain kaisa jo pehloo me tu hi nahin
Maar daale na dard-e-judaai kahin
Rut haseen hai toh kya chaandni hai toh kya
Chandni zulm hai aur judaai sitam
Shama Parwana (1954)
Singers: Suraiya, Mohammed Rafi
Music: Husnlal-Bhagatram
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Like many films of that period, the songs are excellent, and can make you fall into the trap of actually sitting down to watch the movie. And of course, it stars Shammi Kapoor in one of his early movies, so one hopes for the best. But as it turns out, it is one of those films that make you want to slit your throat (with a blunt knife), and wonder how you are ever going to get the 2.5 odd hours that you've expended on its watching. 

If you're still curious, the story is of star-crossed lovers - Aalam Meherbano and Gul Mirza, who meet and fall in love over a shared love of poetry. At least, Gul Mirza falls in love. Lady Meherbano doesn't really seem all that interested, until the news of Mirza's death reaches her. Then she promptly falls into a decline and is sent off to a more salubrious climate to heal. Whereupon she chances upon Mirza, wounded not dead, and decides that she does love him after all. All is well, and the Meherbano-Mirza romance is well on its way to fruition - which is when they sing this song; she, in her garden accompanied by her retinue, and he, with all his friends, in the courtyard of his house. One would think that the movie is en route to a happy ending, but with such a jellyfish for a heroine, one finds out otherwise. Also, love stories with happy endings do not become famous. One has to die for love.

5. Huyi shaam unka khayaal aa gaya
Mere Humdam Mere Dost (1968)
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Perfect daru song. Heartbreak, a cup of wine, and Mohammed Rafi to sing for you. What more do you need? Strangely enough, for a drunken-heartbreak song, the hero is not singing of the heroine's bewafaai (infidelity). This is a more philosophical musing - he had prided himself on not being heartbroken. He had thought, hoped, that he had forgotten the woman he loved, that he had thrown off any thought of her... but, come evening, and he finds himself drowning in her memories...
Humein toh yahi tha guroor 
Gham-e-yaar hai humse door
Wohi gham jise humne kis kis jatan se
Nikla tha is dil se door
Woh chalakar qayaamat ki chaal aa gaya...
Huyi shaam unka khayaal aa gaya
Wohi zindagi ka sawaal aa gaya

6. Roz shaam aati thi
Imtihaan (1974)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Another film that is better left unseen, Imtihaan was a pale version of To Sir With Love. Only, this being a Hindi film, the 'sir' (Vinod Khanna in glasses) needed a romance. He gets one in the headmaster's daughter (Tanuja), who until his arrival had been confined to a wheelchair. (Yup, miracles do work.) He is also being stalked by a student (Bindu), who is extremely jealous of his attentions towards the handicapped girl, and therefore plots his undoing. The lead pair tried valiantly, but even they can only rise just so much above a script that goes nowhere. But this is a pleasant song, all the same, and expresses all the difference that the hero's arrival has made in her life.
Roz shaam aati thi magar aisi na thi
Roz roz ghataa chhaati thi magar aisi na thi
Ye aaj meri zindagi mein kaun aa gaya...
 Shree 420 (1955)
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
This fits in well in my 'Mystery of the Missing Songs' post (it was in fact, mentioned in the comments). A song that was recorded, even picturised, and then deleted from the film. I wonder whether Raj Kapoor deleted it because unlike the other songs, this would have slowed the narrative down? I'm not sure; ever since I realised this wasn't in the film, I've wondered where it would fit if it had been included. Truth to tell, I cannot think of any place in the film where it wouldn't have been superfluous. And even more strangely, this song was never used in any subsequent RK film either. 
Meechoon aankhen toh teri sooratiya
Cham cham chamke jaise bijuriya 
Pyaar bhare tere nainon ke rang mein
Bheege man ki chunariya chunariya
Jaise barsaat aayi ke balam aaja
O balam aa ja, ab toh sanam aaja
Shaam gayi raat aayi ke balam aaja'
Taaron ki baraat aayi ke balam aaja

Anjaan Hai Koi (1969)
Singers: Mohammed Rafi, Usha Khanna
Music: Usha Khanna
Lyrics: Manohar Lal Khanna
For a music director who broke into the male-dominated music industry with a bang in Dil Deke Dekho, Usha Khanna did not manage to capitalise much on her success. While she did have a few other films with excellent songs, she soon seemed to be composing for the second tier of films. Anjaan Hai Koyi  was supposedly a murder mystery, with Feroz Khan stepping in for the murdered man in order to bring his murderer to justice. Aruna Irani played his romantic interest, though here, he is romancing the murdered man's fiancĂ©e (Nalini Chatterjee). The song is a romantic one, with the lovers singing of the coming twilight, and what it means to them. The lyricist is Usha Khanna's father.
Haaye shaam ke aanchal mein masti hai bheegi bheegi
Aur de rahi hai dhadkan awaaz dheemi dheemi
Tu bhi chal mere sang, o mere jeevan saathi
Shaam dekho dhal rahi hai 

Albela (1952)
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Chitalkar
Music: C Ramchandra
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
When Bhagwan decided to sink his earnings into making this film, he made the rounds of the top actresses of the time. No one was ready to act as his heroine. Until, as a last resort, he approached Geeta Bali, confessing to her that if she refused, he would have to scrap the idea. Geeta listened to him, and without even bothering to hear the script, agreed to play the role of a theatre actress who falls in love with a man who is considered good-for-nothing by his family. Chock-full of lovely songs by C Ramchandra, who also doubled as playback singer (as Chitalkar), Albela was a runaway hit.
Roz-roz tum meri gali mein chakkar kyon ho kaat-the
Sachchi-sachchi baat kahoon main aji tumhare waaste, 
Jaao, jaao, hosh mein aao yun aana-jaana chhod do
Shaam dhale, khidki tale tum seetee bajaana chhod do
 
Kati Patang (1970)
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Music: RD Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
After a wonderful stint with Shammi Kapoor, Shakti Samanta shifted to the new superstar, Rajesh Khanna. Their outings together proved successful from their very first outing - Aradhana. This, their second outing, saw Khanna as Kamal, a man who falls in love with his friend's widow, Madhavi (Asha Parekh), not knowing that she is neither a widow, nor ever married to his friend at all. In fact, she is the woman who broke his heart, by leaving him stranded at the altar. This song, after Kamal finds himself attracted to Madhavi, sees him trying to woo her.
Ek roothi huyi taqdeer jaise koyi
Khaamosh aise hai tu, tasweer jaise koyi
Teri nazar, banke zubaan, lekin tere paighaam diye jaaye
Ye shaam mastaani, madhosh kiye jaaye
Mujhe dor koyi kheenche, teri ore liye jaaye

So, one word, ten songs. All songs that speak of that particular time of day when day meets night. What does that time mean to you? And what songs would you add to this list?

62 comments:

  1. Oh, nice list, Anu! As soon as I saw your chosen word, the first song that came into my head was Shaam chale khidki tale - and then Shaam-e-gham ki kasam and Woh shaam kuchh ajeeb thhi. And you added several which I like but which hadn't occurred instantly to me - plus at least one (the Feroz Khan song) which I hadn't heard before.

    Anyway, here's another, from Samadhi: Abhi shaam aayegi niklenge taare:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM0bZDDD16w

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  2. Very nice songs, Anu. I discovered two "new" ones on your list, I had not heard before. "Roz shaam aati thi" and "sham dekho dhal rahi hai". Nice songs. I agree with you, we don't have the kind of shaam here as we did in India. In summers, the verandah was cooled off with water, tables and chairs put out and evening tea / shikanjavi / Shabbat served. Tuesdays, we went to the temple, and yes I sat with my grandmother who prayed with a diya lit under the tulsi plant, singing " tulsi maharani namo namo". I miss those evenings. For a shaam song, the one I like ( besides the ones you have posted ) does not fit into your rules. Sham does not appear till the second line, nonetheless I will take my chance and post it.
    http://youtu.be/UPm6YpXtOng

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  3. paati ki daali se jhaankh rahii thi kaliyaan, gandhbhari gungun mein magan huyi thii kaliyan
    itne mein timir dasa, sapneele nainon mein, kaliyon kii aansoo ka koi nahiin saakhi


    The flowers peeping through a net of leaves, immersed in a scented humming
    Suddenly, darkness struck dreamy eyes, (leaving) no witness to the tears of the flowers.


    Evening. Bees humming around in a garden, which is suddenly left desolate as darkness falls and dew gathers. Very fine imagery (for some reason, most of the lyrics I find online seem to be wrong, mainly mistaking saathi for saakhi) . It lost out to the lesser nuanced Man Kyun behka from the same movie for the Filmfare Award that year.


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

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  4. Thank you, Madhu. :) And thanks for the addition - when I first saw the title of the song, I didn't recognise the song. Until I heard it. It's been a long time now, so thank you for bringing it back to mind.

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  5. Pighla sona is a beautiful song, very evocative. But yes, it does not fit the my constraints. I like the juxtaposition of Shaam and Ghanshyam in Shaam bhaayi ghanshyam na aayi ... Surmayi shaam from Lekin is beautiful. That film had a lovely score, didn't it? I liked it as a film as well.

    Thanks for the memories and the additions, Neeru.

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  6. Wonders will never cease. You are back. :)

    Yes, Saanjh dhale gagan tale is beautiful, describes twilight so well. Fabulous, fabulous lyrics, and the music, just there...

    Thank you for this one.

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  7. Hmmm, "shaam" makes me think of these lines from "bas ek chup si lagi hain":

    Sahar bhi yeh raat bhi
    duphar bhi mili lekin
    humhi ne shaam chuni hai
    nahin udaas nahi

    In complete contrast to those words of quiet and solitude, let's enjoy Bindu's company in "Shaam bheegi bheegi" from Gehri Chaal. :-D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jh8oWYC60Y

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  8. Lovely list, Anu... You have Shaam-e-bahaar aayi - I love that song... and Sham-e-gham ki kasam and Huyi shaam unka khayal aaya.

    To this, I would add - Ek Haseen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya (Dulhan ek raat ki - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4ihEuYc_E)


    and that Asha Bhosle number, Dil shaam se dooba jaata hai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z4VnAbomXg)

    and yes, that lovely Salilda one sung by Lata M - Haaye jhilmil yeh shaam ke saaye (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O21hLfxmU_Q)



    All varied emotions conveyed in that word!

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  9. So many came commented , complimented and left this for me to say this :" please do the needful"


    Shaam-e-gham ki kasam
    Footpath (1953)
    Singer: Mohammed Rafi
    Music: Khayyam
    Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri and Ali Sardar Jaffrey

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  10. I know. Please have a look at the singer of the third song.

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  11. And I'm glad Neeru added Pighla hai sona in her comment. Even though it doesn't conform to your rules, I think that song is such a brilliant description of an evening. It fits in the very essence of evening so well. Had been meaning to bung it in when I logged in this morning, but find that it's already been done. :-)

    Oh, and let me get something else off my chest. This has been running in my head ever since I read your post: Shaam tanhaayi ki hai, aayegi manzil kaise? Jo mujhe raah dikhaaye, woh sitaara na raha.

    Anyway, let me post a song from a newish film which had - in my opinion - relatively nice music. Kabhi shaam dhale from Sur:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LyS9N6vUxg

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  12. Aren't you mentioning Mohammad Rafi too ? Has the song been sung by both Rafi and Talat ?

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  13. That line "pighla hai sona" from Sahir is such an apt description isn't it ? I often wonder how this song would sound with colored scene, though BW movies should remain such. From newer songs, I also like the peppy " Cham Cham Cham chamakti shaam hai"
    http://youtu.be/vGimOmACxrQ

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  14. No, it is by Talat Mehmood. I think Shyam is pointing out [in a rather oblique way :-)]that Anu has credited the wrong singer in her post.

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  15. Oh well ! I noticed that too, sometimes one is pleasantly surprised when there are other versions one does not know.
    As an aside ( I posted this on Dustedoff site also) , curious if you are the same Shalini who participated on RMIM years ago ?

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  16. Yes, Neeraj, when I was researching the song, I found others had mentioned it as well. I guess inspiration strikes in many forms.

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  17. Shalini, you meanie! But you made me laugh. And you redeemed yourself with the lines you quoted.

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  18. All lovely songs, Harini. So many emotions evoked by that time of day, no?

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  19. I seem to be making too many errors, lately. :(

    Thanks, Shyam. Have done the needful.

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  20. Madhu, the lines are beautiful... but then, Koyi hamdam na raha is such a beautiful, though sad, song.



    Sur disappointed me, actually - as a film, I mean. But it did have some pleasant songs. I'd completely forgotten this one.

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  21. Oh, I see. I hadn't realised. I thought you were adding the song. Sorry about that.

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  22. Yup, it disappointed me, too, as a film. I actually expected more of it, and it ended up a damp squib. But it did have some nice songs.

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  23. I guess I didn't get what you were implying. Sorry about that.

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  24. I didn't get what you were implying, sorry about that.

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  25. I was responding to dustedoff. I didn't respond to your query because I thought by that time everything was clear ( I was not ignoring it).
    I just try to point out when I see something incongruous, so that the persons may correct it on their own. I know intelligent persons commit silly mistakes because they are absorbed in their thoughts and not that they are ignorant. I do not wish to make it very obvious, just a suggestion. That'all.

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  26. Evening brings to me two ragas , Marwa and Puriya Dhanashree.

    Here is Lata in an unreleased (non-film???) song. This is not quite Marwa but almost.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX0RxxbYgIw

    Now for Puriya Dhanashree..There used to be a bandish in this raga that went like this.

    Ye saanjh bhayi aaye na piya

    Mora aakul aaye re jiya

    kaase kahun kaise dheer dharoon

    Soutan ke sang kare rang raliyaan

    I can't find it so we shall remain wordless and pay Shaam a visit with Ravi Shankar.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IxG5vk687s

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  27. How I adore "Woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi." Such a soulful song - it makes me tear up. So beautifully rendered, such a romantic setting, so nicely shot too.

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  28. I wouldn't recognise the raagas even if you tell me what they are, but I liked both the additions you posted. I haven't heard much of the non-filmi output of most singers, so the song by Lata was completely new to me.

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  29. It holds a very special place in my heart as well. :)

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  30. And, since Harini did post a song with shaam as the third word, I'm going to take the liberty to do that, too. ;-)

    Phir wohi shaam from Jahanara. This is an old favourite of mine.

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

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  31. The inspiration could be the other way around. Apparently this song from Uran Khatola was released almost a year before the film's debut in 1955. Rumour has it that a musician who had been sacked by Naushad had smuggled out the notations of this tune and Naushad used his clout to get HMV to release the single early to avoid any future finger pointing. However this film had another song which was a duet between Rafi and Suraiya. That song is my pick from the film, it is quite a difficult composition to sing and yet appears to be simple.

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  32. There is this very decent song by C Arjun lyrics by Ahmed Wasi from a film called Kanoon aur Mujrim..Suresh Wadkar and Usha Mangeshkar in a rare outing the Pahadi tinge makes it seem like a Khayyam composition.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v64r1lZUn0

    Another piece of music that reminds me of the evening even though it has nothing to do with it is the Largo from Dvorak's 9th symphony. The horns begin the piece but simple melody played on the cor anglais is enchanting. See how the clarinets echo the cor angalis. Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Weiner Philharmoniker. Also notice the complete absence of women in the orchestra. Women were given permanent membership only in 1997. Mein Gott. What will we have next? Female sopranos?? :-)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASlch7R1Zvo

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  33. Thanks for this interesting information. I will listen to the Rafi/Suraiya duet. Yes, some songs do appear simple till you attempt to sing them. Someone once had said, when Rafi sings, you want to learn to sing, when Kishore sings, you want to sing and when Mukesh sings, you think you can sing. I may not agree with it but it was an interesting statement.

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  34. Since it's snowing yet again in DC, I'm spending some quality time on You Tube and found this: my favorite version of Gulzar's "shaam se aankh mein nami se hai" ghazal.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KpPC6mVeuE

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  35. I meant a duet from Shama Parwana. This is the duet.

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


    Quite difficult to hold those notes and keep in time.

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  36. Yes, a lovely song. A bit Sajjad Hussainish.

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  37. Wonderful, so I'm not the only one who thinks that.

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  38. I might as well have made it 'My favourites: songs about twilight'. The comments have come up with so many songs that evoke that time of day so beautifully. Phir wohi shaam is a gorgeous song, isn't it? I'm glad you added it here. A favourite of mine as well, even if I have to watch Bharat Bhushan and Mala Sinha. In fact, it is such a favourite that it is going to show up in my next post. :)

    (Didn't you review Jahan Ara? Or Bollyviewer did? )

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  39. Gosh, I haven't heard this song since, well, the 80s, when I made the mistake of watching the movie. :)

    Yes, it is a decent song.

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  40. I have Marasim but haven't listened to it in ages. Thanks for adding it here.

    Snow in DC? :) Stay warm, stay safe. I have been hearing horror stories of the roads there.

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  41. That's an interesting story. In any case, so many songs are recorded way before the film releases and if someone else is quick on the draw, the later film draws the flack for having 'inspired' songs.

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  42. Neeru, I remember reading that statement as well, but for the life of me, I do not know who said that. Like you, I don't quite agree with it.

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  43. I had heard this one in Asha's voice, I like Mukesh's rendition . To music director par nirbhar hai kuch ki gaana kitane pasand hai.

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  44. Shalini's post reminded me of Jagjit Singh's "shaam hone ko hai".
    http://youtu.be/4StSMuVyyBo

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  45. Asha's version was an RD composition and while interesting was loosely similar to "Mera kuch samaan" . Jagjit Singh's version was soporific at best. The original Salilda tune has been used in another song and has also been sung by Mukesh. I'm not sure which one came first the Bengali or the Hindi version. The arrangements are different. The hindi song starts with a distinct chord on the guitar. The bengali version has a much more interesting string arrangement in the background.
    Here is Mukesh singing in Bengali.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GkHnEopdw

    I really like Arundhati Holme-Chowdhury singing it though I prefer the orchestral arrangement of the Mukesh original. This is her version.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHHBgm3MIyk

    Salilda even used it in a Malayalam version sung by Unni Menon with yet another arrangement.

    http://www.salilda.com/songs/nonfilm/malayalam/yaathrayay.mp3

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  46. Three different versions of Shaam-e-firaq by Faiz

    Begum Akhtar

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pld4snEPxpY

    Iqbal Bano exploring the Kalyan raganga

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFD-Bke9ZAc

    Ghulam Ali with raga Poorvi/Puriya Dhanashree can't quite make out the cut of his jib.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjBD28RmbY

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  47. Not a great fan of Jagjit Singh, actually, but it fits the theme so well, doesn't it?

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  48. I don't know if Bollyviewer reviewed it or not; I certainly did. :-)

    And am curious about your next post!

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  49. :) me neither. There are a very few and far in between songs / ghazals of his that I may listen to. I posted the above because the wordings were nice and fit the theme and I did not mind listening to it.

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  50. Thanks for introducing me to the bangla versions. I prefer Mukesh's hindi version. I really liked Ms. Chowdhury's rendition. I heard the Jagjit Singh's version of Shaam se aankh mein, I could not go beyond two lines, but hen I am not a Jagjit Singh fan, even though I posted one of his above. I like him here and there, usually more for lyrics than his renditions.

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  51. :) me neither. There are a very few and far in between songs / ghazals of his that I may listen to. I posted the above because the wordings were nice and fit the theme and I did not mind listening to it. ( I did it again, replied to myself, so now you see a blank comment :(

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  52. Oh, how I agree with you about listening to Jagjit Singh because of what he sings rather than his voice!

    (Don't worry about replying to yourself. Disqus is sometimes a pain that way. It doesn't put comments in chronological order anyway. I just need to know that it is not swallowing my readers' comments, that's all.)

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  53. Ah, I knew one of you had!

    Tomorrow, if I can get it finished. :)

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  54. Can I do some guessing ;) Madan Mohan ? Looking forward to your next post.

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  55. Anu,

    Sham,,,,nice word to generate good songs.

    This onw with Sham with Shyam ..........from Phuspanjali

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVwV3_Zp_lI

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  56. Thanks, Ashraf. I'll have to listen to the song you posted later - my computer's speakers aren't working. :(

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  57. Great collection of songs. Here is my contribution to the list

    - Subah na aayi shaam na aayi
    - Parbaton ke pedon par yeh shaam ka ( from Shagoon)
    - Yeh shaam ki tanhayiaan

    I could not verify if any of the above has already been mentioned by others

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  58. Looks like I violated your rule in 1 & 2 , and 3 already is there in your list.
    Any plans for the word 'Zulf' ?

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  59. Yup. :)



    Zulf is there in my Drafts somewhere. At some point, I guess. :)

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