PANCH PARMESHWAR

PANCH PARMESHWAR

Racism in Dallas, U S A  followed by  mob  violence.  Brutal murder of innocents in Dhaka.  The eruption of violence in Kashmir;  the tragedy in Nice ; there seems to be a common thread. No; I am not revealing some well kept secret but deep deficiency in our collective character which has not stabilized even with centuries of democracy! The oldest democracies are  passing through difficult times. The rise of Donald Trump signifies the dormant and hidden tendencies of American life. Are sizable number of Americans racist?  What has happened in Britain? Does it not convey that a Nation which flourished on exploiting the far off lands now wants that wealth only for itself! The spurt in racist violence post Brexit  explains  the latent hatred within the communities. The crisis in middle east, the mass migration and the rise of IS is human creation . The dismantling of Iraq regime under by Bush-Blair combine was a personal agenda of Bush who wanted Saddam dead because  he planned  to kill his father! Have we not studied the political parties of our Nation.  Bulk of them are either caste based, or region based or religion based. The malice is so wide spread that the ElectionCommission also never questions their ability to protect our lofty Constitution. In order to communicate better and provide a perspective I narrate hear a story of  ‘Premchand’ to whom I lean to for solace  from time to time ,if not for  solutions.

   The story is titled ‘Panch Parmeshwar’ and was written  in  Urdu  in  1916  and published in ‘ Zamana’ newspaper from Kanpur. It was published as book in 1920. It is a story of two friends- Jumman Sheikh and Algu Chowdhary. They were childhood friends and Algu was indebted to Jumman’s father as he was his teacher and made him proficient in drafting of applications and other legal documents. Algu had also served his master well and gave him respect and looked after his personal needs. Jumman had in his family his old Aunt ( Khala ) who had some property in the village. As she was old and being looked after by Jumman she gifted the land to Jumman and a registry of the same was made. Soon after the gifting the attitude of Jumman and his wife changed toward her , they were not only careless in providing her basic needs but were also rude to her. When it became intolerable for the old lady she  confronted Jumman and asked for a monthly allowance to sustain herself, which Jumman refused stating that she was being taken care of and that there was no earning from the land which she gifted to him. This compelled the old lady to call for a  village  Panchayat.  She requested many people  to participate but some declined as they did not want to antagonise Jumman and some were obliged to his father, but there were few who were jealous of him and looked at this as an opportunity to settle scores. When  Algu was approached to attend the Panchayat he said that he would not like to participate owing to his relationship with Jumman , to which the old lady said that as ‘Panch’ one should listen to the voice of one’s conscience and be honest. Well; one evening when the sun was about to set the village people assembled under a tree  to decide the case . When the time came to nominate the ‘Sarpanch’ Jumman was asked to give a name ,he looked around and found that large number were those who did not like him and so said that he does not have a choice and would accept whosoever his Aunt nominates. At this the Aunt announced Algu Chowdhary to be the Sarpanch, this surprised all as they knew that the two were good friends, Jumman was happiest. Well, Algu Chowdhary occupied the seat and commenced the proceedings. He ascertained the details from both parties , whilst discussing the case he realized that this was a hallowed chair he was holding on trust of people and should do justice. He decided that Jumman was not fair to his Aunt and that he would have to give her monetary monthly allowance to sustain. This came as shock to all who  were expecting a different outcome. Jumman was furious and their friendship soured. Things moved on and time went by but Jumman carried the grudge and looked for revenge. In order to supplement his farm Algu purchased from the nearby fare  two oxen to plough his field. They were of superior breed and had long horns, people from nearby village would gather to admire the two. One day one of the two fell sick and in matter of days passed away. Algu was heart broken and decided the sell off the second bull to Sahu the local trader. Sahu was happy to posses a hardy animal to pull his cart. The deal was that Sahu would pay in instalments as he earns money by taking goods from village to town and bringing items to village for sale. Sahu was a greedy trader and he would employ the ox much beyond the normal routine ,the diet also was reduced compared to the earlier days when the ox would get the wholesome meal at Algu’s home and was treated well with love and care. Here the sole aim of the trader was to exploit the animal and multiply gains in short time. Gradually it started showing on the health of the ox and one day it just  collapsed on the road and died. Sahu had to spend the night howling on the lonely road and when he fell asleep in the wee hours his earnings too were stolen.

 On the sudden death of the ox  Sahu decided to inform Algu that since the ox was no good and died he would not be paying the balance amount. This was not acceptable to Algu  because  he had handed over a healthy animal and had sold him as his partner passed away, therefore in order to settle the dispute a Panchayat was called and   Jumman was nominated as Sarpanch, the people expected  that Jumman would settle the score. On arrival at the venue Jumman too was in revengeful mood. However as he settled to take the responsibility his thoughts changed he asked himself that this was a coveted nomination and despite his relationship with Algu which was strained he should be fair as God resides in the heart of the ‘sarpanch’ and it was not  he but the voice of God which pronounces the outcome. The ‘Panch ‘ ( five people)listened to the case much of it they were already aware and decided that Sahu was liable to pay the balance amount as Algu had given a healthy animal but it was Sahu who misused it and did not maintain it. The assembly erupted in jubilation as they acknowledged the sincerity of the ‘Panch’, and shoted”sarpanch ki jai…’. Algu was stunned in disbelief and tears started flowing from his eyes ,he approached Jumman and both embraced each other ;their friendship was restored. 

    

   At the individual level we are imperfect in varying degrees. It is indeed normal as far as it does not result in conflict  and violence. Certain contradictions, competitiveness are acceptable and understandable. However we all wear a veneer of sophistication but underneath we are different- parochial, suffering from stereotype, castist bearing prejudicial leanings toward our institutions, regions . It is  revealed during our moment of weakness as it did to Rajdeep Sardesai when he stated joy at the swearing in of Suresh Prabhu as Railway minister and expressing his Gaur Sraswat  Brahmin Community. He was correctly criticised for that. We are our true selves with our close family members freely expressing our reservations on caste and community lines but in the public and in our apparent conduct we are above such shortcomings. All the above is acceptable as far as it does not harm anyone. The issue is that the Nation represents our  collective consciousness and when a large majority is biased it affects directly or indirectly our actions. Be it the Parliament, appointments, police action etc and therefore there remains and undercurrent of dissatisfaction and even animosity.

    The above story may not be directly connected to the theme in hand but it does convey that even in the remotest corner and neglected places  there may be a sign of hope . The old lady talks of ‘Imaan’ that is truthfulness and honesty is not the domain of the  select  but shines brightly in quiet corners as well.  Fairness and balance are key ,there were two judgements made in the story, one by a friend  and the other by a friend turned foe, but both the judgements were fair. The unabashed castism, parochialism  and nepotism which sows the seeds of discontent should be fought at each level. Even when we commit such blunders we should be aware that we are contributing to discontent. Every action has its equal and opposite reaction , may not be immediate, but later in a much fatal form. Look at the UP politics, the ruling party has the ministry filled with family members. Telangana is not far behind.

    In my opinion ,the root of unrest is ‘economic insecurity‘ which compels people to form associations on caste, race, community, region, institution affiliation. For the poor , oppressed, downtrodden ,deprived such a recourse is logical , but what happens when the well placed and economically secured people and communities  resort to such means because  the level at which this insecurity will stabilize is not known. The deeply entrenched corporate giants , the legendary politicians, the high profile film stars are equally insecure and greedy.

    The  Powerful State  should cater for the basic economic well  being but for those who fan such violence  perhaps an ideological   indoctrination  may work.  It could be any; a secular or religious as far as it works. The ideology  which worked for Jumman and  Algu was  ‘Imaan’  very simple, and yet very difficult.

'TEXT' AND 'SUB- TEXT' - SUBSTANCE OF CINEMA

'TEXT '      AND       'SUBTEXT'-   SUBSTANCE    OF  CINEMA

    Not these days so much, but when we were University students in Allahabad in the late seventies  there was this zeal and enthusiasm to decipher, analyse, anatomize  a movie among friends and family members.  It was our recreation at ‘chai shops’, whilst cycling to the College or at  friends’ place. To some extent we were affected by  the still surviving intellectual culture of the famous city which had produced large number of Academicians, Poets, politicians, Lawyers, bureaucrats and was holding on to the competition from Delhi and South. To some extent it was our Literature influence and to some our good grooming (!! )at the SJC ( St’ Joseph’s College ). Further, the Film Club under the genial patronage of Dr Chattopadhya Sahab was a big contributor in refining our cinema taste buds. We  started with  ‘The Bicycle Thieves’ in one of the lecture rooms of the Science faculty ( J K Institute ) and our cinema borders expanded toward new horizon. Till then we had seen mostly highly acclaimed commercial Hollywood films at the Palace Theatre or at Plaza or at Niranjan. The advent of Shyam Benegal with ‘Ankur’ and some dose of Ray   ( the famous Apu Trilogy )and Mrinal Sen made us smug and sceptic of regular commercial cinema, though till them we  had  had our fulsome exposure to Dev, Dilip Raj Kapoor , Bimal Roy , Guru Dutt etc . The commercial Hindi cinema with its idols and giants was deeply submerged in our consciousness. But this ‘neo – realism’ Cinemas commitment to society challenged our beliefs and for some time we were dedicated soldiers of the new wave ‘Art Film’ Army.

   As time moved the gap between the two reduced. The commercial cinema was going great guns with the advent of International studios and corporate houses. Technology made a leap forward  with reduction in print cost and the Box – Office norms were changed. Small budget Cinema too found an audience, but under the shadows of the commercial films. Multiplexes arrived and single theatre virtually vanished. However the debate between meaningful Cinema and popular Cinema continued with the new vocabulary .

    Some years ago ,I was watching a television show  where an imminent  Hollywood Director  was a guest on show . He was being questioned by one of our imminent critic and after the initial pleasantries the subject and quality of Indian films arose and in a very subdued and quiet manner he stated that the bulk of Indian Cinema  does not have any ‘sub text’ implying that it was very superficial and not well researched and the film makers just are concerned about the entertainment value and do not worry on research etc. Basically he was being very critical of our cinema though he was all praise for the standard few filmmakers who mostly operate on festival circuits.  At that juncture I nodded my head in agreement. However, now after about decade and half during which I have seen a wide range of world cinema and revisited the both popular and Art cinema of India I realize that we  have been victims of ‘Intellectual racism’. We could call it ‘cultural imperialism ‘ also.

  

     My view on the subject of sub-text or theme is that a film cannot be made with the sub-text in mind; the sub- text emerges from the text and is the result of the main creation. If we make a film with a sub – text in mind it would be very boring and didactic. The commitment should be toward the story, screenplay, the research, concentration on casting and not bothering on the sub-text. The film is remembered from its text and sub-text is a bonus, which at times surprises the maker himself. The ‘sub-text’ is a dynamic aspect and keeps evolving and changing with time.

   

Till recently  among the top films rated by international cinema critics  were ‘Casablanca’,’Citizen Kane’, ‘Gold Rush’,’Roshomon’, ‘Rome- Open City’ and others . All the above films are seen by audience today not for their sub-text but for  their cinematic excellence. Do we remember Hitchcock or Charlie Chaplin for their sub-text or for their images, composition , execution, drama, narrative, action ? Things which are apparent,  loud and  visible. Last year the cinema goers were surprised to find a dramatic change in the normally routine election when Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ starring James Steward was adjudged as the best all time film. Well! ‘Vertigo’ is a very nice crafted film and the entire film revolves around a  ‘twist’ . I loved the film, but does it have any revolutionary ‘sub-text’ , which has come to attention now! No; it was only after the viewership of Hitchcock’s  increased on DVD circuit worldwide that people realized his genius. As said above that the fuss over the ‘sub-text’ is to do  with ‘class- distinction’, ‘ class- conflict ‘, ‘cultural- complex’ and sometimes ‘intellectual subjugation’. It also emanates from critics and filmmakers who believe that cinema viewing itself is an ‘Art’ not fathomable by the commoners! My personal experience is that good cinema, serious cinema and so called Art cinema  is understandable by the common folk as well, they enjoy Ray as well as Manmohan Desai, any good story narrated well finds an audience. The myth that Art cinema needs a nurtured audience has been broken by the rise of other world Cinema. Cinema of South America, Cinema of Iran , Cinema of Soth Korea, China and Japan.

  And Yet; we cannot deny that Cinema has a sub-text which a discerning audience  understands and appreciates, needs no classes or cultivation or instructions on ‘appreciation’ . The mass audience also appreciates. They know the sub-text of the stories told to them by their grandmothers. They know the theme of ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’ ! And our Cinema and their stories are mere screenplays of the stories of our Mythologies and ‘folk- lore’- Indian, Greek . Even Shakespeare is  now part of the western ‘folk- lore’.

'MUN RE TU KAHE NE DHIR DHARE' SAID SAHIR

‘MUN    RE    TU  KAHE   NE    DHIR   DHARE’   SAID     SAHIR

   My memory tells me that about a decade ago there was a poll conducted by Outlook magazine  among the music critics to list the top ten Hindi cinema songs. And, in that list Sahir  Ludhyanvi written, Roshan composed and Rafi rendered; “ mun re tu kahe ne dhir dhare vo nirmohi moh na jaane jinka moh kare….”   From the film ‘Chitralekha’ was on the top of the list. Well; these lists keep coming out periodically and one must not lament the non inclusion of many great songs, but this particular song is to be accorded respect for its sweet sombre  mood and the philosophy which it proposes.

 (The  story of the film is about a King  played by Pradeep Kumar a dancing girl  , Meena Kumari  and the spiritual Guru played by Ashok Kumar. Pradeep Kumar falls in love with the dancing girl and there is this conflict in his mind between duty and  love. Ashok Kumar is the ideal person seemingly free of attachments and propagates shunning of material attachments, but he too is swayed by the charm of the dancing girl, who becomes his disciple. The film’s subtext is about leading a normal life and suggesting that spiritualism is the highest stage of materialism ; conveying that it is useless to abandon material comforts prematurely because your desires are not satisfied.)

The song opens with :

      “Mun re tu kahe na dhir dhare

       Vo nirmohi moh ne jaane jinka moh kare  “

In the song the King ( Pradeep Kumar ) is talking to himself consoling his wandering  and restless mind ( mun )  that it  should not lose patience as the other person ( the lady ) is free from any attachments ( moh)

The first stanza moves the idea ahead :

“  Is jeevan ki chadti dhalti dhoop ko kisne bandha

                    Rang  pe kisne pehre dale

                       Roop ko kisne bandha

                       Kahe ye jatan kare

                            Man re tu …..”

Now he talks about the flux of time, stating that no one can control the movement of sun ,in the sunrise and sunset life moves , nothing is permanent implying that his sorrows too shall pass and so would the time tell on the age of the beauty. The color of the skin along with the beauty shall fade as they cannot be caged and held captive ( roop ko kisne bandha). Therefore we should not try hard ( jatan ) to resist change  as impermanence is inevitable. The implication is that we should contain our pride and vanity as time tests all.

The second and the last stanza sums up the thought :

“ Utna hi upkar samaz koi , jitna saath nibha de

Janam maran ka  mael  hai sapna

Ye sapna bisra de

Koi na sang mare

Mun re  tu kahe na dhir…..”

Here he further tells his mind ( mun ) that whatever time one has spent with one’s partner should be considered as favour( upkar ) and this utopian thought of staying together life long ( janam maran ka mael ) is a dream which should be abandoned . One should count one’s blessings !

    To sum it this is a deeply philosophical song of Sahir who as a poet was quite adept at it. The core thought is that there is no use being attached to anything as it is impermanent . As long as there is association make the best of it and consider that as  blessing . At the same time this beauty of which the beauteous are so proud shall wither with time , therefore why such attachments?

   The song  rings a familiar bell and one is reminded of Keats’ lines from ‘An Ode to a Nightingale’:

  “ where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes

Or new love pine at them beyond tomorrow “ 

GRANTING 'PERSONHOOD' TO NATURE

                            GRANTING ‘PERSONHOOD’ TO NATURE

  New Zealand has accorded ‘personhood’ to a National park after discussions with the representatives of the Maori community, the original inhabitants of the country, and recognition to ‘Whanganui river’ is in the process. Mauris believe that ” I am the river and the river is me”. A lofty thought , though difficult to imbibe by us.

      Essentiality of Nature in our lives was acknowledged by the earliest Humanity and which resulted in the worship of Nature known as Pantheism . People identified God  in Nature. In India we have been worshipping Surya ( sun ), Yavu ( wind ), The Moon ( Som ) ,Vanaspati ( vegetation ). It was acknowledged that Nature and Man were complimentary and  therefore would have to compliment each other. We however devastated nature for our  need, greed and comfort. Our scriptures too talk of harmony with nature. The ‘Shanti Path’ which is recited on completion of all religious ceremonies and specially  after the completion of ‘Havan’ ( yajya ) asks for ‘Shanti’ ( peace ) with vegetation ( Shanti -Vanaspataya ) and Herbs ( Shanti Aushadhaya ) among other things. Like the Maoris we in India have been worshipping our rivers , Ganga is sacred to us, and is believed to cleanse all our sins. Extensive clanship plans are underway. Saraswati was an ancient river and we endeavour to revive its search , so close we consider it to culture, civilization and culture. The river Indus is invoked to praise our ancient civilization. The area in Leh where it flows from Himalyas and moves to Pakistan is visited in large number , even though it is a tiny stream. In areas of India where Ganga does not flow people  consider the rivers of that area as revered such as Narmada in Madhya Pradesh and Krishna and Kaveri in South.

     In the West too numerous Philosophers have contributed toward the criticality of Nature in our lives. And yet its devastation continues with equal zeal. Recently Al Gore the  Ex Vice President  of the USA and our own scientists Shri Pachauri were awarded the Nobel price for Peace for their study on global warming. The problem is that developed Nations do not want to lower their standards created by exploiting Nature but want others to follow. Among the early thinkers John Muir of USA devoted his life for Nature he said ,” nature’s choice in making animals and plants might possibly be first of all the happiness of each one of them , not the creation of all for the happiness of one ……The universe would be incomplete without man ; but it would also be incomplete without the smallest trans-microscopic  creature that dwells beyond our conceitful  eyes and knowledge..”

  

     There was also contradiction  in the approaches to preservation of nature as the debate would be on as to how much to take and how much to save. That is  how to sustain nature and how to sustain man ; his economic sustenance. Our Upnishads state that that we should take only that much from nature that is required, but that never happens. This step to accord ‘personhood’ to rivers and ‘nature parks’ is an ideological step forward. A step which states that man and nature are  one and not different . It differs from the existing  idea that there is equality among man, plants and animals. But, by saying that” I am the river and the river is me” we move a step forward and  say that if I destroy river I destroy myself. In order to accord it  importance they have given a legal sanction. It is possible to implement such rules  in New Zealand where very few people stay and where all the plants and animals  have been introduced!

   However; the above is a noble idea; but we are still struggling with ’Swachh Bharat’!!

SCRIPTING THROUGH SONGS - SAGA OF HINDI CINEMA

SCRIPTING   THROUGH   SONGS    -  SAGA    OF   HINDI   CINEMA 

      The story of Hindi Cinema is the story of its songs. Truly; our colourful, mosaic culture of rhythm and melody is captivated in reams of celluloid  through last century. Even when the films were silent the live orchestra played to give sound to the songs at Opera House ,Mumbai.  With the advent of  ‘Talkies’ the singing stars rose to the fore, the playback technology came later. K L Sehgal, Surrayya, Noor Jahan were the singing stars. Even  Ashok Kumar had to sing with Devika Rani in the 1936, landmark Bombay Talkies film ‘Achut Kanya’-“ mein ban ki chiriya ban ban bolun re…”

   For many years and even till  the last decade we remembered films through their songs, whilst discussing and appreciating them. The stars were discussed through the songs they sang on screen.  Yes; Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand were individually     discussed for their distinct dialogue delivery too.  However, the films of Raj Kapoor are remembered  through the music of Shankar Jaikishan, Shailendra/Hasrat Jaipuri, Mukesh and Lata Mangeskar;though it is another thing that Raj Kapoor himself was a gifted musician and each of his song bears his personality. Aawara  ( Aawara hoon ya gardish mein hoon aasman ka tara hoon ),  Barsat ( Barsat mein hum se mile tum sajan tum se mile hum Barsat mein ),  Shree 420( mera joota hai Japani ye patloon englishtani sar pe lal topi rusi phir bhi dil hai Hindustani ),  Jis Desh mein Ganga Behti hai ( hoton pe sachyi rahti hai jahan dil mein safai rehti hai …),  Sangam ( bol radha bol sangam hoga ki nahi , mera man ki Ganga aur tere man ti jamuna ka bol Radha bol…). Similarly, the music of Naushad and Lyrics of Shakeel Badayuni made the films of Dilip Kumar famous.

    Once, Devanand told a journalist that the biggest contribution of his banner ‘Navketan’ to the filmgoers are the songs, about 300-400 of his various films. He was right  ; starting from “dukhi man mere sun mera kahna…” ( Funtoosh ), “jayen to jayen kahan” ( taxi driver ), “teri duniyan mein jine se to betar hai ki mar jayen” ( house no 44 ),” tadbir se bigri hui taqdir banale”(baazi),”hum hain rahi pyar ke hum se kuch na bolia”( nau do gyaraha ),” gata rahe mera dil” ( guide ),” khoya khoya chand khulaaasman” ( kala baazar ) “hum bekhudi mein tumko pukare chalegaye “( kala paani)” mein jindagi ka saaath nibha ta chala gaya”( Hum Dono), “Aasma ke niche hum aaj aapne peeche “( jewel thief ) and many more.

      
     It was only from the late fifties that the directors got a grip of the medium and got used to the technology of Cinema , but still the music directors , lyricists and singers had their sway and were definitely superior artists than the writers and directors of that time. The reason was that music as an art form and later cinema music was well established and wide spread and also understood. The cinema goers understood cinema better through songs and story being unfolded through songs compared to the other dramatic aspects. Further; the intellectual level of the song writers such as Sahir Ludhyanvi, Shailendra, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shakil Badayuni was of a much refined level, with a sense of social commitment, which reflected in their songs. Dialogue writing was still maturing. The directors had not exploited the full personality of this potent modern medium. It was not that there was shortage of good dialogue writers ; Rajender Singh Bedi, Kamal Amrohi, Akhtar Mirza, Shahid Latif and Vijay Anand were excellent writers, but they were rendered to the shadows by the enormity of music.

   
    However; all  the top directors such as Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy , Guru Dutt Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand  not only gave priority to songs but were masters in song picturization and they made landmark films with strong story and captivating dramatic situation, they understood the value of songs in Hindi Cinema and used them effectively as part of the narrative. The songs were essential turning points in the script .The Indian audience could relate to this style/form as it was brought up in singing drama tradition ( Ram lila, nautanki, tamasha )and therefore  we remember the films through songs :Pyasa ( yeh mehlon ye takhton ye tazon ki duniya), Mother India ( basti basti dware dware dhoondu mein sawariyan …), Ganga Jamuna ( nain lar jayen re manuva man kasak huabe kari ) .

  
    Two examples I shall present for better appreciation. Take Guru Dutt’s Pyasa; the movie begins with the recitation of Urdu couplets in background establishing the identity of the protagonist and setting the mood , Guru Dutt happens to see Mala Sinha and there is a flash back song “hum aapki aankhon mein is dil ko basa dein to” conveying their relationship and setting up a meeting. Waheda Rehman  who plays the prostitute is introduced through the famous song,” jane kya tune kahi jane kya mane suni baat kuch ban hi gayi..”,  they meet in strange circumstances when Guru Dutt rescues her from the police stating that she was his wife. The song” jaane who kaise log the jinko pyar ko pyar mila”, which Guru Dutt sings in the company of the established poets sets the conflict and suspicion in the mind of Mala Sinha’s husband Rehman. The song “jinhe naaz hai hind par wo kahan hein…” is set in a red light area with young breast feeding mother being engaged in flesh trade and poverty stricken people all over, this builds up the climax. The climax song is immortal , when Guru Dutt reappears after being declared dead and there is an assembly to honour him and his works being Presided by Rehman and others, the light is  from behind and  he has spread his arms reminding of ‘crucification’;” ye mehlon ye takhton.. ye tazon ki duniya..”.Finally Gurudutt walks against the sunset holding the hand of Waheeda Rehman and the song, “aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo janam safal ho jaye “playing in the  background. So we see that the songs were  not only beautifully picturised but were  so intelligently placed  so that they are enmeshed with the story and effect is  cathartic  whilst the audience rise from their seats with a lump in their throat  reminiscing the title song. Guru Dutt  directed  all the songs of his films  which he produced himself , even those such as ‘Chowdhivin ka Chand’ and ‘Sahib Bivi aur Ghulam’ which were directed by M Sadiq and AbrarAlvi respectively.

    Guide. This Vijay Anand classic was ahead of its time when made in 1966, it was a risky proposition dealing with the subject of adultery. The songs are hummed to this day and are structured to tell the story. It  is an irony that the film won seven filmfare awards ,but was not awarded the music trophy, which went to Shankar Jaikishan for Suraj. The film opens with The S D Burman song, “ yahan kaun hai tera musafir jayega kahan..”, during this time the casting is shown and Dev’s journey from jail to a village where he  finally settles as priest is covered. The movie moves in flash back  and the first twist is marked with the song of Waheeda when she breaks free of her impotent husband, “ katon se kheench ke ye anchal tor ke bandhan pehni payal… aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai aaj phir marne ka irada hai…”. Dev, the Raju guide and Waheeda the estranged wife Rozy fall in love and  Dev convinces her of his love ,” tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain yo jahan bhi lejayen hum sung hein…”. Dev brings Rozy home there is problem of her being accepted and continue with her dancing but Dev insists to bring her to stage and she not only dances but becomes famous , the song “piya tose naina lage re…”. There is strain in relationship as Dev gambles and makes money on her success, he misses her when drunk and sings ,’din dhal jaye par raat na jaye tu tau na aye teri yaad sataye, din dhal…”, this is a turning point. Dev is charged for forgery  and is to be jailed, prior to that he wants to meet Rozy ,  the police Inspector is his friend and obliges. At this juncture there are two songs one after the other and narrate the story forward. One is by Waheeda implicating Dev and the second by Dev implicating Waheeda, it is a unique  sequence and unforgettable .  Lata sings,”  mose chal kiye jye haye re haye re sayyan  beiman mose chal kiye jye….”, on completion Dev sings in Rafi’s voice, “ kya se kya ho gaya bewafa tere pyar mein chaha kya kya mila bewafa tere pyar mein…” Finally the film returns , to village where Dev has commenced his fast for rains and people are converging to see the result, Waheeda too joins and then there is this song by S D Burman,” allaha megh de pani de chaye dede tu Rama megh de…”  representing the anxiety and agony of the situation. We see here that the lovely songs of Shailendra have been utilized very sensibly by the genius Vijay Anand.

     
  It was only in the seventies with the advent of Salim and Javed combination that script writing and dialogue delivery gained importance . The rise of Amitabh Bachhan and his strong and rich voice gave further fillip to performance . He was perhaps the first star who was recognized for his rendition of dialogues, after Dilip Kumar and ‘Sholay’  was a landmark film whose dialogues are famous till date. Prior to that to some extent ’Mughal- e -Azam’ was known for the dialogues of Prthiviraj Kapoor.

In the present century many changes have come in structuring  film from dramatic dialogues we moved to realistic and relevant dialogues, the greatness of music diminished. More background songs were being sung. But music never lost its importance , even now when cinema is more spectacular and special effects is a new dimension, the love of Indians for music has kept the film makers on toes. This is confirmed by the fact that still very few songless films are made. Those who attempt too are forced by distributers to reconsider and inject at least a background score to make the film popular.

   
   Songs are like the   umbilical   cord to which Cinema shall remain tied for ever in India.

KHUDA JAB HUSN DETA HAI.....

KHUDA JAB HUSN DETA HAI NAZAKAT AAHI JATI HAI…

    Indeed; when God blesses one with beauty ( power ) the delicacies ( tantrums!)  come along with it! The second line of the couplet sums up the thought ! Kadam ruk ruk ke chalte hain kamar bal khahi jati hai!  Meaning that  the feat move slowly and there comes grace in one’s gait! Superficially the couplet is addressed to  women, but it is implicit far and wide. It applies to all men and women who falter on attaining  power. Be it in terms of money or  fame. This  simple  couplet contains the truth behind the fallacy of the world and cautions us to be restrained and controlled. And yet we all ,naturally move toward arrogance ,haughtiness , detachment with elevation in our station! The degree varies but change there is definite. Few may be able to hide their new born status but it is difficult to escape this change.

  

   This change is manifested physically in the style of living, tastes, wearing of  clothes etc which is understandable but is visible in the intellectualization. These newly cast rich and powerful have an opinion on many matters of State. They are philosophical on issues and the most harmful and despicable are those who start lecturing on  the subject of honesty, harmony in society , cleanliness, causes of unemployment, reasons of the poverty of our Nation. Many may have been corrupt to the core and may still be but their public face changes. So many leaders of the organization I have observed  who are victim of such dualism. They may be  parochial , perennially  prejudiced and castist ( racist!)but sermonise on merit and efficiency. This is what ‘nazakat’ means! The sub-text of the couplet is very strong!

    Perhaps some examples would be appropriate : take the Cinema. We have had so many stars/directors/writers rising from humble background. First they become actors, initially they are shaky, gawky, unsure . During such times they touch feet of all prominent directors, address them as sir! Are embodiment of politeness, dedication , attentiveness and what not! Cometh power and there is distinct change, and as success increases the change ( or deterioration ) is proportionate . There is money, then they start interfering in the script , some of them become writers  and producers themselves, for more control and power and money and then they are full of themselves. They stop acting but imitating themselves. This is called ‘kamar ka bal khana’. If we assess their contribution to cinema it would be of that period when they were finding their feet or when they were not affected by ‘nazakat’.

    Have we not witnessed this among the Industrialists/politicians. Many have come from humble background. By illicit means they expand and acquire power and pelf. Then they open schools ,colleges, hospital and other charitable/profitable institutions. On their death the Prime Minister and the President mourn. And on their death anniversary the national dailies are full of tribute and they are hailed as ‘Karmyogis!’ This is what I implied by ‘nazakat’ and ‘kamar ka bal khana’ when God gives us beauty ,meaning power.

   Rahim has very succulently  said in his couplet ( doha): jo Rahim  Ocho  badhyo  so ati  itraye;  jaise  pyada  farzi  banyo  ter o mero  jaye (  Rahim says that shallow people  show- off/ get intoxicated ( nazakat !) by power similar to the pawn in a game of chess when it becomes a knight and goes in all the directions! ).