The Golden Oldies

As a child, I was discouraged to listen to Hindi film songs. They were supposed to have a corruptible influence on young and impressionable minds. The only exception provided was ‘ Binaca Geet Mala ‘which was broadcast by Radio Ceylon on Wednesdays from 8pm to 9pm. and was anchored by one of the longer lasting voices on the radio, Ameen Sayani. We used to wait eagerly for Wednesdays.

Years later, my father was talking to me about literature and rued the fact that very few poets and shayars were writing good poetry these days. He named some exceptions but most of them were from Pakistan. It was then that I reminded him about his views on film songs of the era when we were small kids and expressed the opinion that there was more poetry in those film songs than in what was being dished out as literature these days.

He asked me to give some examples. I did so and it was indeed an experience of my lifetime to see my father savouring those film songs. I would like to quote some of those lines that have captivated lakhs of Indians over the years.



‘Majboor budhapa jab sooni rahon ki dhool na fankega
Masoom ladakpan jab gandi galiyon me bheekh na mangega
Hak mangane walon ko jis din sooli na dikhai jayegi
Woh subah kabhi to ayegi’

(my father has mentioned these lines in his diary too)

‘Utna hi upkar samajh, koi jitna saath nibha de
Janam Maran ka mail he sapna, yeh sapna bisra de
Koi na sang mare
Man re tu kahe na dhir dhare’


‘ Main apani jaan bhi de doon to aitbaar nahin
Ke tumse badhke mujhe jindagi se pyaar nahin
Yuhin sahi meri chahat ka imtihan to lo
Tum ek bar mohabbat ka imtihan to lo.


They are endless. You can spend a lifetime listening to the wonderful lyrics, the melodious music and the magic of the voices of singers like Rafi Saheb, Mukesh, Talat, Hemant, Manna Dey etc.

Sometimes, we go through life carrying biases without checking for ourselves whether our beliefs are true or not. Buddha once said, ‘Do not believe anything because you have read it, do not believe anything because you have heard it, do not believe anything even if I have said it until it passes the test of your logic and reasoning.’