Seven songs with poetic imagery of Bharat Vyas

 

Bharat Vyas began writing in 1943 and we know most of his famous lines from songs composed by Vasant Desai, Khemchand Prakash and S N Tripathi. He tried his hand in film direction in 1949 where he directed a film called Rangila Rajasthan. He reverted to writing lyrics after that. His greatest hits were in the 50s. He combined the world of Hindi film lyrics and literary poetry which blended together blissfully in his songs.  Although the beginning phase of his career had him writing in a mix of Hindi and Urdu, Bharat Vyas went on to write in chaste Hindi for his later songs in his career.

1.    Nirbal se ladaai balwan ki                Toofan aur diya    1956

Fighting for survival against all odds can be exhausting, particularly if one has to do it without hope. This song relates an arduous struggle of a young boy against the most harrowing circumstances and yet manages to be one of the most redeeming examples of hope. It uses the metaphor of an earthen clay lamp struggling to stay alight in the face of a relentless storm. I remember writing down these lines as a child and thinking that these could well fit into a treasured book of poetry. Sung by Manna Dey and chorus, and composed by Vasant Desai, this song defines everything that is special about this exceptionally talented poet.

Kahin door thaa toofan

Diye se thaa balavaan

Saare jag ko masalane machal rahaa

Jhaad ho yaa pahaad, de vo pal me ukhaad

Soch-soch ke zameen pe thaa uchhal rahaa

Ek nanhaa-saa diyaa, usane hamalaa kiyaa …

Ab dekho leelaa vidhi ke vidhaan ki

Ye kahaani hai diye ki aur toofan ki

 

 

2.    Ae maalik tere bande hum                           Do Aankhen barah haath  1957

The sublime feel of this song in this V Shantaram film has elevated it to a prayer over the years. Talking to a higher being and appealing to that power to help us become better versions of ourselves, there is perhaps no better boon that one could ask for from the almighty. Lata Mangeshkar has sung it in a way that has added to the divine feel of this prayer composed by Vasant Desai. An interesting trivia for this song: Bharat Vyas’ brother Brij Mohan Vyas has played an important character in this film. Another interesting trivia related to this film is that noted painter G. Kamble was hired by V Shantaram to paint the movie posters for this film. Kamble produced a 350-ft banner at Opera house theatre in Mumbai in 1957.

Bada kamzor hai aadmi
Ab bhi lakhon hain ismein kami
Par tu jo khada hai dayaalu bada

Teri kirpa se dharti thami
Diya tune hamein jab janam
Tu hi jhelega hum sab ke gham
Neki par chalein aur badi se talein
Taaki hanste huye nikle dam
Aye malik tere bande hum…

 

It was difficult to choose just one song from this film for this list. Umad ghumad kar aayi re ghata was a close contender as I love the choice of words used to depict gushing rain and thunder in an open field. The lyrics have the most beautiful use of literary devices like similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia ever used in a song. (Kare kare badarava ki jhanan jhanan jhan jhanjhari bajati aayi hai dekho bhaai barkha dulhaniya)

 

3.    Kavi Raja Kavita Ke Ab na kaan marodo              Song | Navrang(1959) 

 

Bharat Vyas was known for writing about social issues and life philosophy in simple words, in a way that would connect to the masses. Composed by C Ramchandra and sung by Bharat Vyas himself for this V Shantaram film, this song ranks among poetry of the highest order. A fact of life is that following one’s passion is fine, but one needs to finally earn money in life to remain alive. This point is put across in a hilarious and yet hard-hitting manner by the poet himself as he tells the character, who is also a poet, that he needs to make a living now. 

Kaviraja kavita ke mat ab kaan marodo
dhande ki kuchh baat karo kuchh paise jodo
sher shairi kaviraja na kaam aayegi
kavita ki pothi ko deemak khaa jaayegi
bhaav chad rahe anaaj ho raha mehngaa din din
bhookhe maroge raat kategi taare gin gin
is liye kehtaa hoon bhaiyyaa ye sab chhodo
dhande ki kuchh baat karo kuchh paise jodo…

 

4.    Aa laut ke aaja mere meet   Rani Roopmati  1959

Sung by Mukesh, and composed by S N Tripathi, this song is basically the first thing most people remember about this film. This song is picturised on Bharat Bhushan who had an excellent run in 1950s with most of his films having the most melodious music. This song has also been sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Ek pal hai hasna ek pal hai rona kaisa hai jeevan ka khela
Ek pal hai milna ek pal bichhadna duniya hai do din ka mela
Ye ghadi na jaye beet

Tujhe mere geet bulaate hai

Aa laut ke aaja mere meet

 

5.    Saranga teri yaad mein         Saranga   1961

Sung by Mukesh and music composed by Sardar Malik, this song is one of the most popular romantic solos written by Bharat Vyas. As he is mostly remembered as the poet for serious issues, this song absolutely needed to be in this list to show his range. The pathos of a broken heart has been so effectively captured that hearing this song always adds a sombre note to one’s day. There is no bitterness in this song, it is just filled with sweet memories of his beloved and the days they spent together.

sang tumhare do ghadi, beet gaye jo pal
jal bhar ke mere nain me, aaj huye ojhal
sukh leke dukh de gayi do akhiya chanchal,
saaranga teri yaad mein nain huye bechain
madhur tumhare milan bina, din katate nahi rain,

saaranga teri yaad mein…

6.    Yeh kaun chitrakar hai                       Boond jo ban gayee moti  1967

Sometimes, one feels speechless while looking at the glory of a sunset or a deep valley enveloped in low lying clouds. The only words to describe the spiritual feeling at such moments of being surrounded by the beauty of nature can be found in the lyrics of this song. Sung by Mukesh and composed by Satish Bhatia, this song is a wonderful ode to the creator of this universe. This V Shantaram film explored the theme of education in a very thought-provoking manner.

The scene preceding this song has remained etched in my memory. SatyaPrakash, the schoolteacher, played by Jeetendra, opens a textbook to start reading this poem to a classroom full of students.  As he reads the first two lines, the pauses are filled with the creaking of the overhead fans. He realises this is the wrong way to introduce such a beautiful poem to the class.  He stops reading and decides to take the children to the beautiful outdoors to really know the essence of this poem.

Kudrat kee iss pavitrata ko tum nihar lo

Iss ke guno ko apne mann me tum utaar lo

Chamakalo aaj lalima, apne lalat kee

Kan kan se jhankatee tumhe chhabee virat kee

Apnee toh aankh ek hai uss kee hajar hai

Yeh kaun chitrakar hai.........

 

7.    Jyot se jyot jalaate chalo                 Sant Gyaneshwar   1981

This song played at number three in Binaca Geetmala and it is astonishing that this was the only song written by Bharat Vyas that got the Filmfare award nomination for him. This song has two versions, one by Mukesh and the other by Lata Mangeshkar. Composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, this was among the last few films he wrote for as he passed away in 1982.

aashaa tooti mamtaa roothi chhoot gayaa hai kinaaraa
band karo mat dwaar dayaa kaa de do kuchh to sahaaraa
deep dayaa kaa jalaate chalo, prem ki gangaa bahaate chalo
prem ki gangaa bahaate chalo….

 

Hope you enjoyed this journey with Bharat Vyas’ songs! Do write in with your favourite Bharat Vyas song in the comments below, in case I have missed out mentioning any of your favourite songs from his treasure chest!