Whenever a voice was needed to show sincerity, pathos, emotions and intensity, Prabodh Chandra Dey, who we all know as Manna Dey, was the one most music directors would turn to. Having to leave a career as wrestler because of weak eyesight, Manna Dey became the wrestling world’s loss and the musical world’s tremendous gain. A career that began in pre-independence India and spanned the years to the start of the 21st century, Manna Dey is a precious jewel of Hindi film music.
Although Manna Dey is mostly referred to for his brilliant classical songs, here is a look at his songs which teach us about life. Here we go with Life lessons with Manna Dey.
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 Bharat Vyas, an exceptionally talented poet. To read more about Kavi Bharat Vyas on this blog, click HERE .
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. Kasme wade pyar wafa Upkaar 1967
A cynical look at life which expresses a lot of hard-hitting life truths. Composed by Kalyanji Anandji and written by Indeevar, Manna Dey infuses the deepest of emotions into this song, a song which is believed to have reduced Lata Mangeshkar to tears the first time she heard it.
Sukh mein
tere saath chalenge
Dukh mein sab mukh modenge
Duniyaa wale tere bankar
Tera hi dil todenge
Dete hain bhagwaan ko dhokha
Insaan ko kyaa chhodenge
3. Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo Mera Naam Joker 1970
Some of the most painful life truths are woven into this song from Mera Naam Joker by Kavi Neeraj. Manna Dey’s voice gives this song the sincerity it needs to drive the truth home even stronger. The occasional alt voice for Raj Kapoor, Manna Dey songs in RK films are usually the strong light of learning and life lessons. Dil ka haal sune dilwala from Shree 420 is another song that comes to mind. Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo is seemingly sung for a circus artiste who bumps into Raj Kapoor at the start of the song. The song uses that metaphor all through to tell us to tread carefully in life as it is a precarious place which can be cruel and unsympathetic to people who are struggling. There is a pause after the first two lines when the same circus artiste shoots out of a cannon onto the trapeze net and the line ‘Tu jahan aaya hai’ continues the song. This song is one of Manna Dey’s most wonderful renditions.
Girne se
darta hai kyon
Marne se darta hai kyon
Thokar tu jab na khayega
Paas kisi gham ko na jab tak bulayega
Zindagi hai cheez kya nahin jaan paayegaa
Rotaa huaa aaya hai
Rotaa chalaa jaaegaa
Aye bhai ….
4. Phir kahin koi phool khila Anubhav 1971
Sometimes we come across songs that do not have a clear-cut single meaning, they are open to interpretation. Phir kahin koi phool khila is among those songs which have many layers. Every time I hear it, depending on where I am in life, it offers me answers. The picturisation of this song is my favourite among all Sanjeev Kumar songs as this goes closest to what one would imagine him to be like in real life. In fact, the entire film shows Sanjeev Kumar as someone we would know in real life. The song shows slice of life shots on a day where Sanjeev has stayed home from work because of a mild fever. The day-to-day routine in a household when the husband is home and the wife’s housework has a certain happy spark of his unexpected company at home. Tanuja chopping vegetables in the room, Sanjeev removing specs and falling asleep, a certain closeness and indulgence of an unexpected break from routine… all of these are beautifully shown on screen by Basu Bhattacharya. Composed by Kanu Roy and written by Kapil Kumar, Manna Dey renders this song in a very calming and introspective manner.
Mann kaa
samundar pyasa hua
Kyun kisi se mange duva
Leharon kaa laga jo mela
Toofaan naa kaho usko
Phir kahi koi phool khila
Chaahat naa kaho usko
Phir kahi….
5. Dekhiye to kya ajeeb haal hai Kal Aaj Aur Kal 1971
To my great surprise, I have seen that this song is relatively unknown to many Manna Dey fans. That’s grave injustice. This song is an ignored masterpiece and deserves to be right in front whenever any discussion on Manna Dey songs comes up. Filmed in the background on Raj Kapoor, this is one of the only two songs on Raj Kapoor in the film, the other song being Tik tik tik tik which is sung by Mukesh.
Dekhiye
to kya ajeeb haal hai
sochiye to kya ajeeb baat hai
ek paav chal raha alag alag dusra kisi ke sath sath hai
Neeraj uses interesting analogies to describe Raj Kapoor’s state of mind as he is torn between his father and his son, as he tries to keep peace between them. Such an unusual pace for the tune. Perfectly reflects the turmoil in RK's mind as he is exhausted balancing the demands of his father and his son. Sometimes, life brings up situations where we realise that trying to agree with everyone just to keep peace does not bring the desired results and we end up being the target of their anger instead.
ek hawa
chali ke khil utha chaman
ek hawa chali ke sab ujad gaya
ek kadam uthake raah mil gayi
ek kadam uthake path bichad gaya…
Shankar Jaikishan wielded the musical baton for the last time for RK banner in this film. A swan song for what turned out to be the end of a long partnership, with the sad demise of Jaikishan.
6. Zindagi kaisi hai paheli Anand 1971
The starting notes of the song as Rajesh Khanna releases the balloons and watches them as they rise in the air creates an iconic moment in cinema. Written by Yogesh and composed by Salil Choudhary, the magic of Manna Dey’s voice further transcends this song to sheer magic. The balloons sway upwards into near oblivion and the camera shifts to Rajesh Khanna whose eyes express wonder, curiosity, sadness and awe at the thought of his impending end and what lies beyond. We do not know why a person leaves this world abruptly nor do we know where he goes after that. Deep questions treated with a classic light sensitive touch by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Jinhone sajaaye yahaan mele
sukh-dukh sang-sang jhele
wahi chunkar khaamoshi
yoon chale jaaye akele kahaan…
7. Tum besahara ho to Anurodh 1977
This song has two versions, labelled happy and sad in the album but I find both of them equally inspiring. Ashok Kumar sings this to school children as an anthem. The sad version begins with Vinod Mehra thinking of ending his life and halting as he hears the beginning refrain of this song. He turns out to be the poet of these lyrics and his own creation pulls him back from the brink of giving up on life.
Jeevan toh ek jaisa hotaa hai
Koi hasta koi rotaa hai
Sabr se jeena aasan hotaa hai
Fikr se jeena mushkil hotaa hai.
Simple truth of life stated in a very clear manner.
Having limited myself to listing only seven songs, I have not managed to include my favourite Raat gayee phir din aata hai from Boot Polish (You can read about it on my blog post Musical Journey with Boot Polish )
Hope you enjoyed reading about life lessons with Manna Dey. Do comment with any additions that you can think of to this list!
