Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Papa

As I've grown older I've realised that I'm much like my father in more ways than one. In fact for the longest time I thought I was nothing like him but as the years have gone by and I've come to understand myself better I've realised the indelible effect his presence has had on me. The first thing I received from him is the gift of music. The sheer love of music beginning from the golden oldies by maestros like Shanker Jaikishan and many more. He is a veritable encyclopedia of old hindi music. When I was very very young, may be about five years old we used to live in a small room built on the terrace of the landlord.

Every Sunday the landlord's kids would come up to the huge terrace with their radio. There was this programme called Sangam and Geetmala that would play songs. My mother tells me when I was barely five they played the first few notes of a song and asked the audience to recognise which song it was and I chirped up,"Aayega aayega aane wala" and I was right! So music became a part of my life from an early age. I spent my childhood at my grandmother's home in Muradnagar defence colony in Uttar Pradesh. I was the only child in my maternal grandmother's home. My two uncles one of whom was married did not have any children then. I was thoroughly spoilt by everyone while my parents tried to make ends meet in Ghaziabad. Even there the morning began with the radio. My younger uncle loved to sing. One of my aunts did an MA in music and played the sitar. I inherited my love of music from these people and they are the roots that I grew up on.

Coming back to my father's love for music. There was always music in the car and at home. We had an LP player and then a cassette player and then a twin cassette player on which I copied music from friends' cassettes. My father was not really into English music but he did like Boney M and that was the first ever English band that I heard. Although even today if I play a song like 'Ticket to heaven' by Dire Straits he thoroughly enjoys the melody and the softness of the music. He just has an ear for it.

He retired about a year and a half ago and decided to concentrate on his music. He downloaded karaoke tracks of his favourite old hindi songs and sang to them. They are all uploaded on youtube and he has an incredibly sweet voice much like the famous singer of the yesteryear Mukesh. There is a song in the movie Teesri Kasam called 'Sajan re jhooth mat bolo" which is my all time favourite in my father's voice. He is getting older but his heart is ever youthful and his zest for life never wanes. He still loves his music. He still enjoys the beauty that life is and I'm thankful that I am his daughter here's the song in his voice.


Sajan re jhooth mat bolo
Khuda ke paas jaana hai
Na haathi hai na ghoda hai
wahan paidal hi jaana hai

Tumhare mehel chaubare
Yahin reh jayenge saare
Akad kis baat ki pyaare
Akad kis baat ki pyaare 
Ye sar phir bhi jhukana hai

Sajan re jhooth mat bolo
Khuda ke paas jaana hai

Bhala keeje bhala hoga
Bura keeje bura hoga
Bahi likh likh ke kya hoga
Bahi likh likh ke kya hoga
Yahin sabkuch chukana hai

Ladakpan khel mein khoya
Jawani neend bhar soya
Budhapa dekh kar roya
Wohi kissa purana hai

Sajan re jhooth mat bolo
Khuda ke paas jaana hai

2 comments:

UknowMe said...

Lovely...I too am such a fan of classics. The music nowadays is NOTHING in comparison to the music compiled back then. For me, music sung and composed by Mohd.Rafi is magic to my ears.
Would like to read more bout ur dad :)

soulitude said...

Nostalgia all the way! Like I told u that was my granny's fav! And I have very fond memories of her expressions when she heard or saw the song! That truly was a golden era! My personal favourites were most of the S.D. Burman songs and most of the dev anand and rajesh khanna ones! Such lovely melodies... and while I say that the song that comes to mind is " jaane kahan gaye woh din"...again a mukesh number! And my fav mukesh number is " ek din mit jayega"! :)