Fifteen has a pleasant ring to it. Nonetheless, the start of the 15th 12 months gave me a bit of concern. With the introduction of a brand new legislation instead of the Indian Penal Code, Taazirat-e-Hind Dafa 302 in our court docket room films could be a factor of the previous. As a result of there could be no Taazirat-e-Hind on the statutes. And there could be no Dafa 302, or maqtool’s physique being dragged within the court docket or tumbling out of a wardrobe door both. In these films the hero, wrongly accused of Dafa 302, was acquitted on the idea of Tamaam gawaahon ke bayanat and Vakeele-e-safaai’s daleels, and Memberaan-e-Jury’s opinion. Additionally gone could be some cultural symbols and songs. Nonetheless, our parliamentarians weren’t involved with that. They have been all involved with defending our Samvidhan – from the opposite aspect. We noticed within the election marketing campaign aggressive ferocity to guard the Structure. When the parliament convened, there was pandemonium to save lots of the Structure with everybody waving a duplicate of the Guide. We noticed the identical ferocity to guard the Structure by all of the events in some state elections. We should admire the voters that on this mayhem too they’re able to elect a winner.
This takes me to a puzzling state of affairs. Way back Bhartrihari stated सर्वे गुणाः कांचनमाश्रयन्ते (All of the virtues reside within the rich). Tulsidas stated the identical factor in numerous phrases: समरथ को नहीं दोष गोसाईं (The {powerful} are faultless). I paraphrase these aphorisms in fashionable democracies as: Folks’s mandate purges an individual of all crimes. We noticed this in essentially the most {powerful} in addition to essentially the most populous democracies – the 2 nations which pleasure themselves on the Rule of Legislation.
Shree 420, Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and a few idiomatic expressions of crimes and criminals
BNS is the brand new legislation changing the Indian Penal Code, or Taazirat-e-Hind of our films. Although BNS is bilingual as are all our legal guidelines, the title Bharatiya Nyay Samhita stays the identical, there is no such thing as a English nomenclature. Together with BNS, the 2 complementary felony legal guidelines – The Prison Process Code and The Indian Proof Act – additionally went via related transmutation. This was an overdue train as a result of these legal guidelines/codes have been a legacy of the British period, and a few redundant crimes wanted to be eliminated, and a few new ones added.
I used to be curious what occurs to our pricey char sau bees. Within the climax of Shree 420 (1955), Raj Kapoor exposes all of the white-collar crooks and provides the honorific ‘Shree’ as a sarcasm. He additionally provides Dekh lijiye, ye poore char sau bees hain; nahin ye aath sau chalees hain. I had as soon as speculated that the idiomatic use of 420 will need to have began after the RK movie. However quickly I realised that it needed to be earlier since you discover this expression on this music of 1950.
1. Humse nain milana BA move kar ke by Shamshad Begum and Mukesh from Aankhein (1950), lyrics Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, music Madan Mohan
The lady has set the bar very excessive for her man – he must be BA Go, no much less (these days BA Go was a giant factor). The person reveals his BA diploma, however the lady dismisses it as a jhoothi diploma. The music is filled with earthy and colloquial expressions – Apni ye chaar sau bees kisi aur pe chalao; Koode mein phenk aao; Bhaand mein jaaye aisa pyar; Gussa na dilana bakwas kar ke. Are you able to imagine that is written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, who achieved fame as the author of some excellent songs and ghazals for the lessons! – Aap ki nazron ne samjha pyar ke qaabil mujhe; Agar mujhse mohabbat hai; Lag ja galey ki phir ye haseen raat ho na ho. And distinction these with the funky lyrics of Humse nain milana:
M: Ye hai BA ki diploma, gori gusse mein na aao
F: Apni ye char sau bees kisi aur pe chalaao
Jaao ye hai jhoothi diploma isko koode mein phenk aao
Jaaye bhaand mein aisa pyar, tere ye nakhre hain bekaar
Humko gussa na dilana bakwas kar ke
It’s attention-grabbing how characters from the world of crime enter common folklore throughout cultures: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child; Bonny And Clyde; the latter’s Indian inspiration Bunty Aur Babli. There’s a most infamous gangster, at the moment in jail; his identify sends terror down the backbone of a well-known Bollywood celebrity. There are actually social media posts glorifying him as a selfless protector of the environment, wild life and tradition. Natwarlal, a fraudster and con-artist prided himself for his ‘artwork’ and impressed many individuals. He additionally spawned a well-known film Mr Natwarlal. There are lots of songs on chor and dakait. As soon as I had written on Kleptomania in Bollywood in a lighter vein. However the crime-busters have additionally fascinated filmmakers. An attention-grabbing music is Bada hello CID hai wo neeli chhatriwala. Darogaji, Sipahiya have additionally impressed many songs. (Model names and correct names, too, changing into merchandise, adjectives, and idiomatic expressions is an attention-grabbing phenomenon. Isko xerox karna hai; Fedex kar do; Dalda will not be good for well being; Bada Gama pahalwan banta hai and so on.)
Chaar sau bees as an idiomatic expression was in consonance with the IPC part 420 for dishonest. I mentioned with some pals when would the phrase have entered our language. A buddy steered that the earliest time ought to be 1860 when IPC got here into existence. One other buddy steered that the utilization might need been common to imply a cheat, and the Britishers might need thought of it expedient to make use of part 420 for this crime. The rooster and egg query has been rendered irrelevant, as a result of within the BNS it’s part 318. Attempt, Wo bada teen sau attharah hai; Ye teen sau attharah kahin aur dikhao – doesn’t make any sense. There isn’t a hope of restoring its quantity both, as the whole variety of sections in BNS is 358. Thus, whereas I rejoice the 15th anniversary of SOY, there’s a tinge of unhappiness that the favored slang 420 is gone for ever. Similar is the destiny of Dafa 302 which all of us understood for homicide. (The crime is there within the BNS beneath a special quantity).
However the 12 months was not unhappiness all via. The world round us was seeing a lot worse than some MPs coming to fisticuffs – all for the noble explanation for honouring the reminiscence of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Nobody knew who was combating whom in Syria; we have no idea how the world would stabilise after the financial shocks delivered by the Grasp Disrupter, the present POTUS. Amidst all this D Gukesh gave us unalloyed pleasure, although it was marred quickly after by our cricket superstars within the check collection with Australia. They’ve redeemed themselves considerably by profitable the ICC ODI Championship Trophy 2025.
Kashmir after a protracted hole was turning right into a paradise on earth. The terrorists and their handlers can’t tolerate normalcy within the valley. The Pahalgam bloodbath reveals they’re bent upon turning it into hell. This stokes fireplace within the fringe parts inside our society who outdo themselves in mindless rantings. The retaliatory strike by India assuaged the victims to some extent, however can it convey again their misplaced pricey ones? All-out struggle will not be a joke, it was wise of each the nations to return from the brink of precipice, however the social media heroes have been braying for battle to the end.
Ukraine-Russia was getting extra horrifying. Ukraine has simply delivered a Pearl Harbour second on Russia. Now one fears a ferocious response from Russia. I didn’t intend to litter this submit with present occasions. However how can one ignore the stampede at Bangalore a few days in the past by which not less than 11 individuals misplaced their lives? All for having a glimpse of their favorite cricket hero who had simply gained the IPL ultimate as a group member of Royal Challengers Bangalore! My submit on 16 Could was about how Haar Jeet, Sukh Dukh, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham – the 2 reverse emotions are an integral a part of life, typically occurring concurrently. On this case I’m concurrently unhappy and indignant – indignant on the collective frenzy and insanity of the group! And indignant on the cricket and state administration on the whole mismanagement and full absence of any crowd management. However why have been you in such a tearing hurry to organise their street present and a public facilitation and let lakhs converge on a stadium of capability 35000? For the reason that netas are omnipotent in our system, they’re faultless, cops are being suspended, and cricket managers getting arrested.
Rafi Centenary, Kalyanji-Anandji, Usha Khanna, RD Burman
The SOY 12 months spans throughout two calendar years. Thus, Rafi’s centenary celebrations which began on 1 January 2024 additionally continued within the 15th SOY 12 months. I had supposed to conclude it on 24 December 2024. However some well-known Rafians on SOY couldn’t have sufficient of Rafi and I needed to lengthen the celebrations in 2025. I thank all of the visitor authors who joined me in paying their tribute to the legendary singer within the centenary celebrations.
Some readers had as soon as talked about the omission of Kalyanji-Anandji on SOY. I coated them, too, in a collection of articles. The 12 months additionally noticed a collection of tributes to the outstanding sole feminine music director of the Golden Period, Usha Khanna, and October 2024 was totally dedicated to her. Within the year-wise evaluate of one of the best songs, I coated 1941 which concluded within the calendar 12 months 2024 12 months as traditional. Apart from, we had the standard miscellaneous fare.
What subsequent in 2025? One a part of the query is who comes after Kalyanji-Anandji and Usha Khanna? After some agonising, I settled on RD Burman and the 12 months began with a evaluate of his biography by Anirudha Bhattacharjee & Balaji Vittal, on 4th January which was RD Burman’s 31st Remembrance Day. In my thoughts he’s a post-1970 phenomenon. Publish-Seventies will not be my forte. Nonetheless, I hope to present him a befitting tribute with a collection of articles on him with assist from the readers. RD Burman was famend for his distinctive experiments with sound, particularly rhythm. Our prolific visitor author, Ashok Vaishnav, had final 12 months concluded a superb collection on musical devices which embellished our songs. Ashokji has joined the collection of tributes to RD Burman together with his first article on his improvisations in rhythm. I might proceed with the year-wise evaluate of the songs of 1940 in 2025. Thus, fairly a busy 12 months and the caravan goes on. I need to thank all of the readers and visitor writers who’ve made this journey enriching and rewarding.
Heer songs: Waris Shah
Throughout Rafi’s prolonged centenary celebrations Hans Jakhar had included in his article a music within the Punjabi Heer model rendered properly by Rafi. That set me on a journey of Heer songs. I’m not from that land so what I write is gleaned from the Web. Heer songs relate to the people love legend of Heer-Ranjha of Punjab. It appears the tragic ending of affection tales has charmed totally different cultures for hundreds of years spawning a number of people love legends – Laila Majnu, Heer Ranjha, Shirin Farhad, Sohni Mahiwal, Mirza Sahiban, Sassi Pannun, and plenty of others. Heer Ranjha tales have been written by many Punjabi poets, some going again 400 years, however Waris Shah’s work ‘Heer’, written about 260 years in the past, is its most well-known rendering and revered for its excessive literary benefit. Now there’s a custom of singing this music on the bidaai of a daughter to her marital place after her wedding ceremony.
2. Lo rukh badal raha hai phir zindagi ka by Rafi from the movie Banoo (1949), lyrics unknown, music Ram Prasad
This was the music included by Hans in his submit. That is rendered by Rafi in excellent Punjabi Heer model. Being from that land, Rafi might grasp its spirit and elegance completely. Many of the SOY veterans know Ram Prasad as the daddy of Pyarelal of LP. A extremely revered musician and instructor, Ram Prasad couldn’t get a lot business success as a music director. However he offers a superb music to Rafi.
3. Sadke Heer tujhpe, hum fakeer sadke by Rafi from Mera Naam Joker (1970), lyrics Prem Dhawan, music Sankar-Jaikishan
Rafi reveals his prowess in Heer on this music from Mera Naam Joker, however sadly, I believe, this music was excised within the ultimate minimize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r804WmRRg9I
4. Doli le chadhte hello Heer ne bain kiye, mujhe le chale babul le chale by Lata Mangeshkar from Heer Ranjha (1970), lyrics Conventional/ Kaifi Azmi, music Madan Mohan
Now I submit this bidaai music from Heer Ranjha (1970), composed by Madan Mohan within the conventional Punjabi Heer model, sung by Lata Mangeshkar. The uploader wrongly mentions Khayyam because the composer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rDCgJRyB_8
5. Doli charhdiyan marian by Asha Singh Mastana
However for getting the true really feel of the soil of Punjab I submit right here the Heer music from the legendary folks singer Asha Singh Mastana. The label additionally mentions Surinder Kaur, however I couldn’t hear her voice.
6. Ae baad-e-saba aahista chal yahan soyi hui hai Anarkali by Hemant Kumar from Anarkali (1953), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C Ramchandra
Who might have thought {that a} Maharashtrian music director would have a Bengali singer sing in Punjabi Heer model! There isn’t a restrict to creativity of our movie makers and music administrators. This Hemant Kumar music for an additional love legend Salim-Anarkali is my nice favorite.
7. AR Rahman and plagiarism: Shiv Stuti by Dagars
For a well-known movie star in a inventive subject, any whiff of plagiarism is a severe cost. AR Rahman was not too long ago in a extremely embarrassing state of affairs. Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, the flag-bearer of the famed Dagar Gharana, has accused AR Rahman of lifting the tune of his household’s composition Shiv Stuti, for his music Veera Raja Veera within the Tamil movie PS-2 made by Mani Ratnam. Wasifuddin Dagar says his late father Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar and uncle Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar – referred to as junior Dagars – made this stuti in Raag Adana world well-known, and Rahman’s music, aside from altering the lyrics, lifts the identical fundamental tune. This raises advanced questions of conventional compositions in classical raags, possession and copyrights. This has no straightforward reply and I might not have given a lot thought to it, however Delhi Excessive Court docket appears to be satisfied by Dagar’s accusation and has requested Rahman to pay ₹2 crores to the Dagar household, plus ₹2 lakhs as authorized prices. We’re going to see powerful authorized battle forward. Please take heed to the 2 compositions for your self. Evidently, each are out of this world.
Shiva Shiva Shiva in Raag Adana by Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar
Veera Raja Veera, a standard Dagarvani sung by varied Dhrupad singers from Ponniyin Selvan-2, composed by AR Rahman
8. AR Rahman and Kazi Nazrul Islam household controversy concerning the music Karar oi lauho kapaat from movie Pippa (2023), music AR Rahman
Rahman had landed in an analogous controversy over Kazi Nazrul Islam’s iconic music of protest Karar oi lauho kapaat within the movie Pippa (2023), a movie within the backdrop of liberation of Bangladesh. Kazi Nazrul Islam had written and composed this music protesting the arrest of CR Das within the Non Co-operation motion. On this case Rahman had taken permission from the household to ‘adapt’ the tune. The household was nonetheless aggrieved that ‘adaptation of tune’ didn’t imply ‘to homicide the long-lasting music’ and needed their identify to be faraway from acknowledgements. My Bengali pals are satisfied Rahman has mauled the tune. हाथ कंगन को आरसी क्या? Let me current each the tunes for your self. (I believe the music means we might break the iron door of the jail.)
Karaar oi lauho kapaat by Kazi Nazul Islam
Karaar oi lauho kapaat by varied singers from movie Pippa (2023), lyrics by Kazi Nazrul Islam, music AR Rahman
9. S00lamangalam sisters sing Panchashatpeethroopini in Carnatic Devgandhari
I had talked about as soon as that I used to be privileged to be on the mailing record of 1 Mr S Gopalakrishnan. This record he has made just for sharing classical music items from each Hindustani and Carnatic music. Lately he despatched a composition sung by Sulamangalam sisters in Raag Devgandhari. Each the singers and the raag names have been new to me. However the music was completely melodious and enthralled me sufficient to share it with the readers of SOY. One website says it’s a Dikshitar composition. Mr Gopalakrishnan says the sisters have been one of many earliest duo singers in Carnatic music and have been common at Kerala temple pageant circles within the Nineteen Sixties and 70s. As a lay particular person, the piece sounds to me like Bhimpalasi, which has similarities to Abheri in Carnatic music. Even when Devgandhari is a special raag, I don’t know why it’s certified as Carnatic Devgandhari. I don’t suppose there’s a raag by this identify in Hindustani classical system, although there’s a Gandhari. There may be additionally a Devgandhar which to my thoughts is like Asavari/Jaunpuri. I’m leaving the finer dialogue for the consultants, however please benefit from the elegant music.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:
The music hyperlinks have been embedded from the YouTube just for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This weblog has no business curiosity and neither the weblog nor the author declare any copyright over the songs.
