#464

       Song:    chhed gayo mohe, chhed gayo mohe
                chhed gayo mohe sapne mein shaam
                chhed gayo mohe sapne mein shaam, ho
                nindiya khuli to main akeli thhi raam

       Film:    Jhaanjhar (1953)
       Singer:  Lata Mangeshkar
       Music:   C Ramchandra
       Lyrics:  Rajendra Krishan
       *ing:    Kamini Kaushal, ?

OK, regardless of any opposing factions :-), I am going to spend the
next several posts on Lata, in celebration of September 28. There have
been a lot of priceless Lata melodies, many of them not very well
known, that I have acquired recently and would like to write about.

I'd like to start with this truly celestial song from CR's Jhaanjhar,
the one that started off Anil's LATAnjali series in 1997. Of late, I
have been trying to temper my (unabashed) statements when I write about
certain songs on ATMJH, but then songs like this come along and
bashfulness just seems an insult. I must have heard this song
about twenty three times over this weekend (and inflicted it on all
unsuspecting co-passengers in my car- UVR, Arunabha, Ashwini, to name a
few), and can't seem to get over it. No one, NO ONE else could, or ever
will, possibly come even remotely close to Lata's heart-stopping
rendition of this quintessential CR melody. It has to be heard to
be believed, and even THEN it is hard to believe.

This is a very interesting composition, as Anil mentioned in his
LATAnjali post. The song is based on the old Radha-Krishna theme, but
some of the melodic patterns make it come across as more of a mujra-
style song. Some of the most phenomenal intricacies of this song are
the murkis Lata navigates as she returns to the mukhadaa from the
antaraa...

 bhuule se kah di maine sapane ki batiyaan
        sakhiyaa.n uDaaye merii sudh din ratiyaan
        ghaDii ghaDii kahe kahaa.n gayo teraa shaam
        (are phir ?)
        mai.n to ho gayii badanaam (repeated 5 times- the mujra effect)
        O o o~~~~~~~~~~
        ni.ndiyaa khulii to mai.n akelii thii raam
        O o o~~~~~~~~~~
        ni.ndiyaa khulii to mai.n akelii thii raam

The last four lines cannot be described in words, especially the taans
in the 'O~o~o's. That thing in her throat cannot be human. Here's a
tribute to her for all the moments of joy she has given, and continues
to give us.

..Hrishi

PS: Thanks to Anil for making me aware of, and letting me have, this
gem.