2 May 2013

My Favourites: Philosophical Songs

This was meant as a sister-post to the earlier one, but once I began to delve into the theme, I realised that 'philosophical' songs ran an entire gamut - after all, they could espouse any philosophy at all. So, in a bid to make things easier for myself, I decided to set some parameters for myself. I decided that background songs do not count, so that removed  Kiske liye ruka hai  from Ek Saal. Or songs that were sung by some arbitrary person on screen, so that meant that I could not use Ye duniya ek saagar hai from Bandish or Sab din hot na ek samaan (Senapati) by one of my favourite music directors, Madan Mohan. I also decided to limit myself to songs that sing of a personal philosophy, of a way the protagonist lives his life, or, at the most, exhorts a friend/spouse/lover to live their life a certain way. Boom! That took care of many of the songs on my list, and I was left woebegone to start from scratch.

It was back to drafting a whole new post with songs that I liked that also fit all these self-imposed parameters. That is when I realised two things - one, that in trying to make things easier for myself, I seemed to done the reverse; two, Dev Anand seems to have had the most number of philosophical songs filmed on him. It was an interesting exercise to corral them (I found enough songs to make a 'Dev Anand in a philosophical mood' post) and even more interesting to see that he did seem to have lived his life the same way.

Here, in no particular order are the songs that I came up with after a long and arduous search. (Well, not exactly... but why let facts get in the way of a good statement?)

1. Zindagi khwab hai 
Jagte Raho (1956)
Music: Salil Choudhary
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Mukesh
This song is amusingly cynical, sung as it is by a dilettante who seems to have no trouble in living his life according to his desires. Shailendra's lyrics complemented the scene which was that of a man weaving his drunken way through the empty city streets at night and expounding his hedonistic personal philosophy to a man who is dying of thirst. Alcohol, he claims, is the cure to all ills. It can not only arouse emotions in a stone, it can even bring a dead man to life! 
Ek pyaali bhar ke maine,
Gham ke maare dil ko di
Zehar ne maara zehar ko,
Murde mein phir jaan aa gayi
It is a personal cynicism, nothing to do with society.
Dil ne humse jo kaha
Humne waisa hi kiya
Phir kabhi fursat se sochenge
Bura tha, ya bhala
(I did just as my heart desired; perhaps someday, at leisure, I will ponder whether it was right or wrong.)

2. Jiye to aise jiyo
Bahu Beti /1965
Music: Ravi
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Written by Sahir Ludhianvi, who, as we all know, could be more cynical than most, this song is meant to be both philosophical and comforting. (Though I don't know of any woman who is going to be comforted by Maro ke jaise tumhara kuchh bhi nahin...) The lyrics seem to echo the fatalistic theme of coming into this world with nothing, and dying the same way. But, strangely enough for Sahir, he brings in a seed of optimism - why not live life to the fullest in the meantime? 
Jahaan mein aake jahaan se khinche-khinche na raho
Woh zindagi hi nahin jis mein aas bujh jaaye
Koyi bhi pyaas dabaaye se dab nahin sakti
Isi se chain milegaa ke pyaas bujh jaaye
Ye keh ke mudta hua zindagi ka dhaara hai
Jiyo to aise jiyo jaise sab tumhaara hai

Amar Prem / 1972
Music: RD Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Singer: Kishore Kumar 
A story that illuminated a nameless (and unconventional) bond between two people, Amar Prem's protagonists were two people who were talked about disparagingly by society - one by choice (Anand Babu) and the other, through circumstance (Pushpa). The latter, inured though she is to the life she leads, is still hurt by the blatantly insulting remarks that are addressed to (and about) her by the 'respectable' pillars of society. Anand Babu, who, at this stage of his life, is cynical about social posturing, comforts her; if Sita could be vilified by society, who is she, Pushpa, to be above that?
Kuch reet jagat ki aisi hai
Har ek subah ki shaam hui
Tu kaun hai tera naam hai kya
Seeta bhi yahan badnaam hui
Phir kyon sansaar ki baaton se
Bheeg gaye tere naina
Kuch toh log kahenge
Logon ka kaam hai kehna 

People will talk; let them. Because the people who berate him for coming (openly) to a whorehouse (and her, for being a whore) are the same ones who sneak into the brothels under cover of darkness. 

Anari / 1959
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Mukesh 
This is the way life must be lived - with love, and laughter, and selflessness. At least, that is how the simple Raj lives his life. 
Kisi ki muskurahaton par hai nisar
Kisi ka dard mil sake to le udhaar
Kisi ke waaste ho tere dil mein pyaar
Jeena isi ka naam hai...
So sure is he indeed that this is how life should be lived; it's a matter of faith - in himself, and in others. 
Rishta dil se dil ke aitbaar ka
Zinda hai hami se naam pyaar ka

Ki marke bhi kisi ko yaad ayenge
Kisi ke aansuo mein muskuraanyenge
Kahega phool har kali se baar baar
Jeena isi ka naam hai...

Hum Dono / 1961
Music: Jaidev
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
On the face of it, this song is quite as don't-care-ish as Zindagi khwaab hai - after all, all his worries are dispersed in puffs of smoke; however, underneath lies a rather realistic view of life and living. This was how Dev Anand lived his life, always looking ahead. He had no time for regrets. Barbaadiyon ka sok manaaana fizool tha, Barbadiyon ka jashn manaata chala gaya...This was not just Major Verma's philosophy, but by his own admission, Dev Anand's underlying philosophy of life as well. 
Jo mil gaya usi ko muqaddar samajh liya
Jo kho gaya main usko bhulata chala gaya
Main zindagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya 
Har fikr ko dhuen mein udaata chala gaya
6. Sajan re jhoot mat bolo
Teesri Kasam / 1966
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Mukesh  
The story of a simple cart driver and an itinerant nautanki dancer, Teesri Kasam stayed away from stereotypes, marking a realistic and refreshing point of view. Heeraman's philosophy of life is as simple as he is - do good and good things will happen to you; do bad things, and you will reap what you sow. Accounts will be settled right here on this earth, and when you face your maker, you will face him just as you were, without the trappings of the material world - wahan paidal hi jaana hai...
Bhala keeje bhala hoga
Bura keeje bura hoga

Bahi likh likhke kya hoga
Yahin sab kuchh chukaana hai
Sajan re jhooth mat bolo,
Khuda ke paas jaana hai

7. Hai sabse madhur woh geet hai
Patita /1953
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Shailendra
Singer: Talat Mahmood
Lyricist Shailendra's favourite poet was Percy Bysse Shelley, so much so that a couple of lines from the latter's Ode to a Skylark  (Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought) became the initial lines of this song - Hai sabse madhur woh geet jinhe hum dard ke sur me gaate hai... Paying homage to one of the greatest Romantic poets in English literature, the lyricist then took off to pen some of the most comforting lines in verse. Espousing a philosophy that grief is part of life, and that one would be foolish to think one can escape it, he lovingly explains that tears overflow not only during times of great sorrow, but also that of great happiness (Jab hadh se guzar jaati hai khushi, aansoo bhi chhalakte aate hain)... so why not keep grief aside and learn to laugh?      
Pehalu mein paraaye dard basake, 
Hansna hansaana seekh zara 
Tu hansna hansaana seekh zaraa
After all, there is always light at the end of the tunnel (Jab gham ka andhera ghir aaye, samjho ke savera door nahin...). 

8. Tadbeer se bigdi hui
Baazi / 1951
Music: SD Burman
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Singer: Geeta Dutt
The fledgling Navketan banner needed hits if it were to survive. Their first venture, Afsar, though critically acclaimed was not a box-office success. Baazi was Navketan's first big hit, and it gave an impetus to the careers of everyone associated with it - Guru Dutt, Geeta Bali, Dev Anand, SD Burman, and Sahir Ludhianvi. Forced to take up the job of a professional gambler due to circumstances, Madan is morally conflicted, but there is someone to encourage him to take a chance - does he have faith in himself?
Tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer bana le
Apne pe bharosa hai to daanv laga le...
sings Geeta Bali in Geeta Dutt's sultry voice as she exhorts Dev's Madan not to lose heart.
Toote hue patwaar hain kashti ke to hum kya
Haari hui baahon ko hi patwaar bana le, patwaar bana le

This song is so typical of Dev Anand's philosophy in real life. Ever the gambler, Dev continued to make films one after the other till he died, irrespective of their fate at the box office.

 Nau Do Gyarah / 1957
 Music: SD Burman
 Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
 Singer: Kishore Kumar
 Chetan Anand had begun to distance   himself from Navketan, and was in the   process of forming his own  production  company. So Dev signed  his younger  brother Vijay (Goldie)  Anand to direct Nau  Do Gyaarah; the  script was also Goldie's.  One of the earliest of road movies, Dev  travelled around the country in a ramshackle truck; the camera following him, sometimes going ahead to film the panoramic views of the countryside. This is another song that exemplifies Devsaab's own philosophy of life.  
Dhoop thi naseeb mein 
Toh dhoop mein liya hai dum, 
Chaandni mili to hum 
Chaandni mein so liye... 
What a nice way to live life.

10. Zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Andaz / 1971
Music: Shankar-Jaikishen
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri
Singer: Kishore Kumar
Like Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna seemed to have many 'philosophy of life' songs picturised on him. By this time, Rajesh Khanna was dominating the Hindi film scene, and was blessed with scripts that gave immense scope for his charm. Like other romantic heroes before him, his films also had good songs. Even though the leading man (Shammi Kapoor) was a man who had personified romance in Hindi films a few years earlier, Rajesh Khanna walked off with audience interest in a film that saw him make a cameo appearance. He also got the best song, one that really embodies the theme of this post, taking the view that death is inevitable, so why be so frightened of death that one forgets to live?
Maut aani hai, aayegi ik din
Jaan jaani hai, jaayegi ik din
Aisi baaton se kya ghabraana
Yahaan kal kya ho kisne jaana
This view of life was to find an echo in 2003.

1971 saw the end of a long partnership, that of music duo Shankar and Jaikishen who began their journey with Barsaat (1949) a little more than two decades earlier. Jaikishen passed away in September that year. It was ironic that the last song he recorded was Zindagi ek safar hai suhana. 
In hindsight, its lines were almost a forewarning:
Zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana...

Which song exemplifies your philosophy of life?


  1. Beautiful! I especially like the songs filmed on Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand as their life was close to the philosophy in the songs above.Some of my favorite philosophical songs are-- "Chhod De Sari Duniya Kisi Ke" from Saraswatichandra


    and "Jahaan Mein Aisa Kaun Hai" from Hum Dono(1960)


  2. Subodh Agrawal2 May 2013 at 20:43

    You are right, Dev Anand's songs - more than anyone else except Raj Kapoor - were usually in a philosophical vein - 'Kaisa hai mere dil tu khiladi' is one not so famous song that readily comes to mind. Raj Kapoor's iconic songs 'Mera joota hai japani', 'Awara hoon' and 'Jeena yahan, marna yahan' practically drip with philosophy. One great song I miss in this list is 'Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare'. I haven't seen Munimji, so I don't know whether 'Jeevan ke safar mein rahi' meets your criteria, but it would definitely classify as a philosophical song. In fact any song that has 'jeevan' or 'zindagi' in the mukhda would be philosophical - nine cases out of ten.

  3. I had this song from Hum Dono on my list, and sadly removed it because I didn't want more than one song from the same film! Thank you so much for posting it here in the comments. It is such a comforting song, isn't it? I actually liked the way the man-woman relationship is detailed in this film - when Sadhna suspects that her Captain Anand is cheating on her with Nanda, she asks him! And what is more, she believes him when he tells her the truth. What is even more interesting is that he actually does tell her the truth instead of being a self-sacrificing idiot. And when Major Verma returns and suspects his friend of taking advantage of his wife, he accosts the latter, and what is more, believes what his subordinate tells him instead of wanting proof of his wife's innocence!

    I would put Chhod de saari duniya as a 'Preaching Song'. [grin]. My dirty lens - if someone I loved told me

    Tan se tan ka milan ho na paaya to kya
    Man se man ka milan koyi kam to nahin
    Khushboo aati rahe door hi se sahi
    Saamne ho chaman koyi kam to nahin

    I would want to kill them (or myself. Or both.)
    Another song in the same catergory would be
    Koi jab tumhara hriday tod de -
    my instinctive reaction to that is "I wouldn't come to you if you were the
    last man on earth, you pompous prig!"

  4. I didn't want to overload the post with Raj Kapoor, or all the anti-RK people will come on and tell me how bad he really is. :) The omission of Man re tu kahe na dheer is unforgivable! I cannot think how I missed that, especially when I posted Sansar se bhaage phirte ho in my last post. Thanks a lot for reminding me - I'll post the link.

    I wouldn't call Jeevan ke safar mein raahi a philosophical song. It's more a playful romantic number, where he is busy teasing her - she asks him to stop singing, so he careens all over the road, so she begs him to sing instead and this is one of those -eve-teasing-disguised-as-romance songs - and it is Dev, of course, so obviously she falls in love with him. :)

  5. Anu, what a lovely post! And, for once, except for one song (Jiyo toh aise jiyo), I not only was very familiar with all the other songs, but like them a lot too. Am listening to Hain sabse madhur yeh geet right now - that's one song I can listen to again and again.

    I wouldn't know which songs reflect my philosopy best, but this one does, perhaps, to some extent. Aage bhi jaane na tu (which also, like Jiyo toh aise jiyo, has that suggestion about living life to the fullest):


    And, in a very similar vein (and also written by Sahir), Ae meri zindagi:


    When reading what you had to say about the Andaaz song, I was thinking: one could actually do an entire list of definitions of life. Zindagi kaisi hai paheli haai would probably fit there - and be a reflection of a philosophy too.


  6. You are right."Hum Dono" was quite ahead of its times.....

  7. With the filters that you have set, thinking up of songs that can fit the bill does appear a bit difficult, more so if one also eliminates RK and Dev Aanad.
    However, a good many songs that are basically songs of pathos have an element of philosophy intertwined. May be the sorrow may make one a bit philosophical.
    So, let me rake up my memory to search for 'happy' philosophy songs and 'sorrow' separately.............

  8. Lovely post and great songs.
    Just one correction - The song "Zindagi Khwab hai" is sung by Mukesh.

  9. Actually Manna Dey has sung "zindagi Khwab hai" as a cover on a record..


  10. Sorry for the treatise on Hum Dono [grin]

  11. Thank you, Madhu! You know, I had Aage bhi jaane na tu on my original list, but once I set the parameters for this post, I had to sadly remove it. I'm so glad you posted it here! :)

    Isn't that Sheila Ramani? I haven't heard the song from Taxi Driver for a long time - in fact, I must confess I'd completely forgotten about it. Thanks for bringing it back to mind.

    Zindagi kaisi hai paheli haaye - fits the philosophising theme but it wasn't his philosophy of life; he seems to be just ruminating over what life is... (I knew I had made things difficult for myself when I set those limits on what constitutes philiosophical songs!)

    You are right - you can do an entire post on what life means using songs such as these. Another one of the same ilk would be Zindagi hai kya, sun meri jaan... (I have that down for 'Dev Anand in a philosophical mood' [grin])

  12. Oh, you don't have to eliminate either Raj or Dev - I just said that because there seem to be more people who hate the former so if I had a post on RK, I would hear a lot of anti-RK speeches. [grin]

    Looking forward to your selections.

  13. Thanks, Siddharth. Yup, made that correction. I was listening to Manna Dey's version when I was typing the info. :(

  14. No need to be sorry :) Hum Dono is my favorite film.I never get bored of it .....................

  15. Wonderful post! MOST of these are my all time favourites like. I would have added RK's songs but they have already been mentioned. Kishore Kumar sang a lot of these types of songs and a lot of those were in the early 70s.
    like 'Musafir hoon Yaaron', 'Gaadi Bula Rahi hai , Siti baja rahi hai', 'Ruk jana nahi tu kabhi Haarke', 'Ye jeevan hai is jeevan ka yahi hai ran roop', these are kind of background songs though.
    some more
    from 'Taxi Driver'

    from 'Khatta Meetha'

    from 'Golmaal'

    from 'Mr .India'

    from 'Souten'

  16. contd.
    from 'Aadmi aur Insaan'

    from 'Chor machaye shor'

    from 'Khushboo'

    from 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' , have you reviewed this ? I thought there was some inspiration from RK's 'Sangam'?? hate the endings of both , self sacrificing/crying Amitabh, VK at his best/worst playing the second fiddle and Rakhee looked like a supporting actress-even the posters give more space to Rekha, I don't mind that actually:)

  17. N Venkataraman3 May 2013 at 13:34

    Wonderful post. Enjoyed the songs. Life simple not easy.It is full of uncertainties.

    Oh re taal mile nadi ke jal me is one of my favourite philosophical songs. Can you tell me who scored the music? Roshan or Salil Choudhury ?


  18. Thank you, Mr Venkatraman. I'm glad you enjoyed the songs. Taal mile nadi ke jal mein is from Anokhi Raat, is it not? Music is by Roshan, lyrics are by Indeevar. It's a beautiful song.

  19. And Zindagi ka safar hai yeh kaisa safar, koi samjha nahin koi jaana nahin...

    Yes, that's Sheila Ramani. She had the best songs in Taxi Driver, in my opinion (though most people seem to prefer Jaayein toh jaayein kahaan - I find that too unbearably depressing!).

  20. Thank you, Chris! :) I wrote a long reply to you yesterday, but it seems like Disqus is up to its tricks. Zindagi ki yehi reet hai is such a lovely song, but since it is very rarely that I go beyond the 70s for my lists, I reluctantly passed on it. That is what made me pass on

    Yeh safar bahut hai kathin magar
    from 1942 A Love Story too.

    I completely forgot about Aanewala pal jaanewala hai and Thoda hai, thode ki zaroorat hai
    even though I have the latter on one of my playlists. Thank you for posting them here. Such beautiful songs.

  21. No, I haven't reviewed Muqaddar ka Sikander yet. I should, no? I remember hating Raakhee in the film, and weeping over Amitabh's death - in defence, I was still in school. [grin] And yes, Rote hue aate hai sab came to mind, but self-imposed 'no-later-than-70s-at-a-pinch' rule stopped from using it. Can I say I'm glad you posted this link here?

  22. I'm saving all that up for a Word Play post on Zindagi - I already have a list. :)

    Sheila Ramani was also better than Kalpana Karthik, in my opinion.

  23. I quite like the theme philosophical songs, you see I was bit down, my health acting up again. I was in bit of a philosophical mood and suddenly this song came to my mind. I do not know whether it fits in to your scheme of things but I quite like the thoughts expressed by the song writer, The song is from Door Gagan KI Chaon Mein--- Aa Chal Ke Tujhe Main Leke Chaloon. I do not know whether this qualifies as philosophical or a song of hope but off and on I always think of this song.


    and what do you think of Panthi Hoon Main Us Path Ka from Door Ka Rahi


  24. Subodh Agrawal5 May 2013 at 08:34

    Just saw 'Bombay Talkies' and wondered why 'Ajeeb dastan hai yeh' hasn't figured in the post and comments. Wouldn't this merit being termed a 'philosophical' song?

  25. Anu, I think when I link a song it doesn't post, so I've sent you a mail. Be quick - before anyone posts my song LOL.
    Now it's going to be a revelation whether this comment will post or not. :-)

  26. yayyyy!! It did!!!

    But if Disqus is playing up even with you, what hope do we have? :-/

  27. Glad you added this post after they cynicism :-)
    The songs are fantastic love all of them, except the last one from Andaaz. It's 'meh' for me.
    LOL at;

    moment I saw the post, the song from Chitralekha man re tu
    kahe na dheer dhare
    came to mind. But I see That Subodh
    Aggarwal has already mentioned it.

    So I'll settle for this popular philosophy;
    pyaar kiya to darna kya I hope it's a philosophy :-/
    She does say (very philosophically);
    maut wohi jo duniya dekhe; ghut ghut kar yun marna kya
    parda nahin jab koi khuda se; bandon se parda karna kya


  28. Shilpi, sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope you are feeling better. {hugs}

    Aa chal ke tujhe main leke chaloon is a lovely song, isn't it? Though I think it is less of a philosophical song than one that offers a lot of hope and solace. (Hmm, would that be considered philosophical, as well?) But it is a great song to listen to, even if we quibble over its underlying theme. :)

    I have never heard Panthi hoon main us patth ka (or if I have, I do not remember it) - it's deeply touching, and right now, I can relate to it - thank you for posting it here.

  29. How did you like Bombay Talkies, Subodh? I have been hearing very good things about the film(s); unfortunately, it didn't release here. Instead, we got Shootout at Wadala - Aaaargh!

    The only reason I didn't post Ajeeb dastan hai ye is because I have posted it in so many different lists that I wanted to find some new songs to post. :) I was surprised too that no one had come up with it in the comments, so I'm glad you did.

    Here is the video of one of my favourite songs.

  30. I got the email, pacifist. I must thank you emailing me with your comment instead of deciding it's more trouble than it's worth. I really appreciate it. And I don't understand why it allows me to post your comment with the link to the song, when it doesn't allow you to do so. :(

  31. Disqus is in the middle of various changes that they keep informing me about - I will be glad if what they have now is working! I even thought about removing Disqus completely from my blog, but unfortunately, I have a feeling that if I do, then I'll lose all the comments on all my posts from the beginning. :( I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't!

  32. Laughing at Zindagi ek safar hai suhana being too 'meh' for you! I like it for its cheery take on life.

    Pyar kiya toh darna kya would definitely count as a philosophical song. And you picked the right lines as well to illustrate that. :) What defiance, no?

  33. Thanks Anu. I'm sure once disqus sorts things out it will all work.
    It was no trouble at all because I was smart enough to outwit them. LOL.
    I'll think up of another song and try to post it. Let's see.

  34. Arrrghhhh!!!! NO, it didn't. :-/

    It was anarkali song;

    yeh zindagi usi ki hai, jo kisi ka ho gaya, pyaar hi mein kho gaya

    She also says;

    zindagi hai bewafa, loot pyaar ka maza

  35. You couldn't post the link again?! Strange, no, considering they allow me to post links when I post as you?

    But anyway, I don't think the Anarkali song will fit - one line cannot make a song, no? The rest of the time she is pining for that idiot, who, instead of breaking down the wall once he comes there, sits and cries instead. :(

  36. My first reaction was : here is where this comes in , rather than

    being a permanent feature of morning playlists.


    Zindagi ek safar hai suhaana probably wrote in stone a rule of Hindi

    cinema : if you sing peppy joi de vivre song, you're gonna have an

    exit scene ASAP. Even otherwise a common trope,


    (Where I began getting bugged by RK, but lovely lyrics, Koi nishaani

    chhod, phir duniya se bol)


    I don't wth the song has to with the start or the picturisation, but

    the philosophy


    I'll desist from the usual ( jo na piye woh kya jaane peete hain kyun

    hum deewane etc booze-fuelled philosophies) to say this :


    YouTube - Videos from this email

  37. BTW: as pure philosophy, though the rest of the song deviates, I find

    this very powerful

    Manzilein apni jagah hain, raaste apni jagah.

    The awards for the lyrics were worth it just for that . What a killer line.

  38. Subodh Agrawal7 May 2013 at 01:36

    Well, Bombay Talkies is definitely worth a watch - although it is somewhat over-hyped. I liked all four stories to varying degree. The real revelation was Karan Johar's - I have never been able to sit through his syrupy films. This one was as hard-hitting and unconventional as Bollywood can be. The last one by Anurag Kashyap is a simple comedy based on hero worship. There is nothing profound about it, and the theme stretches one's capacity to believe, but I enjoyed it because of the typical Allahabadi speech and mannerism - something that I miss from my Allahabad University days.

  39. Anu, do you think disqus now expects ONLY you to post songs with my name? Because I see that AKM has posted so many - without problem.
    It seems to be a problem only with me now :-/

  40. pacifist, I don't know. :( Because, Madhu posted links without any issues; so did Chris, coolone, SSW, Mr Venkatraman, Shilpi, et al. But at some time or the other, Madhu, Subodh, SoY - they have all had problems posting comments (not just links). :(

  41. Yes, that is what I heard too, that KJ made a short film that is actually worthy of a longer treatment. I also heard Anurag's film was the weakest. I would love to see it and form my own opinions. I should say I'm glad that Hindi cinema is making space for films like these amidst the vapid comedies and mindless action flicks.

  42. Madhuban khushboo deta hai - We used to grin when we heard this because Yesudas probably had the lyrics written in Sanskrit - he pronounced every single syllable. [grin] I used to like it, but then, as you say, it became so ubiquitous that I began to dread hearing it.

    Laughing at: if you sing peppy joi de vivre song, you're gonna have an
    exit scene ASAP.
    How true!

  43. The film was execrable, but yes, it had some decent-ish songs with decent-ish lyrics. (Yes, and I know 'decent-ish' is not a word.)

  44. OK now I know why you have this 'horrible' disqus - because Amitabh uses the same for his blog ;-)

  45. You are publishing posts faster than I can keep pace with Anu! Good for you though! Love your creativity! :-)
    I like all the songs from this list except for the one from Bahu Beti and the Raj Kapoor ones. Though this time not because they have Raj Kapoor in it, but because I find the one too preachy, the other too self-gloating and the Joy one not good.
    If I'm being too frank, blame it on my tiredness! :-)

    When you say philosophical, the first song which comes to my mind is
    aadmi musafir hai from one Apnapan
    No, it is not my fav. In fact, I don't like it much at all. The very oepning harmonium tunes grate on my nerves.

    Then I like that tora mann darpan kehlaye from Kaajal. Love it in fact. But maybe you might not include it since it sort of a bhajan.

    Now at last a song which meets your parameters
    mann re tu kaahe na dheer dhare from Chitralekha

  46. Hai la! I swear not! In fact, I don't read AB's blog very often and haven't been there for ages. And if he uses Disqus, it is much after I began using it. (So there! [grin])

  47. :( I publish a post a week, Harvey. (Okay, sometimes it is three in a fortnight.) Why are you so tired, anyway? Lots of work?

    Why is Kisi ke muskurahaton pe ho nisar self-gloating? I love that song for three reasons primarily - it's a beautiful song; Mukesh has really sung it well; and the lyrics are lovely (though I can't claim to live life that way). But anyway, you liked the other eight, and what would this world be if we all liked the same things?

    Aadmi musafir hain - hmm, I'm pretty ambivalent about it, though it fits the theme. It's a pleasant enough tune.

    Tore man darpan - as you say, a bhajan, and I don't think it is philosophical per se. But it is a lovely song and I don't mind the excuse to listen to it again. :)

    Man re tu kahe na dheer is definitely a part of this theme.

    I hope you feel less tired soon, Harvey; you don't sound, well, 'Harvey-ish'.

  48. Well, I hope it gets better soon, though I must say lots of work in my case was a blessing. Besides, when my insomnia acts up? That is when I write up posts, so I have a bank of drafts for later.

  49. You left out Pyaasa?! Nahiiiiinnnnnnnnnn



  50. IMHO - Avoid Bombay Talkies, please! If you must just watch Dipankar Banerjee's film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui rocks. Didn't like the rest

  51. My bad!

    And yes, I haven't been here at all. Been run off my feet these last few months. Did a peek a boo last night just on this post. Have some catch up to do! Hope to be back to my jobless self by June.

    Un andheri raaton mein;
    jab main kaam ke bhoj ka maara rahta hoon,
    Hamdard ka tonic Cinkara ke saath
    tumhari blog aasra deti hain mujhe!

    How have you been?

  52. Adding Majrooh's philosophy to your journey of philosophical songs ,

    My favorites from your list # 4 & 5

    Bane ho ek khaq se from Aarti


  53. I wondered where you had disappeared off to. Kaam ka maara indeed! Some excuse!

    I'm alive, as you can see. In the good old homeland in August.

  54. Lovely song, Ashraf. It wouldn't have fit my parameters, so I'm glad you posted it here. :)

  55. Is it bad that I squealed at the number of Dev and Rajesh songs on this list? And at Joy Mukherjee? :D I'm sorry for not being around lately, I had a dumb research paper about - wait for it - PROHIBITION. I mean, it hurt to even write it, considering how much fun drunk songs are. But it was 14 pages long. Good grief I talk too much. (And I've also been off falling in love with James Stewart.)

    We had to do a presentation about a philosophical thing so I went over and I started translating songs and stuff. Because Dev has so many of those songs. :D And "Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana" was the song that made me fall right in love with Rajesh! :DDD Oh, goodness. :D

  56. I wondered where you were. :) Then I figured this was Finals' week for most schools. Are you done with exams? Or do you have some more to go?

    Prohibition? Sounds like a fun topic. :) (Not!)

  57. Geeta pe haath rakh ke kahta hun 'Jo kuch bhi kahunga sach kahunga; sach ke sivah aur kuch nahin kahunga'. (Hope Geeta won't mind)

    Will mail you.

    August, is it. Good! Let me have the dates too, will plan a trip to TSR too.

  58. Ye Geeta kaun hai? And what will your better three-quarters say?

  59. Yeah, I missed the squeals. And the exclamation marks. [grin]

    No, you do not read Henry V (or any of the other Henrys) while hiking. You don't want to have your troop leader have to pull you out of a chasm, or need reconstructive surgery for your nose because you walked into a tree. When you hike, you hike. You read later.

  60. Chanced upon this philosophical song while looking for something else. Seems the singer is the actor Manmohan Krishna himself - 'Yeh zindagi hai yo yo' from 'Aaram (1951):


  61. I have never seen Manmohan Krishna smile (or look so dapper, for that matter). :) I like the lyrics. *grin* Thanks for this, Subodh; I hadn't heard this song before.

  62. Do any of the following songs fit your criteria

    - Yeh jeevan hai from Piya ka ghar
    - Har koi chahta hai from Ek Mutthi Aasman
    - Zindagi hai kya from Satyakam
    - Jeevan se na haar from Door ka Raahi
    - Musafir hoon yaaron from Parichay
    - Geet gaata hoon mein from Lal Pathar
    - Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain from Aap ki Kasam

    I seem to have given you all Kishore songs and perhaps some of them have
    already found a place elsewhere in your blog

  63. I wouldn't put Ye jeevan hai, Zindagi hai kya, Zindagi ke safar mein as 'personal' philosophical songs, which is what I was aiming for here. Keep in mind that my distinctions are very much mine, and they are very clear to me when I make a list. :)

    Musafir hoon yaaron definitely fits the theme. I can't think how I missed it; perhaps because it is from a later period than when I usually choose my songs.


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