Remembering a rapidly vanishing species…

I woke up thinking why is it that most of the sparrows and warblers have largely disappeared from most of Urban India, leaving only crows, pigeons and other similar birds to populate that space. A sad commentary on the rapidly degrading environment and ecosystem in our large cities. My childhood memories have always included a family of sparrows nesting within the house or very close. Their chatter and fluttering of wings was such a pleasure to wake up to.

Just then the morning oldies program tossed up this one. https://youtu.be/cFyZHXFmFl0

A song I heard a lot of when growing up. The movie was produced by one of the biggest production houses of the time, RK Films but the showman himself neither directed, nor acted in it. It was directed by Amar Kumar, and had Sulochana, Yakub, and Motilal in the major roles.

The music was by Dattaram Wadkar, a very melodious composer who gave memorable scores for Parvarish, Zindagi aur Khwab, apart from this movie, Ab Dilli Dur Nahin. Thanks to his working with Shankar Jaikishan for a very long time, he got the breaks to show his undoubtedly good mettle but didn’t get the volume needed to be counted amongst the leading composers of the time. He had Hasrat and Shailendra collaborating with him also due to the Shankar Jaikishan connection. When Raj Kapoor approached Shankar – Jaikishan for “Ab Dili Door Nahin”, they recommended Dattaram Wadkar when they realized Raj Kapoor wasn’t going to act in it and assured Raj Kapoor that they would help Dattaram if required. This is how Dattaram Wadkar got his first film as a solo music director. His background as a tabla/dholak player, helped him compose an lively rhythm for “Chhun Chhun Karti Aayi Chidiya” which became famous as the “Dattaram theka” in film circles.

I personally felt the content of the song would have needed a child a lot younger than the one shown, but I suppose the director had to make do with the talent available to him. Hasrat wrote some wonderful lyrics, nonsense verse really, filmed on Romi and Yakub.

Yakub Khan was a famous character actor who was seen in both comic and villainous roles. He even directed 3 movies and was a great help to the struggling Mehmood.

Incidentally few people would know that Dattaram also arranged musical instruments and musicians for LP and RDB, in his spare time when he had no work with SJ. Such work was much more the norm, when ego’s wouldn’t come in the way. Pancham has played the harmonica for LP in Dosti.

A vanishing bird and camaraderie typifies the degradation of the environment outside and within us. Sad but true. C’est la vie

Have a great day ahead, folks.

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