A memorable entry

We heard this song today after many weeks on our customary morning oldies program. The melody is just too enchanting to pass up and I am sure a very big proportion of you wouldn’t have heard the song at all, making it all the more necessary to share this priceless gem.

The song is from a movie called, somewhat disingenuously and most unimaginatively, Railway Platform. The movie directed by Ramesh Saigal has at its theme a set of passengers stranded on a Railway Platform for 24 hours with nowhere to go as the train they’re supposed to go by has got delayed due to an accident. Out of the motley crowd, we have a Princess (Sheila Ramani, now this really is unbelievable: the Princess of the smallest of fiefdoms would surely not get stranded on a platform), a poor man she falls in love with (Balraj Dutt who changed his first name in movies), & the poor man’s love interest (Nalini Jaywant– she looks awesome). Love triangles are a recurring mechanism in movies with predictable courses. The movie has sublime lyrics by Sahir Ludhiyanvi which are set to unforgettable compositions by Madan Mohan. No ghazals here but the songs truly have an eternal shelf life. Listen to this one: https://youtu.be/9isGdYn1FgE

The composition is so beautiful. It starts with Raag Dhani a rarely played raag and Madanji has cleverly fused one antara which he has created in Raag Bhairav: “In bahaaron ke saaye mein aa ja”.

चांद मद्धम है आसमां चुप है

चांद मद्धम है आसमां चुप है
नींद की गोद में जहां चुप है

दुर वादी में दूधिया बादल
झुक के पर्वत को प्यार करते हैं
दिल में नाकाम हसरतें लेकर
हम तेरा इंतजार करते हैं

इन बहारों के सायें में आ जा
फिर मोहब्बत जवां रहे ना रहे
ज़िंदगी तेरे नामुरादों पर
कल तलक़ मेहरबां रहे ना रहे

रोज कि तरह आज भी तारे
सुबह कि गर्द में ना खो जाएं
आ तेरे ग़म में जागती आंख़ें
कम से कम एक रात सो जाएं

चांद मद्धम है आसमां चुप है
नींद की गोद में जहां चुप है

The movie is actually the cinematic debut of Sunil Dutt. Since Nalini Jaywant was the most famous of the lead actors, she got top billing as well as having her face splashed on all the posters.

An amazing song both of us love and can’t have enough of. I am sure you’ll like it too. Stay healthy and happy, folks and take care of yourselves in the summer.

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