This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
Today’s song is from film Durgapooja-54, a Mythological film. It is a lovely duet of Rafi and Asha Bhonsle. Looks like, songs of C.Ramchandra and songs from religious films will not leave me alone in my life !
Films having word Durga in the title were many. “Durga” itself was made in 1939, 1984,1991 and 2001. Durga Maa was in 1986, Durgamata in 1960 and Durgapooja in 1954 and 1962. Durgapooja-54 was produced by Dhirubhai Desai and Sharad Desai, under the banner of Sharad productions ( Sharad was Dhirubhai’s son ). The film was directed by Dhirubhai Desai and the music was by S N Tripathi, the Mythological film specialist. The film had 10 songs and today’s song will be the second song from the movie to be discussed by me.
The cast of the film consisted of the usual Mythological players like Trilok Kapoor, Shahu Modak, Nirupa Roy, S N Tripathi, Kamal, Indira Bansal, Prabha Shanker, Yashodhara Katju and many other regular actors. The name of Yashodhara Katju has reminded me about a story of her film entry.
We all know that in the initial era of film making, it was very difficult to get people from good and respectable families to act in the films. There were many educated persons who were Producers, Directors, Lyricists, Composers,Story writers etc but getting such people to act in the films was really difficult.Later Males became available but females were not forthcoming, so many times the males had to do the acting of female parts in the silent films. After some time girls from the lower strata of the society like uneducated, Tawayafs and singing family girls came into films, but girls from educated respected families were scarce even then.
When the Talkie films started, girls from educated and respectable families started joining films. In this, Maratha and Kayastha ( specially CKP) were in the forefront. Lalita Pawar, Wadkar, Shanta Hublikar, Durga Khote, The Samrths(Shobhana, Nutan etc) Jaywant etc were some examples. Except for the first woman actress Kamlabai Gokhale, rarely any of the Bramhin girls came into films for a long time. In Male actors most were Kayasth or Bramhin ofcourse.
Chandramohan was one of the most handsome actors of the 30s and the 40s. He was a Kashmiri Bramhin and his full name was Chandramohan Wattal. It so happened that in the early 30s-in 1934 precisely- one actress by name Shyama (Zutshi) joined films. She was a beautiful girl of considerable talent. She was educated also and a bright future awaited her.She acted in many films, like Vishnu Bhakti-1934, Majnu-35, and Karvan-e-hayat-35 ( opposite Saigal and Pahadi Sanyal), etc.
Shyama Zutsi was a Kashmiri Bramhin girl. She belonged to a well to do family of Lahore where she studied upto 10th standard. Her father was a Barrister. She was successful as an actress and was much in demand, but suddenly she left films and joined Politics. In due course, she became a Congress leader in Kashmir. Everyone was surprised why she left films suddenly.
The reason of her leaving films was actor Chandramohan. He too was a Kashmiri Bramhin and held the view that Kashmiri Bramhin girls should not work in films as it is below their dignity. He strongly opposed Shyama’s work in the films and put lot of pressure on her to quit films. Fed up of his pestering and also afraid of his anger, Shyama left films. Her last film was Khooni Jadugar-1939.
However, soon after this yet another girl who too was a Kashmiri Bramhin came into films from 1941. Chandramohan tried all his pressure tactics and tried to force her out of the films, but this girl was different. She was tough and did not fear him or yield to his intimidations. She continued to work in films unabated. Chandramohan died in 1949, but this girl worked in films from 1941 to 1974. She worked in 86 films and earned quite a name.
Her name was Yashodhara Katju ( 15-4-1928 to 1974 ). She was a niece of Pt. Nehru, but never ever used her high connections to get work. Her father K L Katju was a well known politician of UP and he was also a senior bureaucrat. They were from Lahore, where Yashodhara had studied upto Senior Cambridge and also dancing. She was a leading comedienne in the early 50s and had formed a pair with Gope for some films. She married a Navy officer and spent her retired life as a housewife, away from filmdom.
Film Durgapooja, as the name suggests, was about the powers of Maa Durga. Like a clever person that he was, Dhirubhai Desai got the film censored on 22-9-1954, just before the Dushhera festival, falling on 7th October 1954, to get the advantage of public emotions. The story of the film was…
Mahishasoor, the mighty Demon-King had spread a reign of terror in every nook and corner of the world. Blood of innocent people flowed like water. There was no safety of person of property. Religion and chastity of women were in jeopardy, every moment, at the hands of the vulture-like Rakshasas. People were cowed down, as the hands of the beastly tyrant had crushed all opposition. All the vanquished Kings and Princes cowardly accepted his slavery to save their lives.
Prince Shatrughna was the only exception. For not accepting his sovereignty he was ordered to be killed by throwing down from a hill-top. But he excaped bravely. . Saranyu, the beautiful and daring daughter of Mahamuni Twashta had undertaken the task of spreading the spirit of revolt against the oppressive rule of Mahish. But as fate would have it, Mahish happened to see her one day and her charming beauty captured his heart. He proposed to make her his queen and on her declining that offer, tried to molest her. Luckily, however, Prince Shatrughna arrived at the nick of time and saved her honour. Cupids dart struck the young herarts of Saranyu and Shatrughna.
But they preferred to dedicate their lives to the service of the people and some how bring about the destruction of Mahish. . The fragrance of saranyus beauty had reached even the celestial heights of Swarga-lok. And Devraj Indra, personally went to Mahamuni Twashta to request for her hand. But the splendour and riches of even Indra-lok had no attraction for Saranyu. She rejected Indras offer too.
Mahish sent his soldiers to abduct Saranyu forcibly, But before they could succeed, Indra took her away. This enraged Mahish so much that he ordered to invade Swarga, immediately. But Narad Muni advised him to first acquire superior strength than Indra, by performing Tapasya. . When saranyu refused to marry him, Indra tried to fulfill his desire by force-but Shachidevi, Indras wife, interrupted him and sent her back to her fathers Ashram.
Mahish pleased Brahma by his penance, and obtained a boon of virtual immortality from him viz. No one, except a woman, could kill him in the three worlds. Intoxicated by this boon, he proclaimed himself as God-issued a fiat to worship none but him and mercilessly persecuted and put to death thousands of devotees who persisted in worshipping Lord vishnu, shanker and Goddess Adya Shakti, in defiance of his orders.
Suloma, the kind-hearted queen of Mahishasoor several times tried to persuade and prevent Mahish from the path of sin-but to no purpose. He invaded Swarga-lok also, defeated Indra in a war and humiliated him as well as Indrani, by inhuman tortures. In the meantime, Mahamuni Twashta had married Saranyu to prince Shatrughna.But Mahish had, still, not forgotten Saranyu. He got her kidnapped just on her wedding night. When Saranyu did not yield to his several tactics-mahish blinded Mahamuni Twashta’s eyes with hot iron bars, in her presence and also killed her husband, before her eyes. But the true Sati, as she was, Saranyu remained firm in her pious resolve. . Then from the Lights of all the Gods-Goddess Durga was born. Bhagwati Durga Mata kills the proud Mahishasoor. she revives Sati Saranyu’s husband to life, the blind Mahamuni Twashta regains his lost eyesight and Suloma sacrifices her life for a just and noble cause.
Song- Mera man hai magan laagi tumse lagan (Durga Pooja)(1954) Singers- Asha Bhonsle, Rafi, Lyrics-Bharat Vyas, MD-S N Tripathi
Both
Lyrics
mera man hai magan
laagi tumse lagan
ho sajan ye ghadi na bhulaana ji
sajan ye ghadi na bhulaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana jee
ye anokha milan
jaise dharti gagan
mera sachcha vachan na bhulaana ji
sachcha vachan na bhulaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
pujaaran ko ye vardaan milaa
pujaaran ko ye vardaan milaa
tu mile to(?) mujhe bhagwaan milaa
bhagwaan milaa
ho o o o
o o o o
naache jhan jhan jeewan
jaise san san pawan
ye sapan mera ab na mitaana ji
sapan mera ab na mitaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
nahin haathhon se haath kabhi chhoote
nahin haathhon se haath kabhi chhoote
nahin jeewan mein saathh kabhi chhoote ae
nahin jeewan mein saathh kabhi chhoote
na kabhi chhoote
ho o o o
o o o
jaise man mein umang
jaise jal mein tarang
jaise phoolon mein rang suhaana ji
phoolon mein rang suhaana ji
waise preet ki reet nibhaana ji
waise preet ki reet nibhaana ji
mera man hai magan
laagi tumse lagan
ho sajan ye ghadi na bhulaana ji
sajan ye ghadi na bhulaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
dekho preet ki reet nibhaana ji
