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rahe.n
naa rahe.n ham
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Fill In The Blanks [08] rahe.n naa rahe.n ham Contributed by Surajit A. Bose Note: The complete version of this song is now in the consolidated ISB. The original FITB article is retained here for archival purposes. This installment of the series is dedicated to Vish Krishnan, il miglior fabbro. This series has always had an extended love affair with Roshan Lal Nagrath; about one-fifth of the songs covered have been his compositions. This song stands out even in his consistently brilliant output. It is one of the best songs of one of the most gifted composers of Hindi film music. Here is the song as it appears in the ISB (as usual, I've made silent emendations).
Film: Mamta (1966)
rahe.n naa rahe.n ham, mahakaa kare.ngeNow for the missing lyrics. The commemorative tape of the most recent RMIM meet was titled "Rahe.n Naa Rahe.n Ham, A Roshan Treasure Hunt." Given the cassette's title, the little-known tandem version of this song was an obvious candidate for inclusion. Yet what song could be removed from that selection to make room for this one? Roshan's oeuvre offers an embarrassment of riches, and so jewels like this one sometimes are left by the wayside. This song demonstrates not only Roshan's genius, but Majrooh's as well. His achievement in fashioning the two versions, similar in overall sentiment but dramatically different in specific mood, is remarkable. The two versions are picturized on two different couples in love. The well-known solo version of the song is picturized on the elder Suchitra Sen and Ashok Kumar. On the eve of Ashok Kumar's departure for England, he asks Suchitra Sen to sing this song. The song declares the permanence of their love; yet a sense of loss pervades the lyrics: "jab ham na ho.nge, jab hamaarii Kaaq pe tum rukoge...." Even as the lyrics affirm their eternal love, that eternity is placed against the evanescence of all things mortal. Their love can transcend death, but by that same token it forgoes fulfillment in this life. The usual joys and sorrows of earthly love do not matter: "kyaa hai milanaa, kyaa bichha.Danaa...." Their love is grounded not in this world, but in a world of memory and imagination: "sirf dil kii zamii.n hai yaad hamako." Far more confident of earthly fulfillment are the audacious lines picturized on the younger Suchitra Sen and Dharmendra:
The brash pair have no doubt about the permanence of their love. Indeed, all love and beauty is itself a function of their joy, both in time and in eternity. No sense of loss or doom threatens their bliss. In fact, if the lyrics of the solo version imply that love becomes eternal only by incorporating death, this version suggests that the couple's love reanimates all dead lovers, revivifies all past loves: "zi.ndaa huii haii ... hamase." Appropriate to young lovers, who majestically assume that the world revolves around them! Lata's rendition of the solo version is flawless. She is at the peak of her powers, her voice being at once fresh and mature. Her singing here is the equal of Roshan's composition. When the solo attains such perfection, one might question the need for the duet. Why gild refined gold? What is left to offer?
But listening to the duet, these doubts disappear. Suman's voice, unspoiled and sweet, and Rafi's effortless artistry together make this a fitting complement to the Lata version. The effect is like a kaleidoscope. The pattern created by the Lata version is breath-taking; shift the elements slightly and a new pattern emerges, neither more nor less beautiful than the first--just different. | ||||||
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