Tu Chanda Main Chandni : As Love Blossoms in the Desert

मेरे प्रिय गीत (5)

This favourite song of mine is Tu Chanda Main Chandni from the film Reshma Aur Shera (1971), penned by Balkavi Bairagi, composed by Jaidev and sung by Lata Mangeshkar. The film, produced and directed by Sunil Dutt, had Sunil Dutt and Waheeda Rehman in lead roles. This was their second film together after the immortal classic Mujhe Jeene Do(1963), another Sunil Dutt production. Ironically, unlike Mujhe Jeene Do,  which too had music by Jaidev and was commercially successful, Reshma Aur Shera did not do well at the box office. However, its music, particularly this song lives on in the hearts and minds of music lovers. Jaidev won the 1972 National Award for the Best Music Director for Reshma Aur Shera. In spite of the commercial failure, the film was well received by the critics internationally. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival. It was also selected as the Indian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 44th Academy Awards but was not accepted as a nominee.

Tu Chanda Main Chandni is one of the best songs composed by Jaidev and one of the best sung by Lataji. When I say one of the best by Lataji, there is a possibility of many friends disagreeing as almost entire body of work by Lataji would qualify as 'great'. I would try to explain why, in my view, this song stands out. Lataji's voice kept evolving throughout her phenomenal career. Although she had stepped into singing  after proper training in classical music, she became more and more accomplished as her career progressed. In the early '70s, after a career of nearly 24-25 years, she was at her peak - the divine sweetness and youthfulness of the voice absolutely intact and the craft fully blossomed - after having sung a wide variety of songs with all the great composers (with the sole exception of O P Nayyar). Jaidev has presented this magical quality to perfection in this song. 

The setting of the film is in Rajasthan and Jaidev has composed this song in Raag Mand, the one in which the popular folk song Kesariya Balam has been traditionally sung. His brilliance is further demonstrated in his choice of instruments. He has chosen santoor, sarangi and flute, and the fusion of the three is absolutely mesmerizing, in complete sync with the setting of a quiet desert night, the backdrop of the picturisation. Unlike a typical film song, the lyrics are in lines of irregular length, without a rhyming pattern, but still have a lyrical flow. I wonder how incredibly difficult it would have been for the lyricist to conform to the tune and for the composer to place the words, unusual for film songs, in matras of the taal. There is a huge challenge for a singer to sing lines with asymmetrical length in a flow. Still there is unwavering command, not one false sur. There are lines where all the instruments have gone silent and Lataji's voice comes across as if echoing in a soundless desert. The last line in each stanza has been sung three times, each time with a different style, with brief instrumental interlude in between. 

The combined brilliance of Balkavi Bairagi, the lyricist, and Jaidev lies in the way the song has covered the process of blossoming of love. The three stanzas of the song cover three stages, and I need to quote the lines to explain this. 

The first stanza, the first phase, is that of longing and expectation.
naa sarovar, naa baava.Dii, naa koI Tha.nDii chhaa.nv
naa koyal, naa papiiharaa, aisaa meraa gaa.nv re
kahaa.N bujhe tan kii tapan, o saiyaa.n siramor
cha.ndra-kiran to chho.D kar, jaae kahaa.N chakor
jaag uThii hai saa.nvare, merii kuaa.nrii pyaas re
(piyaa) a.ngaare bhii lagane lage aaj mujhe madhumaas re

The life without a beloved is like a desolate desert but the hope of meeting the beloved piya is so soothing that angaare too start giving the feel of a soothing madhumaas.

The next stage is about the set of emotions awakened after the love arrives in life. 
tujhe aa.nchal mai.n rakhuu.Ngii o saa.nvare
kaalii alako.n se baa.Ndhuu.Ngii ye paa.nv re
gal baiyaa.N vo Daaluu.n kii chhuuTe nahii.n
meraa sapanaa saajan ab TuuTe nahii.n
me.nhadii rachii hatheliyaa.N, mere kaajar-vaale nain re
(piyaa) pal pal tujhe pukaarate, ho ho kar bechain re

The next stage is when the two lovers meet and Balkavi Bairagi has made excellent choice of words to express restrained sensuousness:
o mere saavan saajan, o mere si.nduur
saajan sa.ng sajanii banii, mausam sa.ng mayuur
chaar pahar kii chaa.ndanii, mere sa.ng biThaa
apane haatho.n se piyaa mujhe laal chunar u.Dhaa
kesariyaa dharatii lage, ambar laalam-laal re
a.ng lagaa kar saahib re, kar de mujhe nihaal re

Since Balkavi Bairagi was a poet, not just a wordsmith like a typical Bollywood lyricist, the song has the essential elements of proper poetry. The diction is suitable for the characters and the setting. The use of metaphors (like chandrakiran, chakor), and the imagery - like a life devoid of love likened to a gaon without a sarovar, bawadi and thandi chhaon - are absolutely brilliant.

So, here is a song where every single element, each component, each individual has contributed in making this a brilliant piece of music. Let us not forget, also, the unsung heroes, the musicians who have played the instrument.

There are two versions of the song. One with all the three stanzas is available in the audio format. In the on-screen version only the last two stanzas have been taken. I am sharing the link to the longer version. 

[For the trivia lovers, Jaidev won the 1972 National Award for the Best Music Director for Reshma Aur Shera, which was the first of his three National Awards which he won again in 1979 and 1985 for Gaman and Ankahee respectively. He has the distinction of bagging three National Awards without winning a single Filmfare. Another great composer, Madan Mohan, was awarded the National Film Award for Best Music Direction, without winning a single Filmfare (in spite of being nominated four times) for Dastak in 1970.]

Here is the link to the complete song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmuA1dzelN0

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:

The song links have been embedded from the YouTube only for illustration of the points. This blog claims no copyright over these, which rests with the respective owners.