Song # 2: Ab KahaaN Jaaye Hum
Theme: Shailendra
Film: Ujala (1959)
Lyricist: Shailendra
MD: Shankar / Jaikishan
Original Singer: Manna Dey
Tribute By: Madhukar Mehta
https://vimeo.com/412335645

Not originally planned but it just so happens that on May 1st we just passed Manna Dey’s Birthday, he would have been 101 and this song although a tribute to Shailendra, it also doubles as a tribute to the maestro Manna Da.

Here I am presenting a philosophical song that cries out the heartfelt plea of a common man acted out by the Yahoo Man himself, Shammi Kapoor but in quite a different role. Another wonderful song written by Shailendra, composed by the S/J duo, and sung by the maestro Manna Da. Quite a challenge but I have tried to pull it off and hope my music loving friends will relate to the lyrics as they are true even today.

Caution: Use of good quality headphones may enhance your listening experience.

Disclaimer: This upload is strictly for entertainment of like-minded amateur music lovers and is in no way intended to be an infringement on copyrights of the rightful owners of the original song. No monetary gain is expected from this upload.

A little about Shailendra ji:

Shailendra (30 August 1923 – 14 December 1966) was born in Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India (now known as Punjab, Pakistan) and died in Bombay, India at 43.
He came from humble beginning as he worked as a welding apprentice in the Central Railways but reached to become one of the most well-known lyricists of Indian cinema, Shailendra led a rich colorful life which included both struggle and success.

Many might not know his complex life story — his tryst with communism or his battles of navigating the world as a Dalit man — the way his evergreen lyrics are known. He tried to downplay his cast standing as his own son realized the same when he was 20 years old.
Shailendra, who is considered to be the first to combine Hindi and Urdu poetry traditions, first started attending mushairas and kavi sammelans (poetry conferences) while he was working back in the days at Matunga Railway Workshop when city was known as Bombay, now Mumbai. It was during this time that he got involved with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and began writing socialist-themed poems and songs set in post-Independence India.

He created the famous slogan, “Har zor-zulm kee takkar mein, hartal hamara nara hai” (Strike is our weapon against every atrocity, every excess), this is used by protesters even today. It was one such poem on Partition, Jalta hai Punjab, that not only earned him literary acclaim but became his ticket to success in the world of cinema.

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