POST 81: Ae katibae taqudir mujhae itna bata de
ऐ क़ातिब-ए-तक़दीर मुझे इतना बता दे
This is a gazal from the Hindi film My Sister, which was released in 1944, starring K.L. Saigal, Sumitra Devi, Akhtar Jehan , Madan puri and Chandravati. The lyrics were penned by Pandit Bhushan and music was composed and directed by Pankaj Malik.
Unfortunately no biographical details of Pandit Bhushan are available but he penned more than 50 film songs . It appears that unlike actors, singers and music directors, lyricists do not have a strong presence in the minds of the film watching community. Rather sad!
This gazal truly belongs to K. L. Saigal, who sang it in his own style! He makes you feel the misery, pathos and helplessness of the one , who is making an appeal to the ‘क़ातिब-ए-तक़दीर’- decider of the destiny of all His subjects-God himself!!
K.L. Saigal was a Punjabi but he spent so much time in Bengal and sang so many Bengali songs that the Bengalis thought and believed that he was a Bengali and there had been recorded fights on this account!
Kundan Lal Saigal was born on 11th April 1904 and died on 18th January 1947. He decidedly was the FIRST SUPERSTAR of Indian film industry who acted and sang his own songs. He inspired great singers like Mukesh ,Kishore Kumar and C.H Atma to copy his style of singing. Although Saigal had no formal training in music, still he developed his own style, which was widely appreciated and accepted. Songs of first ‘Devdas’ released in 1935 and his acting created a stir. He died in 1947 at just 42 years of age owing to addiction to alcohol.
Important words:
क़ातिब-ए-तक़दीर: writer of the fortunes, destiny- God; फ़कत: Net,only; दर्द-ओ-रंज-ओ-ग़म: all three mean the same -sorrow, pain; बद-फ़क़्तियाँ: misfortune; मुज़्ज़र्रतों:pleasure; दुमक दम: dancing, singing etc of birds;
Radhika Chopra is like a permanent presence in my blogs. Still every time I hear her it is a new experience.
Pankaj Mallick ( born 10.05.1905- died 19.02.1978) was the music director of film ‘ My sister’ from which this gazal has been taken. He has sung the same gazal in his own style but influence of Saigal can not be denied.
He was a pioneer of playback singing in Hindi and Bengali cinemas when playback singing was first attempted. He was an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet also. When radio came to India he started a weekly music teaching programme which continued for 45 years. His song ‘ ye raatein ye mausam’ is a landmark. Some of his other songs are :‘ So ja rajkumari…’, Mein kya janoo…’
ऐ क़ातिब-ए-तक़दीर मुझे इतना बता दे
क्यों मुझसे ख़फ़ा है तू, क्या मैंने किया है
Oh you the writer of fortunes, just tell me this much!
Why are you so annoyed with me? What have I done?
औरों को खुशी मुझको फ़कत दर्द-ओ-रंज-ओ-ग़म
दुनिया को हँसी और मुझे रोना दिया है
You granted happiness to others, while I get just pain of sorrow and grief!
Gift of laughter to the whole World and tears for me!!
हिस्से में सबके आई हैं…
हिस्से में सबके आई हैं रँगीन बहारें
बद-फ़क़्तियाँ लेकिन मुझे शीशे में उतारें
पीते हैं पीते हैं रोग रोज़-ओ-शब मुज़्ज़र्रतों की मय
मैं हूँ के सता खून-ए-जिगर मैंने पिया है
Colourful bliss in everyone’s share, while only misfortune puts me in a spot!
Other people drink the wine of love, everyday both during day and night!
I am the one whose heart has been broken by his lover!!
था जिनके दुमक दम से ये आबाद आशियां !
वो चहचहाती वो चहचहाती बुलबुलें जाने गई कहाँ?
My heart was filled with the chatter and dance of these nightingales!
Where have all those chattering singing nightingales gone?
जुगनू की चमक है न सितारों की रोशनी
इस घुप अंधेरे में है मेरी जान पर बनी
Neither the glowworms nor the stars show me the way!
This absolute darkness has made my life miserable!!
क्या थी? क्या थी? क्या थी बता के जिसकी सज़ा तूने मुझको दी?
क्या था? क्या था? गुनह के जिसका बदला मुझसे लिया है
What was? What was my mistake for which you are punishing me?
What was? What was my crime for which you are taking revenge?
Dr Nashenas (Born 28.01.1935) is the oldest surviving singer from Afghanistan. His given name was Sadiq Fitrat Habibi. He sings in Pashto, Dari and Urdu. He obtained doctorate in Pashto literature from Moscow State University . He spent lot of time in Delhi, India and studied at ‘Jamia’a — e- Miliah’ and was in contact with great educationist Dr Zakir Hussain ( President of India 1967–68) .He is known as ‘ The Afghan Saigal’ as his voice is almost a copy of K.L. Saigal. He lives in London.
Nadeem Omar here presents this gazal with some variations introduced by him. I have not been able to get any biographical details about him.
Dr Shashi Chaudhary here sings the same gazal but her singing has a very different tonal quality that gives it a much desired freshness. I could not get biographical details about her.
Dr Shashi Chaudhary
Sangeeta Narurkar is the granddaughter of Late K.l.Saigal. Initially she received training in classical Hindustani music from Pandit G. Pimpalkhare and is training presently under Pandit Vijay Koparkar (Pune). She had the good fortune of singing alongwith eminent artists like Hridanath Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar and others. She is active in Marathi cinema as a playback singer.
I hope you enjoyed this gazal although it has a strong streak of sadness but then all shades of the gazal singing are required to make this bouquet presentable!
19th September was the marriage anniversary of my younger daughter Prerna and her life partner Yogesh. Happy anniversary Prerna and Yogesh!
The Covid scare has abated, still take care.
