Woke up this morning humming “Tasveer Teri Dil Mera Behela Na Sakegi”. Why did I dream of this 80 year old song which I had almost forgotten?
And then, it struck me, it was not just the song I was remembering but Mummy!
It was one of her favourite songs by a singer she was immensely fond of. I recall asking her “Who is your most favourite singer?” Her instant reply, “Talat Mahmood.”
Talat had a soft, mellifluous voice ideally suited for sad ghazals with wistful lyrics and Mummy loved that. One stanza from “Tasveer Teri…”-
“Main baat karunga to yeh khamosh rahegi
Seene se laga lunga to yeh kuch na kahegi
Aaram woh kya degi jo tadpa na sakegi
Tasveer teri dil mera behela na sakegi.”
‘Tasveer’ was the theme of another sweet ghazal with the lines-
“Dum bhar ke liye meri duniya me chale ao
Tarsi hui aankhon ko phir shakal dikha jao
Mujhse toh meri bigdi taqdir nahi banti, tasveer nahi banti
Tasveer banata hoon, tasveer nahi banti, tasveer nahi banti.”
A Talat song Mummy used to sing a lot was “Ae Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Le Chal Jahan Koi Na Ho.” Mummy was very particular about her two hours of siesta which Pitaji, my Nana, thought was a waste of time. So he used to tease her saying, “Bimlaji ko toh dinbhar khali yeh karna hai”-
“ Jaa kar kahin kho jaoon main, neend aae aur so jaaun main…
Duniyaa mujhe dhudhe magar meraa nishaa koi na ho.”
A desire to be rid of sorrow and be in another place was brilliantly brought out in the following song-
“Ae mere dil kahin aur chal, gham ki duniya se dil bhar gayaa
Dhundh le ab koi ghar nayaa….
Chal jahan gham ke marey na hon, jhooti aashaa ke taare na hon
In baharon se kya faayeda, jismen dil ki kali jal gayi
Zakhm phir se haraa ho gayaa
Ae mere dil kahin aur chal.”
But what first drew Mummy to Talat could have been “Mera Jeevan Saathi Bichhad Gaya”-
“Kismet ne kiye jo dil pe sitam, do chahane vale mil na sakey
Kehne ko bahar ayi thi magar, do phool khushi ke khil na sake….
Lo khatam kahani ho gayi.”
Mummy must have paused, taken a second breath, mustered courage, put the past behind, and with the help of her loving and caring parents, began a new story.
