Form of words:
After independence, Indian cinema was looking for new narratives that would speak of the dreams of a new nation. Since commercial Hindi cinema had the largest audience, its music and songs were of great importance. The first decade of mainstream cinema, the 1950s, was actually a period when songs and their portrayal were the main focus of filmmakers.
Songs played an important role in shaping the personality of the actors and actresses who sparkle on the silver screen. Sahir Ludhianvi, Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri played a major role in the songs of that era as the leading poets and lyricists of that era.
Shailendra, the Hindi-Urdu poet who gave Raj Kapoor some of his biggest hitsam a vagabond‘ And ‘my shoes are japanese‘ – was born on 30 August 1923 in Rawalpindi, undivided India. His family moved to Mathura from Rawalpindi. Being well versed in the folk tradition of Uttar Pradesh, he started writing songs for Hindi cinema, after a great struggle.
Shailendra became popular among the masses as his songs touched hearts with his linguistic simplicity, spontaneity, emotional ring and its ‘common touch’. His songs also featured on contemporary issues and echoed the struggles and pains of poverty that he had known in his life. He also fulfilled the promise of love and hope for the future.
Due to his pro-Left leanings – he was a member of the Indian People’s Theater Association (IPTA) – his songs spoke of the working class and their problems. The pain and suffering of Partition, anti-authoritarianism and hope for the oppressed are some of the recurring themes of his songs.
On the occasion of Shailendra’s 98th birth anniversary, ThePrint takes a look at his life’s journey.
slogans against oppression
Shailendra’s childhood was spent in the midst of financial crisis. His family had originally moved from Bihar to Rawalpindi in search of work, but moved to Mathura due to financial constraints. In his youth, Shailendra moved to Bombay where he started working as a welding trainee in the Matunga Railway Workshop. But even in those difficult times, his love for poetry did not diminish.
While working in the railways, he joined IPTA, a cultural initiative of the undivided Communist Party. He wrote and recited many poems for IPTA programs. Socialist and leftist influence is clearly visible in most of his poems.
He coined a slogan that is still used in various performances. it goes like this….
Har Zor Zum Ke Takra Mein Hatal is our slogan
You have turned down your demands, you have broken every vada
Chinni is cheaper than us, you are bent on the roof,
So we are also prepared, so we are also challenged,
Har Zor Zum Ke Takra Mein Hatal is our slogan
His resistance against the injustice happening in the society is clearly reflected in another song written for IPTA. Here he writes:
Bad is the fire of the stomach,
These are bad heart stains,
Can’t drown
One day it will give revolution
oppression ke mahali will fall
A new ghar will be built,
if there is heaven
get down la jamin par
you are alive
you are of life
believe in victory
This song, which talks about hunger and revolution in one breath, is a fine example of his poetic form.
Raj Kapoor and Shailendra’s partnership
Shailendra first met Raj Kapoor at an IPTA event. Shailendra’s poetry in those days burns Punjab was quite famous in the corridors of the literary world. Raj Kapoor, at the time, was also making his first foray into directing – he was keen to use Shailendra’s poetry for his first film, Fire (1948).
Describing this incident in his book, ‘Gateoon’s MerchandisingWriting on Shailendra, writer Brij Bhushan Tiwari writes: “Raj Kapoor also spoke of providing fair remuneration, but this ‘rebel-cum-autocratic lyricist’ replied: ‘I don’t write for money. Nothing like that’ Which inspires me to write a song for your film. Then why should I write?”
After some time, when Shailendra’s condition was very bad and he did not even have enough to take care of his pregnant wife, he reached Raj Kapoor’s office in Mahalaxmi and said: “I want money. I want five hundred rupees. In return, assign me whatever work is appropriate for me.”
This is the period when Raj Kapoor was directing his second film, rain, and he needed lyrics for two more songs. Hasrat Jaipuri had already written six. Shailendra wrote two songs for rain was well received by the audience. The collaboration started with the Raj Kapoor-Shailendra partnership which lasted for 17 years.
Raj Kapoor affectionately called Shailendra ‘Pushkin’ after the famous Russian poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and ‘Kaviraj’. Raj Kapoor’s romantic image and the humanistic themes of many of his films that brought him immense fame is incomplete without Shailendra’s songs.
Apart from Raj Kapoor, Shailendra wrote many songs for actors like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Nargis, Kishore Kumar and also worked with musicians and composers like SD Burman, Manna Dey, Shankar-Jaikishan, Roshan, Salil Choudhary. did.
Shailendra always remained silent about his Dalit identity
Dalit Shailendra, a resident of Dhuspur village in Ara district of Bihar, remained silent about his Dalit identity throughout his life.
In 2016, his son Dinesh Shankar Shailendra published a collection of poems written by his father titled ‘fire inside‘. In this book, he reveals the social identity of the family – the Dhursia of the cobbler caste of Bihar. At the time of the book’s release, renowned critic Dr Namvar Singh called Shailendra “the greatest Dalit poet after Sant Ravidas”.
Read also: Upkar – The film born out of churning in newly independent India gave a hit formula to Bollywood
Shailendra’s creations were for every man
The songs that came out of Shailendra’s pen influenced and inspired many other lyricists. Many songs composed by him are hummed by us even today. His influence is clearly visible in the compositions of lyricists like Yogesh, Gulzar and Anand Bakshi.
Film director and lyricist Gulzar once said: “It was because of Shailendra that I entered the film industry. He inspired me to write continuously and that’s how I wrote my first song-‘Mora Gora Aang LeleFor ‘Bimal Roy’Bandini‘. He was my friend, philosopher, guide and I learned a lot from him… He wrote from his heart and he wrote for the common man.”
In an article written on Shailendra ‘new enlightenment‘, Gulzar wrote: “He knew the difference between these two nazam And Nagme. He also knew how nazam turns into one nagma. To know this, it is very important to stay connected with people, as well as with folk arts. Shailendra was able to express big ideas with simple words and situations. “
Shailendra’s songs fit in every situation
Filmmaker Amit Khanna mentioned in an article that Urdu poetry has a distinctive tone which is based on meter and KafiaBut the scope of Hindi is huge. According to him Shailendra was the first lyricist who brought these two patterns together to compose his songs.
Due to his long association with the cinematic world, Shailendra’s poetic avatar was not discussed like his songs, but his poems cover many aspects of life.
While the concern for social issues is clearly visible in Shailendra’s songs, his realism is unmistakable. in the songnight goes day comesfrom ‘movie’ boot polishShailendra writes:
Khela Bachchan, Hansi Jawaani,
But old age suffers
wheel of happiness
that’s called luck
The song appears to be a mirror image of another song written by Shailendra for the film, Third vow:
Boyhood lost in the game,
Youth slept full of need,
cried seeing old age,
That is the story of the Purana.
Therefore it can be said that the songs of Shailendra are the songs of a traveler who keeps a close eye on the journey of life, its trials and tribulations.
Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420’sMy Shoe is Japan’, ‘Love Hua Agreed’‘ And third vow‘s ‘Saajan Re don’t lie; Dev Anand-starrer black market‘s ‘‘Khoya-Khoya Chand’Dilip Kumar-starrer Madhumati‘s ‘Pleasant journey and this weather laughin’, Stain‘s ‘O my heart go somewhere else’, movie Bandani’s ‘Oh my manjhi – All featuring ‘Shailendra Style’. They are full of sorrows and small joys of ordinary men and women. Who can forget the songs written by Shailendra for the film? guide?
story behind it third vow
Shailendra came around 1960 slain gulfam, A short story written by famous Hindi litterateur Phanishwarnath Renu. He immediately thought of filming it on the big screen. In a letter to Renu, Shailendra asked her permission to do so which was granted by the author. Renu and Shailendra soon became friends and work on the film started.
Shailendra wanted to complete the film – he was its producer – with the title within a year. third vow. In this film, he cast Raj Kapoor in the role of Hiraman and Waheeda Rehman in the role of Hirabai. However, it took more than five years to complete. In between, Shailendra got into debt, Renu fell ill and returned to her village.
When third vow (1966) was finally released, it did not make a splash at the box office. Meanwhile, deep in debt, Shailendra passed away at the age of 43 – following his demise, the film was awarded the National Film Award.
third vow It is a poetic film in which Shailendra has beautifully portrayed the folk tradition. The songs he has written in Bhojpuri make the film more powerful and true to its setting.
Shailendra’s songs always had this amalgamation – an honest, carefree approach and a vigor for life’s struggles. so he wrote in the song am a vagabond (Awaara, 1951):
Not abad, ruined Shahi,
I sing songs of happiness but,
Have seen mine full of wounds,
Celebrity but this cool look:
World,
the world is yours
Or am I killed by fate?
Whenever a person finds himself in trouble, in love, in sorrow, in celebration, in disquiet, he can always turn back to Shailendra. that’s the greatness kaviraji And why do we still remember him today?
(Edited by Paramita Ghosh)
Read also: 5 songs and 5 moods to remember Bollywood’s versatile composer Khayyam
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