Jiya Legayore Rafisaab
The review of Nain Lad Jain Hei is written by Mr. M.V.Devraj
Mohd Rafi
It is universally accepted that the smell and scent of Mother Earth gives that soothing flavour and fragrance which is beyond conception, perception and imagination. Indian villages, the village people, the village dialects and generally village life have that earthly flavour which touches heart strings of every Indian.
Ganga Jamuna is a film created out and out with a village background. Dilip Kumar (Ganga), Vyjayanthimala (Dhanno) are seethed in village systems and practices. The dialogues are in rich Bhojpuri lingo and the music by Naushad and the lyrics by Shakeel are soaked, immersed and drenched in instruments and language used by village folks.
‘Do hanson ka joda’, ‘doondo doondore sajna’, ‘na maanu na maanu’ are all great hits because of this ‘dharti ki khushboo’ as Naushadsaab used to say. But we are going to discusss about one of the masterpiece folksong ever to have emerged out of Hindi films. Masterpiece in any which way, be it the use of Bhojpuri language, be it the lyrical beauty, be it the use of the traditional village oriented musical instruments in the orchestra, be it the dance accompanying the song, be it the singing itself, be it the acting by the lead pair, be it anything. Yes friends, I am talking about ‘Laaga gori gujariyase… nain lad jayi hai’.
Watch the video of Nain Lad Jai Hein from Ganga Jamuna – Courtesy: zanzibarbar @ Youtube
Ganga and Dhanno are in love and the village people are teasing Ganga. Ganga gets into musical mood and starts the alap which takes us right into the vibrant dancing mood and sense of the song. Rafisaab simply transports us to a village, the village market place and the naturally beautiful village belle comes before our eyes.
Laagaa gori gujariyaa se, nehaa hamaar
hoyi gavaa saaraa chaupat moraa rojgaar
The moment I set my eyes on this fair maiden,
all my daily chores have gone for a toss
The typical beats set the tone for the song and dance.
Nain lad jain he to manvaa maa kasak hoibe kari
prem ka chhuti hai pataakhaa tho dhamak hoibe kari
When the eyes meet the heart throbs
Fireworks of love ignite, it goes off with a bang.
Sarangi is played matching the robust drum beats.
Mohd Rafi
Roop ko manma basaibaa tho bura kaa hoyi hai
tho huse preet lagaibaa tho bura kaa hoyi hai
prem ki nagari maa kuchh hamaraa bhi haq hoibe kari
Ganga asks his mates, what is wrong if I seat the figure (of his lover) in my heart and what is wrong if I love that figure? I too have some rights in the realm of love.
The use of the sarangi and the flute along with the typical desi beats in the interludes play an important role in the dance steps just going off with gay abandon which is at the core of this song sequence.
Hoyi gavaa man maa more thirchi najar kaa hallaa
gori ko dekhe binaa nindiyaa na aavayi hamkaa
phaans lagi hai to karejavaa maa khatak hoibe kari
The piercing eyes have created havoc in my heart
I cannot sleep without seeing the beauty
When the heart is pierced it is sheer agony
The interlude starts with the thaan so beautifully done by Rafisaab and literally he acts for Dilip Kumar at this place. It is a rare trait which only Rafisaab had that whenever he sings, he gets into the skin of that particular actor for whom he sings. It is as if during the duration of the song Rafisaab is hidden and the actor is singing himself. If you close your eyes and just listen to the song you will easily visualize how Dilip Kumar must be emoting for each and every line of the song. And if you see the picture you cannot conceive that any person other than Dilip Kumar is singing it. Rafisaab merges with the character and the song so perfectly that we all can only remain in awe of the wonder called Rafi and be eternally grateful to the Almighty that the Rafi Phenomenon happened during our life time.
After the first line of this antara, Naushadsaab uses the sehnai and the drums so brilliantly that one will start dancing automatically.
Aankh mil gayi hai sajaniya se tho naachan lagi hai
pyaar ki meethi gajal manavaa bhi gaavan lagi hai
jhaanjh baji hai to kamariyaa maa lachak hoibe karii
The moment the eyes meet the lover I dance automatically
The heart starts singing sweet love sonnet
The anklets jingle and the hips sway.
I like the way Rafisaab says ‘gajal’, it sure gives that rustic feel.
The song gets into its last phase and the crowd gets into it at a faster pace. The sehnai and flute and the beats are in keeping with the breezy pace and when the crowd starts singing a shy and coy Dhanno appears at the doorsteps. The village crowd says ‘she stole his heart with a touch of magic, or is it witchcraft?’ The song ends with the final alap by Rafisaab to reach a brilliant climax with the drums blazing.
Friends, haven’t you all been transported to an ethnic and rustic village and didn’t you all dance to this classy song without any inhibition, care or thought? Didn’t you feel like repeating the experience of seeing, listening, singing and dancing to this numero uno folk song? Shakeel/Naushad/Rafi/Dilip Kumar combination has given us one of the most durable delectable unforgettable musical ecstacy.
I only wish to say
‘man legayare Rafisaab rama kaisa jaadoo daar ke, kaisa jaadoo daar ke kaisa tona daar ke’
man legayare Rafisaab rama kaisa jaadoo daar ke,
thaik thaik thik thaa’.
Good write up. But the language is Kannauji dialect of rural central UP and not Bhojpuri.
Adaab Rafi !
Undoubtedly the best bhojpuri song in the bollywood and still very popular..
Hats off to Naushad saab and his fav Rafi sahab for this lovely folk song…
Keep flowing ur article in ur unique way Devaraj saab
Narayan
Dear Bhaisaab,
Your outstanding review of “nain lad gayi re” brought back memories of my school holidays and regular visits to the native place. Rafisaab has sung this song with panache and the song comes alive through the splendid acting of Dileep Kumar. Wah! kya gaana un zamane mein bantha tha! Let us salute Naushad, Rafisaab and Shakeel for enriching our music. As you rightly pointed out “we are indeed lucky to be born in their times”. Let us thank God for The Phenomenon called RAFI lived during our times.
M V Krishnan
I was brought up with listening to Rafi Saab, songs. And even now, it echoes in my house. When I listen to his songs I hair stands on ends and my whole body vibrates. I am proud to say that my kids, 2 gals, 16 and 13yrs old , both enjoy listening to his songs although it is not in their era.This ‘LOVE for Rafi’ji was initiated by my late dad, Haniruth Rampersad.My dad sounded so similar to Rafi, (in a small way, OFF COURSE). It just goes to show that Rafi’ji influenced so many people with his dynamic voice all over the world. We are staying in SOUTH AFRICA and we are influnced by his ANGEL VOICE.
Thank You DEV BHAI, for this brilliant and touching website.
WE LOVE YOU RAFI SAAB TO ETERNITY.
Vijay Rampersad
South africa
devraj ji,
you have transported us to a village nearby Patna or so in Bihar..
Your commentary is just masterpiece. Reading your views almost gave me similar pleasure what we get from listening Rafi sb in the song.
great work.Looking for more from you..
regards;
shrirang nawathe
devbhai –
what an expression so full of soul matching every beat and tap as rafi gave us this village jig.
everytime we take up a song of rafi sahab, we just bring out the uniqueness and the brilliance which ultimately go to prove none – i repeat – none could have ever attempted sing this song in a manner that rafi sahab does.
yug yugaantar – rafi sahab you shall remain tops on that pedestal – perched high and a singer even if he turns topsy turvey – couldnt achieve this excellence or come close to getting to the intricate nuances of rafi renditions.
devsahab – as usual – words fail me – you are one of those rare personalities who has the gift of the gab, song and the pen.
what could i say more of a person – who could belt out – two diametrically opposite songs – swargiya kundanlal sehgal – aai kaatiba takdir mujhey itnaa bataagey .. itnaa bataadey .. tu mujhsey khafaa hai kyoon kyaa mainey kiyaa hai. AND late rafi sahab’s song from DOSTI.
its a pleasure to read your reviews – please keep em flowing DEV SIR,
ramesh narain kurpad.
rameshkurpad@gmail.com
Friends, Thanks for all your encouraging complements.
Uttara: You will not believe it , I spent a whole day trying for a word to explain the way Rafisab sings this song.I knew the word but just could not get it at the right time.The word is ‘gusto’.That’s right.Thanks Uttara,for your nice words and for this particular word,’gusto’.
Anwar-ul-Haqsaab,I am very happy to note that you liked my commentary on this evergreen song and thanks for your lovely complements.
Guruji: Your comments are very valuable to me and I sincerely am grateful to you for that.
AnmolSinghsaab,Ashish Kapoorsaab,thanks for your appreciative statements.
Mohan: I am honoured to read such high praises from you,my friend.
Vinod Merusaab,I sincerely acknowledge with gratitude your good wishes.You are very right in saying that for us these old gems are the only true and right companions.
Bina: Aapke comments ke baare mein kya kahen!As usual Dil ko choo liya.Bus itna hi kehta hoon.Many many thanks,your comments are invaluable to me.
Best wishes,friends.
M V Devraj
Devraj Saab:
This is a terrific song to bring out the flavour of a village ambience…bahut hi badhiya choice hai Devraj Saab (imagine Laloo saying these words!)
The charm of the song is in its lightness, full of teasing and leg pulling, and the usage of the Bhojpuri dialect takes you right into region where the great Ganges flows….where there are songs for seasons, for every event in the cycle of life such as child birth, marriage, even death…but there is no reason required for simple enjoyment and laughter or to shake a leg ..and take a stress break after long hours of toiling at the fields!
Like you have very nicely pointed out, Dilip has sung and danced with gay abandon and Rafi Saab has done exactly the same in his singing…what an ever delightlful combination..not to forget, Vyjanthi’s brief appearance is enchanting..
Sach mein, Jiya Le Gayo Re Rafi Saab..aur Dil Le Gayi aapki review!
Bina
Dear Devraj ji,
Thank u very much for your kind views and analysis on such a great composition of great four legends. yeh humko virasat mein mili hui untouchable assests hai jisko koi humse withdraw nahin kar sakta. Aaj kal to old music hi mera true dost hai.
Once against accept my wishes for such a lovely analysis.
regards
vinod mehru 09768245368
hello all rafi fans and lovers,
another bhojpuri song that comes to my mind is “sonwa ke pinjra”,the movie is “ganga maiya tohe piyari chadhaiybo” (1962) and the music director is chitragupt and the lyrics are by shailendra. it is a beautiful song sung with a lot of emotions by rafi sahab. it is available on youtube.
rafi sahab could sing in any language.
ashish kapoor, ashkpr@hotmail.com
Dear Devraj saab:
In Tamil, they say, “ma(n)h vasanai” – “dharti ki khushboo”. Aaj aapka review me man(h) ka vasanai paa liye hamne. Saat samandar paar Canada me baithe baithe matri bhoomi ki yaad aa gayi.
Nain metaphorically lad gaye; ashk ke juloos nikal aaye, Devraj saab.
Thank you sir!
Gan
Hello Devraj Ji,
A very written piece of article. This song is one of the several diamonds sung by Rafi. Also a lot of credit has to be given to Naushad Sahab also. Since he heals from Lucknow, UP, only he can compose perfect pulse of the fork music.
The use of Sarangi for a happy atmosphere is some what similar to O P Nayyar who generally used the Sarangi in majority of his compositions.
Devraj Bhai,
Wonderful. In fact, this song apart from the two songs in “Godaan”, ‘Pipara Ke Patva’ and ‘Jogira Sar Holi’ (music by Pandit Ravishankar and wriiten by Anjaan) are the three hit Bhojpuri songs used in Hindi Cinema, all sung by Rafi Saab. The line by line and scene by scene and instrument by instrument explanation transported us to a Village and even while reading the article the unique dance of Dilip Kumar was in front of our eyes.
Congrats.
Dear Mr. Devraj,
A very beautiful article on a great song! You have provided gorgeous commentary on this song with brilliant translation of lyrics and awesome description on instruments used in the song. Many congratulations on writing such a very well written article.
Thanks and best regards.
Anwar-ul-Haque
anwarhq25@yahoo.com
Devrajji, Nain lad jai is one of the moot robust and rustic songs of Hindi cinema. You have beautifully brought out the rustic flavour. Rafi saab sings it with so much gusto and feel that you can’t but get up and dance to the tune. One can feel rafi saab enjoying the song while singing it. And it is this enjoyment of his which is so infectious. We all naturally get mesmerised by his singing. Dilip-Rafi-Shakeel-Naushad combination is one of the best combos in cine history. This song is a musical testimony to it.
Devrajji, your review of the song takes us to a village and makes us partiticpate in this foot-tapping and clapping earthy song.
Thank you for choosing this excellent song.
Regards
Utthara