Gone is Caravan...

Beej K Singh October 19, 2006

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#107 Posted by bjkumar on October 24, 2006 8:05:14 am

Extracted from a Government of India publication.

Neeraj
LYRICIST EXTRAORDINAIRE
NAVEEN JOSHI & JAI SINGH
Contemporary Hindi poetry in India is bereft of its soul without Neeraj. A godgifted poet, he is a rare gem whose sparkle illuminates the hearts of millions of Indians not only in India but abroad too. He is one of the very few Hindi poets who are equally revered by the literary world as well as cinema buffs. Befittingly, Neeraj has been conferred the Padmashree by the Government of India and honoured by many reputed literary institutions.

Being a prolific writer, he has written several books that have been translated into English, Russian, German, Bengali, Gujarati and many other languages. His works have been included in the syllabus of schools and colleges in many states of India. As if this is not enough, Neeraj’s forays in film industry have left a deep imprint on the minds of the connoisseur and the common cine-goers alike. His immortal songs include,

Karvan gujar gaya, gubar dekhte rahe
(the caravan has rolled past, I am left behind to see the dust raised by it);
Kaise kahein hum pyar ne hamko kya kya khel dikhaye
(how do I say how many hues love has shown me);
Phoolon key rang se, dil ki kalam sey, likhi tujhe ek pati
(using the colour of flowers as ink and heart as a pen, I wrote a letter to you).

Neeraj is endowed with an extraordinary talent; his songs are laced with pain, love, romance and persuasion and when he renders them in his own inimitable style, he mesmerizes the audience. He is the only songwriter of Bollywood whose each song has hit the bull’s eye. Legendry actor, producer, director and filmmaker, Dev Anand, invites him even today to Mumbai to write songs for his films. However, Neeraj has never been fascinated by the film world. A poet whose poems ooze passion and emotion, Neeraj smiles when asked about modern film songs. “Songs of today are uninspired and mechanical; a song must be imbued with sentiments to attain permanence. That is why today’s songs are so transitory. In fact the modern trend is to weave songs using the oft-repeated mushy words like dilbar (beloved), aashik (lover), saahil (bank of river) and the like. In our times passion and emotions were so deftly crafted into the songs that they used to tuck at your heartstrings. For example, ‘Megha chaye aadhi raat, bairan ban gayi nindiya’ (night is overcast with dark clouds – denoting passion – so sleep has turned hostile).”

In the 60s and 70s, he adds, to compete with such stalwarts like Hasrat Jaipuri, Indivar and Sahir Ludhianvi was a matter of pride. “That was a glorious period. Nowadays the songs are unable to create that lilting magic of the yore, simply because the lyricists and music composers are not as committed as they used to be.”

Now that Neeraj does not keep good health, his Mumbai visits have become very infrequent. He not long ago visited the USA at the invitation of the International Hindi Committee that honoured him. Also, he has been conferred many awards and titles by various organizations.

Few people know that Gopaldas ‘Neeraj’ (his full name) was a Professor of Hindi at the Darma Samaj College of Aligarh in the 60s when he first received offers to write songs for Hindi films. After shuttling between Mumbai and Aligarh for some time to complete his film assignments, Neeraj opted to leave teaching and settle down in Mumbai. Somehow, his temperament and health could not cope up with Mumbai and he returned to Aligarh, the city that had nurtured his creativity. Though satisfied with his life and professional achievements, he nevertheless adds rather philosophically:

Wahin par dhoondna Neeraj ko tum jahan walo Jahan bhi dard ki basti koi nazar aaye.
(Look for Neeraj, O people of this world, Wherever you find pain and sadness dwell.)

(The authors are freelance writers.)