Kitna badhiya likha hai! Loved this piece. Took me back to my childhood in the outskirts of Lucknow. The sweet sounds of Awadhi will always make me feel instantly at home. Though an English speaker by default I would inadvertently switch to Awadhi when I spoke with the gardener, cook, milkman and their families. With my parents away at work, I certainly spent more time with them than with khadi boli waale!!
Ayush, I save your posts to relish later. The title of this post is too delicious so I had to give in. A lot is going on here so I will make a lot of weird points, please do laugh at all of them because all of this would be haphazard. Why haphazard? Because I cannot write like you, taking diversions , giving illuminating examples and then bringing us back with a bang. SO pls do laugh
1. Have you heard of Muzaffar ali? The man who made Umrao Jan?
2. Have you heard of Chhaya Ganguli? Aapki yaad aati rahi fame?
4. Hear and explore the whole album - Husn e jaana. You and mum would absolutely love it. It is my best kept secret on what I love listening to the most. Also, I was listening to this on 1997 when I should have been studying but sorry I digress.
5. What would you say about the song 'shiv ji bihane chale' from Munim ji?
6. Raj kapoor did not lip sync the main singer part in 'chalat musafir'. He instead was singing with the chorus, which is why you see Manna bhaiiya singing the song and not Mukesh as was the parampara back then. The actor is Mr. Krishn dawan or someone (I will not google his name because, ego).
Who needs stupid bollywood that just trivializes everything and instead of helping to elevate people's mind, it reduces them to lowest denominator (like replacing 'bhaant bhaant' with 'tarah tarah' in a latest song that I will not mention here. It killed the tone of a song that is copied and not smartly).
Much love and gratitude for what you are doing Ayush. This felt fresh, like all your posts do.
I read Peggy Mohan's book a couple of years back and loved it. Your piece has made me want to go back to the chapters on Hindi and Urdu! Loved the way you wove everything together. The Bollywood music, folk traditions, the story of languages. Really nice read. :)
What a fabulous piece! You have a talent to present information in the most interesting manner ever.
Thanks so much Binu! Glad you liked it :)
Kitna badhiya likha hai! Loved this piece. Took me back to my childhood in the outskirts of Lucknow. The sweet sounds of Awadhi will always make me feel instantly at home. Though an English speaker by default I would inadvertently switch to Awadhi when I spoke with the gardener, cook, milkman and their families. With my parents away at work, I certainly spent more time with them than with khadi boli waale!!
Thank you, Mukta! Glad you liked it and that it reminded you of your childhood :)
Ayush, I save your posts to relish later. The title of this post is too delicious so I had to give in. A lot is going on here so I will make a lot of weird points, please do laugh at all of them because all of this would be haphazard. Why haphazard? Because I cannot write like you, taking diversions , giving illuminating examples and then bringing us back with a bang. SO pls do laugh
1. Have you heard of Muzaffar ali? The man who made Umrao Jan?
2. Have you heard of Chhaya Ganguli? Aapki yaad aati rahi fame?
3. Combine the point 1 and 2 and add some bit of awadhi and phaag and you get this - https://youtu.be/canLk6xBMMo?si=xXXEBWstrd5Egc1S
4. Hear and explore the whole album - Husn e jaana. You and mum would absolutely love it. It is my best kept secret on what I love listening to the most. Also, I was listening to this on 1997 when I should have been studying but sorry I digress.
5. What would you say about the song 'shiv ji bihane chale' from Munim ji?
6. Raj kapoor did not lip sync the main singer part in 'chalat musafir'. He instead was singing with the chorus, which is why you see Manna bhaiiya singing the song and not Mukesh as was the parampara back then. The actor is Mr. Krishn dawan or someone (I will not google his name because, ego).
7. While on Phagun, do give this also a listen, https://youtu.be/evVBrdNstWI?si=kUtcV-DZ7A55X073
Who needs stupid bollywood that just trivializes everything and instead of helping to elevate people's mind, it reduces them to lowest denominator (like replacing 'bhaant bhaant' with 'tarah tarah' in a latest song that I will not mention here. It killed the tone of a song that is copied and not smartly).
Much love and gratitude for what you are doing Ayush. This felt fresh, like all your posts do.
Thank you! And thank you for all the suggestions! Going through them one by one and sharing
I read Peggy Mohan's book a couple of years back and loved it. Your piece has made me want to go back to the chapters on Hindi and Urdu! Loved the way you wove everything together. The Bollywood music, folk traditions, the story of languages. Really nice read. :)
Thanks so much, Rohan!
It was an amazing book indeed. I ended up learning a lot about my family which was unexpected.
Just loved reading this Ayush! The perfect end to a Holi day.
Just love the intermingling of references from history, popular culture and lived experiences.
Happy Holi 💛
Thanks so much Natasha! I was afraid it may have been 'info-heavy' but glad it worked. Happy Holi to you too!
As always, new things to learn from Khanna Saab!! pls keep writing more frequently. Ek se kya hoga!! 😀
Haha thank you Shrini