Thursday, June 21, 2012

Song In Head #3

Ok, quite some time has passed since this song first appeared on TV and lodged itself in my brain and was flushed out therefrom, replaced by other catchy ditties.




But the song is quite significant in terms of lyrics, and I’ve caught myself thinking about it quite often. It’s significant simply for mentioning the word Bharat AND not using any corny epithets (usual suspects: pyara desh/watan, jaan se bhi zyada, mitti ki kasam etc) with it. Old patriotic songs, to me, sound like such misfits when they are blared out on occasions like Independence Day, when hardly any people show up for flag-hoistings, and when they do, they decide to leave ample proof of attendance by carelessly tossing around little paper flags & used paper cups. Patriotism is a very lofty ideal when people can’t be bothered with basic civic sense.

And that’s why I love this song, and hope to hear it playing through loudspeakers this fifteenth of August:

Sone ki chidiya,

Dengue, malaria,

Gud bhi hai gobar bhi

Bharat mata ki jai!



Just the right amount of irony to make you think, with a touch of carefree humour so that folks don’t get riled up.

And notice how there’s a pause after “Bharat mata ki”? Is it just me, or does it remind you of a certain Hindi cuss phrase? I don’t intend blasphemy, patriotism to me means much more than just repeating a chant.

Happy World Music Day, and,
Bharat mata ki jai!

10 comments:

  1. Catchy song, Rev. Will go along well with the 'saare jahan se achcha' tune that the Indian cars play like a broken tape-recorder, while in reverse gear.

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    1. Whoa, Seamus. Mann ki baat cheen li. And it becomes really ironical when these desh-bhakts reverse their cars in the dead of the night in residential areas. :\

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  2. Great post - my thoughts, precisely.

    On a totally different note - heard 'bol bachchan'? (opening/signature line inspired by the old movie Golmaal - which the entire movie's based on,incidentally).

    That's the one looping in my head right now.

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    1. ANOTHER movie based on Golmaal? Oh, right: Golmaal was not based on the old Golmaal..

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  3. Hahhahahhaha
    the lyrics. I mean awesome hai.
    Is it just me or is anyone also aware how emraan hashmi movies have nice songs to them.

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    1. You are certainly not alone. We were recently watching a random Hashmi flick on TV when dad asks: when are the songs coming??

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  4. Haha! Love the song and yes, that lil pause did cause a bit of stir but died down soon...thank god for that!

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    1. Ohh.. And here I was, congratulating myself for possessing a singularly depraved mind. *Sigh*

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  5. Dunno if you watch football, but I love the way Gianlugi Buffon just belts out the Italian anthem at the start of every game. Gets me all choked up, and sets the mood for the players too, I'd imagine.

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    1. Thanks IH, such trivia really makes me wanna go and switch on ESPN.. till I remember why I don't watch it. The guys are boring, and they only score when I turn my eyes away for one second.

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