Songs with Paradoxes

Posted on Trivia- The Spice of Life on 18/06/2023

Figures of speech help one to effectively express one’s emotions. It is fun to play around with words to convey something by resorting to literary devices instead of saying it in a matter of fact staid manner. Perhaps, this ability to say ordinary things in an extraordinary manner is what distinguishes a poet/lyricist from ordinary mortals.

You name the figure of speech and you find it in our film songs – be it metaphors, or similes, irony or rhetoric. A popular figure of speech is the oxymoron which brings together two contradictory words – such as awfully good or open secret. However, there is another figure of speech – paradox – which though seems to be close to the oxymoron is actually distinct. A paradox is a rhetorical device or a self-contradictory statement that can actually be true. An oxymoron however, is a figure of speech that pairs two opposing words. The key to easily spotting the difference is to focus on the meanings of the words themselves. In an oxymoron, the words themselves have a shade of contradiction in their definitions. But in the case of the paradox the statement prima facie seems contradictory, but when one appreciates its meaning, it actually makes sense and has some truth to it.

Paradoxes are about exceptions too. When something is against expected or accepted behaviour or when something defies its defining characteristic, it is said to be paradoxical (उलटी गंगा बहाना as they say in Hindi). Students of Economics are taught Giffen’s paradox where the well settled law of demand is violated. In economics and consumer theory, a Giffen good is a product that people consume more of as the price rises and vice versa—violating the basic law of demand in microeconomics.

Here is an attempt in this post to list songs where this device has been used to perfection. In some, it is in the mukhda and in the others in the antara. The songs speak of someone or something acting against the defining characteristic.

1) Chingaari Koi Bhadke – Amar prem (1971) – Anand Bakshi – R.D.Burman – Kishore Kumar. How fascinating the story of this song is! Apparently, this was a last minute addition to the movie as the iconic director Shakti Samanta felt that this song of Anand Bakshi’s was too good to be given up. Thus, a situation was specially created for the song and the entire scene of the Hooghly river and the Howrah Bridge was recreated in Mumbai to film the song. This is perhaps the only song that strings together so many paradoxes! It is about how everyone/everything acts against the designated role – saawan (jo agan lagaaye), bahaar (jo baag ujade), manmeet (jo ghaav lagaaye), madira (jo pyaas lagaaye), maanjhi (jo naav duboye)! Such transgressions of course get transposed to the situation of the film where the two protagonists have been deceived / neglected by their kith and kin.

Chingaari koi bhadke
to saawan use bujhaaye
saawan jo agan lagaaye
use kaun bujhaaye

patjhar jo baag ujaade
wo baag bahaar khilaaye
jo baag bahaar mein ujde
use kaun khilaaye

koi dushman thhes lagaaye
to meet jiyaa behlaaye
manmeet jo ghaav lagaaye
use kaun mitaaye

...peete hain to zinda hain
na peete to mar jaate
duniya jo pyaasaa rakhhe
to madira pyaas bujhaaye
madira jo pyaas lagaaye
use kaun bujhaaye

majhdhaar mein naiyya dole
to maanjhhi paar lagaaye
maanjhhi jo naav duboye
use kaun bachaaye

2) Kabhi Bekasi Ne Maara – Alag Alag (1985) – Anand Bakshi – R.D.Burman – Kishore Kumar. The lyrics of the song are really impressive. It appears that this song was an inspired (!!) version of a Pakistani song. Cosmetic changes have been made in the lyrics. Sung by Kishore Kumar for Rajesh Khanna, this is about how life kills and how friends deceive !

gila maut se nahin hai
mujhe zindagi ne maara..
Kahin dushmani ne loota
Kahin dosti ne maara..
 mujhe chaandni ne loota
Mujhe roshni ne maara...

3) Oy Chali Chali Kaisi Hawa Yeh Chali – Bluff Master (1963) – Rajinder Krishan – Kalyanji Anandji – Shamshad Begum & Usha Mangeshkar. This fun qawwali has Saira Bano and a cross dressed Shammi pitted against each other. Shamshad Begum sings for Shammi Kapoor. Now the kali is falling for the bhanwra (the bud is enamoured by the bee) – for the norm is the opposite and how this has come to be is the theme of the qawwali.

Oy chali chali kaisi hawa ye chali
ke bhanwre pe marne lagi hai kali

4) Yaad Mein Teri Jaag Jaag Ke hum – Mere Mehboob (1963) – Shakeel Badayuni – Naushad – Md. Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar. This song is sung on screen by the heartbroken lead pair. In the third antara which is sung by Sadhana, she refers to a situation where the gardener instead of safeguarding his garden himself tramples on the flowers. I am a little confused though about whether Sadhana is referring to Rajendra Kumar – her lover or – Ashok Kumar- her brother – as the gardener.

Tujhko paakar hamein bahaar milee
tujhse chhutkar magar ye baat khulee
baaghbaan bhi chaman ke phoolon ko
apne pairon se khud masalte hain

5) Mili Khaaq Mein Mohabbat – Chaudvin Ka Chaand (1960) – Shakeel Badayuni – Ravi – Md.Rafi. This song sung by a shattered husband and friend is about feeling helpless as he is caught between the affection for his friend and the love for his wife. A love triangle would obviously have such consequences. Guru Dutt has just learnt that his friend Rehmaan had fallen for the same girl – Waheeda Rehmaan – as him. But now that Waheeda is Guru Dutt’s loving wife, he is caught in a rather strange set of circumstances. In an instant everything looks so different. Spring thus is now hand in hand with autumn. The caravaneer after showing the path has looted the caravanner. Again, it is difficult to understand who the caravaneer is and who the caravanner. Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics keep one guessing.

Ye bahaar kaisi aayi
jo khizaa bhi saath laayi..

mujhe raasta dikhaakar
 mere carvaan ko loota...

6) Kabhi Humne Nahin Socha Tha – Tume Accha Kaun Hai (1969) – Hasrat Jaipuri – Shankar Jaikishan – Md.Rafi. This team of Rafi, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan has produced gems. This song is no different. It is peppered with paradoxes. Rafi sings this title song in his typical spirited style for Shammi (with the loud intermittent shouting included!!). It is almost the impossible happening – the river coming to the thirsty, water catching fire and rock melting.

...Pyaase ke paas nadi bhi 
khud pyaas bujhaane aaye
kabhi hamne nahin sochaa thaa 
aisaa din bhi aayegaa
paani mein aag lagegi
 patthar bhi pighal jaayegaa...

7) Jaun Kahaan Bata Ai Dil – Chhoti Behen (1959) – Hasrat Jaipuri – Shankar Jaikishan – Mukesh. This song by Mukesh moves one no end. It is about a conscience-striken brother who wonders how the family has split and remembers how he has been instrumental in its falling apart. There is a reference to the moonlight burning the house down (chaandni aayi ghar jalaane). I wonder whether it is the wife – Shyama – who is being referred to as the moonlight that has torched the house, for she is the villainess of the piece. The daughter-in-law ideally is like the light that illuminates the house. But in this case, she has destroyed the household.

Chaandni aayi ghar jalaane
soojhe na koi manzil

8) Na To Carvaan Ki Talaash Hai – Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) – Sahir Ludhianvi – Roshan – Manna Dey, S D Batish, Asha Bhonsle, Sudha Malhotra, Md. Rafi and Chorus. This celebrated qawwali – perhaps the longest of film qawwalis – has interesting lyrics. Though penned by Sahir Ludhianvi, and composed by Roshan, both the tune and the lyrics appear inspired. The line that is most suitable for my theme at hand is jo dawaa ke naam pe zahar de usi chaaraagar ki talaash hai (I am in search of a doctor who will give me poison in the name of medicine).

मेरे नामुराद जुनून का है इलाज कोई तो मौत है
जो दवा के नाम पे ज़हर दे उसी चारागर की तलाश है

9) Dil apna Aur Preet Parai – Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) – Shailendra – Shankar Jaikishan – Lata Mangeshkar. The title song of this movie sums up the paradox that the movie is all about. The heart is yours but harbours love for someone else. Again it is difficult to figure out whether this refers to Raj Kumar who loves Meena Kumari but is compelled to marry Nadira or to Meena Kumari who continues to harbour love for Raj Kumar though she never makes it very obvious. Or from Nadira’s perspective, Raj Kumar’s heart is given to her but his love is for someone else? The song has some lovely paradoxes.

Dil apna aur preet parai
kis ne hai ye reet banaai
aandhi mein ek deep jalaayaa
aur paani mein aag lagai

10) Watan Pe Jo Fida Hoga – Phool Bane Angaarey (1963) – Anand Bakshi – Kalyanji Anandji – Md.Rafi. This patriotic song sung impeccably by Rafi is full of paradoxes. It has some hard-hitting lyrics about how a neighbour, who is supposed to help, has attacked. This movie was made against the background of the Chinese aggression of 1962.

Hamaare ik padosi ne
hamaare ghar ko loota hain

bharam ik dost ki bas dosti ka
aise toota hai
ke ab dost pe duniya ko
dushman ka gumaan hoga
watan pe jo fida hoga
amar wo naujawaan hoga

Come to think of it – life itself is full of paradoxes, for the only thing that is constant is change!!

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