Just Walking Around

Sakhar Chapati and other memorable childhood snacks…

The other day read an article in The Times Of India about the Marathi Actor Amey Wagh who played Banesh (Faster) Fene in last years one of the top Marathi grosser “Faster Fene” talking about his favorite childhood tiffin snack of Tup Sakhar Poli made by his mother and given in his school dabba. Most of us too have had this snack while growing up as kids. The taste of freshly made chapatti smeared with healthy amount os Tup or homade ghee and then sprinkled with sparkling crystals of sugar and slightly heated on the Tawa to make it a little crispy.Bitting into this yummy snack would leave a mouth watering after taste which would linger on for hours together. A similar version can be made with the mixed fruit jam smeared on the same chapatti and rolled to make jam roll , but its no where near the Tup Sakhar Chapati.

Another favorite tiffin snack was the Thikhat Meethachya Purya , those fluffy puris made with whole wheat as basic ingredient and only salt and red chilly powder mixed in the right proportion to make them a little salty and a little spicy. These could be eaten all by themselves or with the ever faithful Tomato Ketchup. A lipsmacking snack which could be had anytime either at lunch time during tiffin break or as a energy recharger in the evening just before going down to play. A sweet version of these also was a hit with us kids . The puris made with mixing ripe bananas into the atta and then frying them golden brown. But these needed to be had right out of the kadai , hot and sweet and if you had a mint and dhania chutney to go with it toh kya baat.Yummy and delicious. A special version of this sweet snack was the Banana Mulka or Banana Appam made with ripened banana and jaggery mixed to form a batter then wheat flour added to this mixture as a binder , salt to taste , Elaichi powder to give is a flavor and sometimes a little semolina or Rava as we call to give these fritter that crispyness. Deep fried to dark brown and served hot these small round bhajji type mulka are heavenly to taste also filling for the energetic young kids.

We did not have the concept of breakfast during school days as the school itself was from 10am to 5pm with 2 lunch breaks . So most days breakfast was a mugful of milk with Parle G or Prasad Toast. But sometimes if we were bored we had desi cum continental breakfast. Yes desi-continental in terms of Rice flakes our Maharashtrian Patal pohe dunked in a bowl of Milk and sugar.A healthy and wholesome snack. The same snack could be made into a salty one by using yogurt instead of milk and pinch of salt instead of the sugar. And if you could get Mom to use her magic by giving it a tadka of finely chopped green chilies , some roasted peanuts , crackling mustard seeds and few curry leaves the snack could be turned into a mini meal by itself. To be savored by all in the family. A close replica of the Curd –Rice or Tahir Sadam from down south.

Another favorite tiffin snack and the most simple to make was the chutney sandwich with its sweet –salty green chutney spread over 2 slices of bread mostly a Wibs or a Modern bread. And yes a white bread there was no option of Brown bread or the mutli grain that you get today. But this little snack would be shared during tiffin time and gobbled up to the last crumb. The chutney sandwich was also a favorite at birthday parties and was most popular next only to the humble Samosa-Wafer combination.Makes my mouth water up just thinking about these nick-knacks.

Most times the tiffin was filled with the chapatti bahji which was made at home to save on cooking time. 

But at times when this got boring a request would go out to Mom for a Frankie type veg roll or a paratha to make lunch time in school a little bit interesting. Now a days instead of the veggies my Wifey makes an indulging Cheese roll for my kids which get devoured by them during tiffin time without even a small morsel coming back. Though what comes back are compliments from fellow students in their class eagerly shared with their Mom at the end of the day.

On certain days of the week like a Wednesday or Friday we were allowed to take non-veg items to school. Nothing fancy but a small variation like the Anda Paratha with Chapati as the base and wisked egg omelette on top , roasted to perfect union and then rolled up to make a lip smacking snack was a to die for snack as also much awaited break from the regular bhaji chapatti 

.The other spicy option was Bhurji Chapati made with tomatoes , sauteed onion, a pinch salt of some chopped green chilies and a pinch of red chilly powder added to the scrambled eggs to make a perfect dish to go with the drab chapatti.A tasty and filling tiffin time option.

I still remember those school lunch break . A time to pool in the variety of snacks among our regular group. Sharing the food and some lively banter. Joking ,Laughing and sometimes pulling each others and generally having a great time.A  well deserved break from the stern teachers and days long studies.

Here’s wishing all my readers year full of Gastronomic adventure and a fabulous New Year 2019. Enjoy the food , Stay healthy and Happy Reading…..

Just Walking Around

Mawa Cakes and Mutton Puffs

The Brit’s gave us a habit of high tea with evening snacks.Further nutured by our very own gora’s the Parsis.It could be a light snack of Cheese Sandwiches or those light and succulent and fluffy Chicken or Mutton puffs.But sometimes they  also used to have a sweet muffin or a brownie.  A muffin is an individual-sized, baked product. It can refer to two distinct items, a part-raised flatbread and a cupcake-like quick bread. The flatbread is of British or European derivation, and dates from at least the early 18th century, while the quick bread originated in North America during the 19th century. Both are common worldwide today.

Quickbread muffins (known in Britain as American muffin or simply as "muffins") originated in the United States in the mid-19th century. The use of the term to describe what are essentially cup cakes or buns did not become common usage in Britain until the last decades of the 20th century on the back of the spread of coffee shops such as Starbucks. (There is lingering resistance in the UK to the term as being inapplicable to cakes.) They are similar to cupcakes in size and cooking methods, the main difference being that cupcakes tend to be sweet desserts using cake batter and which are often topped with sugar icing (American frosting). Muffins are available in both savoury varieties, such as corn meal and cheese muffins, or sweet varieties such as blueberry, chocolate chip, lemon or banana flavours. They are often eaten as a breakfast food, often accompanied by coffee or tea. Fresh baked muffins are sold by bakeries, donut shops and some fast food restaurants and coffeehouses.

In India especially in Mumbai where there is our very own version of this sweet piece of snack…the Mawa cake . Those perfectly round brown cup cakes sitting in big glass jars or glass top cake display units at the famous Irani Cafes like Jimmy Boy , Café Britannia , Café Modegar inSoBO district or local Irani café’s in old Mumbai areas of Dadar – Matunga like the famous Koolar’s at King Circle or Café Colony in Hindu Colony . Order a cup of chai and peel of the butter paper around these delicious savoury and gobble them up. And if you have sweet tooth you wont stop at one.

The mawa cake is maybe not the most aesthetic looking creation of the cake world, although SodaBottleOpenerWala does seem to have prettified it with icing and such. Everywhere else though, it's just a plain dense cake, made with mawa. Sometimes it is prepared as a slab, and thick slices are lopped off and served. And sometimes, it is served in dainty cupcake form with a little frill of a paper wrapper around it that requires careful unwrapping. The mawa in the cake makes it dense and rich, and adds a caramelised flavour. The richness is laced with a hint of cardamom and sometimes nutmeg. Traditionally, it comes with cashew nuts and sometimes almonds, crowning the top. It is the sort of cake you would order with a cup of hot tea, after a long, miserable day that has dulled your spirit.

Nobody can really say how the cake came about: the birth of the mawa cake is a mystery that has been lost in the shroud of history. Certainly, B Merwan claims to have invented it but then so does Pune's Royal Bakery. Perhaps it was the fortuitous result of twiddling and tweaking the boring old sponge cake, or an upgrade of the traditional kumas (a sort of semolina cake). It may well have been a way to preserve milk from spoiling in the days when there were no refrigerators (after all, mawa is the milk product you get after boiling milk for a long time, until it turns into a blob of dough-like milk solids). There's only one thing for sure - there was certainly no mawa cake before the wave of immigrants that took over all the corner spaces in the city and opened their Irani cafes.

If you want to try the best Mawa Cakes then you should visit the old Irani / Parsi bakeries which double up as Café’s . Like the Kayani Bakery and Café just opposite Metro Cinema at Dobhi Talao. Perhaps the oldest Irani café of them all, it’s located in the most central area of Dhobi Talao, with Metro cinema, and St. Xaviers college serving as its important landmarks. As such, one can safely say that the ever constant popularity of Kyani makes sure it doesn’t need any. Standing out as a proud structure of heritage amidst the bustle of South Mumbai, a peek into the café will always be greeted with crowded tables, and friendly staff.

Located at a stone’s throw away from Kyani, the century-old Sassanian is the one-stop place for anyone craving a serving of great bun maska, puddings, cakes and khari, a flour biscuit one eats with tea. 

Another favourite snack with that hot pipping cup of chai are the special Chicken / Mutton Puffs or pattice as they are colloquially called .These triangular multi-layered fluffy pattice are to die for satisfying those late afternoon hunger pangs and giving you the much needed extra energy to take you through the evening time. If you ask me where do you get the best Mutton puffs only 2 places come to my mind. Sunshine Snack Corner, about ten minutes away from the bustle of Causeway, is one such place, selling the most delicious puffs, cutlets, and sandwiches, and at budget friendly prices. The first thing that drew you into Sunshine Snack Counter is the Pink Panther mural on its walls. 

The second thing—and this one’s the keeper—is the counter stacked with mutton puffs, cutlets, and samosas. This no-frills eating joint takes up a small corner near Colaba Post Office and is made up of a counter and a couple of tables presided over by the aforementioned cartoon mural. As citizens of Mumbai, I’ve eaten my share of mutton puffs, so when I say these were some of the best I’ve had, I do hope you take me seriously. The pastry outside is light and perfectly crisp and flaky, while the filling—to quote our favourite picky eater—is just right. Not too spicy or bland, not too dry or too soggy, it was just the right amount of piquant with a welcome dash of freshness from the chunks of tomato and onion that hadn’t been cooked down into an unrecognizable paste. The cutlet is similarly tasty, with a rawa-fried batter and a filling typical of most Parsi-style mutton cutlets – erring on the spicy side but tempered with bits of potato. This is a real gem to have your Mutton puff / pattice.

Another famous place is in Bandra goes by the name of Hearsch Bakery. The J HearschBakery that flanks the Holy Family Hospital is a Bandra Landmark that even townies are known to make the pilgrimage to for a hearty meal of burgers , puffs and freshly made lemonade.What no one knows is that this friendly neighbourhood bakery wouldn’t have been around had Britain not declared war on Germay in 1914 and gentleman named Hearsch had not met a Colaba lady. Hearsch bakery is a remnant of a time when Bandra's hub of street couture, Hill Road, was renowned merely for its hospitals. Nearly a hundred years ago, a young and enterprising Goan girl ventured onto the very same street. Having just pulled the curtains down on her most recent venture -- Connaught Bakery on Colaba Causeway -- Sophia Liberata Fernandes was disillusioned about the future. It was here that she first heard of a German baker, who wished to lease out his bakery. Rather urgently as well, from the sound of things

In the wake of the First World War, relations between Germany and Britain had witnessed a significant decay. Britain's colonies, including India, were no longer safe for Germans. It was in the 1920s, under such trying circumstances that a bread man, J Hearsch, reluctantly decided to give up his labour of love, a small bakery, and head for the safer shores of Germany.  Quite by chance, he met Sophia, who was keen to start a bakery in Bandra, after shutting down her shop in Colaba. Hearsch entrusted the passionate Sophia with his life's work, and fled to Germany, and obscurity.

Hearsch bakery is located on the busy Hill Road, and knowledge of its closest landmark, Mocha Mojo, won't do you much good. However, ask the most lethargic local for directions and he will guide you with alacrity, and some pride even. Located within the idyllic premise of a forbiddingly-gated British era bungalow, the bakery is a hidden gem of sorts. Top a juicy burger (Rs 50) off with some velvety mousse (Rs 30) and wash it down with lemonade (made fresh, on the spot and for Rs 20 only), and you are still light by only a hundred rupees. 

By 7 am, the bakery is abuzz with cooks and bakers working on preparations that have made Hearsch famous. A good mixture of youngsters and veterans work round the clock in the kitchen, kneading, baking, frying and decorating all that food which graces the counters of the store. The puffs and sandwiches are the fastest moving items, with about a hundred of each prepared in a single batch. 

The special mayonnaise, Hearsch's best-kept secret, is the trickiest concoction. Vary but a little from the original recipe, and the D'Sa brothers -- Melvin and Steven, who mind the counter at different times of the day -- have to suffer much criticism from patrons

The prices are the least of Hearsch's links to a time long forgotten. The idyllic positioning of the bakery makes it a perfect romancing spot. Construction rocks next to the bakery are inadvertently positioned underneath an ageing tree and are enclosed by furry emerald patches of grass. While the area does not technically fall under the property of the bakery, Mr.D'Sa the current manager admits to witnessing a wealth of romances blossom here over the years. 

Most patrons sit on the well-laid out stones that also serve as table tops for their glasses of shake. The neighborhood cats keep a keen eye on their paper plates too, but being well-mannered, they wait patiently for patrons to throw them in the waste bins. They then proceed to rummage the bins, fighting only with the crows, who tend to get there first.   


This suburban bakery, barely a stone's throw from actor Salman Khan's house, is visited by celebrities too

So next time you are a little bit hungry and want that much needed cup of chai , try these awesome places for a little bit of mawa cakes or mutton puffs to go with your pipping hot cuppa.

Just Walking Around

A Little more of Kandil & Diya …A Little less of Crackers & Baksheesh..

The Great Indian Festival is ON not on the online e-comm portals of Amazon or Flipkart but in our homes in the real world ….Its Diwali Time folks . The real deal the biggest and brightest festival celebrated across India. The festival for which you can shout out Lights (Diyas , Kandils & Twinkling Rice bulb streamers ) Sound ( sounds of crackers ) Action (little kids in the family scampering around the house with energy)..Yes the festival that creeps up on us all to bring in lots of positive energy and family bonding..

But the anticipation starts building nearly a fortnight in advance with plans being made for shopping and list been drawn for gifts and sundries to be purchased. On top of the list is shopping for ethnic wares for the kids and the Missus. Be it deals on dresses at the neighborhood shops or the latest designs at the Malls. But the best places to shop for Salwars , Kurtis or the latest one –piece dress for the women folk are the nooks and corners of the old markets like the shops in Hind Mata Market or the Gandhi Market in King circle or even the cloth market in MJ Market or the Mangaldas Market in South Mumbai . If you're after cloth by the meter or un-stitched dress material to make Indian outfits, Mangaldas Market and Mulji Jetha Market (also called M.J. Market) are where you should head. 

Located close to each other, these sprawling wholesale markets are among the largest textile markets in Asia. Rows and rows of stalls are filled to the brim with a diverse assortment of fabrics, from bling to block prints. Mangaldas Market, traditionally home to traders from Gujarat, is a mini-town, complete with lanes of fabrics. Even if you’re not the type to have your clothes tailored, drop by DD Dupattawala for pretty scarves and dupatta's and the latest in thing Lehriya dupatta's at great bargain prices . 

These fabric or the semi stitched dresses can then be tailored at your neighborhood and faithful family tailor .Special instructions are given on cut and design taking inspiration from the loyal Google or that one special go person in your family who is an expert in Fashion.

With clothes out of the way the next on the shopping list is the Faral the sweet and namkeen savories to be gorged during Diwali. Traditionally this is a community activity in which the ladies of the house gather together and make all the yummy delicacies like Besan Ladoo , Rava Ladoo , some age old specialties like Chirote similar to a Karanji but more flatter and crispy or Balushahi also known as Sathe a mini doughnut shaped sweet covered with sugar layer on both sides. The faral making sessions make for a great get together in the families with aunts , sisters , mother and mother-in-law and Aaji all coming together and enjoying several afternoons making the delicacies and sharing some much wanted gossips.

But times have changed with most of the ladies of the house being working all these faral items are bought from well known Maharashtrain shops like Panshikar’s and Godbole’s in Dadar or a Aswad in Shivaji Park some smaller gems like Ashok Masale at City Light where you get the tastiest Bhajani chi Chakli .

Once the sweets and the Namkeen are bought next on the list is the favourite item for the bacha company ---The Crackers. Depending on the age and the desire crackers are bought for the colourful lights they emit or the sound thye make. The usual favourites being the flower pot and zameen chakri emanating beautiful colors make the evening bright . during my childhood you could hear the ear shattering sounds of a sulti bomb or a square bomb going off every now and then and the king of crackers the 1000 or 10000 chi Laddi which would go on for 15-20 minutes . But better conscience coupled with positive campaign of lowering the decibel have made people choose light over sound during Diwali.

But Diwali cannot be said to be complete without the decoration of lights . To buy the best Kandil’s go to the Kandil Galli in Mahim . Here you can catch sight of beautiful kandils (lanterns) in all shapes, sizes, colours, and patterns. Shops stretching from Citylight cinema all the way up to Hinduja Hospital situated next to Bombay Scottish School are flooded with kandils and in the evenings the entire place is lit up giving the feeling as if we are inside a lantern festival. Mahim's Kandil Galli, located at LJ Road, is known as the lantern market of Mumbai, and during Diwali, people from all over the city come to buy lanterns from shops in this locality, which have been operating for decades.

Another Diwali ritual or more like the Colonial hangover is the Baksheesh. The scores of community helpers suddenly lining up you door asking for “Sir ji Diwali”. The usual postman , the security guy , BMC cleaners , the telephone lineman and till some time back the mostly invisible Telegraph man (Taar wala) –the bearer of extreme good  news or the urgent bad news . Every one of them expecting some extra cash . But this has now dwindled over last few years to the very basic people who serve us and you don’t mind giving them a little “Diwali”

And finally you have to shop for the earthen diyas from Kumbharwada’s in Sion - Mahim. Be it the small star shaped or heart shaped diya the size of your thumbs or the bigger palm sized diyas in shapes of leafs , conch or the Paisley motifs. Some brightly colored and some bedecked with shining stones . Light them in the evening and sit back and enjoy the wick burning bright and emanating a serene glow as if Goddess Laxmi herself showering you with her blessings….

Happy Diwali to all my readers…..

Just Walking Around

Melody Memories

Is it just me or do you also feel that Bollywoods song & dance department has been taken over by in your face Punjabi lyric and wanna be musicians doubling up as song writers peppering the songs with Punjabi words just to make the songs hit on the dance floor. Does anyone really know what the lyrics mean or is it the intoxicating beats that accompany the song that makes them groove to the music. Call me old fashioned I still think the lyrics of yore in pure hindi or even peppered with chaist urdu were much much melodious than the current lot. Take the case of hit songs of the original Bollywood Triniti – Raj Kapoor –Dilip Kumar – Dev Anand . 

They were pure melody , pure hindi lyrics composed by heavy weight like Shailendra ,Sahir Ludhyanvi , Majrooh Sultanpuri  to lilting tunes by stalwarts like Salil Chowdhary ,Shankar Jaikeshen , S.D Burman and sung by great singers Kishore Kumar , Mohd Rafi , Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale . The songs are still remembered word for word. Your brain can jog down memory lane whenever you hear the first sound bar of these compositions on the radio .

A song like Dil Tadap Tadap ke keh raha Aa bhi jaa .. Tu Humse Ankh na chura …Tujhe Kasam hai aa bhi jaa.. from Madhumati sung by Mukesh and Lata didi picturised on Dilip Kumar –Vyajanthi Mala can be picked up easily from its opening bars. Or take for instance the song Suhana Safar Aur ye mausam haseen .. Hume dar hai ke hum kho na jaye kahi from this same film …a litrally haunting melody again recognized by its unique composition and simple lyrics. Suhana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen carried the composer’s trademark brand of haunting vibe about it, and brilliant lines from Shailendra that were simple yet profound. The unassuming charm in Mukesh’s voice also lent beautifully to the composition. Salilda’s arrangement made brilliant incorporation of Western harmonies et al over a folk base – particularly noteworthy was the employment of flutes like birdcalls, to go with Dilip Kumar’s nature walk onscreen.

On a related note: Among the folk elements Salil Chowdhury brought into Madhumati’s soundtrack, one had its sources in Europe. One of the album’s big hits, Dil Tadap Tadap Ke, was based on the Szla dzieweczka do gajeczka, a Polish folk song. This movies play list included other hits like Aaja Re Pardesi , Chad Gayo Papi Bhichooaa , Ghadi Ghadi Mera Dil Dhadke ,Julmi Sang Aankh Ladi and even the funny song  Jungle Me Mor Nacha Kissi ne nahi Dekha … Ham jo thodi si pi ke zara Jhume haay re sab ne dekha picturized on the legendary comedian Johnny Walker and exceptionally sung by Rafi is stuck In your head once you hear it.

If songs from Dilip Saab’s movies were melodious and lilting , songs from Dev Anand movies were more peppy and effervescent like Pal Bhar Ke Liya Koi Hume Pyar Karle ..Joota hi sahi … or Chudi Nahi hai mera dil hai dekho dekho tute naa.. or the  nok jhon wala song between Dev Saab and the ethereal beauty Madhubala 

Acha ji mai hari chalo man jao noa .. Dekhi sab ki yari mera dil jalaon na .. Chhote Se Kusur Pe Aise Ho Khafaa Ruthhe To Hujur The, Meri Kyaa Khataa
Dekho, Dil Naa Todo Chhodo, Haath Chhodo
Dekho, Dil Naa Todo Are Chhodo, Haath Chhodo
Chhod Diyaa To Haath Maloge, Samajhe ………Aji Samjhe

And then there were the songs from the original Showman Raj Kapoor  , songs that were simple in its lyrics but carried great essence  .. Sajan Re Jhoot mat bolo  khuda ke paas jana  hai na haathi hai na ghoda hai wahan pe paidal hi jana hai .. Others made you laugh Echak Dana Bichak Danan, cry Jina yahan Marna Yahan Eis ke siva jana kahan and sing along with ..Dum Dum Diga Diga or Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua…These songs are evergreen classics .

Talking of Classics the era of late 50’s . 60 and 70’s was the golden age of Bollywood in terms of movies being made and the songs that were created. On the one hand you had Music composers like  Madan Mohan who dominated the Bollywood industry from the 1950s to the 1970s. He was known for the Ghazals he composed, mainly using the voice of Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mahmood and Mohammed Rafi. Lata Mangeshkar christened him the "Ghazal ka Shehzadaa" (the Prince of Ghazals). Lata, in a live concert in the late 1990s, said that she found Madan Mohan's compositions difficult to master. Songs like Aap Ki Nazron ne Samjha from Anpadh , Lag Ja Gale form Woh Kaun Thi ,Jhumka Gira Re from Mera Saaya ,Teri Ankho Ke Siva from Chirag and Tum Se Kahoon Ek Baat from Dastak are some of his gems .The tunes have become immortal  and remembered even today.

Most of the top film actors of those days had fallen into a groove with their preferred composers. For instance, Raj Kapoor had Shankar Jaikishan, Dev Anand had the Burmans, Dilip Kumar had Naushad.

As these Troika peaked another start slowly roze on the horizon . For long Shammi had tried unsuccessfully to fit into the conventions set by the reigning troika of Dilip Kumar (the eternal tragedy-king), Raj Kapoor (the Chaplin-esque vagabond) and Dev Anand (the perpetual chocolate hero). Now he would set his own rules and make his own norms. So out went the old Shammi, the soft, sophisticated, sentimental lover sporting longish hair and in came the new Shammi, the raw, robust romantic aggressor, showing off a duck-tailed hairstyle a la Elvis Presley and James Dean. He became a hero who fully embodied the wacky Junglee-Jaanwar-Badatmeez-Pagla Kahin Ka spirit.

This new Shammi did what no other hero had done earlier. He swayed, sashayed and sizzled while singing songs on screen. He became the first dancing star of Bollywood. And yes, he also made ‘Yahoo…’ a war-cry for macho lovers! The way he smiled, the way he pouted and the way he looked into heroine’s eyes, everything was infectious; simply because it was fresh, fun and flamboyant. Even his famed dances were never choreographed; on the dance-floor, he just needed a catchy melody and a zingy beat and then he rock ’n’ rolled his way into countless hearts.

In the realms of classic Bollywood music, Shammi Kapoor-songs have become a genre by itself. Racy, robust, rhythmic and romantic numbers composed by the master composers like O.P. Nayyar, Shankar- Jaikishan, Ravi, Usha Khanna and R.D. Burman added their own magic to this rebel star’s screen persona.

Some of my Favorite Shammi Kapoor songs are Yun to humne laakh haseen dekhe hain  fromTumsa Nahi Dekha  composed by O.P. Nayyar Yahoo…Chaahe koi mujhe junglee kahe from Junglee composed Shankr Jaikishan Baar baar dekho – China Town – Ravi Dil deke dekho dil deke dekho dil deke dekho ji- Dil Deke Dekho – Usha Khanna Yeh chaand saa roshan chehra – Kashmir Ki Kali – O.P. Nayyar Asman se aaya farishta- An Evening In Paris-Shankar Jaikishan Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera- Teesri Manzil -R.D. Burman Aawaz deke hamein tum bulaao-Professor-Shankar Jaikishan Dil ke jharoke mein tujhko bithakar- Brahmchari- Shankar Jaikishan Re Mama Re Mama Re – Andaz – Shankar Jaikishan

Shammi Kapoor, Mohd. Rafi and their songs have become inseparable, from each other and from the swinging 60s that they represented.

By  the 70’s the scene changed with one Superstar looming large on the Indian Silver Screen .Say Rajesh Khanna and all you can think of is his trade mark smile , the tilt of his head , dialogue delivery and his silver screen romances. Essential to making hima superstar and the ultimate romatic hero are some evergreen tunes that resurrect during Valentine’s Day.

Rajesh Khanna’s Romantic songs ruled the roost . Be it Mere Sapno Ki Rani from Aaradhana , the sensous Roop Tera Mastana , Kora Kagaz Tha ye dil mera a declaration of love againfrom Aaradhana , O mere Dil ke chain from Mere Jeevan Saathi . And in romance sometimes there is the feeling of heart brake . While Khanna made ladies swoon , he also excelled at expressing the pain of love in a song like Yeh Jo Mohabat Hai from Kati Patang. But in the same movie there was another song which was more uplifting Yeh Sham Mastani. A peppy and foot tapping song from Rajesh Khanna’s movie Aap Ki Kasam was Jai Jai Shiv Shankar . But two of his songs become anthem for Celebration of Life or a sort of Salutation to life one being Zindagi Ek Safar Suhana and the other from his landmark film Anand – Jindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli . A Film in which Khanna diagnosed as person with Cancer Limpho Circoma of the intestine to be exact ,spends his last moments with his doctor played by Amitabh Bacchan and changes the perspective of life for the people around him . Making them believe Life is to cherished even if it is shortlived. A dialogues is still etched in my mind “ Jindagi Badi Honi Chahiye Babumoshay Lambi Nahi”

With this film another star was born and become the face of the Angry young man of the 80’s the legend Amitabh Bachann. Even though most of his films were filled with resentment and aggression against the socio –political scene of the 80’s , they too had memmerising songs be it O Saathi Re from Mukadar ka Sikandar , Choo kar mere man ko from Yarana or that zesty song Khai ke Pan Banaraswala sung by the vivascious Kishore Kumar. Legend has it to get exact feeling Kishore da had a special Banarasi Paan made for him and actually chewed the same before singing this hit song. Then there were the softer numbers like Tere Mere Milan Ki ye Raina form Abhiman with unforgettable lines like “tujhe thaame kayi haathon se miloonga madbhari raaton se” and the other gem Inteha Ho gayi Intezar Ki  again with memorable lines which go ‘baat jo hai usmein, baat wo yahaan kahin nahi kisi mein, wo hai meri bas hai meri, shor hai yehi gali gali mei.’

In late 70’s and early 80’s you had films from Basu Chaterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee  with the common man’s hero Amol Palekar in the lead and unforgettable songs like  Janeman Janeman Tere Tere do Nayan , Uthe Sab ke Kadam Dekho Ram Pam Pam ,Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyara ,  Suniye Kahiye Kahiye , Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuchh Kaha and Aanewala Pal . All these songs as affable as  Amol Palekar himself.

Those were the days of pure melody , with songs touching your heart with lyrics so simple and hummable that every time you heard these songs you wanted to sing along. To end I would like to rededicate one of my favorite songs and one which I used to woo my then fiancé and now my sweetheart wifey Kashmira ..

Bade Acchee lagte hai
Kyaa????
Yeh Dharti, yeh nadiyaa, yeh rainaa aur?
Aur tum
Bade Acchee lagte hai
Yeh Dharti, yeh nadiyaa, yeh rainaa aur?
Aur tum mm mmmm

Hum tum kitane paas hai
kitane duur hain chaand sitaare
Sach poochho to maan ko jhoothe lagate hain yeh saare

Magar saccche lagate hai
Yeh Dharti yeh nadiyaa, yeh rainaa aur?
Aur tum mm mmmmmm

Tum in sab ko chood ke kaise kal subah jaaogi
Mere saath inhe bhi to tum yaad bahut aaogi
Tum in sab ko chood ke kaise kal subah jaaogi
Mere saath inhe bhi to tum yaad bahut aaogi

Bade Acchee lagte hai
Yeh Dharti, yeh nadiyaa, yeh rainaa aur?
Aur tum mm mmmmm

Bade Acchee lagte hai
hmmmm hmmmm hmmm hmmmm hmm
hmm hmm hmmm