Jaanewale sipahi se poocho

Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain

Ishq hain katile zindegani
Khoon se tar hain uski jawaani
Hai, masoom bachpan ki yaadein
Hai, do roz ki naujawaani
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain

Kaise sehme huye hain nazaare
Kaise dar dar ke chalte hain taare
Kya jawaani ka khoon ho raha hain
Surkh hain aanchalon ke kinaare
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain

Kaun dukhiya hain jo gaa rahi hain,
Bhookhe bachchon ko behla rahi hain
Laash jalne ki boo aa rahi hain
Zindagi hain ke chilla rahi hain
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain

Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain
Jaanewale sipahi se poocho
Woh kahan ja raha hain

Movie: Usne Kaha Tha (1960)

Director: Moni Bhattacharjee

Singers: Manna Dey, Sabita Mukherjee

Lyricist: Makhdoom Mohiuddin

Music Composer: Salil Chowdhury

I have heard ‘Phir chhidi raat, baat phoolon ki’ numerous times, but as usual I did not have any idea who the lyricist was. Then I discovered that it was a poem penned by Shayar-e-Inquilab or Poet of the Revolution, Makhdoom Mohiuddin. A founding member of the Communist Party of India in Andhra Pradesh and a freedom fighter, he also went to become a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council (1956 – 1969) and was apparently one of the most popular political leaders in India.

Although he was not really a film lyricist, his poems were adapted for a few movies. And surprisingly, this revolutionary is more famous in Bollywood for his love songs. There’s the lovely song from Baazar that I mentioned above and another beautiful number in Gaman, ‘Aapki yaad aati rahi raat bhar’.

However, I was drawn to this number from the little-known film, Usne Kaha Tha. I couldn’t forget this song after I had heard it. Where are our soldiers going to, our soldiers with their short-lived youth and with the memories of an innocent childhood? And what is this stench of bodies burning?

Although he was clearly not a pushover (he apparently picked up a gun in the 1946–1947 Telangana Rebellion against the Nizam of Hyderabad) Makhdoom seemed to have been a man who did not believe in war or at least not in regimes meaninglessly sending innocent men to slaughter. A man after my own heart! 25 August 2020 marked his 51st death anniversary. ~ R