Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera

Maut kabhi bhi mil sakti hain, lekin jeevan kal na milega
Marnewaale soch samajh le, phir tujhko ye pal na milega

Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera
Kiske roke ruka hain savera
Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera
Kiske roke ruka hain savera
Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera

Raat jitni bhi sangeen hogi
Subah utni hi rangeen hogi
Raat jitni bhi sangeen hogi
Subah utni hi rangeen hogi
Gham na kar gar hain baadal ghanera
Kiske roke ruka hain savera
Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera

Lab pe shikwa na la, ashk pee le
Jiss tareh bhi ho kuchh der jee le
Lab pe shikwa na la, ashk pee le
Jiss tareh bhi ho kuchh der jee le
Ab ukhadne ko hain gham ka dera
Kiske roke ruka hain savera
Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera

Aa koi milke tadbeer sochey
Sukh ke sapnon ki taabeer sochey
Aa koi milke tadbeer sochey
Jo tera hain wohi gham hain mera
Kiske roke ruka hain savera
Raat bhar ka hain mehmaan andhera
Kiske roke ruka hain savera

Movie: Sone ki chidiya (1958)
Director: Shaheed Latif
Singer: Mohammed Rafi
Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi
Music Composer: O. P. Nayyar

This year, in lieu of a theme, we are going with current mood/emotion. This is the first post for 2022, and I want to start it with hope; I think we all need some of that. 

I think every language has a variation of the idea of this song: No rain will last forever or no darkness will continue ceaselessly. It is a powerful idea, something to look forward to when one is feeling overwhelmed. Of course, some nights last really long and it seems never-ending but look at Sahir Ludhianvi’s lyrics: Morning is inevitable; ‘Kiske roke ruka hain savera’. I want to grab that idea and hold it close for this year. 

In the context of the movie, this song appears when a young girl, exploited and unloved, betrayed and resigned, decides she has nothing to live for and is contemplating death by suicide. However, the song checks her and draws her near. Hope is tantalizing and there is something of that allure in the picturization of this song. When I first saw this song, I thought it was from the 1955 movie Seema. There is a similar aesthetic and, of course, the same lead pair. 

Another idea I like about this song/movie is that what draws the young girl away from the cliff’s edge (literally and figuratively) is a poem by a poet she has admired nearly all her adult life. I like the idea of finding hope in a book, whether verse or prose. It is true of my life too. 

And of course, the song features Balraj Sahni who I quite like and Nutan who is a favourite. All told, I think this is a great way to start the year. Especially, the last verse which talks about solving problems together. Often, our woes seem so overwhelming that we forget that community can be a strong support system. ~ R