You're browsing: Home / Meri awaaz suno / Na Jaa Tu Kahin Ab Na Ja Dil Ke Siwa...

Na Jaa Tu Kahin Ab Na Ja Dil Ke Siwa…

By Nasreen

Na Jaa Kahin Ab Na Jaa

Salaams to you all. On this 89th birth anniversary of Rafi Saheb, I decided to pen a few lines in dedication. I wil be a simple write up as I don’t have that much talent in writing nor do I have any real musical knowledge.

All I have is that basic thing all RAfi lovers have. A passion for his amazing voice and a passion for all his songs and a deep admiration and respect for the human being he was.

Let me say as an introduction that I am a volunteer radio producer/presenter for a community radio station. I do this for a hindi radio program from time to time. Recently, i.e. on the 8th of December, I chose to do the program on Dharmendra as it was his 78th birthday. So that would of course involve talking about him, his movies and playing his songs. Well, when you want to play Dharmendra songs, whose songs will they mostly be? I need hardly ask this question, we all know the answer.

So I burned a number of songs and only 2 of them were in KK’s voice, the rest in Rafi Sb’s. The program went well, and we both (my co-host and I) enjoyed playing them.

But sometimes when you are doing the program, you don’t really listen as you are thinking of what you will say next, you make announcements of behalf of listeners, etc. After the program, I left the studio and forgot all about the songs I had played that day. So I had the CD lying in the car….and then with all the rush and hectic life we have nowadays, I got entangled in doctor’s visits, picking up children from school, shopping, housework, and many different kinds of stresses. I was feeling very exhausted and as happens to most of us from time to time, some attitudes of those I interacted with put me off and made me feel quite unhappy. One day, when all this played on my mind, I felt particularly low and found myself dragging my feet to get in the car for a long drive to a place I did not even know the exact location of. I just knew it was not anywhere close by and I had to get there that scorching hot day. Well, I put on the car AC and had a sip of water, then saw the CD lying on the seat. I put it on and started the car.

The first song was Aap ke Haseen rukh pe….as the lilting voice took me further into the song, I started to relax, and when he said “dabi dabi hasi mein bhi tadap rahi hai bijliyaan” I found myself giving a tiny pursed smile, a dabi hasi., thinking of how easily that one voice was untying the knot that had been created inside my heart recently by some unfortunate circumstances.

Song No. 2 : Tumharey pyaar mein toh hum beqarar ho ke chale shikar karne ko aaye shikaar ho ke chale. Oh what bliss it was listening to that sweet voice and thinking of Dharam so handsome in his checked shirt prancing around the lovely Asha Parekh as she drove the car (I think a jeep).

Song No. 3 : Ek haseen shyaam ko. Who doesn’t love this particular song? It is one of the most romantic of Rafi numbers, so soft and almost like carrying one away on a wave of melody.

Song 4: Gar tum bhula na doge: this one has also been sung very competently by Lata but Rafi Sahab’s rendition just always has that extra edge. Again handsome Daharmendra in a romantic scene with Sharmila whose hair was high on her crown and flowing down on her back in that distinctive 70’s style.

Well, I found myself humming along, feeling much better.

Song No. 5 : Main kahin kavi na ban jaaoon. Mmm nice.

Song No. 6: Kaliyon ne ghunghat khole : I felt I was hearing this song again after a long time even though we had just played it a couple of weeks earlier. Such fabulous rhythm in the song and I remembered handsome Dharma again in his white churidaar and sherwani. And white naagras. So different from the heroes of today who do wear sherwani’s but they are all so colourful, and glitzy. The ruggedness of men nowadays is also somehwat artificial. Not that I have anything against a Hritik or Sharukh in a sherwaani dancing in the way they do with very male movements of their heads and hands. But give me a choice between the heroes of today and those of yesterday( Dev, Dharam, Shammi, Rajesh, etc.) For me, yesterday is the winner always. But I’m digressing. Let’s move to the next one on my list.

Song Nol. 7 : A Kishore song : Meri jaan meri jaan kehna maano. May I admit something? I actually like this song just as I like another one by KK for Dharmendra from Raja jani – Jani o Jani, very nice song and of course the best KK one for Dharam “Pal pal dil ke Paas”. But I was in Rafi mode, I found myself fast-forwarding to song 8. That was a KK and Lata duet “Kal ki haseen mulaqat ke liye”. What do you think I did? Yes, you guessed it, quickly on to the next one.

And my heart stopped as the song started. I guess this is the song that did it for me that day. All the songs that I had been listening to so far had built up and led up to this moment. Na jaa, tu kahin ab na jaa, dil ke siwaa. Oh my God, the way Rafi Sb sang this song is just indescribable. I closed my eyes and realised that I needed to stop the car if I didn’t want to cause a crash. So I pulled up at the side of the road. And I RELISHED this song. I wasn’t here in this world, I was somewhere else in an exquisite place but I don’t know where. I heard the gentleness, the passion, I heard the sweetness and the depth, I heard the spirituality, I heard the love — all this combined to completely lift away the weight that had been in my mind for some days. I think I was hardly breathing, I became so still. I felt a weightlessness in my whole being, a complete healing, and a relief in the knowledge that no matter what happened in life – as long as I could hear a song like this, I would be cured, I would be in the company of something so special, I would be in the company of angels. I would be in the company of the heavenly voice of Rafi Sahab, whose soul is still here for us. Whose soul we cannot ever let go of. Whose beautiful soul exists for us through his beautiful songs, such as all the ones I had listened to that day and especially this one.

What can I write after this? I was in tears but I was smiling. Just like a mother’s gentleness is healing, Rafi Sahab had come that day and eased my sadness. Like a true friend, like someone who knew, felt and cared, someone who helped in the way only he could. I felt so blessed.

And as I started the car again, inside my heart I spoke these words to Rafi Sahab…..”Na ja tu kahin ab na ja dil ke siwa….”

Proclaim your love for Rafi Sahab on twitter

Post your Comment on this Blog

If your comments hit the moderation queue, comments will be moderated within 7 days.

11 Blog Comments to “Na Jaa Tu Kahin Ab Na Ja Dil Ke Siwa…”

  1. Nasreen says:

    Dear Ahamed Sb.

    Thank you for your comment. I am so impressed to learn that you walked 10 kms every day to go to school! The way you made an effort to listen to Rafi Sb’s songs on Radio Kabul shows your great devotion to him. And from the age of 13!

    You are a true fan of Rafi Sahab.

    I also absolutely love the song “Kaliyon mein ghunghat” very much.

    I thank the Almighty for giving us this voice and such beautiful songs, which will help us go through life.

    Salaam

    Nasreen

  2. Nasreen says:

    Dear Birendra ji

    Thank you for your comment. I agree Rafi Sahab is the kohinoor of kohinoors, lighting up our lives in such an incomparable way.

    God Bless

    Nasreen

  3. Ahamed Kutty says:

    Dear Nasreen ji,
    A very nice write up.I am a fan of Rafi Saab when I was just
    13 years and to hear his songs at hat time was very difficult
    since I was from a very remote village where there was
    no Electricity and Road.I used to walk for School and College
    about 10 kms./per day.When I was studying in College,
    I could get a two-in-one tape recorder.Once I was
    searching for the Radio Stations,I could trace “Radio
    Kabul” in the evening 7 to 7.30 and from that I could
    record so many Rafi Saab songs and my favourite in
    that was “Kaliyom me goongat”.Your article take me
    to my college days.Thank you and very Best Wishes.

  4. Dear Nasreen ji what a narration! Our rafi saab is the kohinoor in between the diamonds of hindi filmi singers. All songs are gems sung by rafi saab.
    thanks for this beatuful article. Wish you very happy birthday rafi saab.
    Regards,
    Birendra Singh Bisht

  5. Nasreen says:

    Dear Anwar Bhai, K P Hassan Bhai, Khaja Aliddiun Bhai, Rajendra Mudliar Bhai and Ali Bhai

    I am so sorry for hte delay in acknowledging your messages. I have been so busy and don’t always get the time to check in here. But when I did so today, was delighted to find your responses to my humble article.

    Anwar bhai, hope you had the chance to listen to the song as you said you would. What did you think?

    LP Hassan Bhai, it was so very entertaining and interesting to read about your episode with the song “Kahan chal diye” (fabulous song). I could picture the scene in my mind’s eye.:)

    Khaja Aliuddin Bhai – Salaam, and thank you so much. Very apt sher for Rafi Sahab. And it was also used in my all time favourite movie, PAKEEZA

    Rajendra Bhai, all the songs you mentioned are favourites of mine too. (Great chocie). Kyunke sirf ek favourite toh namumkin hai.

    Ali Bhai you are right in your observation re Kk songs turning Dharam into an action hero. Which was ok, as Dharam remained a hero, but no comparison to the songs Rafi Sb. sang for him.

    Thank you all again. Allah Bless you all, and Rafi Sahab’s voice be with you forever….

    Nasreen

  6. Anwar-ul-Haque says:

    Dear Nasreen ji,

    You mentioned at start of article that you are not much talented in writing and then you showed us how a beautiful write-up can be drafted! A very unique write-up in mesmerising simplicity. I liked this article very much and now will listen the song again Na ja tu kahin ab Na ja.

    Many thanks for such a pretty article and remembering me a forgotten jewel (Na ja tu kahin ab Na ja).

    Thanks and best regards.

    Anwar-ul-Haque
    anwarhq25@yahoo.com

  7. K P Hassan says:

    Dear Nasreen Bahen, Salam,
    Aap ne sahi farmaya. Jo koi vyakti kisi vishay par mugn ho jathe hein, tab kisi tarah ki badaen bardash nahi kar pate. Aap gaadi chalate samay aap ki dil ko cchonewale, sukoon denewale ek gane sun-ne ko mila. gana bhi sun-na hei aur gadi bhi chalana hei. Donom mein barabar concentrate bhi karna hei. ye kaisa hoga?. Aap ek sachhe sangeet premi hei. isliye aapne pahle gadi ruka aur RAFI SAHAB ke ye madhur geet suna aur apna atma ko sukoon dilaya. Bahut khoob. Achha laga. Isi tarah RAFI SAHAB ke madhur nagmen hum sab ko hamesha manoranjan karte rahenge.

    Nasreenji, mein bhi aap ki tarah RAFI SAHAB ke ek bhakt hoom. Bachpan mein ek din mein apna gaon ke ek nai ki dukan mein bal katva raha dha. Beech mein bagalwale hotel se mera pasand ke RAFI SAHAB ke ek gane suna. Thurant meine kursi se utkar hotel ki taraf douda aur udhar baitkar wo gane dil lagake suna. Jab mein nai ki kursi chodkar bhag raha dha tab nai ne chillaya ” KAHAM JA RAHE HO ?” Aashchariye ki baat yeh he ki jo gaana meine suna dha uska boli bhi isi tarah dhi ” KAHAM CHAL DIYE, IDHAR TO AAO MERE DIL KO” (Jhuk Gaya Asman film ki gana dhi wo)

    Rafi Sahab ke lakhom fan hein. un sab pas isi tarah ki ek ek kahani jaroor hoga.

  8. khaja Aliuddin, MD says:

    Salaam, Nasreen Bahen,
    Bahut Khoob,

    ” HAZARON SAAL NARGIS APNI BE NOORI PE ROTI HAI
    BADI MUSHKIL SE HOTA HAI CHAMAN ME DEEDAWAR PAIDA ”

    ” Happy Birthday Rafi Sahab ”

    Dr. Khaja Aliuddin

  9. rajendra mudliar says:

    I love this intoxicating melody of rafi saab-” ho mujhe dekhkar aap ka muskuranna,mohabbat nahin hai to phir aur kya hai” from ek musaphir ek hasina here the beauty is the particularly dragging of the words. more so with mohabbat and nahin. it is very lovely.
    another song- hum aur tum aur yeh sama from dill dekhe dekho and another one- kahin bekhayal hokar muje choo liya tumne-from teen devian

    thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion.

  10. Ali says:

    Dharam ji was a romantic with mohd rafi but when Kishore da replaced mohd rafi in Dharam ji films he became action hero…

Post your Comment on Facebook





Receive updates in your inbox. Enter your email address:





Other Writeups


Social Collaboration