Neel Gagan Par Udte Badal
© mohdrafi.com
India is synonymous with farms and daintily dressed village belles. In spite of having a huge chunk of its population involved with the agriculture, the farmer in India still continues to be rain dependent. The Indian farmers’ fortunes sway with the vagaries of the monsoon. Each year hundreds of farmers look to the sky for the rain gods to be benevolent and shower their blessings.
The song neel gagan par udte badal highlights this plea of all farmers in the hot and dusty summer of India. The evergreen hero Sunil Dutt and popular heroine of yesteryears Nutan feature in this song. The wonderful lyrics penned by Rajinder Krishan were turned into a melodious song by the music of Ravi . Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle have lent their voices to this song making it even more memorable.
This song has been taken from the movie, Khandaan, which was directed by A.Bhimsingh and produced by Vasu Menon. The movie is a complex plot with wheels within wheels. To cut a long story short, an old man dies bequeathing his farmlands to his two sons who in turn marry and continue staying together. One couple unfortunately is not blessed with children while the other has two sons, Govind and Shyam. Our hero Sunil Dutt now enters as Govind and Sudesh Kumar as Shyam. Unfortunately Govind’s right side is paralyzed in an accident. Pran provides the twist in the tale when he kidnaps Govind’s son so that he can be thrown by an elephant in the carnival. Nutan enacting as Radha, Govind’s wife portrays her role with sensitivity and feeling. How the husband and wife despite being handicapped in a way form a team to take on the odds, is the essence of the story.
The movie portrays the hardship that a farmer goes through and the song is a continuation of that theme. The joy and the optimism that rides high on all farmers is the underlying theme of the song. Set amongst the farms, this song is beautifully picturised through the cinematographer, V. Baba Saheb’s lens. Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle bring to life this song with their zest and voice modulations. The harmonious music of the flute signals the beginning of the song. This is followed by the tinkling sound of the xylophone which symbolizes water, which is scarce. The predicament that the farmers face is what is exactly depicted in this song.
The song begins with Sunil Dutt begging the rain clouds to stop and shower his crops which are shriveling up under the strong rays of the sun. Nutan meanwhile exhorts the birds from eating their unripe crop. Both of them request the dark clouds circling in the sky to provide them some shade and give them respite from the stifling heat. The yearning to hear water trickle down the beds and watch their plants come alive is brought to the fore.
However, both this song and the movie pay a salute to the undying spirit of the Indian farmer who firmly believes that hard work and sincerity always bring rich dividends, because God always favors the righteous.
Download: Neel Gagan Par Udte Baadal
Singers: Mohd Rafi and Asha Bhonsle
Film: Khandan
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Music: Ravi
Sorry a mistake in post:13, colourless eyes, dishevelled hair, dehydrated lips, and parched throat are not mixed emotions but appearance of our peasant. I just got carried away by the magic in Rafi Sahab’s rendition.
A song that has effectively captured the mixed emotions of a peasant – colourless eyes, dishevelled hair, dehydrated lips, parched throat………….. His eyes are fixed on the sky looking for any traces of dark clouds, his heart throbs at the sight of crops basked in the scorching summer heat. We see him washing his hands in the cool water flowing through the canal, eating sookha roti and subji. At evening, as the horizon turns crimson, he bundles his sack and walks homebound with an optimism ………Ghol Ke Rakhiyo Apni Jholi Bhar Dega Daata……Neel Ganan Par…….
Rafi Sahab and Asha Ji take us far-off than lyrics and melody can take us.
Dear friends,
apriciate neel gagan …….. a song from khandan by music diresctor ravi is fare enough by rafiji and asha but the tune composition and orchestra is v.poor only deaf ear apriciate this song.
But one of the rare song by rafi asha is from MERE SANAM …HUMNE TO AAPse by MD>O.P.Nayyar a superb composition and memorable one.
“Neel gagan par udte badal…” as far as I remember I was a middle school student when I watched the film “KHANDAN”. And I remember two more melodious songs of the same film…”BADI DER BHAI NANDLALA…” and “TU HOKE BADA BAN JANA…” Actually RAVI and RAFI jodi has given us innumerable hit songs like… WAQT SE DIN AUR RAAT…CHHU LENE DO NAZUK…CHOUDHWIN KA CHAND…NASEEB ME JISKE JO…TUJHKO PUKARE MERA PYAR…BABUL KI DUAYEN LETI JA… Actually not only with RAVI, but Rafi saab was always comfortable with all the music directors. The moment his golden voice would touch a lyric, it would be a “GEET”. This kind if singer never comes to earth again and again. I can assume what we have lost on 31st July 1980.
-Raajkumar Akela
thanks to Mohammad Rafi.com
Loved this song. never heard before. thanks a lot.
Indeed, a great song of Rafi Saheb.
My special appreciation for Music Director Ravi Ji. He is a great MD, but he is heardly mentioned in the indian press.I regret that.
Mr. A.Piroe
Eindhoven.
Holland
This is one of thesuccessful combos in hindi film music. Rafi sahab,Ravi sir and Ashaji.
Thanks
I share the same feelings with Mr GURU MURTHY in his assessment of Khandan and it’s songs. All songs are real gems. Being a die hard Mohd Rafi Fan, I like almost all his songs. Kal Chaman tha and Badi der bhai nand lala go an extra mile.
I notice that the songs he sang during late 50’s to late 60’s were superb. If I narrow further, the songs in early to mid 60’s were absolute gems and to me the king was at his peak. We must also give credit to Music Directors and Lyricts and Urdu language.
Coming back to Khandan songs and Lata. Ravi used Lata very rarely, but her song was a gem and should figure amongst top ten of her. Ofcourse Madan Mohan will get most of the other ten.
Loved this song. never heard before. thanks a lot.
Khandan is suppose to be Ravi’s one of the best performence of all times. He did get awarded for his master piece creation.
Couple of days back, I was listening to the Casette of “Khandaan”, which was a good family movie, with beautiful music by Ravi and meaningful lyrics by Rajinder Krishna and as brought out in the article, Sunil Dutt and Nutan giving a memorable performance.
Apart from the song mentioned, there is one more duet “Aa Daance Karen” by Rafi and Asha. But the four best songs of the movie were the three solos by Rafi and a solo by Lataji. “Tumhi Meri Manzil Tumhi Meri Pooja” is a very melodious song by Lataji, especially one should listen to the stanza, ‘Bahut Raat Beeti Chalo Main Suladoon Pavan Chede Sargam Main Lori Sunadoon’ – Lata at one of her best. The three solos by Rafi were in three different moods. “Kal Chaman Tha” cames in back-ground and narrates the anguish of the elder brother, beautifully enacted by Om Prakash, when there is division of property. ‘Muzhko Barbaadi Ka Koi Gum Nahin Gum Hain Barbaadi Ka Kyun Charcha Hua’ – how true especially for Indian Society where we fear people talking about our internal domestic problems. Second solo was “Badi Dear Bhai Nandalala”, a Bhajan on Lord Krishna. The third stanza ‘Sankat Me Hai Aaj Woh Dharti Jispar Toone Janam Liya, Poora Karde Aaj Vachan Jo Geetha Me Jo Toone Diya, Koi Nahin Hai Tuzhbin Mohan Bharat Ka Rakhwalare’, who can say that Rafi was not a Hindu. He has so beatifully sung this song feeling each and every word, I am sure no other Hindu singer could have done better. The third song is again a gem, “Tu Hoke Bada Banjana Apni Mataka Rakhwala, Badkismat Ke Ghar Me Hua Hai Paida Kismatwala” – a lullaby sung to an infant, encouraging the child, explainng his duites towards neighbours and mother, etc.
Alas, now a days, we are not getting any such songs even half as good.
we donot need to undermine other singers to gauge the greatness of rafi.his greatness is evident from his songs .comparison shoul not transgress the limits
to irony81
One of the best duet sung by Rafi Saheb and Asha Bhosleji. Our Rafi Saheb is superb in this song too.
RAFI SAHAB Is THE INSTITUTION AND THE REST ARE STUDENTS.
RAFI SAHAB IS THE OCEAN OF MUSIC WHILE THE REST ARE SMALL PONDS.
RAFI SAHAB IS THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION OF MUSIC WHERE THE REST JUST CAN HOPE TO REACH THERE IN VAIN.
RAFI SAHAB IS JUST THE MASTER AND THE REST ARE JUST PUPIL.
IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT…