Cities and songs

Being a city lover, certain songs have captured my attention becos they refer to cities in a quirky way...

For example:

fasl-e-gul thi,
gulposhiyon ka mausam tha
hum par kabhi sarghoshiyon ka mausam tha
kaisa junoon
khwabon ke anjuman main tha
kya main kahoon
kya mere baaqpan main tha
ranjish ka chala tha... fuwaara!!
toota jo khwaab ka... gubbara!!!
ab phirta hoon main london, paris, new york, LA, san fransisco! (Om Shanti om)

pure urdu...capped with absolute english. tastefully composed.

Imagine if a broken heart could take you on a world tour, Devdas would have been orbiting the earth!


Another one (Kajra Re) makes a lilting reference to Delhi- one of my favorite winter cities- and a city of indelible memories. esp.Old Delhi stn.

Uss-sey milna puraani dilli mein
chodd aaye nishaani dilli mein
ballimaraan se daribe talak
teri meri khaani dilli mein...


Ballimaran- an area in Chandni chowk precinct where Mirza Ghalib resided. formerly a boat rowers' colony..hence the name.
The word "Dariba" is a corruption of the Persian word Dur- e- be- baha. That means pearl without compare. The place Dariba Kalan is to the left of Chandni Chowk.

Again, in the same song we have "...Tere baaton mein Khimaam ki khushboo hai Tera aana bhi garmiyaan ki luu hai... "

The only thing pathetic about Delhi is the season called Luu. been there, survived to tell the tale.

The song "yeh hai Bombay meri jaan" (Rafi and geeta Dutt- CID) pales in comparison to the two above in terms of eclectism. However, it remains the quintessential Bombay Song along followed by "Ek Akela is shaher mein" (Bhupinder-GHARONDA). Amazing how the more a city changes, the more it remains the same.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs "Californication" and"Under the Bridge"are english counterparts that rank equally with these masterpieces.