Meraa Joota Hai Jaapaani_MMM_23Apr20
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Song # 1: Meraa Jootaa hai Jaapaani
Theme: Shailendra
Film: Shree 420 (1955)
Lyricist: Shailendra
MD: Shanker / Jaikishan
Original Singer: Mukesh
Tribute By: Madhukar Mehta

This month, I have chosen “Shailendra” as my theme, and will be presenting three songs in paying my tribute to Shailendra, People’s Poet. To start on a lighter note, I have chosen a well-known oldie that I grew up listening to…. Typical Raj Kapoor in his innocent avatar from the golden era, a foot tapping number that he wrote.

Caution: Use of good quality headphones may enhance your listening experience.

Disclaimer: This upload is strictly for entertainment of like-minded amateur music lovers and is in no way intended to be an infringement on copyrights of the rightful owners of the original song. No monetary gain is expected from this upload.

Humble beginning of Shailendra:

Shankardas Kesarilal was the birth name given by his parents, but he adopted the name Shailendra so his father, who did not approve of his son becoming a poet, would not know his identity.

Actor, producer and director Raj Kapoor happened to hear Shailendra recite the poem at an Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), function when Kapoor was preparing for his directorial debut Aag, and promptly offered to buy the rights of the poem for a then-handsome sum of Rs 500, but Shailendra refused. Much later, Shailendra did reconsider, and a long and fruitful collaboration then happened between Kapoor and Shailendra, whom he fondly called Kaviraj and Pushkin.

In the days when composers would recommend lyricists to producers, Shanker-Jaikishan once promised Shailendra that they would recommend him around but didn't keep their promise. Shailendra sent them a note with the lines, Chhoti Si Yeh Duniya, Pehchaane Raaste Hain. Kahin To Miloge, toh Poochhenge Haal. Shankar/Jaikishan realized what the message meant and having said sorry, turned the lines into a popular song. The song was featured in the film Rangoli (1962), for which the producer Rajendra Singh Bedi wanted to sign up Majrooh Sultanpuri as the lyricist. However, Shankar-Jaikishen insisted on Shailendra and the producer had to oblige.

Shailendra had a burning desire to produce a film based on a short story by the great Hindi writer Phanishwar Nath 'Renu' titled Maare Gaye Gulfam, the film – “Teesri Kasam” was born on the sets of Bimal Roy's classic Madhumati (1958). In an interview, Shailendra's son, Dinesh, said, "His film is a legacy. Teesri Kasam was very close to my father’s heart. He lived and died for it." Indeed, Shailendra could not bear the pain of commercial loss of his cherished accomplishment and died at the age of 43.

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