Saawan Ke Jhoole Pade (Sad version)
Jurmana
Year: 1979
Composer: R.D. Burman
Lyricist: Anand Bakshi

I have no hesitation in admitting that there is a strong feminine side of me. That part of me is in the driver's seat whenever this song - penned by Anand Bakshi, composed by RD Burman and sung by Lata Mangeshkar - plays on my car stereo. It happened today too. 

It's a cloudy day - perfect weather for this song. 
“aa aa aa~~~ aa aa~ aa aa aa aa aa”
The mind is locked in at the aalap itself. There is no escape. 
“saawan ke jhoole pade, tum chale aao… tum chale aao… tum chale aao… tum chale aao”
….
“aanchal na chode mera paagal hui hai pawan”
“aa aa aa aa ab kya karoon main jatan~~~~~”

I note the clever extension of meter of the second line to match the first line. Lack of enough words is compensated by the aalap in the beginning and the taan at the end - both working like magic to lift the anxiety… the heart really beats like flying birds.

The song has made me speechless, thoughtless. Anxiety is followed by numbness as the second antara flies by. Then suddenly the melancholy of violin interlude strikes me. I am transported to the innocent times. And the lyricist knows this already it seems.

“jab ham mile the piyaa tum kitne naadaan the
aa aa aa aa ham kitne anjaan the~~~~~
baali umariya mein naina lade”

I am deeply touched, immersed in pure love. A similar line from a Rabindra Sangeet flashes though my mind:

“aamaar khela jokhon chhilo tomaar sone
tokhon ke tumi ta ke jaanto”

Meanwhile Lata repeats the song mukhda for one last time:
“…tum chale aa-o”

The song ends there. That’s not enough ‘pukarna’ for such a deep love. My finger pushes the ‘repeat’ button without waiting for stimulus from my mind. This song’s aanchal is too dear to leave yet.

It starts all over again. This time a different ‘saawan’ fills the environment - the ‘saawan’ of tears. The second antara reveals itself to me in full glory this time:

"dil ne pukara tumhen yaadon ke pardes se
aa aa aa aa aati hai jo des se~~~~~”

Memories indeed have become a foreign place these days with all the mad rush of daily survival activities. I’ve arrived at my destination - shopping mall. But have I? No. I am still waiting at that ‘dagar’ which arrives from my home.

“ham us dagar pe hain kab se khade”

What if I leave this ‘dagar’ and he arrives? I lock myself inside the car. The song continues. So does the flow of tears. It is so overpowering this time that I forget when the final call of ‘tum chale aao’ was over. I come to the senses when Kishore’s voice suddenly starts singing ‘guzar jaaye din din din, ke har pal gin gin gin’. My male self is awake. I come out of the car and reach out for the shopping bags.