Songs on wheels

(Only for those who listen and able to understand old Hindi songs) 

Once my husband used to sing a song of Lata Mangeshkar, "Tere Bina Jiya Jayena, Tere Bina jia Jayena, Bintere Tere Bin Sajana,,,Sasa me Saas Aayena" I looked on his face wondering if he was singing this song for me but he was singing it to his Kavala (In Uttara Kannada District, we used to say kavala for the tambula i.e. Ele adike or pan combination of tender betel leaves and arecanut). He said, while preparing a new tambula  (kavala), although it was a small disappointment, it felt like a yes to him. He is a Tambula lover.

            Who doesn't like the songs of Lata, Asha, Kishor, Rafi? I like them so much that I listen to them whole day , I believe that no matter how ignorant of music, he/she has heard any of the song and enjoyed it without knowing it. Since I woke up in the morning, I thought how to sing one song according to the occasion. When we get up and wash our face and brush our teeth :- The song that should be sung for brush & paste is "Tere Bina Jiya Jayena, Tere Bina jia Jayena, Bin tere Tere Bin Sajana,,,Sasa me Sasa Ayena" This is the right song because without brush & paste, the mouth smells bad, isn't it?  Verna Saas me saas nahi aayegi ? Isn't that right?

I used to go to my town  once in a week and wait for the bus in the morning at the bus stand to go back to the office on Monday. Then I remember the song . " Jarasi ahata hoti hai to dil sochata hai , kahi ye wo to nahi? Kahi ye wo to nahi? "  Whichever bus comes from the corner of the bus stand, is this my bus? Is this mine? That's the song that comes to mind every time I look at it with my neck stretched out. When the bus arrived, there was a terrible rush to board the bus, as it was made free for women under the government's SHAKTI  Yojana. There is no need for us to board the bus, the people have pushed us to board. Our feet are not on the ground, then I remember "Aja kal pav jameen par nahi padate mere, bolo dekha hai kahi tumane muje udate huve".

 

If by any chance we came late and see the bus going outside from bus stand, I remember the song  "Mere naseeba me tu hai ke nahi, tere naseeba me mai hooki nahi". When the bus is standing and there is no seat, someone gets up to get off, and while I have to sit down, someone else occupies the seat, then I must sing  “Mere kisamat me tu nahi shayad, mai tera intasar karata hoo, mai tuje tab bhee pyar karata tha, mai tuje ab bhee pyar karata hoo”, Waiting for the seat to become vacant. 

            When I see all the women traveling in groups from this SHAKTI Yojana and because of this, the passengers who travel in the bus every day are struggling to find a seat in the bus, I feel when this project will end. Then feels like singing  "Ajeeba dasata hai ye, kaha shuru kaha khatam, ye manjile hai konasi, na tum samaj sake na hum,". Even the government that planned it does not know its consequences, neither do taxpayers like us- " Na wo samaja sake na hum"

If it ever rains in between the journey, my heart will say  "Savan ka maheena pawan kare shore, jiarare jume aise jaise manava nache more". 

Noticing that the conductor of the bus has changed, someone asked, "Why Korishetty (surname of the conductor)  not came?, has he  changed his route?" Then the new conductor answered with some uneasyness “ who ever may the conductor , if you are a male then give the money and take your ticket. If you are a female the show your Aadhar card that's all. Then I felt that,  the song "Naam goom Jayega, Chehara Yeh Badal Jayega, Meri Awaaz Hi Pehechan Hai, Gar Yad Rahe" would have been right if the conductor had sung it now.

 As there is always a rush in the bus, it is common for the conductor to tell everyone to move ahead. But one of the new couple who had boarded the bus, stood like FEVICOL pairs and  went on moving in their own romantic feelings , as everytime conductor insisted to move ahead  and stood near the driver. When they got to the place where they had to get off, everyone in the bus screamed that,  couple has come back a long way in this rush and its a waste of time  as bus has already got late.. Then the couple could have sung "Yeh kaha agaye hum, yuhi sath saath chalake, teri baho me hai janam, meri jism jaan figal ke" in their hearts? It may be, even though everyone was yelling, both of them went down like fevical couples who had nothing to do with others. 

Since the start of Shakti Yojana, buses carry more people than their capacity and often stop down, every time the driver changes gear, the bus screams loudly. Fearing where the bus will stop down, I said "Dil hum hum kare  ghabarayae, ghana dham dham karr gharajaye, ek boond kabhi panee ke more akhionse barasaye". I was shaking inside.

I experienced the  stop down of bus  three times. I coudn't get to office on time, even can’t take the leave,  couldn't find any other vehicle, so I stuck like TRISHANKU.( A mythological character, who wants to go to heaven as immortal, but rejected by heaven and falling from sky and stopped by sage Vishwamitra  not to reach earth. Position like not in heaven & nor in earth).  Then I felt like crying  "Na Koee Umang Hai, Na Koee Tarang Hai, Ye Zindagi To Kya, Ek Kati Patang Hai".  

When I reached the office everyone looked at me strangely. Someone new to see. In the rush of the bus, my hair was all messed up, I was sweating because it was late, I sung in my mind that “Are Deevano mujhe pehechano, mai hu kon, mai hu kon, mai hu Don mai hu Don”  . 

I have lost all my energy from the Shakti Yojana and still come to my town once in  every week when this pain recurs. Remembering God, I pray to Him daily now -- "Itani Shakti Hame Dena Data, Mann Ka Vishwas Kamajor Na Ho" ...