Tere Mandir Ka Hoon Deepak Jal Raha 1940- Pankaj Malik.

Song-Tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa (Pankaj Mullick NFS) (1940) Singer-Pankaj Mullick,Lyrics-Pt Madhur,Md-Pankaj Mullick

Lyrics

tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa
tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa
aag jeevan mein main bhar kar chal rahaa
jal rahaa
tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa

kyaa tu mere dard se anjaan hai
teri meri kyaa nayee pehchan hai
jo bina paani bataashaa ghal rahaa
aag jeevan mein main bhar kar chal raha
tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa

ek jhalak mujh ko dikhaa de saanware
saanware
mujh ko le chal tu kadamb ki chhaon re
saanware

o re chhaliyaa, aaaaaaa aaaaa
o re chahliyaa kyoon mujhe tu chhal rahaa
aag jeevan mein main bhar kar chal raha
tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa

main to kismat baansuri ki baanch’taa ka
ek dhun pe sau tareh se naachtaa
aankh se jamunaa ka paani dhal rahaa
aag jeevan mein main bhar kar chal raha
tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa

In the beginning of the 30s, when the talking films made a debut on the Indian silver screen, and Calcutta was the premier center for film making, with a gathering of renowned stalwarts guiding the industry through its infancy. Names like BN Sircar, Nitin Bose, PC Barua, Debaki Bose, Premankur Atorthy, Prafulla Roy, Kidar Sharma, Aga Hashr Kashmiri, RC Boral, Pankaj Mullick and many more come to mind when one thinks of the film industry, Calcutta and 1930s.

Into this bustling creative setting, arrived a young man with a magical voice, from faraway Jalandhar in Punjab. Virtually unknown outside a small circle of friends, he was seeking a break in the films and film music. Pankaj Babu was already an established name as a singer-composer with New Theatres. And yet, acknowledging the wonder that Saigal Saab’s voice is, he and RC Boral, unhesitatingly promoted him, at times at the cost of Pankaj Babu’s opportunity. The significant episode is related to the making of the film My Sister (1944). The planning and production of this film was started when Saigal Saab was in Bombay, as part of an arrangement between New Theatres and Ranjit Movietone, working on films Taansen (1943) and Bhanwaraa (1944). When he came back to Calcutta, the production activities for My Sister were in progress, with Pankaj Babu in the lead role. Three songs had already been recorded (Ae Qaatib-e-Taqdeer. . ., Chhupo Naa Chhupo Naa. . ., and Do Nainaa Matwaare Tihaare. . .). BN Sircar, the owner of New Theatres, requested Pankaj Babu to let Saigal Saab play the lead role, as request to which Pankaj Baby agreed, with good grace. The three songs were re-recorded in Saigal Saab’s voice for the film. Both versions of these songs exist now.

This post is about another non-film song by Pankaj Babu. Once again, a wonderful song that has attained iconic status with music lovers. The lovely lyrics are by Pt. Madhur, and the music composition is by Pankaj Babu himself. This song is a bhajan (devotional song), dedicated to Lord Krsna. The verses tell of perseverance and a steadfast devotion. They tell of an anguished wait, and an entreaty for getting just a glimpse. They tell of an emotion of envy, directed at the flute that he plays with his hands and lips. Oh what, a portrayal of emotions of a lover, deep in a tender affection for Him. And the sound of the voice that renders this emotion – almost takes us along with it to the shade of the kadamb tree. A wonderful treasure to enjoy.

tere mandir ka hoon deepak jal rahaa
aag jeevan mein main bhar kar chal rahaa

My dear Lord, I am a small earthen lamp, glowing in your sanctuary
My existence is a chronicle of the flame that is the substance of my life

kyaa tu mere dard se anjaan hai
teri meri kyaa nayee pehchan hai
jo bina paani bataashaa ghal rahaa

You are not oblivious to the anguish that engulfs me
Our association is nothing new to You, we know each other for ages
Or how else is this lump of sugar dissolving without any water to expend it

“Bataashaa” is a small hemispherical shaped sugar candy, that used to be a popular sweet ‘thingy’ with the kids, before toffee and chocolate changed the habits. It is still used during the festivals, and as prasad (offering) in temples. Being made of pure sugar only, it simply dissolves very quickly with just a few drops of water. And if the humidity in the air is high, one does not even need the drops of water. It will start softening and dissolving in high humidity. That is the intent the poet wants to convey – that I am a lump of sugar (bataashaa), and even in your unseen, but perceived presence (like humidity in the air), I just dissolve. The dissolution in exemplified in the last antaraa. For a human person, being dissolved is an act of emotion, that is manifested through the tears that flow from the eyes, in extreme happiness or extreme anguish.

ek jhalak mujh ko dikhaa de saanware
mujh ko le chal tu kadamb ki chhaon re
o re chahliyaa kyoon mujhe tu chhal rahaa

O my Beloved, with an appearance like that of dark clouds, grant me just one glimpse of Your beautiful face
And take me by my hand to the shade of the Kadamb tree
O the apparition of my vision, play no more this game of mischievous deception with me

The tree of Kadamb has a significance in the stories that tell of the pastimes of Lord Krishna. It is a variety of tree that is very dear to Him. He plays his flute standing under this tree. In Vrindavan, there is a Kadamb tree by the name ‘Vanshi Vat’ (literally ‘the flute tree’). Legend has it that it is the very tree under which the child Krsna would sit and play his magical flute.

main to kismat baansuri ki baanch’taa ka
ek dhun pe sau tareh se naachtaa
aankh se jamunaa ka paani dhal rahaa

I extol the fortunes of the this small reed of bamboo in Your hands
With just one note from Your flute, I can dance a hundred different steps
And my being is streaming down from my eyes, like the water of the river Jamuna

In devotional poetry, poets in all ages have eulogized, admired and even envied this small reed of bamboo that the Lord always, always carries with him, in all his pastimes while in Vrindavan. No artist has ever made an image of Krsna without the flute being present somewhere in the frame, even if it is simply stuck in His waistband. Here the poet says, that he sings the praise of the good fortune of this small piece of bamboo, that always stays with Him, He puts it to His lips, and He caresses it with His fingers. The admiration and the envy in the mind of a devotee is understandable. Similarly, the river Jamuna has a very special significance. She is very dear to Him, and in fact, in the incarnation of Kalindi, she is one of the eight patraanis (the primary queens) of Lord Krishna. The devotee is so immersed in his love for Him, that even the tears that come to eye are the water of Jamuna, that is very dear to Him.

A wonderful bhajan that touches all the significant portions of the Legend – Kadamb tree, flute, Jamuna ji, the appearance like dark clouds. . . So true is the emotion that it creeps into the heart and makes one want to dance with it.