How a film song is also a concert standard

'Aaj jaane ki zid na karo' assumed to be in ghazal singer Farida Khanum’s tune, is a rare instance of a song moving from the screen to the stage

The tune of Aaj jaane ki zid na karo, a concert standard among ghazal singers, is often attributed to the Pakistani singer Farida Khanum. Many distinguished Indian singers have recorded their versions of the ‘geet’ — it is called that and not a ghazal because it does not follow the prosody of the latter poetic form. Farida’s audio, uploaded on YouTube, has close to a million views.

Several well-known Indian singers, including Asha Bhosle, have drawn inspiration from the delicate nuances Farida imparts to her rendering in raga Yaman Kalyan, and recorded their versions. Sample the poetry: ‘Don’t insist on leaving today/Come, sit by my side a little longer.’ The words, with their wistful romance, and the melody, with its gentle if predictable contours, together make the song an all-time favourite. Even A R Rahman gave it a shot in the course of a Coke Studio recording, and as you might expect, it is a blingy take.

A little known fact is that the song was first popularised by the classical vocalist Habib Wali Mohammad. He subsequently sang it for the Pakistani film ‘Badal aur Bijli’ (1974). With words by the Kolkata-born Fayyaz Hashmi, the tune was created by the distinguished Pakistani composer Sohail Raina.

You can watch the video of the film song online. The orchestra is reminiscent of that era. If you had to make a list of film songs loved and performed by non-film musicians, you might put Aaj jaane ki zid on top.

Raja wants words

Ilaiyaraaja has put out a tune for which he wants lyrics. It is a choppy little tune he has posted on Twitter, and he is inviting people to write in. The first few hundred submissions were all in Tamil, so Iliayaraaja again posted a message asking for lyrics in other languages. Check out his official handle @ilaiyaraaja, and see if you are inspired to write a song.

Lullaby contest

And as part of the country’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the government has announced a song-writing contest. It has two categories: patriotic songs and lullabies. A website devoted to the celebrations, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, gives you details.