Post by m***@yahoo.comI've heard "Laga chunri mein daag chhupaun kaise.." is originally
written by Amir Khusro, is that so?
The news-reader I use does not show all the posts. I think Shri
Mohit Sharma and Naseer Saheb did send other posts in this thread,
that can be seen in other readers.
There is no question of there being any "be~waqoofee" in asking
this question. It is a genuine enquiry.
Maybe Shri Mishra should have posed this question to the person or
source through whom he got the information in the first place.
I had heard these lyrics for the first time as a film song from
a famous Bhairavi presented in the film "Dil Hi To Hai". It was
released in 1963. Since then, and even prior to it, I have not
come across any information linking these lyrics to Ameer Khusrau.
A lot of reaserach has been done since the last 80 years or so
relating to AK's "hind~vi" kalaam. The researchers have been quite
strict with the use of this term, so that people do not confuse it
with "hindi" (the modern language). The word "hind~vi" of course
means "of India". And the term is used to distinguish this Kalaam
from AK's Faarsi poetry. IIRC, AK has left behind as many as five
Deewaans of Faarsi poetry and it is commonly accepted that all of
his Faarsi output has been accounted for in these five Deewaans.
Some years back, I had an occasion to read a scholarly work by Prof.
Gopi Chand Narang which drew heavily on the compilation of a German
orientalist Dr. Sprenger (circa 1854). There is no mention of
"Laaga Chunri Men...." in that book.
Also, looking at the general language used in AK's "hind~vi"
writings, it does not seem likely that this particular piece was
authored by AK.
My own conjecture is that this was composed (i.e. written) around
the middle of the nineteenth century --- around the same time as the
other notable piece in this genre was composed : "Baabul mora naihar
chooTo jaaye". This latter is generally attributed to Nawaab Waajid
Ali Shah. Interestingly, both pieces have been set to music in
Raag Bhairavi. The "Baabul mora..." number was immortalized by the
late Kundan Lal Saigal in "Street Singer". That composition was
also used (in other voices, probaby Jagjit Singh and his wife Chitra
Singh)in another film "Avishkaar", stg. Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila
Tagore. This film was released around 1973.
The language of both these compositions is quite similar. Both have
mystic overtones, "Laaga..." much more so. Both have been set in
Bhairavi raag. And the general consensus is that these tunes are
traditional.
During the time of Wajid Ali Shah, there was a sort of renaissance
in Indian music and other arts. Many plays and classical bandishes
were composed in what can be loosely called Brij~Bhaasha. It is
quite possible that this piece too might have been written around
the same time period (circa 1850).
Afzal