10 Songs that celebrate Kishore Kumar’s love for life

To mark his 91st birth anniversary on August 4, Narendra Kusnur picked 10 Kishore Kumar songs with the words ‘Zindagi’ and ‘Jeevan’. Enjoy!

If one looks at the Kishore Kumar song catalogue, one realises many hit songs had the words ‘Zindagi’ or ‘Jeevan’ in their opening lines. They revolved around various situations, ranging from romance to nostalgia to sadness.

To mark his 91st birth anniversary on August 4, we chose 10 songs with these words. Some of the most popular ones were filmed on Rajesh Khanna, and Kishore’s voice suited the superstar perfectly. The list is chronological.

1. Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Raahi – Munimji (1955)

Music director Sachin Dev Burman gave Kishore Kumar some good songs filmed on Dev Anand in the 1950s. This tune, where Sahir Ludhianvi wrote “Jeevan ke safar mein raahi, milte hain bichad jaane ko”, had the upbeat Kishore signature style. Nalini Jaywant also appeared in the car scene.

2. Zindagi Ka Safar – Safar (1970)

A quintessential Kishore sad song on the unpredictable nature of life, picturised on super star Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. “Zindagi ka safar, hai yeh kaisa safar, koi samjha nahin, koi jaana nahin”, wrote Indeevar with Kalyanji-Anandji providing music.

https://youtu.be/C9A94NFAHVM

3. Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhen – Safar (1970)

In this love song, also from Safar, Indeevar wrote, “Jeevan se bhari teri aankhen majboor kare jeene ke liye, jeene ke liye. Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore appeared on screen again, and Kalyanji-Anandji provided the music. 

https://youtu.be/6VZDEcwcCak

4. Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana – Andaz (1971)

A typical Kishore number, with his trademark yodelling. The song, composed by Shankar-Jaikishen and penned by Hasrat Jaipuri, also talks of life’s uncertainties with the lines “Yahaan kal kya ho kisne jaana”. Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini appear on screen.

5. Yeh Jeevan Hai – Piya Ka Ghar (1972)

“Thode gham hai, thodi khushiyan, yehi hai chaaon dhoop” wrote Anand Bakshi in this beauty picturised on Anil Dhawan and Jaya Bhaduri. Laxmikant-Pyarelal provided the music, and the song was a big hit though the film bombed.

6. Zindagi Ke Safar Mein – Aap Ki Kasam (1974)

Bakshi pens a marvellous song with the lines “Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jaate hain jo makaam, woh phir nahin aate, woh phir nahin aate”. Music is by Rahul Dev Burman and the song is filmed on Rajesh Khanna, with Mumtaz and Sanjeev Kumar appearing in the flashback scenes.

7. Mera Jeevan Kora Kagaz – Kora Kagaz (1974)

A symbolic song picturised on Jaya Bhaduri, this had Kishore singing “Mera jeevan kora kagaz kora hi reh gaya”. Kalyanji-Anandji provided the music, and the lesser-known M.G. Hashmat wrote the words. The song is often sung at tribute shows.

8. Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi – Aandhi (1975)

Composed by R.D. Burman and written by Gulzar, the songs of Aandhi were hugely popular. This one, a duet by Kishore and Lata Mangeshkar, was based on the Bengali song ‘Jethe Jethe Pothe Holo Deri’, sung by Burman himself. Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen started in the film.

9. Jeevan Ke Har Mod Pe – Jhoota Kahin Ka (1979)

R.D. Burman had also released this as ‘Shono Mon Boli Tomay’ in Bengali, which he sang himself. The Hindi version, featuring Kishore and Asha Bhosle, was penned by Gulshan Bawra, and filmed on Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh and Rakesh Roshan.

10. Jeevan Ke Din Chhote Sahi – Bade Dil Wala (1983)

Featuring Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim, this song was composed by R.D. Burman and written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The lyrics went “Jeevan ke din chhote sahi, hum bhi bade dil wale”. There was an alternate version featuring Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan.