This Diwali playlist is like an assorted sweets and dry fruits gift box, where we have included some songs related to the festival, and others containing lines connected with lights and brightness.
For instance, there’s a song about ‘shama’ (candle) and one about ‘ujala’ (bright light). The order is chronological.
1 Diya Jalao – Tansen (1943)
The film was based on the life of musician Miyan Tansen, one of the jewels in Emperor Akbar’s court. The song was filmed on and sung by the great K.L. Saigal, with music by Khemchand Prakash. Lyrics were by Pandit Indra. Legend has it that Tansen was asked to sing in raag Deepak, and lamps automatically lit up as he sang.
2 Ae Shama Tu Bata – Dastan (1950)
Suraiya was shown playing a piano in this song, which she sang herself. The tune was composed by Naushad. Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics were, “Ae shama tu bata tera parwana kaun hai, loota hai jisne tujhko, woh deewana kaun hai”. Co-starring Raj Kapoor, this was said to be Suraiya’s last major hit film.
3 Gaya Andhera Hua Ujala – Subah Ka Tara (1954)
This train song was sung by Talat Mahmood and Lata Mangeshkar, with Pradeep Kumar and Jayashree appearing on screen. Music was by C. Ramchandra, and lyricist Noor Lucknawi wrote, “Gaya andhera hua ujala, chamka chamka subah ka tara”. A beautiful flute portion adorned the song.
4 Jalte Hain Jiske Liye – Sujata (1959)
Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote this classic with the lines, “Jalte hain jiske liye, teri aankhon ke diye, dhoond laaya hoon wohi, geet main tere liye”. Talat Mahmood sang the tune composed by S.D. Burman. Sunil Dutt was shown singing the song to Nutan over the telephone. We chose the song because of the metaphorical use of ‘diye’ or lamps.
5 Mele Hain Charagon Ke – Nazrana (1961)
A Diwali song featuring Vyjayanthimala, Raj Kapoor and Usha Kiran, this was sung by Lata to Ravi’s tune. Rajendra Krishan wrote, “Mele hain charagon ke, rangeen Diwali hai, mehka hua gulshan hai, hansta hua maali hai”. The song had an ideal festival setting, with fireworks on display.
6 Deepak Jalao, Jyoti Jalao – Sangeet Samrat Tansen (1962)
This was from another biopic of Miyan Tansen, starring Bharat Bhushan. Mohammed Rafi sang it immaculately. The music was composed by S.N. Tripathi, who also directed the film and played the role of Emperor Akbar. Lyricist Shailendra wrote, “Deepak jalao, jyoti jalao, man mein andhera hai, deepak jalao”.
7 Aai Abke Saal Diwali – Haqeeqat (1964)
Kaifi Azmi wrote this hard-hitting song questioning why one should celebrate Diwali when soldiers were fighting war. The lyrics were, “Aai abke saal Diwali, mooh par apne khoon maley, chaaron taraf hai ghor andhera, ghar mein kaise deep jaley”. The song was composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Lata.
8 Deep Diwali Ke Jhoothe – Jugnu (1973)
A children’s song where Dharmendra was shown entertaining a group of school kids to celebrate the festival, this was sung by Kishore Kumar and Sushma Shrestha. S.D. Burman composed the tune, and lyricist Anand Bakshi wrote, “Deep Diwali ke jhoothe, raat chale subah toote”.
9 Diye Jalte Hain – Namak Haraam (1973)
Though this is actually a song about friendship, the use of the term ‘diye’ makes it apt for pals to sing on Deepawali too. It was sung by Kishore and composed by R.D. Burman. Bakshi wrote, “Diye jalte hain, phool khilte hain, badi mushkil se magar duniya mein dost milte hain”. The song was picturised on Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.
10 Jab Deep Jale Aana – Chitchor (1976)
Sung by Yesudas and Hemlata, this song was filmed on Amol Palekar, Zarina Wahab and Master Raju. Ravindra Jain, who composed it in raag Yaman, also wrote the lyrics. The words were, “Jab deep jale aana, jab shaam dhale aana, sanket milan ka bhool na jaana, mera pyaar na bisraana”.
There were quite a few songs based on similar themes in the the early 2000s. Examples were ‘Roshni Se’ in Asoka and ‘Roobaroo Roshni’ in Rang De Basanti. However, we made this a purely Golden Oldies list. Happy Diwali.
