I have played here famous Flute Tune Aaja Re Parsei from unforgettable Film : Madhumati

(Author’s Note : Please CLICK above PLAY button to play Famous Tune of the song “Aaja Re Pardesei from the Bimal Roy Film : MADHUMATI which I have played it on my Flute. This song was one of the most favorite songs of Lata Mangeshkar. Song was composed by Maestro Salil Chowdhary in 1958. This is one of the most famous haunting melodies ever composed in Bollywood after Lata’s another haunting melody “Aayega Aanewala” from the old Film : Mahal which is Lata's most favorite song todate. Song “Aaja Re Pardesi” is based on Raga Bageshri. Another song from same Film Madhumati “Ghadi Ghadi Mora Dil Dhadake” was also based on Raga Bageshri. I hope you will like my Flute rendition and my nostalgic memory associated with this song. Please post your feedback through your comment which means a lot to me).

I have some nostalgic memory of 1958 associated with the song “Aaja Re Pardesi” which is as follows:

Aaja  Re Pardesi (Film:Madhumati, 1958, Raga:Bageshri ):

The year was 1958. I was a teenager then. My college was closed for Diwali vacation. So my parents took me to a hill station, Matheran which is about 80 km east of Mumbai in Alibag district. Matheran is situated at an altitude of about 800 meters above mean sea level. This is a hill paradise and is a quiet and serene place.

At the end of the day, after finishing day’s sightseeing and after finishing dinner in the hotel, every vacationer used to gather in the balcony of the hotel for a nightly get-together.

Our hotel had a very big balcony facing the beautiful valley. On the first day after I finished my dinner, I took a walk to the balcony where I saw lots of visitors who had already gathered for the evening entertainment after a tiring day of mountain hiking. In the center of the balcony there was a young, tall and handsome guy in his late twenties playing the harmonium very melodiously. I sat next to him. This young harmonium player was asking everyone to sing while he played, to support the singer. I could see his fingers moving swiftly over the harmonium keys creating a very captivating sound. One beautiful teenaged girl sang the famous song Aaja Re Pardesi from the film Madhumati. The harmonium player supported her beautifully. Then my turn came. But I was very shy to singing front of people (not that I am bold now). The harmonium player almost forced me to sing a song. I refused to sing because I thought everyone would make fun of me. So he asked the next youngster to sing. 

While this next youngster was singing, I asked a person sitting next to me about the player who looked like a very modest person. The person sitting next to me as well as the harmonium player looked at me with surprise. At this point, I came to know from my neighbor that the harmonium player was indeed the Music Director Kalyanji Veerji Shah (of famous Kalyanji-Anandji duo) and that he had just started composing music for Hindi films. I also came to know that he was also the most famous instrumentalist who had played the claviolin (snake charmer's bean) in the famous song Man Dole Mera from the film Nagin (1954). I was flabbergasted. I looked at the harmonium player apologetically since it was evident that I had not recognized him earlier. 

After the song session, I congratulated that beautiful girl for her melodious rendition of "Aaja Re Pardesi". She introduced her to me and her name was Priya and it so happened that Priya was in same college as mine (St. Xavier's College, Mumba). But I had never seen Priya in last couple of months in our college after I had joined the college for First Year Science. This is because Priya was in Arts section of the college.

After a couple of evening music sessions, I realized that Kalyanji was a very unassuming person despite being a famous music director of Bollywood of those days.

I feel very nostalgic whenever I hear the song Aaja Re Pardesi which brings back my above nostalgic memory at Matheran Hill Station.

Characteristics of Raga Bageshri:

Aroha  :     ni    SA   ga     MA   DHA   ni     SA

                  --

Avaroha :  SA   ni   DHA  MA   PA   DHA   ga   MA   ga   RE   SA

Vaadi  :    MA   and   Samvaadi   :   SA