Mera Kuchh Saamaan

"Mera Kuch Samaan" (Hindi: मेरा कुछ सामान, literally: Some of my things) is a popular song from the acclaimed 1987 movie Ijaazat, directed by Gulzar, who also wrote the song. The song was composed by R D Burman and sung by Asha Bhosle. In the film, the song takes cue from the poem, Maya (Anuradha Patel) leaves behind in letter, for her former lover Mahinder (Naseeruddin Shah), asking him to return her things. As he read on, he finds they are not physical things she wants back, but memories of times spent together.[1]

"Mera Kuch Saamaan"
Song by R D Burman
from the album Ijaazat
Released1987
RecordedMumbai, India
GenreFilmi
LabelSa Re Ga Ma
Songwriter(s)Gulzar
Producer(s)R D Burman

The song remains one of singer Asha Bhosle's most popular,[2] and her personal favourite, as in a 2005 interview with The Fader magazine, calling it autobiographical, she said, "Mera Kuch Samaan..This song is my life."[3] In a 2010 tweet, singer Asha Bhosle, noted, "Pancham jokingly referred to song Mera Kuch Samaan as 'Luggage Song'. My band members still call it that when we are on concert tour".[4]

About the song

Even at the time of its release the song was noted, and even "ahead of its times",[1] for its unusual non-rhyming lyrics in free verse, and for blurring the line between poem and lyric.[5] When Gulzar first showed the non-rhyming lyrics to RD Burman, he jokingly complained that Gulzar would next ask him to set a newspaper headline to music.[6] In an interview Asha Bhosle mentioned that when song was presented to R. D. Burnam, he threw the song away calling it Times of India. Gulzar, who wrote the song and was also directing the movie, sat in a corner fearfully. She herself started humming the song which triggered the melody in Burman's mind and he composed the song in 15 minutes.[7]

The soft music composition chosen by RD Burman, kept the focus completely on the vocals and the words, it not only highlight the unusual lyrics, but also brought Asha versatility as a singer to the fore. It pitted Asha in "a league apart from her contemporaries" and made it one of her best songs.[1] She won her second National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song of 1988, the first one being for Dil Cheez Kya Hai from Umrao Jaan (1981).[8]

Ulhas Bapat, veteran santoor player, who had collaborated with Burman since 1978 until his last film, 1942 A Love Story, played santoor in song's interludes, especially innovative meend pieces.[9]

Awards

Asha Bhosle won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song, and Gulzar won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics and Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for his lyrics.[10]

Legacy

Years later, "Mera Kuch Samaan" was the title of the greatest hits album of Gulzar's greatest hits as a lyricist, released in 2005 by Saregama Ltd.[11][12] It was also part of the greatest hit compilation album, The Very Best of Asha Bhosle, The Queen of Bollywood, released in 2003. The song was also part of the compilation album, "Precious Platinum" released on her 75th birthday in 2008, by Saregama India Ltd.[2]

In May 2011, theatre festival of plays based on 10 short stories of Gulzar, titled Mera Kuch Samaan was organized in Delhi and Mumbai.[13]

Version

Asha Bhosle reprised the song in the album, You've Stolen My Heart: Songs From R.D. Burman's Bollywood with Asha Bhosle, released in August 2005, recorded with Asha and Kronos Quartet, a string quartet founded by David Harrington, as a tribute to Rahul Dev Burman. According to Harrington, .."the experience of a lifetime has tinged her voice with even more poignancy when she sings a song like Mera kuch samaan.[14] The album was recorded over eight days at San Francisco studios, and went to win a nomination for Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.[15] Later she said that her favourite number from the album was "Mera Kuchh samaan..which "is very close to my heart as it transports me back into time when I was with Pancham."[16] Young Music composer Ritesh Bhoyar has refreshingly recomposed this song, as per him it is the most difficult lyrics to compose in Indian film industry.

References
  1. "Remembering Asha Bhosle's best songs on her birthday". Deccan Herald. 7 September 2011.
  2. "Asha Bhosale Celebrates 75th Birthday". Daiji World. 8 September 2008.
  3. "The Facder". The Fader. The Fader, Inc. (34–35): 40. 2005.
  4. "Javed Akhtar and Asha Bhosle join Twitter". 8 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012.
  5. "Gulzar explains difference between poems and lyrics". Sify Movies. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  6. Rocking with R.D, from The Hindu Metro Plus (30 August 2004).
  7. EXCLUSIVE: Asha Bhosle on R D Burman, Music and lots more, from Bollywood Hungama.
  8. 35th National Film Award
  9. "Stringing it along". DNA. 16 June 2007.
  10. Awards IMDb.
  11. "Chatterati". Indian Express. 7 September 2005. Archived from the original on 4 December 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  12. Subhash K Jha (23 September 2005). "Gulzar on his new Anthology 'Mera Kuch Samaan'". Sify. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  13. "Gulzar theatre festival next week". The Times of India. 8 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012.
  14. "Our 'Boss' joins the big league". The Times of India. 28 August 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012.
  15. "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". San Francisco Chronicle. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  16. "Grammy nomination a tribute to RD". The Times of India. 12 December 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012.
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