Her Story: A Young Woman - 1

Our girl is not a little girl any more. She is a beautiful young woman with lots of dreams and hopes for her future. She is at an age where she is curious about what it feels like to fall in love. I have selected two songs that describe this stage in a woman's life. The first one is from "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" (1994). The other one follows in the next post.

Trivia: This song was not included in the film, one of the biggest grossers in the Hindi film industry. The 3.5 hour-long film had 12 songs. This song, the 13th one, appears in the original soundtrack though. Madhuri Dixit was older than the character she was playing, but she is bubbly and looks cute. Lata Mangeshkar, who was 65 then, sang this song which was supposed to be filmed on a teenager.

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Dev Kohli
Music: Raamlaxman

Her Story: The Classroom Singer

Our girl is now old enough to sing a song on her own, without her teacher's help. Watch her here in "Do Kaliyaan" (1968) doing exactly that.

Trivia: Neetu Singh, who went on to marry Rishi Kapoor later, was a child actress who was known by her screen name-Baby Sonia-in those days. She starred in a double role in this film, playing identical twins who are instrumental in bringing their estranged parents together. This was a very popular song at its time. Many girls sang this if asked to sing, be it at a party, a family get-together, a social occasion or when there were guests at home.

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Sahir Ludhianvi
Music: Ravi

Her Story: Off To School! - 2

It is still songs and stories at school. School time seems like fun time. Kids who were not comfortable initially about being away from home, begin to enjoy the school experience. It sure is so much fun when a child finds herself surrounded by other children of her age. Our girl is one of so many such kids who have just started liking their school after the initial hiccups. Watch a class of young ones listening to a song in which their teacher is trying to tell them a story. This lovely composition is from "Lajwanti" (1958).

Singer: Asha Bhosle
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Music: S. D. Burman

Her Story: Off To School! - 1

A child's first few days in school. Her first exposure to the outside world. For her, it is just an extension of her home. At times, she tries to find her mother in her teacher. That is why, it helps to have persons who are sensitive to a child's needs as teachers at the nursery level. Our girl is learning her first lessons at school now. I have two beautiful songs that show a loving and caring mother figure showering affection on her little wards. First, a super-hit duet from "Shree 420" (1955). The other one coming up in the next post.

Trivia: Watch Raj Kapoor at his Charlie Chaplinesque antics while Nargis asks riddles to the kids in her class in what looks like a makeshift school under a tree. This film was a big hit in the then Soviet Union. As a result, Raj Kapoor was very popular there. This particular song struck a chord with Iranians and they used to say "Ichak Dana" if they wanted to refer to someone from India. Antakshari players will surely remember this song, for it is often a favourite option when they are challenged to come up with a number that begins with an "ee".

Singers: Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri
Music: Shankar Jaikishan

Her Story: Fun And Games

Playing with friends in the neighbourhood is a part of growing up. This is the first step towards learning social skills. A kid who is used to having her way at home, learns to be accommodative while interacting with her friends. These activities, which may sometimes look silly and meaningless, help in the overall development of a child. Our girl has graduated from playing at home with family to playing in the local park with other children. Joining them in the fun is a not-so-young person. But he is young at heart for sure. Watch him becoming a child in the company of other kids in these delightful ditties from "Aashirwaad" (1968).

Trivia: The little girl asking questions is Sarika, who later starred in many Hindi and Marathi films with Sachin. She married and divorced Kamal Haasan, with whom she had two daughters, Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan. Lyricist Harindranath Chattopadhyay was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu. And as far as Ashok Kumar's rendering of these songs is concerned, I wonder if Shankar Mahadevan was inspired by these for his "Breathless"!

Singer: Ashok Kumar
Lyrics: Harindranath Chattopadhyay
Music: Vasant Desai

Her Story: Growing Up!

Our little girl is growing up. She is an apple of everyone's eye. When she laughs, her laughter is so infectious that the whole house laughs with her. She has that wonderful ability of bringing out the child in everybody around her. Her mother is enjoying the bliss of motherhood. Watch her showering her little darling with endearments in this sweet song from "Dil Ek Mandir" (1963).

Singer: Suman Kalyalpur
Lyrics: Shailendra
Music: Shankar Jaikishan

Her Story: Happy Birthday!

Life becomes so full with a small baby at home that one never realises how time flies. Every day brings a fresh challenge. As the baby learns new things, parents learn with her too. They have to deal with anxieties, lack of sleep, feeding schedules, visits to the paediatrician, vaccinations and a whole lot of other things. But all this seems to be worth it when they see a radiant smile on their baby's face and a lovely twinkle in her eyes. And babies smile quite a lot, much more than we do!

When the little one completes the first year of her life, there is joy and celebration in the family. We celebrate our girl's birthday with this very old song from "Andaz" (1949).

Trivia: This song is from an era when the playback singers did not get any credit. So, Lata Mangeshkar and the playback singers who sang other songs in this film, were not mentioned in the film's credits.

Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Music: Naushad