Romancing the Jaadugar Balma

By now the regular readers of the SOY can easily answer if Amitabh Bachchan were to ask on KBC, बलमा के कितने प्रमुख प्रकार हैं? It is sad that this season of KBC has come to an end; if it is revived, he might some day ask this question! We have met with anaari, pardesi, ajanabi, and beimaan balmas. It is difficult to make an exhaustive list of the several types of ‘balmas’ found in our films – in which category would you put the ‘Balma’ Shakti Kapoor in Chaalbaaz (1989)?. But there is one major category, Jaadugar Balma/Baalma, which was quite ubiquitous in our films once, and quite distinct from the other forms covered on SOY. These categories are not watertight compartments. There are shades of meaning and the context which may overlap in more than one category. In my last post on the ‘Beimaan baalma’, many readers posted songs which were closer to ‘Jaadugar baalma’, and I had to be careful not to let out this planned post.

Nothing in our films is without some connection to our folklore, mythology or social mores. The biggest enchanter was Krishna during his Brij period. His this romantic aspect, his felicity with music, dance and sixteen arts, besides his divine purpose of taking birth as a human being on the earth – of slaying the demons and helping the good prevail over the evil – make him a Poorna Avatar. Drawing inspiration from the Krishna mythology, Jaadugar Balma has an exalted origin.

The female enchantresses in our mythology are not quite the counterpart of Krishna. Mohini, the female form of Vishnu, appears a number of times in different tales. During the joint Samudra Manthan by the gods and the demons, among many things the belly of the ocean yielded, the most precious was the ‘Amrit Kalash’ (elixir). A fierce fight broke out between the two sides over its possession. Had the demons been able to lay their hands on it, it would have made them invincible. Vishnu appeared as Mohini, a femme fatale, who charmed the demons to their destruction. In another tale, Bhasmaasur, armed with the boon given by Lord Shiva to turn anyone into ashes by touching his head, decided to try his powers on Shiva himself. On Shiva’s pleadings, Vishnu came in the form of Mohini, who enchanted the demon to dance with his hand on his head, thus instantly reducing him to ashes.

The apsaras were celestial dancing beauties in Indralok. From time to time, when Indra felt threatened by the extreme penance of some mortal on the earth, he would send one of the apsaras to seduce the person and break his penance.

In folklore and fairy tales, the witches or jaadugarnis have an evil aspect. Calcutta was once the epicentre of industry, economic activity, and jobs which drew droves of men from Bihar and UP. Their left-behind women pined for their visits which became rarer with the passage of time. The plight of Calcutta-widows led to the folklore of enchantresses of Bengal who seduced their men by their charms, and transformed them into a parrot or pigeon and put them in a cage. I was puzzled what these Bengal jaadugarnis gained by keeping their men in a pinjra. A sympathetic messenger, endowed with special powers, would go to locate, identify this caged parrot, and rescue him from the spell of the jaadugarni. I am sure the readers have heard the common saying बंगाल का काला जादू. This predates PC Sircar Sr; the special association of magic with Bengal made him a legendary magician of India.

Numerous films, literature and TV serials present femme fatales as vamps whose primary aim is to trap the hero by their charms, with evil intentions. Invariably this brings doom to the person and the family, unless he is careful to keep away from her. This depiction is highly sexist which paints men as innocent victims, being devoid of any agency.

The jaadugars in our film songs are not evil. The women find their charm irresistible. Here the man has the agency; the woman can do nothing but helplessly pine for him. This trope, too, is not very dignified for women, but we can’t have it both ways. The Jaadugar Balma is a benign, well-meaning person. Let us enjoy some songs which completes our romance with different types of balmas.

1. Kaahe jaadu kiya, mujhko itna bata jaadugar balma jaadugar balma by Shamshad Begum/Amirbai Karnataki, lyrics Naushad Jarchavi, music Nashad

This is the best song showing the lady’s helplessness faced with the charm of the enchanter – Mujhko apani khabar hai naa dil ka pata. It was apparently  sung by Shamshad Begum in the film, but Amirbai Karnataki also recorded it in her voice. This combined video contains both the versions, both are our great favourites.

2. Kar gaya re kar gaya dil pe jaadu sanwariya by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle from Basant Bahaar (1956), lyrics Shailendra, music Shankar Jaikishan

The spell cast by the enchanter has contrasting effect on the dancer Kumkum and the singer on the tanpura, Nimmi. Nimmi has reason to be sad at the Patthar ki moorat Bharat Bhushan. Bharat Bhushan, who seems to be the object of attraction of both, gives blank looks to each of them, I don’t know why. Even with him, Kumkum is high-spirited and joyous in her dance. Though the film could not become a Baiju Baawra, it had some absolutely fascinating songs by Shankar-Jaikishan.

3. O ji O ji chhodo ji dupatta mera jaadugar baalma by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar from Champakali (1957), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Hemant Kumar

Bharat Bhushan comes to life in his romancing with Suchitra Sen. A joyous duet, Suchitra Sen’s pleading with her jaadugar baalma to let go of her dupatta is a put-on.

4. Jaadugar sainya chhod mori bainya, ho gayi aadhi raat ab ghar jane de by Lata Mangeshkar from Naagin (1954), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Hemant Kumar

You can make out, Vyjayanthimala is in no hurry to leave her enchanter and go home. Yet, she has to pretend that Pradeep Kumar is holding her up. When the enchanter and woman are together, everything is blissful. Another outstanding song of romancing the jaadugar baalma/sainya from the combination of Rajendra-Krishna and Hemant Kumar.

5. Jaadugar qaatil, haazir hai mera dil by Asha Bhosle from Kohinoor (1960). lyrics Shakeel Badayuni, music Naushad

Dilip Kumar was one of the biggest enchanters in his heydays, but here Kumkum is no less qaatil, though she has been completely enchanted by the jaadugar and given him his heart. The dancer and the sitarist is a terrific combination.

6. Dil lootnewale jaadugar ab maine tujhe pahchana hai by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar from Madari (1959), lyrics Farooq Kaisar, music Kalyani-Anandji

Kalyanji-Anandji 1.0 became known for such sweet melodies, sung by Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar. Kalyanji had Hemant Kumar-Naagin connection which explains the sweetness in his music. He is said to have played the been tune in Naagin on his clavioline. The duo created a Naagin-style song in a B-grade film, which became a rage in the radio era.

7. Koi kahe rasiya koi man basiya, main piya tujhe chor kahun ya chhaliya re by Lata Mangeshkar from Madari (1959), lyrics Pt. Madhur, music Kalyanji-Anandji

I can’t help posting another absolutely melodious dance song in the voice of Lata Mangeshkar from the film Madari. The enchanter here is called by different loving names: rasiya, man basiya, chor, chhaliya. This may seem to overlap with Beimaan balma, but is closer to the Jaadugar balma. Kalyanji (Virji Shah) had started as a solo music director a year earlier with Samrat Chandragupta. In the very first year of his younger brother joining him to form a duo, they strike gold with great music.

8. Ja re jaadugar dekhi teri jaadugari by Lata Mangeshkar from Bhabhi (1957), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Chitragupta

Now Shyama is the delighted target of the enchanter’s spell. The jaadugar seems to be expressionless. Chitragupta is one of the top favourites of the SOY community. Bhabhi was his first super-success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHA9pzEUlM4

9. Tu ne wo rangeele kaisa jaadu kiya by Lata Mangeshkar from Kudrat (1981), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music RD Burman

Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini are transported into their previous lives, when they were lovers. The man had cast such a spell that she started calling piya, piya as if in delirium.

10. Rasik balma haye dil kyun lagaya tose from Chori Chori (1956), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Shankar-Jaikishan

I take Rasik balma as a synonym of Jaadugar balma. The spell brings grief to Nargis as she starts repenting why she fell in love with him. A timeless song.

11. Baazigar O baazigar, tu hai bada jaadugar by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik from Baazigar (1993), lyric Nawab Arzoo, music Anu Malik.

Now as an exception, here is a song where the enchanter does not have benign intentions, because there is a reason with which we empathise. Baazigar (acrobat?) is also an enchanter and, therefore, the smitten lady tells him that he is a jaadugar. She does not yet realise that the ‘enchanter’ has come with the purpose of avenging past insults and harrowing villainy of the girl’s daddy.

12. Jaadu teri nazar, khushboo tera badan, tu haan kar ya na kar by Udit Narayan from Darr (1993), lyrics Anand Bakhshi, music Shiv-Hari

Now a song of a lady who has enchanted the hero who is, incidentally, tongue-tied in her presence. That takes him nowhere, turning him into an obsessive lover with a twisted personality.

13. Jab se Kanhaiya gaile Gokul bisaari dehile, aaho aaho Udho kaun re joginiya jogwa saadhe ho raam (Bhojpuri Purbi) by Chandan Tiwari, lyrics Mahender Misir

We do not see much of the ‘jaadugarni’ in our film songs. In Krishna mythology there is very little or absolutely no mention of Radha in our ancient texts. But in the middle ages, Jayadev’s Geet Govind, and later Bhakti Kaal poet Surdas and others, made Krishna-Radha love and dance and song, the centre of people’s imagination. An intriguing part of Krishna story is that once he left Brij for Mathura, he never came back there, leaving behind the pining Radha, other gopis, his foster parents and all his associations there. Realising the pain of Radha and the gopis, Krishna dispatched the learned scholar Uddhav to teach them some Gyanyog to forget him, and devote their life instead to realise the Supreme Being, the all pervasive Formless Brahman (ब्रह्म). The gopis would have none of this; Uddhav was no match for their taunts, sarcasm and their overwhelming love for the Sagun Krishna:

Since the day Kanhaiya left us, he has erased all the remembrances of Gokul
Tell us O Udho, which jogin has cast her jog on him.
(Which enchantress has cast her spell on him)

Radha has become a skeleton staring at the village pathway for your arrival
You have been very cruel to her and all of us
Without you Kanha, Vrindavan and Madhuban have become still
Tell us Udho which enchantress has poisoned the mind of Kanha
The real jogin is the birahin Radha who is performing such an arduous jog

You can see the first use of jogin/jog is in the sense of enchantress and her spell. From satire it moves to the pathos of the forlorn Radha, gopis and Gokul, and finally it ends with jogin/jogi in the literal sense while describing Radha’s unbearable pain and sacrifice in separation. This is one of the famous songs of Mahender Misir (16 March 1865-26 October 1946), popularly described as the Purbi Samrat. Chandan Tiwari is a leading current singer at the forefront of re-establishing the spirit of traditional Bhojpuri folk over its Bollywood-style vulgarity in the Bhojpuri film songs. A very poignant song which would move anyone transcending the barriers of language and culture.

14. Jaadu bhareli kaun albeli naar raseele…naina raseele Thumri in Mishra Gara by Bhimsen Joshi

Continuing the jadugarni theme, I am sure a deep search would yield many songs about enchantresses in folk and light classical. I end here with a thumri by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi in his divine voice as my tribute to him in his centenary year (4 Feb 1922-24 January 2011). A beautiful song – I understand it is about a damsel who casts a spell on men.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The song links have been embedded from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.