Personal Loving Tributes to
Qamar Jalalabadi
Youngest daughter Subhashini salutes her dad...a true noble soul!
In his personal life he was a highly principled personality who had his own unique rules and beliefs. He began each day with prayers and then fell deeply into transcendental meditation.He was mostly embedded in his writing for most part of the day.
A true Karma yogi as well, who took care of his ailing parents as long as they lived, nurtured his brothers and sisters, even gave up a bungalow in Khar,Bombay in his heydays to one of his married sisters to save her from a difficult marriage, and shifted to simpler accommodation in Juhu with family.This herculean act of genorisity on his part created a permanent wound in the hearts of us all kids and mom as well,but none of us questioned his decision.
The address of that beautiful bungalow still exists in our hearts.
DIAMOND BUNGALOW,
16th Road,
Khar West,
Bombay 52
He was a benevolent and kind father and fought against all odds to provide for his seven children, and he managed to give us all a pretty decent life and put us all through college. His relationship with his wife was unique in the sense that my mother Smt. Leelawati was not only the traditional housewife, but also a friend and philosopher to my father. They shared a rare bond of togetherness.He preferred to sit at home and chat with her over a cuppa, discussing every topic under the sun, instead of blowing his time in some mehfil with friends with a drink in hand.That drink never touched his hand,as he was a complete teetotaller.
He taught us only good habits and his philosophy still lives with us kids..
The Film Industry forgot him...
Only his fans remember......
Only his songs remain....
Two lines will sum up what he was as a person ...
"Chand jab dekha tha usne
Chand par likh dee Ghazal
Hai wo patharon ka shahar
Iss baat se tha bekhabar..."
Posting a iem as Tribute to our old house in Juhu.
Subhashini Swar
Events Producer
Content Writer
Web Designs
In his personal life he was a highly principled personality who had his own unique rules and beliefs. He began each day with prayers and then fell deeply into transcendental meditation.He was mostly embedded in his writing for most part of the day.
A true Karma yogi as well, who took care of his ailing parents as long as they lived, nurtured his brothers and sisters, even gave up a bungalow in Khar,Bombay in his heydays to one of his married sisters to save her from a difficult marriage, and shifted to simpler accommodation in Juhu with family.This herculean act of genorisity on his part created a permanent wound in the hearts of us all kids and mom as well,but none of us questioned his decision.
The address of that beautiful bungalow still exists in our hearts.
DIAMOND BUNGALOW,
16th Road,
Khar West,
Bombay 52
He was a benevolent and kind father and fought against all odds to provide for his seven children, and he managed to give us all a pretty decent life and put us all through college. His relationship with his wife was unique in the sense that my mother Smt. Leelawati was not only the traditional housewife, but also a friend and philosopher to my father. They shared a rare bond of togetherness.He preferred to sit at home and chat with her over a cuppa, discussing every topic under the sun, instead of blowing his time in some mehfil with friends with a drink in hand.That drink never touched his hand,as he was a complete teetotaller.
He taught us only good habits and his philosophy still lives with us kids..
The Film Industry forgot him...
Only his fans remember......
Only his songs remain....
Two lines will sum up what he was as a person ...
"Chand jab dekha tha usne
Chand par likh dee Ghazal
Hai wo patharon ka shahar
Iss baat se tha bekhabar..."
Posting a iem as Tribute to our old house in Juhu.
Subhashini Swar
Events Producer
Content Writer
Web Designs
Second Daughter Rajkumari reflects...
We were seven siblings!
We all used to be waiting for Dad to come home every night....As soon as he came home he used to call one of us and give him/her the tidbit he had bought (snack or fruit) and tell him/her to share it with all the siblings!
At that time we all used to feel : God is in Heaven.All's right with the World.... Dad is home!
Dad always used to advise me:
"Raji, iss Duniya mein do not be so bitter that people spit you out of their lives.....: And
Do not be so sweet that they gobble you up!"
I remember clearly while In 9th std one day I came home crying and kept on crying without eating anything.... When Dad came home at night....mom complained to him about me..
Dad asked me
"what happened?"
I told Dad some girl from my class robbed my beautiful pilot pen which Mira buaji had brought for me from USA ...
Dad asked "Did you rob ? Then why are you crying?
That girl who robbed should be crying…."
I stopped crying ☺️
According to him God is watching ..so you be good and honest at all times.
Rajkumari Bhandari Arya
Full time mom and grandmom
High school teacher/Principal.
We were seven siblings!
We all used to be waiting for Dad to come home every night....As soon as he came home he used to call one of us and give him/her the tidbit he had bought (snack or fruit) and tell him/her to share it with all the siblings!
At that time we all used to feel : God is in Heaven.All's right with the World.... Dad is home!
Dad always used to advise me:
"Raji, iss Duniya mein do not be so bitter that people spit you out of their lives.....: And
Do not be so sweet that they gobble you up!"
I remember clearly while In 9th std one day I came home crying and kept on crying without eating anything.... When Dad came home at night....mom complained to him about me..
Dad asked me
"what happened?"
I told Dad some girl from my class robbed my beautiful pilot pen which Mira buaji had brought for me from USA ...
Dad asked "Did you rob ? Then why are you crying?
That girl who robbed should be crying…."
I stopped crying ☺️
According to him God is watching ..so you be good and honest at all times.
Rajkumari Bhandari Arya
Full time mom and grandmom
High school teacher/Principal.
Grand daughter Neeraja misses her Grand father...
Nanaji, the first thing that flashes before my eyes when I think of him is our 5pm story time with him. He always had a story to tell us grandkids. Stories that were incredible, fascinating and always had a moral of the story kind of ending. He was the first story-teller I ever knew and fell in love with.
Over the years he’d read to us the Gita, Bible, Koran, Ramayana and Mahabharata as well. Hence sometimes when I share some anecdotes or points of views people tend to ask, have you read the Gita or Koran or…? Sometimes I say things without realizing that they are coming from those story times shared with him.
Nanaji always stood for some things in my growing up years. Discipline would be the first thing that comes to mind when I say that cos that man had a routine a ritual and he never wavered from it. His morning & evening walks, stretches he practiced religiously, reading like a sponge that absorbed everything there was to, writing - well that was his profession so understandably.
He always greeted everyone with the biggest smile ever, no matter the times or circumstances. With him you could never tell if he was having a bad time. He poured his feelings and emotions into his writing and I strongly believe that’s why his songs touched souls not just hearts. Hence they are timeless!
We all have our faults and we all have demons in our closets and he was no perfection but I believe I always chose to take what was incredible about this man and make it my own and that’s why I feel I have a lot of him in some way and it a huge part of what makes me who I am today.
It would be unfair to end this without mentioning my Naniji here who was THE woman behind this incredible man, his ROCK! Naniji was a powerhouse and some. They both did the best they could with what they had, the best they knew how to raise their kids and inspire their grandkids. I hope we all pick and choose what we wish to carry with us into the future and leave some legacy behind worth remembering by the future generations some day.
Grandson Vikram Remembers…
Different people have nourished different aspects of me during my upbringing. I am a filmmaker, a storyteller by profession, and that part of me was entirely created and nurtured by Qamar Jalalabadi.
5 to 5:30 every afternoon we had what was called story time. He on his chair, all of us kids planted on the sofas and floor around him. For half an hour, as he spoke, the world around us faded away. We were transported into majestic kingdoms or magical forests. We learned about problems and the courage needed to get over them. But most importantly, every story ended with a querry put to all us kids,‘
What was the moral of that story?’
I was a short, scrawny kid who was good neither at studies or at sports. But this I was great at. I almost always got the moral right. And while storytelling was the greatest art he taught me, this is the biggest gift he gave all of us kids, morality. This feels like the perfect summation of that man.
He was a brilliant storyteller. He was a great role model. He was a fantastic human being.
What luck, he was also my grandfather.
Vikram Gupta
Film Writer/Director
Nanaji, the first thing that flashes before my eyes when I think of him is our 5pm story time with him. He always had a story to tell us grandkids. Stories that were incredible, fascinating and always had a moral of the story kind of ending. He was the first story-teller I ever knew and fell in love with.
Over the years he’d read to us the Gita, Bible, Koran, Ramayana and Mahabharata as well. Hence sometimes when I share some anecdotes or points of views people tend to ask, have you read the Gita or Koran or…? Sometimes I say things without realizing that they are coming from those story times shared with him.
Nanaji always stood for some things in my growing up years. Discipline would be the first thing that comes to mind when I say that cos that man had a routine a ritual and he never wavered from it. His morning & evening walks, stretches he practiced religiously, reading like a sponge that absorbed everything there was to, writing - well that was his profession so understandably.
He always greeted everyone with the biggest smile ever, no matter the times or circumstances. With him you could never tell if he was having a bad time. He poured his feelings and emotions into his writing and I strongly believe that’s why his songs touched souls not just hearts. Hence they are timeless!
We all have our faults and we all have demons in our closets and he was no perfection but I believe I always chose to take what was incredible about this man and make it my own and that’s why I feel I have a lot of him in some way and it a huge part of what makes me who I am today.
It would be unfair to end this without mentioning my Naniji here who was THE woman behind this incredible man, his ROCK! Naniji was a powerhouse and some. They both did the best they could with what they had, the best they knew how to raise their kids and inspire their grandkids. I hope we all pick and choose what we wish to carry with us into the future and leave some legacy behind worth remembering by the future generations some day.
Grandson Vikram Remembers…
Different people have nourished different aspects of me during my upbringing. I am a filmmaker, a storyteller by profession, and that part of me was entirely created and nurtured by Qamar Jalalabadi.
5 to 5:30 every afternoon we had what was called story time. He on his chair, all of us kids planted on the sofas and floor around him. For half an hour, as he spoke, the world around us faded away. We were transported into majestic kingdoms or magical forests. We learned about problems and the courage needed to get over them. But most importantly, every story ended with a querry put to all us kids,‘
What was the moral of that story?’
I was a short, scrawny kid who was good neither at studies or at sports. But this I was great at. I almost always got the moral right. And while storytelling was the greatest art he taught me, this is the biggest gift he gave all of us kids, morality. This feels like the perfect summation of that man.
He was a brilliant storyteller. He was a great role model. He was a fantastic human being.
What luck, he was also my grandfather.
Vikram Gupta
Film Writer/Director
Tribute by Manohar Iyer Founder/Organizer
KEEP ALIVE GROUP( Mumbai)
Qamar Jalalabadi bid adieu to this cruel world on January 9, 2003 after prolonged illness leaving behind his lyrical works to keep alive his melodious memories. Of course, he did leave behind his family members comprising his three sons and four daughters and their respective spouses, a host of grandchildren and other relatives and friends.
Qamar Jalalabadi, by religion, was a punjabi kshatriya and his real name was Om Prakash Bhandari. Qamar Jalalabadi started his career sometime in the late 30s as an editor of two Urdu publications viz. Star Weekly and Inquilab in Lahore. He was a highly righteous and religious man and did not discriminate between the Gita, the Quran and the Bible
Qamar Jalalabadi came to Mumbai in the early 40s and got his break to write songs in Dalsukh Pancholi’s film ‘Zamindar’ (1942). His first song was aptly worded Duniya mein ghareebon ko araam nahin milta. The song became a hit and he went on to write more songs for films made by other top banners like Prabhat’s ‘Ram Shastri’ and ‘Chand’, Filmistan’s ‘Sindoor’, ‘Shaheed’ and ‘Shabnam’, Famous Pictures’ ‘Pyar Ki Jeet’, ‘Badi Behan’, ‘Aansoo’ and most of these films were big musical hits.
Qamar Jalalabadi was a prolific poet and versatile writer but he never got his due in the true sense. He was neither commercial~minded nor did he know to market his creative cells to get more work. In fact, he was complacent with what he got (that includes the small flat that he was ‘given’ during the sunset of his life) and led a simple, pious and austere life. Perhaps, these traits went against him because of which he was not put on the same pedestal as some of his commercially more successful contemporaries.
Qamar Jalalabadi worked with almost all the top composers of his time and, in particular, with the first music director duo Husanlal~Bhagatram (he wrote songs in their debut film ‘Chand’ and many more), O. P. Nayyar and Kalyanji~Anandji.
Some of the all time popular songs written by Qamar Jalalabadi some of which are a connoisseur’s delight include:
Duniya mein ghareebon ko araam nahin milta (Zamindar ~ Ghulam Haider), (His debut song in which the last two lines were written by Behzad Lucknowi)
Do dilon ko ye duniya milne bhi nahin deti (Chand ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Aaja tujhe afsana judaai ka sunaayen and Kya yahi tera pyar tha (Mirza Sahiban ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram)
O roothe hue bhagwanand Koyi roke use aur ye kehde (Sindoor ~ Khemchand Prakash),
O door jaanewale and Ik dil ke tukde hazar hue (Pyar Ki Jeet ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram)
Badnaam na ho jaaye mohabbat ka fasana (Shaheed ~ Ghulam Haider),
Woh paas rahe ya door rahe, Tum mujhko bhool jao, Bigdi banaanewale (Badi Behan ~ Husanlal-Bhatagram),
Aata hai zindagi mein bhala pyar kis tarah, Thukrake hamen chal diye and Pardesi musafir (Balam ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Saajan ki galiyan chhod chale, Shaheedo tumko mera salaam, Apni nazar se door wo, Ae mohabbat unse milne ka bahana mil gaya (Bazar ~ Shyam Sundar),
Ye duniya roop ke chor, Qismat mein bichhadna tha, Tu mehlon mein rehnewali, Tumhare liye hue badnaam, Pyar mein tumne dhokha seekha (Shabnam ~ S D Burman),
Agar dil kisise lagaaya na hota (not to be mistaken with the Rafi sahab song in Bada Aadmi (1961) and Maangi mohabbat mili judaai (Gauna ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram)
Maahi o … dupatta mera de de, Paas aake hue hum door, Apna banaake chhod nahin jaana (Meena Bazar ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
O sanam o sanam (Sanam ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Sun mere sajna, Din pyar ke aaye re and Judaai ki khabar hoti tere deedar se pehle (Aansoo ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Aapne chhen liya dil (Farmaish ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Raahi Matwale and Kabhi hai gham kabhi khushiyan (Waris ~ Anil Biswas),
Khush hai zamana aaj pehli tareekh hai (Pehli Tareekh ~ Sudhir Phadke),
Rooth ke tum to chal diye (Jalti Nishani ~ Anil Biswas),
Aaiye mehrbaan, Mera naam chinchinchoo and Gora rang chunariya (Howrah Bridge ~ O P Nayyar),
Ik pardesi mera dil le gaya, Main soya ankhiyan meechee, Tum rooth ke mat jaana and Piya piya na laage mora jiya (Phagun ~ O. P Nayyar),
Mohabbat zinda rehti hai (Chengez Khan ~ Hansraj Behl),
Chhota sa baalma and Main bangali chhokra (Ragini ~ O. P. Nayyar),
Tu hai mera prem devta (Kalpana ~ O. P. Nayyar),
Chhalia mera naam, Dum dum diga diga, Mere toote hue dil se andTeri rahon mein khade hain dil thaam ke (Chhalia ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Ye kaisi ajab dastaan ho gayi hai and Phir tumhari yaad aayi hai sanam (Rustam Sohrab ~ Sajjad),
Main to ik khwab hoon (Himalay Ki Godmein ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Ye do diwane dil ke (Johar Mehmood in Goa ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Rafta rafta wo hamare dil ke mehmaan ho gaye (Hum Kahan Jaa Rahe Hain ~ Basant Prakash),
Diwanon se ye mat poochho (Upkar ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Donon ne kiya tha pyar magar (Mahua ~ Sonik-Omi),
Meri lottery lag jaanewaali hai (Holi Aayi Re ~ Kalyanji-Anandji) and
Guni jano bhakt jano (Aansoo Aur Muskaan ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Keh do, keh do (Sachcha Jhootha ~ Kalyanji-Anandji) to name a few.
In the post 70s, one heard very less of him and his works. The last time one saw Qamar Jalalabadi was at a music function organised by his writer ~ daughter Subhashini Swar in November 2000 and which was presented by the musical team of KEEP ALIVE. Prior to that, he was felicitated by KEEP ALIVE in a musical tribute organized in November 1988 in honour of Husanlal ~ Bhagatram. Around that time, he was admitted in a hospital in Vashi, Navi Mumbai for blood clots in the brain. With stitches still fresh, his head covered with a white cap, he braved the distance from Vashi to Birla Kreeda Kendra, Chowpaty, kept his spirits and sentiments alive during the four hours long programme, went back late night and got readmitted in the hospital. In his brief speech, he mentioned that ‘he was reintroduced to the music world by KEEP ALIVE’ which indeed was quite touching and heart warming.
The poet is no more but the tuneful treasures left behind by him will certainly keep alive his melodious memories for a long long time.
Manohar Iyer
Founder/Organizer
Keep Alive Group
Mumbai.
KEEP ALIVE GROUP( Mumbai)
Qamar Jalalabadi bid adieu to this cruel world on January 9, 2003 after prolonged illness leaving behind his lyrical works to keep alive his melodious memories. Of course, he did leave behind his family members comprising his three sons and four daughters and their respective spouses, a host of grandchildren and other relatives and friends.
Qamar Jalalabadi, by religion, was a punjabi kshatriya and his real name was Om Prakash Bhandari. Qamar Jalalabadi started his career sometime in the late 30s as an editor of two Urdu publications viz. Star Weekly and Inquilab in Lahore. He was a highly righteous and religious man and did not discriminate between the Gita, the Quran and the Bible
Qamar Jalalabadi came to Mumbai in the early 40s and got his break to write songs in Dalsukh Pancholi’s film ‘Zamindar’ (1942). His first song was aptly worded Duniya mein ghareebon ko araam nahin milta. The song became a hit and he went on to write more songs for films made by other top banners like Prabhat’s ‘Ram Shastri’ and ‘Chand’, Filmistan’s ‘Sindoor’, ‘Shaheed’ and ‘Shabnam’, Famous Pictures’ ‘Pyar Ki Jeet’, ‘Badi Behan’, ‘Aansoo’ and most of these films were big musical hits.
Qamar Jalalabadi was a prolific poet and versatile writer but he never got his due in the true sense. He was neither commercial~minded nor did he know to market his creative cells to get more work. In fact, he was complacent with what he got (that includes the small flat that he was ‘given’ during the sunset of his life) and led a simple, pious and austere life. Perhaps, these traits went against him because of which he was not put on the same pedestal as some of his commercially more successful contemporaries.
Qamar Jalalabadi worked with almost all the top composers of his time and, in particular, with the first music director duo Husanlal~Bhagatram (he wrote songs in their debut film ‘Chand’ and many more), O. P. Nayyar and Kalyanji~Anandji.
Some of the all time popular songs written by Qamar Jalalabadi some of which are a connoisseur’s delight include:
Duniya mein ghareebon ko araam nahin milta (Zamindar ~ Ghulam Haider), (His debut song in which the last two lines were written by Behzad Lucknowi)
Do dilon ko ye duniya milne bhi nahin deti (Chand ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Aaja tujhe afsana judaai ka sunaayen and Kya yahi tera pyar tha (Mirza Sahiban ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram)
O roothe hue bhagwanand Koyi roke use aur ye kehde (Sindoor ~ Khemchand Prakash),
O door jaanewale and Ik dil ke tukde hazar hue (Pyar Ki Jeet ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram)
Badnaam na ho jaaye mohabbat ka fasana (Shaheed ~ Ghulam Haider),
Woh paas rahe ya door rahe, Tum mujhko bhool jao, Bigdi banaanewale (Badi Behan ~ Husanlal-Bhatagram),
Aata hai zindagi mein bhala pyar kis tarah, Thukrake hamen chal diye and Pardesi musafir (Balam ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Saajan ki galiyan chhod chale, Shaheedo tumko mera salaam, Apni nazar se door wo, Ae mohabbat unse milne ka bahana mil gaya (Bazar ~ Shyam Sundar),
Ye duniya roop ke chor, Qismat mein bichhadna tha, Tu mehlon mein rehnewali, Tumhare liye hue badnaam, Pyar mein tumne dhokha seekha (Shabnam ~ S D Burman),
Agar dil kisise lagaaya na hota (not to be mistaken with the Rafi sahab song in Bada Aadmi (1961) and Maangi mohabbat mili judaai (Gauna ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram)
Maahi o … dupatta mera de de, Paas aake hue hum door, Apna banaake chhod nahin jaana (Meena Bazar ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
O sanam o sanam (Sanam ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Sun mere sajna, Din pyar ke aaye re and Judaai ki khabar hoti tere deedar se pehle (Aansoo ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Aapne chhen liya dil (Farmaish ~ Husanlal-Bhagatram),
Raahi Matwale and Kabhi hai gham kabhi khushiyan (Waris ~ Anil Biswas),
Khush hai zamana aaj pehli tareekh hai (Pehli Tareekh ~ Sudhir Phadke),
Rooth ke tum to chal diye (Jalti Nishani ~ Anil Biswas),
Aaiye mehrbaan, Mera naam chinchinchoo and Gora rang chunariya (Howrah Bridge ~ O P Nayyar),
Ik pardesi mera dil le gaya, Main soya ankhiyan meechee, Tum rooth ke mat jaana and Piya piya na laage mora jiya (Phagun ~ O. P Nayyar),
Mohabbat zinda rehti hai (Chengez Khan ~ Hansraj Behl),
Chhota sa baalma and Main bangali chhokra (Ragini ~ O. P. Nayyar),
Tu hai mera prem devta (Kalpana ~ O. P. Nayyar),
Chhalia mera naam, Dum dum diga diga, Mere toote hue dil se andTeri rahon mein khade hain dil thaam ke (Chhalia ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Ye kaisi ajab dastaan ho gayi hai and Phir tumhari yaad aayi hai sanam (Rustam Sohrab ~ Sajjad),
Main to ik khwab hoon (Himalay Ki Godmein ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Ye do diwane dil ke (Johar Mehmood in Goa ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Rafta rafta wo hamare dil ke mehmaan ho gaye (Hum Kahan Jaa Rahe Hain ~ Basant Prakash),
Diwanon se ye mat poochho (Upkar ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Donon ne kiya tha pyar magar (Mahua ~ Sonik-Omi),
Meri lottery lag jaanewaali hai (Holi Aayi Re ~ Kalyanji-Anandji) and
Guni jano bhakt jano (Aansoo Aur Muskaan ~ Kalyanji-Anandji),
Keh do, keh do (Sachcha Jhootha ~ Kalyanji-Anandji) to name a few.
In the post 70s, one heard very less of him and his works. The last time one saw Qamar Jalalabadi was at a music function organised by his writer ~ daughter Subhashini Swar in November 2000 and which was presented by the musical team of KEEP ALIVE. Prior to that, he was felicitated by KEEP ALIVE in a musical tribute organized in November 1988 in honour of Husanlal ~ Bhagatram. Around that time, he was admitted in a hospital in Vashi, Navi Mumbai for blood clots in the brain. With stitches still fresh, his head covered with a white cap, he braved the distance from Vashi to Birla Kreeda Kendra, Chowpaty, kept his spirits and sentiments alive during the four hours long programme, went back late night and got readmitted in the hospital. In his brief speech, he mentioned that ‘he was reintroduced to the music world by KEEP ALIVE’ which indeed was quite touching and heart warming.
The poet is no more but the tuneful treasures left behind by him will certainly keep alive his melodious memories for a long long time.
Manohar Iyer
Founder/Organizer
Keep Alive Group
Mumbai.
