Zara si aahat hoti hai

Zara si aahat hoti hai, to dil sochata hai kahi ye wo to nahi kahi ye wo to nahi…

From the Hindi movie ‘Safar Sau Saal ka’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Early morning I heard a few words & I have been humming the same all day. I wonder if a modern lady would be fascinated by the arrival of her husband or partner.

Referring to him as ‘wo’ & leaving it at that. Times when it was improper to call his name in public. Hence the provision of a ‘ukhana’ , one had to add his name in a verse. Rhyming the two lines & if possible to bring out the best in him.

‘Bhajit bhaji methi chi, ….. mazhya pritichi’ The green vegetable is one of it ‘s kind, …. ( where any name will fit in ) is my beloved.

A norm when one has to learn before any function. The elderly ladies would demand that the young bride & groom would go for ‘ukhana’.

The Marathi play had ‘Dada, Te aale na!’. Dada , is to address the elder brother & he is being informed of the arrival of a guest. The nature of the relationship is yet unclear, so ‘Te’ would apply to any person. Here, of course, she knows who it is! But cannot give her brother a name. Hence, the ambiguity.

Today we would expect the guest to be announced & also asked to settle down . Have a polite chat & offer water, snacks.

The beauty of the address is lost in time. It was just those four words but everyone knew what went behind those words …..

Naturally, with equality has come in emotions & practicality of relations. But we can think of the good times & compare.

It is futile to pine for the times lost but we can treasure those golden moments.