Demented Heart – Kiska Rasta Dekhe – Joshila

Some faraway humming and guitar alerts Hema Malini at the beginning of the song, as if saying just pay attention to what is been said!! Followed by Kishore’s pondering voice –

Kiska rasta dekhe
Ae dil ae saudai

“Uncle ye kaun gaa raha hai?
Hamara ek qaidi hai Amar, bahot acchha gaata hai…”

Thus begins the saga of Dev’s nostalgia and his demented heart, with Kishore’s sonorous voice and the signature Pancham percussion beats. The accordions take you to a flashback of Dev and Rakhi in their happier times, supported by flute and violins.
Wish Sahir had done some more films with Pancham. At some point it is difficult to tune into these poetries by him or even Gulzar, but Pancham understood them by heart (instead of brains) and hence they create an altogether different atmosphere.

Kiska rasta dekhe aye dil, aye saudai
Milon hai khamoshi, barson hai tanhai
Bhooli duniya kabhi ki tujhe bhi mujhe bhi
Phir kyun aankh bhar aayi….

For miles together there is stillness, for ages together there is loneliness, whom are you waiting for? The world has forgotten us long ago, O demented heart!!!

Koi bhi saaya nahi raahon mein
Koi bhi aayega na baahon mein
Tere liye mere liye koi nahi rone waala
Jhootha bhi naata nahi chaahon mein
Haaye tu hi kyun dooba rahe aahon mein
Koi kisi sang marey aisa nahi hone waala
Koi nahi jo yun hi jahan mein baatein peer parayi

That’s loneliness, despondency profound. And Pancham gives it an accurate effect. See how he lets Kishore Kumar drag that tere liye mere liye koi nahi rone waalaaaaaaaa….as if his soul is being wrenched out because of the memories. There’s not even a false relationship, why do stay immersed in these sighs. There’s no one in the world who will share pain with you, not even your own shadow. You have to die alone!!

While he’s brought back to the present when he says koi nahi jo yun hi jahan mein baatein pir parayi...those words trickle one by one into the present.
Further lyrics have Dev and his heart pacifying each other. Saying that they have to stay with these memories.

Tujhe kya beeti hui raaton se
Mujhe kya khoyi hui baaton se
Sej nahi chita sahi jo miley sona hoga
Gayi jo dori chhuti haathon se
Lena kya chhute hue saathon se
Khushi jahan maangi tune wahin mujhe rona hoga
Na koi tera na koi mera phir kiski yaad aayi

Those nights that have gone past, why do you care for them? Why should I care for the things I have already lost? Life hasn’t been a bed of roses, but I must sleep, if at all on a pyre. The thread which held us together has broken, our relationship has failed, broken. That relationship was where your happiness lay, but we are crying at the end of it. There’s no one around, yours or mine, then why those memories?
As Dev lingers on his happy memories, we linger on this Kishore Kumar – Pancham melody, another brilliant one from this combo, this time penned by Sahir Ludhianvi.
Pancham creates that effect with song fading away slowly into oblivion, Kishore humming again to end it.
A beautiful blend of nostalgia, hopelessness and loneliness.

https://youtu.be/p4uhmExAcOM