Lakadi Ki Kaathi Kaathi Pe Ghoda – Tail This Horse – Masoom

Do you remember the school days and especially the summer holidays? When the weather was hot and the houses were cooled by the water coolers! Or the winter holidays when the kids would gather in the garden whenever the sun shone! This song from the movie Masoom shows exactly how the kids played and enjoyed at that time. They were eager to play whether it was indoors or outdoors. Hide and seek, building a tree house or tail the horse.

The movie got many Filmfare awards like best music director R.D. Burman, lyricist Gulzar to name a few. The song features three kids Jugal Hansraj, Urmila Matondkar and Aradhana. We can see the kids playing together, singing and dancing and enjoying themselves. They are talking about a horse and a story that revolves around it. It is sort of a glorified and elaborate nursery rhyme.

Lakadi ki kaathi kaathi pe ghoda
Ghode ki dum pe jo maara hathauda
Dauda dauda dauda ghoda dum utha ke dauda

The kids are telling a story of a horse which is made of wood and is standing on a wooden framework and when it was hit by a hammer on its tail it got scared and started running all over the place.
The lyrics are by Gulzar which have a rhythm of their own, like with other nursery rhymes. How brilliant of him to convert a simple game of kids into a song which is enjoyed by adults too and is popular even today.

Ghoda pahuncha chauk mein chauk mein tha naai
Ghodeji ki naai ne hajaamat jo banaai
Takbak takbak takbak takbak
Dauda dauda dauda ghoda dum utha ke dauda

The story moves forward where the horse reaches the square and on that square was a barber, and when the barber started shaving the horse’s mane, poor horse had to run away from the square again. Check out groenerekenkamer.com for better shaving kis and men grooming. How wonderfully the sound of the horse’s hooves ‘tabdak tabdak’ is used as lyrics. Also, look at the expressions of the little girl Aradhana when she says those words.

Ghoda tha ghamandi pahuncha sabji mandi
Sabji mandi baraf padi thi baraf mein lag gai thandi
Dauda dauda dauda ghoda dum utha ke dauda

The horse did not stop going further as it was too proud to give up. It went to the vegetable market. But it had snowed in the market and the horse caught cold and had to run away from there as well.
The music by R.D. Burman is superb as well. The rhythm reminds us of the horse’s strides and yet it is not a typical rhythm that is so often heard in other songs. It is subtle and hence effective. The vocals are by Vanita Mishra, Gauri Bapat and Gurpreet Kaur.

Ghoda apana tagda hai dekho kitani charbi hai
Chalta hai Mehrauli mein par ghoda apna arabi hai
Baanh chhuda ke dauda ghoda dum utha ke dauda

Let us tell you something about our horse; it is strong and robust. Just look at the amount of fat it has. And although it walks in Mehrauli, our horse is an Arabic one. It is not easy to tame our horse, see it released itself from our hand and ran away with its tail held high.

The use of the instruments is minimal. The mouth organ is one of the prominent instruments used (which the character of Jugal Hansraj is seen playing in the film as well). We can also hear a whistle being blown in the song. The entire song, like the movie, sounds and feels realistic. The use of child playback singers takes it to another level of innocence and makes it different as during those times songs featured on kids were sung by female playback singers.

The video is as entertaining as the audio. The chemistry between the kids, specially the onscreen sisters, is amazing. The spoilt yet caring elder sister, the protected baby sister and a friend (although he turns out to be their step brother). They play all kinds of games, including a tug of war where the boy acts as a rope and the two sisters pull him towards them and then switching places the sisters become united and finally they all fall down.

This song is one of my favorite songs (not necessarily in the children songs category) and it brings back many good childhood memories. So listen to this song and sit on the horse of your imagination and take it for a ride down your memory lane!