The preceding week was full of apprehensions about the results of the polls in five states. So much so, that the attention got shifted from a series of mishaps with our countrymen in foreign lands. As many as three cases of Indians getting hurt in America were reported, two of them fatally. This has put a big question mark on the safety aspect of Indians,who are away from their country.
The craze of all things foreign has been an unending one. The fascination starts with the objects and ends with embracing the country itself. This has been depicted so well in our films and songs, as we explore in the following narrative:
The first song that comes to mind when we think about foreign objects is , undoubtedly, Mera joota hai japani...the Sri 420 classic. If you look closely , you will observe that the Japanese shoe is in a bad shape. Japan, at that time, was a fledgling economy and its products were not world class. It is a tribute to that nation that they rose to be the leaders in quality production. Lyricist Shailendra made sure that, despite the shoe, pant and cap being alien, the heart of the protagonist is in the right place and is ...Indian.
Probably that is the message....
Hindi films and the songs have never been starved of creativity. So, not only the objects of use, but we have been labelling the nature also to be nation- specific. In poetry, the moon has always been a metaphor for the face of the heroine. In the film Insaan Jaag Utha ( 1959), the poet compared the heroine to the moon alright, but then qualified it further: this moon is Indian !
Shailendra was the lyricist again and the song is a light romantic ode.
Ye chanda roos ka, naa ye japaan ka
Naa ye amreekan pyare, ye to hai hindustan ka
Going overseas has been a leitmotif in Hindi films ever since 1946, when V.Shantaram made Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, a biopic about an Indian doctor who worked in China. In the 60s, in the film Aman, the hero, again a doctor, is in Japan during the World War period. Incidentally, Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell played himself in the film.
Amongst the songs we had " Mere piya gaye Rangoon" and " Saat Samundar Paar Se" , in which situations have been created about characters going abroad. Romances set in foreign locales became a success formula, with films having titles like like Love in Tokyo, An Evening in Paris, Spy in Rome etc.
The pride of being "foreign -returned" was a big ego-booster in the 60s and 70s, for middle-class Indians. The later generations (of those first generation Indians who settled in foreign lands) form the current Indian diaspora. The process has been mutually profitable for both nations.
This totally justifies the aspirations of the heroine, penned by Anand Bakshi in Jab Jab Phool Khile ( 1965), when she says that if she ever left India, it will be for America !
Many Indians were going to America. Some came back ( mostly when their children reached teenage, for cultural reasons !) and some stayed back. Then there were those who , despite being born and brought up in mofussil India, cocked a snook at the "dust" and filth" of their motherland, saying "apne america mein to..."
This may have prompted a negative connotation to be attached to those who have come back after the "mauj-masti bhari life" in London, as is expressed in this Hasrat Jaipuri song from Vachan (1974)
Nevertheless, the stream of blue and white collar "brain drain" continued throughout the 70s, despite the third- world treatment meted out at times overseas. The fascination for the "gori chamdi", coupled with a good pay-packet and quality of life attracted Indians unabatedly. Amongst the film-makers who chose to make this as main theme of their films in the 70s were Manoj Kumar ( Purab aur Pashchim), J.Om Prakash ( Aaashiq Hoon Baharon Ka) and Dev Anand ( Des Pardes).
The plight of Indians away from motherland was best depicted in Des Pardes, with all the songs focussing on different aspects of the phenomenon. This song, written by Amit Khanna, sums it up:
The sentiments of Indians stuck in foreign countries was also depicted in 80s, but by then action and crime had taken charge of the plots of Hindi films and places such as Dubai and Mauritius were explored. Switzerland may have been a fine place for shooting songs, but weaving a story around Indians in foreign land was not attempted till the 90s.
Naam, released in 1986 portrayed the story of a youth going to Dubai and getting caught up in crime, failing to return back, it being a "one-way street". The ghazal on stage by Pankaj Udhas, written by Anand Bakshi was a highlight of the film. The lyrics mirror the sentiments of lakhs of Indians, both here and abroad, with regard to their loved ones.
तू ने पैसा बहुत कमाया
इस पैसे ने देश छुड़ाया
देश पराया छोड़ के आजा
पंछी पिंजरा तोड़ के आजा
आजा उम्र बहुत है छोटी
अपने घर में भी है रोटी
By this time , a new category of aspirant has dawned on the scene: wannabe brides !
There were numerous instances of "green card holder" boy coming to India for a month and going back with a "suitable" bride. The situation was fit to be exploited by Hindi film makers. One such film was Pardes in 1997. The story revolved around the journey of a young woman to America for matrimonial reasons and the disillusionment later on.
Hema Sardesai's ' My first day in US' is a rarely heard song, being shadowed by I love my India.
The changing political scenario the world over means more difficulties for the hopeful immigrants, be it USA or Britain or France. The land of hope is fast turning into a land of hate and one only hopes that this is a passing phase. However, no place can be compared to homeland.
Still, you can be sure that in every era, there will be someone who will keep on singing "I love America"
The craze of all things foreign has been an unending one. The fascination starts with the objects and ends with embracing the country itself. This has been depicted so well in our films and songs, as we explore in the following narrative:
The first song that comes to mind when we think about foreign objects is , undoubtedly, Mera joota hai japani...the Sri 420 classic. If you look closely , you will observe that the Japanese shoe is in a bad shape. Japan, at that time, was a fledgling economy and its products were not world class. It is a tribute to that nation that they rose to be the leaders in quality production. Lyricist Shailendra made sure that, despite the shoe, pant and cap being alien, the heart of the protagonist is in the right place and is ...Indian.
Probably that is the message....
Hindi films and the songs have never been starved of creativity. So, not only the objects of use, but we have been labelling the nature also to be nation- specific. In poetry, the moon has always been a metaphor for the face of the heroine. In the film Insaan Jaag Utha ( 1959), the poet compared the heroine to the moon alright, but then qualified it further: this moon is Indian !
Shailendra was the lyricist again and the song is a light romantic ode.
Ye chanda roos ka, naa ye japaan ka
Naa ye amreekan pyare, ye to hai hindustan ka
Going overseas has been a leitmotif in Hindi films ever since 1946, when V.Shantaram made Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani, a biopic about an Indian doctor who worked in China. In the 60s, in the film Aman, the hero, again a doctor, is in Japan during the World War period. Incidentally, Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell played himself in the film.
Amongst the songs we had " Mere piya gaye Rangoon" and " Saat Samundar Paar Se" , in which situations have been created about characters going abroad. Romances set in foreign locales became a success formula, with films having titles like like Love in Tokyo, An Evening in Paris, Spy in Rome etc.
The pride of being "foreign -returned" was a big ego-booster in the 60s and 70s, for middle-class Indians. The later generations (of those first generation Indians who settled in foreign lands) form the current Indian diaspora. The process has been mutually profitable for both nations.
This totally justifies the aspirations of the heroine, penned by Anand Bakshi in Jab Jab Phool Khile ( 1965), when she says that if she ever left India, it will be for America !
The obsession for going to "foren" continued in Seventies , when it was said that
" मुल्कों में इक मुल्क सुना है, मुल्क सुना अमरीका". Many Indians were going to America. Some came back ( mostly when their children reached teenage, for cultural reasons !) and some stayed back. Then there were those who , despite being born and brought up in mofussil India, cocked a snook at the "dust" and filth" of their motherland, saying "apne america mein to..."
This may have prompted a negative connotation to be attached to those who have come back after the "mauj-masti bhari life" in London, as is expressed in this Hasrat Jaipuri song from Vachan (1974)
london se aaya re bhai chhaila, jiska dil andar se maila-maila
aashiq hai awara pehla-pehla, majnu ka nakara angrezi chela
Nevertheless, the stream of blue and white collar "brain drain" continued throughout the 70s, despite the third- world treatment meted out at times overseas. The fascination for the "gori chamdi", coupled with a good pay-packet and quality of life attracted Indians unabatedly. Amongst the film-makers who chose to make this as main theme of their films in the 70s were Manoj Kumar ( Purab aur Pashchim), J.Om Prakash ( Aaashiq Hoon Baharon Ka) and Dev Anand ( Des Pardes).
The plight of Indians away from motherland was best depicted in Des Pardes, with all the songs focussing on different aspects of the phenomenon. This song, written by Amit Khanna, sums it up:
khushiyan yaheen pe, milegi hamein re
apna hai apna, ye des pardes
The sentiments of Indians stuck in foreign countries was also depicted in 80s, but by then action and crime had taken charge of the plots of Hindi films and places such as Dubai and Mauritius were explored. Switzerland may have been a fine place for shooting songs, but weaving a story around Indians in foreign land was not attempted till the 90s.
Naam, released in 1986 portrayed the story of a youth going to Dubai and getting caught up in crime, failing to return back, it being a "one-way street". The ghazal on stage by Pankaj Udhas, written by Anand Bakshi was a highlight of the film. The lyrics mirror the sentiments of lakhs of Indians, both here and abroad, with regard to their loved ones.
तू ने पैसा बहुत कमाया
इस पैसे ने देश छुड़ाया
देश पराया छोड़ के आजा
पंछी पिंजरा तोड़ के आजा
आजा उम्र बहुत है छोटी
अपने घर में भी है रोटी
By this time , a new category of aspirant has dawned on the scene: wannabe brides !
There were numerous instances of "green card holder" boy coming to India for a month and going back with a "suitable" bride. The situation was fit to be exploited by Hindi film makers. One such film was Pardes in 1997. The story revolved around the journey of a young woman to America for matrimonial reasons and the disillusionment later on.
Hema Sardesai's ' My first day in US' is a rarely heard song, being shadowed by I love my India.
The changing political scenario the world over means more difficulties for the hopeful immigrants, be it USA or Britain or France. The land of hope is fast turning into a land of hate and one only hopes that this is a passing phase. However, no place can be compared to homeland.
Still, you can be sure that in every era, there will be someone who will keep on singing "I love America"
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