Migratory Birds
Part-I

This song takes me to my childhood and reminds me my first home
teacher with whom I share twenty five percent of maternal genes. He taught me
basics of life. I do not why he had special bond with me; he never took any
interest in my siblings. He loved me, he thrashed me and again loved, the cycle
went on. He disciplined me as military officer disciplines his recruits. People
criticized him for that kind of behavior; sometimes I felt too bad on getting
punishment.  But when I grown, realized that
he was actually a bitter potion.

 He was the person, who
introduced me to:  A B C, अ, आ, ई 1, 2, 3, tables up to 25, roman digits
I II III IV. , reading Hindi & English, well all this stuff even before I
entered premises of any school. He introduced me to good cinema, good music,
yoga, few Sanskrit shlokas, many folk stories, public mannerism etc…  Being around me for almost three years, he
left the place for some medical reasons and moreover he was a free spirit, I
suppose he never stayed anywhere more than this.  When he was leaving, he gave me one of his favorite
wooden fountain pen and one book on English Grammar.  I felt relaxed on his leaving but later I
always miss him. After six months I came to know he had left this world in his
thirties.  Many times I think what would
have been my life if he had stayed more, it is difficult to answer. But it is
sure that if he had not come in my life, my life would have been less evolved.  Sometimes, I think the creative bug in my
mind has been inherited from him.

After all this emotional stuff let we come to the point – I
mean the song which I have chosen today…

Actually he loved the Rafi song – चल उड़ जा रे पंछी, के अब ये देस हुआ बेगाना But it was a song of not my era.  it is a good song but does not go well in my heart
as the song of similar emotion- हम तो चले परदेस …goes deeper. Somehow that song got tagged in my mind to the
great personality of my life.  I still
miss u….

Now about song

The words by Anand Bakshi are simple but effective, music by Laxmi-Pyare touching especially use of bansuri and santoor and lastly Rafi’s voice is the soul
of the song.  Listen it closing your eyes
and feel the punch …

Not to forget listen carefully the final रामा हो …

हो, रामा हो.....

हम तो चले परदेस, हम परदेसी हो गये/

छूटा अपना देस हम परदेसी हो गये//

ये गलियाँ, पथ, पनघट, ये मंदीर बरसों पुराना

कल तक ये सब अपना था, अब लगता हैं बेगाना,

बदला जग ने भेंस हम परदेसी हो गये/

ए पंछी हम किस्मत के मारों को भूल ना जाना

जाते खैर खबर, सब लोगों की दे जाना,

ले जाना संदेस हम परदेसी हो गये/

हो, रामा हो.....