While watching very old movies, one big attraction for me is to watch how places looked like in those days. It is especially for this reason that I watch movies of 1950s and earlier.

In some cases, watching the songs provides loads of information about places.

If one wants to see how Bombay was like 50 years ago, one can watch a few old movies including their songs. In fact, there are a few songs dedicated to Bombay.

One such song is from CID (1956). It goes “Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan… Ye hai Bambai meri jaan”. It is fun and instructive to watch how Bombay (Bambai in Hindi) looked like in 1956. Those days, life was far less hectic, and the population far more manageable, and economy was much less developed unlike now. Those were the days when textile mills were the major industry there. A car were called “motor”, and Bombay has tongas ( horse driver carriages) those days. And surprise, surprise, there used to be Trams too in Bombay in those days.

Watching this song is a wonderful trip down memory lane. Johny Walker, the leading comedian of those days, sings this song on screen. He keeps bumping against people, and after each such collision, he ends up with the purse of the other person. Yes, he is a pickpocket, going about his business Bollywood style, viz with a song on his lips. The pretty girl towards the end of the song is Kumkum.

The song is sung by Rafi ( for Johny Walker) and Geeta Dutt ( for Kumkum) also joins in towards the end. Majrooh Sultanpuri has written the lyrics which to me also doubles up as a valuable historical document.

PS- Thinking how many popular Bollywood songs would end up being favourite songs of beggars in Bombay local trains, I wonder if this song became popular with the pickpockets of those days. Though I suppose singing this song while picking pockets would be a dead give away. For that reason, even beggars would have decided not to risk singing this song. But I may be mistaken, of course.

Song- ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan (CID) (1956) Singers-Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Lyrics-Majrooh Sultanpuri, MD- O P Nayyar

Lyrics

ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ha ha ha ho ho ho
he ha ha ha
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan

kahin building kahin Traame, kahin motor kahin mill
miltaa hai yahaan sab kuchh ik miltaa nahin dil
kahin building kahin Traame, kahin motor kahin mill
miltaa hai yahaan sab kuchh ik miltaa nahin dil
insaan kaa nahin kahin naam-o-nishaan
zaraa hat ke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan

kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin race
kahin daaka, kahin faaka kahin thokar kahin thes
kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin race
kahin daaka, kahin faaka kahin thokar kahin thes

bekaaron ke hain kayi kaam yahaan
zaraa hat ke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan

beghar ko aawaaraa yahaan kahte hans hans
khud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business
beghar ko aawaaraa yahaan kahte hans hans
khud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business
ik cheez ke hain kayi naam yahaan
zaraa hat ke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan
ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan

buraa duniyaa jo hai kahtaa aisaa bholaa tu na ban
jo hai kartaa wo hai bhartaa ye yahaan kaa hai chalan
tadbeer nahin milne ki yahaan
ye hai Bombay ye hai Bombay meri jaan
suno mister, suno bandhu
ye hai Bambai meri jaan

ai dil hai aasaan jeenaa yahaan
suno mister, suno bandhu
yeh hai Bambai meri jaan

ai dil hai mushkil jeenaa yahaan
zaraa hatke zaraa bach ke
ye hai Bambai meri jaan