That is one song still in my memory. The film, the scene, the song, the lyrics, the tune, and the singer. 

‘Chitthi aayi hai’ the song from the 1986 movie ‘Naam’ turned out to be a runaway hit during that period. The reasons? The soulful voice of Pankaj Udhas, the poignant lyrics by Anand Bakshi, and the solemn yet melodic tune set by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and above all on the screen the singer himself rendered the song to a packed audience in Dubai. 

The song lamented the sad state of a father in India and a son far away in a foreign land to earn money and send to the family. His absence is felt by his family at every stage, the father says. The quadrangle in the house looks deserted, the trees shed tears, the festivities lacked jubilance, the mother was sick, his wife was doing service, and we all keep looking for your arrival or a letter….

‘Life is short
please come back
from the cage
of the foreign land
and we too have roti in our home…’

Those words and the melancholic voice of Pankaj Udhas brought tears to the audience sitting there watching the scene in the movie and those who listen to it even today. Those were times when Indian male folk were migrating to Middle East for jobs. 

But look at the farcicality of the song ‘Chitthi aayi hai’ in the present-day milieu. 

Every son, daughter, and parents want their family to be shifted to a foreign land and live in opulence. In nearly four decades the entire scenario had changed upside down. I recently heard one of my students who worked in Dubai for many years and returned to Chennai saying that his sons at no cost want to come back to India. 

Well, all those controversies and realities apart, Pankaj Udhas carved a niche for himself in the beautiful and melodic world of Ghazal. Though I haven’t heard all of them, some, especially ‘Chitthi aayi’ remain still green and soul-stirring. 

Ghazals are invariably linked to drinks and Music companies also pandered to them by naming his albums Nasha, Paimana, and Madhosh. 

Let Pankaj Udhas’s soul rest in peace!