WOH KISNA HAIN- KRISHNA and BOLLYWOOD MUSIC

The celebration of Janmashtami in a school or any event would be incomplete without a performance on maiyya yashodha and woh kisna hain. These songs created over the years, have reminded the people of the many aspects of the life of lord Krishna. From his days of childhood filled with naughtiness to the love he shared with Radha, Bollywood has done a great job of incorporating lord Krishna into their songs. The Bollywood music have become a staple in many Indian homes and analyzing them creates a path into the life of lord Krishna.

One might think that a child with such a heavenly burden would not have a ‘normal’ childhood but lord Krishna’s childhood was enjoyable and filled with stories of him being mischievous. Krishna was the son of Deviki and Vasudev but was raised by Yashodha to protect him from his maternal uncle(mama), Kans. Growing up, he would steal makhan(butter) from many people’s houses troubling his Yashodha maa yet was always forgiven due to the blind love of his mother. This relationship is captured in lyrics like ‘ Bada natakhat hai re krishhn-kanhaiya, Ka kare Yashoda maiyyaa’. In this song, the naughtiness of Krishna and the helplessness of his mother are portrayed where despite all the mischief, she just wants to hold her son in her arms and calls him her only dream. Despite being the most mischievous, Krishna is not only loved by his mother but all the people of his village and is known for his flute-playing skills- Sab ka hai pyaaraa, ho sab ka hai pyaara bansee-bajayya. These bollywood music songs connect lord Krishna to every young boy, who is the apple of the eye of his mother and is forgiven easily.

Still from the song -Bada natkat hain

Love for Krishna did not only come from his mother, rather his love for Radha is what has been the most popular theme among Bollywood songs.  Although the story of Radha-Krishna might be an incomplete one, their bond was so strong that it immortalized their names together. Yet Radha was often jealous when Krishna would give attention to the gopis and perform rasleela. As seen in the famous song from Lagaan, the main leads have taken up the role of Radha and Krishna and are displaying a scene of quarrel where Radha is jealous –Madhuban mein jo Kanhaiya Kisi Gopi se mile Kabhi muskaaye kabhi chhede kabhi baat kare Radha kaise na jale. Now Krishna is quick to reply- Madhuban mein bhale kanha kisi Gopi se mile Mann mein toh Radha ke hi prem ke hai phool khile. This battering between the two is how their love is portrayed.

Still from the song- Radha kaise na jale

Other songs highlighting this nature of lord Krishna is Maiyya Yashoda from the movie Hum Saath Saath Hain-maiyya Yashoda, Yeh Tera Kanhaiya,Panghat Pe Meri, Pakde Hai Baiyan. In this scene, the protagonists are playing the role of Krishna and Radha, where Radha complains to Krishna’s mother about him troubling her. She points out that his innocent appearance hides his naughtiness yet he still resides in the heart of everyone.

Still from the song- Maiyya Yashodha

The discussion on Krishna and love would remain unfinished without the mention of Meera. The song Ek Radha, Ek Meera compares the love of the two- Radha Ne Madhuban Me Dhundhaa Meera Ne Man Me Paayaa. Although the love of Radha-Krishna has been immortalized but the love Meera had for Krishna was beyond anyone’s understanding. She was deemed madly in love with him without even meeting him once. Meera indeed found him in her spiritual being but he was lost to Radha, for their story took a different turn.

Still from the song- Ek Radha Ek Meera

Several of the songs from bollywood music also describe the physical attributes of Krishna, like in the famous songs Woh Kisna hain-Jo hai albela madnainowala, Jis ki deewani brij kee har Bala. The song highlights several characteristics of Krishna like his colorful and joyful nature but the chorus focuses mainly on his charming eyes which have vowed all the women of Brij. This has also been mentioned in several stories about his childhood, that his eyes were bright and would attract people towards him. This also becomes very prominent in several animations on the life of Krishna, his eyes are always bright.

Still from the song- Woh kisna hain

Another physical feature of Krishna that is very widely discussed not only in songs but also in several stories is his dark skin color. In a society, where light skin is praised, the darker shade of lord Krishna’s skin is celebrated. This conundrum is portrayed in the song, Krishna o kale Krishna- Pooje sabhi kale bhagwan ko, Or thukraye sab kale insan ko. Here, the woman singing the song is questioning the double standards of society where she is constantly rejected because of her dark skin whereas Krishna is worshipped for the same. She also blames Krishna for giving her his dark color and letting injustice happen to her. A similar theme has been picked up in mythological fiction like The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devakurni, where Krishna and Draupadi bond over having dark skin but face different situations.

Still from the song- Krishna o kale Krishna

When looked closely at the songs that Bollywood creates on and for Krishna are all connected to one emotion, love. Whether it’s the love that he shares with his mother Yashoda, the rasleela with Gopis, his eternal love with Radha, or the spiritual love of Meera, there is a song for all of them. The image that these songs create in our minds is so deep-seated that it becomes difficult to view him in any other role like that of a warrior. Occasionally songs like Krishna o kale Krishna, move away from the typical streamline of thoughts on lord Krishna. Yet it has to be acknowledged that these songs play a significant role in making these stories of our culture more reachable to everyone, so much so that at least one of the songs will come up in the mind while reading about Krishna.

References

1. https://gaana.com/lyrics/ek-radha-ek-meera-1
2. https://wynk.in/music/song/check-out-radha-kaise-na-jale-song-lyrics-wynk/lyrics/sm_A10328E0001736696Y
3. https://www.lyricsgram.com/song/woh-kisna-hai-18544#google_vignette
4. https://gaana.com/lyrics/maiya-yashoda-1
5. https://www.lyricsgram.com/song/krishna-o-kale-krishna-20612#google_vignette
6. https://www.lyricsgram.com/song/bada-natkhat-hai-yeh-2283#google_vignette
7. https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/krishna-janmashtami-2019-the-story-of-lord-krishna-s-birth/story-4E62vFF3DszD9fwLMR7oPJ.html

Pictures

1. https://www.hindibhajan.in/ek-radha-ek-meera-lyrics/
2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/radha-kaise-na-jale-to-maiyya-yashoda-best-bollywood-songs-for-a-festive-spirit-on-janmashtami/articleshow/93657608.cms?from=mdr
3. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fis1-ssl.mzstatic.com%2Fimage%2Fthumb%2FMusic116%2Fv4%2Fcf%2F52%2F2b%2Fcf522b26-3737-d552-864d-824bc260a79b%2F8901854086443.jpg%2F1200x1200bf-60.jpg&tbnid=t0kg3KCxyRb_MM&vet=12ahUKEwi6zIqO-YuBAxUEoekKHYWECI8QMygTegUIARCOAQ..i&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fmusic.apple.com%2Fkw%2Falbum%2Fwoh-kisna-hai-lofi-mix-single%2F1682250527&docid=yygQ0YzmIgJ0HM&w=1200&h=1200&q=woh%20kisna%20hai&ved=2ahUKEwi6zIqO-YuBAxUEoekKHYWECI8QMygTegUIARCOAQ
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH9YfoQk_RI
5. http://songlyricshindi.blogspot.com/2017/04/Maiyya-Yashoda-Hum-Saath-Saath-Hain-Full-Lyrics-Full-Video-Song-Hd-Mp4.html
6. https://www.google.com/imgres?