I am a fan of old Hindi movie songs. I now also appreciate Western classical music as well after my wife Villie got me interested in listening to various delightful compositions of the great immortals. Have any readers noticed that some of the Hindi songs are inspired by Western classical compositions? For example, Saare jahanse achha, Hindustan hamaara (Our Hindustan is the best country in the world) sounds similar to Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole Opus 2. Also Tum hamaare, hum tumhaare ... ho na ho (You are mine and I am yours, may be or not) appears to be a copy of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto D.
The 1958 Phagun song Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya, jaate jaate, mitha mitha dard de gaya (A stranger stole my heart and left me with sweet sorrow) by Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi reminds me of a Western classical composition. Can some readers of Parsiana illuminate me regarding this and also of other instances of Western classical music inspiring Indian movie songs? Or of modern pop songs plagiarizing Indian classical music?
KERSI MEHER-HOMJI
Sydney, Australia
kersi5@bigpond.com
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