The sound of perfume

Came across this gem in what is my latest essential bedtime reading – The Third Rumpole Omnibus [as an aside, does anyone else think Rumpole would look just like the author John Mortimer whose mugshot appears on the back cover – all fat and smug and cheeky?] – in ‘Rumpole and the quacks’, he says this, among other things, about Mrs.Etheridge – “…clattered with what I believe is known as costume jewellery, and gave off a deafening smell of what she was at pains to tell me was Deadly Sins by St.Just“…

I cannot stop wondering about just how Deadly that perfume would have to be, that deafens.

And I thought only Gulzar sa’ab wrote that way – “humne dekhi hai un aankhon ki mehkti khushboo“. And I cannot stop humming that song from that remarkable movie either… “haath se chhooke usey rishton ka ilzaam na do“. Gulzar…. *deep sigh* And see, I always said Hemant Kumar was a better composer than singer…

9 comments

  2. 1 – Rumpole. Rumpole! Finally, I find somebody else who reads Mortimer.

    2 – Gulzar and his divine transferred epithets. “Teri kamar ki bal se / nadi murha karti thi …”

    3 – And Hemant Kumar as a lovely voice but a mediocre singer, hence better at composing …

    Have you been looking inside my head?!

    J.A.P.

  3. Recently I was listening to this Gulzar song: Chchadi re chchadi kaisi gale me padi and somewhere there is a line that goes like: Lagata hai saanson mein toota hai kaanch koi, chubhati hai seene mein bheeni si aanch koi. Only he could write like that.

  4. Hey Ru, you really got me nostalgic about Gulzar songs. I often think through his songs like
    “din khaali khaali bartan hai aur raatein hain ek andhaa kuaan”..”ek akela is shaher mein…”
    Vow, Gulzar is Gulzar.

  5. the moment there is a mention of Gulzar, everyone start remembering endless list of beautiful songs written by him….never been able to decide, whichone of them is my favorite…maybe not even required

  7. Hi..

    Yes Hemant da was much ahead as a composer than though he sung that one”pukar lo” superbly!!
    but do u know most facinating facts for me is the direction. It’s by Asit Sen who was a comedain himself but make a movie with so emotional subject!!

    this song is also superb

  9. Hi,

    “Dil dhoondtha hai phir wohi phursat ke raat din” is my favourite gulzar song. He wrote so many beautiful and touching poetry … Tera bina zindigi mein shikwa and humne dekhi hain un akhnon ki mehakti khusboo. Whatever happened to the wonderful urdu/hindi poetry that used to grace hindi songs.

    PS: Asit Sen the director and Asit Sen the comedian are two different people.

    Ram

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