I have been busy for the last few months and though this theme was suggested a few months back, I couldn’t work on it.
One of my seniors and also a blog reader, Dr A P Kulkarni suggested compiling a list of Paayal / Payaliya songs. After a hectic year of O P Nayyar’s birth centenary celebrations, I also needed a simple theme to go on. And here it was…..
When I started researching for the post, I thought of collecting the songs that mention an anklet. And of course it would include all the possible synonyms of it.
An anklet is an ornament worn around the ankles. I was surprised to see mentions of Egyptian and European cultures in connection with the anklets, which I had presumed to be an Indian ornament altogether.
It’s mainly a decorative ornament, though it had certain functional aspects connected to it. The tinkling of anklets suggested the presence of a female nearby and perhaps acted as a cue to the presence of the wife and that she wanted to communicate with her husband. Though dreamily romantic, it’s no more practical.
An anklet is usually a delicate metal chain with or without bells that makes a pleasant sound when the wearer moves around. The various synonyms of it may suggest different types of it. The synonyms were, Paayal, Paayaliya, Jhanjhar, Jhanjhriya, Paazeb, Paijaniya. Perhaps Ghungroo and Paayal are not exact synonyms, but for the purpose of the post, I have taken a liberty to include songs mentioning Ghungroo as well.
Without much ado, let’s now turn to the list.
- Paayal / Paayaliya –
These are the most common words found in Hindi film songs.
1. Chhun Chhun Baaje Paayal – Humlog (1951) Lata Mangeshkar / Roshan – Uddhav Kumar
A beautiful, but perhaps not so popular song to open the list. But it’s one of my favorites! Picturised on a beautiful Shyama and a handsome Balraj Sahni, the song is a delight. In these songs I think, the tinkling of anklets has been used to highlight the feminine charm of a lady.
2. Paayal Ki Jhankar Raste Raste – Mere Laal (1966) Lata Mangeshkar / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Majrooh
I had forgotten this song while compiling the Street singer’s song list. But didn’t miss this iconic Paayal song on today’s list. A street dance performance by Indrani Mukherjee with musicians accompanying. Her facial expressions are good, though her dancing is average. The tinkling of anklets help her search for her beloved.
3. Jhananan Jhan Jhananan Jhan Baaje Paayaliya – Rani Rupmati (1957) / S N Tripathi – Bharat Vyas
It’s a beautiful semiclassical song sung amazingly. Based on the life of Rani Rupmati and Baaz Bahadur. Both get attracted to each other by the common thread of music and finally fall in love. The film is full of excellent songs and each is a gem.
4. Mori Chham Chham Baaje Paayaliya – Ghoonghat (1960) Lata Mangeshkar / Ravi – Shakeel Badayuni
One of Lata Mangeshkar’s popular songs with Ravi. It’s a simple, but very catchy tune with excellent rendition expressing happiness. Picturised on a happily dancing Bina Rai, the song talks about her anklets dancing in joy. Surely one of the popular songs with the word Paayaliya.
- Jhanjhar / Jhanjhriya –
It’s a Punjabi word for the anklet. However they differ from Payal. Jhanjhar typically refers to thicker, heavier anklets that have many small bells or charms, designed to produce a distinct, loud jingling sound. Jhanjhar is perhaps not used nowadays as a routine ornament.
And, surprisingly there are very less songs using both these words. At least I found them hard to locate easily in Hindi film songs. So only a couple of songs in this section.
5. Paaon Mein Jhanjhar – Faulad (1963) Asha Bhosle / G S Kohli – Anjaan
Though the lyrics mention a jhanjhar, it’s only during the last minute that we get to see the jhanjhars in their feet. The lyrics also add the bells or ghungaroos attached to it.
The song depicts an elegant dance by Meenu Mumtaz and Mumtaz, both of whom lip sync to Asha Bhosle’s voice. The song has a beautiful catchy tune and has good lyrics. G S Kohli is remembered more as an assistant to Nayyar than as a sole composer, though he had composed many good songs that are still popular.
6. Jhanjhriya Uski Chhank Gayi – Krishna (1996) Abhijit / Anu Malik – Anand Raj Anand
The song was extremely popular during its release and is still performed in singing talent shows, even after 30 years. And the song correctly depicts a thicker anklet as Jhanjhar. Again the jingling of it has been mentioned in connection with the feminine appeal and charm of a lady.
The song has very striking and pleasant visuals, as it unfolds the long shots in deserts and beautiful bright colours to enhance visual beauty.
- Ghungroo –
It’s perhaps not an exact synonym for an anklet, but has been used in Hindi film songs in my opinion. So I decided to add it. Ghungroos are usually worn by dancers during a performance of an Indian classical dance form, where the bells of it act as a rhythm support, adding auditory signals to the performance.
Ghungroos feature hundreds of small metallic bells, usually of brass, strung together. The bells are tied with a cotton cord or mounted on padded leather or velvet straps. They produce musical sounds when feet are struck rhythmically on the ground with the required force.
Interestingly I have a couple of songs, each featuring one of the two real life sisters. Any guesses?
7. Baaje Ghungaroo Chhun Chhun Chhun – Shikari (1963) Lata Mangeshkar / G S Kohli – Faruq Kaiser
Raagini dances to an impressive tune by Kohli, sings it as Ajit sits in the audience with others, listening and watching the tangential references made to him. Though the lyrics mention Ghungaroos, the pictrisation shows Paayal. But the song is adorned beautifully with the tinkling sounds of ghungaroos. Makes a good audio visual treat.
8. Chham Chham Ghungaroo Bole – Kajal (1966) Asha Bhosle / Ravi – Sahir
Now it’s the elder sister’s turn. Here, the singer, Meena Kumari, herself is not dancing, but Padmini does the honour, occasionally lip-synching to her voice. Padmini’s dancing is excellent, in a house party, where her sister in law sings for her. The song sounds wonderful with its elements of semiclassical music and beautiful sitar pieces woven in between.
- Paazeb –
It’s a Persian synonym for an anklet. It’s not used very frequently in Hindi films and I am dedicating the most popular song mentioning the word.
9. Is Reshmi Paazeb Ki Jhankar Ke Sadqe – Laila Majnu (1976) Lata Mangeshkar & Rafi / Madan Mohan – Sahir
I heard the song very carefully to confirm the correct pronunciation of the word. It’s definitely Paazeb (पाज़ेब) and not Paajeb (पाजेब). What a beautifully romantic song! The pair of anklets is however no longer with the lady. One of the anklets is with Ranjeeta while the other with Rishi Kapoor. Both of them are deeply in love with each other fondly remembering the moments.
- And now the last segment with the words,
Painjaniya / Paijaniya
10. Painjaniya Chhanke Ram – Wapas (1969) Rafi / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Majrooh
Not a very popular song, but a very melodious semiclassical song, rendered amazingly by Rafi. It’s picturised on Ajay, as a stage song during a musical conference. I wasn’t aware of the song until recently when I looked for the other songs of ‘Wapas’ after listening to the most popular and melodious duet, Ek Tera Saath Humko.
11. Gori Tori Painjaniya – Mehbooba (1976) Manna Dey / R D Burman – Anand Bakshi
One of the best semiclassical songs by Manna Dey for Hindi films. Also one of the rare occasions for Manna Dey to sing for Rajesh Khanna. Hema Malini dances in three different attires (and perhaps three different dance forms) in the Royal court. So well supported by the sounds of ghungaroos. Beautiful dancing and amazing rendition make it an audio visual treat. Here’s the link for video.
12. Paijaniya Bol – Nache Mayuri (1986) Lata Mangeshkar / Laxmikant Pyarelal – Anand Bakshi
Nache Mayuri was based on the real life tragedy in Sudha Chandran’s life and how she finally restarted dancing using an artificial limb, after struggling with the problem by hard work, determination and dedication. It’s her public performance in the movie after fitting the Jaipur foot. Hats off to Sudha for her achievement. The song is actually addressed to the anklet, asking it to convey her story through her dance.
Which song mentioning the anklet would you add to the list?
Disclaimer –
Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.
