Dear Brig Kamboj,
Most of us have heard the name of Milkha Singh. He is an athlete of considerable repute. Around the time when Milkha Singh joined the army, there was another 'man of substance' who joined the service, but not many of us seem to remember him. His name was Anand Bakshi.
A scene will appear on your screen and the song will say:
"Kuchh reet jagat ki aisi hai, har eik suboh ki shaam hui
Tu kaun hai tera naam hai kya Sita bhi yahaan badnaam hui
Phir kyon sansaar ki baaton se, bheeg gaye tere nainaa?"
These words have come from the pen of Anand Bakshi.
So far so good. And now, I have something to tell you. Anand was a soldier!!!
He joined the Corps of Signals soon after Independence, and was in the STC Jabbalpur, before getting posted to Bombay, where he got into the filmworld, as a playback singer. But soon turned a lyricist and wrote some of the finest songs of our age.
And now, permit me to seek the help of the RMS family. The Internet has his biodata, but there is an ambiguity in his date of birth. He was either born in 1920 or 1930 and the is a difference is of TEN whole years! I think some one from the Signals can throw light on this enormous anamoly.
The army has made much of Milkha Singh. He did indeed run around the athletics track, albeit with admirable elegance. But what Anand Bakshi did is also of great significance. He has given us songs which have very poignant meanings. At the end of the day, what will perhaps be left will be words and not those giant strides. In one song, Mukesh says:
"Ik din bik jaayega maati ke mol
Jag mein reh jaayenge pyare tere bol"
I, for one, salute both Milkha and Anand Bakshi. May the military be able to get more of them to come and don the uniform, and make us proud by their deeds and words. As for me, my prayer to the Lord is:
"O saare jag ke rakhwale
Nirbal ko bal dene wale
Balwaanon ko de de gyaan
Allah tero naam Ishwar tero naam"
This particular piece is to seek more information on Anand Bakshi of the Corps of Signals, which helps us in remaining 'connected' with each other during service and even after that through "Report My Signal".
Maj Gen Surjit Singh (Retd)
The Corps of Signals has been aware of Anand Bakshi and his achievents in Bollywood as a famous lyricist. He was contacted prior to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations by DCSO Bombay and he wrote the lyrics of the Corps song.
It is a good suggestion that the Corps should highlight that Anand Bakshi was a Signaller. It is also appropriate to remember his achievements during the Centenary celebrations. As far as I can remember, his son lives in Mumbai and DCSO Bombay should be knowing the address.
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen
Signal Officer-in-Chief and Senior Colonel Commandant 1988-91
No comments:
Post a Comment