Ten of my favourite bhanwra songs

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Late February and early March are, to me, the best season in the Delhi NCR area. Our (alas all too brief) spring is a lovely time: cool, the sunshine just right, the breeze pleasant—and flowers all round. In our housing society, spring is especially exuberant because the local Residents’ Welfare Association invests heavily in our society gardens: this time of the year, every path, every patch of grass, is lined with flowerbeds crowded with petunias, daisies, hollyhocks, stock, pansies, snapdragons… I could go on and on. It’s a riot of colour and fragrance.

And bhanwras. The carpenter bee, glossy and black and so easily visible, is everywhere right now, sipping at the hollyhocks and the dahlias in particular (in our society’s garden). Its size and its blackness makes the bhanwra look a little intimidating, but the males (which are aggressive) don’t have stingers and so cannot really harm you, and the females (which do have stingers) will generally sting only in retaliation if you disturb them. Usually, if all you’re doing is standing by and admiring one getting its nectar from a flower, they’ll leave you alone.


Watching one of these the other day (and taking a video of it; I couldn’t resist the temptation) I found myself humming Bhanwra bada naadaan hai. That led to Bhanwre ki gunjan hai mere dil, and then Gunguna rahe hain bhanwre.

Therefore, this post, celebrating the bhanwra, which has had many, many songs devoted to it in Hindi cinema. Like the parwana (the moth) and the shama (the lamp) or the gul (flower) and bulbul—both pairs symbols of romantic love, even in more mystical contexts, of the love for a deity—so is the bhanwra and the flower (or, more specifically, the kali or flower bud, hinting at the ‘purity’/virginity of the maiden in question). Tied together, dependent on one another. Mutually attracted. A common motif, therefore, in Hindi film songs.

Here, then, are ten of my favourite songs featuring the bhanwra, either in the chorus or in the first two lines of the song. As always, these are from pre-1970s Hindi films that I’ve seen. The songs are in no particular order, though my favourite songs tend to be at the top of the list.

1. Bhanwra bada naadaan hai (Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, 1962): To begin with, the song that sparked off the theme for this song list. Waheeda Rehman’s teasing, bright-eyed young woman knows that the tongue-tied, very naïve villager (Guru Dutt) who has recently come into her ambit finds her fascinating. She realizes, too, that he’s far too shy to do anything about it; and though she reciprocates his feelings, she’s not above teasing him for now. Using a metaphor about the ‘naadaan’ (naïve) bhanwra, she goes on to sing about how this particular bhanwra, though the ‘kaliyan ki muskaan’ (the smile of the flower buds), the ‘bagiyan ka mehmaan’ (the guest of the garden), does not realize the significance of it all.

A sweet, teasing, frothy song (sung by Asha Bhonsle) in a film in which Waheeda’s Jaba came as a very welcome breath of fresh air after the depressing tragedy of the Chhoti Bahu’s life.

2. Gunguna rahe hain bhanwre khil rahi hai kali-kali (Aradhana, 1969): The two young lovers played by Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna sing most of Gunguna rahe hain bhanwre in—so incongruous—a snowy landscape, where poor Sharmila is obliged to traipse around in sari and very short-sleeved blouse. The song, however, does begin in a garden replete with bougainvillea and a fair number of spring flowers. There is also a bhanwra (though obviously fake, given that its wings are whitish and the flight of the bee has the staccato sort of feel of something done artificially). But the lyrics (Anand Bakshi’s) do carry forward the theme of love blossoming in the spring.

3. Dil ka bhanwar kare pukaar (Tere Ghar ke Saamne, 1962): From one song composed by SD Burman to another. If Gunguna rahe hain bhanwre had the lovers singing of bhanwras and kalis in snowscapes, here there’s not even that. The setting has nothing to do with gardens and what happens therein; Dev Anand and Nutan are visiting the Qutb Minar, and that too the tower itself, not the surrounding gardens (where their friends are having a picnic to which these two will eventually return, though not in the course of this song). What I find fascinating, though, is how the lyrics (Hasrat Jaipuri’s) are reflected in what’s happening onscreen: from Is haseen utaar pe (as they descend the stairs) to Aapka yeh aanchal (her dupatta wraps itself around his head) and beyond, the action mirrors the words. And the bhanwra, of course, is just a metaphor: the bhanwra of his heart calls out to her, singing a serenade of love.

4. Ud jaa bhanwar (Rani Rupmati, 1959): Another instance of the bhanwra as a metaphor, though this is one of the rare instances where the lyrics (Bharat Vyas’s) have nothing to do with romance. Here the bhanwra is the human soul/heart, and the gloriously beautiful lotus, fragrant and attractive, is the world. Tansen (singing in the voice of Manna Dey) uses this song as a philosophical comment on life, and on the whole idea of ‘simple living and high thinking’, but the enactment of the song happens literally: in a pond within the court of Baaz Bahadur, where this performance is taking place, a bhanwra trapped inside a closed lotus struggles, breaks free of its prison, and manages to fly off, seemingly all inspired by Tansen’s song.

5. Aaja bhanwar (Rani Rupmati, 1959): I could of course have clubbed this song with the previous one, Ud jaa bhanwar, because Aaja bhanwar is a response to that. But it’s not as if (in the case of Na toh kaarvaan ki talaash hai/Yeh ishq ishq hai) one song segues into another; there is a break between them. Also, while both are obviously the same type of song, obviously based on ragas, they are different songs. Lata, singing for Nirupa Roy, pleads with the bhanwra to return to the flower. Without the bhanwra (flown away at the end of Tansen’s song, see above), the lotus will be bereft; how will it survive?… and her song is so good that she matches Tansen, by being able to entice the bhanwra back into the enfolding petals of the lotus.

Two fabulous bhanwra songs, these.

6. Jhoome re kali bhanwra ulajh gaya (Naukri, 1954): Kishore Kumar is a singer I like a lot; as an actor, though, I find him extremely irritating in most of his films; his comedy tends to be over-the-top and rather juvenile. But Naukri was an unusual sort of film for Kishore: sensitive, gentle, not the run-of-the-mill Kishore starrer. As far as music is concerned, Naukri is usually remembered only for the two-version Chhota sa ghar hoga baadlon ki chhaon mein, but it also had this sweetly melodious song by Geeta Dutt, singing for Sheila Ramani. Sheila, playing a fairly different character from her usual glamour girl roles, sings obliquely of her love for the young man who lives in the boarding house next door, and whose window opens on to hers. The bhanwra and the kali, yes; but so easily identified as her heart and his.

7. Na bhanwra na koi gul (Aarti, 1962): For a change, a frothy song that uses the bhanwra-flower motif to persuade someone to say yes. Rajendra Nath and Vijaya Choudhary entertain a train compartment full of passengers with a delightful duet: he tells her he’s very lonely, there’s no flower-and-bhanwra stuff happening in his life; won’t she come into his world? She refuses; all she wants and needs is already part of her world, why would she leave it all? Aarti has several other songs which are much better-known, but this one, I think, needs more listeners. It has a fun infectiousness about it that I find very enjoyable.

8. Gun-gun-gun, gun-gun-gun gunjan karta bhanwra (Har Har Mahadev, 1950): The only reason I (very) occasionally watch mythologicals is that they sometimes had some nice songs, songs too which end up being fairly obscure despite having a certain amount of merit. Har Har Mahadev, its songs composed by Avinash Vyas, was not otherwise anything out of the ordinary, but it had some good songs, of which this one is notable because of the stellar role the bhanwra plays here. From the onomatopoeic gun-gun-gun, gun-gun-gun which begins the song to the carpenter bee glimpsed here and there in the course of the picturization, the bhanwra here is not just a by-the-way mention in the lyrics. Also, I wonder: is this the only song addressed to a bhanwra? Just for that, it deserves its place on this list.  (Incidentally, in the film, this isn’t a ‘real’ bhanwra; it’s a demon masquerading as one, in an attempt to overpower Parvati). 

9. Phool bagiya mein bhanwre aaye (Zindagi aur Khwaab, 1961): Another song which uses the bhanwra-kali motif to describe the attraction between two lovers (or would-be lovers). In this case, though, it’s not quite the shy allusion that was Sheila Ramani’s in the song from Naukri; here, the setting is a kotha and the tawaif who is performing is playing to the gallery: the bhanwre in this song (sung by Mubarak Begum) are the patrons flocking to the kotha; the lone jasmine flower (‘akeli chameli’) who is anxious, facing them all by herself, is the tawaif. The rest of the song is rather more forthright (and rather more honest: she gives up all pretence of being worried or nervous, and makes it obvious that she is the one in command here, the field open for her to choose whom she pleases).

10. Main bhanwra tu hai phool (Mela, 1948): And, to end the list, the oldest song on this list. From one of Naushad’s most popular scores of the 1940s comes this romantic duet, sung by Mukesh and Shamshad Begum. The bhanwra here, paired (unsurprisingly) with the flower, is nothing more than a metaphor. Not the real thing, but a symbol of everlasting love, of ‘belonging together’, so to say. I am the bhanwra and you are the flower, sing Dilip Kumar’s and Nargis’s characters. What is interesting here is that both sing the same thing to each other; it’s not as if (unlike the usual shama-parwana trope) he is the bhanwra and she the flower.

And, as the icing on the cake, a bonus song. This one isn’t a film song, so I couldn’t, in all fairness, include it in the list of songs; but it has been both composed and sung by one of Hindi cinema’s greatest composers, and it has been remixed and parodied as well.

Dheere se jaana bagiyan mein re bhanwra, by Sachin Deb Burman: This song, if you listen to the lyrics, is actually somewhat of a lullaby. The singer’s beloved sleeps in the garden, so the singer cautions the bhanwra: go gently, go quietly. Tori gun-gun-gun-gunjaar, tori jhan-jhan-jhan-jhankaar/baadha na daale sukhan mein (Your buzzing and your humming, may it not disturb her rest); and so on… the protectiveness is really quite sweet.

The composition (based on an East Bengal folk tune) and its rendition date to 1940. Later, in my most vivid recollection of its use in other compositions, is the brief appearance of the first two lines in the madcap Paanch rupaiyya baarah aana (sung by, and picturized on, Kishore Kumar) from Chalti ka Naam Gaadi. Still later, in the 1973 film Chhupa Rustam, Kishore sang a parody version of the song, Dheere se jaana khatiyan mein re khatmal.

More details about the song here, at Atul’s blog.

That, then, is my tribute to the humble bhanwra. Which songs would you add to this list?

48 thoughts on “Ten of my favourite bhanwra songs”

  1. Beautiful! There’s also ‘Baagh mein kali khili’ from Chand aur Suraj, composed by Salil da, lyrics by Shailendra, sung by Asha with Tanuja on screen! “Kyun na aaya” repeated sounds like a bhanwara!

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  2. Bhanwre ne khilaya phool Phool ko le gaya Rajkumar….

    PREMROG.

    I think this song is the one where the word Phool is used maximum number of times in a Hindi song. Another one is Phir chidi raat, raat phoolon ki BAZAAR.

    Gungun Gungun Gungun O bhanwre dekho hum deewano ko… DAUD.

    Awara bhanwre jo hole hole gaye… SAPNAY.

    O mere bairagi bhanwra Mujhe tadpaao na… ISHQ PAR ZOR NAHIN.

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    • O mere bairaagi bhanwra was on my longlist, but not only is Ishq Par Zor Nahin a little out of my timeline, this is also not a song I like much. Bhanwre ne khilaaya phool is an interesting idea of cross-pollination by carpenter bees! – another song I don’t like, though at one time it used to be very popular, I remember hearing it everywhere.

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  3. Lovely topic! And I am imagining how bright and refreshingly beautiful your housing society must be looking these days.

    My favourites are ‘Bhanwra Bada Nadan Hai,’ ‘Dil Ka Bhanwar,’ and oh, ‘Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukar’ (I can watch this song over and over again. Both Dev Anand and Nutan look so beautiful). Sadly, I don’t recognize the other songs. ‘Gunguna Rahe Hain Bhawre’ is not my favourite, maybe because I don’t like the picturization (or actors).

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    • Our housing society actually has ‘maintenance of gardens’ as one of its top expenses, which I am all in favour of. ;-)

      Dil ka bhanwar kare pukaar is such a delightful song; I too can watch it endlessly. They look beautiful, the music is lovely, and I really like the way the music and the lyrics echo what’s onscreen.

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  4. A perfect way to celebrate Spring, Madhu. (Though, in Kerala, we are reeling from a heat wave – the temps are already up to 35C, feeling like 38C and it’s only February!) I suppose it wouldn’t surprise you that I had a semi-list of bhanwra songs that included five songs on your list. :)

    There is nary a bhanwra to be seen in this song, but since it’s a metaphor, I suppose it doesn’t matter.

    Ud jaa ud jaa pyaase bhanwre from Kagaz ke Phool.

    Would Bhanwre ki gunjan hai mera dil qualify?

    Then, there’s O mere bairaagi bhanwra from Ishq Par Zor Nahin

    Then there’s a not-very-great song from Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya – Kaliyon ne ghunghat khole, har phool pe bhanwra dole…

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    • I had completely forgotten about Ud jaa ud jaa pyaase bhanwre – how, I have no idea, given that it’s one of my favourite songs. Thank you for adding this one, Anu. The Ishq Par Zor Nahin song was in my longlist, but I didn’t include that since I don’t like it much (and I agree that the song from Dil ne Phir Yaad Kiya falls into the same bracket – quite forgettable, though of course it does fit the bill). Bhanwre ki gunjan is a favourite of mine (I’ve mentioned it in the introduction to the post), so very glad to see you add that!

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  5. I’m feeling somewhat like a bhanwara myself, smelling the bounty of flowers in Delhi in Feb-March – also my favorite time of year there. Loved your topic, selection of songs and your thoughts on some of these much-loved songs. Missed ‘Dil ka bhanwar kare pukaar’, though. Look forward to reading your blog!

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  6. Great list as always! The song I am thinking about is “dheere se jaana bagiyan mein re bhanwra” – SD Burman – not sure if it is from a film though.

    Nishi

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  9. What a lovely topic! Let me take the bait and add my choices to this list –

    1. “Bhanwre ki gunjan, hai mera dil” from Kal Aaj aur Kal
    2. “Roz Roz Daali Daali” from Angoor

    Regards,

    Uday

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  11. What a delightful post!

    Enjoyed the list and the comments. I was rather surprised that no one yet added Suraiya’s melodious, Gun Gun Gun Bole Re Bhanwar from Afsar in the comments. Quite a popular song I think!

    and, a beautiful Parul Ghosh song from Milan

    and,A favourite of mine from the 90s

    Gun gun karta aaya bhanwra from Muskurahat

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    • Thank you for these songs, Anupji. I especially loved the song from Milan: very nice. The way Parul Ghosh sings ‘gun-gun-gun-gun’, she really evokes the tone of the bhanwra very well!

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  13. There are many old bhanwra songs, but the one which I like the most from that category, you’ve already mentioned. And then there is this relatively new song from Kaminey (2009), which I like a lot. It is not one nice to listen to but also has a social awareness message and the bhanwra is not the messenger of love but quite villainous.

    Bhanwra bhanwra aaya re, Fatak!

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    • I hadn’t heard this one before, so a special thank you for that. Also, a thank you in advance, because this song now becomes an inclusion in another post I’m going to publish sometime next month.

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  15. Other songs that I could remember are from the 70s and beyond…

    Kali kali chume gali gali ghoome bhanwra beimaan- Manchali 1973

    Bhanwre sun sun kahe kare gun gun – Behroopia 1971

    Hum to hai chhui mui ib ka kare o bhanwra ban ke – Agar Tum Na Hote 1983

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  16. And from more recent times….

    Panchhi sur mein gaate hain bhanwre gungunate hain – Sirf Tum 1999

    Main kudi anjaani ho shahar anjaana ho yahan pe bhanwre – Zor 1998

    Kyun aage peechhe dolte ho bhanwron ki tarah – Golmaal fun Unlimited 2006

    I like this one – Main ek bhanwra hoon chhote bagiche ka – Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 2011

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  19. Lovely spring and lovely songs about Bhanwara!! I must say some of them like Rani Rupmati ones are new to me.

    There are some nice marathi songs.

    Runu Zunu Bhramara is an abhang written by Saint Gyaneshwar which implies mind is like Bhanwara always flying here and there and one must drop enemies of mind to exalt.

    ‘Parimalachi Dhaav Bhramar Odhi’ sung by Ajit Kadkade is another Bhajan
    which describes the way Bhanwara gets attracted to fragrance of flower, one should get attracted to almighty.

    ‘Indrabanatil Mi Pakoli Jogi Zala Bhramar Kuni’ describes love between
    Swallow in the Garden of Eden and someone has become Bhanwara. Frankly I don’t see connection between swallow and bhanwar.
    But to each his/her own.

    One famous Natya pad is ‘Madhukar Van Van Firat Kari‘ sung by various legends including Balgandharv, Goharjan and likes. I could not find the recording for these stalwarts but here is a nice clear recording of an unknown artist. Madhukar is synonym for Bhanwar.

    Last but not the least is traditional natya pad ‘Ghei Chhand Makrand‘ originally composed by Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki and sung by Shankar Mahadevan in movie Katyar Kalajat Ghusli. Milind and Bhrung are synonyms for Bhanwara while Makrand is synonym for the nectar.

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  20. Nice post Madhuji, however however want to clarify bhanwra and bhanwar are two differnt words and have totally different meanings, used as synonym in you post. Bhanwar is whirlpool usually formed in rivers and bhanwara is an insect. In the song Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar Rafi clearly saying bhanwar but making sound of bhanwra. I am totally confused.

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    • Glad you liked the post! As far as I know, ‘bhanwar’ is used both for whirlpool as well as bhanwra. It’s one of the many variations of bhanwra, like bhaunra. In several songs (both the songs from Rani Rupmati, for example), ‘bhanwar’ is used explicitly for the bhanwra.

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  21. Thank you for the Bhumro song from Mission Kashmir .
    This, as you might now, is taken from an entire opera called ‘Bhumr te Yemberzal’ (The Bumblebee and the Narcissus , literally ) by Sh. Dinanath Nadim .
    Here is a video , towards the end of which you will find an older recording of the original .

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    • Thank you so much for this, Anubha – I loved it. And it made me quite nostalgic for Kashmir.

      Also, I hadn’t known this was from an opera. How interesting (and how impressive).

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  22. Nice post Madhu. I enjoyed all the songs on your list. Dil ka Bhanwar is a favorite of mine. I like everything about it.

    Here’s a song from Paatala Bairavi movie

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