Small Town India in Ten Songs

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I must begin this list with a disclaimer regarding that title: no, not really small town. However, a title that went ‘Tier 2 and Below Cities’ would be just too clunky. So give me some leeway here.

When I was watching Sapan Suhaane a few months back, the one song that really stayed with me was Naam mera Nimmo muqaam Ludhiana. Not only because it’s so catchy and Helen is so vivacious, but also because of the words. Why Ludhiana, I wondered. Was Shailendra thinking of Sahir when he wrote the lyrics of this song? Or did Ludhiana just seem to fit the metre and the rhyme scheme well? (It does, and really well).

That thought led to another: all the other songs that, like this one, also refer to the smaller towns of India. The really big cities—the metropolitan agglomerations like Bombay (a particular favourite, of course, given that the Hindi film industry is based there and most films have Bombay as a setting) or Delhi or even Kolkata—have plenty of references to them in song. But the smaller cities, the towns: they are rather more elusive. Not, however, completely missing. And that was what I set out to find: songs that mention smaller cities and towns (not the metros).

As always, these songs are all from pre-1970s Hindi films that I’ve seen. I have, however, imposed a further condition: the town referred to must be in either the first two lines of the song, or in the chorus.

In no particular order, therefore:

1. Naam mera Nimmo muqaam Ludhiana (Sapan Suhaane, 1961): Ludhiana. I may as well begin with the song that inspired this post. Written by Shailendra, with music by Salil Choudhary and sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey and Dwijen Mukherjee, this is a peppy, infectious ‘performance song’. Helen, as an unnamed dancer (this is an item number for her: she doesn’t have a role in the film outside of this dance), performs at a wedding, and the bridegroom’s younger brother (Chandrashekhar) and assistant (Bhagwan) join in.

Ludhiana, one of Punjab’s major towns, is supposedly known as the ‘Manchester of India’, a result of its eminence as a centre of industries. I remember, as a child, being told that the best woollens around were to be bought in Ludhiana: when we were shifting from the plains to Srinagar, we stopped at Ludhiana en route to stock up on sweaters and coats. Of course, in the world of Hindi cinema, it is synonymous with one, towering, name: Sahir Ludhianvi, who was born here in 1921.

2. Ghoomke aaya hoon main bandhu… Baajewaala Patialewaale (Basant, 1960): Patiala. Another song that references a town in Punjab. Home to the ‘Patiala Gharana’ of Hindustani classical music; the seat of the larger-than-life Maharajas of Patiala: the town does seem to fit this reference well. You can imagine that a musician (okay, not an ustad of the classical gharana, but anyway) might hail from Patiala; and that he might be an entertaining, colourful character.  

… which Johnny Walker certainly is. This man is not a one for modesty: he is vocal about his achievements, about the many accolades he’s received, the many big composers (SD Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, OP Nayyar, Naushad) who are his shaagirds (Nayyar, by the way, is the composer of this song). Delightful lyrics by Qamar Jalalabadi, who works in plenty of references to Hindi cinema and its music.


3. Jhumka gira re Bareilly ke bazaar mein (Mera Saaya, 1966): Bareilly. A lot of songs that reference small towns are performance songs: a singer/dancer mentioning his/her hometown, for instance, or talking about going to a place. Few Hindi films, after all, back in the 50s and 60s, were set in small towns; even when they were, more often than not, the town went unnamed. So a song actually about the town (like Ae dil hai mushkil or Eent ki dukki paan ka ikka), but referring to a small town rather than a metro city, aren’t common. Personally, I haven’t come across even one.

But here is yet another performance song that refers to a small town, and a hugely popular one. Sleepy Bareilly, ironically enough, has more than one song about it: the proverb Ulte baans Bareilly ko (the Hindi equivalent of Sending coals to Newcastle) helps the town into a song from Dahej (Woh toh baans Bareilly se); and, Kajra mohabbatwaala from Kismet has a line about her wearing the Jhumka Bareillywaala.  

And, this song. A classic kajri, it seems, probably originally folk; but with at least one recording dating back to the 1930s, sung by Miss Dulari, and then later, in the 1947 film Dekhoji, rendered by Shamshad Begum. The Mera Saaya version, composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Asha, is the hot favourite, enough to have been subsequently remixed.

4. Mera naam hai Chameli… chali aayi main akeli Bikaner se (Raja aur Runk, 1968): Bikaner. While it’s not immediately obvious, this, in its way, is also a performance song. Kumkum’s character isn’t really a maalan (a gardener) and neither is she from Bikaner. All of this is a song and dance to distract the gullible—and lecherous—jailor so that his prisoners can make their escape.

I remember having heard that Mera naam hai Chameli made quite a few Bikanerwaalas see red. They saw this song (lyrics by Anand Bakshi) as an insult to the women of Bikaner. That a Bikaneri woman would go gallivanting about on her own, away from home and hearth, and be so obviously seducing someone! Unthinkable. (I have a different take on that. Kumkum’s character here is acting a part, and is really playing with danger: she’s behaving, in fact, like the fearless and resourceful Rajputani Bikaner might be proud to call its own. But to each their own, I guess).

5. Mar gayi garmi se le chal Shimle babu (Mud-Mud Ke Na Dekh, 1959): Shimla. And another ‘performance song’ that mentions a small town. While it’s a little-known song otherwise (and from a little-known film), Mar gayi garmi se has seen a recent revival, mostly among people from the boiling plains of North India who find themselves identifying completely with Helen’s character here, cribbing about the heat, the sweat, the utter misery brought on by the unbearable summer.

Among small towns, the ones that appear relatively frequently in Hindi cinema tend to be either the places of pilgrimage, or the ones that are picturesque: in particular, the hill stations. The combination of cool mountains, pine woods, and what some analysts of Hindi cinema have described as the unspoilt (and stereotypical) simplicity of even the inhabitants, have made hill stations like Nainital, Shimla, Darjeeling and Ooty a popular setting in cinema. Here, while Shimla is nowhere in the picture, at least it’s mentioned, and that prominently.

Interestingly, Mar gayi garmi se (with lyrics by Prem Dhawan and music by Hansraj Bahl) doesn’t just mention Shimla; later in the song, two other hill stations are also referred to. The dancer asserts that she’s grown up in Nainital and Srinagar (Nainital mein bachpan beeta, Srinagar mein jawaani), implying that this is why she finds it so difficult to adapt to the heat of the plains, where her Rajasthani sweetheart has brought her.

6. Lehenga mangaa de mere babu mangvaa de chhaila aaj Nainital se (Beti, 1969): Nainital. Another hill station, another performance song which mentions it. But, as in Helen’s Ludhiana reference from Naam mera Nimmo, there’s really no particular reason for Nainital to have been chosen as the small town here (it’s not even as if Nainital is known for its lehengas: while Kumaoni women would have worn ghagras traditionally, there’s nothing exceptional about them). The only benefit is that (again, like Ludhiana) Nainital fits the rhyme scheme: Nainital/chaal/jaal/gore gaal…

Not a great song, but Nainital gets a mention, at least.

7. Agre ka lala angreji dulhan laaya re (Dus Lakh, 1966): Agra. While this one may look like a performance song (and it is, to some extent: Helen’s and Babita’s characters are performing at a wedding), there’s more to it. For one, these two women aren’t mere dancers, hired to perform. They are related or otherwise connected to the ageing groom and bride: Helen’s character is the bride’s daughter from an earlier husband; and Babita’s character is the groom’s son’s girlfriend. Also, the reference to Agra isn’t just for the sake of it. Om Prakash’s character is actually a denizen of Agra. Nothing else about the town here, none of its grand history or anything, barring that initial (and repeated) mention.

8. Rajguru ne Jhansi chhodi (Jhansi ki Rani, 1953): Jhansi. A town which went down in Indian history thanks to its fearless queen, Jhansi is actually mentioned in two songs from this film, starring Mehtab as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. One is Amar hai Jhansi ki Rani, which appears twice in the film, bookending the story. The other, much more interesting, song is this one. The music (by Vasant Desai) is stirring, Mohammad Rafi’s rendition has a vigour to it that I really like, and Pandit Radheshyam’s lyrics make this an unusual song in that it helps take the narrative forward. It speaks of how the Rajguru of Jhansi (played by Sohrab Modi) sets off from Jhansi, disheartened and fearing for his beloved city, looking for a way to stop it falling into the hands of the British.

Actually one of the rare songs on this list that actually features the town it mentions. Plus, there’s a bonus: right at the end is another town, where the Rajguru washes up: Bitthoor, about 250 km north-east of Jhansi.

9. Kashi dekhi Mathura dekhi, dekhe teerath saare (Naagin, 1954): Kashi, Mathura. Tere dwaar khada ik jogi begins with the names of two of Hinduism’s most sacred towns: Kashi (Banaras/Varanasi) and Mathura. As a simple way of expressing romantic love that borders on worshipping the beloved: he has been to Mathura, he has been to Kashi, but nowhere (oh, blasphemous!) has he found a deity he can revere as he reveres her.

Mathura, as far as I know, doesn’t seem to appear in too many songs (I haven’t been able to find any others), but Banaras is not that uncommon. It gave its name to films like Banarasi Thug, and there are several songs from the 1970s onward, especially, that reference the town: Khaaike paan Banaraswaala, for instance, or Hamaara naam Banarasi Babu, or Hum hain Banaras ke bhaiya.

10. Ae shahar-e-Lucknow tujhe mera salaam hai (Paalki, 1967): Lucknow. A state capital and once the capital of one of India’s biggest and wealthiest provinces—Awadh—Lucknow is by no means a ‘small town’. But it’s considered a tier 2 city, so it fits this post.

Interestingly, Lucknow has several songs bequeathed to it. The most obscure, for me, is Lucknow chalo ab raani from Sansaar (1951), which has Agha wooing Mohana Cabral in classic ‘small town’ reference style: there’s no particular reason why the reference should be to this particular town. After all, just because the water in Bombay isn’t great (his reason for wanting to shift), there are plenty of other towns with decent water.

But there are two songs, at least, that accompany the credits of fairly well-known Muslim socials set in Lucknow. Yeh Lucknow ki sarzameen, from Chaudhvin ka Chaand, has already featured in another song list of mine, so here I’ll choose the other song: Ae shahar-e-Lucknow tujhe mera salaam, where Rajendra Kumar’s shaayar character recites his ode to Lucknow at a mushaira. It’s not an especially inspired song, but still. What I really like here is that the accompanying visuals, after a brief glimpse of the mushaira, turn into a Lucknow-darshan, so to say.

And, though my list of ten songs is complete, I cannot resist the temptation to add a bonus song. This one couldn’t make it to the list because the towns it mentions appear only near the end of the song, so it wouldn’t fit my criteria:

Rail gaadi rail gaadi (Aashirvaad, 1968):  Famously considered the first rap song in Hindi cinema, Rail gaadi rail gaadi is both picturised on Ashok Kumar and sung by him, playback. Over the decades since this song, several songs have referred to small towns in the context of trains and travelling: Chhuk-chhuk-chhak-chhak Bombay se Baroda tak; Jaipur se nikli gaadi Dilli chale halle-halle; Bombay se gayi Poona; and so on—but for sheer number of towns mentioned, there’s no beating this one. Lyricist Harindranath Chattopadhyay bungs them in one after the other, in such an infectious rhyme scheme, too. Dharampur, Bharampur, Mangalore, Bangalore. Mandawa, Khandawa, Raipur, Jaipur. Talegaon, Malegaon, Belur, Vellore (I would have rhymed Vellore with Nellore). Sholapur, Kolhapur, Hukkal, Dindigul, Koregaon, Goregaon… and the list still isn’t over.

If that isn’t a paean to small towns, I don’t know what is!

What other songs fit this theme? Share your favourites, please.

67 thoughts on “Small Town India in Ten Songs”

  1. Another fascinating list, thanks! I must admit, I read it carefully hoping to see either Meerut (my Dad’s birthplace) or Aligarh (his Mum’s) but having kajra mohabbatwala implanted as an earworm was consolation enough 😊

    I know it’s LONG past 1970, so not eligible, but does “Mathura Nagarpati” fit the bill for a song about that town?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8F2ZrxvulM

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed this, Stuart! Thank you. And yes, neither Meerut nor Aligarh here, but have you seen the film Nai Umar ki Nai Fasal? Not a great film, but it was set in Aligarh Muslim University and centred round the lives of a bunch of university students.

      And yes, Mathura Nagarpati works! Thanks for that – I’d forgotten all about it.

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  2. Thank you for the interesting post, dear Madhu. It was informative and fun to go read it.

    The first song which came to my mind when I started reading your post was Ye Lucknow ki sarzameen from Chaudhvin Ka Chaand (1960), but then you already mentioned. Jhumka gira re and mera naam hai Chameli were also one of the first ones.

    When the song Agre ka lala was mentioned I remembered Aagre se ghaagro mangaa de rasiyaa from Chor Machaye Shor (1974). The other song on similar terms is Jaipur ki choli mangva de re sainyaan from Gehri Chaal (1973). When Jaipur was mentioned then I remembered Jaipur se nikli gaadi from Gurudev (1993).

    Talking of trains I had to think of Chhuk chhuk chhak chhak Bombay se Baroda tak from Rafoo Chakkar (1975), which made me think of Bambai se gayi Poona, Poona se gayi Dilli, Dilli se gayi Patna from Ham Hain Raahi Pyaar Ke (1993).

    I left out the songs where the town names are used as an adjective paan banaraswala or banarasi. I also thought of Shirdi ke Saibaba like in Shirdiwale Saibaba from Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), but didn’t know really if it would count.

    Then of course there is the Marathi song Bugadi majhi sandli ga jaata Satarayala from Sangte Aaika (1959), which was the debut film of Jayshree Gadkar. The title would be used by Hansa Wadkar for her autobiography, who plays the main protagonist in the film. As is well-known her autobiography formed the base of Shyam Benegal’s film Bhumika (1977).

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    • Obviously I forgot the most obvious one, mere piya gaye Rangoon from Patanga (1949). The song starts with “Hello, Hindustan kaa Dehradun?” and in the antara there is “ham Burma ki galiyon mein aur tum ho Dehradun“.I think there must be some songs from mythological films which deal with Kashi, Mathura, Banaras and such other centres of pilgrimage. Most probably there are also songs from muslim socials with references to Ajmer and other Muslim pilgrimage places and the same must be valid for Amritsar. There surely are some Roman Catholic pilgrimage centres, but I wonder if they would find refrencce in Hindi films.I remember to have seen a song in the 80s on TV, “Chinchpokli, chinchpokli, main banwara, tu banwari, main sanwara, tu sanwari”, but I can’t find it anywhere now. Chinchpokli being a place in South Bombay, thus not a small town. From the sound of it, I can imagine it to be a song composed by C. Ramchandra.

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      • Harvey, one can always depend upon you to come up with interesting additions to lists! Thank you for all the fabulous songs you’ve mentioned – there were several there that should have occurred to me but didn’t – especially Shirdiwaale Sai Baba. Okay, it’s outside of my timeline, but otherwise it works (because, after all, it is a town, and it is mentioned, even if in the context of someone – like ‘Agre ka lala’). And thank you also for that song about Satara; that was new to me.

        Talking of Chinchpokli (even if it now counts as a Bombay suburb), here is one song which mentions it:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJo8mM0iMAI&t=8s

        From Shabistan, Chinchpolki ho tu chhokra. The song actually has a reference to the town itself (besides that initial one), so it’s a little unusual in that sense.

        And, I am an idiot. ☹ When I was compiling this post, I remembered that ‘Tum ho Dehradun’ line from Mere piya gaye Rangoon, but I dismissed it because it was too deep into the song – I completely forgot that the song actually begins with Dehradun! I could kick myself.

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  3. What a delightful post! Enjoyed the read.

    I would add,

    1 Aagre ko ghagro mangwa de from Laadli

    2 Main Kolhapur se aayi hoon, though not a exact fit. It’s in the last sentence of mukhda.

    3 Bambai se gayi Poona mentions Poona, Patna in addition to the metro cities

    4 hum hain banaras ke bhaiya – not a great song.

    Will be back if I get more

    :-)

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    • Thank you, Anupji! Bambai se gayi Poona and Hum hain Banaras ke bhaiya are mentioned (though not listed, which is perhaps why you missed them) in the post. :-)

      And thank you, especially, for Agre ko ghagro mangvaa de. I hadn’t realized there was an old song with these words: I knew about the similar-sounding song from Chor Machaye Shor, which Harvey (commenting above) also mentioned.

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  6. Though not fitting the criteria, I remembered the song from Aur Pyar Ho Gaya.

    Thoda Sa Pagla thoda Deewana, where in the second verse, she mentions, Bhopal, Nainital, Bareilly, Lakhnow, Banaras etc.

    :-)

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  8. Chuk chuk chak chak Bombay se Baroda tak… RAFOO CHAKKAR.

    Bambai se gaye Dilli …..Poona …. Patna.. HUM HAIN RAHI PYAR KE.

    On Thu, May 15, 2025, 5:31 PM Dr PradeepKumar Shetty < drpradeepshetty87@gmail.com> wrote:

    Meri dulhan Bareilly se aayee re… > MEHNDI, 1958 > > Agre se ghagro manga de.. > CHOR MACHAYE SHOR >

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  10. Far removed from your timeline. Still, quite a popular one. Aati kya Khandala?

    On Fri, May 16, 2025, 11:43 AM Dr PradeepKumar Shetty < drpradeepshetty87@gmail.com> wrote:

    Ye Lucknow ki sarzameen… > CHAUDHAVIN KA CHAND. > > Ilahabad mein paida hui > Jabalpur mein pali… > JAANEMAN. >

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    • Oh, very good suggestion! the song used to be so popular. :-) In fact, a friend who was working in London around that time said she met an NRI, an elderly lady who told her: “What has happened to Hindi film lyrics now?! They make no sense. There is this song, ‘Hathi ka anda laa.’ What does it even mean? Elephants don’t lay eggs!”

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    • Arre wah! This one was completely new to me. Thank you, Anitaji – what fun this song was. :-)

      And I agree, I don’t see why Bikaner would be associated with gardeners. Udaipur (which has plenty of lakes and some nice gardens too), yes; Bikaner, no.

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    • I had forgotten Suno suno Miss Chatterjee had a mention of Jhansi! (Incidentally, Jhansi happens to be the setting of Love Marriage too, though it’s not mentioned in any of the songs from the film).

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  14. One popular Marathi lavni song picturized on none other than Rekha!

    from the film Phataakdi, it goes – Lonavla, Khandala, Kolhapur Ka Panhala… listing various options for honeymoon

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  16. A fascinating topic, Madhuji! I’ve been thinking for a while that someone should write a blogpost about songs with city names. The “small town” twist is a new nuance, which makes it even more interesting.

    Since most movies are based either in one of the metros or in a village, it is rare to find songs showcasing smaller cities, and your list is quite comprehensive. I do have a few more that I think you will enjoy –

    “Ilahabad mein paida hui, Jabalpur mein pali” from Jan-e-man – https://youtu.be/q2f5PLZHrEM?si=0TcdbWRIN1D1IOha

    “Main Patne ki hun naar” from Pinjra – https://youtu.be/MJDCVqNLY0E?si=7wyZ_PQMDsQ0zN-u

    “Main to Patne Wali hun” from Begunah Qaidi – https://youtu.be/nALzCvdpVaI?si=GE9iZF-mHNDVJig8 (the pun on the city name makes Patna a popular choice it seems :))

    “Main Kolhapur se aayee hun” from Anjaam – https://youtu.be/3KkUdeZkZp8?si=yVAA1a3boJvCQ6Hx

    “Khai ke paan Banaras wala” from Don – https://youtu.be/VyqhPYe0vew?si=Kqivp8VtW2iQDS3T

    “Bambai se gayi Poona” from Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke – https://youtu.be/KIkK5DzS3EY?si=R8lYc47sqs1yRTqW

    Regards,

    Uday

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    • Uday, a big thank you especially for those Patna songs! I was feeling bad that most of the songs seem to be centred round North India, and nothing anywhere near the east. While we don’t seem to have a Darjeeling or Guwahati song, at least Patna is more towards the east than the rest. :-)

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    • This song kept popping into my mind when I was compiling this post, though given my self-imposed ban on anything past the 1960s, I couldn’t use it. I was waiting to see when someone would list this one. :-)

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  19. I believe, Chandigarh is not covered here. Posting two songs mentioning Chandigarh from recent times, just to add to the list.

    Dila doon ghar chandigarh mein – Good Newwz

    Main Chandigarh di Star – Buddha Hoga Tera Baap

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  21. What a wonderful post! one song that comes to my mind is from Poonga Pandit- Ganga Ghat Ka Pani Piya Houn that ends with Haridwar. Ofcourse the movie is from the 70s and not in the time line.

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  22. Wow, what a fun theme, and a great variety of songs! Not just in the main article, but the hidden treasures in the reader comments and threads!

    After so many suggestions, I am delighted to see that I can make one new contribution to the ever growing list. 😁

    Main Hoon Jodhpur Ki Jugni, from the movie Pap aur Punya.

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      • Hi, WordPress gave me much grief while posting this particular comment that I had to log in at least 5 times and try reposting it. Somehow managed to post it from my phone. I think.

        No I don’t think I used that “geetaramaseshan” alias.

        Oh, so after all my efforts, my comment still ended up as spam?

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        • WordPress can be really annoying. If you find this sort of thing happening and you feel your comment is going through to spam (you won’t see it appearing on the post), just drop me a line on the ‘Contact Me’ link to let me know so that I can check the spam folder.

          A coincidence, about geetaramaseshan – because that alias began their comment with almost the same words and suggested the same song as you did!

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  23. Main Hoon Jodhpur ki Jugni is a song I find most delightfully sung by Lata Mangeshkar and aptly rendered by Sharmila Tagore in Paap aur Punya.

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  24. What a delightful post!! Never thought so many small towns mentioned in hindi songs.

    I shall start with Holi Khele Raghuveera Awadh Mein from Baghban. I hate the movie with bottom of my heart. But Sukhvinder & Amitabh have captured spirit of holi so well.

    Aati kya Khandala is another popular song about Khandala, a small hill station near Mumbai.

    Lawangi Mirchi Mein Kolhapurchi from Ashanti.
    Average song really but it does mention Kolhapur.

    Does Banarasiya from ‘Raaajhana’ qualify? It talks about all things from Banaras including lovers.

    Agra in ‘Ghagra‘ song from Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani. And if you want a pinch of Baghdad is added as well.

    Kashmir Mein Tu Kanyakuwari from Chennai Express.
    A really bore song but it does mention Kanyakumari.

    Mein Nikla Gaddi Leke from Gadar. It mentions Lahore & Amritsar.

    Here is non-filmy song about Chamba by Mohit Chauhan.
    It reminds me about ‘Parbat ke Peeche Chambe da Gaav‘ from Mehbooba.

    Will Ambarsariyaa from Fukrey fit the fit? It talks about Amritsari boys. Or Galla Gudiyaan from Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara? It mentions Amritsari bangles.

    And Zumka Gira Re has our own Marathi counterpart, perhaps slightly more popular.
    Bugdi Mazi Sandli Ga Jaata Saataryala

    Not sure if these will fit the theme but there are two more songs which mentions holy places and towns.

    First one mentions 12 Jyotirlings and in every stanza there is town for that Jyotirling.

    A slightly famous one is Ashtavinayaka, eight holy places for Ganpati in Maharashtra.

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    • Thank you – lots of good songs there, and (for a change) among the new ones, some which I’m familiar with. Talking of Amritsari churiyan, there’s also the non-film Chaand Baaliyaan, which mentions two cities in a similar context: “Suit Patiala tera, jutti Amritsariya…”

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  26. This was such an interesting and informative post! Since no one else has mentioned it so far, I’d like to add a newer song that comes to mind – ‘Mera Gaon Jhumritalaiyya’ from the movie Jagga Jasoos (2017).

    I’m sure most people know that the village became popular on the radio in the 1950s because most film song requests came from there. Though it has now gained the status of a city, the lyrics still say ‘gaon’ so it might not exactly fit your theme, but I thought I’d add it anyway.

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    • Thank you for this! I remember hearing the name ‘Jhumri Talaiyya’ so often back in my childhood when we used to listen to radio. One of the oddest ways a town could become famous, I think.

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