Rest in peace Lyricist Yogesh

कहाँ तक ये मन को अंधेरे छलेंगे
उदासी भरे दिन कभीं तो ढलेंगे

कभी सुख कभी दुख, यही ज़िंदगी हैं
ये पतझड़ का मौसम घड़ी दो घड़ी हैं    
नये फूल कल फिर डगर में खिलेंगे
उदासी भरे दिन कभीं तो ढलेंगे

These lines are from the song कहाँ तक ये मन को ( Kahaan tak ye man ko), from the movie Baton Baton Mein and it has become the current anthem in these stressful COVID times. The lyricist was Yogesh who passed away on Friday 29 May 2020. Though his full name was Yogesh Gaur, he was popular as Yogesh. When he moved on, he was 77.

Yogesh ji's passing away moved Lata Didi so much that she gave as many as three tweets remembering him. Didi said, "Mujhe abhi pata chala ki dil ko chunewale geet likhnewale kavi Yogesh ji ka aaj swargwas hua. Ye sunke mujhe bahut dukh hua. Yogesh ji ke likhe kai geet maine gaaye. Yogesh ji bahut shaant aur madhur swabhav ke insan the. Main unko vinamra shraddhanjali arpan karti hun (I just got to know about the death of Yogesh Ji and I am deeply saddened. He wrote so many heart-warming songs. I have sung many songs written by him. He was a very calm and composed man. I pay my respects to him)." In another tweet, she posted a picture of Yogesh receiving Deenanath Mangeshkar award from Hon'ble Union Minister Nitin Gadkari ji in 2018 and in a third tweet, Didi said that "Na jaane kyun, hota hai zindagi ke saath" was a song of Yogesh ji, for which music was given by Salil Da and she really loved the song. 

Yogesh was born in Lucknow and shifted to Mumbai when he was just 16. He stayed in a Dharamshala for a week and then shifted to a slum and did menial jobs for a living. He used to write poetry as a hobby and a high point was that once Gulshan Bawra read his poetry and gave him Rs 25/- as a reward, which for Yogesh was very precious as it was worth two months of rent for him. After a few years of struggle he was given a break by Salil Choudhury and he seized the break and never looked back. 

What made Yogesh a very popular lyricist was that he wrote about people around him. In his own words, "Jo dekhta thha, jo jeeta thha, vohi likha hai". Hence the audience could very easily relate to his songs. Can anyone ever forget Amitabh and Moushmi walking in the rains of Mumbai to "Rim jhim gire saawan". Will not anyone imagine himself to be either Amitabh or Moushumi in a similar situation. That was the power of Yogesh writings. 

Let us recollect some great songs given to us by Yogesh Ji.

Kahin door jab din dhal jaye, Zindagi kaisi ye paheli haye, Badi sooni sooni hai, Kai baar yun hi dekha hai, Rajanigandha phool tumhare, Jaaneman jaaneman tere ye do nayan, Na bole tum na maine kuchh kaha, Rim jhim gire saawan, Na jaane kyun hota hai ye zindagi ke saath, Kahaan tak ke man ko.  There are many more, but these are my favorites. 

Yogesh was a simple man. He lived a simple life and gave us simple songs. He could not keep pace with the fast changing needs of the industry and hence , in the later years of his live lived simply in his flat in Goregaon, without any major work. However, he has given us many memorable songs for which we will always remember him fondly.

Ritesh Misra