Poet, film lyricist Maya Govind passes away

Poet and songwriter

Maya Govind

, who sparked to prominence with the endearing romance riddle, ‘Nainon mein darpan hai’ (film: Aarop, 1974) and went on to become the most popular female lyricist of her time in Hindi films, passed away following a heart attack at her Mumbai residence on Thursday. She was 82 and ailing for some time. “She had a blood clot in her brain which created a lot of other health issues,” her son Ajay told PTI.

A few exceptions aside, songwriting in Hindi films was primarily a male occupation before the 1970s. But Maya Govind not only overcame the biases and wrenched out space for herself but also constructed a career that stretched to nearly four decades.

Her best work harmonized aesthetically appealing and evocative poetry with a film’s situational needs aptly reflected in songs such as ‘Kajre ki baati ansuan ke tel mein’ (film:

Sawan Ko Aane Do

, 1979), ‘Chaar din ki zindagi hai’ (film: Ek Baar Kaho, 1980), Ab chiraagon ka koi kaam nahi (film: Baawri, 1982), ‘Teri meri prem kahani’ (film: Pighalta Aasman, 1985) and ‘Chanda dekhe chanda’ (film: Jhoothi, 1986). These songs were not chartbusters, but they continue to delight discerning music lovers even today.

Born in Lucknow, Govind taught Hindi, music, and history in Bal Vidya Mandir. She also wrote poetry and was quite popular in kavi sammelans where she impressed actor Bharat Bhushan. In the mid-1960s, Bhushan’s brother, producer R Chandra, signed her for three films: ‘Megh Malhar’, ‘Baap Bete’, and ‘Mushaira’. “We even recorded two mujras for ‘Mushaira’ which were composed by Khayyam,” she told this reporter in a 2018 phone interview. Unfortunately with the demise of R Chandra, none of these films were made.

In 1972 she came to Bombay after receiving a phone call from Ramanand Sagar asking her to write songs for Jalte Badan (1973). The movie perished at the box office but ‘Wada bhool na jaana’, a Lata-Rafi duet composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, became an airwaves favourite. In a gathering organised by Sagar, Govind also met Guru Dutt’s brother, Atma Ram, who signed her for ‘Aarop’, which too didn’t succeed but resulted in perhaps the finest song of her career. In 1975, the funny ‘Karale saaf karale’ sung by Mehmood and Usha Mangeshkar (film: Qaid, composer: Nitin-Mangesh) finished 28th in Binaca Geetmala’s annual programme.

The 80s and 90s were a fecund period for her. Maya Govind worked with most top music directors, notably RD Burman (

Rang Birangi

), Khayyam (Baawri), Kalyanji Anandji (Pighalta Aasman, Kalyug aur Ramayan), Bappi Lahiri (Dalaal), Anu Malik (Yaarana, Main Khiladi Tu Anadi) and Jaidev (

Trikon Ka

Chautha Kon). Some popular tracks penned by her during this period were ‘Chadh gaya upar re’ (film: Dalal), ‘Mere piya ghar aaya o Ram ji’ (Yaarana) and the title track of ‘Main Khiladi

Tu Anari

’.

Maya Govind, who had married dialogue and screenplay writer Ram Govind, also wrote lyrics for television serials such as ‘Draupadi’ and ‘Kismat’. Her books include ‘Neeli Jheel Ki Darpan Mein’ and ‘Maya Raag’. Fans can watch her recite poems in old videos posted on YouTube.