na to kaarvaaN kii talaash hai
About this song
- Singers
- Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Sudha Malhotra, S.D.Batish, Manna Dey
- Lyrics
- Sahir Ludhianvi
- Music
- Roshan
- On screen
- Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan, Shyama
na to kaarvaaN kii talaash hai (Hindi: न तो कारवाँ की तलाश है, Urdu: نہ تو کارواں کی تلاش ہے) "It is not the Search of a Caravan", (sometimes also known as "Yeh Hai Ishq Ishq" because of its popular chorus), is a song featured in the 1960 Bollywood movie "Barsaat ki Raat".
The movie is about an Urdu poet called Amaan (Bharat Bhushan) and his star-crossed love for Shabnam (Madhubala) a young woman whose family opposes the relationship.
The song is played at a scene where a troupe of qawwali singers, accompanied by Amaan himself, interprets one of his creations.
Shama (the actress Shyama), one of the members of the troupe, is deeply in love with him, but Amaan is unaware of her feelings.
Some actions by the characters match what is sung at the moment.
For example, while the song says:
jab-jab krSHNR kii baNsii baajii, niklii raadhaa saj ke
whenever Krishna's flute played Rafha came out in full regalia
... Shabnam, who was listening to the performance on the radio, comes into the venue to listen to the music in person.
Also, "Shama", the name of the female character, also means "candle" or flame". So, when the song, using a common metaphor about the "moth and the candle" says:
maiN shamaa se kahtaa huuN mahfil se nahiiN kahtaa, …
I am speaking to the flame/candle, not to the assembly (here) ...
Shama loses her composure and, dismayed and heartbroken, faints.
The playback singers were Mohammed Rafi, S.D.Batish, and Manna Dey for the male parts, and Asha Bhosle. and Sudha Malhotra for the female parts.
The music composer was Roshan, and the lyrics were written by Sahir Ludhianvi.