Jhumka - Lost & found! Courtesy - Omprakash Ji

*"Bareilly"*, an otherwise inconsequential town in Uttar Pradesh, suddenly shot to fame after the Hindi film "Mera Sayaa" was released in 1966, specifically due to the song "झुमका गिरा रे बरेली के बाजार में" picturised on Sadhana and sung by Asha Bhosle on music composed by Madan Mohan.

Those who have seen the movie will recollect that the plot and the story of the movie have nothing to do with Bareilly! So why did the lyrics writer Raja Mehendi Ali Khan drop the jhumka in Bareilly? ? The story goes like this:

Amitabh Bachchan's parents met for the first time at a mutual relative's wedding in Bareilly. It was love at first sight for Teji Suri when she heard Harivansh Rai Bachchan recite his poetry!

They decided to get married but didn't do so for a long time. Friends were curious to know why, and Raja Mehendi Ali Khan was also a mutual friend. One day when he asked Teji the reason for the delay, she said "अरे, मेरा झुमका तो बरेली के बाजार में गिर गया..." ? just to divert his attention and change the topic. But Khan-saheb remembered this line and used it in the song, even after many years had passed in between.

Well, 54 years after the song (i.e. in 2020), a massive jhumka was installed at a tri-junction at zero point on NH-24 in Bareilly. The spot, now known as "Jhumka tiraha", is a big tourist attraction. 14 feet high, weighing 200 kgs and made of copper & brass, this jhumka costed बरेली विकास प्राधिकरण Rs. 18 lakhs. It was made by an artist from Gurugram. See the pic... ??????

Song Link