‘Teri Mitti’ from the film Kesari will give you goosebumps if you are a music lover. And his rustic voice will make you fall in love with him. He is an actor, screenwriter and author too. He has also given songs to the cinemas such as Parineeta ( ‘Piyu Bole’), Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, Barfi and many more. If you listen to the song ‘ Bawra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna’ from the movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, you will think about the beauty of the lyrics that have been penned and sung by Swanand Kirkire himself. It is heart-wrenching when people like him, who have given so many years of their life to us, remain unrecognised. His body of work consists of almost 4,000 songs.

He has given his words to at least 500 Bollywood films, including Dil, Aashiqui, Fiza, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Saawariya, Dhoom 2 and many more. Ironically, he has literally been Anjaan (unknown) to many of us. Here are a few names of some great lyricists and their great works. Otherwise, some admirable names will fade away without getting the recognition that they deserve. We should ask music companies for a mention of lyricists too. However, this should not be encouraged anymore. Since the beginning, rarely have names of lyricists been mentioned along with other artists associated with a song. It is not impossible to know the names of the lyricists of your favourite songs, but it is not entirely our fault.

But do we bother to know the lyricists behind these incredible creations? Hardly. When we emotionally connect to a song, it becomes close to our heart. The lyrics of a song possess the ability to soothe the emotions of a listener. But if we listen to a song to not just avoid the chaos when we are in public transport or make our morning walks less tiresome and instead to listen to it, we realise how soulful the lyrics are (obviously, not the modern disco and rap). People barely notice the lyrics when they listen to a song for the first time.

What hits us the most when we listen to a song? Indeed, it’s the tune.

Rang de basanti tu bin bataye