I am grateful to Dr. Mandar who introduced me to this beautiful song when it was rare and unavailable . ( Indeed, in an old article posted some one year or so back, Lata Khubchandani wrote , " ... the song ba.De bhole ho cannot be had for love or money" ) Fortunately that is no longer the case. 

I cannot claim to have heard a lot of Vasant Desai- Lata or even Vasant Desai for that matter. Mainly whatever is commercially available. But within this subset this is easily the best Vasant Desai-Lata offering. A wonderful tune set to appropriate lyrics , it pleases from the very first listening . I haven't heard the Marathi original from Amar Bhoopali ("tujhyaa priitiiche dukha malaa " ) but given that it is by the same singer, I wonder if it could be any better. 

The only complaint I have with this song is that it seems pitched too high for Lata . While she does not scream or anything, lowering the scale a bit would have made the a.ntaraas more comfortable to listen to. And made a good song that extra bit more enjoyable. 

Having said that, I must say Lata conveys well the sentiments in the first a.ntaraa (which is my  favourite)  A great song. 

 % ITRANS Song # 
 % 
 \startsong 
 \stitle{ba.De bhole ho}% 
 \film{ardhaa.nginii}% 
 \year{1959}% 
 \starring{meena kumari, raj kumar}% 
 \singer{lata mangeshkar}% 
 \music{vasa.nt desaii}% 
 \lyrics{}% 
 % 
 % Contributor: Arunabha Roy 
 % Transliterator: 
 % Date: June 25, 1999 
 % Credits: 
 % Editor: 
 % Comments: LATAnjali series 
 % 
 \printtitle 
 #indian 
 % 

 ba.De bhole ho, ha.Nsate ho sunake duhaaii
 kanhaaii, kanhaaii, kanhaaii 
 ba.De bhole ho \threedots

 bhaage hai jag merii chhaayaa se duur 
 tan man meraa sab kii Thokar se chuur 
 (hir-phirake phir tumhaare dwaar pe aa_ii, ho) \-2 
 ba.De bhole ho \threedots 

 jalate aa.Nsuu, jalate aa.Nsuu 
 jalate aa.Nsuu bhiige nayano.n kaa haal 
 dekhaa to hai sab kuchh tumane gopaal 
 (phir tumhaarii a.nkhiyaa.N hai kyo.N muskaayii, ho) \-2 
 ba.De bhole ho \threedots

 kit jaauu.N ho
 kit jaauu.N aye mukh to kholo zaraa 
 chor banake chup kyo.n ho bolo zaraa 
 (achhii ye ba.nsii kii ho.nTh lagaayii, ho) \-2 
 ba.De bhole ho ... 

 % 
 #endindian 
 \endsong