Sunbyanyname

The twenty-fourth day of songs in this series.

In the last twenty-two days, we have taken up songs of thirteen male singers: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, SD Burman, KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’, Hariharan and Yesudas. We also took up songs of eleven female singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Uma Devi (Tun Tun), Suraiya and Zohrabai Ambalewali, Sudha Malhotra, Amirbai Karnataki and Kavita Krishnamurthy.

Tonight, we repeat one each male and female singer. Yes, this a duet between Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle. It is picturised on the lead actors of the 1958 Mahesh Kaul movie Aakhri Dao: Shekhar and Nutan. However, the song only brings out their emotions silently; they don’t lip-sync it.

Who would the song belong to more than anyone else? I would say the honours are to be divided between the lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri for coming up with remarkably beautiful words that go straight into your heart; composer Madan Mohan for coming up with a super slow composition in Raag Gara, Tal Dadra, as if he knew that people need to pause and take in the beautiful lyrics; singers Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle who made it look like as if the words don’t come out of the throat but from the heart and finally actress Nutan who came up with better histrionics here than she did in most other similar songs including Anaadi’s Tera jaana. That leaves only Shekhar. But, those who have seen the movie and the song would know that he was actually the weak point.

Lets start with the movie itself. Regrettably, some of the movies having exceptionally beautiful songs were not just weak movies but had weak plots too. Aakhri Dao was one of them. The story was about a misunderstanding between the hero (Shekhar as a car mechanic) and the heroine (Nutan; all we know is she goes to a dance class) which makes them each think that the other is rich. They start loving each other but of course there are circumstances and a villain. Nutan’s dad owes some Rs. 5000 to the villain, which Shekhar tries to repay by asking for a loan first, then by gambling and losing it all and then goes on to steal from none other than Nutan’s dad. Of course npone of this works and he finally agrees to marry TunTun for the meagre amount. The song is sung at the betrothal of Shekhar.

There was another great song in the movie: Tujhe kyaa sunaaun main dilruba tere saamne mere haal hai, which Shekhar actually lip syncs to Nutan. Naturally, she looks as stunned as some of Anil Dhawan’s actresses did. Hindi movies actually excelled in some of the worst guys (in acting) singing some of the best songs (you should listen to the songs lip synced by Manoj Kumar to see this phenomenon). The saving grace is that Nutan is there to render respectability to the song in the same manner Sadhana was there for Manoj Kumar in Lag jaa gale se phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho.

I am merely a beginner in the world of Indian classical music and my interest is limited to its effect on Hindi songs. The raaga that I know least about is Raag Gara though it fascinates me no end. It is another thing that the second of my Raaga based songs of the day was composed in Raag Gara, Tal Kaherava: Unake khayaal aaye to aate chale gaye (Please see: ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #2’). Raag Gara, of course, boasts of some of the best songs in Hindi movies:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

Mohe Panghat Pe Bol Mere Nandlala Deewana Kehke Aaj Is Paar SaajanTu Kahan Kho Gaya Unke Khayal Aaye Kasme Hum Unki Do Roz Mein Jab Jab Tumhein Jo Guzar Rahi Hai Chehere Se Apne Guzre Hain Aaj Aapki Nazaron Ne Aapki Baatein Karein Mein To Tere Haseen Apni Khushi Se Aaya Koi Khayal Mera Mann Tera Pyasa Aise To Na Dekho Aajkal Humse Roothe Chhodo Baeeyan Hamari Aankhon Mein Teri Yaad Main Nigahein tere Kabhi Khud Pe Phir Woh Bhuli Si

Mughal-E-Azam Bahana Mulzim Chori ChoriSingapore Lal Pathar Mere Gareeb Nawaaz Pyar Ki Raahein Jahanara Mere Huzoor Paalki Dil Diya Dard Liya Anpadh Dil Ki Raahein Sangraam Kunwara Badan Tarana Gambler Teen Deviyan Aamne Samne Tarana Hamari Yaad Aayegi Aapki Parchhaeeyan Hum Dono Begana

Lata Lata Rafi LataLata Rafi Anwar Mukesh Lata, Asha Rafi Rafi Rafi Lata Lata Rafi Lata Vani Jayram Rafi Rafi Rafi Aarti Mukesh Rafi Rafi Rafi

Raag Gara belongs to Kafi Thaat. It is traditionally sung in second half of morning although Bhatkhande didn’t specify any time of the day for this Raaga. Gara is one of the family of Raagas derived from folk melodies and entered classical music in concert with Thumri. The closest resemblance of the raag is to Jaijaivanti, a raag devised by Shri Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of the Sikhs.

The Jati of Raag Gara is Shadhav – Sampurna; in Avroha Rishab is Varjya.

Amongst the songs that I gave you above, the songs that come close to this composition by Madan Mohan are: Ravi’s Deewana keh ke aaj mujhe phir pukaariye and Jaidev’s Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya; both being in the same Tal Dadra.

Madan Mohan brought out the best in Lata’s singing. However, surprisingly, in this song, he has Asha Bhosle accompanying Mohammad Rafi in the duet.

Madan Mohan was born on 25 Jun 1924 at Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, where his father Rai Bahadur Chunilal was working as an Accountant General with the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. Madan Mohan spent the early years of his life in the Middle East. After 1932, his family returned to their home town of Chakwal, then in Jhelum district of Punjab, British India. He joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the year 1943. He served there for two years until end of World War II, when he left the Army and returned to Bombay to pursue his musical interests. In 1946, he joined the All India Radio, Lucknow as Programme Assistant, where he came in contact with various artists such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood.

He was very fond of singing, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals penned by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. Soon after, in 1948 he recorded two more private ghazals penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon. In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composer Ghulam Haider (composer) for the film Shaheed (1948 film), though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1948 and 1949, he assisted music composers SD Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress and Nirdosh.

As Music Director, he scored his first big break with the film Aankhen (1950 film) in 1950. He was soon to emerge as a music director par excellence especially for ghazals. Indeed, music director OP Nayyar once said about Madan Mohan that two of his ghazals were better than all that OP Nayyar composed. Some of the best songs of Lata Mangeshkar (she fondly called him “Madan Bhaiyya”) were composed by him on the lyrics of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan.

Some of my favourite songs of Madan Mohan are: Aaj soch to aansu bhar aaye, Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai, Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakham 1973), Aapke pehlu mein aa ke ro diye, Naino mein badra chhaye, Jhumka gira re, Tu jahan jahan chalega (Mera Saya 1966), Aapki nazaron ne samajha, Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabru, Vo dekho jala ghar kisi ka (Anpadh 1962), Aapko pyaar chhupane ki buri aadat hai, Tere paas aake mera waqt nikal jaata hai (Neela Akash 1965), Agar mujhase mohabbat hai, Main nigaahen tere chehre se hatayun kaise (Aap Ki Parchhayiyan), Ai mere dil mujhe bata de (Bhai Bhai 1946), Ari vo shokh kaliyon muskara dena vo jab aayen (Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai 1967), Baad muddat ke yeh ghadi aayi, Haal-e-dil youn unhe sunaya gaya, Jab jab tumhe bhulaya tum aur yaad aaye, Kisi ki yaad mein duniya ko jhain bhulaye huye, Main teri nazar ka saroor hoon, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaayi hai, Teri aankh ke aansu pi jaayun, Wo chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalate hain (Jahan Ara 1964), Hamare baad mehfil mein (Baghi 1953), Bainya na dharo O balma, Ham hain mataa-e-kuchcha-e-bazaar ki tarah, Mai ri main kaase kahun, Tumse kahun ik baat (Dastak, 1970), Bairan neend na aaye mohe (Chacha Zindabad 1959), Basti basti parbat parbat gaata jaaye banjara, Chand madham hai aasman chup hai, Dekh tere Bhagwan ki haalat (Railway Platform 1955), Bhooli hui yaado mujhe itna na satayo, Vo bhooli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayi (Sanjog 1961), Chanda ja re ja re, Main to tum sang nain mila ke (Manmauji 1962), Chhadi re chhadi kaise gale mein padhi, Dil dhoondata hai fursat ke, Ruke ruke se kadam (Mausam 1975), Chhod kar tere pyar ka daaman, Jao hamane dastaan apni sunaayi, Lag jaa gale ke phir, Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim, Shokh nazar ki bijliyan  (Woh Kaun Thi 1964), Do dil toote do dil haare, Doli chadate hi Heer ne bain kiye, Milo na tum to ham ghabraayen, Ye duniya ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin (Heer Ranjha 1970), Ham chal rahe the wo chal rahe the (Duniya Na Maane 1959), Ham pyar mein jalane waalo ko chain kahan (Jailor 1958), Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale, Tujhe kya sunayun main dilruba (Aakhri Dao 1958), Hamse aaya na gaya, Kaun aay mere man ke dwaare, Meri veena tum bin roye, Tu pyar kare ya thukraye (Dekh Kabira Roya 1957), Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain, Hai tere saath meri wafa main nahin to kya (Hindustan Ki Kasam 1973), Hoke majbuur mujhe usne bhualaya hoga, Kar chale ham fida, Khelo na mere dil se, Main ye soch kar uske dar se, Zara si aahat hoti hai (Haqeeqat 1964), Husn haazir hai mohabbat ki saza paane ko, Is reshmi paazeb ki jhankar ke sadake, Tere dar pe aaya hoon (Laila Majnu 1976), Ik haseen raat ko dil mera kho gaya, Kabhi ai haqeeqat-e-muntazar, Sapano mein agar mere (Dulhan Ek Raat Ki 1966), Ishq ki garmi-e-jazbaat kise pesh karun. Mere mehboob kahin aur mila kar mujhase, Naghma o sher ki saugat, Rang aur noor ki baraat (Ghazal 1964), Jaa jaa re jaa saajna, Jaana tha hamse door, Unako ye shikayat hai, Youn hasaraton ke daag (Adalat 1958), Kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi to aayega, Mujhe le chalo aaj us jagah, Sawan ke mahine mein (Sharaabi 1964), Koi shikwa bhi nahin koi shikayat bhi nahin (Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhaare 1966), Main paagal mera manwa paagal (Aashiyana 1952), Meri yaad mein tum na aasnu bahana (Madhosh 1951), Na tum bewafa ho na ham bewafa hain (Ek Kali Muskaaye 1958), Sapne mein sajan se do baaten, Do ghadi wo jo paas aa baithe (Gateway Of India 1957), Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag 1969), Tumhari zulf ke saaye mein shaam kar loonga (Naunihaal 1967), Tu mere saamne hai teri zulfen hain khuli (Suhagan, 1964), and Vo jo milate the kabhi hamsase deewano ki tarah (Akeli Mat Jaiyo 1963).

Presently, on my Facebook page Lyrical, I am engaged in covering Lyricist #5: Majrooh Sultanpuri under my Remembering Great Lyricists series. I have kept my favourite Shakeel Badayuni out of this series since I already have a number of articles and tributes on him.

Majrooh is the fifth of our lyricists who was a contemporary of Shakeel Badayuni. Out of all these six (*including Shakeel), three have been from Uttar Pradesh, which says something about that region producing some great poets and lyricists.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was born on 01 Oct 1919 as Asrar ul Hassan Khan in a Tarin Pashtun family, in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. His father was an officer in the police department, but, preferred to send his son for traditional madrasa (Urdu school) rather than provide him with English schooling.

He tried his hand at being a quack until he was noticed in a mushaira in Sultanpur.

He was a disciple of the great Urdu poet Jigar Moradabadi. When he visited Bombay in 1945 to participate in a mushaira, the director Abdul Rashid Kardar noticed him and invited him to write for the movies. Majrooh turned it down as he looked down upon movies! He was persuaded through his mentor Jigar Moradabadi and then there was no turning back.

Many traditionalists of the Urdu literature, however, felt that Majrooh sold his soul to the Hindi films and that he could have emerged a great poet in the likeness of Ghalib and Jigar.

The takhalus Majrooh means “injured” or “wounded”.

Majrooh was awarded, in 1993, the highest award – Dadasaheb Phalke award – for his lifetime contribution towards lyrics and poetry. He was the first lyricist ever to be given that award. For the film Dosti, that made Laxmikant Pyarelal famous, he was awarded the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for the song: Chahunga main tujhe saanjh savere.

For someone who didn’t want to join Hindi movies, Majrooh emerged as a natural lyricist, very popular, very romantic and enchanting.

Most of Majrooh’s songs are of Dil vil pyaar vyaar main kyaa jaanu, Baahon mein chale aao, Bangle ke peechhe, Ye raaten ye amusam nadi ka kinaara, and Dekho mausam kyaa bahaar hai. However, some of his lyrics are still comparable to Shakeel’s such as Hui shaam unaka khayaal aa gaya, Woh jo milate the kabhi, Rahe na rahe ham, Chhupa lo youn dil mein pyaar mera, Tu kahe agar jeevan bhar main geet sunaata jaayun, Mujhe dard-e-dil ka pata na tha, Hamaare baad ab mehfil mein afsaane bayaan honge, and the great song on eyes: Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kyaa hai.

Please enjoy Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle sing a composition of Madan Mohan in Raag Gara Tal Dadra on the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri a song from the 1958 Mahesh Kaul movie Aakhri Dao: Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale….

र : हमसफ़र साथ अपना छोड़ चले
रिश्ते नाते वो सारे तोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …
आ : हमसफ़र साथ अपना छोड़ चले
रिश्ते नाते वो सारे तोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

र : रासता साफ़ था तो चलते रहे
साथ हँसते रहे मचलते रहे
मोड़ आय तो मूँह को मोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

आ : सपने टूटे पड़े हैं राहों में
दर्द की धूल है निगाहों में
दिल पे क़दमों के नक़्श छोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

र : जब उन्हें हमसे प्यार ही न रहा
रोयें क्या, इन्तज़ार भी न रहा
हम भी दामन को अब निचोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

What is about the song that grips you so strongly? As  I explained it is the overall effect of some very beautiful lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, super slow and emphatic composition by Madan Mohan, excellent rendition by Moahammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle and outstanding histrionics by Nutan. I would like to venture that the starting point of gripping of emotions in this song is lyrics: two stanzas by Mohammad Rafi and one by Asha Bhosle. As I explained elsewhere, Hindi movies never had a female lyricist. Hence, it was left to the male lyricists to imagine the emotions of females too. Look at how well Majrooh did for Nutan here:

आ : सपने टूटे पड़े हैं राहों में
दर्द की धूल है निगाहों में
दिल पे क़दमों के नक़्श छोड़ चले
हमसफ़र साथ …

I hope you enjoyed it too.

Please await the next song in the series.

Raaga Based Song of the Day: Rasme ulfat ko nibhaayen to nibhaayen kaise….
Raag Madhuvanti, Tal Kaherava

I gave you a song in this Raag in very early stages of this series. In ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #5’, I gave you a song in the same raaga and tal: Ajahun na aaye baalma. That, of course had the genius of Shankar Jaikishan though in that they mixed elements of their favourite Raag Bhairavi.

We have completed eighty-eight days of Raaga Based Songs of the Day. Our first post in the series was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #1’ and the song was a Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar song from the 1970 Shakti Samanta movie Pagla Kahin Ka: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge.  It is in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Kaherava.

Our eighty-eighth post or the last post was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #88’ and the song was a Kishore Kumar song from the 1972 Shakti Samanta movie Amar Prem starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore: Kuchh to log kahenge. It is in Raag Khammaj, Tal Kaherava.

This blog has a number of posts on Raaga based songs in Hindi movies titled similarly; for example: ‘The Best Raaga Based Songs in Hindi Movies – Raaga Yaman – Part II’.

In the last eighty-eight days of sharing Raaga based songs of the day, I have given you songs based on Raag Jhinjhoti, Gara, Bhimpalasi, Madhuvanti, Shivaranjani, Bihag, Pahadi, Sarang, Pilu, Bhairavi, Khammaj, Charukesi, Kalyan or Yaman, Desh, Malgunji, Kirwani, Kedar, Bageshri, Megh Malhar, Bhupali, Ahir Bhairav, Malkaush, Mand, Adana, Kafi, Rageshri, Jaunpuri, Tilang, Janasammohini, Chayanat, Shuddha Kalyan, Gaur Sarang, Jogiya, Asavari, Maru Bihag, Durga, Lalit, Puria Dhanashri, Bhinna Sahdja, Sohani, Multani, Patdeep, Jaijaiwanti, Tilak Kamod, Hemant, Basant Mukhari, Gujri Todi, Kalavati, Hamir, Bhatiyar, Gawati, Shyam Kalyan, Gorakh Kalyan, Madhamat Sarang, Manj Khammaj, Darbari Kanada, Vibhas, Shankara, Bahar, Nand and Mian Ki Malhar; making it a total of 61 raagas. The raagas that have been repeated so far are Pahadi, the raaga of my home place in the Himalayas, Maru Bihag, Raag Kirwani, Jhinjhoti, Bhairavi, Gara, Basant Mukhari, Malkauns, Bhairavi, Mand and Sohani. Today, I am repeating Raag Madhuvanti.

Madhuvanti belongs to the Todi Thaat. As you must have guessed it Madhu means honey and the raag is as sweet as honey in sringar ras depicting love and romance. It is an Audhav – Sampurna raag. Rishabh and Dhaivat Varjya in Aaroha, Gandhar Komal, Madhyam Teevra. Rest all are Shuddha Swaras. This raag is to be sung at the fourth prahar of the day, that is late afternoon/evening. It is a fairly modern raag. Its earlier names are Ambika and Madhumalati. It is popular amongst musicians, especially instrumentalists. The nearest Raag is Raag Multani. Using Rishabh and Dhaivat Shuddha in Raag Multani, Raag Madhuvanti appears.

The song I have taken for you today is from the 1973 BR Ishara movie Dil Ki Rahen starring Rakesh Pandey and Rehana Sultan and Sulochana Latkar. It was penned by Naqsh Lyallpuri, composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Naqsh Lyallpuri was born on 24 Feb 1928 as Jaswant Rai Sharma in Lyallpuri in what became later as Pakistan. Presently, it is known as Faislalbad. Jaswant was interested in literature but his father wanted him to become a mechanical engineer like him. His mother died when he was only eight. His father remarried and their relationship deteriorated even further. In 1946, he moved to Lahore and started working for Hero Publications. After the partition, his family moved to Lucknow and he assumed the pen-name “Naqsh” – meaning an impression, a mark or a print. It was common for Urdu poets to assume their birth places in their names and Naqsh did the same. In 1951 he moved to Bombay and first worked for the Times of India as a proof-reader. Lyallpuri debuted as a film lyricist with the 1953 film Jaggu, writing the lyrics of “Agar Teri Aankhon Se Aankhein Mila Doon”, rendered by Asha Bhosle and composed by Hansraj Bahl.

He was one of those lyricists who wrote real good Urdu poetry and he looked down upon profanity and belittling the language. Some of my favourite songs of Naqsh Lyallpuri are: Ahal-e-dil youn bhi nibha dete hain, Pyar ka dard hai meetha meetha (Dard 1981), Apni zulfen mere shaano pe bikhar jaane do (Taj Mahal 2005), Jaate ho pardes piya jaate hi khat likhna (Jeena Teri Gali Mein 1990), Maana teri nazar mein tera pyaar ham nahin (Ahista Ahista 1981), Main to har mod par tumako doonga sada (Chetna 1970), Raaz-e-dil hamase kaho ham to koi gair nahin, Tumhen dekhati hoon to lagata hai aise (Tumhaare Liye 1978), and Ye mulaaqaat ik bahaana hai (Khandaan 1979).

Madan Mohan was born on 25 Jun 1924 at Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, where his father Rai Bahadur Chunilal was working as an Accountant General with the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. Madan Mohan spent the early years of his life in the Middle East. After 1932, his family returned to their home town of Chakwal, then in Jhelum district of Punjab, British India. He joined the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the year 1943. He served there for two years until end of World War II, when he left the Army and returned to Bombay to pursue his musical interests. In 1946, he joined the All India Radio, Lucknow as Programme Assistant, where he came in contact with various artists such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood.

He was very fond of singing, and so in 1947 he got his first chance to record two ghazals penned by Behzad Lucknawi, Aane Laga Hai Koi Nazar Jalwa Gar Mujhe and Is Raaz Ko Duniya Jaanti Hai. Soon after, in 1948 he recorded two more private ghazals penned by Deewan Sharar, Wo Aaye To Mahfil Mein Ithlaate Huye Aaye and Duniya Mujhe Kahti Hai Ke Main Tujhko Bhoolaa Doon. In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composer Ghulam Haider (composer) for the film Shaheed (1948 film), though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1948 and 1949, he assisted music composers SD Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress and Nirdosh.

As Music Director, he scored his first big break with the film Aankhen (1950 film) in 1950. He was soon to emerge as a music director par excellence especially for ghazals. Indeed, music director OP Nayyar once said about Madan Mohan that two of his ghazals were better than all that OP Nayyar composed. Some of the best songs of Lata Mangeshkar (she fondly called him “Madan Bhaiyya”) were composed by him on the lyrics of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Rajinder Krishan.

Some of my favourite songs of Madan Mohan are: Aaj soch to aansu bhar aaye, Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai, Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakham 1973), Aapke pehlu mein aa ke ro diye, Naino mein badra chhaye, Jhumka gira re, Tu jahan jahan chalega (Mera Saya 1966), Aapki nazaron ne samajha, Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabru, Vo dekho jala ghar kisi ka (Anpadh 1962), Aapko pyaar chhupane ki buri aadat hai, Tere paas aake mera waqt nikal jaata hai (Neela Akash 1965), Agar mujhase mohabbat hai, Main nigaahen tere chehre se hatayun kaise (Aap Ki Parchhayiyan), Ai mere dil mujhe bata de (Bhai Bhai 1946), Ari vo shokh kaliyon muskara dena vo jab aayen (Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai 1967), Baad muddat ke yeh ghadi aayi, Haal-e-dil youn unhe sunaya gaya, Jab jab tumhe bhulaya tum aur yaad aaye, Kisi ki yaad mein duniya ko jhain bhulaye huye, Main teri nazar ka saroor hoon, Phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaayi hai, Teri aankh ke aansu pi jaayun, Wo chup rahen to mere dil ke daag jalate hain (Jahan Ara 1964), Hamare baad mehfil mein (Baghi 1953), Bainya na dharo O balma, Ham hain mataa-e-kuchcha-e-bazaar ki tarah, Mai ri main kaase kahun, Tumse kahun ik baat (Dastak, 1970), Bairan neend na aaye mohe (Chacha Zindabad 1959), Basti basti parbat parbat gaata jaaye banjara, Chand madham hai aasman chup hai, Dekh tere Bhagwan ki haalat (Railway Platform 1955), Bhooli hui yaado mujhe itna na satayo, Vo bhooli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayi (Sanjog 1961), Chanda ja re ja re, Main to tum sang nain mila ke (Manmauji 1962), Chhadi re chhadi kaise gale mein padhi, Dil dhoondata hai fursat ke, Ruke ruke se kadam (Mausam 1975), Chhod kar tere pyar ka daaman, Jao hamane dastaan apni sunaayi, Lag jaa gale ke phir, Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim, Shokh nazar ki bijliyan  (Woh Kaun Thi 1964), Do dil toote do dil haare, Doli chadate hi Heer ne bain kiye, Milo na tum to ham ghabraayen, Ye duniya ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin (Heer Ranjha 1970), Ham chal rahe the wo chal rahe the (Duniya Na Maane 1959), Ham pyar mein jalane waalo ko chain kahan (Jailor 1958), Hamsafar saath apna chhod chale, Tujhe kya sunayun main dilruba (Aakhri Dao 1958), Hamse aaya na gaya, Kaun aay mere man ke dwaare, Meri veena tum bin roye, Tu pyar kare ya thukraye (Dekh Kabira Roya 1957), Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain, Hai tere saath meri wafa main nahin to kya (Hindustan Ki Kasam 1973), Hoke majbuur mujhe usne bhualaya hoga, Kar chale ham fida, Khelo na mere dil se, Main ye soch kar uske dar se, Zara si aahat hoti hai (Haqeeqat 1964), Husn haazir hai mohabbat ki saza paane ko, Is reshmi paazeb ki jhankar ke sadake, Tere dar pe aaya hoon (Laila Majnu 1976), Ik haseen raat ko dil mera kho gaya, Kabhi ai haqeeqat-e-muntazar, Sapano mein agar mere (Dulhan Ek Raat Ki 1966), Ishq ki garmi-e-jazbaat kise pesh karun. Mere mehboob kahin aur mila kar mujhase, Naghma o sher ki saugat, Rang aur noor ki baraat (Ghazal 1964), Jaa jaa re jaa saajna, Jaana tha hamse door, Unako ye shikayat hai, Youn hasaraton ke daag (Adalat 1958), Kabhi na kabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi to aayega, Mujhe le chalo aaj us jagah, Sawan ke mahine mein (Sharaabi 1964), Koi shikwa bhi nahin koi shikayat bhi nahin (Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhaare 1966), Main paagal mera manwa paagal (Aashiyana 1952), Meri yaad mein tum na aasnu bahana (Madhosh 1951), Na tum bewafa ho na ham bewafa hain (Ek Kali Muskaaye 1958), Sapne mein sajan se do baaten, Do ghadi wo jo paas aa baithe (Gateway Of India 1957), Teri aankhon ke siwa duniya mein rakha kya hai (Chirag 1969), Tumhari zulf ke saaye mein shaam kar loonga (Naunihaal 1967), Tu mere saamne hai teri zulfen hain khuli (Suhagan, 1964), and Vo jo milate the kabhi hamsase deewano ki tarah (Akeli Mat Jaiyo 1963).

Before we actually take up the song, first, lets take up the value added learning of today. From the last eight times we started learning about some of the leading personalities in Indian Classical Music or Shastriya Sangeet. The first one that we took up was Ustaad Asad Ali Khan, the finest Rudra Veena player in the country. Then we took up Pandit Hari Parsad Chaurasia, the greatest Bansuri player in the country. Then we talked about Ali Akbar Khan, the greatest Sarod player in the country. Then we took up Pandit Ravi Shankar, the greatest Sitar player in the world. Then we took up the greatest classical singer in the country (of Carnatic tradition): MS Subbulakshmi. Then, we took up the greatest classical singer in the country (of Hindustani tradition): Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Then, we learnt about the Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan. And finally, we learnt about Annapurna Devi, a great Surbahar (bass sitar) player of Hindustani Classical Music. Tonight, we shall take up Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, the grestest Santoor player in the country

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma was born to Uma Dutt Sharma on 13 Jan 1938 in Jammu. His father started teaching him vocals and tabla when he was only five. Uma Dutt Sharma did extensive research on Santoor and started teaching his son Santoor by the age of 13. He gave his first public performance in Bombay in 1955, at the age of 17. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is credited with having made Santoor as a popular Indian classical instrument world-wide. He composed the background music for V Shantaram’s Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje in 1956. He gave his first solo performance in 1960.

He has composed music for many Hindi films in collaboration with Hariprasad Chaurasia starting with Silsila (1980). They came to be known as the Shiv-Hari music duo. Some of the movies they composed music for were big musical hits, such as Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), and Darr (1993).

Fascinatingly, he has played tabla in the song Mose Chhal Kiye Jaye Haay Re Haay Dekho Saiyan Beimaan. While he started his career playing the tabla, Shiva Kumar Sharma had given up the instrument to focus on the santoor. It was RD Burman who convinced him to play the tabla for this song. He did not play the tabla again for any other Hindi film song. He has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986, the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.

Lastly, a word about the movie from where this song has been taken by me. The 1973 movie Dil Ki Rahen was produced by Syed Kausar Hussain and directed by BR Ishara and starred Rakesh Pandey and Rehana Sultan and Sulaochana. The film’s print allegedly got damaged as time passed by. Hence, the movie cannot be produced in any viewing format.

Please enjoy in Raag Madhuvanti, Taal Kaherava, Lata Mangeshkar sing a composition of Madan Mohan on the lyrics of Naqsh Lyallpuri in the 1973 BR Ishara movie: Rasme ulfat ko nibhaayen to nibhaayen kaise…..

रस्म-ए-उल्फ़त को निभाएं तो निभाएं कैसे
हर तरफ़ आग है दामन को बचाएं कैसे
रस्म-ए-उल्फ़त को निभाएं…

दिल की राहों में उठते हैं जो दुनिया वाले -२
कोई कह दे के वोह दीवार गिराएं कैसे -२
रस्म-ए-उल्फ़त को निभाएं…

दर्द में डूबे हुए नग़मे हज़ारों हैं मगर -२
साज़-ए-दिल टूट गया हो तो सुनाए कैसे -२
रस्म-ए-उल्फ़त को निभाएं…

बोझ होता जो ग़मों का तो उठा भी लेते -२
ज़िंदगी बोझ बनी हो तो उठाएं कैसे -२
रस्म-ए-उल्फ़त को निभाएं…

We have intended to learn about Raaga based music whilst we entertain ourselves with Raaga based songs. So, lets, once again, take stock of our collective learning so far:

1. On the first day we learnt about the Raaga system devised by Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, which is the prevalent system in Hindustani Classical Music and based on ten Thaats.
2. On the second day we learnt about Tal or Taal.
3. On the third day we learnt about characteristics of Raagas that included Swar, Jati, Thaat, Arohana and Avarohana, Vadi, Samvadi and Pakad.
4. On the fourth day, we learnt about Sargam.
5. On the fifth day, we learnt about notations used in Indian classical music or simply Swar Lipi.
6. On the sixth day, we learnt about the Ras (sentiments) that Raagas evoke.
7. On the seventh day, we learnt about various types of Swar: Shuddha, Achal, Vikrut, Komal and Teevra.
8. On the eighth day, we learnt the parts of a composition in Indian Classical Music.
9. On the ninth day, we learnt the names of some of the popular instruments used in Indian Classical Music.
10. On the tenth day, we learnt about the sources of names of Raagas.
11. On the eleventh day, we learnt about why Bhairavi is the first raag to be taught to beginners and also why it is the last in a performance.
12. On the twelfth day, we learnt about Khammaj Thaat.
13. On the thirteenth day, we learnt about Tal Punjabi Theka or Sitarkhani.
14. On the fourteenth day, we learnt about Alap.
15. On the fifteenth day, we learnt about List of Raagas (Raagmala) in my favourite book: Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
16. On the sixteenth day, we learnt about tips for raaga identification.
17. On the seventeenth day, we learnt the basics of Gharana system.
18. On the eighteenth day, we learnt about Filmi Sangeet.
19. On the nineteenth day, we learnt about the commonest Tal in Raagas: Tintal.
20. On the twentieth day, we learnt about the Kafi Thaat.
21. On the twenty-first day, we learnt a little more in detail about the classification of Raagas.
22. On the twenty-second day, we learnt the essential differences between Bhairavi and Bhairav.
23. On the twenty-third day, we learnt a little more in detail about the Jati or Jaati of a raaga.
24. On the twenty-fourth day, we learnt details of Thaat Bilawal, the most basic thaat in the Bhatkhande’s system of raagas.
25. On the twenty-fifth day, we learnt about Tintal.
26. On the twenty-sixth day, we learnt in detail about the Raaga – Samay linkage.
27. On the twenty-seventh day, we learnt about Lehar.
28. On the twenty-eighth day, we learnt about the history of the Hindustani Music.
29. On the twenty-ninth day, we learnt about Dhrupad.
30. On the thirtieth day, we learnt about Rupaktal that I was introduced to, a few months back, by my friend Anand Desai.
31. On the thirty-first day, we learnt about Khayal.
32. On the thirty-second day, we learnt about Thumri.
33. On the thirty-third day, we learnt about Tappa.
34. On the thirty-fourth day, we learnt about Tarana.
35. On the thirty-fifth day, we learnt about Tal Dipchandi (Moghali).
36. On the thirty-sixth day, we learnt about Tabla.
37. On the thirty-seventh day, we learnt about Kirtan.
38. On the thirty-eighth day, we learnt about Pakhawaj.
39. On the thirty-ninth day, we learnt about Hori.
40. On the fortieth day, we learnt about Dadra.
41. On the forty-first day, we learnt about Kajri.
42. On the forty-second day, we learnt about Chaiti.
43. On the forty-third day, we learnt about Sarangi.
44. On the forty-fourth day, we learnt about Shehnai.
45. On the forty-fifth day, we learnt about Sarod.
46. On the forty-sixth day, we learnt about Bansuri.
47. On the forty-seventh day, we learnt about Ektal and Tanpura.
48. On the forty-eighth day, we learnt about Veena.
49. On the forty-ninth day, we repeated our learning of Veena with a small excitement added.
50. On the fiftieth day, we learnt about Dilruba/Esraj.
51. On the fifty-first day, we learnt about Jaltarang.
52. On the fifty-second day we learnt about Qawwali.
53. On the fifty-third day, we learnt about Sitar.
54. On the fifty-fourth day, we learnt about Surbahar.
55. On the fifty-fifth day, we learnt about Harmonium.
56. On the fifty-sixth day, we learnt about Santoor.
57. On the fifty-seventh day, we learnt about Swarmandal.
58. On the fifty-eighth day, we learnt about the Shruti Box.
59. On the fifty-ninth day, we learnt about Alankar.
60. On the sixtieth day, we learnt about singing in Aakaar.
61. On the sixty-first day, we learnt about the Classification of Indian Musical Instruments.
    
62. On the sixty-second day, we learnt a little about Carnatic Music.
63. On the sixty-third day, we learnt about Natya Shastra.
64. On the sixty-fourth day, we learnt about evolution of musical instruments in India down the ages.
65. On the sixty-fifth day, we learnt about Riyaaz.
66. On the sixty-sixth day, we looked at a list of Raagas in Hindustani Classical Music.
67. On the sixty-seventh day, we learnt about the health benefits of raagas.
68. On the sixty-eighth day, we learnt a little more comprehensively about the moods and emotions that raagas evoke.
69. On the sixty-ninth day, we learnt about a mobile application to help identify raagas.
70. On the seventieth day, we learnt about Melakarta Raagas.
71. On the seventy-first day, we learnt about Sangita Makarand.
72. On the seventy-second day, we learnt about TaalMala an Android application for personalized accompaniment of musical instruments during Riyaaz or even during Concert.
73. On the seventy-third day, we learnt about Indian Classical Ragas, an Android application for mobile phones.
74. On the seventy-fourth day, we learnt about Saregama Classical, another application for Classical Raagas.
75. On the seventy-fifth day, we learnt about a free online service available to learn Indian Classical Music.
76. On the seventy-sixth day, we learnt about List of Hindustani Classical Musical Festivals in India and Abroad.
77. On the seventy-seventh day, we learnt about List of Carnatic Musical Festivals in India and Abroad.
78. On the seventy-eighth day, we learnt about Jhaptal.
    
79. On the seventy-ninth day, we learnt about Ektal.
    
80. On the eightieth day, we learnt about Tivra Tal.
81. On the eighty-first day, we learnt about the greatest Rudra Veena player ever: Ustaad Asad Ali Khan.
82. On the eighty-second day, we learnt about the greatest Bansuri player alive: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
83. On the eighty-third day, we learnt about the best Sarod player in the country: Ustaad Ali Akbar Khan.
84. On the eighty-fourth day, we learnt about the greatest Sitar player in the world: Pandit Ravi Shankar.
85. On the eighty-fifth day, we learnt about the greatest Indian vocalist of Carnatic tradition: MS Subbulakshmi.
86. On the eighty-sixth day, we not just learnt about the greatest vocalist of Hindustani tradition: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi but also learnt about Tal Hinch.
87. On the eighty-seventh day, we learnt about the Shehnai maestro Ustaad Bismillah Khan.
88. On the eighty-eighth day, we learnt about Annapurna Devi, the greatest Surbahar player in India.
89. And today, on the eighty-ninth day, we learnt about Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, the greatest Santoor Player in the country.

There is much more still to be learnt and enjoyed.

Please stay tuned!

The twenty-third day of songs in this series.

Happy Birthday KJ Yesudas 10 January

In the last twenty-two days, we have taken up songs of twelve male singers: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, SD Burman, KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’ and Hariharan. We also took up songs of eleven female singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Uma Devi (Tun Tun), Suraiya and Zohrabai Ambalewali, Sudha Malhotra, Amirbai Karnataki and Kavita Krishnamurthy.

Tonight, in order to pay tribute to the singer KJ Yesudas, we take up our thirteenth male singer. This song is dear to me. On the 9th of August last year, I lost my mother. There are a number of songs that I put up as a dedication to her. This is another one. Just like the others, it brings tears in my eyes.

Lets start with the movie itself from where this song has been taken. The 1977 movie Alaap was a Hrishikesh Mukherjee movie penned by Rahi Masoom Raza on a story by Hrishikesh Mukherjee himself. The movie starred Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Asrani, Farida Jalal, Om Prakash, Chhaya Devi and AK Hangal. Rahi Masoom Raza penned all the songs of the movie except this one (highlighted at #7 below), which was penned by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan’s father. Jaidev composed all the songs:

1.	“Aai Ritu Sawan Ki”	Bhupinder Singh, Kumari Faiyaz
2.	“Binati Sun Le Tanik”	Asrani
3.	“Chand Akela Jaye Sakhi Ri”	Yesudas
4.	“Chand Akela”	Yesudas
5.	“Ho Rama Dar Lage Apni Umariya Se”	Asrani
6.	“Kahe Manva Nache”	Lata Mangeshkar
7.	“Koi Gata Main So Jata”	Yesudas
8.	“Mata Saraswati Sharda”	Lata Mangeshkar, Dilraj Kaur
9.	“Mata Saraswati Sharda”	Yesudas, Dilraj Kaur, Madhurani
10.	“Nai Ri Lagan Aur Meethi Batiyan”	Yesudas, Madhurani, Kumari Faiyaz
11.	“Zindagi Ko Sanwarna Hoga”	Yesudas

Triloki Prasad (Om Prakash) is a rich advocate. He has two sons: Ashok (Vijay Sharma) who is an advocate like him and married to Geeta (Lily Chakravarty) and Alok (Amitabh Bachchan) who is taking time to settle down in Triloki Prasad’s law firm. To add to Triloki Prasad’s misgivings about Alok, he is fond of music and joins Pandit Jamuna Prasad’s (AK Hangal’s) classes. As if this is not enough, Alok spends a lot of time in the slums with a former courtesan  named Sarju Bai Banaraswali (Chhaya Devi). Triloki’s counseling his son falls on deaf ears since Alok actually regards Sarju Bai as his mother. Triloki, therefore, works out a plan with one Mr Gupta (Yunus Parvez) to demolish the slums. Sarju Bai is rendered homeless and eventually dies. This song is sung by Amitabh Bachchan in her memory. Jaidev took the lyrics of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, composed them in Raag Bihag (with a lot of mixing), Tal Kaherava and made Yesudas sing it for Amitabh Bachchan.

I put up a song in Raag Bihag, Tal Dadra long time ago: Tere sur aur mere geet (Please see: ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #7’). Raag Bihag belongs to Bilawal Thaat. However, if Teevra Madhyam is used (Bihag uses both Madhyam, that is, Teevra and Shuddha) then it is more akin to Kalyan Thaat. It is an Audhav-Sampurna Vakra Raag (Rishab and Dhaivat are varjay in the ascent (Aaroha). It is both romantic and celebratory and hence normally used for weddings. It is normally sung during the second prahar of the night (9 PM to midnight).

Kattassery Joseph Yesudas was born on 10th January 1940 in Fort Kochi (Kerala) in a Latin-rite Roman Catholic Christian family to late Augustine Joseph and late Elizabeth Joseph. His father, a well-known Malayalam classical musician and stage actor, was his first guru (teacher). Yesudas recorded his first popular song Jaathi Bhedam Matha Dwesham (music: MB Sreenivasan) on 14th November 1961. He got a break in Hindi movies with the 1971 movie Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. Therefore, in 2011 Yesudas completed 50 years as a playback singer. However, it was the 1976 Basu Chatterjee movie, with songs composed by Salil Chowdhury that really made him popular. The song he sang in the movie was: Jaaneman jaaneman tere do nayan. Yesudas has recorded over 70,000 songs and has won scores of accolades including the coveted Padma Shri (1975), Padma Bhushan (2002), Padma Vibhushan (2017) and a record seven National Awards for Best Playback Singer. On 2 Oct 2014, Yesudas sparked a row while speaking at a public function on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi, where he stated that “Women should not wear jeans and trouble others. You should dress modestly and do not behave like men”. This resulted in a number of protests from Women’s Rights and Political organizations, who asked him to withdraw the comment, which he never did.

Some of my favourite Hindi songs of Yesudas are: Aaj se pehle aaj se zyaadah, Gori tera gaanv bada pyaara, Jab deep jale aana, Tu jo mere sur mein (Chitchor, 1976), Chand akela jaye sakhi ri and all the other songs of Alaap that I have given above, Dil ke tukade tukade kar ke (Dada, 1978), Jaaneman jaaneman tere do nayan (Chitchor, 1976), Kya karun sajani (Swaami, 1977), Kahan se aaye badra (Chashm-e-Budoor), Maana ho tum behadd hasin (Toote Khilone, 1978), Madhuban khushbu deta hai (Saajan Bin Suhaagan, 1978), and Shyam ran ranga re (Apne Paraye, 1980).

Jaidev Verma, the composer of this song, was born in Nairobi (Kenya) on 03 Aug 1919 and brought up in Ludhiana (Punjab). In 1933, when he was 15 years old, he ran away to Bombay to become a film star. There, he acted in eight films as a child star for the Wadia Film Company. He was initiated into music at a young age in Ludhiana by Prof. Barkat Rai. Later, when he made it Bombay, he learnt music from Krishnarao Jaokar and Janardan Jaokar.

Unfortunately, he had to leave his film career abruptly and return to Ludhiana, due to his father’s blindness, which thrust the sole responsibility of his family on his young shoulders.

After his father died, Jaidev took the responsibility of looking after his sister, Ved Kumari and later got her married. After that in 1943, he left for Lucknow to study under the tutelage of music maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

His songs and music for Mujhe Jeene Do, Hum Dono, Reshma Aur Shera (I have already given you his song in Raag Mand: Tu chanda main chandini for which please see: ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #78’), Prem Parbat, Parinay and Gharonda are well-remembered. He received National Filmfare Awards for Best Music Direction three times: Reshma Aur Shera (1972), Gaman (1979) and Ankahee (1985).

Harivansh Rai Bachchan, the lyricist of the song lived between 27 Nov 1907 and 18 Jan 2003. was a noted Indian poet of the Nayi Kavita literary movement (romantic upsurge) of early 20th century Hindi literature. Born in a Hindu Awadhi Indian Srivastava Kayastha family, in Allahabad in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, in British India, he was also a famous poet of the Hindi Kavi Sammelan. He is best known for his early work Madhushala (मधुशाला). Some of his poetic work has been used in Hindi movies, the most popular of which was the Silsila song Rang barse, also picturised on his son: Amitabh Bachchan.

Please enjoy Yesudas sing a composition of Jaidev on the lyrics of Harivansh Rai Bachchan a song from the 1977 Hrishikesh Mukherjee Alaap in Raag Bihag, Tal Kaherava: Koi gaata main so jaata….

कोई गाता मैं सो जाता – २

संस्रिति के विस्त्रित सागर में
सपनों कि नौका के अंदर
दुख सुख कि लहरों में उठ गिर
बहता जाता, मैं सो जाता …

आँखो में लेकर प्यार अमर
आशीश हथेली में भर कर
कोइ मेरा सर गोदी में रख
सहलाता, मैं सो जाता …

मेरे जीवन का काराजल
मेरे जीवन का हालाहल
कोइ अपने स्वर में मदुमय कर
दोहराता मैं सो जाता

कोइ गाता मैं सो जाता …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lg1bLwBjLA

If someone were to ask me which is the number one most memorable song in my life, I would say it is my mother’s Lori (lullaby) to me when I was small. Indeed, for most others too it would be likewise. It was heard by us when we didn’t even know anything about songs, music, raagas and the like. Her singing was the key to opening doors of dreams for us since the Lori would transport us into another world. Lets say if we were to choose between that singing and those by even Bharat Ratnas, without flinching, any of us would choose that.

And even after mother leaves you, the strains of her Lori are sufficient to make you sleep. It would be there until you finally sleep for ever.

मेरे जीवन का काराजल
मेरे जीवन का हालाहल
कोइ अपने स्वर में मदुमय कर
दोहराता मैं सो जाता

You would hardly come across songs that tug at your emotions more.

I hope you enjoyed it too.

Please await the next song in the series.

The twenty-second day of songs in this series.

Happy Birthday AR Rahman 06 January

In the last twenty-one days, we have taken up songs of eleven male singers: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, SD Burman, KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick and Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’. We also took up songs of ten female singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Uma Devi (Tun Tun), Suraiya and Zohrabai Ambalewali, Sudha Malhotra and Amirbai Karnataki.

Tonight, in order to do something new on the third day of the new year, I shall give you a duet between our twelfth male singer Hariharan and eleventh female singer Kavitha Krishnamurthy. We also jump several decades ahead, more precisely to the year 1995. Less than two years after the infamous Bombay Blasts, after the demolition of Babri Masjid, Mani Ratnam released this movie which based on a love story between a Hindu male and a Muslim female in the backdrop of the Mumbai blasts. Unsurprisingly, the film won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

The song belongs to its composer Allah Rakha Rahman more than to anyone else. Just as, the other day, we took up Surbahar player Annapurna Devi (Please see: ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #88‘) who became a Hindu after having been born a Muslim as Roshana Khan, AR Rahman was born a Hindu, Dileep Shekhar, on 06 Jan 1967 (three days later is his 51st Birth Anniversary) and converted to Islam in 1989, at the age of 22. In recent past, no other composer and music director has occupied space in our hearts and minds more than Rahman. Rahman’s films career started with the 1992 Tamil movie Roja, also a Mani Ratnam movie and also starring Arvind Swamy, though with Madhoo and not Monisha Koirala. Roja not just won the National Award for Best Film on National Integration but was later dubbed in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Malyalam. In 2009, when AR Rahman won two Oscars (for Best Song (Jai ho)) and Best Original Score (together with Gulzar)(Slumdog Millionaire) many of us felt that the Roja songs and music were better than the Slumdog Millionaire. His first film Roja won him the National Award for Best Music Director. One of the songs from the movie is a favourite: Bharat hamako jaan se bhi pyaara hai. As of 2016, Rahman has garnered four National Film Awards, 15 Filmfare Awards and 16 Filmfare Awards South, a record for an Indian composer.

Some of my favourite Hindi songs of AR Rahman in are: Vande mataram (non-filmy),  Columbus Columbus chhutti hai aayi (Jeans, 1998), Anjali Anjali pushpanjali (Tu hi mera dil, 1995), Ai ajnabi tu bhi kabhi, Ik suraj nikala tha, Jiya jale jaam jale, Kar thaiya thaiya, Tuu hi tuu tuu hi tuu satrangi re (Dil Se, 1998), Awaara bhanvre jo haule haule gaaye (Sapney, 1997), Bharat hamako jaan se bhi pyaara hai, Dil hai chhota sa chhoti si aasha, Roja jaan-e-man, Rukmani Rukmani shaadi ke baad, Ye hasin waadian ye khula aasman (Roja, 1993), Chand aaya zameen par aaj garbe ki raat mein (Dil Hi Dil Mein, 1999), Dil se nikalegi naa mar ke bhi watan ki ulfat, Jogiya jogiya ve, Maahi ve maahi ve (Also sung by him together with Sukhwinder Singh, The Legend of Bghagat Singh, 2002), Dholna dholna, Khamosh raat sahami hawa, Mujhe rang de (Thakshak, 1999), Duur kahin ik aam ki bagiya, Mehaki mehaki hain raahen behaki behaki hain nigaahen (Zubeidaa, 2000), Ek ho gaye hum aur tum, Gumsum gumsum gulchup…kehna hi kya, Kuchi kuchi rakamma sun lo tum (Bombay, 1995), Ekla chalo re (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose – The Forgotten Hero, 2005), Ghanan ghanan ghir ghir aaye badra, Radha kaise na jale, Mitwa O mitwa tujhako kyaa dar hai re, O paalanhaare nirgun aur nyaare (Lagaan, 2001), Haay Rama ye kyaa hua, Ho jaa rangeela re, Kya karen kya na karen kaisi mushkil haay, Tanha tanha yahan pe jeena, Yaai re yaai re jor laga ke naache re, Yaaro sun lo zara (Rangeela, 1996), Jangal mein bole hai koyal ku ku kuu – Kahin aa lage lag jaave, Taal se taal mila (Taal, 1999), Jhuum jhuum naachen ham (Chor Chor), Khamoshiyan gungunane lagi (One Two Ka Four, 2001), Muqaabla muqaabla Laila o ho Laila, Urvashi Urvashi take it easy Urvashi (Humse Hai Muqabla, 1995), Mustafa Mustafa don’t worry Mustafa (Duniya Dilwalon Ki, 1996), O bhanvre dekhi ham deewano ko (Daud, 1997), Piya Haji Ali (Fizaa, 2000), and Ye jo des hai tera (Swades, 2004).

Mehboob, the lyricist of this song, was born in Nasik (Maharashtra) on 13th Jul 1953. When he was only seven years old, his family moved to Mumbai for good whereat he received education in English and later in Urdu. He was given a break by Ram Gopal Verma in his 1992 Drohi whose songs were composed by RD Burman. His big break actually came with Ram Gopal Verma’s 1996 movie Rangeela, wherein he worked with AR Rahman and for which he received the RD Burman Filmfare Award for Best New Talent. He went on to work for Bombay, One Teo Ka Four, Thakshak, Daud, Dil Hi Dil Mein, and Yuva. He penned AR Rahman’s popular number Maa tujhe salaam (Vande Mataram).

Now about the singers Hariharan and Kavita Krishnamurthy.

Hariharan was born on 03 Apr 1955 in Trivanthapuram in Kerala to Tamil parents. The son of renowned Carnatic vocalists, Shrimati Alamelu and the late HAS Mani (full name : Anantha Subramani ), he inherited his parents’ musical talents. However, he went into the Hindustani music stream and emerged as one of the finest ghazal singers, with his idol being Mehdi Hassan. Initially, he started off being a TV artiste. In 1977 he won the All India Sur Singaar competition and that’s how music director Jaidev gave him break in 1978 movie Gaman. His first song in that movie Ajeeb sa neha mujh par guzar gaya yaaron became so popular that it was nominated for National Award. Gradually, his songs have been featured in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu films. Presently, he is the foremost ghazal singer in India. He was honoured with Padma Shri and he is a two time National Award winner. His association with Lesle Lewis resulted in forming a two member band Colonial Cousins.

Some of my favourite songs of Hariharan are: Bharat hamako jaan se bhi pyaara hai (Roja, 1993), Apni zulfen mere shaano pe bikhr jaane do (Taj Mahal, 2005), Chappa chappa charkha chale, Chhod aaye ham vo galiyan (Maachis, 1996), Dheemi dheemi bheeni bheeni khushbu hai tera badan (1947 Earth, 1999), Gungunaayi hawayen guunshi dishayen (Non-Film, with Alka Yagnik), Haay Rama ye kya hua (Rangeela, 1996), Ham bhool gaye hain rakh ke kahin (Aks, 2001), Ham tumase na kuchh keh paaye (Ziddi, 1997), Jhonka hawa ka aaj bhi (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999), Kabhi chand ki tarah tapaki atthanni si zindagi (Jahan Tum Le Chalo, 1998), Khilli chandini hamen keh rahi (Priyanka, 1995), Likha hai ye in hawayon pe (with Lata Mangeshkar, Darr, 1993), Mil gaye mil gaye dilbar mere (Love Birds, 1996), Mujhe phir wohi yaad aane lage hain jinhe bhulne mein zamaane lage hain (Khumar Barbankwi’s famous ghazal composed by Hariharan and sung by him), Naghme hain shikwe hain kisse hain baaten hain (Yaadein, 2001), Pehle bhi jeete the magar jab se mili hai zindagi (Nida Fazli’s ghazal with Asha Bhosle), Phuulon mein jo khushbu hai kaise wo aayi hai ajuuba (with Sadhana Sargam in Jeans, 1998), Sawan barse tarse dil (with Sadhana Sargam in Dehak, 1998), Sun ri sakhi meri pyari sakhi (Hum Se Hai Muqabla, 1995), Ye duniya ik dulhan (Pardes, 1997), and Youn hi chala chal rahi (Swades, 2004).

Kavita Krishnamurthy was born Sharada Krishnamurthy in a Tamil Iyer family in New Delhi on 25 Jan 1958. Her father TS Krishnamurthy was an employee in Education Ministry. She began her music training upon insistence of her aunt, Ms. Protimma Bhattacharya who enrolled her to Ms. Suruma Basu, who taught her Rabindra Sangeet. She began her formal training in Hindustani classical music under Balram Puri, a classical singer. At the young age of eight, Kavita won a gold medal at a music competition.She was given a break in Hindi movies by Laxmikant Pyarelal who were impressed by her Hindutani Classical singing. To start with she used to dub for Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. But later, in 1980, a song Kaahe ko biyahi was recorded in her own voice for the movie Maang Bharo Sajana. She became famous for Hawa Hawaii and Karte hain hum pyaar in 1986 movie Mr. India. She has been awarded Padma Shri by the government of India and she has won four Filmfare awards so far.

Some of my favourite songs of Kavita Krishnamurthy are: Aankhon ki gustakhiyaan maaf hon, Albela sajan aayo ri, Dholi tharo dhol baaje, Hum dil de chuke sanam (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999), Aaj main ooper aasman neeche (Khamoshi, 1996), Are karte hain ham pyaar Mr India se, Hawa hawaii (Mr India, 1987), Chalon chale mitwa (Nayak The Real Hero, 2001), Ho chhal chhal chhalke in aankhon ki hgagariya (Janam Janam, 1988), Dhol bajane laga koi laut ke aaya hai (Viraasat, 1997), Deewana deewana ye dil tera deewana (with Abhijeet, Jung, 1996), Dil chura liya (with Abhijeet in Qayamat 2003), Dil ne kaha chupke se (1942 A Love Story, 1993), Dola re dola re, Maar daala (with Shreya Ghoshal and KayKay in Devdas, 2002), Ganpati bappa morya (Agnipath, 1990), Har karam apna karenge (Karma, 1986), Jaise ik chand ka tukada (Inteqaam, 1988), Jo main aisa jaanati preet kiye dukh hoy (Batwara, 1989), Koi mil gaya (Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai, 1998), Kuchi kuchi rakamma (Bombay, 1995), Tu mujhe qabool main tujhe kabool (with Mohammad Aziz in Khuda Gawah, 1992), Mera piya ghar aaya (Yaarana, 1995), Nayak nahin khalnayak hoon main (Khalnayak, 1993), Nazaron ke milane se kyun hoti hai halchal (Vishwavidhata, 1997), O baalam kesariya (Bhairavi, 1995), Pal do pal ka ye safar pal do pal ka saath (with Udit Narayan in  Hadd Kar Di Aapne, 2000), Raja ki kahani purani ho gayi (with Usha Uthup in Godmother, 1998), Tu cheez badhi hai mast mast (with Udit Narayan, Mohra, 1994), Tu hi tu satrangi re (with Sonu Nigam, Dil Se, 1998), Ye duniya ik dulhan (Pardes, 1997), and Na jaane kahan se aayi hai – ye ladaki (with Amit Kumar in Chaalbaaz 1989).

Before we take up the song, a word about the movie.

Bombay was a 1995 film directed by Mani Ratnam. The film starred Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala as Shekhar Narayanan Pillai and Shaila Bano respectively. The film, made in Tamil (later dubbed in Hindi and Telugu with the same title), is centered on events that occurred particularly during the period of December 1992 to January 1993 in India, and the controversy surrounding the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, its subsequent demolition on 6 December 1992 and increased religious tensions in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) that led to the Bombay Riots. It is the second one of Mani Ratnam’s tiriology on human relations in the backdrop of events that shook India; the first one being Roja in 1992 and third one being Dil Se in 1998.

The Hindi dubbed film had the following songs, all penned by Mehboob and all composed by AR Rahman:

1.	“Hamma Hamma”	Remo Fernandes, Swarnalatha & Suresh Peters	5:10
2.	“Kehna Hi Kya”	K. S. Chithra, A. R. Rahman & Chorus	5:52
3.	“Tu Hi Re”	Hariharan & Kavita Krishnamurthy	7:14
4.	“Kuchi Kuchi Rakkamma”	Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, G. V. Prakash Kumar & Sharadha	5:07
5.	“Kuch Bhi Na Socho”	Pallavi, Shubha, Anupama, Noel James & Srinivas	5:53
6.	“Bombay Theme”	Instrumental	5:18
7.	“Aankhon Mein Ummeedon”	Sujatha Mohan & Chorus	2:43
8.	“Apna Zameen Yeh”	Sujatha Mohan, Noel James, Srinivas, Sivanesan, Ganga Sreenivasan, Renuka & Anuradha Sriram	3:28

Please enjoy Hariharan and Kavita Krishnamurthy sing: Tu hi re, tu hi re, tere bina main kaise jiyun….

तू ही रे, तू ही रे तेरे बिना मैं कैसे जियूं
आजा रे, आजा रे, यूं ही तड़पा ना तू मुझको
जान रे, जान रे, इन सांसों में बस जा तू
चाँद रे, चाँद रे, आजा दिल की ज़मीन पे तू

चाहत है अगर आके मुझसे मिल जा तू
या फिर ऐसा कर, धरती से मिला दे मुझको
तू ही रे, तू ही रे तेरे बिना मैं कैसे जियूं
आजा रे, आजा रे, यूं ही तड़पा ना तू मुझको

इन सांसों का देखो तुम पागलपन के
आये नहीं इन्हें चैन
मुझसे ये बोली मैं राहों में तेरी
अपने बिछा दूं ये नैन
इन ऊँचे पहाड़ों से जां दे दूंगा मैं
गर तूम ना आई कहीं
तुम उधर जान उम्मीद मेरी जो तोड़ो
इधर ये जहाँ छोड़ू मैं
मौत और, जिन्दगी, तेरे हाथों में दे दिया रे

आई रे, आई रे, ले मैं आई हूँ तेरे लिये
तोड़ा रे, तोड़ा रे, हर बँधन को प्यार के लिये
जान रे, जान रे, आजा तुझमें समा जाऊं मैं
दिल रे दिल रे, तेरी सांसों में बस जाऊं मैं

चाहत है अगर आके मुझसे मिल जा तू
या फिर ऐसा कर, धरती से मिला दे मुझको
तू ही रे, तू ही रे तेरे बिना मैं कैसे जियूं
आजा रे, आजा रे, यूं ही तड़पा ना तू मुझको

आ …

सौ बार बुलाए मैं सौ बार आऊं,
इक बार जो दिल दिया
इक आँख रोये तो दूजी बोलो,
सोयेगी कैसे भला,
इन प्यार की राहों में पत्थर हैं कितने
उन सब को ही पार किया
इक नदी हूँ मैं चाहत भरी आज मिलने
सागर को आई यहाँ
सजना, सजना, आज आँसू भी मीठे लगे

तू ही रे, तू ही रे तेरे बिना मैं कैसे जियूं
आजा रे, आजा रे, यूं ही तड़पा ना तू मुझको
जान रे, जान रे, इन सासों में बस जा तू
चाँद रे, चाँद रे, आजा दिल की ज़मीन पे तू

पल पल पल पल वक्त तो बीता जाये रे
ज़रा बोल ज़रा बोल वक़्त से के वो थम जाये रे
आई रे, आई रे, ले मैं आई हूँ तेरे लिये
जान रे, जान रे, आजा तुझमें समा जाऊं मैं

The song is dear to me because of the intensity of emotions of a lover for a beloved. It reminds me of my favourite lyricist Shakeel Badayuni’s best song with Naushad: Mere mheboob tujhe meri mohabbat ki kasam. Look at the similarity, especially in this stanza:

सामने आ के ज़रा पर्दा उठा दे रुख़ से
इक यही मेरा इलाज-ए-ग़म-ए-तन्हाई है
तेरी फ़ुरक़त ने परेशान किया है मुझको
अब तो मिल जा के मेरी जान पे बन आई है
दिल को भूली हुई यादों का सहारा दे दे
मेरा खोया …

And in both the songs, the lover had seen the beloved only from a distance. Can love get to be so strong between virtual strangers? Are there vibes that are only later converted into lyrics but at that time when they strike the lovers, they are just vibes that cannot be described? And can these vibes make Love become so intense that one feels that one cannot live without seeing the object of love? It happened in 1963 Mere Mehboob, it happened in various other movies after that and in happened in 1995 Bombay.

I get goose pimples thinking of this kind of love. When I listen to the song, I get answers to all my silent questions. Even after that it keeps tugging at my emotions.

I hope you enjoyed it too.

Please await tomorrow’s song.

 

The twenty-first day of songs in this series on the first day of the New Year 2018.

In the last twenty days, we have taken up songs of eleven male singers: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, SD Burman, KL Saigal, Pankaj Mullick and Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’. We also took up songs of nine female singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Uma Devi (Tun Tun), Suraiya and Zohrabai Ambalewali and Sudha Malhotra.

Tonight, we shall take up a song of our tenth female singer: Amirbai Karnataki and the song is a huge favourite: Vaishanav jana to tene kahiye. This bhajan was penned in the 15th century by Narsinh Mehta in Gujarati. The bhajan brings out how a Vaishnav Jan (Vishnu’s follower) must tailor his/her life

Amirbai Karnataki was born in Bilgi town, District of Bijapur in Karnataka into a middle-class family. She was a famous actress/singer and playback singer of the early Hindi cinema and was popular as Kannada Kokila. This bhajan by Narsi Bhagat (she acted in the 1940 movie with that name) made her very famous, indeed. The Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi became an ardent fan of her singing this bhajan. Amirbai was not just an accomplished actress and singer in Hindi movies, she was well versed in her mother tongue Kannada and also Gujarati in which this bhajan was penned by Narsi Bhagat.

When it comes to her singing, we first of all recall Kavi Pradeep’s rebellious songs, before independence, that she sang together with Khan Mastana. She also acted in the movie. Anil Biswas had composed it: Door hato duniya waalo Hindostan hamaara hai (Kismat, 1943). Other of her songs that I recall are: Chanda des piya ke jaa (Bharthari, 1944), O janewale balamwa laut ke aa, and Rum juhum barase badarva (Rattan, 1944).

Narsinh Mehta, also known as Narsi Mehta or Narsi Bhagat was a Vaishnav bhakat and poet who lived in Gujarat from 1414 to 1481. In Gujarati literature he is known as Adi Kavi (first amongst poets). He was from Junagarh in Saurashtra. He lost his parents when he was five years old. He couldn’t speak until becoming eight years old. He married when he was 15 years old. He and his wife stayed at his brother Bansidhar’s house in Junagadh. However, Bansidhar’s wife (Sister-in-law or bhabhi) did not welcome Narsinh very well. She was an ill-tempered woman, always taunting and insulting Narsinh Mehta for his devotion (Bhakti). One day, when Narasinh Mehta had enough of these taunts and insults, he left the house and went to a nearby forest in search of some peace, where he fasted and meditated for seven days by a secluded Shiva lingam until Shiva appeared before him in person. On the poet’s request, the Lord took him to Vrindavan and showed him the eternal raas leela of Krishna and the Gopis. A legend has it that the poet, transfixed by the spectacle, burnt his hand with the torch he was holding, but he was so engrossed in the ecstatic vision that he was oblivious to the pain. Mehta, as the popular account goes, at Krishna’s command, decided to sing His praises and the nectarous experience of the rasa in this mortal world. He resolved to compose around 22,000 kirtans or compositions.

Vaishnava Jan To ishis most popular bhajan. The bhajan is about the life, ideals and mentality of a Viashnava Jana (a follower of Vishnu). In the Hindu trinity (trimurti) that includes Brahma. Shiva and Vishnu, whilst Brahma is the Creator God and Shiva is the Destroyer of Evil and Transformer, Vishnu is the Preserver or the Protector.

વૈષ્ણવ જન તો તેને કહિયે જે પીડ પરાયી જાણે રે પર દુ:ખે ઉપકાર કરે તો યે મન અભિમાન ન આણે રે. ॥ધૃ॥	वैष्णव जन तो तेने कहिये जे पीड परायी जाणे रे । पर दुःखे उपकार करे तो ये मन अभिमान न आणे रे ॥	vaiṣṇava jana to tene kahiye je pīḍa parāyī jāṇe re, para duḥkhe upakāra kare to ye mana abhimāna na āṇe re	Call those people Vaishnavas who Feel the pain of others, Help those who are in misery, But never let self-conceit enter their mind.
સકળ લોકમાં સહુને વંદે, નિંદા ન કરે કેની રે વાચ કાછ મન નિશ્છળ રાખે ધન ધન જનની તેની રે. ॥૧॥	सकळ लोकमां सहुने वंदे, निंदा न करे केनी रे । वाच काछ मन निश्चळ राखे, धन धन जननी तेनी रे ॥	sakaḷa loka māṁ sahune vande, nindā na kare kenī re, vāca kācha mana niścala rākhe, dhana dhana jananī tenī re	They respect the entire world, Do not disparage anyone, Keep their words, actions and thoughts pure, The mother of such a soul is blessed.
સમદૃષ્ટિ ને તૃષ્ણા ત્યાગી પરસ્ત્રી જેને માત રે જિહ્વા થકી અસત્ય ન બોલે પરધન નવ ઝાલે હાથ રે. ॥૨॥	समदृष्टि ने तृष्णा त्यागी, परस्त्री जेने मात रे । जिह्वा थकी असत्य न बोले, परधन नव झाले हाथ रे ॥	sama-dṛṣṭi ne tṛṣṇā tyāgī, para-strī jene māta re, jihvā thakī asatya na bole, para-dhana nava jhāle hātha re	They see all equally, renounce craving, Respect other women as their own mother, Their tongue never utters false words, Their hands never touch the wealth of others.
મોહ માયા વ્યાપે નહિ જેને, દૃઢ વૈરાગ્ય જેના મનમાં રે રામ નામ શુ તાળી રે લાગી સકળ તીરથ તેના તનમાં રે. ॥૩॥	मोह माया व्यापे नहि जेने, दृढ़ वैराग्य जेना मनमां रे । रामनाम शुं ताळी रे लागी, सकळ तीरथ तेना तनमां रे ॥	moha māyā vyāpe nahi jene, dṛḍha-vairāgya jenā manamāṁ re, rāma-nāma śuṁ tāḷī re lāgī, sakaḷa tīratha tenā tanamāṁ re	They do not succumb to worldly attachments, They are firmly detached from the mundane, They are enticed by the name of God (Rama), All places of pilgrimage are embodied in them.
વણ લોભી ને કપટ રહિત છે, કામ ક્રોધ નિવાર્યાં રે ભણે નરસૈયો તેનું દર્શન કરતાં કુળ એકોતેર તાર્યાં રે. ॥૪॥	वणलोभी ने कपटरहित छे, काम क्रोध निवार्या रे । भणे नरसैयॊ तेनुं दरसन करतां, कुळ एकोतेर तार्या रे ॥	vaṇa-lobhī ne kapaṭa-rahita che, kāma krodha nivāryā re, bhaṇe narasaiyo tenuṁ darasana karatāṁ, kuḷa ekotera tāryā re	They have forsaken greed and deceit, They stay afar from lust and anger, Narsi says: I’d be grateful to meet such a soul, Whose virtue liberates their entire lineage.

The movie Narsi Bhagat was a 1940 Vijay Bhatt movie. Vijay Bhatt later covered himself in glory by making the iconic movie Ram Rajya (1943) Baiju Bawra (1952) and Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) that had Shehnai Vaadan by Ustaad Bismillah Khan throughout in the movie. The movie starred Vishnupant Pagnis in the title role and Durga Khote as Manekbai. Shankar Rao Vyas was the music director and also composed this bhajan and other songs of the movie.

Please enjoy Amirbai Karnataki sing one of the most popular bhajans in Indian culture: Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye….

I don’t think there is another bhajan in our culture that touches the chords of our hearts more than this. Its composition is in Raag Khammaj, Tal Kaherava that I have already told you enough about. I have also told you that since Khammaj employs both Shuddha and Komal Nishad, it is both happy (Shuddha) and has pangs of separation (Komal). Here too, the happiness is in being a Vaishanav Jan and the ache is in empathising with someone who is in pain.

The bhajan is often in the creases of my mind and truly tugs at my emotions.

I hope you enjoyed it too.

Please await tomorrow’s song.

 

Raaga Based Song of the Day: Kuchh to log kahenge….
Raag Khammaj, Tal Kaherava

Remembering Rajesh Khanna on His Birth Anniversary, 29th Dec

Rajesh Khanna was born as Jatin Khanna in Amritsar on 29 Dec 1942. He died on 18 Jul 2012 in Mumbai. Millions of his fans were saddened by his death.

He was born to Lala Hiranand and Chandrani Khanna but was adopted and raised by Chunnilal Khanna and Leelawati Khanna, relatives of his biological parents. His interest in theatre during his school and college days (in Mumbai) led to his joining Hindi films. Nowadays talent contests are in hundreds.  However, during his days, in 1965, Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists from more than 10,000 contestants in the 1965 All India Talent Contest, organised by United Producers (BR Chopra, Bimal Roy, GP Sippy, HS Rawail, Nasir Husain, J. Om Prakash, Mohan Saigal, Shakti Samanta and Subodh Mukherji and others had created this organisation and were judges of the contest) and Filmfare.

As a result of winning the talent contest, he won acting in Chetan Anand’s 1966 movie Aakhri Khat and Ravindra Dave’s Raaz. Aakhri Khat was India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Oscar Academy Awards in 1967.

He soon emerged as a super-star and has record number of movies to his credit that consecutively became super-hits. Indeed, at one time in the seventies, anything that he touched became gold. Heroines lined up to act with him and he made all of them swoon with his irresistible charm. As an example, I do remember this anecdote when I went to see his 1970 movie Aan Milo Sajna with Asha Parekh. This was in Chandigarh where I was studying. When it came to the song: Achha to ham chalte hain, the moment he sang on the screen: “Phir kab miloge?”, hundreds of girls in the hall, in unison responded: “Jab tum kahoge”. Some of this magic has been recorded by his co-star of several movies: Sharmila Tagore.

With his pimpled face and a little obese frame, he still gave the impression of being the most romantic hero that Hindi films ever saw. That was because of the strength of his adorable acting. Many people actually cried when he passed away on screen in Anand and Andaz. He did it so well. All of us loved Kaka (Rajesh Khanna’s nickname) and we couldn’t ever get enough of him.

To see the comparison between him and the other super-star Amitabh Bachchan, you must see the song: Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye; AB stands there like a school kid in front of a maestro.

To remember him by I shall give you a song lip-synced by him in the 1972 Shakti Samanta movie Amar Prem: Kuchh to log kahenge.

Shakti Samanta is in news these days, more than eight years after his death, for reasons other than what he used to be in news for; which was that he too was considered an alchemist: anything that he touched turned to gold. He made a super-hit movie literally every alternate year. Howrah Bridge, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening in Paris, Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Amanush, Pagla Kahin Ka, Ajanabee, Mehbooba, Anurodh and Aavishkar are some of the movie that he made.

If SD Burman did wonders for Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana, Sachin’s son Rahul Dev Burman did wonders for Amar Prem songs. Rahul Dev was well versed in both majot genre’s of music: the Western Beat or Pop and the Raaga Based. Here he preferred to compose it in Khammaj, the raaga Bengali composers were and are so much at home, with from Pandit Ravi Shankar himself (Mere to Giridhar Gopal) to Salil Chowdhary (O sajana barkha bahaar aayi), to SD Burman (Nazar laagi raja tore bangle pe, Piya tose naina laagi re and Deewana mastaana huaa dil), and Hemant Kumar (Sakhi re sun bole papiha).

One of my friends, Anand Desain quoted Pandit Bhimsen Joshi: “Anyone who does not listen to RD’s compositions does not know and understand what music is all about……. Look at Kuchh toh log kahenge…. Look how beautifully Kishore has rendered this difficult composition, hats off. Are you aware my dear friend that this song is purely based on Raag Khammaj in the beginning but beautifully dissolves into Raag Kalavati in-between? Brilliantly sung and what voice. We are thankful that Kishore never learned music and hence never ventured into our domain or else we classical singers would have found it extremely difficult to earn our bread and water”. Such was the admiration for Kishore and RD in the music fraternity.

We have completed eighty-seven days of Raaga Based Songs of the Day. Our first post in the series was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #1’ and the song was a Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar song from the 1970 Shakti Samanta movie Pagla Kahin Ka: Tum mujhe youn bhula na paoge.  It is in Raag Jhinjhoti, Tal Kaherava.

Our eighty-seventh post or the last post was titled ‘Raaga Based Song Of The Day #87’ and the song was a Lata Mangeshkar song from the 1965 Ramanand Sagar movie Arzoo starring Rajendra Kumar, Sadhana and Feroze Khan: Bedardi baalma tujhako mera man yaad karta hai. It is in Raag Charukesi, Tal Dadra.

This blog has a number of posts on Raaga based songs in Hindi movies titled similarly; for example: ‘The Best Raaga Based Songs in Hindi Movies – Raaga Yaman – Part I’.

In the last eighty-six days of sharing Raaga based songs of the day, I have given you songs based on Raag Jhinjhoti, Gara, Bhimpalasi, Madhuvanti, Shivaranjani, Bihag, Pahadi, Sarang, Pilu, Bhairavi, Khammaj, Charukesi, Kalyan or Yaman, Desh, Malgunji, Kirwani, Kedar, Bageshri, Megh Malhar, Bhupali, Ahir Bhairav, Malkaush, Mand, Adana, Kafi, Rageshri, Jaunpuri, Tilang, Janasammohini, Chayanat, Shuddha Kalyan, Gaur Sarang, Jogiya, Asavari, Maru Bihag, Durga, Lalit, Puria Dhanashri, Bhinna Sahdja, Sohani, Multani, Patdeep, Jaijaiwanti, Tilak Kamod, Hemant, Basant Mukhari, Gujri Todi, Kalavati, Hamir, Bhatiyar, Gawati, Shyam Kalyan, Gorakh Kalyan, Madhamat Sarang, Manj Khammaj, Darbari Kanada, Vibhas, Shankara, Bahar, Nand and Mian Ki Malhar; making it a total of 61 raagas. The raagas that have been repeated so far are Pahadi, the raaga of my home place in the Himalayas, Maru Bihag, Raag Kirwani, Jhinjhoti, Bhairavi, Gara, Basant Mukhari, Malkauns, Bhairavi, Mand and Sohani. Today, I am repeating Raag Khammaj.

Khammaj, a Shadhav-Sampurna raag (In aaroha Rishab is varjaya) employs both Nishad: ie, Shuddha Ni in Aaroha and Komal Ni in Avaroha. The result is that it is well suited for both types of Shringar Ras: Uttan (Union) Shringar wherein Shuddha Ni is used and Vibralambh (Separation) where Komal Ni is used. Take the bhaav of this song itself: it has both sadness (separation) because people gossip and gossip is malicious. However, the underlying theme of the lyrics is also happy (chhodo bekaar ki baaton mein; that they are together despite the malicious gossip. One should remember Rajesh Khanna’s famous dialogue before the song, addressed to Sharmila Tagore: “Pushpa, I hate tears”!)

Khammaj is the representative raag of the Khammaj Thaat and the samay for singing it is the second prahar of the night: from 9PM to Midnight. Anyone listening to Khammaj or Khammaj based songs would know that the mood is light and enthralling but somewhere hidden in it is the pain (of separation). If one listens to O sajana barkha bahaar aayi, you get the same feelings: heart joyous at rain but full of ache for the lover.

Now, why did Pandit Bhimsen Joshi say that the song starts with Khammaj but dissolves into Raag Kalavati in between? The reason is that both Khammaj and Kalavati belong to Khammaj Thaat. Kalavati is a pentatonic raag (Audhav-Audhav); whereas Khammaj had Rishab varjaya in Aaroha (ascent) only, Kalavati has both Rishab and Madhyam vrajaya in both Aaroha and Avroha. The main similarity is the Komal Nishad found in Avaroha in Khammaj. In Kalavati, it is Komal in both Aaroha and Avroha.

Some of the Hindi films songs composed in Khammaj are:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44.

O Sajna Jaao Re Jogi Khanak Gayo HaayLaage Unki Suratiya Kaanaha Raadha Hui Tere Mere Milan Ki Ye Raina Kuchh To Log Kahenge Nazar Laagi Raaja Aayo Kahan Se Ghanshyam Kaise Din Beete Kaanha Kaanha Jeevan Daata Saajh Savere Suman Samaan Kanha Main To Chhavi Dikhla Jaa Vaishnav Jan To Tora Man Badav Raat Naujawan Jhoomta Mere To Girdhar Gopaal Sudh Bisar Gai Chori Chori Chupke Chupke Chha Gaye Baadal Tumhi Mere Sab Kuchh Bahut Suna Hai Naath Chaand Akela Jaaye Kaahe Manwa Naache Dhal Chuki Shaam Gauri Gauri Chaand ke Dheere Dheere Machal Tore Naina Laagev Kaahe Kaanha Karat Hamari Kahi Maano Ab Ke Saawan Ghar Aaja Mai Zindagi Ka Saath Jogan Ban Aayi Hoon Ye Tanhaai Haye Re Deewana Mastan Hua Dil Nain Lad Jaiyen To Soch Ke Ye Gagan Mai Ri Mai To Madhuvan Me Naina Dhoondhe Tohe Shyam Hum Apna Unhen Bana

Parakh Aamrapali Rishte NateMaa Baap Tumhare Liye Abhimaan Amar Prem Kaala Paani Buddha Mil Gaya Anuradha Shagird Sharafat Maadhvi Kotwal Sahab Shatranj Ke Khiladi Shatranj Ke Khiladi Narsi Bhagat Ganga Jamuna Geet Gaya Patthron Ne Meera Sangeet Samrat Tansen Aap Ki Kasam Chitralekha Chhote Babu Adhikaar Aalap Aalap Kohinoor Anita Anupama Mamta Baawarchi Dulhan Ek Raat Ki Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje Hum Dono Shabaab Tere Ghar Ke Saamne Bambai Ka Babu Ganga Jamuna Jyoti Chandralekha Dil Ki Raahen Bhanwara

Lata Lata LataLata Asha Lata, Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar Asha Manna Dey Lata Lata Lata Lata Hemlata Birju Maharaj Rewa Muhuri Manna Dey Asha Asha Vani Jayram, Dinkar Manna Dey Lata Rafi, Asha Manna Dey, Lata Lata Yesudas Lata Rafi Mukesh Lata Sandhya Mukherjee Laxmi Shankar Asha, Usha Lata Rafi Lata Lata Asha, Rafi Rafi Manna Dey, Lata Uma Devi Manna Dey

The song I have taken for you today is from the 1970 Shakti Samanta movie Amar Prem starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. It was penned by Anand Bakshi, composed by RD Burman and sung by Kishore Kumar.

I have already told you about Shakti Samanta, Rajesh Khanna and RD Burman. Let me tell you a bit about Anand Bakshi. We have already covered Kishore Kumar in Songs That Tug At Your Emotions #3 (Aa chal ke tujhe main le ke chalun),

Anand Bakshi was a master lyricist who matched his lyrics perfectly with the emotions of the protagonist. His most common  paired with Laxmikant Pyarelal with whom he worked in 302 movies. Here, he is with RD Burman, with whom he did the second highest movies of his career: 99. Amongst the old breed of lyricsts, Anand Bakshi was the only one who penned more than 3000 songs whilst lyricists like Sahir and Sahkeel only penned less than 800.

Anand Bakshi died on 30 Mar 2002 in Mumbai. However, the songs of Anand Bakshi with RD Burman kept appearing until the 2011 movie Dum Maaro Dum. They had started with the 1965 movie Teesra Kaun. Some of my favourite songs of the pair are: Pyaar ka fasaana bana de dil deewana (Teesra Kaun, 1965), Sharabi sharabi mera naam ho gaya (Chandan Ka Palna, 1967), Jis gali mein tera ghar na ho baalma, Mera naam hai Shabnam, Na loi umang hai, Pyaar deewana hota hai, Ye shaam mastani and Ye jo mohabbaty hai (Kati Patang, 1970), Gulabi aankhen jo teri dekhi (The Train, 1970), Aaj unase pehli mulaqaat hogi (Paraya Dhan, 1971), Chanda O chanda kisne churayi teri meri nindiya (Lakhon Mein Ek, 1971), Dum maro dum, Dekho O deewano aisa kaam na karo, Kanchi re kanchi re, Phoolon ka taaro ka sabka kehna hai (Hare Krishna Hare Raam, 1971), Badha natkhat hai re, Chingari koi bhadake, Kuchh to log kahenge, Raina beeti jaaye, Ye kya hua kaise hua (Amar Prem, 1971), Hawa ke saath saath (Seeta Aur Geeta, 1972), Jaan-e-jaan dhoondata phir raha, Ye jawani hai deewani (Jawani Deewani, 1972), Duniya mein logo ko dhoka kabhi ho jaata hai, Rona kabhi nahin rona, Sun  Champa sun Tara (Apna Desh, 1972), Neend chura ke raaton mein (Shareef Badmash, 1973), Main ek chor tu meri rani (Raja Rani, 1973), Jheel ke us paar (Jheel Ke Us Paar, 1973), Panna ki tamanna hai (Heera Panna, 1973), Diye jalate hain, Main shayar banaam, Nadiya se dariya dariya se sagar (Namak Haram, 1973), Bheegi bheegi raaton mein, Ek ajnabi haseena se, Hum dono do premi (Ajnabi, 1974), Chori chori chupke chupke, Karvate badalte rahe, Jay jay Shiv Shankar, Suno kaho kaha suna, Zindagi ke safar mein guzr jaate hain jo mukaam (Aap Ki Kasam, 1974), Do naino mein aansu bhare hain, O manjhi re (Khushboo, 1975), Jab taq hai jaan, Holi ke din, Mehbooba mehbooba, Ye dosti hum nahin chhodenge (Sholay, 1975), Ruk jaana O jaana (Warrant, 1975), Mere naina sawan bhaadon, Parbat ke peechhe (Mehbooba, 1976), Badhe achhe lagte hain (Balika Badhu, 1976), Aise na mujhe tum dekho seene se laga loonga (Darling Darling, 1977), Lallah lallah lori, Suhani chandini raaten hamen sone nahin deti (Mukti, 1977), Aati rahengi bahaaren, Kasme vaade nibhayenge hum (Kame Vaade, 1978), Ham bewafa hargiz na the, Lets do Cha cha cha (Shalimar, 1978), Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahaani (The Great Gambler, 1979), Swan ke jhoole padhe (Jurmana, 1979), Maine poochha chand se (Abdullah, 1980), Pyaar karne wale pyaar karte hain shaan se, Yamma yamma ye khubsurat samaa (Shaan, 1980), Dekho maine dekha hai ek sapna, Yaad aa rahi hai teri yaad, Yeh ladki zara si deewani lagati hai (Love Story, 1981), Kya yahi pyaar hai (Rocky, 1981), E ri pawan dhoonde kise tera man (Bemissal, 1982), Jab ham jawan honge (Betaab, 1983), and Aur kya ahd-e-wafa hote hain (Sunny, 1984).

Before we actually take up the song, first, lets take up the value added learning of today. From the last seven times we started learning about some of the leading personalities in Indian Classical Music or Shastriya Sangeet. The first one that we took up was Ustaad Asad Ali Khan, the finest Rudra Veena player in the country. Then we took up Pandit Hari Parsad Chaurasia, the greatest Bansuri player in the country. Then we talked about Ali Akbar Khan, the greatest Sarod player in the country. Then we took up Pandit Ravi Shankar, the greatest Sitar player in the world. Then we took up the greatest classical singer in the country (of Carnatic tradition): MS Subbulakshmi. Then, we took up the greatest classical singer in the country (of Hindustani tradition): Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Finally, we learnt about the Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan. Tonight, we shall learn about Annapurna Devi, a great Surbahar (bass sitar) player of Hindustani Classical Music.

Annapurna Devi was born as Roshanara Khan on 16 Apr 1927 in Maihar (a princely state in British India, now in Madhya Pradesh) to Alauddin Khan who was a court musician of Maharaja Brijnath Singh. It was the Maharaja who named her Annapurna. Ali Akbar Khan, the greatest Sarod Player that we have already taken up, was her brother. She became an accomplished Surbahar player of the Maihar Gharana founded by her father (For learning more about Surbahar please see Raaga Based Song Of The Day #54). Her father, Alauddin Khan’s sitar student Pandit Ravi Shankar married her; he was 21 years old and she 14 years old at that time. She converted to Hinduism after marriage. Their marriage lasted for two decades. One of the reasons for the breakup of the marriage was because she used to get applauded more than him. After their divorce, she never performed in public again. She took to teaching music. Over the years she has had notable disciples: Hariprasad Chaurasia, Nityanand Haldipur, Nikhil Banerjee, Amit Bhattacharya, Pradeep Barot and Saswatti Saha (Sitar). In 1982 she married her student Rooshikumar Pandya. He died in 2013. In 1977 she was awarded Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilan award. In 1991 she was awarded the highest in performing arts: the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Lastly, a word about the movie from where this song has been taken by me. The 1972 movie Amar Prem was produced and directed by Shakti Samanta and starred Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore, Vinod Mehra and Madan Puri. Sharmila Tagore was Pushpa in the movie, forced into become a courtesan by Madan Puri. Rajesh Khanna was Anand Babu. Fed up of the indifferent ways of his own wife, he used to love coming to her and listen to her sing (eg, Raina beeti jaaye). The story when it unfolded made some of our social values stand on their head and the audience just loved the silent love that gradually evolved between the two. This song is the representative of the hollowness of social values (viz: Hamako jo aane dete hain hum khoye hain in rang raliyon mein; hamane unako bhi chhup chhup ke aate dekha in galiyon mein). Superb lyrics by Anand Bakshi.

Please enjoy in Raag Khammaj, Taal Kaherava, Kishore Kumar sing a composition of RD Burman on the lyrics of Anand Bakshi in the 1972 Shakti Samanta movie: Kuchh to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna…..

(कुछ तो लोग कहेंगे, लोगों का काम है कहना
छोड़ो बेकार की बातों में कहीं बीत ना जाए रैना ) – २
कुछ तो लोग कहेंगे, लोगों का काम है कहना

कुछ रीत जगत की ऐसी है, हर एक सुबह की शाम हुई – २
तू कौन है, तेरा नाम है क्या, सीता भी यहाँ बदनाम हुई
फिर क्यूँ संसार की बातों से, भीग गये तेरे नयना
कुछ तो लोग कहेंगे, लोगों का काम है कहना
छोड़ो बेकार की बातों में कहीं बीत ना जाए रैना
कुछ तो लोग कहेंगे …

हमको जो ताने देते हैं, हम खोए हैं इन रंगरलियों में – २
हमने उनको भी छुप छुपके, आते देखा इन गलियों में
ये सच है झूठी बात नहीं, तुम बोलो ये सच है ना
कुछ तो लोग कहेंगे, लोगों का काम है कहना
छोड़ो बेकार की बातों में कहीं बीत ना जाए रैना
कुछ तो लोग कहेंगे …

We have intended to learn about Raaga based music whilst we entertain ourselves with Raaga based songs. So, lets, once again, take stock of our collective learning so far:

1. On the first day we learnt about the Raaga system devised by Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, which is the prevalent system in Hindustani Classical Music and based on ten Thaats.
2. On the second day we learnt about Tal or Taal.
3. On the third day we learnt about characteristics of Raagas that included Swar, Jati, Thaat, Arohana and Avarohana, Vadi, Samvadi and Pakad.
4. On the fourth day, we learnt about Sargam.
5. On the fifth day, we learnt about notations used in Indian classical music or simply Swar Lipi.
6. On the sixth day, we learnt about the Ras (sentiments) that Raagas evoke.
7. On the seventh day, we learnt about various types of Swar: Shuddha, Achal, Vikrut, Komal and Teevra.
8. On the eighth day, we learnt the parts of a composition in Indian Classical Music.
9. On the ninth day, we learnt the names of some of the popular instruments used in Indian Classical Music.
10. On the tenth day, we learnt about the sources of names of Raagas.
11. On the eleventh day, we learnt about why Bhairavi is the first raag to be taught to beginners and also why it is the last in a performance.
12. On the twelfth day, we learnt about Khammaj Thaat.
13. On the thirteenth day, we learnt about Tal Punjabi Theka or Sitarkhani.
14. On the fourteenth day, we learnt about Alap.
15. On the fifteenth day, we learnt about List of Raagas (Raagmala) in my favourite book: Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
16. On the sixteenth day, we learnt about tips for raaga identification.
17. On the seventeenth day, we learnt the basics of Gharana system.
18. On the eighteenth day, we learnt about Filmi Sangeet.
19. On the nineteenth day, we learnt about the commonest Tal in Raagas: Tintal.
20. On the twentieth day, we learnt about the Kafi Thaat.
21. On the twenty-first day, we learnt a little more in detail about the classification of Raagas.
22. On the twenty-second day, we learnt the essential differences between Bhairavi and Bhairav.
23. On the twenty-third day, we learnt a little more in detail about the Jati or Jaati of a raaga.
24. On the twenty-fourth day, we learnt details of Thaat Bilawal, the most basic thaat in the Bhatkhande’s system of raagas.
25. On the twenty-fifth day, we learnt about Tintal.
26. On the twenty-sixth day, we learnt in detail about the Raaga – Samay linkage.
27. On the twenty-seventh day, we learnt about Lehar.
28. On the twenty-eighth day, we learnt about the history of the Hindustani Music.
29. On the twenty-ninth day, we learnt about Dhrupad.
30. On the thirtieth day, we learnt about Rupaktal that I was introduced to, a few months back, by my friend Anand Desai.
31. On the thirty-first day, we learnt about Khayal.
32. On the thirty-second day, we learnt about Thumri.
33. On the thirty-third day, we learnt about Tappa.
34. On the thirty-fourth day, we learnt about Tarana.
35. On the thirty-fifth day, we learnt about Tal Dipchandi (Moghali).
36. On the thirty-sixth day, we learnt about Tabla.
37. On the thirty-seventh day, we learnt about Kirtan.
38. On the thirty-eighth day, we learnt about Pakhawaj.
39. On the thirty-ninth day, we learnt about Hori.
40. On the fortieth day, we learnt about Dadra.
41. On the forty-first day, we learnt about Kajri.
42. On the forty-second day, we learnt about Chaiti.
43. On the forty-third day, we learnt about Sarangi.
44. On the forty-fourth day, we learnt about Shehnai.
45. On the forty-fifth day, we learnt about Sarod.
46. On the forty-sixth day, we learnt about Bansuri.
47. On the forty-seventh day, we learnt about Ektal and Tanpura.
48. On the forty-eighth day, we learnt about Veena.
49. On the forty-ninth day, we repeated our learning of Veena with a small excitement added.
50. On the fiftieth day, we learnt about Dilruba/Esraj.
51. On the fifty-first day, we learnt about Jaltarang.
52. On the fifty-second day we learnt about Qawwali.
53. On the fifty-third day, we learnt about Sitar.
54. On the fifty-fourth day, we learnt about Surbahar.
55. On the fifty-fifth day, we learnt about Harmonium.
56. On the fifty-sixth day, we learnt about Santoor.
57. On the fifty-seventh day, we learnt about Swarmandal.
58. On the fifty-eighth day, we learnt about the Shruti Box.
59. On the fifty-ninth day, we learnt about Alankar.
60. On the sixtieth day, we learnt about singing in Aakaar.
61. On the sixty-first day, we learnt about the Classification of Indian Musical Instruments.
    
62. On the sixty-second day, we learnt a little about Carnatic Music.
63. On the sixty-third day, we learnt about Natya Shastra.
64. On the sixty-fourth day, we learnt about evolution of musical instruments in India down the ages.
65. On the sixty-fifth day, we learnt about Riyaaz.
66. On the sixty-sixth day, we looked at a list of Raagas in Hindustani Classical Music.
67. On the sixty-seventh day, we learnt about the health benefits of raagas.
68. On the sixty-eighth day, we learnt a little more comprehensively about the moods and emotions that raagas evoke.
69. On the sixty-ninth day, we learnt about a mobile application to help identify raagas.
70. On the seventieth day, we learnt about Melakarta Raagas.
71. On the seventy-first day, we learnt about Sangita Makarand.
72. On the seventy-second day, we learnt about TaalMala an Android application for personalized accompaniment of musical instruments during Riyaaz or even during Concert.
73. On the seventy-third day, we learnt about Indian Classical Ragas, an Android application for mobile phones.
74. On the seventy-fourth day, we learnt about Saregama Classical, another application for Classical Raagas.
75. On the seventy-fifth day, we learnt about a free online service available to learn Indian Classical Music.
76. On the seventy-sixth day, we learnt about List of Hindustani Classical Musical Festivals in India and Abroad.
77. On the seventy-seventh day, we learnt about List of Carnatic Musical Festivals in India and Abroad.
78. On the seventy-eighth day, we learnt about Jhaptal.
    
79. On the seventy-ninth day, we learnt about Ektal.
    
80. On the eightieth day, we learnt about Tivra Tal.
81. On the eighty-first day, we learnt about the greatest Rudra Veena player ever: Ustaad Asad Ali Khan.
82. On the eighty-second day, we learnt about the greatest Bansuri player alive: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
83. On the eighty-third day, we learnt about the best Sarod player in the country: Ustaad Ali Akbar Khan.
84. On the eighty-fourth day, we learnt about the greatest Sitar player in the world: Pandit Ravi Shankar.
85. On the eighty-fifth day, we learnt about the greatest Indian vocalist of Carnatic tradition: MS Subbulakshmi.
86. On the eighty-sixth day, we not just learnt about the greatest vocalist of Hindustani tradition: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi but also learnt about Tal Hinch.
87. On the eighty-seventh day, we learnt about the Shehnai maestro Ustaad Bismillah Khan.
88. And today, on the eighty-eighth day, we learnt about Annapurna Devi, the greatest Surbahar player in India.

There is much more still to be learnt and enjoyed.

Please stay tuned!

The twentieth day of songs in this series.

In the last nineteen days, we have taken up songs of ten male singers: Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, SD Burman, KL Saigal and Pankaj Mullick. We also took up songs of nine female singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Uma Devi (Tun Tun), Suraiya and Zohrabai Ambalewali and Sudha Malhotra.

Tonight, we shall take up a song of our eleventh male singer: Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’ and the song is another favourite: Mujhe na sapno se behlaao. I have chosen this non-filmy number over Jagmohan’s Meghdoot song: O varsha ke pehle baadal. By the way, both songs are by the same lyricist Faiyyaz Hashmi and same composer: Kamal Dasgupta.

Jagmohan was born as Jaganmoy Mitra and as a composer and singer earned the title of ‘Sursagar’ (the ocean of notes (music)). The 1955 Gyan Mukherjee movie Sardar has one of his famous songs: Pyar ki talkhiyan jo na seh sakun karun main kya karun? It was sung by Lata Mangeshkar. As far as songs that he sang are concerned, the one from Meghdoot is his most famous one. However, there are the non-filmy songs by the team of Faiyyaz Hashmi, Kamal Dasgupta and Jagmohan. These include:

• Dil de kar dard liyaa mai.n ne
• Dil ko hai tumase pyaar kyo.n
• Ek baar muskuraa do
• Maaluum hai mujhako
• Mat kar saaj si.ngaar sundari
• Merii aa.Nkhe.n banii.n diwaanii
• Mujhe Kaamosh rahane do
• Niraas me.n aas prabhu meraa
• Prem kii nayyaa ko milaa hai prem nadii kaa kinaaraa
• Sapano.n me.n mujhako pyaar milaa
• Su.ndar ho kitanii su.ndar ho
• Tum mere saamane aayaa na karo
• Us raag ko paayal me.n jo soyaa hai jagaa do
• Ye chaa.Nd nahii.n terii aaratii hai

The Government of India honoured him with India’s fourth highest civilian award: Padma Shri. However, more than the award, Jagmohan has a cult-following and his fans swear by him and the title ‘Sursagar’.

Komol or Kamal Dasgupta was born on 28 Jul 1912 in Kalia, Narail district of Bengal; now in Khulna, Bangladesh. He matriculated from Calcutta Academy, graduated in commerce from Comilla Victoria Government College. He did his doctorate in music from Benares Hindu University in 1943. The subject of his specialisation was Mira Bai. His early inspiration came from his father, Tara Prasanna Dasgupta. He took his first music lessons from his brother, Bimal Das Gupta. Later he studied under Dilip Kumar Roy, Kana Kesta, and Ustad Jamiruddin Khan. He emerged as a versatile musical genius. Raaga and Thumri were the main elements of his music. He was also a singer in Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Tamil. He was a brilliant composer who composed nearly 8000 songs, mostly based on classical music. In 1956 he converted to Islam and took the name Kamal Uddin Ahmed. He married Feroza Begum, a renowned Nazrul Sangeet singer in the same year. Their second and third sons Hamin Ahmed and Shafin Ahmed are lead singers with Bangladeshi Band Miles.He died on 20 Jul 1974 in Dhaka.

Fayyaz or Faiyyaz Hashmi too was born in Calcutta in 1920.  His father, Muhammad Hussain Hashmi, was also a poet with pen name ‘Dilgeer’ as well as a writer of stage drama. Fayyaz Hashmi was employed as the resident lyricist by the British-owned Gramophone Company of India from 1943 to 1948. “Fayyaz Hashmi wrote his first verse, ‘Chaman mein ghuncha-o-gul ka tabassum dekhne walo – Kabhi tum ne haseen kalyon ka murjhana bhi dekha hai’, when he was in 7th class.” He wrote his very first full songs that Talat Mahmood sang in 1941 (Sab din ek samaan nahin tha) and the runaway hit Tasveer teri dil mera behla na sakay gi with music composed by Kamal Das Gupta. He is best known for his ghazal: Aaj jaane ki zid na karo. In 1951, he was transferred by his employer, Gramophone Company of India, to Lahore to organise the music scene in Pakistan. There he promoted many talented artists including Farida Khanum (who sang the ghazal Aaj jaane ki zid na karo), Saeen Marna, Saeen Akhtar and Saeen Budha. He died on 29 Nov 2011 in Karachi, Pakistan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBvdIsBmQ6g

The bhaav of these brilliant lyrics by Fayyaz Hashmi is that the lover is not carried away by showing him a dreamworld by his beloved. He wants it to be tangible; something that he can touch and own.

Please enjoy Jagmohan ‘Sursagar’ sing a composition of Kamal Dasgupta on the lyrics of Faiyyaz Hashmi: Mujhe na sapano se behlaao….

मुझे न सपनों से बहलाओ

( दूरी का दुख दिल पे सहूँ मैं
रह के पास भी दूर रहूँ मैं ) -२
छूना चाहूँ छू न सकूँ मैं -२
कौन ये रीत बताओ
है कौन ये रीत बताओ
मुझे न सपनों से बहलाओ

( गंगा से तुम आवो नहा के
केश सुखाओ बाँह फैला कर ) -२
मेरे तमन्नाओं पर छा कर -२
काहे फिर छुप जाओ
तुम काहे फिर छुप जाओ
मुझे न सपनों से बहलाओ

( रोज़ मेरे सपने में आना
नित नित रूप नया दिखलाना ) -२
रोज़ छुड़ा कर आँचल जाना -२
ऐसा ज़ुल्म न ढाओ
तुम ऐसा ज़ुल्म न ढाओ
मुझे न सपनों से बहलाओ -२

The whole world is Maya, they say, a mere dream or mirage. However much we enjoy it, it will always be transient. And yet, there is always this tendency to own, to possess, call something or someone your own, touch and feel. It is only human. This song transports me into that world, the world of earthly love that is incomplete without the physical part. In short, you can’t be married to a dream.

One of my favourite old English songs is Trini Lopez’s ‘What have I got of my own?’ It has matching lyrics to those of Hashmi though Lopez’s came much later in 1976:

I hope you enjoyed it too.

Please await tomorrow’s song.