Guest Authors

Remembering my father and the legend Madan Mohan

Guest article by Sangeeta Gupta, daughter of Madan Mohan, wishing Merry Christmas to the readers

(Sangeeta Gupta discovered ‘Songs of Yore’ like any other person who stumbles upon this blog while searching for something relating to old film music, and started commenting like any other reader, without wearing her identity on her sleeve. Arvinder Sharma informed me that she is the daughter of Madan Mohan. Since SoY was carrying a tandem series on Roshan-Madan Mohan, I approached her for writing a guest article on her father, as a finale to the series, with his songs for ‘other’ singers. As unassuming as she is on the blog, she accepted my request without any fuss or airs, even though she was not in good health.

Sangeetaji is the eldest among the three siblings, her two younger brothers being Sanjeev and Sameer Kohli. She is a homemaker, she has been away from Bombay for 36 years (she lives in Jaipur). She is a passionate listener of the music of all composers, especially semi-classical songs and ghazals. I thank Sangeetaji for concluding the tandem series on Roshan-Madan Mohan, with her personal reminiscences of Madan Mohan. Since I have covered major singers separately, she very kindly agreed to mention songs by ‘other’ singers. Thank You, Sangeetaji. – AK)

Madan MohanI have been an admirer of ‘Songs of Yore’ ever since I discovered it. The blog shows respect to all the artistes, and does not indulge in bringing down one to bring up another. This is the quality which made me read it regularly, especially whenever I was looking for some reference link to a song or topic. My heartfelt congratulations to AKji and wish that he continue with his efforts and endeavours. It is my pleasure to write for this blog about my father, who was a legend in his lifetime.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

In the Musical Memory of Meena Kapoor

Guest article by Shalan Lal as a tribute to Meena Kapoor (c. 1930 – 23 November 2017) on her first death anniversary (Meena Kapoor has not been acknowledged enough on SoY. Mumbaikar8 has drawn pointed attention to this omission, and was sore that I credited the songs of ‘Anokha Pyar’ (1948) like ‘Yaad rakhan chaandREAD THE FULL ARTICLE

The Faint Echoes of the October Revolution: A Centenary of the Capricious Philosophy in the Socio-political life!

Guest article by Shalan Lal

(No event in history has caused as much impact on the world of politics and ideas as the Russian Revolution of October 1917. And no revolution has strayed as much from its path, turning into a totalitarian regime and causing untold miseries on its people. The political edifice collapsed under its own weight, but it did have a romanticised sway on art, culture and literature for a long time.

The topic of this post is way beyond the scope of this blog, but Shalan Lal has a way of weaving many threads and transcending boundaries in her articles. She shared her first draft long ago, in time for the centenary of the revolution, but I had a lot of comments on her content and presentation. Anyone else would have given up, but she persisted and has redone the article substantially. After the politics, she quickly comes to the echoes of the October Revolution in our films and songs. This would stimulate and provoke, which she encourages liberally. I am happy to present Shalan Lal’s guest article commemorating the completion of a century and one year of  the October Revolution. – AK)    

Communist starThe October Revolution occurred ‘One hundred and one’ years ago on 24 October 1917 in Russia, in Petrograd, renamed later on as Leningrad, and then renamed again, after the Soviet Project was dissolved like an air bubble in 1994, as St Petersburg or Petrograd. (And some say why the changes of Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai and Calcutta to Kolkata, Poona to Pune, etc. – ironically they all are the echoes of the Red Revolution!)

This seemed to be a practice in politics of many parts of the world. In  Tripura, a Lenin’s statue was knocked down by the jubilant BJP party workers after their victory in the last state election. Here is the picture of the Lenin’s statue being knocked down in the city of Belonia. After knocking down the statue the severed head of the statue was wickedly kicked about. A kind of anger expressed by supposedly civilized BJP members in the style of the knocking down of the statue of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein after the fall of Iraq. Also the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha!

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Sajjad Hussain, Bollywood’s Loss

Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Sajjad Hussain on his 23rd death anniversary (15 June 1917 – 21 July 1995)

(Sajjad Hussain has been acknowledged as an undisputed genius by all the stalwarts of film music. His name also became a byword for his short temper and his spats with his colleagues. This came in the way of a ‘successful’ career. But whatever he composed – about a hundred songs in 14 films – has achieved everlasting fame. DP Rangan has done some very in-depth research to come up with a worthy tribute to a composer, who was ‘difficult’ in more ways than one. Thank you Mr Rangan. – AK)

Sajjad HussainThe title was chosen to emphasize what invaluable contributions of film music of a genius was lost to film goers by the negative attitude of the industry towards a music director who refused to compromise on his principles and to kowtow to the directives of bigwigs in the industry and insisted his own ideas of music composition should prevail.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Roshan & Madan Mohan: Twin Towers of Rhapsody

Guest article by DP Rangan, with annotation by Subodh Agrawal, as a joint tribute to Roshan on his 101st birth anniversary (14 July 1917 – 16 November 1967) and to Madan Mohan on his 43rd death anniversary (25 June 1924 – 14 July 1975)

(Subodh Agrawal once said that we often think of music directors in tandem: RC Boral & Pankaj Mullick; Naushad & C Ramchandra; Shankar-Jaikishan & OP Nayyar; Khayyam & Jaidev and so on. They had either similar musical sensibilities, or they were the dominant players at some point of time, or they had something else in common. Roshan & Madan Mohan stand out in tandem in many ways: Punjab origin; their classical-based, melodious music far from the ‘Punjab School’; both acclaimed for high quality of their music, but commercial success not commensurate with their quality. One earned fame as the King of Qawwalis; the other, King of Ghazals. After the special series on the stalwarts Anil Biswas, SD Burman, Naushad, C Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan and OP Nayyar, I had planned to write on Roshan-MM in tandem, when DP Rangan wrote to me that he wanted to do a post on Madan Mohan. I passed on my idea of the tandem post with focus on their classical-based songs. That brought in Subodh to a subject that belonged to him in the first place. It is befitting that this post is being written by two guest writers in tandem: One highly motivated to take up any challenge; and the other, learned in classical music with the ability to explain it in a fluent style. Thanks a lot Mr Rangan and Subodh for this excellent post as a joint tribute to the two highly respected music directors. – AK)

Roshan & Madan MohanWhile woolgathering I often relapse into old memories reliving the moments when songs used to blare from transistors, a technology gift from Japan, making it possible to carry music with us on the go. I was particularly mesmerized by songs based on classical music, Hindustani and Carnatic. In the initial years after birth of talkies circa 1931, music directors used to rely on classical music for setting tunes in films and branched into other genres as ghazal, light songs, qawwali etc. in subsequent years. Many of Saigal’s film songs were microcosms of classic music, like Baalam aaye (Devdas), Babul mora (Street Singer), Hat gayi lo kaari ghata (Lagan). The contemporary situation in Kollywood was practically the same. Classical music-inspired film music pieces will hold sway over years and grow in value over ages as there will be no dearth of music lovers to lap it up.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Suraiya: The Last Nightingale of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan

(Suraiya was literally as sweet as a nightingale. I have covered her in some detail. But with his amazing enthusiasm for research, DP Rangan was not deterred in finding enough interesting material and uncovered songs on her. I thank Mr Rangan for this nice article and join him in paying my tribute to one of my greatest favourite singers on her 89th birth anniversary (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004). – AK)

SuraiyaThis is the seventh in the series of posts on this chanteuse, a rage among her admirers in late 1940s. The earlier six posts were all creations of the blog master. Four of the posts were on her combination with the music directors Naushad, S D Burman, Anil Biswas and Husnlal-Bhagatram. The fifth one was general in character based on her songs of the later part of her career, i.e. 1950s through 60s, and the sixth was a small writeup focused on a song Door papiha bola. Naushad, Husanlal Bhagatram and Ghulam Mohammad were music directors in bulk of her films and it will be difficult to exclude Naushad in any discussion of her songs. I have tried as far as possible not to repeat any of the songs from the earlier posts. Such are her achievements, blogs can be written on several aspects of her personality ad infinitum. I have tried to trace her biography and illustrated with songs not so well known as is my usual practice.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Talat Mahmood: A Mesmeriser

Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Talat Mahmood on his 20th death anniversary (24 February 1924 – 9 May 1998) (We know all the famous songs of Talat Mahmood. Most of them are already covered on SoY. But that is not a deterrent to a real Talat-fan like our indefatigable DP Rangan,READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Tasveer exhibits of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan

(A lesser mortal, when asked to write on songs on ‘tasveer’, would have made some general observations about pictures, and mentioned some songs which contained the word ‘tasveer’. Not DP Rangan, as we know well by now. Mr Rangan takes us to pre-historic days when mankind would have started making some pictorial representations by sketching on rocks and caves. Thank you Mr Rangan for another article, in a long series of guest articles, loaded with information . – AK)

Tasveer banata hunLiving beings emerged from the primordial chemical bath some three billion years ago on Earth and human beings seem to be the latest in the ladder of life. Unlike other living entities who were solely concerned with their day to day survival and perpetuation of their species, humans, because of their extra sensory perception and intellect, sought to understand the surroundings in which they evolved. They are the only species not to live in harmony with nature, but try to twist it to suit their living conditions with disastrous consequences for all. They seem to have developed a sense of ego and creativity all along and exhibit it in some form or another. They developed the art of drawing on rocks leaving behind memories of the environment in which they evolved. Thus was born the art of sketches and drawing and tasveer was a by-product of this trait.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Nuptials in Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan

(With Makar Sankranti and Pongal, as the month-long ‘inauspicious period’ comes to an end and the wedding season is set to resume with full vigour, our indefatigablete  DP Rangan comes up with a very nicely-timed post on nuptial songs from our films. In his characteristic style, Mr Rangan packs in a lot of sociological information on the evolution of the institution of marriage across cultures. He also comes up with an outstanding collection of songs of different hues. Thank you Mr Rangan for yet another excellent article. Coincidentally, a message is doing the rounds that the state of Virginia (US) has resolved to designate 14 January every year as Pongal Day in their calendar. Let me also wish the readers Happy Makar Sankranti and Pongal. – AK)

Pi ke ghar aajMale and female interrelationship among Homo sapiens tended to be loose in ancient days when they started to spread over the globe, starting from Africa. They migrated on foot in close-knit groups and colonised Europe and Asia over a period of more than several thousands of years. At that time they were primarily a hunter gatherer group wandering all over following their prey. There were no permanent settlements. Life expectancy was low and mortality rates quite high particularly among males who were the prime hunters. There was no fixed bond between male and female and change of partners was quite common.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

OP Nayyar unlike OP Nayyar

Guest article by Ravindra Kelkar

(OP Nayyar lived life king size. Even when he was in financial difficulty in his later years, he was immaculately dressed and had a regal bearing; there was no dent in his famous pride – he refused the Lata Mangeshkar Award for music, which carried a substantial cash award for those days, when he was in need; he never cared for winning friends and impressing people. His music was as much in-your-face – the infectious rhythm and joy was recognizable from miles. It was impossible for such a person to be unlike him.

Ravindra Kelkar started his series on OP Nayyar with an overview of three phases of his career. After covering his peerless combination with Geeta Dutt, his influence on other music directors, and his duets in two parts, he brings the curtain down on the OPN series with his sixth and the last article – befittingly with his unique songs which are very different from his characteristic style.

This theme was first suggested to me by a reader Mukund Gadgil a few years ago, who also sent me a draft article. I made some suggestions with regard to the write-up and the song selection to fit with the general style of SoY, but I did not get any response from him. I tried a couple of times later to establish contact with him, but didn’t succeed. When Mr Kelkar came on board to write the series, I suggested the theme to him. The write-up is entirely his. I suggested some songs which fitted the theme according to me, and I am happy to note that most of those songs have been included. I thank Mr Kelkar for his highly acclaimed series, and this excellent concluding article. I also take this opportunity to thank Mr Gadgil for the theme idea. This may be the last on OP Nayyar, but I trust this is not the last of Mr Kelkar. Hopefully, we will have more from him on other themes. – AK)

OP NayyarThis is the last post on OP (did I hear a collective sigh of relief?) and this interesting theme was suggested by AK. Before, we get into it, let us take a summarized look on OP’s career highlights.

 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE