Guest Authors

Rajendra Krishna and Madan Mohan: Classic Case of Two Geniuses at Work

Guest article by Hans Jakhar on Rajendra Krishna’s combination with Madan Mohan

(Hans Jakhar is among the regular readers of SOY who believe that the lyricists deserve greater recognition than what is generally given to them. It is true that even the serious followers of old film music give prominence to the singer and the music director of a song, almost to the point of lack of any recognition to the lyricist. I myself belong to this camp, resulting in a conspicuous gap in the coverage of lyricists on this blog. Hans Jakhar has offered to fill up this gap. He wrote a nice article on Shakeel Badayuni’s combo with Ravi about two years ago. Recently, he decided to write a series of articles on Rajendra Krishna’s combination with some of his principal music directors. The first article in the series was on his combination with C Ramchandra. This second article in the series is on Rajendra Krishna’s most popular and lasting combination with the music director Madan Mohan.

Readers familiar with Hans Jakhar’s style know that he is very meticulous in his data and presentation of facts. Besides, his love for the lyrics flows out of his articles. This is another treat for those looking for substantive articles on the lyricists. Thanks a lot Hans for your efforts. – AK)

Rajendra Krishna-Madan Mohan

This is the second post in the series on Rajendra Krishna. This was already scheduled to be the second in the series, being the most important and long lasting pair Rajendra Krishna made with a composer. This came second in the series because C Ramchandra (CR)-Rajendra Krishna combo had become enormously famous before this one. Avinash Kumar and Mahesh pointed this out and I immediately agreed. The fact that Rajendra Krishna wrote lyrics for 36 of Madan Mohan’s films and 268 songs out of his total output of 614 (name of the lyricist of two songs from film Beti (1957) is not known, so I am not counting them) is hardly the only recommending feature of their enduring relationship which went on for 25 years.

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Rajendra Krishna with the Albela Karigar C Ramchandra

A tribute to the lyricist Rajendra Krishna (6 June 1919 – 23 September 1987) on his 34th Remembrance Day by guest author Hans Jakhar

(The lovers of old film music regard Rajendra Krishna with a lot of respect for a large number of immortal songs he wrote. His most prominent association was with C Ramchandra, the unique craftsman. C Ramchandra was not only reckoned as the tallest composer for a number of years, rivalled by only Naushad, he was also known for breaking new grounds with his unconventional songs, and his very fast output. Rajendra Krishna was his regular lyricist for many of these superhits.

Many readers have mentioned that the lyricists deserve more coverage on SOY. Fortunately, there are some among our guest authors who are ever willing to fill up the gap. Hans Jakhar has been interacting with me about some prominent lyricists he would like to write on. He got busy in some personal matters which affected his participation on the blog. But he has been able to send me his article on Rajendra Krishna on his most famous association with a composer, as his tribute on his 34th Remembrance Day. The readers may please note that many sources, including film credit titles write his name as Rajinder Krishan/Krishen. But being conditioned by Akashvani, I prefer to write it as Rajendra Krishna. (And the readers must have, of course, noticed that ‘Albela’ and ‘Karigar’ both are names of films which had Rajendra Krishna-CR songs.)

Hans needs no introduction to the regular readers of SOY. His writing is backed by data, it is functional and precise and he is very knowledgeable. He is a retired government official. As the readers can make out, this article is the start of a series; Hans would cover Rajendra Krishna’s association with a few other important composers in due course. Thanks a lot Hans for this excellent guest article.- AK)

Rajendra Krishna penned more than 1500 songs in 232 films with 34 composers, but his fame is not commensurate with the quality and quantity of work that he produced. As the focus has always been on composers, only those lyricists who were inalienably linked with some prominent composers were discussed more. There were exceptions like Sahir Ludhiyanavi who kept themselves in the news in some way or other. But Rajendra Krishna, like Ravi in the composers, was a low-key, simple person who did not believe in self-propaganda. His most commonly known story is his winning the jackpot in horse races and even in that people are not sure about the time of the occurrence.

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Mukesh’s Non-film Hindi Geets and Ghazals

A tribute to Mukesh on his 45th Remembrance Day (b. July 22, 1923 – d. August 27, 1976) by guest author Ashok M Vaishnav

(Mukesh is among the mainstream playback singers who sang some truly outstanding non-film songs (NFS). Therefore, for any lover of Mukesh, a post on his famous geets and gazals would be most welcome.

Ashok M Vaishnav is a well-known name for SOY regulars. He has written over 20 guest articles for SOY. We know him as a thorough researcher which comes from his engineering and management background.  He has written a comprehensive article on Mukesh’s non-film songs as a tribute on his 45th Remembrance Day. We lost him this day in 1976 of heart attack in Detroit, USA where he had gone for a public performance. Thank you Ashokji for this timely article. – AK)

The saga of performed songs in India is an age-old tradition. The knowledge transfer in the ancient times used to happen by word of mouth. Many lessons were encapsulated into the form of songs, which were rendered in the singing form to make them more interesting and easier to remember.

Ancient saint poets created devotional songs that were easily moulded into singing pattern. On the other hand, social events like festivals or births, deaths, marriages also provided ideal platforms for songs as means to share joy or sorrow. The advent of theatre created another genre of songs – songs that were essential part of the story of the play. These used to be romantic songs or dance songs or songs of national spirit and such varieties. It was not uncommon for a song to be played for the whole night as it would keep getting incessant ‘once more’s.

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Kumkum: The Danseuse Butterfly of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) on her first death anniversary

(The dancers had an important place in our films. They came in amazing varieties. There was a tradition of the top actresses themselves being professionally trained in classical or popular dance forms, such as Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman, to Hema Malini to Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Aishwarya Rai. Some mainstream actresses performed ‘Item Numbers’ for a lark. The other end was a night club or cabaret dancer, such as Helen, Bindu and Jayshree T etc. Since this was not seen as a very noble activity, they were generally given a small role of a vamp.

In this crowded field, it is to the credit of Kumkum that she carved out her own niche as a dancer with grace on whom some of the most memorable songs of the Golden Era have been picturised. As she had a proper training in Kathak, her dance always showed her class. Her natural talent for dance, her supple body and expressive eyes made her a sought after artist. She did several lead roles or second lead roles in which she showed her acting prowess too. To pay our tribute to her on her first death anniversary is the indefatigable DP Rangan.

As the regulars of SOY are well aware, Mr Rangan is 70-plus going on 17. He is the most prolific guest author on SOY. Undeterred by the difficulty of language, he is always after me what next he should write on. I instantly welcomed his suggestion to write on Kumkum. Thank you Mr Rangan for this tribute to Kumkum we all like so much. – AK)

The lure of filmdom started right after movies started invading everywhere. Men and women in search of fame and wealth had made a beeline for the tinsel towns where studios were rooted and functioning. Our Bharat is no exception to this golden rule. Lahore was probably the first town where this started during the colonial era. Calcutta also emerged as another such centre. Then Bombay joined the bandwagon and thereafter Chennai came into the film map. As part of technical advancement, silent movies were supplanted by talkies with the film Alam Ara in 1931. All with a histrionic talent or with pretensions to it sought fame and riches in this tinsel world of glamour. Most of them came from poor families ready to confront this game of life and death. Success meant stardom, wealth and fame and those who failed to make it count were left by the wayside. Ladies with alluring looks as a powerful weapon had an easier time at grappling with the studio moghuls and those with dancing skills had a decided advantage.

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Raja Mehdi Ali Khan: Lyricist Par Excellence

Guest article by D P Rangan as a tribute to Raja Mehdi Ali Khan on his 55th Remembrance Day (b. 1915/1928? – d. 29 July 1966)

(There are at least two dozen lyricists who wrote more songs than Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. Yet every lover of old film songs has the highest regard for him, especially for the exquisite songs he wrote for Madan Mohan. For many of us, it might come as a surprise that his songs for Madan Mohan are about one-sixth of his total output. That underscores the talent of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan.

To do full justice to such a highly respected lyricist, you would expect the writer to have very deep familiarity with Hindustani language. D P Rangan is not deterred by minor constraints, such as lack of adequate knowledge of the language. He comes up with another of his very sincere guest articles. He is conscious that lyricists have not been given due importance on SOY, therefore, his article fills up an important gap.

Mr Rangan is a retired government servant, now well into his 70s. We know him for his enthusiasm and zest for life. He has written over two dozen guest articles for SOY, the most by anyone. This article has been in my folder since the last year, but it turned out to be a very crowded year. Mr Rangan  appreciated my scheduling difficulties, and allowed me to post it on a later suitable date.

Let us pay our tribute to the great lyricist Raja Mehdi Ali Khan on Madan Mohan’s 97th birth anniversary, with whom he had the most memorable association. Thank you Mr Rangan for this nice guest article. – AK)

Raja Mehdi Ali KhanA rare combination of poet, writer and lyricist in erudite Urdu is how I think of this gifted individual who streaked across the cinematic field in blazing glory for a brief span of time and embraced eternity by his untimely demise at a very young age of just thirty eight years. His achievements in this brief sojourn in terra firma speak for themselves. Here is my humble effort to pen his biography for scrutiny by blog followers.

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Remembering Ninu Mazumdar – the composer and the singer

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav paying a tribute to Ninu Mazumdar on his 21st death anniversary (9 September 1915 – 3 March 2000)

(Ninu Mazumdar is a big name in Gujarati music. Hence we have Ashok M Vaishnav paying a tribute to him with this guest article. He has brought us closer to other stalwarts from Gujarat, such as Avinash Vyas and Dilip Dholakia, who worked actively in Hindi films too. This is in addition to Ashokji’s numerous other guest articles on this blog on many themes.

Ninu Majumdar’s music and songs have been mentioned sometimes on SOY. But not many know that he was also a very melodious singer. Ashokji has done a very extensive research on his career, and in this article he presents songs sung by him under his baton as a music director. Except one, Ayi gori Radhika, all the songs presented here must be new to the readers. This bouquet of songs is a listener’s delight. I thank Ashokji for this excellent article. – AK)

Ninu MazumdarNinu is the family pet name of Niranjan Mazumdar (B: 9-9-1915 | D: 3-3-2000), who has 20 Hindi films to his credit as a music director, 28 Hindi film songs in his own voice, one film each as a lyricist and as a film director. Ninu Mazumdar was born in a community, which was traditionally more literate in those times. His father, Nagendra Mazumdar, was a dramatist and director in the silent film era. Nagendra Mazumdar has also acted in a comedy cameo role in K L Saigal’s classic Tansen (1943). Ninu Mazumdar’s childhood upbringing happened under the guidance of his maternal grandmother at the then Gaikwad princely state Baroda. She herself was a leading social reformist. Here, Ninu Mazumdar got his initial training in classical music under Ustad Faiyaz Khan and Ustad Imam Chili Khan.

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Hans Akela: A song that stood tall amid the ruins

Wishing the readers a very Happy New Year with guest article by Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli

(Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli is a familiar name for SoY regulars. He is one of the latecomers to the blog, having first discovered it in 2016 – the blog was started in 2010. But he has made a mark for his insightful comments, wit, easy command of language and interesting turn of phrase. An eminently suitable person to write a guest article. I am happy that he accepted my request to write one on a topic of his choice.

‘Ud jayega hans akela’ is a famous Nirgun bhajan of Kabir, which has become synonymous with Kumar Gandharva. We all leave this world alone. Similarly there are solitary songs from forgotten films or forgotten music directors that have achieved everlasting fame. Hindi film music would be poorer without these Hans Akelas. 

Covid19 changed the world in many fundamental ways. The most important change it forced on us was to make us unlearn that the ‘Man is a social animal’. My post on ‘Songs and contra-songs’ was influenced a great deal by the raging pandemic. Its broad theme was suggested by Mr Muli, though long before anyone had heard of the new virus. It is befitting that he has chosen to write on ‘Hans Akela’ to herald the New Year. We all wish that the dark clouds disappear in the New Year and  we don’t ‘have to be’ Hans Akelas, and we are back to our normal lives as we are used to.

 Mr Muli is an MSc in Statistics and a trained Cost & Management Accountant (CMA). He has been a banker for a number of years, a faculty member at ICFAI, and has been now managing his own coaching institute for CA aspirants in Aurangabad.

Mr Muli’s debut article has everything you can expect from his pen. Thank you Mr Muli and welcome to the Guest Authors Club. – AK)

Hans akelaI believe that an average Indian has at least one of the following three traits: she or he is a Hindi Film buff, or a zealot cricket lover, or a disillusioned political analyst and I am no exception.

My journey with HFM started at the age of 7 years when I first listened to Aaasma ke neeche. Mine was a well-to-do family in a small town of Marathwada. In the late sixties, arrival of a new radio was no less than a festival for us. The seller had come to our house and was demonstrating the clarity of various stations. While surfing he hit upon this station where Aasma ke neeche was being played. He lingered over there for a moment and changed the station quickly, knowing very well that Vakil Saab (my father) abhorred Hindi films and songs. But the song had a lasting impression on me, and in the due course when I became aware that SD Burman was the composer, I became and still am his fan (a case of love at first sight).

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N Datta-Rafi: When they meet it is GOLD

Guest article by Hans Jakhar as a tribute to N Datta (12 December 1927 – 30 December 1987) on his 93rd birth anniversary with his songs for Rafi

(You can’t get a more passionate fan of Asha Bhosle than Hans Jakhar, and she was the principle female playback singer for Ravi. Therefore, he was the most natural choice to write on her best songs for Ravi in the series of tributes on him last year. The discussions on that post led to N Datta for whom Asha Bhosle was even a more predominant singer. Hans again became the natural choice for writing on her anniversary this year with her best songs composed by N Datta.

A most welcome bonus was that he offered to write on N Datta’s songs for Rafi. This was the classic case of one thing leading to another, but he became terribly busy with his personal affairs. It was very kind of him to, nevertheless, squeeze time for this post, though we have overshot N Datta’s 93rd birth anniversary by a day.

Readers are aware that Hans never does anything half-heartedly. This post too bears his exhaustive research, and you get not only an excellent selection of songs, but also an overall perspective on N Datta’s rise and fall, and despite that, his great talent in composing some everlasting songs.

Let us pay a tribute to the unlucky genius N Datta with his songs for another genius Rafi, on his 93rd birth anniversary. Thank you Hans for you efforts. – AK) 

N Datta-RafiLast year in the series on Ravi, I wrote on Ravi-Asha Bhole and Ravi-Shakeel Badayuni. In my second post, Mumbaikar8 commented that she would have liked me to write on Ravi-Rafi. By that time both of Ravi-Rafi posts had already been written by AK. I am sure every reader on SOY knows that not only AK’s write-ups and song selection are exemplary, but also the song descriptions. I am sure Mumbaikar8 agrees with me on that and the reason for her wish was due to the fact that she wanted to see a write up from the perspective of a Rafi fan. AK also agrees to the difference of perspectives and because of that he asked me to write on N Datta-Asha Bhosle, though he has already written a number of great posts on her. This time I requested him to allow me to write on N Datta-Rafi to which he kindly agreed.

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Hemant Kumar’s solo songs under ‘other’ batons

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav in the series of Centenary Celebrations of Hemant Kumar (16 June 1920-26 September 1989)

(SOY has launched a befitting Centenary Celebration of the much loved music and film personality Hemant Kumar, starting with N Venkataraman’s foundational article Hemantayan Part 1 on his Birth Centenary, 16 June 2020, which covered his life and career up to 1960. Venkataramanji anchored the post-1960 till the end part of his career with Hemantayan Part 2, published on his 31st Remembrance Day, 26 September 2020. In tandem with that, Ashok M Vaishnav took a closer look at Hemant Kumar’s career as music director with three articles covering his female playback singers, male playback singers and duets.

In the course of his exploration Ashokji felt that with this series, Hemant Kumar’s songs as a singer need a detailed separate post. His songs under his own baton are quite well-known. His songs under the baton of S D Burman and Ravi have been covered earlier in the series on these music directors. Ashokji never chooses the easy path. He expressed a desire to write another article on his songs under the baton of other music directors. I am happy to present it in this calendar year to round off the grand Centenary celebrations of Hemant Kumar. Thank you Ashokji. – AK)

Hemant Kumar with Kishore KumarEvery major article written on Hemant Kumar, invariably runs into a debate of his being more a complete music director or a singer. The discussion invariably moves to the question – whether he sang better under his own music direction or under the direction of ‘other’ music directors. As can be expected, most of such discussions end with the participants divided equally on either side. However, one view which emerges more often than not is that what he lacked in the range as a singer, he was able to more than compensate that by creating songs that other singers could do justice to. Moreover, it is also very commonly agreed that even when he had had some of the most outstanding songs under ‘other’ batons, use of his range as a singer was utilised in a very narrow band by other music directors.

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