A tribute to old Hindi film music. Songs of the 30s through the 60s.

Music Directors

OP Nayyar: The Composer Par Excellence

January 16, 2026

Guest article by Ravindra Kelkar as a tribute to OP Nayyar on his Centenary (16 January 1926 – 28 January 2007) (We have now reached the concluding post of the guest author in the series of tributes to OP Nayyar, coinciding with his centenary. OP Nayyar was one of the most complex personalities of Hindi […]

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Book Review: “Soulfully Yours – Ravi”

January 1, 2026

Wishing all the readers and their families a very Happy New Year Soulfully Yours: Ravi Author: Manek Premchand Published by: Blue Pencil, Delhi 2025 ISBN: 978-81-943921-4-9 Price: ₹675 (Paperback on Amazon); Pages: 455 The regulars of this blog are well-informed about old film music. How do we view Ravi? I have been quite open about […]

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OP Nayyar’s favourite instruments and his orchestration

December 20, 2025

Guest article by Ravindra Kelkar in the series of Centenar Celebrations of OP Nayyar (b. 16 January 1926 – d. 28 January 2007) (Ravindra Kelkar is a well-known OP Nayyar-fan. The grand centenary celebration of Rafi on SOY inspired him to mount a similar centenary celebration for OP Nayyar. Ashok Vaishnav’s articles on RD Burman’s […]

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RD Burman’s singers besides the Big Four

December 8, 2025

Guest article by Dr Rajesh Deshpande, bringing the curtain down on the series of tributes to RD Burman with his songs for ‘other’ singers (Dr Deshpande had a big role in anchoring the series of tributes to RD Burman. We have seen in his articles a comprehensive coverage of the theme. That is evident in […]

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Best songs of 1940: Wrap Up 4

November 27, 2025

And the Award for the Best Music Director of 1940 goes to? We are now entering the early years of the Vintage Era. The first talkie Alam Ara was made in 1931. And song and dance beame an integral our films from the beginning. However, most of our heritage of the earliest years is lost […]

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OP Nayyar’s Non-Film Songs

November 4, 2025

Guest article by Ravindra Kelkar continuing the series on OP Nayyar’s centenary celebrations (b. 16 January 1926 – d. 28 January 2007) (Seeing the grand centenary celebration of Rafi on SOY in 2024, a known OP Nayyar fan Ravindra Kelkar proposed to celebrate his centenary, too, appropriately. Coincidentally, his centenary was still a few months […]

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R D Burman and His Orchestration Improvisations: Vocal Experiments

October 24, 2025

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav (We are celebrating 2025 as the year of RD Burman. He was acknowledged for his improvisations in sounds. Our guest author Ashok M Vaishnav has already covered his instrumental improvisations in percussion, string and blow (or wind) instruments. An important part of RD Burman’s orchestral improvisations was his novel […]

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The trio that changed the Hindi film music scene – RD Burman, Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Khanna

October 13, 2025

Guest article by Dr Rajesh Deshpande in the continuing series on RD Burman, with his songs for Rajesh Khanna on Kishore Kumar’s 38th Remembrance Day (4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) (The single most important factor for RD Burman’s fame is his songs for Kishore Kumar lip-synched by Rajesh Khanna on the screen. Therefore, […]

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Lata Mangeshkar’s best songs by RD Burman

September 28, 2025

A tribute to Lata Mangeshkar on her 96th birth anniversary (b. 28 September 1929 – d. 6 February 2006) with her best songs by RD Burman continuing the series of tributes to him Lata Mangeshkar’s singing-acting career started in 1942 with Marathi Nritya-Natak and Marathi films, under tragic circumstances, when RD Burman was still a […]

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R D Burman and His Orchestration Improvisations: Blow Instruments

September 18, 2025

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav (When I mentioned that I would need help from our guest authors from the SOY-community to dedicate the year of 2025 to RD Burman in a befitting manner, Ashok M Vaishnav offered to write a few articles on instrumental improvisations by RD Burman. He has already anchored a series […]

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