Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living.
Out of our overconfidence, fear;
out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope.
And out of hope, progress.
Did you hear about the latest reality music show in TV town ? Saregamapa (yet again !)
In a few dragging weeks, there will be yet another coronation of a "superstar" with all the pomp and show befitting a ... reality music show winner !
So what is new this time around? Its not just "Zee saregamapa champion" or "saregamapa mega champion" or "champion of all champions". If the title is anything to go by, this one is going to produce a real "singing" superstar ! Finally ! Zee got the word right ! "singing". I hope they really mean it this year.
I dont know how big a "superstar" Zee is going to produce this time around, given the name and fame of previous hopefuls, I hope the "singing" superstars are not made into singing (for) supper stars !
I am not sure how big this is going to get. The talent is there. I like many of the contestants in the intro round and I am excited to hear more from them.
So on the request of a few good friends, I have started a blog here - http://saregamapa2010.wordpress.com/ for reviews and rants from Tansens and 'Kaan'sens.
Hamaare baad ab mehfil mein afsaane bayaan honge,
Bahaarein humko dhoondengi na jaane hum kahan honge
... says the scratchy squeeky rusty oldies of beeta hua kal... rather parson.
The ritual of everyday-life has churned out my days, weeks, months, years and all along I have lugged my treasure trove of songs, many in my collection, and some in my memory.
However, a few have managed to slip out of both, and have faded into oblivion.
My relationship with these lost oldies is so strong, that even though I forgot them, they didnt forget me, and they found their way into my life once more...
Youtubing random old songs to find something new, and following the other links they lead to, some vague choice of words or a flash of a scene could bring back a moment from memory, and I would snap myself into a frenzy to search for that song.
Here are a few new oldies that I have recently added into my potli... the ones I had shamelessly forgotten.
jo dil ki raah se guzri hai wo bahar ho tum
I agree !
Such a melodious voice ! I did not know the name of the movie until I found it here. A soulful set of lines sung by Suraiya, penned by Kaifi Azmi, set in the most melodious tune these lines could ever be set in, by Ghulam Mohammad.
From this song, Suraiyya led me to her famous Mirza Galib sound track which led me to more of Talat Mahmood which led me to this .... how the heck did I forget this awesome song !!!??
This one would be missed in many popular playlists. I would be so unfortunate if yeh gaana na aata meri zindagi mein !
What can I say about a song where the king of blue moods, Talat Mahmood, uses a surprisingly brighter shade and says some upbeat and optimistic words, while Lata ji takes the role of the pessismist. Couldn’t help noticing this subtle twist.
Salil Chaudhry deserves a special kudos just for that !
The piano strains in the song has been fooling me into thinking that this was a run-of-the-mill piano 'n party number. But I was pleasantly surprised to find so much simplicity in the picturization.
I get the story ;) I guess the man is going to be in for a surprise when he gets his sight back !
By the way... Shashi Kapoor in this song ?
I wouldn't have guessed in a trillion years !
Here is one song that I never really forgot about, even though it did fade away. It became more dhundla as time passed by.
One of the few films which starred Helen as the leading lady. Appropriately titled cha cha cha for the dancing queen, this is a popular song nevertheless. My mom's old LP cover had Helen in a period costume, so I assumed this movie was one of those Anarkali types.
The song itself is so unique, there is no pattern to it. Both Mohd Rafi and Asha Bhonsle sing most of the lines together, in harmony. Yet there is no lip sync on screen. Now this is what I call a like-minded couple !
My fault, I let it go out of my mind, shockingly missed it in my collection until a few days back when it came cha cha chaing back !!
Further digging led to more amazing findings of forgotten melodies from the pre-internet age. Another classic, Bengal ki dhun mein, an interesting sync between background piano strains and Hemant Kumar.
I have only heard Geeta Dutt's version of this song, and have been searching for it for a long time now. I haven't found it yet. Found the male version instead.
The search is still on for the lady's and the original Bengali version, which I am sure exists. I have to research more on the name Timir Baran, the sangeetkar.
I dont remember where I got this knowledge from ... I swear, I knew it before Wiki did ... that our jaani Raaj Kumar appeared as a hero for the first time in a film called.... something.
I knew the song though... A Rafi solo
Yeh hasrat thi ke iss duniyan mein bas do kaam kar jaate,
Tumhari yaad mein jeete, tumhare gham mein mar jaate
I wonder why the soundtrack of Nausherwan a dil never made big waves.
There is another awesome romantic one Bhool jaayein saare gham doob jaayein pyar mein
baj rahi hai dhun yehi raat ke sitaar mein
This one is another catchy romantic duet from the same movie, a lost long ago 'n recently found gem from my khazana...
Next up, I found a Madan Mohan Lata Mangeshkar lost 'n found !
This should not be passed off lightly as a "rare gem". I would polish it and present it as the crown jewel of the MMLM khazana.
Let me say this one more time ... how the heck did I forget this awesome song !!!?
I am almost embarrassed when I listen to it ... I feel as if yeh gaana mujhse kuch keh raha hai !
This equally poignant, unplugged version presented by Madan Mohan stumbled into my collection very recently. I am told that there is no audio version of this song in the market anymore.
Yeh gaana hum sab se kuch keh raha hai !
Jumping ahead a few years to a more recent oldie, to Narendra Chanchal, the very vibrant voice of jaagran nights.
He is best known for his high spirited jai mata di bhajans.
I also remember him fondly for the mesmerizing yaara o yaara ishq ne maara from the benaam film of the Big Bachhan.
This one is yet another oldie that is not so old, that I never forgot, nor let go from my memory, but found no easy way to find it at all ...
A presumably daraawna movie called Daaku, which I believe starred Kabir Bedi, and which had least-known names behind this awesome song.
Caught on youtube, although not the original movie scene, this is a nicely compiled set of pictures, in sync with the sentiments of the song.
The joy I find in these old classics is immeasurable. I have been told several times arre yaar, aage bhi to badho ! Music scene has advanced so much !
Whether music ho ya scene, I find these black & white oldies stay green ... forever.
Long overdue for this blog...
With my micro-miniscule knowledge and, insignificant to nil experience in classical and ghazal gaayiki, I symbolize chhoti mooh badi baat perfectly whenever I attempt to talk about this pristine genre of music ...
especially when I want to take the name of a legend called Mehdi Hassan.
Here, I have attempted the most challenging task of picking only a few out of my most favorite ghazals of the Ustaad, Mehdi Hassan.
It happened to me during the 80s ... when mainstream Hindi film music was losing steam ... huffing, puffing and panting after a stupendous run through the golden era up till the 70s.
The first drizzle of awareness, of a lyrically and magically musical genre of music called ghazal, fell on me when I heard Pankaj Udhas in an offbeat tele-film called Agnidaah. I remember the movie only because of Pankaj Udhas's version of Dil dhadakne ka sabab yaad aaya, a lovely, melodious song that played several times in the background.
Even in mainstream bollywood music, I have always found myself paying special attention to the gaane ke bol, appreciating good lyrics over good background music. But I used to find the poetry in ghazals and nazms a bit overwhelming. The complex metaphorical language of the lyrics was intimidating, yet intriguing. Moreover, seriously shayarana Urdu was a different beast !
So in those good ol days, I would pick my ghazal choices purely based on the attractive voice of the singer.
Like many many others out there, my first taste of the mithaas of some seriously supreme Mehdi Hassan ghazals was with the melodious
Ranjish hi sahi, dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa .
The poetry was powerful, yet easy enough to absorb and appreciate, even for a beginner. Above all, the soft romantic voice that was rendering the song was the hook that sunk me deep into this genre of music.
Jaise tujhe aate hain na aane ke bahaane,
aise hi kisi roz na jaane ke liye aa...
Yeh to bas shuruat thi...
When Mehdi Hassan entered my world of music listening, he kick-started me on a journey to collect some of the best poetry ever to grace the ghazal scene, sung to perfection by the man himself.
Listen to the easy flow of heart wrenching poetry, etched to perfection with the depths of emotions in his voice ! ... Pure bliss !
Early days of effervescent youth is filled with colorful life and romance. So obviously in my budding Mehdi Hassan ghazal collection, the romantic songs and catchy tunes were most popularly demanded by me. I would fast-forward the dull melancholic and serious ghazals to get to the melodious
Khuda kare ke mohabbat mein yeh maqaam aaye, kisi ka naam loon, lab pe tumhara naam aaye
And of course, my favourite was the world's favourite romantic ghazal too ...
Apni jazbaat mein nagmaat rachaane ke liye
maine dhadkan ki tarah dil mein basaya hai tujhe ...
Main tasavvur bhi judaai ka bhala kaise karun,
maine qismat ki lakeeron se churaaya hai tujhe ...
Soon, I caught up with some more sweetness in the romantic Duniyan kisi ke pyar mein jannat se kam nahin ... and some bitterness in the romantic Mujhe tum nazar se gira to rahe ho, mujhe tum kabhi bhi bhula na sakoge.
The soulful voice emoting the simple lyrics of Sata sata ke humein ashkbaar karti hai
or the melodious flow of pathos in the slow and sombre Yeh dhuaan sa kahan se uthta hai , combined with the supreme poetry of the ghazals have created a potent, intoxicating, melodious genre for me, called 'Mehdi Hassan'.
I am still struggling to get a good audio of sata sata ke humein. Until then my scratchy radio version will have to do.
No matter how many times I have heard these songs, and continue to hear them, they never step down from my collection ! Ever !
Growing up in this genre, as I continued to develop my passion and the gaana parakhne ki samajh, I found myself giving special appreciation to the original versions of Mehdi Hassan songs that are recorded in studios. His voice in the original recordings has a unique 'doob jaao' factor that beautifully accentuates the "feel" in the lyrics. The voice brings out the fuzzy emotions in the poetry, wrapping the words in just the right amount of pathos, pain and passion.
Falling in love with the genre of ghazals was easy, even though deep Urdu scared me silly. It still does ! But I have made some progress over time.
The effort of understanding the words in context of the lyrics, is absolutely essential to appreciate the poetry in ghazals. I make that effort.
When I listen to Mehdi Hassan rendering the poetry, masterfully modulating his voice around the words, stressing each syllable the right way to highlight the emotional nuances in the lyrics, I find the effort is thoroughly enjoyable.
This is what I mean ...
How easy was it to grow my Mehdi Hassan collection those days when broadband was way too narrow ?
Just a little bit of struggle, I would say ... like meddling with my Phillips 2-in-1 to catch any music program aired anywhere in the world, hoping to capture Mehdi Hassan's voice in blank cassettes. Making sure not to overwrite an already filled side A of the cassette !
Even though, it was easy to get hold of the music albums that were easily available in the local HMV stores, the road got rough during the khazaane ki khoj, when I got greedy and wanted good audible versions of all the awesome songs that I was catching on the radio.
That is the reason I spent almost 20 years looking for the original studio recording of the immensely popular ghazal
Jal bhi chuke parwane ho bhi chuki ruswai
I especially find this original studio recorded version a gem, an absolute collectible, because it gives me an achy throat every time I listen to it ...
This is a ghazal which I had heard on rare occasions on some weird, offbeat, non-filmi desi musical programs on some unheard of videsi radio stations.
Ik shaam wo aaye the, ik raat farozaan thi,
wo shaam nahin lauti, wo raat nahin aayi
Somewhere, some early time during this journey, I remember obsessing over a slow ghazal set in a monotonous tune, which I had accidentally heard on one of those weird radio programs.
During a repeat transmission, I recorded it on a Hitachi 60 min cassette. The recording stopped in the middle because the tape had run out.
For years after that, that scratchy bit was the only piece of the song I had access to. As far as I searched, no audio track in any compilation in the market carried this ghazal, and after a while, I gave up the search altogether.
The dull music and the soft voice of the singer lulled me .. almost hypnotically, like no other song in my bollywood collection at that time. But, I didnt know who the singer was.
It was years later, when knowledge was just a google search away, that I could connect the voice of Mehdi Hassan to this Faiz ghazal.
Phir nazar mein phool mehke, dil mein phir shammein jali,
phir tasavvur ne liya us bazm mein jaane ka naam
Another Faiz ghazal that found its soulmate in Mehdi Hassan's voice ...
Tum aaye ho na shab e intzaar guzri hai,
talaash mein hai sehar baar baar guzri hai..
The treasure hunt continued as I stumbled upon a rare recording of dil mein ab yun tere bhoole huye gham aate hain... in the familiar soft, melting voice.
Hmm... Mehdi Hassan and Faiz ! It would be criminal if I missed mentioning THE most in-demand Gulon mein rang bhare baad e nau bahaar chale
... a sure cure for dry eyes !
There were pockets of time in life when I was exposed to various musical Mehdi Hassan resources, and those times I obsessively collected his ghazals. And then there were other times, times of hibernation, when my current weird music collection would keep me company until I hit the next favourable pocket of time in life ... !
The colorful days of youth ... there is no reason why a gray, dull tune or some boring out-of-the-ordinary poetic catch phrases in a ghazal, would get any attention from me. Yet, years ago, a gray 'n dull voice did fill my colorful times, and I faced a perfect moment filled with failing words, when I listened to this amazing ghazal for the very first time ...
Kaise chupaun raaz e gham deeda e tar ko kya karun ...
... and this has remained in my most wanted ghazal playlist for years !
I can see how Mehdi Hassan's famous ghazals and film songs have earned him the crown as the King of this genre of music. When I watch and listen to the videos of Mehdi Hassan's live performances, when I listen to how his voice and his emotions punctuate the poetic expressions in the words, I have understood why his ustaadi is undisputed.
Listen to the amazing rendition of Wo dil-nawaz hai, lekin nazar-shanaas nahin, mera ilaaj mere charagar ke paas nahin and feel free to concur with me.
Did the crown also cover all the other rare gems that have not gotten the attention they deserve?
A shockingly well hidden gem in the Mehdi Hassan khazana is the intensely powerful Bulleh Bulleh Shah poetry ki jaana main kaun which has passed through the heart and soul of several musicians who have rendered this awesome poetry.
From Abida Parveen to Rabbi Shergil, to the Pakistani rock band Junoon, some of Bulleh Shah's poems have been syruped with pure sufi, sufi-rock and pure rock flavours.
If the lyrics of Bulleya ki jaana main kaun humbles me with the powerful, awakening questions, then hearing it in Mehdi Hassan's voice makes me misty eyed every single time I experience this song.
Each time he repeats the verses bullehya ki jaana main kaun, he stresses on a different word, a different syllable... generating some serious soul-power with his soft, honeyed voice.
What a pure and sacred connection to the self !
Here, there is no powerful voice in high volume, there is no strong and rhythmic drum beats to lull the senses, no catchy tune either.
There is just the velvetty soft richness of Hassan saab's voice that flows me though every nuance of the lyrics, through the mysteries of Bulleh Shah's verses, guiding me into the labyrinths of my existence.
For easy listening, I recommend the awesomely romantic Rafta rafta wo mere hasti ka saaman ho gaye and the romantically awesome pyar bhare do sharmile nain.
For a more deeper experience, change over to the slow 'n sombre
Ulti ho gayi sab tadbeerein, kuch na dava ne kaam kiya or the nostalgic Bhooli bisri chand umeedein, chand fasaane yaad aaye, tum yaad aaye aur tumhare sath zamane yaad aaye.
A jhalak of the ustaadi of the ustaad, yet another masterful stroke, can be experienced in the rarely heard Mohe panghat pe nandlal chhed gayo re... which sounds similar to the Lata Mangeshkar song from Mughal-e-aazam
I find the lyrics in this song quite extrodinary... there is Ghalib, and then there is also Meer and all are weaved in with the mukhda. What a brilliant composition brought to life by the Ustaad !!
A unique, one of a kind, amazing song...
A must-mention classic, that is guraranteed a place in any Ghazal playlist in the world, is ofcourse the Mughlaai masterpiece
Baat karni mujhe mushkil kabhi aisi to na thi...
And if the Mehdi Hassan classic is played on screen by the Ustaad himself, it is called sone pe suhaaga. There is nothing else that needs to be said ...
Several years ago, a locally made collection called "Finest ghazals of Mehdi Hassan" spotted me during a casual shopping experience in New Delhi's Nehru Place. This album put me in touch with some of the best works of the maestro. Alongside the soft honeyed Gulshan gulshan shola-e-gul ki, zulf-e-saba ki baat chali and the melodious Kaise kaise log hamare jee ko jalane aa jaate hain, there was a beautiful ghazal that sped me along the khoj to hear more from this extraordinary ghazal singer.
A rare ghazal that remains rare despite the efforts of the Internet to shrink the world...
Saari kahani bechaini ki maathe pe likh deti hai,
aisi baat ke ghutte ghutte mooh tak aaye aur reh jaaye ...
The pick of my playlist at this moment is the awesomely amazing, yet rarely talked about
Suraj ubhra, chamka, dooba, laut aayi phir shaam..
Shaam huyi phir yaad aaya ik bhoola bisra naam,
Phir mann doob gaya saajan mein, doob gaya... !
Unusually long post dedicated to the maestro !
Hmm... very short infact.
I want to wrap up, but while looking for youtube links to present in this blog, I found this rare classic, which reminds of Lata Mangeshkar's nainon mein badra chhaye and couldn't resist adding it here
... which will surely lead us on to expand this discussion to add Mehdi Hassan's other classical and semi classical jewels into this khazana ...
The Ustaad's musical journey in his own voice :
Thank you, Mehdi Hassan saab, for gracing our times with your golden voice and for the immense joy you have spread in our world ... May god bless you with good health and happiness, forever !
