Alka Yagnik

Alka Yagnik

Winner of 4 Best Female Playback Singer, Filmfare Awards

For the past decade or two, Alka Yagnik, has reigned supreme in the world of playback singing in India. The Ek Do Teen girl has been pushed even further into the limelight since the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, took a partial break from singing. Being the premier female playback singer in India today, Alka has achieved what few can hope to do.

Starting her career with the song "Tere Angne Mein", Alka Yagnik really got moving with "Ek Do Teen". With this hit song from "Tezaab", Alka has been climbing the ladder of fame consistently. Since Lata and Asha had become voices of yesteryears, the top spot was up for the grabs. Alka Yagnik came to the party at the right time and overshadowed few close competitors. Alka had hits after hits, such as, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (Gazab Ka Hai Din), Akele Hum Akele Tum (Raja Ko Rani Se), Deewana (Aisi Deewangee), Baazigar (Baazigar O Baazigar), Karan Arjun (Jaati Hoon Main), Criminal (Tu Mile), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (Ghunghat), Khamoshi (Bahon Ke Darmiyan), Raja Hindustani (Pardesi Pardesi), Taal (Taal Se Taal), Refugee (Panchi Nadiya and many more.

Born and brought up in Calcutta, Alka Yagnik came to Bombay almost two decades ago and ever since she has become an inseparable part of the film industry. In her short career, she has had the privilege of walking away with three Filmfare awards and two National awards. Born to a lady who happens to be a classical singer herself, music was in her blood.

She started singing Bhajans for the Calcutta Radio, at the tender age of six. According to her, singing was just a hobby initially but as success and popularity came along, she started taking it up seriously as a profession.

Alka Yagnik has been trying her hands in other things such as entering the world of Indi-Pop where she has cut an album with Javed Akhtar, "tum yaad aaye", and that too with great success.

Married happily to a successful US based guy, Alka enjoys her family life and holidays are reserved for the closed ones. Getting up early in the morning, exercising and getting her daughter ready for school, are a few things that show that Alka is a family person.

We hope that Alka continues to rise in her field of work and keeps her listeners enthralled by her enchanting voice. We wish her best of luck for the future and things to come.

Alka Yagnik is a bollywood singer who sings hindi music for hindi Bollywood films Alka Yagnik provides great entertainment to Indian entertainment industry.

source:
http://alkayagnik.8m.com/

Manna Dey

Manna Dey

Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.

Manna Dey was a flawless singer who could sing any type of song. From Qawwalis (Yeh Ishq Ishq hai) to romantic duets (Pyar hua iqraar hua), fast nubers (Aaoo twist karen, Jhoomta mausam mast mahina) to patriotic songs (Aye mere pyare watan) or prayer numbers (Tu pyar ka saagar hai) -- he was the versatile genius. His mastery over semi-classical geets was something, which even the multi-faceted voice of Rafi could not match.Being the versatile genius he was, he won the Filmfare award for his toe-tapping number "Aae bhai zara dekh ke chalo" from "Mera Naam Joker". The song happens to be one of the most intricate compositions of Shankar-Jaikishen and it was the genius of Manna Dey that made it sound so simple and fluent.

It was almost half a century ago, when Prabodhchandra Dey, now famous as Manna Dey fresh from Vidyasagar college in Calcutta, was in two minds about whether to make music and singing his career or take up a job for a living. His Father Purnachandra Dey, a chartered accountant, wanted his son, a Bachelor of Arts, to be a Barrister. Prabodh, like countless young students of Calcutta, was under the mesmeric spell of his uncle K.C.Dey, who was a well-known actor-singer and popular star of New Theatres. The uncle took his nephew as his disciple. Manna Dey was later taught by Ustad Aman Ali Khan, and thus the young singer gained proficiency in the classical music, a foundation on which he built his reputation. This learning equipped him to present any form of Indian music, classical, light and even Western pop with finesse.

Manna Dey grew up to the soft strains of Baul songs, Rabindra-sangeet, and khayal. K.C. Dey put his nephew through the paces acquainting him with the subtleties of tappa, thumri, bhajan and qawwali. With the disintegration of the New Theaters in 1940, K.C. Dey left for Bombay in search of fresh pastures. Manna joined his uncle and started off in Bombay as the assistant to music director H.P. Das.

In a strange and hostile environment he found his road to fame strewn with obstacles. The main stumbling block for him was the language barrier which threatened to impede his career. By a systematic study of the Hindi language he mastered the phonetic presentation of words which enabled him to sing with ease and felicity songs not only in Hindi, but also in many other languages of India.

Though Manna Dey had been initiated into the world of music at the tender age of 11 by his uncle and guru K.C. Dey by recording a Suraiyya and Manna Dey duet for the film Tammanna, years of struggle followed, at times compelling the talented singer to wonder if his choice of career was the right one. He even thought of coming back to Calcutta and take up his law. However, "Upar Gagan Vishal", the marching song from "Mashaal", turned into a super-hit and made him stay in the music line. Soon, a string of hits followed which established his career on a firm footing.

From the very beginning, Manna Dey has been a perfectionist. He is the only artiste who makes notations before recording a song,so that he can sing and record a song just after one rehearsal. Anil Biswas rightly observed that though Manna Dey could sing everything that Rafi, Talat and Mukesh sang they could not sing what Manna Dey sang.

During his five decades in the film industry, Manna Dey always marshalled all his recourses to render his songs to the highest standards he was capable of achieving to the demands of the moment. However, with the dominance of violence and vulgarity, he found the atmosphere stifling. He thought it better to call it a day. He worked off and on only when the opportunity challenged him. Hit numbers such as ‘Poochho na kaise maine rain beetayee’, ‘Laga chunari mein daag’, ‘Aye meri zohra jabeen’, ‘Na to karavaan ki talaash hai’ and ‘Chunri sambhaal gori’ (the last with Lata) and the absolutely mad ‘Ek chatur naar’ from Padosan to name a few, spin a tale of Indian life. Though his career graph never soared to dizzy heights, Manna Dey doubtless stands apart because of his deep voice and a wide repertoire: from qawwali to light, romantic duets to classical numbers. ‘All that I have attained in music is because of my uncle's training,’ says Manna Dey with a sense of modesty.The last film he sang for was Nana Patekar’s Prahar.

In Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen, he sang Dharti kahe pukar key for Balraj Sahni who looked emaciated in the film. His another hit number Chali Radhey Rani was filmed on a beggar in Parneeta. Unfortunately, that became Manna Dey’s image. Music Directors always summoned him to sing for character actors or for older stars which is the reason that most of his numbers lacked youthful exuberance. He rarely lent his voice to any hero of great stature except occasionally, for Raj Kapoor. While Talat Mahmood and Mukesh went on to become the voices of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor respectively Manna Dey was banished to complement the acrobatics of Mehmood in songs like Ek chatur nar kar ke singaar; Aao twist karen; Hato Jaono jhoti banao batian; Pyar ki aag mein tan badan jal gaya; Khali dabba khali botal etc. He turned such crass numbers into class numbers. Once he admitted that he was forced to accept such stuff just to keep his body and soul together.

The singer’s had a special affection for R.D.Burman and Shankar -Jaikishan.Manna Dey sang a song ‘Aao twist kare’ for Mehmood's ‘Bhoot Bangla’ which was a lift from ‘Come let us twist’. Before recording the Hindi number, R.D.Burman sang the original English song 4ae in such great style that Manna Dey, the recordist and the musicians were breathless. With Shankar –Jaikishan too Manna Dey shared a special bond of affection and friendship. He cherishes his long meetings with them in their music room where he would sing for them for hours. The singer won his Filmfare award for ‘Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo’, the toe-tapping number, from Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker.

Manna Dey feels grieved at the deterioration that has crept into the Hindi film music. He laments to say that the Hindi film music has lost its ‘Indian-ness’. He holds the presentday music directors responsible for the desecration of film music. Living a peaceful life in Simla the singer is stubbornly unwilling to croon vulgar and suggestive songs. He would rather spend the rest of his life continuing his affair with his first love -- music.

Awards And Honors:

Award Song - Movie
Filmfare Awards-1971 Mera Naam Joker - for song 'Ey Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo'

Best Of Manna Dey:
Song Movie
Soch ke ye gagan jhoome Jyoti
Tum jo aao to pyaar aa jaaye Saakhi
Tum bin jeewan kaise beeta Anita
Na to caarvaan ki talash hai Barsaat Ki Raat
Oh nadiya chale chale re dhaara Safar

source:
http://www.hindilyrix.com/singers/singer-manna-dey.html

An Interview Of Mukesh with Himanshu Kumar Bhaduri At B.B.C. London

An Interview Of Mukesh with Himanshu Kumar Bhaduri At B.B.C. London

Himanshu : Aap se miliye, Mukesh, Bharat ke mashhoor filmi gayak.

Himanshu : Mukeshji , Sabse pahle to ye bataiye ki , Yahan kis silsile mein aapka aana hua ?

Mukesh : Main yahan aaya hoon ji , Kuch "performences" dene ke liye , Jagah - jagah par. London mein ji 3-4 show karen . Apne troop ke sung aaya hoon , Babala bhai ke saath shows de raha hoom .

Himanshu : To kis tarah ki sabhaye ho rahi hain ? Is mein aap hi gaate hain ya !

Mukesh : Main gaata bhi hoon aur !! Babala bhai ka bahut achcha orchestra hai . Aap kabhi tashreef laaiye, Dekhiye ! aur kuch thode mimic hain . Ek dance ka bhi thoda item hain .Variety of intertainments.

Himanshu : Achcha mila - jula progarme hai.

Mukesh : Jee haan .

Himanshu : Achcha yahan ke jo programe , jo ab taq aapne kiyen hain , Jo sabhaye huin hain...

Mukesh : Haan jee

Himanshu : ...Vo aapki raay mein kitne kamyab huen hain ?

Mukesh : Main samajhta hoon ki, kuch hamari shows jo hain , vo suffer kar rahin hain kyonki ek to hum galat seesan par aa gaye hain... Dhand bahut ho gayi hai..

Himanshu : ...Jee

Mukesh : ...Khash toor par jahan hum north mein gaye to wahan to bahut hi jyada dhand thi , Ek to uski vajah se aur kuch hamare sayad sponsors bhi inexperienced hain is vajah se aur aage to mujhe...

Himanshu : Sponsors yaane jin logo ne aapke yahan aane ka intjaam kiya..

Mukesh : ... Jee haan... Jee haan

Himanshu : Aapki sabhayoon ka intjaam kiya

Mukesh : ... Jee haan... Haan jee

Himanshu : Yoon Bharat Mein... , Jahir hai...Jab aap filmon mein vyast nahi hote , To samay nikal kar is tarahn ki sangeet sabhayen jaroor karten hogen... aaan.. Kya Bharat ki in sabhayoon mein , in programon mein , aur yahan ki sabhayoon mein kuch aap ne antar paya , koi fhark aapne dekha ?

Mukesh : Bahut fark hai !

Himanshu : Kis tarah se ?

Mukesh : Is tarah se ke wahan pe jyada hain , jyada ordiance hoti hai , jyada appreciative ardience hoti hai .Aur agar pasand nahi aata to jyada galiyaan dene wale log hote hain ( Hhanste hue )

Himanshu : To Yahan... to yahan ye jaan kar khushi hui ki gaali dene wale log nahi

Mukesh : ( Joor se hansten hain ) Jee haan !!

Himanshu : Kya aapko yahan kabhi aesa laga ki , yahan rahne wale jo bhartiya hain , jo yahan aakar bas gaye hain , vo mulk se apna nata tod baithe hain aur khaskar filmi duniya ki khabar unhe nahi rahi , ya usse bahut door ho gaye hain

Mukesh : Nahi ! aesi feeling kabhi nahi hui .

Himanshu : Nahi hui !

Mukesh : kabhi nahi .

Himanshu : Yaane ki jo gaane aapke Bharat mein lokppriya hain , popular hain...

Mukesh : Vo.. vo yahan par bhi hain . Yahan tak ki balki , Mujhe bada tajjub hua tha ki bhai latest picture jo relese hui thi "Be-iman" Mujhe !! mujhe umeed nahi thi ki uske gaane yahan aa gaye honge , magar... taqreeban - taqreeban jitne show mein main gaya . Sab logon ne us gaane ki jaroor request kari mujhse.

Himanshu : Kisi tarah ki koi uljhan aapne mehsoos ki ... Koi embarrassment.... Yahan ki koi khash maang hai janta ki , Yahan ke sunnne walon ki , jo aap nahi de pa rahen hain

Mukesh : Jee nahi.. Jee nahi.. Vo ek... kabhi kabhi punjabi gane ki liye request log karten hain to budkismati se mujhe bahut achchi tarah se punjabi nahi aati is liye... unki vo maang main puri nahi kar paata hoon .

Himanshu : Punjabi nahi aati aapne khoob kaha . Mian... soch raha tha aapse poochon.. Aksar maise suna hai ki , Bharat ke jitne mashhoor gaane wale hain... Aap hain.. Lata Mangeshkar , Rafi inko maine tarah - taraj ki jubanon mein gaana gate suna hai aur aap bhi sayad Gujrati mein gaa chuke hain...

Mukesh : haan jee... Maine Gujrati mein bhi gaya hai... aese maine recording Punjabi mein ki hai . Aesa hai jee... recording karte waqt to itna mushkil nahi hota hai . Ek to... jo... jis aadmee ne gaana likha hota hai...vo hamare paas hota hai koch ki tareeke se. Vo hamen koch karta rahta hai . Aur ek ye ki agar galat ga do to ye confidence hota hai ki ise phir record kiya jayega. To vo confidence ek hota hai saath mein jo freely record kar lete hain .

Himanshu : Ye kis tarah karte hain aap ? Jara Mujhe bataiyega !!.

Mukesh : Jaise maine ek gaana gaya... Farj kijyee.. Aapne...Aapne vo gaan likha hai... Aapne kaha ki bhai ye lafhj galat bola hai , phir use dobara record kar liya . Jab aapne kaha ki bhai ye dheek ho gaya . O. K.

Himanshu : Lakin kayi gaane maine aise bhi sune hain... Aaaa... Naam to khair nahi lena chahunga...

Mukesh : Jee...

Himanshu : Jinme ki talafuujh bada galat hai , Vo baat nahi rahi , to in gaano mein jyada dhyan nahin diya jata . Kya ye kahenge aap ?

Mukesh : Nahin... Agar... Matlab..

Himanshu : Aap ye kahne ki koshish kar rahe the ki agar kisi aur bhasha mein gaana ho to...

Mukesh : Ek talafuujh hi... ek talafuujh hi nahi jee...Ek.. Matalab ek confidence hota hain na , jab aap stage par jaate hain.. Ek confidence se gaane ka irada hota hai . Vo confidence nahi hota agar aap thodi bhi jhijhak aapke man mein ho ki , Sayad main hundred percent perfection ke saath na ga sakoon . To thodi si jhijhak rahti hai aadmi ke andar . Aur talafujjh ke andar aisa hai ki , Main nahi samajhta ki koi record aesa ho ki jismein koi playback singer kaaf aur kaafh ka agar farak kar de ... phir..phir to pata nahi ki aapke jahan mein ho aisa koi khash record.

Himanshu : Khair ! Yahan aapne kai jagah-jagah gaane gaaye aur jahir hai aur bahut se logon se mile bhi hongen Aapne dekha hoga ki kai loog aese bhi hain jo 15-20 saal pahle yahan aa gaye the aur unke jahan mein vahi gaane hain vo Mukesh ko usi tarah jante hain jis tarah vo chood aaye the !!!

Mukesh : Haan jee...

Himanshu : To... to mumqin hai unhone aese gaane ki farmayish ki ho jo ki vo sun aaye the jo ki aap 15-20 saal pahle gaa chuke hon .

Mukesh : Jee haan... unki sab farmayishe puri ki gayi .

Himanshu : Puri ki...

Mukesh : Haan... Aur mujhe. . aur mujhse jyada abhi hamare sang Anandji bhai the , unko bada tajjub hua , ki 20-20 , 25-25 saal purane gaane - Parwarish ke - Aansoo bhari hain ye zeevan ki raahen , Dil jalta hai to jalne de aansoo na baha fariyaad na kar yaani purane - purane gaane . Aese - aese gaane jinki kabhi umeed nahi karte the , unki request karten hain .

Himanshu : To kya aap ke kahne ka matlab ye hai ki jo gaane aapne 15-20 saal pahle gaaye , vo abhi tak aapko yaad hain ?

Mukesh : Haan...Ye Aakhir... Baat ye hai jee ki aksar bombai mein bhi main jab rahta hoon , hafte mein do ya teen performences kahin na kahin karni padti hain aur aksar jab main show mein jaata hoon to kuch gaane aese hain jo har show mein mujhe repeat karne padte hain .

Himanshu : Nahin.. unke liye to aapne ek formula sa bana rakha hoga ki ek gaana purana gayunga usmen ek ghazal hogi usmein ek bhajan hoga .

Mukesh : Vohi farmula taqreeban - taqreeban universal hai . Sab jagah wahi baat hai .

Himanshu : Koi kabhi aesi uljhan aapko ho jaaye ambresment ya sankoch nahi hua jab kisi ne achanak beech mein se kah diya ho ki humko falan gaana Mukesh Sahab sunaiye aur aapko sayad khayaal bhi na aaya ho ki vo to mujhe yaad bhi nahi ki maine gaaya ho ya kisne gaaya ho ?

Mukesh : Nahin...Nahin ( Hanste hue )... Ye to.. Itana to nahi hua magar haan ek kabhi kabhi aese gaane ki request kar deten hain ki vo sayad kabhi dayri mein na likha ho , vaise main dayri ko refer karta rahta hoon , magar koi - koi gaane jo bahut hi purane hon , jo dayri mein bhi na hon to...

Himanshu : ..To aap apni dayri nikar kar is waqt foran mujhe bata sakte hain , kitne gaane gaa cguke hain aap ?

Mukesh : Maine kabhi isko gina hi nahi...Baat ye hai ki jo kal ho chuka hai usko ginkar kya fayeda ?

Himanshu : ...Matalb kal ki dayri aap nahi dekhte...

Mukesh : ...Matlab ye jo likh liye unko ginna kya... vo to ho gaye...

Himanshu : Waise kya andaja hai ? Kitne gaane gaaye honge aapne ?

Mukesh : Mere khayal se 1000 ya 1200

Himanshu : 1000 ya 1200 ? , 200 ka fark koi fark nahi mante aap ?

Mukesh : ...Matlab 200 ka fark ko koi fark nahi mante . 25 saal ke career ke andar . ( Hanste hain )

Himanshu : Achcha aapne Dil jalta hai to jalne do ka jikra kiya . Ye mujhe to Mukesh usi taranh se yaad hain . Main samajhta hoon ki , wahi pahla gaana tha , jisne aapko naam diya , maan diya . Vo gaana jahir hai abhi tak aapko yaad hoga .

Mukesh : Jaroor yaad hai..

Himanshu : Ya usse pahle koi aur lokpriya gaana tha , koi popular gaana...

Mukesh : Jee nahi vo mera zindagi ka pahla gaana vahi hai

Himanshu : Us gaane ke peeche koi kahani hai , koi daanstaan hai

Mukesh : Haan Kahani....

Himanshu : Agar etraaj na ho to hum sunna chahenge..

Mukesh : Main jaroor sunata hoon aapko . Vo gaana tha , agar aap logon ko yaad ho to Motilal pahle apne gaane khud gaaya karte the. Vo pahli picture thi jismein unhone playback lene ki shart manjoor kar li thi aur humne saab ye gaana record kar diya . Jab humne ye gaana record kiya to picture complete hone ke baad ye tay kiya gaya ki usmein se ye gaana nikal diya jaye to hum Mazhar khan sahab ke paas gaye jo is picture ke producer the . Humne unse poocha ki bhai ye gaana ismein se kyon nikal diaya ja raha hai to kahne lage ki bhai baat ye hai ki Motilal jo hain aksar chanchal kisam ke character katen hain aur inke character ko ye sad song sute nahi hota hai .To hum...Hamara bada dil toot gaya hum bade udaas hue , Humne unse kaha Mazhar bhai hamari ek iltaja hai ki aap ye gaana rahne dijeeye .Kahne lage bhai ye chalega nahi , ye bada bore karta hai gaana aur picture ke andar drake karta hai ye. Humne kahan aap rahne deejyee ye hamari request hai . Khair unhone badi jaddo-jahad ke baad is cheej ke uper agree kiya bhai hum 1 week ke liye rakhenge Aur agar public ko ye gaana pasand aaya to ise continue karenge nahin to ise picture se nikaal diya jayega . Aur Sahab mujhe ye kahte hue bada faqra hota hai ki : aaj picture bhi sab loog bhool gaye honge , Sayad Moti Dada ko bhi bhool gaye honge , Sayad Mazhar khan ko bhi bhool gaye hoonge magar us gaane ko sab yaad rakhten hain .

Himanshu : Motilal aur Mazhar Khan ko to koi nahi bhoola hoga .

Mukesh : Nahi Bhule honge...

Himanshu : ...Lakin saath hi main aapko yakeen dila sakta hoon ki vo ek hafta to kya aaj tak logon ko Dil jalta hai to jalne de yaad hai.

Mukesh : Jee Haan

Himanshu : Meri badi ichcha ki aap thodi der ke liye ise gungunaye agar aap bura na mane...

Mukesh : Sun leejeyee. Agar aap kahen to main poora gaana sunayunga .

Himanshu : Haan...Haan...Jaroor

Mukesh : (Gaate huye) Dil jalta hai to jalne de....Aansoo na baha fariyaad na kar....Dil Jalta hai to jalne de

Tu pardanashi ka aashiq hai , yoon naam -e- wafa barbaad na kar...Dil jalta hai to jalne de .

Himanshu : Bahut khoob Sahab !!...Bahut khoob !!! . Mukeshji ye gaana jahir hai aapka bahut hi popular tha , bahut hi lokpriya tha . Iske alava aapko...aapki raay mein koun sa aur gaana tha jo ki sabse jyada popular hua ?

Mukesh : Popular ya... ?

Himanshu : ...Logon ko pasand hai ya..

Mukesh : ...Logon ko pasand hai Aawara .

Himanshu : Aawara ! Jee haan mera bhi yahi khayal tha .

Mukesh : Vo itna international fame is gaane ko mila.. Baat ye hai ki kuch to picture , kuch is kisam ka music...Kuch vo...Kuch aesa vatavaran ban gaya tha us waqt . Ki mere khayal se usse jyada popual koi bhi Indian gaana abhi tak nahi hua.

Himanshu : Ye...Badi harani ki baat hai.. Desh - videsh mein mere bahut se dost hain , America mein mujhe yaad hai , Turki mein , Iraan mein , Ruse ke kuchch log mujhe aise mile hain , jinhone milte Sahab pahla sawal yahi kiya ki bhai vo Aawara hoon... Bol bhi nahi paate the dheek se. Lakin vo...Itna unhen yaad tha . Aawara hoon . Ye kisne gaaya hai ? Kab gaaya hai ? Vo Sahab Koun Hain ?

Mukesh : ( Hanste Hain )

Himanshu : To aap ne bhi dekha hoga ki ye logon ko bahut pasand hai ?

Mukesh : Jee Haan...Jee Haan

Himanshu : To aapki raay mein kya vajah hai ki bahar walon ko bhi jo hamari jubaan bhi nahi jante

source:
http://www.singermukesh.com/

Mahendra Kapoor

Mahendra Kapoor was born in 1934 in Amritsar. Even though he was born in Amritsar, Mahendra Kapoor has lived all his life in Mumbai, ever since his family moved there when he ws just 40 days old! Mahendra had deep interest in music right from the very start. When he was five, he had already become popular in his school for his singing, and won a number of singing competitions there.

Although it started out only as a hobby, Mahendra soon started to take his singing very seriously. When he was twelve years old, he gathered up enough courage to visit the late Mohammad Rafi, his idol, alone. The singer was impressed with the youngster`s courage and determination, but advised him to create his own unique style of singing and not try to copy him as he wanted to do. Mahendra was also advised to get a sound classical base if he planned to get professional. Mahendra knew he had got advice from `the best` didn`t spare any time in starting his official training in music. Kapoor went on to learn classical vocal music under various teachers like Pandit Husanlal, Pandit Jagannath Bua Purohit, Ustad Niaz Ahmed Khan, Khan Saheb Abdur Rehman, Afzal Husain Khan and Pandit Tulsidas Sharma. In 1951, Mahendra recorded a song for Madmast under V. Balsara, a small-timer composer. While undergoing training in classical vocal music, Mahendra continued to take part in several inter-collegiate music competitions and also performed in many college functions. In 1957, Mahendra won the `All India Metro-Murphy Competition

One of the prizes he recieved when he won the competition was a film break. Mahendra ended up recording songs with Naushad and C. Ramchandra, both judges in the `Metro-Murphy Contest`. The song, ‘Chand chupa aur taare doobe’(Sohni Mahiwal), that Mahendra recorded with Naushad recorded immediately drew the attention of Yash Chopra when he heard the master-tape play at Mehboob Studios, mistaking Mahendra`s voice for none other than Mohammed Rafi`s! He recommended Mahendra`s voice to B.R. Chopra, elder brother who was working on `Dhool Ka Phool` (1959), Yash’s directorial debut. At the same time, C. Ramachandra also used his voice in the film `Navrang`. Both the films, `Navrang` and `Dhool Ka Phool` released in 1959, their songs proving to be major hits. Thus began Mahendra Kapoor`s association with BR films...one that endures even to this day with their tele-serials! Mahendra Kapoor`s peak phase came in the 1960s and early 1970s even as he forged excellent alliances with music giants like Ravi, Kalyanji-Anandji, O.P. Nayyar and Laxmikant-Pyarelal among others. The 60s saw Mahendra singing in a very wide variety of genres for nearly all the top heroes in Bollywood. Besides singing in films, he also sang in popular shows all over the world, and even at India’s borders for the armed forces. Kapoor struck a rich vein of hits and golden melodies in films like Gumrah, Humraaz, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Doli, Anmol Moti, Badi Didi, Dhund, Nikaah, Aaj Ki Awaz (Ravi), Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, Aap Ki Parchaiyaan, Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai (Madan Mohan), Oonche Log, Mera Kasoor Kya Hai, Ghar Basaake Dekho (Chitragupta), Dharamputra (N.Dutta), Hariyali Aur Rasta (Shanker Jaikishan), Gopi, Bairaag, Upkar, Parivar, Priya, Bandhan, Yaadgar, Purab Aur Paschim, Paras (Kalyanji Anandji), Daadi Maa (Roshan), Kismet, Sambandh, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi, Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi, Sawan Ki Ghata, Kahin Din Kahin Raat (O.P.Nayyar), Nag Mandir, Pyar Kiye Jaa, Aye Din Bahaar Ke, Night In London, Dastaan, Shor, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, Roop Tera Mastana, Ek Nazar (Laxmikant Pyarelal) and for several other composers. Later, in the 80s, Mahendra became very choosy and restricted his singing to his favourite filmmakers, stars and composers like the Chopras ( Nikaah, Aaj Ki Awaz), Laxmikant Pyarelal (Amar Akbar Anthony, Badaltey Rishtey, Nagin, Kranti, Hum Paanch, Amrit, Avtaar, Karma), Kalyanji Anandji (Hera Pheri, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar) and stars like Dilip Kumar and Manoj Kumar. The only film that Mahendra sang in the 90s was the film `Dillagi`. Although he is not closed to playback, he feels his voice is a bit too old for most of the young stars seen in movies these days.over the world, and even at India’s borders for the armed forces. Kapoor struck a rich vein of hits and golden melodies in films like Gumrah, Humraaz, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Doli, Anmol Moti, Badi Didi, Dhund, Nikaah, Aaj Ki Awaz (Ravi), Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, Aap Ki Parchaiyaan, Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai (Madan Mohan), Oonche Log, Mera Kasoor Kya Hai, Ghar Basaake Dekho (Chitragupta), Dharamputra (N.Dutta), Hariyali Aur Rasta (Shanker Jaikishan), Gopi, Bairaag, Upkar, Parivar, Priya, Bandhan, Yaadgar, Purab Aur Paschim, Paras (Kalyanji Anandji), Daadi Maa (Roshan), Kismet, Sambandh

The only film that Mahendra sang in the 90s was the film `Dillagi`. Although he is not closed to playback, he feels his voice is a bit too old for most of the young stars seen in movies these days.

Hemant Kumar - A Singer Par Excellence

Hemant Kumar - A Singer Par Excellence

By Prithviraj Dasgupta


" Amar gaaner swaralipi lekha rabey
Pantha pakhir kujano kakoli ghirey "

("The chords of my songs will be preserved
In the tunes of the flying birds")

' Yeh raat yeh chaaNdni phir kahaN - Sun jaa dil ki daastan' - the romantic Dev Anand singing his heart out to heroine Geeta Bali saw the emergence of a young singer with a rich mellifluous voice on the firmament of the Indian Music industry- Hemant Kumar - whose deep voice and lilting melodies enthralled numerous music lovers for more than half a century.

Hemanta Mukherjee was born on the 16th of June 1920 in Varanasi. From an early age he had developed an everlasting bond with music. In his autobiography "Ananda-dhara" he mentions " I would always be on the lookout for a chance to sing . Be it a religious festival or just a family gathering I would enjoy singing any new song that I had picked up".

His talent was soon recognized and Hemanta Mukherjee sang his first song on the AIR in 1933 at the age of 13. Six years later he cut his first gramophone disc for HMV. Recognition soon followed in the elite music circle of India. In 1940 he sang his first Hindi geet 'Kitna dukh bhulaya tumne'. But commercial success was yet to come. In his own words "I would wait at soirees for organizers to call on me, but singers of the stature of Pankaj Mullick and K.L. Saigal would arrive and I would have to remain content listening to them."

But a true genius never goes unrecognized. In 1948, a firebrand lyricist and music composer - Salil Chowdhury teamed up with him and gave birth to a completely new form of music - Kavya-geeti (ballad but not necessarily romantic) . It was immediately a smash hit. To this day the song - 'Ga.Nyer Bodhu'remains the symbol of the once properous rural Bengal. Soon Hemanta received offers from the Bombay film Industry. And after that there was no looking back.

Jaal, Nagin, Anarkali, Solva Saal, Baat Ek Raat Ki, Bees Saal Baad, Khamoshi, Anupama all are bedecked by jewels carved by this master craftsman. Hemant's jovial number from Solva Saal 'Hai Apnaa Dil to Aawara' finished as the chartbuster in the 1958 Binaca Geetmala. Every Dev Anand number to which Hemant lent a voice became an instant super-hit.

Hemant Kumar was also a music director of no less a calibre than he was a singer. In 1955, Hemant Kumar received the prestigious Filmfare Award for the Best Music Director for the film 'Nagin'. Interestingly, the famous been music of this film is used by snake charmers to this date and has been used innumerable times in films.

Back in Bengal, the Hemanta-Salil duo were churning out all time hits. At the same time as Nagin, Hemant Kumar received an offer to compose music for the Bengali movie Shapmochan starring the rising star Uttam Kumar . This again proved to be a runaway hit and the Uttam-Hemanta combination became part of a legend which continued for the next 20 years.

Hemanta also left an indelible impression as one of the foremost exponents of Rabindrasangeet. His rendering of the male characters in Tagore's dance dramas made these characters come to life just through their voice.

For more than fifty years Hemant Kumar gave to music listeners innumerble hits - jewels by thier own virtue. His recorded songs total about 2000. He scored the music of about 150 Bengali and 50 Hindi films. He also had a brief stint with film direction under his home banner "Geetanjali productions". Although not blockbusters, the films were modest runners.

Though Hemant Kumar has left the mortal world yet he remains alive to all his admirers through his countless songs - immortal melodies in the history of Indian music.


`Agami prithibi kaan petey tumi shuno
Ami jodi aar nai ashi hetha phirey
Tobu... Amar gaaner swaralipi lekha raabey'

(The future world may listen to the tune of my melodies.
Even if I do not return here...
The chords of my songs will be scored)

source:
http://www.indianmelody.com/hemantarticle1.htm

Geeta Dutt : A Biography

Geeta Dutt : A Biography

Geeta Roy was born in Faridpur District in East Bengal in 1930. In 1942 when she was just twelve her parents shifted to Mumbai. Over there in their modest flat at Dadar music director Hanuman Prasad heard her singing casually. He gave her two lines to sing in the film Bhakt Prahlad ( 1946 ). "I gave playback for some children." she said. But her rendering of those two lines stood out and astonished everybody in the recording studio. A minor incident became the genesis of a great musical career. Her major assignment come the following year, 1947, with Filmistan's Do Bhai. Music Director S.D. Burman had heard the song in Bhakt Prahlad and he promptly got hold of her address and met her to use her voice in the film. The music of that film clicked in a big way particularly 'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya.' Geeta Roy had arrived. Disc scales of the song rocketed to new heights. 1947-1949 saw Geeta Roy rule as the number one playback singer in the Mumbai film industry as she moved from strength to strength.

However three films released in 1949. Barsaat, Andaaz and Mahal. All three smashing hits. The music of each film better than the other. In all three films the heroine's songs were sung by a young lady who had also made her debut in playback singing in 1946 but till then had not made any significant headway in her career. The success of these films changed all that. The song 'Aayega aanewala' from Mahal soared to heights of till then unseen popularity. ( It remains an all time favourite even today ) The singer was ... Lata Mangeshkar. Lata went on to become the greatest playback singer the Indian screen has ever seen. Only two singers managed to survive the Lata onslaught in the 1950s. Shamshad Begam and Geeta Roy. Though relegated to the second spot, Geeta managed to hold her own against Lata for more than a decade and she and Lata were the premier two female playback singers of the 1950s.

By 1951, Geeta had become a singer well known for bhajans and weepy weepy sad songs. Jogan( 1950 ) in fact had 12 solo bhajans sung by her! But 1951 also saw the release of a film, Baazi. Directed by first time director Guru Dutt, the film, a crime thriller influenced by the film noir movement of Hollywood was a trend setter of sorts, leading to a spate of urban crime films that Bollywood churned out in the 1950s. The jazzy musical score revealed a new facet to Geeta's singing. The sex appeal in her voice and the ease with which she went western was marvellous to behold. While every song in the film was a raging hit, one stood out for special appeal. 'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' a ghazal that was occidentalized into a jazzy seductive song! From then on in the 1950s for a club dance or a seductive song, the first choice was Geeta. The song stood out fo rmore reasons than one. During the recording of the song she met the young director of the film, Guru Dutt. Thus blossomed a romance which culminated in marriage on 26 May,1953. Geeta went on to sing some of her best songs in her husband's films while continuing singing in various outside assignments as well. The couple had two sons Tarun and Arun and a daughter Nina.

However by 1957 the marriage had run into rough weather and was on the rocks. Guru Dutt had got involved with his new leading lady Waheeda Rehman. And it was ironic that Geeta the playback singer's voice was used on Waheeda Rehman the actress as she 'sang' sweet nothings to Guru Dutt. The breaking up of her marriage also began having repercussions on her career. To quieten things down Guru Dutt launched a film Gauri( 1957 ) with her in the lead. She was to be launched as a singing star and it was to be India's first film in cinemascope but the film was shelved after justa few days shooting. This was the time when one heard complaints from music directors about her not being easily available for either rehearsals or recordings. She neglected her riaz. And to make things worse she began finding solace in drinks.

On October 10, 1964 Guru Dutt passed away. Waheeda had gone out of his life. And Geeta and he could never really get back together. It is said his death due to an overdose of sleeping tablets in his drink was an accident but the cause of death remains a mystery. Geeta was a broken woman, shattered by his death. She now had neither her singing or her husband. Lata's younger sister, Asha Bhonsle, had not only taken her place but had gone beyond her. Geeta suffered a nervous breakdown. When she recovered she found herself in a financial mess. She did try to resume singing again, cutting discs at Durga Puja and giving stage shows , even doing a Bengali film, Badhu Bharan ( 1967 ) as heroine! But her health kept failing as she drank herself to a point of no return. She died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1972. But not before she showed she still had it in her were she given a mike to sing. The songs of Basu Bhattacharya's Anubhav ( 1971 ), 'Meri jaan mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan', 'Koichupke se aake' and 'Mera dil jo mera hota' represent some of the finest work that Geeta Dutt ever did.

The first thing that strikes one when you hear Geeta Dutt sing was that she never sang. She just glided through a tune. Of all her contemporaries her musical training was perhaps the sketchiest but what she lacked in training and technique, she more than made it with her ability to breathe life and emotion into any song she was singing. In the recording room there was no matching Geeta's vivacity, vitality and spontaneity, her sense of rhythm unparalleled. Her capacity to be both sensual yet sensitive gives Geeta Dutt's voice a unique ethereal quality. To quote Raju Bharathan, Music critic in Filmfare February 1-15, 1985 Page 89,

'Geeta Dutt was thandi hawa and kaali ghata rolled into one. The moment she came, you got the refreshing feeling of aa hi gayi jhoom ke. There was a rare swing in her voice. She hit you like a thunderclap..........This made Geeta Dutt the one singer that Lata Mangeshkar really feared. In training and technique Lata was way ahead but neither training nor technique was of much use when pitted against Geeta in the recording room........This put Lata on the defensive and I think she avoided singing with Geeta as far as possible. (They have sung few duets) I vaguely remember Lata acknowledging this fact when Geeta died on July 20, 1972.'

Geeta Dutt scored heavily as a singer particularly when she sang under the baton of two music directors, S.D. Burman and O.P.Nayyar.

The S.D. Factor:

S.D. Burman was among the earliest to discover the magic in Geeta Dutt's voice. In 1947 with Filmistan's DoBhai. He persuaded the producer to give her a break. The producer being unsure of Geeta made a deal with S.D. Burman. She would record a song but it would be retained only after hearing the result. The song 'Humein chod piyakis desh gaye' was recorded and played back. The rest as they say is history. Even as it lead to Geeta becoming the foremost singer of the industry by 1951 she had found herself in a position where she was regarded good only for bhajans and sad songs. It took S.D.Burman's jazzy and westernized score for Baazi which showcased Geeta's versatility, her breezy voice. S.D. Burman effectively used the Bengali lilt in her voice memorably in films like Devdas and Pyaasa. Thesong 'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' from the latter is one of the finest examples of the Bengali kirtan put over on the Hindi screen. No female singer has better articulated the spirit of Burmanda's music in its early years. In fact in 1957, when he fell out with Lata, Burmanda was looking to make Geeta his main singer rather than the upcoming Asha Bhonsle. After all by then Geeta was a mature singer while Asha was still raw. But due to her troubled marriage Geeta was not free to practice in the style required by S.D.Burman who was a hard taskmaster in matter of rehearsals. He joined O.P. Nayyar in shaping Asha rather than wait for Geeta. Some memorable songs sung by Geeta under S.D. Burman's baton are:

'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Woh sapnewaali raat' (Pyaar - 1950 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Aan milo aan milo' (Devdas - 1955 ) with Manna Dey
'Aaj sajan mohe ang lagalo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Hawa dhire aana' (Sujata - 1959 )
'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam ' (Kaagaz ke Phool - 1959 )

Geeta sang 72 songs for Dada Burman of which 43 were solos. The last song she recorded for him was from the film Ziddi(1964), 'Main tere pyaar mein kya kya na bana dilbar.'

The O.P. Nayyar wave:

Geeta suited O.P. Nayyar's ebullient themes to a T. He developed the side of Geeta which had emerged with Baazi. Under his freewheeling baton Geeta developed into a really hep singer who could belt out any number - soft, sultry, happy, snappy, romantic, teasing or tragic. It was Geeta Dutt's rare gift that she could effervescently sing for both the doll and the moll. And it was O.P. who got Geeta to stop being overtly emotional in sad songs. O.P.'s comments on Geeta :

' ..........Who will deny there is a unique quality to her singing. Give her a blatantly westernized tune this momentand a complex classical composition the next, and she will do equal justice to both with an ease of expression which a singer can only be born with. She is particularly good for songs accompanying boisterous jamborees. With that tantalizing lilt and fascinating curves she puts into her singing,she is the ideal choice if it is seductive allure you want in a song........Geeta Dutt is an asset to any music director. '

Some immortal gems sung by Geeta Dutt underO.P. Nayyar's baton:

'Zara saamne aa'( Baaz - 1953 )
'Babuji dhire chalna' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Thandi hawa kali ghata' (Mr. & Mrs 55 - 1955 )
'Jab badal lehraya' (Chchoomantar - 1956 )
'Mere zindagi ke humsafar' (Shrimati 420 - 1956 )
'Chor, lutere, daku'( Ustad - 1957 )
'Mera naan chin chin choo' (Howrah Bridge - 1958 )
'Kaisa jadoo balam tune dara' (12 o'clock - 1958 )

This is not to say that Geeta was any less effective with other music directors. The songs she has sung for Hemant Kumar in Anandmath ( 1952 ), Bahu ( 1954 ),Ek Jhalak ( 1957 ), Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam ( 1962 ) bear testimony to this. It's just that for the sheer volume and the scaleof popularity that the songs of S.D. Burman and O.P. Nayyar reached make them special in Geeta's oeuvre.

The Best of Geeta Dutt

In early 1957 while selecting the ten best songs that she has sung, Geeta Dutt mentioned

' People have a complex that successful film songs are not necessary the best. I beg to differ. If a song catches public fancy it could only be because of all round perfection in all departments - in its music, in its writing, in its singing. Should I then list my ten best songs or my ten most popular songs? The dividing line, I feel is very thin. The songs that have stood the test of public approval and the songs that have personally appealed to me are the same. '

The ten songs she selected then represented definite landmarks in her singing career. They are:

'Mat ja mat ja jogi' (Jogan - 1950 ) This was her own personal favourite.
'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Na yeh chand hoga' (Shart - 1954 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Yeh lo main hari piya' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Khayalon mein kisike' (Baawre Nain - 1950 ) with Mukesh
'Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Jaane kya tunhe kahi' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Ae dil mujhe bata de' (Bhai Bhai - 1956 )
'Hai yeh duniya kaunsi' (Sailaab - 1956 )

This as mentioned was in early 1957. Citing the reason for her selections Geeta mentioned:

' I feel that a song must express human emotions in simple language and in a tune that affords the singer sufficient scope to do full justice to the thought underlying the lyric. I feel that the songs I have listed are simple enough to be appreciated by people of all ages at all times.'

Some of Geeta's best work for e.g. 'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam' from Kaagaz ke Phool(1959), 'Chale aao, chale aao' from Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (1962) and the songs of Anubhav (1971) were to come later and naturally they do not find a place in that list.

Thus if I were to select a list today, it might read something like this:

'Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam' ( Kaagaz ke Phool - 1959)
'Aaj ki kaali ghata' (Uski Kahani - 1966 )
'Meri jaan mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan'( Anubhav - 1971 )
'Na jaao saiyaan chudha ke baiyaan'( Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam - 1962 )
'Yeh lo main hari piya' (Aar Paar - 1954 )
'Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer' (Baazi - 1951 )
'Na yeh chand hoga' (Shart - 1954 )
'Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo' (Pyaasa - 1957 )
'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya'( Do Bhai - 1947 )
'Ghungat ke pat khol' (Jogan - 1950 )

This is of course but a personal choice. And a most difficult one to make. For many of Geeta Dutt's songs endure in appeal even today. The discerning would ask but what about 'Hawa dhire aana' from Sujata ( 1959 ) or'Thandi hawa kali ghata' from Mr. and Mrs 55 ( 1955) or for that matter even ' Mera naam chinchin choo' from Howrah Bridge ( 1958 ) or 'Jaata kahaan hai diwaane' from C.I.D. ( 1956 ) Well try making your own list! See if you can manage to include 'Tehro zara si der' from Savera ( 1958 ) or 'Ja ja ja ja bewafaa' from Aar Paar ( 1954 ) or 'Preetam aan milo' from Mr. and Mrs 55. ( 1955 ) or even 'Aayi birha ki raat' from Navdurga( 1953 ).

source:http://www.indianmelody.com/geetadutt.htm

Kishore Kumar, the famous pioneer of yodelling in Hindi filmdom

Kishore Kumar

Kishore Kumar is famous as the pioneer of yodelling in Hindi filmdom. This is just one of the reasons for his popularity.

This actor-singer, who was gifted with multiple talents, started a whole new era in Indian cinema. Kishore, whose original name was Abhas Kumar Ganguly, started his singing career when he was 18, though he did not know even the rudiments of music.

He left his birthplace, Khandwa, and moved to Mumbai where his older brother, Ashok Kumar, was already an established actor. Despite this, opportunities did not come easily to Kishore. Initially he imitated the style of K L Saigal, whom he idolised. He sang his first song in 1948, Marne ki duayen kyon maangu for Dev Anand in the film Ziddi. He then approached S D Burman, under whose music direction he rendered many hits.

His uninhibited antics and spontaneity made him one of the greatest comedians of Indian cinema. His exuberance lit up the screen as he sang and danced in films such as Asha and Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. The Sixties were tough times for Kishore as he encountered personal and professional problems. But he shot back to the top with Aradhana, following which he became the permanent voice of superstar Rajesh Khanna. His hits vary from the sad Zindagi ke safar mein to the flippant Rafta rafta.

He was married four times, to leading actresses Ruma Devi, Madhubala, Yogita Bali and Leena Chandavarkar, in that order. With his increasing fame also grew rumours of his eccentricities, strange lifestyle and weird behaviour. Despite this, he managed to remain at the top till the mid-eighties. At this time, his career began to decline until he finally succumbed to a major heart attack in 1987.
His passing away created a void in the Indian film industry, which remains even today. As his son Amit Kumar describes him: "I think it's the fortunate who get these kind of fathers. He was known to play practical jokes on people very often. He used to love telling jokes too. But with the family he used to be serious. He loved us and the rest of the family. Most of the times, he was like a child. He never planned things. He was impulsive. He would just get up and say, 'let's go out' and we would pile up in the car and go without thinking twice. He loved the mountains, nature. People think that Kishore Kumar only means jokes, comedy. But he had a very serious side to him too." A side very few got to see.

Rafi Sahab, greatest forces in the history of the Indian sub-continent culture

Rafi Sahab was one of the greatest forces in the history of the Indian sub-continent culture. His Immortal Golden Voice still rules the hearts of millions of Indian music lovers the world over. In his music circles he was simply known as 'The Voice', because he was so famous for the way he put his heart and soul into every rendition. Rafi Sahab was the greatest and it is impossible to conceive of another singer ever attaining the range, the versatility and the awesome emotion that his golden voice always contained.

Rafi Sahab was born on 24th December 1924 in Kotla Sultansingh village in Punjab, near Amritsar. Although music was not a part of his family background, there is no doubt that he was born with a gift for music in his heart. His father certainly did not look favourably upon his singing. Rafi Sahab's elder brother Mohammed Deen had a barber shop when Rafi Sahab was still a young lad, and he spent many of his childhood days in his brothers barber shop. One day, when Rafi Sahab was about seven years of age, his brother noticed him following a fakir who was walking the streets singing while playing on his Ektara (a one-stringed instrument). Ignoring the regular reprimands of his parents, the young boy continued to follow the fakir to his abode - a huge tree - on a regular basis. Then one day, some of the patrons at the barber shop heard him sing the songs of the fakir with such perfect sur (pitch) that they immediately recognised the immense musical gift that the boy possessed, and were convinced that this young genius-in-the-making was destined for greater things in life. The elders, and the patrons, then used to regularly ask the young Mohammed Rafi to visit the barber shop and sing for them, for he had a truly sureely awaaz. Rafi Sahab had picked up the rudiments of music from a fakir while already possessing a God-gifted voice.

When Rafi Sahab, at a tender age of about fifteen decided to become a singer, his father, a village landlord, was dead against the idea. His brother, Mohammed Deen, though, having recognised that this young boy had a God-given talent which he simply could not see go to waste, decided to help his little brother realise his dreams, for the young Mohammed Rafi ejoyed nothing as much as he did to sing all day long. When a was barely seventeen years old, and sang his first playback song for a Punjabi film, 'Gul Baloch' under the music direction of the late Shyam Sunder in 1941, Rafi Sahab was illiterate and had to commit the words to memory before he could go before the microphone. When it came to remembering any melody though, there never was a problem. The young genius in the making needed only to hear a melody once to not only commit it to memory, but also suggest improvements to the tune. Following the popularity of his Punjabi song, Rafi Sahab took the final big step in his life and ventured off to Bombay to realise his dreams of making singing his career. In 1942 he arrived in Bombay to sing, again under the music direction of Shyam Sunder for the movie 'Gaon ki Gauri'.

After this successful debut in Bombay, Rafi Sahab approached the renowned music director Naushad, confiding in him his admiration for the great Kundan Lal. Saigal, and how his ambition was to sing with Saigal Sahab. Naushad did not disappoint him, giving him two lines (Ruhi Ruhi Mere Sapnon ki Rani) with K.L Saigal for a song in the movie 'Shahjehan'. Although Rafi Sahab had several 'hit' songs during these early years, he never-the-less had tough competition from respected singers like Manna Dey, Talat Mahmood, Hemant Kumar and Mukesh. The real recognition for Rafi Sahab, though, which never saw him looking back again, was his incomparable effort for his songs in 'Baiju Bawra' under the music direction of Naushad Sahab. O Duniya ke Rakhwale (which you're listening to right now) together with 'Man Tarpat Hari Darshan' left Rafi Sahab in a league all of his own. He continued over the years to lend his magnificent golden voice to such great music directors as Sachin Dev Burman, C. Ramachandra, Roshan, Shankar-Jaikishen, Madan Mohan, O.P. Nayyar, Kalyanji-Aanadji, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Jaidev, Salil Chowdhury, Ravindra Jain, Iqbal Qureshi, Usha Khanna, Ravi, Chitragupta and Rahul Dev Burman, to name a few.

'Bapu ki Amar Kahani', a poignant song dedicated to the Mahatma Gandhi, recorded just a month after Gandhi-ji's assassination in January of 1948, had Nehru-ji shedding tears at the emotion in Rafi Sahab's voice. Rafi Sahab sang over 26,000 songs in all the national languages of India in his fourty year career. He was the master of all forms of songs - he could sing ghazals, qawwalis and bhajans with the same ease and greatness. There came a time in the sixties when Rafi Sahab was the permanent voice of Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Dev Anand, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Raj Kumar. In fact, Shammi Kapoor's films were mainly popular because of the songs, which were sung by Rafi Sahab in a very distinct style. Rafi Sahab's voice personified the rebellious image of 'Yahoo' star, Shammi Kapoor ; made Rajendra Kumar a 'Jubilee Star' and Jeetendra a 'Jumping Jack'.

The great Rafi Sahab even sang for singer-actor Kishore Kumar in movies such as Raagini, Baaghi, Shehzaada and Shararat. In 1965 he was honoured with the Padma Shree, a coveted award of which any Indian citizen would justly be proud. In 1977, Rafi Sahab received the 'Rajat Kamal' award from then Indian State President, Sri Sanjiva Reddy at the 25th National Film Festival Awards. Humble, unostentatious and soft spoken, and yet a giant among musicians, he was a man of tremendous integrity and very often sang without charging a fee for struggling music directors. Words cannot do justice to comprehend what this artist was about. Alas, there is no substitute today to listening to his voice. His style truly reflected the man's character. The purity of his voice reflected the purity of his ideals and his mind. He was not affected by his greatness and material values never superceded human and social ethics for this spiritual and unassuming maestro.

Rafi Sahab received his training from prominent classical Ustads like Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto, Ghulam Ali Khan and Firoz Nizami - all doyens and devotees of music.

Rafi Sahab scaled heights of fame and popularity that no other Indian singer ever has or ever will with his haunting melodies that enchanted lovers of music all over the world. He had an unblemished illustrious career and retained an untarnished and highly dignified reputation in an industry which at times is more known for its vices than the good it produces. Humble in the extreme, soft spoken, a gentleman like no other and an embodiment of refinement, he was deeply religious and in a rare interview with Abu Parker in 1979 in Cape Town, South Africa, Rafi Sahab declared that he held all religions in high esteem. He went on to say that he believed that we are all separate seeds that bloom into one single flower. A veritable king at heart, he was a true friend of the poor, ensuring that he regularly paid his zakaat (charity).

Rafi Sahab was the sort of genius who appears once in a life-time ; unique, his golden voice continues to flow like essence drawn from several jewels, a constellation which enriches, in a mystical way, the firmanent of music, the spiritual peak of eternal silence and of the celestial world that listens to itself through the voice of cherubic Mohammed Rafi, the immortal singer who is interpreter of that very sublime silence.

Not only the nation, but Indians the world over were stunned on 31st July 1980 when Rafi Sahab left this world to indulge the heavens with his silky voice. His 'last journey' commenced from 'Rafi Villa' in Bandra on that sad and wet day as tears from heaven fell on earth, but The Voice never left us. To his ardent fans Rafi Sahab will always be immortal, for The Voice will always remain with us.

source:http://www.abuparker.com/RafiSahab/RSbio.html

Varsha Bhosle's views on her mother,singing legend Asha Bhosle

Saturday's Child

(By Rediff columnist Varsha Bhosle on her mother,
singing legend Asha Bhosle)

At the time, I put it down to fate. The jubilation of having scored decent marks after a bare minimum attendance, the ensuing wrath of the hallowed Mrs Dossal who ran the political science department of Elphinstone College, the flaring tempers, the thinly-veiled threats -- it nearly brought my academic life to a stand-still. Her words still ring in my ears; and they bring with them the same blinding fury: "I can well imagine how you managed to get these marks. It's no big secret what can be bought and sold. I know what kind of a family you come from. Miss a single lecture, and we'll see." The comedy of it all was that it never was a big secret that Mrs Dossal's 'prepared notes' were almost verbatim from the Sabine textbook. Besides, it has never needed a genius to pass bona fide our university exams without attending lectures.

At that time, I found it hard to believe that her rage may have been goaded by envy, pettiness or prejudice. Against what, and against whom? I certainly couldn't picture her as a frustrated diva. It took me many more such instances to divine exactly what I was up against. From "what kind of family" do I come? A chosen family, a special family, a family gifted with music since three generations.

For people who -- after having ground away the stipulated years in university, higher studies, apprenticeships, etc -- trudge up and down the steep ladder of seniority, it must be extremely galling to see the seemingly uneducated, tasteless, loose-living, filthy-rich upstarts of the Indian film industry leave them yards behind in the rat-race. Predictably, the female singer was consigned to the bottom rung of their esteem. Depending upon the sensibilities of the person, and regardless of actualities, she was labelled bai-ji, gaayika, gaanewali, kothewali, devdasi, etc. The list is quite endless; I had to learn to cope with it.

The earliest memory I have of my mother, Mrs Asha Bhosle, is a fleeting montage of doorbells rung very late in the night, a sobbing woman hugging me back to sleep, the strains of strange, repetitive singing emanating from behind a closed door... I bang on the door wanting to go in, but am roughly pulled away by a man when the music threatens to cease. Later, I learned that that was a routine day in the life of my father: guarding Aai against all impediment which may have prevented her from singing for their supper. I have erased my father from my memory, and with him, some of my own childhood: a defence mechanism, people call it. From the sordid tales I hear from our old cook, I must have desperately needed to do it. Suffice to say that it is the stuff which has fed scriptwriters and novelists from time immemorial, of indignities heaped upon submissive womanhood.

Aai came into her own quite suddenly. One day it struck her that her third and advanced state of pregnancy may not be able to sustain the daily dose of bashing that was her lot. The next day, she left behind every single paisa she had earned, her bungalow, her car, even her clothes, and sought refuge with Mai Mangeshkar, the grand old materfamilias. (It's a sore point in my life that she found the courage to do so only when my younger brother Anand was to be born). Of course, there were instant theories in the industry about this 'desertion', and I'm sure that there were many who were disappointed when Anand grew up to be (fortunately, only in appearance) a replica of our father.

From now, I am on safe ground: I do not have to rely on hearsay. My memory miraculously returns with our surreptitious flight to the home of my grandmother, my three aunts and uncle. However, my memories of Aai are still not all that bright. Initially, there's just a smattering of her, for she has to work twice as hard, since she has to rebuild from scratch, and there is one more mouth to feed. Although she was always there to make our home, put us through school and spoil us with luxuries, I never had enough of her. How a single parent manages to merge the roles of provider and home-maker is still beyond my comprehension. Much later, I asked her, "Aai, you had the security of the roof of your own mother, your sisters -- what was the big rush to set up your own house? Instead, couldn't you have given us more time?" Without missing a beat, she replied, "Never again did I want to be at the mercy of anyone else. It would have been equally harmful for you three. You had to grow up in your own home, and with the freedom I alone could sanction". We did, we did.

After setting up independently, Aai rebelled a textbook kind of rebellion. Much more than today, the film industry -- like our society at large -- was saturated with prejudice, hypocrisy and factionism -- and Asha Bhosle had tacitly been branded a fallen woman. It certainly didn't help when the closest comparable rival was her own sister, the ethereal Miss Lata Mangeshkar. Soon, choice assignments were withdrawn, and a conspiracy of silence manifested itself into Aai's musical career... But, if anyone so much as suggested something to alleviate the situation, you could bank on Asha Bhosle to do the opposite. After more than a decade of suppression, and of keeping the shame of her squalid married life from her family and colleagues, she simply revelled in her absolute freedom. What still fascinates me is the total honesty and fearlessness with which she lived, as if to say, "My life is an open book, make of it what you will."

It's accepted that one needs to humanise a hero in order to understand and truly appreciate him; the corollary to which may be that an idol admitting to be made entirely of clay, as they all must be, is soon relegated to the tar-pits. Whatever others may say, I'm convinced that her being typecast by music directors as the perennial cabaret/ mujra/ qawwali singer is a fallout of her early life. I'm not quite qualified to comment on music, but one fact is undeniable -- like any other extraordinary singer, she excelled in all genres, but Hindi film-makers were ticklish about giving their on-screen epitomes of Indian womanhood the voice of this rather camp personality. If the character was 'westernised', her voice was that of Asha. And this label stuck just at the time when the most memorable music was being composed for the Indian heroine.

Curiously, the Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati music industries were totally unaffected by any of these tags: some of her best heroine-songs of that period are in these languages. Since being politically correct has never been my forte, I may as well say that it speaks volumes about regional cultures and sensitivities. Moreover, what a coincidence that just around the time of her marriage to R D Burman, the "cabaret singer" label was miraculously replaced by the respectable "versatile". I grit my teeth each time I hear it. Just another label signifying nothing.

If I were to sum up my mother in one word, it would have to be zidd: 'wilfulness' or 'obstinacy' doesn't connote the shades of determination and the readiness to toil that I associate with it and her. The more formidable the task, the harder she applies herself to it. Like her venture into the Western music world as a member of the pop-group The West India Company, formed with Steven Luscombe of Blancmange. One fine day, Anand casually informed her that he had finalised the deal and that, in a month, she would have to a) compose; b) sing; c) interact with British musicians and technicians; d) give live interviews on radio; e) appear on television... and all this in English, in England.

For a middle-aged woman who had never been to school, let alone spoken a complete English sentence, this, I thought, was an impossibility. I was appalled. What happened was, I had the stomach runs for a month, while she diligently rose at 4 am, donned her Walkman, and heard 'Spoken English' cassettes for hours. Well, she did it all: entered the Top-20 charts with her song Ave Maria,, appeared on British and German television, spoke lucidly on radio interviews, addressed the British press -- all with her usual unfazed panache.

Her spirit reaches dizzying heights during concert tours. In 1989, during the US tour, she underwent the most rigorous schedule ever devised. We had to play 13 cities in 20 days, which entailed cross-country red-eyes taken barely a few hours after the completion of each show. Every musician was sapped by the time we boarded the plane immediately after the last concert in Houston, Texas. But were we going home? No. We were on our way for yet another gig -- in Stockholm, Sweden. This journey was the proverbial last straw: Aai suffered a massive attack of colitis, together with fever, cough and weakness. The very first result of even one of these complaints is trembling of the voice, which then 'splits' into two, and Aai had 'em all.

At the pre-concert crisis meeting in Stockholm, it was decided by Anand and the sponsors that short of cancelling the gig, the only way out was that the orchestra should play umpteen instrumental tracks, the accompanying singers (Suresh Wadkar and yours truly) shoulder the load, and the billed star make a cursory appearance. Which would, no doubt, have led to a riot. Hereupon, my multiple visits to my favourite place commenced.

At the stage-wings that evening, our band conductor approached me with the news that Ashaji had rejected all such 'insane' proposals, that she would sing exactly what the audience had come to hear. I must add here that most of Asha's hits, like Dum maro dum, O mere sona re, Jaiye aap kahan jayenge, Duniyan mein logon ko, etc, sound 'frothy' and 'airy'. It's only when a lesser singer attempts them that one can gauge the tremendous breath-control and pitch modulation required for these non-classical, hence 'lightweight', songs. It's solely her mastery that makes them seem so easy to execute. Anyway, I had been clutching at the misguided belief that the turn-out in any city of continental Europe would be less than moderate. But, as it must happen at such times, that evening, the show was a sell-out...

The hall was packed with Indian and Pakistani expats when Aai started with her first set of six songs. I could recognise the strain in the moments when she suddenly dropped the volume or signalled the violinist to join in. All I could do was deliver glasses of glucose to the stage. At best, it was an indifferent performance; and I couldn't even blame the audience for its lack of response. Before the start of the second set of songs, a lone voice cried out from the audience, "Asha-taiiii, please sing a Marathi song. We've come a long way for it." Aai softly hummed, Naach-naachuni ati mi damale... the opening lines which roughly translate as "I'm so very tired of this endless dancing, oh Lord..."

I have yet to accept what happened in that flash. Perhaps, it was a case of putting mind over matter. Or, perhaps she heard, understood and experienced the words like never before. Or, maybe the Great Conductor in the sky decided that she had been tried enough. Her eyes closed, and both hands clenching the microphone, she crooned or belted out the stanzas as the mood gripped her. The notes and words seemed to swirl in a lazy vortex around the stage, gently eroding even the mildest defence in their path, till all was one pristine, homocentric entity. I remember crying unashamedly, and a moist-eyed Suresh hugging me whilst murmuring things like, "There will never be another like her; how can she conjure up such magic against such odds? How does she do it?"

There was absolute silence when the song finally ended. And then, very slowly, as if gradually awakening from a stupor, the claps and encores started, gradually building up to such a crescendo that the auditorium virtually erupted. I was in shock -- after all, it wasn't a predominantly Marathi audience. But, that's the power of music. It's the last remaining frontier where complete harmony exists amongst people of all religions, castes and languages. From that point of time, the concert gained a momentum all of its own: we could do nothing to curb it, and Asha Bhosle could do nothing wrong.

What did happen to the colitis, fever, etc? Back home, Aai was in bed for a full month, recuperating from overexertion. But that was afterwards... After ALL the commitments had been honourably discharged...

My mother is my entire family, Mrs Dossal. This is the family to which I proudly belong.

A View on Sunidhi Chauhan's Singing Career Startup

A View on Sunidhi Chauhan's Singing Career Startup

Background Her brush with singing began in right earnest in front of the Lord himself. Sunidhi gave her first performance at the age of four at a local temple in Delhi and everybody noticed her voice. Rehearsals for a musical career began at small gatherings and local functions and she soon made her presence felt in all the competitions she participated and won. It was here that the foresight of a supportive family came to her aid.

Realising that her daughter had a gift in her voice and the place for her to be was Mumbai the family migrated to the city. The voice was heard on the various stage shows held in the city and also with yesteryear child star and television anchor Tabassum. Early Breaks Kalyanji – Anandji the men who from the beginning have encouraged fresh talent and gave to the industry many of the current crop of singers like Sadhana Sargam, Sonali Vajpai etcetera were planning a show on child prodigies called Little Wonders.

Kalyanji spotted the then eight-year-old child and she joined them for a number of stage shows where she sang, in spite of her tender age, songs of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosale and Ila Arun. Sunidhi first became a sensation on the nationally telecast music show on T. V. called Meri Awaz Suno. The youngster was competing with a number of seniors in age and experience and one of the judges was Lata Mangeshkar. Sunidhi won the show and the primma donna congratulated her and enquired about her training. With uncontrollable joy and tears in her eyes she replied that she had not undergone any training and Lata didi offered to train her.

With such a compliment and offer Sunidhi could have rushed into the filmi world, but she waited for four years before she made the first big attempt. “That was the time my voice was changing, so I decided not to sing. It was frustrating sometimes but I was confident of making it”, iterates Sunidhi. Her first break in a Hindi film was in the film Shastra followed by Gang, Veergati, Dahek, Bade Dilwala, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Shyam Benegal’s Samar and Vidhu Vinod Chopra film Mission Kashmir. The Breakthrough Her first breakthrough however was in Ram Gopal Varma’s Mast. She sang the hit ‘Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi’ and also three other songs in the film.

Sandeep Chowtha’s first film as a composer got an ideal virgin voice in Sunidhi and her song became the most memorable number in the film. The youngster belies her age and the zing thing, which composers look for, resides in her voice right now. She also seems to be genre defying at her age jumping from folk to semi – classical with ease. Sunidhi had also cut her solo album called Aira Gaira Nathu Khaira. The Future The future is a funny term when applied to a prodigy as everything seems to be happening in a hurry for them. The 10th standard girl, who has to avoid junk food and also regular studies, shuttles her days giving concerts abroad or recording songs in the studios, sometimes three in a day. Success has come and Sunidhi is enjoying it. With her desire to become another Mariah Carey in ten years from now, she is on the right path. Amen to that.

A child prodigy who migrated to Mumbai from Delhi to pursue a singing career struck gold with a song ‘Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi’ from Mast. Since then there is no looking back. With Jungle , the baptism by fire has been well and truly over. She has steadied her position and no longer is considered a greenhorn with plum assignments seeking her.