SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi
By: Souvik Chatterji. Master of Law from Case Western REserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Master of Law from Warwick University,UK.
Sachin Dev Burman was born in Tripura, where the fields, soil, trees and nature as a whole had shaped the music. There cannot be any music which is sweeter than the compositions that God has created in nature for human beings to cherish generation after generations. What is required is the poetic and musical mind to realise the melodies evident in the breeze, in the rainfall, in the fragrance of flowers blossoming at the arrival of spring. Tripura is situated at the border of East Bengal, and as a landmass has similarity with East Bengal and West Bengal which in Bengali we term as “nodi matric” meaning being fed by a number of rivers.The minds of the people in this part of the world is as soft as the alluvial soil of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Padma and other rivers.
SD Burman came to Kolkata and learned Classical Music from the Giant of Ustadi Gharana named Viswadev Chatterji.Viswadev’s famous song “Nabaruno Rage” used to be played as the first song in All India Radio in the morning, everyday and acted as messanger of dawn.The genius had taught SD Burman, ragas of different origin and created a legacy of Hindustani classical which shaped SD Burman into a grand creator as known by the later generations.
SD Burman had his own basic discs in Bengali, some having flavour of folk songs, others having the orthodox ragas embedded in them.His notable songs include “Paddar dheu re”, “Jhilmil jhilmil jhiler jole dheu kheliya jaire”,”mono dilona badhu”,etc. When he went to Bombay, he took Manna Dey with him, another legendary singer of the Bengali modern era. Manna Dey dominated the BEngali film arena with his tremedous performance in Uttamkumar’s films “shankhobela”, “Antony firingi”,etc in the 60s and 70s.
SD Burman got involved with the Navketan Banner and composed most of his songs for that banner. But he developed an everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi, the man with the golden voice who had an answer for the different emotions of human being, including happiness, tragedy, comedy,etc.
SD Burman had composed the songs “yeh mahalon ,yeh takhton, yeh tajho ki duniya” in the film Pyasa, 1957 and “Bichre sabhi, bari bari” in the film Kagaz ke phool, 1959, for Gurudutt, with whatever pathos he had in him. Rafi brought tears in the eyes of music lovers with his compassionate andaz.
Manna Dey sometimes had a grievance, that inspite of the classical control being possessed by him SD Burman had preferred Rafi in some of the classical compositions. In the film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen, Manna Dey gave a superlative performance with the song “Pucho na kaise maine rain bitayi.” Rafi had superceded SD Burman himself with the performance of “Tere bin sune” composed in raag Pilu which was the hindi version of SD’s own song”Ami chinu Eka basoro
Jagaye”.
In the film Tere Ghar ke saamne, 1963, SD Burman’s composition “tu kahan yeh bata”,”tere gharke saamne” “dil ka bhanwar karen pukar”and the rest of the songs combined sweetness of Rafi’s voice with the folk effect in the orchestration. In the film “Teen deviyan” Rafi’s song “aise to na dekho” and “Kahin bekhayal hoker” had Ghazal andaz.Besides Rafi’s preformance in Guide,
1965, with the songs “Tere mere sapne”, “din Dhal Jaye”"Kaise kya ho gaya bewafa hogaya tere pyar me” brought out the softer side of SD Burman.
Mohd Rafi with S.D.Burman
There are other songs like “Hum bekhudi me tumko pukare chale gaye” in the film kalapani,1960, where Rafi matched SD Burman himself (his bengali song was “Ghum bhulechi”) and “yeh di diwana hai” and “mehbooba teri tasveer” in te film “Isqe par zor nahin” where Rafi’s excellence is balanced with SD Burman’s orchestration.In Rajenderkumar’s film Talash, SD Burman brought out his best for Rafi in the song “Palkon ke peeche se.”
The list of songs showing Rafi’s combination with SD Burman can go on. But one thing is common, whenever SD Burman was passionate about the hindi version of his own songs, Rafi appeared in his mind automatically. Rafi’s Archive should contain SD Burman’s creation also to show the background of folk song and hindustani classical, used in the songs composed in 50s, 60s, 70s.
Souvik Chatterji - the author along with his wife, Rumi Chatterji
Other articles by Mr. Souvik Chatterji
October 4th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
ref post 21:
mr. guru murthy, don’t forget “raat akeli hai” delivered by seductive Tanuja in Jewel Thief. Though set in a bedroom and not in a bar, it can qualify as a cabaret number.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Mr. Korti, please don’t confuse me with a great man. I am an ordinary person; the only thing great about me is my extraordinary passion for the one and only Rafi saab. Have been like this ever since I was 12. Growing up in a middle-class Bengali household where Hindi films were taboo and where Rabindra sangeet and Western music were staple, it would be difficult for most of you to imagine how I became a Rafian at such a young age. In fact, I was addicted to his voice much before I saw his picture. I used to stand in line for hours to purchase tickets for his concerts. The younger generation would never even appreciate what we had to go through — forget about internet and youtube, there was no tv in kolkata those days.
October 4th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Mr. Raju Korti, I did get to see your name earlier and in recent times, you have given most valuable comments and I fondly hope that the ideas that you have must surely be implemented by all the RAFIANS, for not every one of us can have such wonderful thoughts and with so much knowledge. I also look forward to your collection of songs which you are now compiling and would like to lay my hands on them. Pls do remember to email and contact me at asmurty2@rediffmail.com or 093912 67272 (Hyderabad). Also whatever you, Mr. Binu, Mr. Shirish Kulkarni or others from the Rafi Foundation would take up, we from Hyderabad too are solidly behind and with you always. Let us all do things in a most befitting way for as we all know, the time lost now will never come again. All the very best in your endeavours.
October 4th, 2007 at 11:05 am
mr haldar, i think we are going to be great friends. afterall, great men always think alike. very soon, i hope to share all my rafi collection — which is almost all his songs — with fellow admirers (for free). presently, i am in the process of converting all my audio cassettes (and all songs are from the original soundtrack) into cds. this will make management easier and i will be able to provide any song to whoever is interested in.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:38 am
Dear Haldaar Saab,
Thank you very much for your post 15. “Man Mohan Man Me Ho Tumhi” as you have written is a wonderful classical composition. I was missing the lyrics as the song is more than 40 years old but still it was there in my sub-conscious mind as a wonderful song.
As far as SDB is concerned how many including his son could compose two wonderful cabaret numbers - “Karle Pyaar Karle Ke Din Hai Yehi” from TALAASH and “Reshami Ujala Hai” from SHARMILEE. Perhaps, these are the only two cabaret numbers composed by SDB in his long career, but still can be counted as two of the best songs in that category in Indian film music.
October 4th, 2007 at 2:04 am
Mr. Korti has mentioned some wonderful compositions by SD. I have included links for three of them for your viewing pleasure.
The first one, Apni to har aah ek toofan hai, is abolutely brilliant. Somehow this song got overshadowed by khoya khoya chand. Shailendra’s lyrics are so deceptively written; is uparwallah god or waheeda?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0KOYCgXLn3g
The second one Mr. Korti mentions, teri dhun har kahin, is a much lesser known song from the same film; how wonderfully rafi saab sings “lai lai lai”:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tmnbhb3Pcb0
The third, Chupke se mile pyase pyase, is a duet with Geeta; this song is set in a conversational mode, something that sd was expert at. Pancham must have played the mouth organ in this piece.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Q0OKdHGaq0
October 4th, 2007 at 1:56 am
SD was great but was greater when he used Mohd rafi as I think
October 4th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Congratulations to one and all on the launching of “SARGAM”…
a musical gift from our Mumbai Rafians. My hearty well-wishes
to those who have toiled behind this. I am dying to see it. Hope
to read something untouched on Rafi Saab’s life in it. My best
regards to Rafians all over the globe.
October 4th, 2007 at 12:10 am
dear shirish
believe me, the pleasure is mine too. today, i spoke to binuji and made this point in very many words. we all hero-worship rafi, but we must realise that there is no barometer which can describe any person as a greater or lesser rafi lover. the maestro throbs in our heart and it is up to us to savour the treasure trove that he left us in a magnificent legacy. let’s do something different, markedly different from the cliched way we are going about the whole thing. i mean, it is all too easy to belt out some typical numbers and go home in the fond belief that we paid a handsome tribute to the man. it’s time we digressed from this beaten track and bring out the rafi brilliance in its true and pristine glory. i have some off beat ideas, which i sincerely feel will make a big impression on the cognoscenti. let’s not be bogged down by the fact that singing lesser known numbers will fail to pull the crowd. in fact, there are any number of vintage rafi songs that are guaranteed to get the heartstrings. i am sure even an obscure rafi song will penetrate anybody’s heart. such is the virtuosity of the great man. i can reel out all these numbers. the question is who will sing them at the cost of playing to the gallery?
i am sorry if i have hurt anyone by these remarks, but let’s please, please pay a tribute to rafi that even he up there appreciates in letter and spirit
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Apart from Bhismadev Chattopadhyay, SD’s teachers included K. C. Dey (Manna Dey’s uncle) and Ustad Badal Khan. He also considered Ustad Allaudin Khan — arguably the greatest figure in Hindustani classical music in the 20th century — his guru. Baba Allaudin Khan had three children: Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi and Pt. Ravi Shankar (adopted). It is rumoured that Annapurna Devi (surbahar/beena) withdrew because of the “abhiman” played out in real life with her then husband Ravi Shankar. Apparently, she was the best among the three children! Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia is one of her famous students.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:17 pm
ref post 12:
Mr. Guru Murthy, I think the classical song you are referring to from Kaise Kahun is “Man mohan man mein ho tumhi”, sung by Batish, Lata and Rafi. It’s a wonderful composition.
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Ref: post 11
Dear Mr. Raju,
You have raised a very pertinent point. The repertoire of Rafi Sahab’s songs need to be fully exploited not only for our listening pleasure, but for perpetruating his memory. You have rightly said that we keep on hovering around a bunch of famous songs, when a complete tree of songs that can be savoured are available with us. We need to compile such songs and present it in front of music lovers.. I am prepared to assist you in any way in this endeavour. Needless to say, if you wish to take any assistance. You can contact me on 98204 52562.
I have always enjoyed your writings. Your love for Rafi Sahab just sneaks out of every word you write about him. While i am not that erudite, i am prepared to go that extra mile for our Rafi Sahab.
It was also a great pleasure to meet you recently during Sargam magazine launch at mumbai.
Regards
Shirish Kulkarni
October 3rd, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Souvik, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with this article. You have devoted very little space to this titan in many film music, whom many consider to the greatest music director ever. I won’t be surprised if his fan following in Maharashtra is greater than in Bengal (where the orkut babes have taken to his son in a big way). Sachin Tendulkar was named after the maestro.
Like SJ, SD was versatile in every respect. He could compose in every idiom (except perhaps qawaalis). While SJ used a variety of male playback singers, their female oeuvre is totally Lata-centric. SD also used all the male singers (Talat, Hemant, Kishore, Manna, Rafi and Mukesh), though he never really cared much for Mukesh. But see what he has done with female singers. He produced gem after gem for Geeta, Lata and Asha. In terms of the use of lyricists, he used Sahir, Shakeel, Majrooh, Hasrat, Shailendra, Neeraj, Gulzar, Yogesh, Anand Bakshi! I don’t know of anyone who has used so many lyricists. The interesting thing to note about him is that whether Lata sang for him or not, whether Jaidev or RD stopped working with him, whether there was some wave or not, he never lost his connect with the people. His songs were always popular.
You have mentioned only Bhismadev Chattopadhyay as his guru. There were many other influences in his life; I’ll write about them when I get more time. On the Eastern side of the Ballygunge Lakes, if you proceed further east from Buddha Mandir, is the counterpart of his Jet Bungalow in Kolkata. You can call it a music mandir given the number of music stalwarts who used to visit that place. Incidentally, chhote nawab grew up in that house. On the other side of the lakes, behind Menoka cinema hall, was Hemant Kumar’s house. And a couple of miles to the northeast, was Salil Chowdhury’s house.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 am
Kaise Kahun also had three more wonderful songs. Duet with Asha “Kisike Mohabbat Me”, solo “Zindagi Ko Zhoom Le Jara” and another classical song sung by Rafi and Asha.
October 2nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Rafi is a virtually a free flowing ocean of music. Unfortunately, we admirers of this keep singing the same ‘bhajans’ in his praise. SDB composed some finest melodies that had strains of Ravindra music. The table, the santoor and the flute were all part of their unbeatable repertoire. Remember the 1964 film Benazir where Rafi went so majestically on a mischievously smiling Shashi Kapoor: “Dil mein ek jaane tamanna ne jagah payee hai.” In Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Rafi sang the saqme ” Sun le tu dil ki sada..” in two parts and was so astonishingly resonant. In Kala Bazaar it was evergreen Dev Anand and his sidekick Rashid Khan singing: Teri dhoom har kahin”, not to speak of “Apni to har aah ek toofan hai” and duet with Geeta “Rimjim ke taraane leke aayee barsaat”. In Nau Do Gyaarah there were two Rafi-Asha duets: “Aaja panchi akela hai and Kali ke roop mein chali ho dhoop mein..”
Remember Meri Surat Teri Aankhen where protagonist Ashok Kumar sang in Rafi’s mesmeric style: Nache man more (Pt Saamta Prasad was on tabla) and the wonderful duet: Tere bin soone, nain hamare..”
In Insaan Jaag Utha, it was Sunil Dutt who had to lean on Rafi in that lilting melody: Chaand sa mukhda kyun sharmaya.” And then that funny number: Yeh chanda roos ka, na yeh japan ka..” I could go on and on. Here are some more Rafi greats under SDB:
1)Saathi na koyi manzil: Bambai Ka Babu
2)Deewana mastana hua dil: Bambai Ka Babu
3)Chupke se mile pyaase pyaase: Manzil
4)Yehi to hai woh: Solva Saal
5)Akela hoon mai: Baat Ek Raat Ki
6)Aaj ka din hai pheeka pheeka: Baat Ek Raat Ki
7)Dil ka dard nirala: Kaise Kahoon.
8)Tang aa chuke hai: couplets from Pyaasa
I can list many more. Please get these immortal songs also in public memory. The more known are repeatedly reeled out.
October 2nd, 2007 at 11:25 am
SDBurman gave great & melodious songs with Mohdrafi in many films. Like my favourite “Tere Mere Sapne, ab ek rang hai”, “Nach Man mora” and other songs. He was a great music composer who used rafisahab most in Devanand’s films. So, his association with rafisahab was great & finally his last song with rafi was “Saregama” of the film “Chupke Chupke” duet with Kishoreda, in that film also he brought another singer to sing Mukesh & Lata the song “Bago mein phool kilte hai”, marvellous music director.
shashank_72@rediffmail.com
October 1st, 2007 at 10:26 pm
ref post 7 ,
gurumurty garu,
we are very fortunate sir that we are born during that period when rafi sahab was putting his heart and soul to give us the best melodies. we are the most fortunate people sir.
I feel pity on this generation that they dont know the meaning of melody since it has become a shadow of rafi sahab in heaven.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:14 pm
pyar hua iqraar was sung by mannadey and lata.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I do not know how I missed songs of KALA BAZAAR in my earlier comments. Songs like “Khoya Khoya Chaand” and “Apni To Har Aah” are still fresh and lilting. And the duet with Geetha Dutt “Rim Zhim Ke Tarane Leke” is one of the best picturised duet in Indian film Industry perhaps next only to “Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua” of SHREE 420. We just cannot forget Dev and Waheeda under an Umbrella, just walking, their eyes revealing so many hidden feelings, but unable to express openly, the song coming in the background. Alas, we hardly get any thing like these songs now.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I would like to add “Mera Man Tera Pyaasa” from GAMBLER, “Hum Bekhudi Me Tumko Pukare” from KALA PAANI, “Saathi Na Koi Manzil” and “Deewana Mastana” from BAMBAI KA BABU, “Sunle Tu Dilki Sada” from TERE GHAR KE SAAMNE, “Gungunarahen Hain Bhanwar” from ARADHANA, “Kali Ke Roopme” and “Aaja Panchi Akela Hai” from NAU DO GYARAH, “Achaji Me Haari Chalo”, all other songs of PYAASA like “Hum Aapki Aankhon Me”, “Sar Jo Tera Chakraye”, “Yeh Kooche Yeh Neelaam”, and with minimum music “Yeh Hanste Huye Phool”, “Game Is Qadar” and “Tang Aa Chuke Hain” as well as the songs of JIDDI starring Joy Mukherjee like “Champa Kali”, Janoo Kya” and “Pyaar Ki Manzil” to the above list.
October 1st, 2007 at 10:37 am
Dear Sirs,
Just thought I will share some more audio clippings of my rafi numbers which I had recorded earlier. The first song is “Phalakpe Jitne Sitarehn Hain” from “Mere Huzoor” and the second one is “Aaj Purani Raahonse” from “Aadmi”.
Hope you all like it. Please let me have your honest comments, which I would welcome for my own improvement.
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos
K.S. Ramachandran
Office: Chief Financial Officer, Secova eServices Limited, Meridian House, 121/3, Manickam Avenue, TTK Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018; Tel: INDIA -91-44-2499 2252 Extn: 117; Fax: 91-44-2467 0625; US - +1-732.836.3800 Extn: 7120; email: ks.ram@secova.com
Residence: “Amritha”, 2nd Floor, E58A, 21st Cross Street, Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 090, India. Res Tel: 044-2446 8896 /044-2446 1790; Mobile: 98410-71388 email: ksrc@vsnl.com; chandan0106@gmail.com
October 1st, 2007 at 4:46 am
heloo i whant pleas only Bhajans mohd rafi sab sant email for mee
October 1st, 2007 at 2:58 am
Journalist Vinod Viplav has published an article in “THE HINDU” and said
that somethings just refuse to go out of fashion. This is 100 percent right
in the case of legendary vocalist Rafi Saab. Time will change..people will
change..thinkings will change..theories will change..technology will change
…music will change…but the magic of Rafi Saab’s miraculous voice will
never change and it will bewitch the coming generations for centuries and
centuries..
September 30th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Dear Rafians,
I just thought I will share a small video clipping of my performance in Chennai a while ago. It was only an attempt to sing “Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj”, from the film “Baiju Bawra” sung by our great Rafi Sahab in Raag Malkosh. Please forgive me if I have made any mistake in the rendition…I only hope you can view the video. I would appreciate comments and suggestions and also if you are able to view the video.
http://youtube.com/profile?user=chandan0106
Thanks and regards
K.S. Ramachandran
Office: Chief Financial Officer, Secova eServices Limited, Meridian House, 121/3, Manickam Avenue, TTK Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018; Tel: INDIA -91-44-2499 2252 Extn: 117; Fax: 91-44-2467 0625; US - +1-732.836.3800 Extn: 7120; email: ks.ram@secova.com
Residence: “Amritha”, 2nd Floor, E58A, 21st Cross Street, Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 090, India. Res Tel: 044-2446 8896 /044-2446 1790; Mobile: 98410-71388 email: ksrc@vsnl.com; chandan0106@gmail.com
September 30th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
SD and Rafi Saheb made best songs. Their songs are countless and unforgettable.