DEC. 24 IS THE CELEBRATION DAY - THE BIRTHDAY OF THE LEGEND

MOHD.RAFI SAAB.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, FANS AND ADMIRERS OF THE LEGEND WILL BE

MARKING THIS DAY IN MANY UNIQUE WAYS.

WE IN MUMBAI WOULD LAUNCH THE ‘ MOHD.RAFI MUSIC ACADEMY”,

WHICH WOULD AMONG OTHER THINGS, BUILD A MOHD.RAFI MUSEUM

IN MUMBAI, THE KARMA BHOOMI OF THE LEGEND. THE ACADEMY

WOULD ALSO PROMOTE MUSIC TALENTS, HONOUR MUSICIANS OF

YORE WHO HAVE FALLEN ON BAD TIMES AND CELEBRATE EVERY

24TH OF EVERY MONTH AS “RAFI DAY” IN MANY PARTS OF THE

WORLD.

RAFIANS ARE FOUND IN LARGE NUMBERS IN EVERY NOOK AND CORNER

OF THE EARTH. I HAVE FOUND THEM TO BE KIND, HELPFUL AND

VERY NICE PEOPLE. THE “QUALITIES OF RAFI SAAB HAS BEEN

TRANSFERRED , UNKNOWINGLY AND UNCONSCIOUSLY TO RAFIANS

OF THE WORLD IT SEEMS TO ME.

ON JULY 31ST 2005 THIS WRITER FOUND SCORES OF FANS SPENDING

THE WHOLE DAY AT THE TOMB OF THEIR HERO AND INTERACTING AND

PRAYING FOR RAFI SAAB. RAFI SAABS FAN INCLUDED A BOY OF

SEVEN YEARS AND HIS BROTHER OF ELEVEN YEARS WHO KNEELED

AND PRAYED AT THE TOMB , MOVING ME NO ENDS.

THEIR FAVOURITE SONGS: A. DARDE DIL..DARDE JIGAR.. B.HAI DUNIYA

USIKE, ZAMANA USIKA, MOHABBAT ME JO HO GAYA - KISIKA.

YEH DIL KA NAATHA HAI DOSTON AUR JAB TAK SANGEET RAHEGA,

RAFI SAHAB KA NAAM RAHEGA.

RAFI SAHAB IS WITH US …WANT ANY PROOF.. JUST PUT ON A C.D.

SO SIMPLE, HE WILL SING FOR US;HE IS THERE WITH US.

CURRENTLY, I PRESUME THE GODS HAVE SENT RAFI SAAB TO SPREAD

HIS SONGS AND MESSAGES TO ANOTHER PLANET AS GOOD AND KIND

SOULS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY THESE DAYS.

RAFIANS OF THE WORLD, COME ALONG AND SPREAD THE MELODY AND

PHILOSOPHY OF L E G E N D MOHD.RAFI. IT WILL BRING HAPPINESS

AND JOY TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS UNIVERSE.

A FEW LINES TO OUR RAFI SAAB:

THOU SHALL NOT RISE AGAIN,

THOU MUSIC WILL . . . .

ABOVE DE CACOPHONY OF SOUNDS.

RINGING MELODIES OF YORE,

BRINGING JOY AND HAPPINESS

TO HUMAN SOULS.

SONGS FOR EVERY MOOD,

ACROSS ALL BORDERS …

thy name is M U S I C ..,

THOU NAME - ” BHARAT RATNA” MOHD. RAFI.

from binu nair.
binus2000@hotmail.com
cell: 0091- 9833250 701
M U M B A I.

hindi music - going through a low?
Listening to Reason - Hoobastank. I am not much into english music, but this one touched me. The lyrics and the rendition.

Ok, I should write about something I am really into. The hindi music, that is.

The hindi music scene (specially the playback singing) is going through a not-so-great patch. There was a time when the country saw all the legendary singers at almost the same time. Rafi, Kishore, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor among the males, and the indomitable Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle among the females. Compare that to the present era, and we dont really find many in that league. Early nineties belonged to Kumar Sanu, but he had nothing new to offer in terms of originality. Then came Udit Narayan, who had delivered his first big hit in QSQT in 1988, but had gone into some sort of a lull after that. He weaved his magic again in the 90s and is currently the numero uno in the field of playback singing.

I personally feel that Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam have come close to reviving the Rafi era. Udit has an original voice, and he lends that golden touch to all his songs, so much so, that you feel like listening to them again and again without the song getting cloyingly sweet. He is truly the king of mush. Aamir Khan makes sure that Udit sings all his mushy songs. Sonu, on the other hand is more ‘inspired’ by Rafi. His low-scale songs are listener’s delight.

Together, these two are poised to carry forward the Rafi legacy.

In Conversation

Musical Musings

The Manna Dey - Sachin Dev Saga

HQ Chowdhury

Manna Dey is one of the few or perhaps only, living artists whose personal association with Sachin Dev Burman dates all the way back to Burman’s youth. A young SD trained under the Dey’s illustrious uncle, KC Dey. Their musical association too has been long and consistent. Starting from Mannada’s salad days as Burman’s assistant in Mashaal in the 40s right upto to Us Paar in the 70s, he was a regular in SD Burman’s music room. HQ Chowdhury meets the legendary Manna Dey to reminisce about his days with the maestro

“Manna what are you doing?”

“I am about to go out Sachin da.”

“Would you drop by for a few minutes.”

“Yes of course.”

This was the typical Sachin Dev Burman-Manna Dey conversation when SD would summon Manna Dey to visit him home.

“How do you like this tune?”

“Hmmm it is okay”.

“Accha tui ahon za” (off you go in native Bangla).

In the evening there would be another such call from SD when Manna Dey almost retired for the day. “I had no choice but to go. After all it was Sachinda’s call ”.

“How do you like this tune?”

“Oh, this is beautiful”

A beaming Sachin Dev would then inevitably say, “Report tomorrow for the rehearsal.”

“But dada what happened to that tune in the morning?”

“That is out. You only said OK!”

That was verbatim, as Manna Dey had told me at his Anandan residence in Mumbai over a cup of tea back in 1995. “You know Humayun for every song situation, Sachinda had so many alternatives and how often he would pass his tunes only after I had okayed those”.

It was during that sitting’ when the conversation went for a while, did I first notice that Manna Dey had a love hate relationship with SD. Of course more love than hate as in his music room, one still finds SD’s photograph amongst his near ones. If this was an example of “the love” part then let us see what the other part was like.

After rehearsing the song for days to SD’s satisfaction, there was often a thunder. “Now that you know the song well, guide Rafi to sing the number. I would like him to record it. I already told him that you would contact him!! “.

Who on earth would take that!! Did I catch on that occasion Manna Dey’s weak moments!!

“I did not sing much for Sachin da. My favourite composer was Shanker Jaikeshan, and then RD Burman. Sachin da was a great composer but nothing compared to Shanker Jaikeshan, I mean Shanker not Jaikeshan who was often too busy to please the ladies — Shanker was a genius”.

There is every reason for Manna Dey to make such a sweeping statement. Shanker (Jaikeshan) gave Manna Dey time and again that opportunity (and freedom) to be the “lead” singer as in the Bharat Bhusan musical classic “Basant Bahar” or in the many Raj Kapoor movies.

“But Manna da, SD gave you such lingering numbers for example Tere naina talaash I snubbed in. “Sachin da made least contribution to that song. All he did was set the tune. He then handed it over to Pancham (RD Burman) for orchestration”, giving an insinuation that it was he and RD who did the trick.

“But then for this particular number, he only had the confidence in you, not even Rafi despite the fact Rafi was the lead singer in the movie and also well trained in classical music; Pancham, as SD’s assistant, only orchestrated it the way he had wanted it. Manna Dey was silent not a word spoken. “And he chose you for Poocho na kaise in Meri Surat Teri Aakhen or Mere sab kuch mere geet re in Zindagi Zindagi, which are collector’s delights and amongst your favorites as well. Manna Dey was silent again. “Furthermore, did you not time and again say that Rafi as of today happens to be the complete singer in the history of Hindi films ? In such a case where did SD go wrong ? How many times did he replace you with Kishore, Talat or Mukesh ? Even uncle KC Dey did the same with you !!

“. Pin drop silence ……. and I switched the conversation to Sajjad Hussain and Anil Biswas.

To be fair to Manna Dey, for a singer of his calibre, he was never given the “deal” he deserved, in fact by any music director, not even Manna’s fancied Shanker Jaikeshan and RD Burman. Perhaps his voice was far too sophisticated and “over crafted” for the Indian film heroes. And again to be fair to SD, who was a hard core professional when it came to composing and choosing a singer, Manna did get a bounty from him but certainly not enough as Manna Dey had expected

If we take Upar gagan vishal in Mashal to be the starting point i.e. Manna Dey’s first super solo and tuned by SD (Manna until then had been struggling for seven years since his break in Ram Rajya in 1943 ) then there is virtually no border of music that Manna Dey did not touch under SD’s baton. Mituwa in Uspar was Upar gagan vishal’s pefect foil for one to sense the fathomless range of Manna’s voice. And between these two songs were 20 plus years. And what do we have on record ?

The soul searching Aan milo aan milo ( with Geeta) in Devdas, the comic beauty Hato kahe ko jhuti in Manzil (that established Manna as a singer par excellence in comedy songs apart from his “classy” ones), the heart breaking Na tel aur na bati in Ek Ke Baad Ek, the soul stirring Maat ro mata in Bandini, the wistful Aei kash chalte milte (with Asha) in Manzil, the Qawwali dash Kisne chilman se in Baat Ek Raat Ki, the satirical Andhi parjaa Andha raja in Tere Mere Sapne, the frolicsome Main tere pyar mein ( with Geeta) in Ziddi, the romantic refrain Soch ke yeh gagan (with Lata) in Jyoti. You name it, it is there.

Leave aside SD, SJ and RD who took Manna Dey to some admirable heights. But what about the other trend setters like Anil Biswas who had him once in a while, Naushad during blue moons, C. Ramchandra once or twice, Roshanlal once upon a while, Madan Mohan now and then, Salil Chowdhury sometimes, OP Nayyar — ever ? Yet if one had asked each one of them about Manna Dey’s capability none would disagree with his versatility!! These thinking composers could not care less for the thinking singer and his thinking listeners. What a pity!!

Years later I chanced to ask the ace Bangladeshi composer Robin Ghosh in one of those coffee chats “Who do you think is the greatest Hindi playback singer”.
“Undoubtedly Rafi” was the answer. “What about Manna Dey” I pressed hard.
“Manna Dey is the perfect singer. A model singer. But we are talking about films and in this media Rafi is the most versatile, he has no match, not even Kishore”. That probably settles the incomparable SDB’s score with the quintessential Manna Dey.

I would like to bring one thing to notice, inspite of many good, classy songs some Actors were not able to cash credit on it for example ” DIL JO NA KEH SAKA ” … the mukhada and some notes are really in high pitch with a fragrance of broken love in it … just check out PRADEEP KUMAR ( DUMBO ) he just stands beneath a tree and has only done lip sync and got ample of tears in his eyes ???? He performed the song just like a IDIOT… so when we hear that song we really feel good but when we see and listen to the same song we really feel that how PATHETIC is Pardeep Kumar.

While on other wide take an example of JOY MUKHERJEE ..6 feet tall , oval face , fair complexion and side crease hair cut … he had a pleassant personality.. now whatever songs Rafi Sahab gave him he actually potrayed Joy’s personality in those songs so when Joy Performed those songs on screen he really gave his in and out so whenever we listen to any of Joy’s song we immediately say that Rafi Sahab has sung the song for Joy and Joy has equally justified the song… This didn’t happened with all actors.. now lets come to 1977 ” KYA HUA TERA WADA ” .. hero TAREQ while singing this song plays guitar when actually there is no Guitar required and in this he forgets the emotions of the song …. so again when we hear this song we don’t easily recollect TAREQ as an actor who performed this song…

So, Rafi Sahab really gave unmatched quality songs to everybody but very few actor justified them, now this really makes a difference…

We will see an example , KK is known for Rajesh Khanna … why ???just because he performed his voice on screen very well .. so when we say Shammi Kapoor we say the equation should only be with Rafi Sahab ??? This is just because Shammi Kapoor has justified the voice on screen with same efforts as Rafi Sahab did for Shammi Kapoor in music room …

Rang Aur Noor Ki Barat kise Pesh Karu. this song has been picturised on Sunil Dutt Sahab check out his thorat he has actually shown or made us feel the high pitch notes …. tats why the song really touches our heart…

In other words the effort which Rafi Sahab took to give a master voice to actors , some actors made it well to perform it on screen but some really failed to do so …

In today scenario apart from Rafi’s voice getting pure Gold is also difficult. Most jewellers claim the purity of Gold in carrods. But in the present time Gold sold any where is never 100 % pure in any form.

You have very correctly said about Rafi Sahab -”PARASMONI VOICE” !
WELL SAID .

Thanks & Regards / A.T.M. SALIM.