Hemesha Jawaan Geet, Tribute to SriLanka Brodcasting Corporation Options

[khawar Sohail]

I now play a Saigol/semaab akbarabadi combination. A beautiful ghazal.......khawar
The year was 1932; a gramophone record- ‘Jhulana jhulao’ appeared in the music world, sung by a totally unknown singer. It was an instant hit, a class in itself by all parameters and till date the glitter of its glory has not faded.

This was the origin of an unknown singer, who was destined to rule the music arena not only for the next fifteen years which he lived, but for many years to come. The singer was ‘Kundan Lal Saigal’ or more popularly, [size=4]K.L. Saigal[size=4]. Today, deservedly -the singer of the century.

Kundan Lal Saigal was born on 04.04.04 of the twentieth century in the town of Jammu. It is a matter of coincidence that Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, another great in the field of classical music, was born on 02.02.02 and master of the masters amongst the music composers- Anil Biswas was born on 07.07.14. These captivating birth-dates are a matter of fascinating study for numerologists.

Kundan’s family belonged to Jullunder (now known as Jallandhar) in Punjab and his father Amar Chand Saigal, was posted as a Tehsildar at Jammu at the time of his birth. There appears nothing exciting about the early life of the singer, except that he was a below average student in his school days. However, he took keen interest in theatre and acting in ‘Ramlila’, where he played the role of Sita.
His mother Kesar Kaur used to sing bhajans and mystic-songs and young Kundan used to accompany her, wherever she used to go for such singing. Once during his early childhood, he lost his voice-quality. His perturbed mother took him to a faqir (saint) called- Salman Yousuf, who blessed the young soul and predicted that one day Kundan will be a world known personality in the field of music.
How accurate was the ‘Divine’ prediction!

Kundan Lal Saigal, in his early youth worked as a salesman for Remington Rand; subsequently served as a goods clerk with the Railways and later a petty cloth-merchant in Calcutta; before his singing talent was identified by Rai Chand Boral, the music-maestro and composer of ‘New Theatres’ a renowned film producing company of Calcutta. This was the beginning of his acting and singing career and the year was 1932.
A line about ‘New Theatres’ of Calcutta. It produced a large number of legendaries in the field of acting, music, photography, direction, and almost in all spheres of film making. The list of such personalities includes- Prithviraj Kapoor, Devaki Bose, Pahari Sanyal, Kidar Sharma, Timir Baran, Rai Chand Boral, Pankaj Mullik, Durga Khote, Kanan Devi, Panna Lal Ghosh, K.C. Dey, Nitin Bose, S. D. Burman, Bimal Roy and others; besides the one and only- Kundan Lal Saigal.

KL Saigal Commemorative Postage Stamp

A mere glance at Saigal’s acting and singing career beginning in the year 1932 till 1946, would reveal an amazing contrast. Amongst his earliest films were ‘Pooran Bhagat’ (Music- R.C. Boral) and ‘Yahudi ki Ladki’ (Music-Pankaj Mullick) released in the year-1933. While acting in ‘Pooran Bhagat’, he sang four bhajans viz ‘Bhaju mein to bhav se shree girdhari’, ‘Sumrin kar jiya ram naam’, ‘Ausar beeto jaat prani tero’ and ‘Radhe rani re de daro naa’. Whereas, in ‘Yahudi ki Ladki’, he sang four ghazals viz ‘Nukta cheen hei gamey dil’, ‘Lag gayee chot karejawa me’, ‘Laakh sahee hum pee ki batiyan’ and ’Ye tassaruf allah allah’. Saigal had arrived!
A singer who is singing bhajans with such sublime emotional feelings- ‘Bhaju mein to’ and ‘Radhe rani re’- in particular, is also singing the ghazals of ‘Ghalib’ - ‘Nukta cheen hei gamein dil’ and eight others with a masterly command on Urdu poetry, deep understanding of the thought and above all, keeping the melody in its true eloquence. An exemplary contrast!
In a brief span of fifteen years, Saigal sang in Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Bangla and even in Tamil, in the varied genres of ghazals, bhajans and other modes, many in classical styles.
He sang exceptionally well the simplest of the simple songs and with same fervour, he could sing some wonderful classical melodies, including in most difficult ‘Dhrupad’ style.
Let me, therefore, evaluate his different forms and styles of singing; beginning with the ghazal.

In the recorded history of ‘ghazal’ singing the name of the first and foremost amongst countless singers is and perhaps will remain for a long time of - K.L.Saigal, who needs no introduction to earnest music lovers. The genre was further enriched by another legend- Begum Akhtar.

To me, these two legends never sang merely the words, but expressed in their singing, the feelings and thoughts immersed in the lyrics. And, when they sang ‘ghazals’ of Ghalib, the poet appears to have come alive. If you have not yet experienced this soul stirring experience, try it.

Saigal was amongst the earliest, who sang and recorded ‘ghazals’ of Ghalib. He sang his nine ghazals, namely - ‘Aah ko chahiyey’, ‘Dil se teri nigah’, ‘Har ek baat pe’, ‘Ibne mariyam hua karey’, ‘Mein unhein chherun’, ‘Nukta cheen hai’, ‘Wo aakey khwab mein’,’Phir mujhe did-aye-tar yaad ayaa’ and ‘Ishq mujhko nahin’.

Is it a coincidence that Begum Akhtar also sang nine compositions of Ghalib- ‘Ibne mariyam hua karey koyee’, ‘Aah ko chahiye’, ‘Dard minnat kashey’, ‘Taskeen ko hum na royein’, ‘Zikr us parivash ka’, ‘Dil hi to hai sangey kisht’, ‘Phir mujhe did-aye-tar’, ‘Koyee ummeed bar nahin aatee’ and ‘Dayam paraa hua hoon’.

While comparing these eighteen fabulous masterpieces of these two great singers, my pen pauses; it is extremely difficult to comment on their unique voice-quality, citation, soul stirring performance that captivates ‘nobility’ of the accompanying instrument, be it harmonium, tabla and or tanpura.

Once while discussing with select scholars of Urdu (one of them being an Associate Professor of Urdu & Persian in the University of Oxford ) about the future of Urdu language, which has certainly enriched our cultural heritage; but with the passage of time, whose learning has been squeezed into a particular class of our society. As a lover of Urdu literature and an ardent listener of music, who can’t even read and write Urdu script (but have read Ghalib and Sahadat Hasan Manto and other legendary Urdu writers and scholars through Devnagari & English) could only add to the discussion that- had these two legends (Saigal & Begum Akhtar) and some other singers were not there, the ‘diwanns’ (compilations of written works) of Ghalib and other outstanding luminaries would have remained buried in the archives (book-shelves) of Colleges, Universities and other research institutions.

Doubtlessly, it was Saigal the first and foremost and others to follow his foot-steps, who kept alive (through their singing) – verses of a large number of Urdu poets -known and unknown.

Seemab Akbarabadi was a poet of stature. Saigal by singing a few of his ghazals viz ’Ab kya bataun’, ‘Aie bekhabri dil ko deewana banaa dena’, ‘Duniyan mein hoon duniyan ka’, ‘Jaag aur dekh jaraa’, ‘Jalwa gahey dil mein’, ‘Shukriya hastee ka’ etc. he made the poet live for ages to come.Seemab began ghazal writing in 1892 and in 1898 became a disciple of Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlawi (1831–1905) to whom he was personally introduced by Munshi Nazar Hussain Sakhaa Dehlawi at the Kanpur Railway Station [5]. After founding " Qasr-ul-adab ", in the year 1923 with Saghar Nizami as its editor he started publishing the Monthly " Paimana ". Thereafter, in the year 1929 he started the Weekly " Taj " and in 1930 the Monthly " Shair ". The publication of " Paimana " was stopped in 1932 when Saghar Nizami separated from Seemab and moved to Meerut. " Shair " continued to be published long after Seemab’s death, managed and edited (since 1935) by his son, Aijaz Siddiqui.Beginning with the publication of his first collection of poems," Naistaan ", in the year 1923,and up to 1982 in all seventy five books of Seemab Akbarabadi came to light,these included twenty two of poetry and " Loh-e-mahfooz " (1979)," Wahi manzoom " (1981) and " Saaz-e-hijaz " (1982) published long after his death.He is more known by his ghazals[6] particularly by those sung by Kundan Lal Saigal[7]. He wrote far more than what is contained in these books. He also wrote short stories, novels, dramas, biographies & critical appraisals and was acknowledged as a master of Urdu, Persian and Arabic language & grammar. According to one count there were 375 disciples of his, more prominent being Saghar Nizami(1905–1983), Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi(1913–1986), Raaz Chandpuri(1892–1969), Bismil Saeedi(1902–1972), Altaf Mashhadi(1914–1991), Zia Jalandhari(1923 - ), Nissar Itawi, Shifaa Gwaliori(1912–1968), Naazish Pratapgarhi(1924–1981) and Turfa Qureshi. Many of his unforgettable ghazals were put to music and sung by noted singers such as Kundan Lal Saigal [8] and continued to charm the listeners. Today, they are a part of Indian Light Classical music. At this juncture, it will not be out of place to mention that Saigal by singing the ghazals of Seemab Akbarabadi, made the poet immortal. In the same manner; Habib Tanvir, (the Theatre-maestro) immortalized Nazir Akbarabadi through his all time great play -‘Agra Bazaar’.

I would like to invite listeners’ and readers’ attention particularly to the beauty of delivery of words and feelings expressed distinctively in the ghazals of Arzu Lucknavi (popularly & respectfully known as ‘Arzu Saheb’ by music-lovers, singers and the composers). When Saigal sings his verses –’Bahut us galee ke’, ‘Ghar ye tera sadaa na mera hei’, ‘Idhar phir bhi aanaa’, ‘Jeevan asha ye hai’, ‘Mein sotey bhaag jagaa doonga’,’Matwale paney se jo ghataa jhoom paree hei’, ‘Preet mein hai jeevan jokhon’, ‘Sanwariya prem ki bansi bajay’, ‘Yey kaisa anyay daataa’ etc and in particular when the maestro recites- ‘Chhatee se dhuan uthaa hai jo boond paree hei’ lines of the ghazal- ‘Marwale pane se_’; he makes the listeners enthralled and spell bound. This is just one of such examples of his masterpiece renderings.

Let me play for you a ghazal of Ibrahim Zauk, as sung by Saigal. The verses of this ghazal- ‘Laayee hayat aaye’ not only captivates the listener, it deeply provokes his/her thought with the process of message and the immersed mysticism of this immortal piece; especially in the follow up- ’Apni khushi naa ayey/ naa apni khushi chaley___’. It compels you to pause and reflect the poet’s creation. Aren’t you transformed and transfixed? The manner in which this ghazal has been recited; without any hesitation, I may add that it is one of the rarest of rare examples of expression of mysticism in the annals of ghazal-singing.

These are just a few of such illustrations of Saigal’s capacity of communicating the depth of thoughts and feelings immersed in the lyrics of legends of Urdu poetry and ghazals.

Saigal, besides singing ghazals of these three lyricists- Ghalib, Zauk and Seemabh; also sang a number of ghazals of other noted poets of his time. viz Kidar Sharma, Jameel Mazhari, Pt Sudarshan, Safdar Aah, D.N.Madhok, Khumar Barabankvi, Aga Hashr Kashmiri, Ameer Minai, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Bedam Warsi, Swami Ramanand and others.

In this context, some of his all time popular ghazals- ‘Aie dil-e beqarar jhoom’ & ‘Chah barbad karegi’ (Khumaar Barabanqvi); ‘Apni hasti ka agar’ (Bedam Warsi); ‘Deewana hoon’, ‘Shamma ka jalnaa hai’ (Kidar Sharma); ‘Binaa pankh panchhi hoon mein’, ‘Us mast nazar per paree jo nazar’ (D.N. Madhok); ‘Kaun veeraney mein dekhega bahaar’ (Ameer Minai) etc are a few references, enough to establish the ability of ghazal singing of the maestro.

Naushad, the master composer, composed music for the film ‘Shahjahan’. In this film Saigal acted and sang some popular numbers like ‘Jab dil hi toot gaya’, ‘Aie dil-e beqarar jhoom’, ‘Chah barbaad karegi’. These songs added to the recognition of the music-director. In a tribute to Saigal, Naushad has very appropriately commented-”Naushad mere dil ko yakeen hai yeh mukamal/ Nagmon ki kasam aaj bhi zinda hei woh Saigal”. (Naushad swears by his lyrics that his heart is certain that even today Saigal is alive).

If Saigal was a better singer of ghazals or that of bhajans and mystic-songs? This aspect of his music legacy is generally debated amongst his critics and listeners.

The era of ghazal-singing in a way commenced with Saigal. Because of its mass appeal, a large number of singers followed; some of them earned fame and handsome money. A few cine-singers also sang ghazals for the films, which further popularized ‘ghazal’ singing. Notable amongst such ghazal-singers were -Begum Akhtar, Mallika Pukhraj, Talat Mehmood, Mohd Rafi, Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Abida Parveen, Tahira Syed et al.

Yet again, let me introduce you to Saigal’s bhajan and mystic singing aspect. Saigal sang some fascinating bhajans. Amongst, his all time greats include- ’Bhaju mein to bhaav se shree girdhari’, ‘Radhe rani re de daro na’, ‘Nein heen ko raah dikhaa prabhu’, ‘Madhukar sham hamare chor’, ‘Sumiran kar piya ram naam’, ‘Mein nahin maakhan khayo’, ‘Suno suno re krishan kala’, ‘Janam janam ka dukhia prani’, ‘Jeevan ka such aaj prabhu’, ‘Hari bin koyee kaam na aayo’ etc wherein I found his complete surrender to the ‘Sublime’, as immense and matchless.

Listen to his voice quality, when he sings ‘Do charnon pe balihari’ -in ‘Bhaju mein to bhaav say shree girdhari’; and ‘Is bansee mein merey praan basat hein’ in ’Radhe rani re’; ‘ Chahun or merey ghor andhera’ in ‘Nein heen ko raah dikha prabhu’; here he makes the listener visualize, what blindness is. After listening to these renderings, I have no hesitation to admit that Saigal makes me cry time and again, whenever I listen to these heavenly gifts to mankind through Saigal.

Such illustrations of communicating the feelings expressed in the bhajans, which Saigal sang are endless. Though, it is the listener’s understanding and intake, as to how he/she enjoys the allure of the singer’s renderings.

There is a very interesting story about legendary classical singer Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. A journalist approached Khan Saheb for an interview. He (the journalist) introduced himself as a scholar, columnist, a Phd in music and having a deep knowledge of music. After listening to the journalist, Khan Saheb enquired- ‘Miyan, kabhee royey ho; kabhee muhabbat ki hei?’ (Gentleman, have you ever shed tears and have you ever been in love?). The journalist was speechless. At this Khan Saheb advised him- ‘Mian, chaye-waye pio aur jao, tumhein mausikee sey kya lenaa dena?’ (Gentleman, have some tea and leave, what relationship do you have with music?)

The fact remains that music cannot be understood with the laws of physics or mere theoretical knowledge. The saying goes true with the music of Saigal, as well. If someone wants to enjoy the music and more particularly the melodies of Saigal, one must listen to them with heart and not merely with head.

A unique feature of Saigal’s singing was that he always sang totally at ease, in a totally relaxed manner, without any particular kind of physical-gesture, which is not usually noticed in the music concerts.

Once, while discussing Saigal and his music with Raghva R. Menon (the biographer of Saigal) I was given to understand that he himself was fortunate enough to have listened to Saigal in person, four times during the maestro’s life time. He recalled that when Saigal used to sing, there was never any kind of expression on his face nor any kind of hand movements. It almost appeared that sound was coming out of a statue or a robot. This was, thus, a unique characteristic of the maestro’s personality.

In addition to ghazals and bhajans, Saigal sang a large number of songs -classical and or otherwise- which will continue to haunt the listeners till there is music in the atmosphere and there are listeners, who value the meaning of love, affections, virtue, endearment and pleasure of solitude.

Listeners may relish listening to some of his notable and easiest looking melodies- ‘Jo beet chukee so beet chukee ab uskee yaad satay kyun’; ‘Baalam aye baso merey man mein’, ‘Chhupo na chhupo na’, ‘ Do naina matwarey’, ‘Jaag aur dekh zara’, ‘Jeevan been madhur na baje’, ‘Preet mein hai jeevan jokhon’, ‘Sar pey kadamb ki chhaiyan’, ‘Morey balapan ke saathi’, ’Ye kaisa anyay dataa’ etc. (Listening to these everlasting melodies, gives the listener a heart-felt eternal pleasure.)

In the present day set-up of mad rush for amassing wealth and other material possessions, by means fair and foul, and consequent distress of head and heart; one should try to understand the meaning of contentment and solitude through such divine and heavenly music.

Saigal’s contribution in this respect will be adjudged as ‘everlasting’ !

A totally un-known poet wrote one of the easiest looking lyrics for Saigal viz ‘Ausar beeto jaat pranee tero ausar beeto jaat/ is kaal ki hera pheree mein tero ausar beeto jaat/ saath mint (minute) gujrey gaya ghanta, chaubis mein din-raat (day & night)/ pal pal kar key ksheen hot hein_____’. The impact of this mystic song, as Saigal sings is simply matchless. I am very much confident that lyricist could never have imagined that he wrote such fascinating lines.

Likewise, listen to ‘Preet mein hei jeevan jokhon/ jaise kohloo mein sarson’; what a wonderful expression of pain of love! The lines were written by Arzu Lucknavi and composed by Pankaj Mallick in film ‘Dushman’ in the year 1939. The delivery of words, once again and quality of music rendered is a class in itself and words will be inadequate to express my feelings on this immortal rendering.

In the year 1938, Saigal acted in the film ‘Street Singer’ (music-R.C. Boral) where he sang ‘Babul Mora naihar chhuto jaye’.. He preferred to sing this song on the sets while acting, though facility of playback music was available. This was in view of the fact that he did not want the authenticity of the scene to be diluted in any way. According to the version of the Director of the film, Phani Majumdar –“He requested me for such singing while acting. It was a difficult task to shoot the song live on the roads. Saigal did a great job. He was completely immersed in the song and the role. Every thing looked so real. I don’nt think any other actor could have done so well.”

To my mind, ‘Babul Mora’ has proved to be the most popular and rarest of the rare high quality film or non-film song of the century.

Prior to Saigal, ‘Babul Mora’ was also sung by Ustad Faiyyaz Khan in the year 1932.

In view of the fame and applause of the listeners for Saigal’s ‘Babul Mora’, a galaxy of singers singing ‘Babul Mora’ followed. The list of such luminaries includes: Kanan Devi, Pt Bhim Sen Joshi, Kesarbai Kerkar, Mushtaq Hussain Khan, Siddheshwari Devi, Rasoolan Bai, Begum Akhtar, Girija Devi, Kishori Amonkar, Jagmohan, Mahender Chopra (Saigal’s son-in-law), Khadim Hussain Khan, Shanti Sharma and Padma Talwalkar. Did any of them outstand Saigal?

In the present time, well-known ghazal-singer Jagjit Singh, came to limelight by his ‘Babul Mora’ which he sang along with Chitra Singh in early seventies. He sang and recorded yet another time ‘Babul Mora’, which is his solo version.

A collection of all these recordings of ‘Babul Mora’ sung by these luminaries; is certainly a ‘Collectors’ Treasure’ and can be made available to the music-lovers.

Once while discussing music of thirties & forties with the master-composer- Anil Biswas, (who brought Mukesh and Talat Mehmood initially to limelight) about Saigal’s ‘Babul Mora’. His remarks to this were simply fabulous- ‘Betey, Saigal ke alawa kisi ka babul nahin chhoota’.

Anilda (Anil Biswas) is no more; but in the casual manner, what he said, I have nothing to say on his comments. As I became speechless. But, the fact remains that ‘Babul Mora’ sung by Saigal will be listened by upright music-lovers time and again for the ages to come. About others, no one can predict. Rest, I leave it the listeners. Let them evaluate.

Pankaj Mullick recorded his three songs viz ‘Aie qatib-e-taqdeer, Do naina matware and Chhupo naa chhupo naa’. Saigal, as well sang these three songs in film ‘My Sister’ in the year-1944. The music was composed by Pankaj Mullick. Both the singers were and are considered to be ‘Masters’ and any comparison is certainly meaningless. But, the fact remains that what Saigal sang, it will be remembered till time stops.

The film ‘Devdas’ released in the year 1935, is a milestone in the history of Indian cinema, primarily because in this film, Saigal acted and sang his all time favorites- ‘Balam aye baso merey man mein’, ‘Dukh ke din ab beetat naahin and just two lines of a classic ‘thumri’- ‘Piyaa bin naahin aawat chein’ (earlier sung by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan). The music of this film was composed by Timir Baran, who played ‘Sarod’ for the first time in the history of film-music, while composing ‘Balam aye baso morey man mein’.

When Khan Saheb came to know about his singing, he called on at Saigal’s residence and asked him to sing for him once again in his presence. After listening to Saigal, he was spellbound over Saigal’s mastery of expression and his ease of singing. He enquired as to who is his Ustad (teacher), who has taught him singing. To this, Saigal replied that he has not learnt from any ‘Ustad’ and it is only ‘Ooparwala’ (‘Almighty’), who has taught him singing. Khan Saheb blessed the maestro and gave him a hundred rupee note, which Saigal kept with him till his death, as a token of his respect to Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.

During the course of shooting of the film –‘Devdas’, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, the celebrated author visited the sets. He was deeply impressed with the acting of Saigal; though, he was surprised as to how a non-Bangali (Punjabi) could understand so intelligently the character, he created in his novel.

The other notable features of this film were that it was produced and directed by P.C. Barua (who himself earlier acted in its Bangla version) and its photographer was Bimal Roy, who later on produced and directed another version of ‘Devdas’ with Dilip Kumar as its hero. It is needless to add that as a mark of respect; Bimal Roy dedicated his film ‘Devdas’ to the memory of K.L.Saigal and P.C.Barua.

While waiting for a train at a railway platform, he wrote a fascinating poem on the back of the railway receipts. In this poem, he has expressed his attachment to the city of Calcutta, which shaped his destny and initial personality. From Calcutta Saigal later-on moved to Bombay. I have a copy of the manuscript of this verse entitled -‘O des se aaney waley bataa’. The pain of parting expressed in this poem is somewhat unique and thereby is a matter of deep study of poet’s head and heart.

Saigal sang two Punjabi numbers -‘O soney sakia meri galee wee’ & ‘Mahee naal jey akh lardee kadee na’. Both these songs bear the fragrance of soil and soul of Punjab. Though, he himself was a Punjabi, a question is generally asked: why did Saigal sing only two songs in Punjabi; as against 28 songs he sang in Bangla. On this question, I once spoke to one of Saigal’s close relatives, who narrated that during one of his visits to his home town Jallandhar, a Punjabi singer from a nearby place named ‘Sham Chaurasi’ came to meet Saigal and told him in Punjabi- ‘ Hunn tussee Punjabi wich wee ganaa shuroo kar ditta hei; assee tan phukhey mar jawaan gey’ (Now that you have started singing in Punjabi as well, we will be starved to death). At this Saigal assured him that he will no longer sing in Punjabi. And he did keep his promise.

Dilip Sarkar son of B.N. Sarkar, the owner of ‘New Theatres’ while speaking at a public gathering narrated that once Saigal accompanied Pankaj Mullick to Santiniketan, where he introduced Saigal to Tagore. Gurudev asked Saigal to sing. After listening to Saigal, the poet blessed him and appreciated his performance.

Saigal sang 28 Bangla songs. The beauty of his Robindra Sangeet and Bangla singing lies in its totality. At times, the candid listener, even without understanding a single word of language (Bangla) of the respective verse of the song, is spellbound by his loveable and divine voice quality.

Likewise, it must be recorded that Saigal also sang two Tamil songs in Tamil version of film ‘Devdas’.

A few lines about the classical singing aspect of the maestro:

Films produced after the year 1941 came out with some fabulous songs, based on pure classical music. Such songs were sung by the classical singers and also by traditional film singers. A collection of these recordings include:

* ‘Shubh din aayo’ & ‘Prem jogan bun gayee’- both sung by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in film ‘Mugal-e- Azam’, music-Naushad.

* ‘Jhanak jhanak paayal baaje’- sung by Ustad Amir Khan in film ‘Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje’, music- Vasant Desai.

* ‘Aaj gavat man mero jhoom key’- sung by Pt D.V. Paluskar & Ustad Amir Khan in film ‘Baiju Bawra’, music – Naushad.

* ‘Ketaki gulab juhi’- sung by Pt Bhim Sen Joshi & Manna Dey in film ‘Basant Bahaar’, music - Shanker Jaikishan.

* ‘Ritu aye ritu jaye’- sung by Manna Dey & Lata Mangeshkar in film ‘Humdard’, music - Anil Biswas.

* ‘Garjat barsat saawan aayo rey’- sung by Lata Mangeshkar in film ‘Malhaar’, music – Roshan.

* ‘Garjat barsat saawan aayo re’- sung by Kamal Barot in film ‘Barsaat Ki Raat’, music – Roshan.

* ‘Boley re papiharaa’- sung by Vani Jairam in film ‘Guddi’, music - Vasant Desai.

* ‘Man ki been matwari baaje’- sung by Rafi & Lata in film ‘Shabaab’, music – Naushad.

* ‘Laga chunri mein daag’- sung by Manna Dey in film ‘Dil Hi To Hai’, music – Roshan.

* ‘Tarana’- sung by Jagjit Singh in film ‘Kalka’ in his own music.

In the bouquet of all these classical melodies, when Saigal’s evergreen ‘Sapt suran teen gram’ sung in classical (Dhrupad) form and ‘Diya Jalao’ from the film ‘Tansen’ (music- Khemchand Prakash) are included- the beauty of the collection emerges multifold.

It is an established fact that Saigal was a renowned celebrity during his lifetime. Here are some of the clippings of the news/reports published in few film journals and magazines of his era:

“Saigal the Singing sweetheart of millions was invited by Mahatama Gandhi (in the year-1941) at Wardha to sing for him the National Anthem ‘Jeete Desh Hamara’ on the happy occasion of his birth day but the singer had to decline the invitation as he had to go to Hyderabad Deccan along with Pancholi Art Picture to shoot Scandal.” (‘Talkie Hearald’- October’1941)

Saigal acted in film ‘Zindagi’, which was released in the year 1940. In his review, published in cine journal ‘Filmindia’- April 1940 issue Babu Rao Patel wrote about Saigal’s singing:

“What Saigal sings is music and when the golden notes come out of his throat, people forget the story writer, the director, the producer and even Saigal’s big face monopolizing the screen for a long time. They just want his maddening music and there is a good amount in this picture. If this picture runs (for) a long time it will be because Saigal has sung beautifully and not because Barua has directed it.”

In another write-up he (Patel) observed: “Saigal was a bard who sang the poetic sighs of human soul and warmed the heart of heartless world.”

“Saigal was like a soft grass sprouting out of the holes of a solid cement wall, always bubbling with life, full of enthusiasm, an epitome of gentleness, as it were. It is a rare experience to come across such loving person”- perceived Kanan Devi.

Saadat Hasan Manto, the legendary Urdu writer, while writing a sketch of actress and singer ‘Noorjehan’ wrote- “Saigal key baad mein Noorjehan ke galey se muttassir hua__. Jab tak rekaard jinda hai, Saigal mahroom ki awaaz kabhee nahin mar saktee.” (After Saigal, I am impressed with the voice quality of Noorjehaan___. As long as Record (Gramophone-Record) is alive, Saigal’s voice will never die). The candid truth immersed in these lines came from the soul and not merely from the heart.

Apart from being an actor and a singer ‘par-excellence’, Saigal was a wonderful human-being. There are a large number of incidences to establish his kind-heartedness towards whosoever came in his contact for help.

His driver, Yousuf once narrated with tears in his eyes an incidence of the life of his master. Yousuf told a columnist that once, when he fell ill, Saigal came to his house with lot of fruits and medicines. After enquiring about his health, Saigal started rubbing and pressing his legs. “Sahib, wo to ek farishta the” (Sir, he was an angel.) -said Yousuf, in a voice choked with emotions.
Kidar Sharma, the famous producer-director became very close to Saigal; as it was Saigal who introduced Kidar Sharma to Devaki Bose to initially work for ‘New Theatres’. Subsequently, it was Kidar Sharma who wrote some memorable songs for Saigal such as ‘So ja rajkumari’, ‘Balam aye baso mere man mein’, ‘Dukh ke din ab beetat naahin’, ‘Mein kya jaanu kya jadoo hai’ ‘Kya humne bigara hai’ etc etc. In his several interviews he (Kidar Sharma) admitted that had Saigal not been there, his fate would have been different. As the fate would have been, later on, it was Kidar Sharma, who was instrumental in launching Raj Kapoor, Madhubala and Geeta Bali in his films.
In 1945, Kidar Sharma and Saigal were invited by an elite to his newly built bungalow at Ville Parle, a suburb in Bombay (Mumbai) very close to sea beach. In the large gathering of guests, Saigal somehow felt uneasy and silently without informing the host, he slipped alongwith Kidar Sharma and went to nearby sea shore for a stroll. It was little dark. In that dusk, they saw a faqir, who was singing a ghazal of Ghalib and was playing his harmonium along with. Both of them sat on the sand and listened to the singer. Saigal was overwhelmed. After the singing was over, he touched the feet of the singer, took out five thousand rupees from his pocket and gave it to the faqir. Kidar Sharma was amazed and spellbound at this gesture. He asked Saigal, if he knew how much money had he given to the faqir? Saigal replied- “Oopar waley ney kee mannu gin key dittey si?” in Punjabi. (Did the ‘Almighty’ count before he gave me?)
By the year-end of 1946, it appears that Saigal had the intuition that he was not going to live long more. He was a patient of diabetes and had other problems.
He left Bombay, where K.N. Singh, one of his closest friends besides others came to see him off at Bombay Central (railway-station). Saigal reached Jullunder on 26 December, 1946 by Frontier Mail (which proved to be his last journey) at about 4.00 a.m. when it was extremely cold. He was wearing a brand new woolen suit. At the railway platform, he saw a beggar shivering with cold. Saigal, who was a little ahead of his family took out his coat and gave it to the beggar and also about 1800 rupees from his purse.
This particular incident was narrated to me by two of his relatives separately, one being Smt Durgesh Mehta, niece of Saigal (daughter of Saigal’s elder brother -Hazari Lal Saigal), who was brought-up by Saigal as his daughter; and also by Roshan Lal Saigal, a nephew of Saigal, who met me at Dehradun in October, 1994.
Saigal on reaching his home town Jallandhar, in view of his poor health and the intuition that his doom’s day was fast approaching, got his head shaved. As he was too weak, he had to call his religious mentor ‘guru’ from nearby village- ‘Noormahal’ for paying his last respects.

Since he was very fond of ‘sarson ka saag’, a mound (37 kg) saag was got prepared and distributed to all and sundries in fulfillment of his last wish.

The inevitable came on the wee hours of 18 January, 1947 when the whole of Punjab (of un-divided India) was in-flames on account of partition riots. Smt Durgesh Mehta (who was at his death-bed) narrates that about 30-40 close relatives thought that it will be most appropriate to have the last rites performed as early as possible.

With all the heavenly melodies of Saigal alive in the hearts of millions of music lovers; who says Kundan Lal Saigal is dead?

-Satish Chopra, BA/26B Ashok Vihar-I, Delhi-110052 #27134229/27450869 Email: satishchopra@rediffmail.com

[khawar Sohail]

[khawar Sohail]

Here are two more songs by Master Madan including Saghar Nizaami ghazal....khawar

[khawar Sohail]

[khawar Sohail]

Here is another song penned by Saghar Nizaami and sung by Mannawar Sultana....khawar

[khawar Sohail]

Kidar Nath Sharma also Kedar Sharma (12 April 1910 - 29 April 1999), was an Indian film director, producer, Screenwriter, and Lyricist of Hindi films.[1] While he had great success as a director of such movies as Neel Kamal (1947 film), Bawre Nain (1950) and Jogan (1950), he is often most remembered for starting the acting careers of Bollywood greats Geeta Bali, Madhubala and Raj Kapoor.

Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
3 Awards and nominations
3.1 International honours and recognitions
3.2 National honours and recognitions
4 Film Credits
5 Children's Film Society of India Contributions
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Early life
Kidar Sharma was born in Narowal in what was then the Punjab region of India and grew up in a life of poverty. Two brothers, Ragunath and Vishwa had died as infants and his sister, Taro, died of Tuberculosis at an early age. A younger sister Guro survived as did a younger brother, Himmat Rai Sharma, who would later work with Kidar on films before establishing himself as a successful Urdu poet. Kidar attended the Baij Nath High School in Amritsar where he became interested in philosophy, poetry, painting and photography. Upon completion of high school, he ran away from home to pursue a career in cinema in Mumbai but was unsuccessful in gaining employment. He returned to Amritsar and attended the Hindu Sabha College where he founded a College Dramatic Society which would later give him his first break in film.[2]

[edit] Career
The head of a local Temperance movement would attend one of Kidar's plays and hired him to produce a silent film depicting the evils of alcohol. Using the money he earned from this project he would receive his Masters degree in English at Amritsar's Khalsa College before joining a local theater group that earned him limited acting success in 1931. He was married in 1932 and painted to earn income. Upon seeing an early talkies film Puran Bhagat (1933) by film director Debaki Bose, he left for Calcutta hoping to get his big break at New Theatres Studios, where Debaki Bose worked. After many months of unemployment he managed to meet a then-unknown actor of New Theatres, Prithviraj Kapoor (where he would meet Prithviraj's eight year old son for the first time, Raj Kapoor). Prithviraj Kapoor introduced Kidar to his neighbor, then-unknown Kundan Lal Saigal, who through an acquaintance allowed Kidar to meet Debaki Bose. Debaki Bose hired Kidar initially to become the Movie stills photographer for the film Seeta (1934) but would give Kidar his first part in the creation of film with that of set painter for the film Inquilab (1935) where Kidar also had a bit part.[3] Kidar would continue to work with New Theatres on films such as Dhoop Chhaon (1935) and Pujarin (1936) but a big break would come when Kidar was asked to write the dialog and lyrics for the 1936 adaptation of Devdas starring his friend Kundan Lal Saigal. Devdas was not only a hit, but songs from the film such as Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein and Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi became feverishly popular throughout the country, giving Kidar Sharma acclaim by the press and public. Kidar would later say, "Both Bimal Roy and I got our first big break in Devdas. He as the cameraman and I as the writer."[2]

Kidar's big directing break came in 1940 when asked to complete the film Tumhair Jeet. Upon its completion he was given the opportunity to direct his own screenplay for Aulad / Dil Hi to Hai, which met with some success. He was then asked to direct Chitralekha which became a smash hit and gave Kidar credibility as a director. He would go on to begin producing his own movies, casting Raj Kapoor and Madhubala in their first film Neel Kamal. He would also cast Geeta Bali in her first movie, Sohag Raat and later he would team her with Raj Kapoor for the film Bawre Nain (1950). That same year he directed Jogan starring Nargis and Dilip Kumar. In the late 1950s Jawaharlal Nehru who had heard Sharma's lyrics, summoned him and asked him to become director-in-chief of the Children's Film Society. Kidar Sharma would work on many movies for the Children's Film Society, including the film Jaldeep which would go on to receive international acclaim.[4] In 1958, he would work for one year directing movies in Singapore for Shaw Brothers Studio.

An outstanding poet, Sharma wrote some of the most memorable songs including Balam aayo baso more man mein, Dukh kay ab din beetat nahi and Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahi. Kidar would continue to contribute as a lyricist and to write and direct films through the 1990s. Ironically, many Indian film critics and historians argued that he deserved the highest cinema award from the government of India but he died a day before he was to receive the Raj Kapoor Award, named in honor of the actor he helped make a success.

[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] International honours and recognitions
Part of the Indian Delegation in 1945 who travelled to England and Hollywood and met with Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney and Cecil B. DeMille
Best Children's Film, International Film Festival at Venice 1957 for Jaldeep[1]
[edit] National honours and recognitions
1956 for the film Jaldeep: All India Certificate of Merit, as best children film State Awards for Film [2]
Indian Film Directors' Association Lifetime Achievement Award
Gold Award from Prime Minister Indra Ghandi in 1982 for contribution to Indian Cinema
Maharashtra Government's Raj Kapoor Award (awarded in 1999 after his death)[3]
[edit] Film Credits
Inquilab (1935), Set Painter, Actor
Dhoop Chhaon (1935), Actor, Assistant Manager
Pujarin (1936), Actor
Devdas (1936), Dialog and lyrics
Vidyapati (1937), Actor
Anath Ashram (1937), Writer
Jawani Ki Reet (1939), Dialog
Badi Didi (1939), Writer, Actor
Zindagi (1940), Writer
Tumhair Jeet (1940), Director
Aulad (1940), Director
Chitralekha (1941), Director
Armaan (1942), Director
Gauri (1942), Director
Mumtaz Mahal (1944), Director
Dhanna Bhagat (1945), Director
Chand Chakori (1945), Director
Duniya Ek Sarai (1946), Director
Neel Kamal (1947), Writer, Director, Producer
Sohag Raat (1948), Director
Neki Aur Badi (1949), Director, Actor
Bawre Nain (1950), Writer, Director, Producer
Jogan (1950), Director
Gunah (1953), Director
Chora-Chori (1954), Director
Hamari Yaad Aayegi (1961), Director
Fariyad (1964), Director
Chitralekha (1964), Writer
Kaajal (1965), Writer
[edit] Children's Film Society of India Contributions
Jaldeep (Light House) (1956), Writer, Director
Ganga Ki Lahren (1957), Writer, Director
Bachchon Se Bate (Talking To Children) (1957), Writer, Director
Haria (1958), Writer
Gulab Ka Phool (The Rose Among Flowers) (1958), Writer, Director
26 January (India's Republic Day) (1959), Writer, Director
Ekta (In Unison) (1959), Writer, Director
Guru Bhakti (Devotion) (1959), Writer
Panchtantra Ki Ek Kahani (A Story From The Panchantra) (1959), Writer
Yatra (Journey) (1959), Writer
Dilli Ki Kahani (The Story Of Delhi City) (1960), Writer
Chetak (1960), Writer, Director
Meera Ka Chitra (Portrait of Meera) (1960), Writer, Director
Nyaya ( Justice) (1960), Camera
Mahateerth (Great Pilgrimage) (1961), Writer, Director
Khuda Hafiz (Goodbye) (1983), Writer, Director, Lyricst
Source Wikipedia

[Faraaj73]

Khawar Saab

Thanks for this article about Master Madan. He deserves to be remembered!

A child prodigy: Master Madan
The maestro commenced his training in music at the age of seven years, under the able guidance of Pt Amar Nath, a great musician and elder brother of composer duo- Husnalal Bhagatram. He had composed music for film ‘Mirza Saheban’, wherein Noorjehan sang some of her captivating numbers. The two ghazals referred to above were also composed by Pt Amar Nath.

I believe Pt Amarnath composed all 8 available songs

A child prodigy: Master Madan
Master Madan’s elder brother Master Mohan, who was in Shimla, also used to sing and played violin. This was the time when the legendry singer K.L. Saigal too was in Shimla. Very often, Saigal used to bring his harmonium to their home- ‘Butail Building’ Lower Bazar, Shimla- for his singing and his brother played violin..

Saigal was in fact a very close family friend and even stayed at Madan's parents house several times. He travelled with Master Mohan and chaperoned Madan to Calcutta and was a mentor and protector to the child prodigy.

But, this took its toll. In view of excessive strain under which the young boy lived and performed, his health began to suffer. He would complain of exhaustion and low fewer. Sadly, he was not properly taken care of and provided adequate medical attention. When at a later stage, he was taken for an examination, he was found to be beyond recovery. The diagnosis was a slow poison that had affected his vital organs. The genius with his immortal voice died in Shimla on 5 June, 1942 several months short of his 15th birthday. He was cremated wearing all his medals.

There had been many rumours about the cause of his death. One such gossip went that at one time when he was performing at Ambala, a local singing girl had invited him to her Kotha and gave him a doctored paan (betel leaf). Another said that at Radio Station Delhi, he was given mercury in his drink by a jealous performer. Yet another was that in Calcutta, after his sensational concert at which he sang a thumri- Bintee suno meri, someone gave him a slow-acting poison in his drink. It was noticed in retrospect that he never recovered his voice after that particular performance. .

When he went to the studio for a recording he used to drink a glass of milk. The most widely believed story is that a jealous rival, unidentified to this day, added mercury to his milk. His medical symptoms lend credence to this version. However, several rumours sprang up over the years, including the wildly implausible one that Saigal had him killed because he was jealous of Madan's success.

This post has been edited by Faraaj73: Sep 2 2010, 04:44 PM

[khawar Sohail]

This is a special song dedicated to Faraaj sahib. The recording quality is low. The song and info is courtesy Dr Suresh Chandvankar sahib, Secretary Indian Record Collector, Bombay.  gauhar_jan.doc ( 122.5 k ) Number of hits: 12 by members

I am attaching the photo of 78rpm record of this song as Doc document as I do not know how to put the photo on forum. I hope some body can extract the photo and put it on the the HF....khawar
Gauhar Jan, Month of July and Mumbai
[Rahegi yaad mujhko, Bambai vaalon ki mehmani]
--------------------------------------------------
July 2010.

A month to remember ‘Kalkatte wali Gauhar Jan’, a famous ‘tawaif’ (courtesan) and the first gramophone celebrity of last century. After about a century, she is again ‘talk of the town’ because of the latest English book, ‘My Name is Gauhar Jan’ by Vikram Sampath. [Rupa publications, New Delhi]. The book has been released ceremonially in major cities in India and has now entered into the second impression in just three months. On this occasion, in July, two listening sessions were organized in Mumbai, one at Bhavan’s cultural center, Andheri and the other at NCPA complex, Nariman Point, in South Mumbai. Large crowd of senior citizens was drawn by her recorded music. Every song that was played finished with a slogan: ‘My Name is Gauhar Jan’. While listening to these rather noisy recordings, my mind began to wander in the past

July 1907.

‘Gauhar Jan of Calcutta’ had become quite famous through her gramophone records and had also appeared on picture postcards. She used to visit Bombay mainly for two reasons. She had a lover ‘Amrut Keshav Nayak’, a famous actor of Gujrathi stage in Bhangwadi Girgaon, and her passion towards horses and race course. In the season, both would spend day at Mahalaxmi race course. In the evenings, she would often perform for common citizens (Aam admi) at ‘Capitol’ theater opposite Boribunder (V.T.) station. The concert would be packed since the tickets were affordable. She would entertain the audience with her songs and dance. Located nearby was the famous and a century old ‘Town Hall’ (Asiatic Library) where elites of the town or ‘Khas’ citizens would meet. In July 1907, Gauhar Jan was invited for a concert in this hall. She gave an excellent performance for the august audience including great personalities like Phirozeshah Mehta, Seth Gokuldas and Seth Ratansi. She sang a ‘Najma’ (urdu poem) in which she coined the names of these persons in the audience. She also included the blessings sought for King Edward to live to eternity (kayamat). The song was appreciated by everyone and became popular. After five years, ‘The Gramophone Company’ decided to record it for a commercial release. So, in 1912, a 78 rpm disc was cut with a special label containing the picture of a recording angel. [Record No. P 365. Dhun Kalyan. Sung by Gauhar Jan, at the Town Hall, Bombay in July 1907.] This record was a collector’s item for quite some time. Recently it has been found. The song contains eight stanzas and describes the importance of ‘Mumbai’ city in the life of Gauhar Jan. She expresses her gratitude towards the town and patrons of Mumbai. At the end after her usual announcement, she says, ‘Yeh Kammal ka gana hai. Phirozeshah Mehtaki tarifmen’. [This is an amazing song. In praise of Feroz Shah Mehta]

Soon after this concert, Amrut Keshav Nayak passed away suddenly on July 18th 1907. Today, road behind Khadi Bhandar on P.M. (Phirozeshah Mehta) road is named after him. Gauhar has left behind over 200 songs on three minute shellac discs. The ‘Town Hall’ building has completed over two hundred years and going strong. ‘Capitol’ theater building is surrounded by drug addicts and waiting for its reincarnation.
----------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Suresh Chandvankar. July 29, 2010.
‘Society of Indian Record Collectors’, Mumbai
chandvankar.suresh@gmail.com
cell - 9920813336
----------------------------------------------------------
Dhun Kalyan Quawali (P.365)
--------------------------------------

Chalo guljar aalam me havaye fajla rahmani
Phala phoola khada har kaam ise rakhna nakhla bostani…1

Hai to yeh jahanmen aab hath gar dastyon bhi man
Garja hindu musalman sab ke sab hai khanda peshani…2

Jaiye majlis hun jinke sadra sarbhi dor ka aisa
Vah bark andaz Gokul Das jee Iqbal ho bani…3

Rahe abad ya rab bambai tu aur bambai wale
Kahan main ek musafir aur kahan yeh kadra sultani…4

Mujhe ijjat jo bakshi aur jo hai kadra kee meri
Rahegi yaad mujhko bambai walon ki mehmani…5

Jahanke school ke malik Ratansi sethji sahab
Karen bachhonki khidmat aur Karen unki nigehbani…6

Khudaya Shah Edward ko tu rakh jinda kayamat tak
Rahe kayam hukumat aur hove fajla rabbani………….7

Duva par sar jhuka kar khatma karta hun kalam apna
Rahen sab meherban unpar ho sab par fajla ehsani…..8

My Name is Gauhar Jan
Yeh Kammal ka gana hai
Phirozeshah Mehta ki tarifmen
----------------------------------------------------------

[khawar Sohail]

A master-piece combination of Kidar sharma-lata-Khyaam....khawar

[khawar Sohail]

Another song penned by Kidar sharma from Gunah 1953....khawar

[Debopriyo]

Another song penned by Kidar sharma from Gunah 1953....khawar

great khawar ji ?
few request ? .........can you upload ?

apne suron se tumne ek aag laga di - Hemant Kumar - Kamal Dasgupta - Faiyaz
- beimaan tori batiyaan jaadu bhari - Hemant Kumar - Kamal Dasgupta - ???
- ek raat kabhi aisi aaye - Hemant Kumar - Kamal Dasgupta - Faiyaz Hashmi
- ek raat kabhi aisi aaye - Hemant Kumar & Kalyani Das - Kamal Dasgupta - Faiyaz Hashmi
Sahil Ki Taraf Le Chal - Sahib Biwi Gulam - (??) - ???
kaun musafir leke aaya - Mala (1951)
De De Pet Ko roti - Maldaar (1954)
Sab Ko Mubarak Naya Saal - Samrat (1954)
Pathik Akela Badta Ja - Vivekananda (1955)
Chale AAj Raam ne - Ayodhapati (1955)
chiatrakut par raam ne ma ko kiya pranaam - hemant kumar - ayodhyapati
danka baja,bahadur jaga,kayar bhaga-hemant,jagmohan,asha -shamsheer

[khawar Sohail]

I will check songs in my collection. Presently listen to this Saghar Nizaami song sung by lata and composed by Sajjad husain from khel...khawar

[Faraaj73]

This is a special song dedicated to Faraaj sahib. The recording quality is low. The song and info is courtesy Dr Suresh Chandvankar sahib, Secretary Indian Record Collector, Bombay

In July 1907, Gauhar Jan was invited for a concert in this hall. She gave an excellent performance for the august audience including great personalities like Phirozeshah Mehta, Seth Gokuldas and Seth Ratansi. She sang a ‘Najma’ (urdu poem) in which she coined the names of these persons in the audience. She also included the blessings sought for King Edward to live to eternity (kayamat). The song was appreciated by everyone and became popular. After five years, ‘The Gramophone Company’ decided to record it for a commercial release. So, in 1912, a 78 rpm disc was cut with a special label containing the picture of a recording angel. [Record No. P 365. Dhun Kalyan. Sung by Gauhar Jan, at the Town Hall, Bombay in July 1907.] This record was a collector’s item for quite some time. Recently it has been found. The song contains eight stanzas and describes the importance of ‘Mumbai’ city in the life of Gauhar Jan. She expresses her gratitude towards the town and patrons of Mumbai. At the end after her usual announcement, she says, ‘Yeh Kammal ka gana hai. Phirozeshah Mehtaki tarifmen’. [This is an amazing song. In praise of Feroz Shah Mehta]

----------------------------------------------------------
Dhun Kalyan Quawali (P.365)
--------------------------------------

Khawar Saab

Thanks for this extremely rare upload - its a beautiful tune and beautifully sung by Gauhar. It helps to be able to read the romanised lyrics because as you point out the recording quality is low. Much appreciated nonetheless.

Kind Regards
Faraaj

[khawar Sohail]

I am in process of converting some old cassettes of habibWali Mohd's ghazals and geets. I will be posting here. The first one is penned by qamar jalalabadi. Here it is. If anybody has ‘Ja kahio unsay naseem-e-sahar’: poet: Bahadur Shah Zafar, kindly upload...khawar

HABIB WALI MOHD:
Born in Rangoon to a conservative memon family. His family, Tabani, an industrial house has large business holdings in Pakistan.

He received his MBA from Syracuse University in 1947, and then lived in Bombay for about 10 years before moving to Pakistan. His brother Ashraf W. Tabani was governor of the province of Sindh around 1988.)

[edit] Career
Habib Wali is practically from the very second group of singers ever to record the art form and is still at his peak today. But probably because of his background and place as a member of a well-established family, Habib Wali has never pursued as aggressive and mainstream a career as a singer as others, though is still highly regarded.

He is known for singing ghazal of last Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, Lagta Nahin Hai Jee Mera Ujray Diyar Mein.

His family name was Tabani, though he became famous as Habib Wali Mohammad. His family migrated to Bombay, where he took classical music lessons from Ustad Latafath Husain, nephew of Ustad Fayyaz Khan. But due to economic reasons, he gave priority to academics. His musical activities were limited to singing ghazals in college functions. After completing bachelors in Bombay, he studied for his MBA in USA. In mid 1940s he returned to Bombay.

In Bombay he won first prize in a large music competition. This propelled him to release his first album of ghazals. This record was to make him a celebrated singer. After partition, his family migrated to Pakistan and established an industrial group. He gave most of his time to the family business, recording ghazals and geet-s for films in his spare time. Concerts though were limited. In the eighties he released an album of ghazals composed by Nisar Bazmi.

He has been awarded the Nigar award. His famous ghazals include Bahadur Shah Zafar's 'Na kisi ki Aankh ka noor hoon' and Qamar Jalalavi's 'Kab mera nasheman ahelay chaman'. He is now retired and lives in California with his family.

His other well known ghazal includes "Aaj jane ki zidd na karo". He also sang the famous national song, "Roshan-o-Rakhshan, Nayyar-o-Tabaan, Pakistan rahay".

Way back in 1941, in Bombay, some young music lovers between 17 and 19 years of age were waiting outside a room for an audition.One by one, each candidate went in the room and was tested for his voice, diction, pronunciation and other technicalities necessary to become a singer. Amongst those enthusiastic teenagers was an eighteen year old lad, whose name was Mukesh Chand Mathur. Behind Mukesh was another young boy and whose family name was Habib Tabani (popularly known as Habib Wali Mohammad). Both of these young gentlemen passed the audition!

Habib Wali Mohammad was born in 1921, in Rangoon, to a conservative memon family. He migrated to Bombay at a young age. He was very fond of listening to Qawwali since his childhood. Innocent as he was, he thought that Qawwali is what the music is all about. A little later, he started taking interest in classical music in Bombay. He took lessons in classical music from Ustaad Fayyaz khan’s nephew, Latafath Husain. However, due to academic pursuits, his interest in music was pushed aside.

With the passage of time, he was more inclined towards ghazal singing. He participated in college musical functions and came to be known as the ‘Taan sain’ in his college. As soon as he finished his college education, his parents sent him to America and he completed his MBA degree in the U.S.A.

He returned to Bombay in the mid forties, and took part in a music competition, in which 1200 singers had participated. Habib Wali Mohammad had sung Bahadur Shah Zafar’s immortal ghazal: ‘Lagta nahi hai jee mera, ujray dayar mein’ and a panel of judges awarded him the first prize.

Encouraged by this honor, at a young age, he took more interest in ghazal singing. During his stay in America, he had been out of touch with music. Hence, he felt lonely and missed his earlier college functions in Bombay. In his own words: He was not happy in ‘Ujray dayar mein’ the same ghazal which had won him an award of a life time. He put a lot of effort and came out with a gramophone record of ghazals in his voice. On one side of the record, he dubbed Bahadur Shah Zafar’s ghazals and on the other side, Ghalib’s ghazals.

Unfortunately, the Indian public was reluctant to buy them.

In those days, a prominent Indian actress, Meena Kumari, was affiliated with Radio Ceylon, she happened to listen to those ghazals and liked them so much, that she made it a point to broadcast them daily from Radio Ceylon. Thousands of listeners heard those ghazals on radio and rushed to the music stores to buy the gramophone records: Habib Wali Mohammad became a celebrity.

After partition, he migrated to Pakistan and sang ghazals for the gramophone companies.(including a geeth written by Perveen Shakir: ‘Gori karath singhar’) In eighties, he recorded ghazals in audio cassettes which were composed by renowned music director Nisar Bazmi. Also, he received offers to record play back songs for the Pakistan film industry.

First and foremost, he is a businessman.(Shalimar silk mills is owned by Tabani group), however, at his leisure, he did record quite a few numbers for movies. He never made music his profession. Music has always been a hobby for him.

Every now and then, he took some time off for radio, television, film or private concerts.

Apart from this, he also received the prestigious nigar award.

He sang a ghazal written by Ustaad Qamar Jalalavi which was an instant hit: ‘Kab mera nasheman ahelay chaman’. All ghazals of Bahadur Shah Zafar, sung by Habib Wali Mohammad were mega hits, including: 'Na kisi ki Aankh ka noor hoon'

[edit] Personal life
Habib Wali Mohammad lives in California, United States with his wife, Rehana and his family, including his son, Nadeem Wali Mohammad

[edit] Discography
Some of the ghazals, recorded in the voice of Habib Wali Mohammad are listed here below:

‘Ye na thi hamari Qismath’: poet: Ghalib

‘Ja kahio unsay naseem-e-sahar’: poet: Bahadur Shah Zafar.

‘Gajra bana kay lay Aa malaniya’: poet: Afshan Rana.

Following are the ghazals, which are considered as a treasure for the Pakistani films:

‘Aaj janay ki zid na karo’: poet: Fayyaz Hashmi, picturised on Nadeem

‘Aashiyan jal gaya’ :poet: Raaz Illahabadi, film: ‘Baazi’

'Raatain theen chandni':Film: ‘Baazi’

National songs like: ‘Roshan-o- afshan, nayyar-o-taban’

[edit] Recent Concerts
Habib Wali Mohammad Recently had a ghazal concert on Saturday February 27, 2010 in Edison, NJ and on February 28 in West Virginia, performing with his son Nadeem Wali Mohammad, and former singer Bela modi

[edit] References
1.^ http://www.chowk.com/articles/6571

[khawar Sohail]

This is a special song dedicated to Faraaj sahib. The recording quality is low. The song and info is courtesy Dr Suresh Chandvankar sahib, Secretary Indian Record Collector, Bombay

In July 1907, Gauhar Jan was invited for a concert in this hall. She gave an excellent performance for the august audience including great personalities like Phirozeshah Mehta, Seth Gokuldas and Seth Ratansi. She sang a ‘Najma’ (urdu poem) in which she coined the names of these persons in the audience. She also included the blessings sought for King Edward to live to eternity (kayamat). The song was appreciated by everyone and became popular. After five years, ‘The Gramophone Company’ decided to record it for a commercial release. So, in 1912, a 78 rpm disc was cut with a special label containing the picture of a recording angel. [Record No. P 365. Dhun Kalyan. Sung by Gauhar Jan, at the Town Hall, Bombay in July 1907.] This record was a collector’s item for quite some time. Recently it has been found. The song contains eight stanzas and describes the importance of ‘Mumbai’ city in the life of Gauhar Jan. She expresses her gratitude towards the town and patrons of Mumbai. At the end after her usual announcement, she says, ‘Yeh Kammal ka gana hai. Phirozeshah Mehtaki tarifmen’. [This is an amazing song. In praise of Feroz Shah Mehta]

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Dhun Kalyan Quawali (P.365)
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Khawar Saab

Thanks for this extremely rare upload - its a beautiful tune and beautifully sung by Gauhar. It helps to be able to read the romanised lyrics because as you point out the recording quality is low. Much appreciated nonetheless.

Kind Regards
Faraaj

Is it possible Faraaj sahib for you to download the Doc. file I uploaded re Gohar jan, extract the Picture and upload it as a picture and not doc.....khawar