HI
I have been a big fan of talat sahab since small. I remeber when i was in school one of the guys gave me a
cassette of kl saigal , which by then i had known but hadnt listen to ,
i came home and put the cassette into player .. and oh gosh .. couldnt listen as i was so used to to the soft voices
of Rafi , mukesh and velvet voice of Great Talat Mahmood, that i had to really put fingers into my ears . I tried again
during all these years to listen to saigal but i cant (no offence,but only songs i can stand are ones from shahjehan).What i am wondering is that how come u people
listen to him or regard him as a great singer ( with that shrill and shreik voice which hurts the ears).

Unfortunately none of the great singers whose voice you seem to like are around to tell you why all of them literally worshiped Saigal and tried very hard to emulate him. I think one of the things they might have told you was that all of them, as also million others like them, had ears which could distinguish and appreciate the quality of Saigal's voice. They might have also added that thanks to their superior and sensitive ears, they used to experience heavenly bliss whenever they heard Saigal's songs.

Pradeep

talat sahib--one need properly working ear,s to listen n understand k.l sehgal

yea i have read alot that how alot of the singers use to idolize him,but we all know that every singer when he starts to sing has an ideal..and
saigal in thirties , when cinema was in its infancy , was a right man at right time.

Come on what we had then was the singers singing songs in extra high pitches(like kcdey , pahari etc) among them saigal was a jackpot,
a young face with a new and fresh singing style ( though he had alot of nasal qualities to go with it lol ).

Films and cinema were very new and strange media to people and of course people were bound to like this fresh change
given to them.

For me he was a half actor half singer, he went to stardom coz he was the lucky one to have the chance to be there and also to work under a great composer and singer pankaj mullick who i think was a far better
and trained singer then saigal( check the attached songs by me,though not good quality)

now let us be clear , think of a same song sung by saigal and talat it could be ishq mujh ko nahin wehshat hi sahi
or let it be any.. take it to ordinary people and i am sure any one who would listen to these two versions would like the one sung by talat with his lovely , romantic and at the same time stunning voice but not saigal..

u can,t compare two diff human being and spsly if they r singer,s---talat ji jo aapko ya mere ko achcha lagta hai vo hi sabse achcha nahin hota hai----

I think talat4eva has his mind made up already, and no one will ever be able to convince him otherwise. I too love the singing of Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Mohd Rafi, etc., but KL Saigal's voice definitely had a magic all its own. I love his deep voice and the resonance of his tonal quality. And, the emotions that he can generate, for example the pathos in songs such as "babul mora", cannot be matched no matter how many singers have tried over the years. I think it is sad that talat4eva is not able to hear what we hear, because it is definitely a treat.

I think it is also unfair of talat4eva to say that Saigal was considered a great singer because of the lack of suitable competition during his time. It has been universally acknowledged that Saigal was gifted musically. He could even master classical ragas that would take others years to learn. I remember reading once that he learned the raga bhairavi (I believe for "babul mora") in less than a week from a classical guru, and when the students asked why it was so difficult for them when he could learn it so easily, the guru replied that it was because they were not KL Saigal. I just found one article on-line (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031109/spectrum/main1.htm) which mentions that even well-renowned classical singers (I hope talat4eva will agree with me that at least these singers should be able to recognize good singing talent and voice quality), such as Pt Omkarnath Thakur, admired him.

Anyway, it's sad that talat4eva can't appreciate what millions of others do, but, in the end, it's only his loss . . .

Let's just analyse what you are trying to convey.

In your first para you accept the fact all the famous singers, which presumably includes Talat, used to idolise Saigal and were deeply influenced by him. Now these were the people who were all peerless singers and acknowledged masters in their profession. Should we believe their judgement with regards to singing ability of Saigal or should we place our trust in the judgement of an individual whose only claim to fame seems to be a name similar to that of one of the playback singing legends.

In the last para you believe that people listening to a song sung by Saigal and Talat are likely to prefer Talat over Saigal. It is very likely that the very same people would prefer songs of modern day singers such as Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet, etc. compared to those of Talat. So going by your yardstick all the modern singers are better than Talat Mahmood. Right Mr. Talat4---?

And in the middle of your article you now say that Pankaj Mullick was better singer than Saigal. Earlier you have stated that Talat Mahmood was better singer than Saigal. One final favour please. Would you now kindly pass a judgement on who is the better singer between PANKAJ MULLICK and TALAT MAHMOOD? or are we going to discover, through your good offices, another singer from the past, better than Saigal of course.

Thank you for providing us rare insights into the singing abilities of above mentioned singers.

Pradeep

Sorry Admin

For some reason, I did experience some difficulty in filing my response in this thread and tried a few times. It seems it has been received more than once at your end. Could you kindly delete the two out of three and retain only one.

Thank You

Pradeep

The classical singer was no other than Aftab-e-Mausiqi Faiyyaz Khan-sahab of the Agra Gharana, arguably the greatest singer in the last 150 years.

If HE has praised Kundan Lal Saigal's voice, I think all arguements ought to come to a close. 'Baabul Mora' was the famous Avadhi thumri composed by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah as he relinquished his throne to the Crown. (hence the lines 'khush raho ahl-e-watan, hum to safar karte hain'). Faiyyaz Khan was the undisputed king in rendering this thumri during his time. It was KLS who had approached him for 'taalim' & became his 'gaanda-baandh shagird' It was then that the mutual admiration was born.

What a God-gifted voice KLS had! Untutored but full of spontaneity and rich in texture. God's gift to our sub-continent.

Having said this, I must confess that Pankal Kumar Mallick was an awesome talent as well & while listening to the songs of My Sister (sung by both of them separately), there's very little to choose between them. Add to it PKM's composing skills, his paternal role in grooming many singers in Bengal & most importantly, popularising Rabindrasangeet in Bengal, he has occupancy of a very soft corner of a bengali's heart.

However, KLS had that 'something' extra in him to surge ahead. That 'something' is a heady concoction of talent & luck.

For every Tendulkar, there is a Dravid, for every Amitabh - a Vinod, for every Pele - a Garrincha, for every Sobers - a Kanhai & for every Lakshman, a Meghnad. You can empathise with the latter but you cannot grudge the former.

Regards-Archie.

maan gaye pradeep sir--by da way--r u an advocate---the way u handle this case only an advocate can do---(kiddding)--but u r 500% right

Bobby

As a matter of fact I have never studied law. I belong to a very dry profession of investment banking and am presently working in Middle East. After reading the comments of our friend, Talat4---, about Kundanlal Saigal, I just felt "inspired" to respond.

Basically I am an admirer of the music of 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and selectively, 1960s. I am particularly fond of Kundan Lal Saigal and his contemporaries Pankaj Mullick and Kanan Bala, although I was born a few years after Saigal passed away. I do not appreciate the tendency of some people when they compare various artistes and place one against another and sometimes feel necessary to respond when the comments are made in a rude manner.

Elsewhere, under C.Ramchandra thread of the Legendary MD forum, I have expressed my views on the fact that the contribution of lyric writers and music directors mostly goes un-noticed compared to that of singers. Do let me know what you think of it.

Pradeep

I have uploaded instrumental versions of two famous songs of Saigal from the movie My Sister. The uploads are under the thread of Pankaj Mullick, the music director of My Sister.

Pradeep

Wanted to share a small info @ Kishore Kumar and Saigal saab. KLS being the Guru of Kishoreda, Kishoreda used to teach Amit Kumar singing. KK used to tell AK to sing Saigal songs as a part of the "Riyaaz"...AK used avoid and say "Woh to naak se gaate hain, etc etc"...then KK used to insist to sing...AK used to try and fail miserably. AK said that then he knew how great KLS was. AK used to sing thereafterwards a lot of KLS songs.

This is as told by AK in a video interview

Notwithstanding what everybody has been saying about K. L. Saigal and how every singer of his era tried to emulated him, there still exists a hard core band of Master Madan enthusiastics who insist that if Master Madan had not died suddenly at the age of 14/15 years during Saigal's times, he would have been crowned with more glory than Saigal!

I have come across such Master Madan fans (or fanatics) in Delhi. Only two recorded songs of Master Madan are available ( to my knowledge). I have been listening to them since my childhood, but they are still as fresh as they were decades back!

The two songs of Master Madan undoubtedly showcase his potential and it was a great tragedy that this flower was snatched away from our midst before it could bloom. But while Master Madan was indeed a hugely talented singer, it is only a matter of conjecture how he would have fared against Saigal. It should be remembered that Saigal died in January 1947. Master Madan, if he would have been alive, would be around 18 - 19 years old at that time. So Master Madan would have competed with the likes of Rafi, Talat, Manna Dey, Kishore, Mukesh and Hemant rather than Saigal.

By the way, there are at least 6 more songs of Master Madan available for the connoisures, in addition to the two popular ones Hairat Se Tak Reha Hai and Yun Na Reh Reh Kar.

Pradeep

Dear Pradeep Israniji,

Nice to read your comments about Master Madan. However, I have read long back and even today I hear people who actullay detest Saigal Saab for the misfortune that fell on the young singer!

Would it be possible for you to tell us about the other four Master Madan songs. Are they also HMV soundtracks and if so are they available on Saregama?

SuDeo

For every one person who may "detest" Saigal, you are sure to come across millions who respect and adore Saigal. Not only for his singing talent, which was undoubted, but also for his humility, simplicity and his helpful and unassuming nature. Several prominent personalities of his times have commented upon his generosity and helping nature.

I have read a few speculative comments and stories about possible slow poisoning of the young prodigy, Master Madan, which was the cause of his death, and the possible involvement of a famous singer of those times in his un-natural death. But it could very well have been an undiagonised ailment. Let's not forget that the medical facilities in those days were not as advanced as they are today. I prefer to treat the speculation about his un-natural death for what it was, a pure speculation.

Master Madan's other 6 songs, which were not available with HMV/SAREGAMA, are still available on Surjit Singh's website, www.hindi.movies.songs.com

Pradeep

Even today if one hears "Babul Mora", it is difficult to control the tears..

Saigal was the one and only one !! Undoubted legend of the golden era..

Hats off !!!

......My 2 cents....

Parag