By Amarendra Dhaneshwar http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.as...ay_standard6946
Here is a group, which meets once in a month to discuss old Hindi film music with a sense of nostalgia.
“The joys were simpler then; even recreation needed a minimal materialist base. There was no television and no video recorder; the radio was there but not yet the transistor. Films were popular but even more so their songs —the countdown to one of the most popular Hindi film songs on ‘Binaca Geet Mala’ every Wednesday was something never to be missed,” wrote Pawan Verma in his famous book ‘The Great Indian Middle Class’. A group of people sitting around a radio set and savouring the latest film composition was indeed a familiar sight those days. The first decade of the post-Independence period was truly the Golden Age of Hindi film music. Great composers like S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Shankar Jaikishen, C. Ramchandra, Naushad, Khayyam created immemorable songs written by lyricists like Shailendra, Sahir Ludhianvi, Pradeep and sung by singers of the calibre of Lata, Talat, Mohd. Rafi, Asha, Geeta Dutt, Mukesh and Mana Dey. The songs undoubtedly served the purpose of uniting the subcontinent in the most natural way.The credit for interacting India into a nation is often given to the British who brought the railway and the English education to this country. The freedom movement was the product of the national consciousness generated by these integrating elements. Later on, after the British packed up, the leadership of the post Independence India had a thought time inculcating the national spirit among the diverse people belonging to the distant regions and culture. The film songs and the films helped to bridge the existing gaps between different sets of people.
One recalls how one’s funny bone was tickled by ‘Main Bangle Choker Kari Par Kop Namaskaram’ sung by Kishore and Asha in the early fifties. Or in the Raj Kapoor film ‘Nai Delhi’ there was a song which had a line each from all the fourteen languages. As a child one had proudly sung ‘Aao Bacchon Tumhe Dikhaye Zaki Hindustanki’ which narrated the valiant struggles of the different regions. The function of integration was fruitfully served by the film song in those haleyon days.Today, a group like ‘Sargam’ does the job admirably. The group meets once a month over a cup of tea and snacks and discusses old film music with a sense of nostalgia. However, the purpose is not to wallow in the memory of good old days but keep alive this great music for the young generation. Avid music buffs who form the backbone of ‘Sargam’ belong to different linguistic and religious groups. Jayaraman is a Tamilian and Ameya Chakraborty is a Bong. Najma is a practicing Muslim and Vera Mistry is the wife of cameraman Keli Mistry. Saroj Potdar has worked as the librarian at the University of Bombay Library. Anil Nagarkar and Nitin Phatak from Shivaji Park are ready to walk a few extra miles to pick up a rare song composed by Hrithik Roshan’s grandfather.Recently, they had a session on Sachindev Burman where the great saxophonist Manori Singh who has assisted the Burman father son duo in a number of films was present to provide a few insights. Very soon they will meet to discuss the rare and unknown songs of Naushad. ‘Sargam’ believes in propagating good music and recreating the golden era of film music through discussions, lectures and demonstrations. It is great fun to attend the Sargam session.