This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Some days back, I had posted an NFS song by Asha ji celebrating her birth anniversary. In the discussion that followed in the comments, Kirit ji Bhatt wrote about his memories of NFS songs of yet another front line singer that have probably gone unnoticed and unheard for decades. Of course our blog does not yet have any NFS song by this singer. The comment had jolted my memory banks too, and has been in the back of my mind since that day. A couple of days ago, I sat down to search in my collection, only to so happily realize that I have a set of NFS songs of this artist. And yes, it is time that these songs were aired once again, to acknowledge him.
And so today, we are adding a brand new chapter to the NFS section of this blog, as the first of the NFS songs by Mahendra Kapoor gets posted here. The artist himself needs no introduction to the readers of this blog. But yes, the non-film recordings by him will surely be a surprise to many.
Mahendra Kapoor has always acknowledged Rafi Sb to be his role model and his inspiration. His singing styles are not very different. Of course the tonal quality of the two voices is distinct, and there are some situations where the range of Mahendra Kapoor’s voice carries beyond where Rafi Sb can be. The other distinct feature of Mahendra Kapoor’s voice is apparently immense lung power that he can bring to bear on his singing, resulting in a booming volume that has become a signature rendering.
I have a set of songs, but sadly there is not additional information handy with me. Kirit ji had commented that sometimes in the latter half of 1960s, some LPs were released. These LPs were the handiwork of Khayyaam Sb, composing the tunes for Mahendra Kapoor’s voice. I browsed through the set of songs I have, and have selected this bhajan, that sounds like a creation by Khayyaam Sb. But in any case, I will not hazard the guess on the lyricist and music director, before confirming from other sources. And I extend this request to the knowledgeable readers and friend circle on this blog to please help with information and other details about this and other NFS songs of Mahendra Kapoor.
This bhajan appears to be very similar in flavor and in intent to the famous “Paaon Padun Torey Shyaa” by Rafi Sb. Wonderful in its own way, the words are simple and exquisite. The melody matches the mood of the words. Listen and be introduced once again to this whole new chapter of non film songs.
main to hoon teri
murali ka swar
o nirmohi shyaam
shyaam
o nirmohi shyaam
meri to har saans chale re
meri to har saans chale re
le ke tera hi naam
shyaam
o nirmohi shyaam
an-gin rang
yahaan badloon main
apne mann ko aap chhaloon main
aaj bikoon maati ke mol to
kal kanchan ke roop dhaloon main
bichhad ke main tujhse is jag mein
bahut hua badnaam
shyaam
o nirmohi shyaam
sur koi na
saje sajaaye
bol koi mann
baandh na paaye
mera geet meri aankhon se
aansoon ban ban kar dhal jaaye
phir honthon se
lagaa baansuriyaa
baanh meri le thhaam
shyaam
o nirmohi shyaam
—————————————–
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
—————————————–
मैं तो हूँ तेरी
मुरली का स्वर
ओ निर्मोही श्याम
श्याम
ओ निर्मोही श्याम
मेरी तो हर सांस चले रे
मेरी तो हर सांस चले रे
ले के तेरा ही नाम
श्याम
ओ निर्मोही श्याम
अनगिन रंग
यहाँ बदलूँ मैं
अपने मन को
आप छलूँ मैं
आज बिकूँ माटी के मोल तो
कल कंचन के रूप ढालूँ मैं
बिछड़ के मैं तुझसे इस जग में
बहुत हुआ बदनाम
श्याम
ओ निर्मोही श्याम
सुर कोई ना
सजे सजाये
बोल कोई मन
बांध ना पाये
मेरा गीत मेरी आँखों से
आंसू बन बन कर ढल जाये
फिर होठों से
लगा बांसुरिया
बांह मेरी ले थाम
श्याम
ओ निर्मोही श्याम
Sudhirji,
It surprised me albeit a pleasant one. The song has to be composed by the combo Khayyam and Madhukar Rajasthani. So much like their offerings with Rafi.
Shades of “Man Re Too Kahe Na” ( I am not sure about the words) by Rafi Saab. This is a good number, though, sad to say, I am not a great fan of Mahendra Kapoor.
Many thanks Sudhirji for posting the song I wanted. Only Khayyam Saab could extract this sweetness from Mahendra Kapoor.
I had somehow missed this post but on receiving your mail informing me about your these two posts, I had sent u a reply mail at your e address which appeared on top of your mail, with a special gift ( musical of course ). But the mail failed to be delivered. Can i have your e mail address pl?
This blog discusses Bollywood songs of yesteryears. Every song has a brief description, followed by a video link, and complete lyrics of the song. This is a labour of love, where “new” songs are added every day, and that has been the case for over SEVENTEEN years. This blog has over 19800 song posts by now. This blog is active and online for over 6000 days since its beginning on 19 July 2008.
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
September 23, 2013 at 9:16 am
Sudhirji,
It surprised me albeit a pleasant one. The song has to be composed by the combo Khayyam and Madhukar Rajasthani. So much like their offerings with Rafi.
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