Posts Tagged ‘1940’
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Pankaj Mullick fondly remembers his time and interactions with Saigal Saab. In the year 1931, Pankaj Mullick was associated with India Broadcasting Company, as a vocalist and a music trainer. This company ran the Calcutta Radio Station, (prior to the advent of All India Radio). One evening, Pankaj Da found a young gentleman in the waiting room for visitors. When asked about why he was there, the young man introduced himself as Kundan Lal Saigal, from Jalandhar, and said that he aspired to sing for the Calcutta Radio Station. Impressed with the winsome manner and a voice that enchanted, even as he spoke, Pankaj Da took him to meet NN Majumdar, the director of programs. An audition was arranged immediately. Pankaj Da writes, “. . . For its charming melody and rhythm, distinct pronunciation and neat articulation, embellished with an exceedingly sweet and melodious nasal tone, the audition emerged as something really superb. Mr. Majumdar arranged to broadcast Saigal’s song from the Calcutta Station that very night, and asked the young man to join straight away as a regular artist of the company”.
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Kete din aur kete din
Posted on: September 13, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
The mention of Saigal Saab’s name evokes emotions of despondency and the sounds of a broken heart. He is mostly remembered for the sounds of melancholy songs, the tragic role of Devdas, the ghazals brimming with the stark philosophies of life, and the heart rending swansong ‘Jab Dil Hi Toot Gayaa. . .’ of the romantic Shahjehaan. And so it may surprise many a music an cine lovers, that Saigal Saab’s first forays in the arena of acting were in comedy roles.
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Main jo dinan ki thhoree
Posted on: September 11, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Kidar Sharma ‘Hasrat’, the famous lyricist, writer and filmmaker, recounts his association with Saigal Saab, while working on the film Tansen and Bhanwara. It was early 40s, and Saigal Saab was still associated with the New Theatres in Calcutta on a contract basis. Chandulal Shah of Ranjit Movietone (Bombay) planned the film Tansen, and the obvious choice for the title role was Saigal Saab. After some negotiations with New Theatres, Chandulal Shah obtained permission for having Saigal Saab work temporarily with Ranjit Movietone. The understanding was for a fixed period of time, and not for completing an assignment.
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Humjoliyon ki thhee toliyaan
Posted on: September 7, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
The wondrous characteristic about Saigal Saab is that whatever he sang, it became music. Even the songs with passages of prose and pauses, sound like melodies. His rendition of ‘Piye Jaa Aur Piye Jaa’ from Pujaarin (1936) is a combination of verse and prosaic speech, of a person under the influence of alcohol. It is stated that this song was recorded without any rehearsals. Just the first take is the final version we hear today. Or the song ‘Ek Raja Ka Betaa Le Kar Udne Waalaa Ghodaa’ from President (1937). Combining story telling with singing, it set up a fresh style for children songs. All examples of a gifted artist who would convert words to music.
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This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
The films in India started to talk in 1931, and with it came the music and the songs, that are so inseparable from the culture of this country. No matter what part of the country one talks about, music is the flow that nurtures and strengthens the emotional character of the society. And the music immediately became a crucial thread in the talking films, and the films became a pivotal medium for the folk and popular music to prosper. It was with the coming of the talking films that the concept of a ‘music’ industry was born in India.
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This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
It is a well known fact that Saigal Saab did not have any formal training classical music. As a child, he was blessed by and initiated into the practice of riyaaz by Pir Salman Yusuf, a sufi saint in Jammu. This blessing, and the word of his first Guru, led to a secret discipline, which was akin to a pursuit in spiritual internalization. It molded his voice such that his voice gained an unusual musical power – an emotional content that is not generally cared for in formal training. Saigal Saab has this dexterity to make the words glow with music, as he sings. In ghazal singing, his swara’s power the words from within, such that the music does never seem to interfere with the flow of words. It is like a magic. From the lowest note, he can move his voice so smoothly to the higher octaves, without ever becoming shrill even when he touches the highest notes. Throughout the entire rendition, there is a smooth and vivid timbre to the sound that is very pleasant. Nowhere can the listener detect any vibrations, or ‘kampan’.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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