Posts Tagged ‘Ghalib’
Nuktaa cheen hai gham e dil
Posted on: November 20, 2012
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Recently, I came across on the internet, an old review of the book ‘Darlingji – the true love story of Nargis and Sunil Dutt’ (2007) on Onlooker magazine. The book was written by Kishwar Desai. What caught my attention in the review was a comment about Jaddan Bai, Nargis’s mother. It was stated in the review that there was a subtle hint in the book about Jaddanbai being a love child of Motilal Nehru and Daleepa Bai – a courtesan of Allahabad. I am not sure whether this is a fact or a mere rumour which remained unsubstantiated. But this review brought back to my mind Jaddanbai whom I had almost forgotten. In any case, my awareness about Jaddan Bai ( 1892 or 1906 – 08/04/1949) was limited to her being the mother of Nargis and some connection to Hindi film industry.
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Koi ummeed bar nahin aati
Posted on: August 23, 2012
I am aware of a 1971 movie called “Apna Desh”. It turns out that there was another movie of the same name. “Apna Desh” (1949) was a Rajkamal Kala Mandir production. It was produced and directed by V Shantaram. The movie had Pushpa Hans, Umesh Sharma, Manmohan Krishna, Chnadrashekhar, Sudha Apte, Keshavrao Date, Krishna Goyal, Satish Vyas etc in it.
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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 mystery of Saigal Saab’s mastery over music and singing will probably never be fully understood. Without a formal training regime from a dedicated master, the fact that he has accomplished what we know, one has to, but acknowledge an inner illumination and a divine gift.
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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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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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This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
A debate that does not seem to garner much attention from critics and music lovers, is about the on screen presence and on screen histrionics of Saigal Saab. The singing voice, which is at once enchanting as well as haunting, is so expressive and overpowering that it overshadows any and all other aspects of this personality. And yet, in the eight decades since the Hindi films started to talk, and after more than ten thousand films having been played on the silver screen, one of the most powerful and everlasting memories is the tragic portrayal of a frustrated ‘Devdas’ (1935). A portrayal that made Saigal Saab a cult figure, and the film a rare and exceptional cinematic experience. And also, the film for which the term ‘musical hit’ was coined, and the film that elevated film songs and film music to a distinct identity.
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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 mellifluous voice of Saigal Saab has an enrapturing power that always casts a spell over the listeners. The range of his voice has a span that goes from the very base notes – ‘Bina Pankh Panchhi Hoon Mein’ (Tansen) all way to the higher octaves as in ‘Prem Ka Hai Is Jag Mein Panth Niraala’ (President). Saigal Saab’s voice as the rare ability to effortlessly accord the right expressions to each word, and make it glow distinctly. All his renditions leave a lasting impression in the mind, whether it be a love song ‘Baalam Aaye Baso Morey Mann Mein’ (Devdas), or a lullaby ‘So Jaa Raajkumari So Jaa’ (Zindagi), or an inspirational song ‘Hat Gayee Lo Kaari Ghataa’ (Lagan), a bhajan ‘Suno Suno Hey Kishan Kaalaa’ (non-film), a children’s song ‘Ek Raja Ka Beta Le Kar’ (President), or a song full of melancholy and pathos ‘Bina Pankh Panchhi Hoon Mein’ (Tansen).
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Ibn e mariam huaa karey koi
Posted on: August 19, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
If one were to try to understand the phenomena of Saigal Saab’s success in the world of show business, one simply has to resort to providence. The initial reactions of the people like RC Boral, BN Sircar, PC Barua, Nitin Bose on meeting him for the first time, was at best dismissive. Unusually tall, already balding above the forehead, irregular features, and when asked about his musical tutorship, he could not name a single Ustad, obscure or famous, under whom he could have learnt. And why, of all the places he arrived in Calcutta from Jalandhar, is a mystery that has no answers even now. And yet, there are volumes that have been written about the magic of his voice, and the account of his career. His voice was as if a divine endowment. One can speculate endlessly as to what could have been the course of cinematic history, had Saigal Saab lived longer. But better than this speculation, it is a succor that he was when he was, and has left behind a legacy that is a tremendous treasure.
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This article is written by Sudhir,a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Continuing the silsilaa of ghazals rendered by Saigal Saab, this ghazal is a non film offering. The verses are written by Ghalib, and the combination, as always, is a heady wine that takes one to worlds beyond.
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This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contrributor to this blog.
Everything that Saigal Saab has rendered, is special. And then, whatever one is listening, in the moment, always seems more special than the others. That is the magic of this voice, no matter how many times one may have heard that particular song or ghazal before. Many ghazal singers have come after Saigal Saab, but somehow, when one listens to a ghazal rendered by him, there does not seem to be anything better, anything to compare in the world.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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