**Sadabahar Geet Thread#1** ||Invitees only||

First Previous

Page

120

Next Last

Frequent Posters

Gollums Precious

@OfTheHeart

Sparkler

+ 7

Posted: 4 years ago

#431

Originally posted by: LizzieBennet
Wow! Subhadra Kumari Chauhan. I remember her poetry from school.
Lovely ones.❤️

mee too...

School times were beautiful... werent they?

We learnt so many gems...

I had a great interest in literature so it was just wonderful time for me

Quote

Lizzie

@LizzieBennet

Viewbie

+ 32

Posted: 4 years ago

#432

Today (Aug 19) is the death anniversary of one of our very esteemed and talented Music directors, Khayyam.

Khayyam was born in a Muslim family in Punjab. As a young boy, he ran away from home to his uncle's place in Dehi where he began training in music. He initially wanted to be an actor and went to Lahore looking for roles in films. He met a music director there, Baba Chishti. Chishti was impressed with his musical skills and offered him a job as his assistant, which he did at a very young age of 17.

Khayyam then served in the Second World War in the Army, after which he went to Bombay, chasing his dreams. He was part of the musical duo - Sharmaji-Varmaji, he being Sharmaji. They composed music for Heer Ranjha in 1948. After partition, 'Varmaji' left for Pakistan and Khayyam began composing solo.

He gained some recognition and praise for the song 'Akele mein woh ghabrate toh honge' from the film, Biwi (1950). His 'Shaam-e-gham ki kasam' from Footpath (1953) sung by Talat Mehmood was also much lauded.

But nothing life-altering happened for Khayyam until 1958 and 'Phir Subah Hogi'. Since Raj Kapoor was starring, he wanted his staple favorites Shankar-Jaikishen to compose the music, but the lyricist, Sahir Ludhianvi who was known for his politically and socially scathing poetry, insisted that the music should be composed by someone who had read 'Crime and Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoevsky - on which the movie was based. Khayyam had and was chosen, and what songs this movie had!

'Cheen-o-arab hamara' was a searing satire on the dream of Jawaharlal Nehru - that of a socialist India, and came in for a lot of controversy since it seemed to parody the national song - Saare jahan se accha. Sahir's pen was cynical and savage, unsparing in its portrayal of the disillusioned, unemployed youth in free India.

Khayyam's music complemented Sahir's poetry perfectly, with the songs still being scarily relevant even today. 'Aasmaan pe hai khuda', 'Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi', 'Phir na keeje meri gustakh nigahi ka gila', 'Jis pyar mein ye haal hai' are all gems.

However, Khayyam still had a long wait to get his due. He's mostly known today for his work in the 70s and 80s such as Kabhi Kabhi, Bazaar, Noorie and of course, Umrao Jaan.

But he composed some brilliant songs in the 60s too - for Shola aur Shabnam, Aakhri Khat and Shagoon, Mohabbat isko kehte hain.

Here are some of my favorite Khayyam songs (I'm posting 50s and 60s because I know others will post 70s and 80s!😳)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N96R-uVLDgU

Aasmaan pe hai khuda- Sahir's poetry simply stuns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dEE5v9ULWs

Baharon mera jeevan bhi sawaro - Such a beautiful song! Unfortunately there's no video for this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1ze3BqgOhQ

Jaane kya dhoondti rehti hai. What a brilliant song! So beautifully sung by Rafi and the lyrics by Kaifi Azmi are heart-wrenching. Dharmendra has cited this as his favorite song!

What are your favorite Khayyam songs?