Article from Hindu 2003 on ID's Nimbuda

I found this while surfing for ID's bibliography. Not sure if it has been written before 'Mera nimbuda chori ho gaya' D.G.D.G.

Gazi Khan feels cheated. THERE ISN'T much to remember about the inane film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam but for some lovely tunes, including the rousing traditional Rajasthani number "Nimbuda Nimbuda", and the brooding good looks of Ajay Devgan. The film made greater news with its unabashed incorporation of the number without due acknowledgement to the original poet/composer. What's more, the composition is attributed to Ismail Durbar, who composed the film's music. Not many are aware that this energetic number is by a little-known Manganiyar of Barmer, who is completely clueless about copyright issues or its infringement. Bada Gazi Khan Jeena Manganiyar was in town last week with his group to take part in the annual folk mela organised by Madhyam. (Incidentally, he made me write his name three times over, and each time, there was an addition to the first name, Bada Gazi Khan!) When I met him, his opening line was: "Mera 'Nimbuda' chori ho gaya, kuch kar sakte ho?" Ismail Durbar not only had the impunity to call Gazi Khan's 40-year old creation his own, but the traditional singer has to now pay royalty if he has to sing it in Mumbai! Such blatant appropriation is not difficult, because most of these folk musicians are unaware of intellectual property rights. Hindi film music, on the other hand, gets registered with the Indian Performing Rights Society, which protects film music composers rights. "I wrote the song when I was 15," says the unlettered poet, who can't tell the difference between an Anu Malik and an Ismail Durbar. This gentle song (in contrast to the robustness of its tune) is about the futility of life without the beloved, and also astonishingly echoes Shakespeare's axiom from King Lear: "Ripeness is all." He has been singing the song ever since, and is now sung by other folk musicians in the entire Thar desert area. One finds Gazi Khan's version of "Nimbuda Nimbuda" in the Music Today's Rajasthan Folk album, 1992. Nevertheless, this is not the first instance of such larceny by Bollywood. There have been several such instances in the past, but Bollywood has always been brazen about it. "Anybody who wears a black coat is a lawyer to me," says a philosophic Gazi Khan, absolutely out of tune with the ways of the world. Thankfully, unlike other folk musicians, whose voices are but faint echoes in the vast desert, Gazi Khan is backed by Komal Kothari and his Rupayan Sansthan, and the Institute of Indian Folklore, Jaipur, which is fighting a legal battle for him.

Ismail Durbar has got his pot of gold. But Gazi Khan not only toils on his piece of land for a livelihood, but has also lost his beloved creation to the big bad, commercial world.

So ID stole the tune from the Rajasthani Folk album right?

Oh, I didnt want to start that kind of war. All I wanted to say was that everyone is equally guilty of plagiarism...

I have the original song(the folk song by Gazi khan) in one of my folk albums. Incidentally when I heard Nimbooda for the first time I guessed it may have been stolen since it is a folk tune. Even that chand chupa badal mein is a copy of a western tune, again I have the original at home.

-a

Originally posted by: thekamaths

I have the original song(the folk song by Gazi khan) in one of my folk albums. Incidentally when I heard Nimbooda for the first time I guessed it may have been stolen since it is a folk tune. Even that chand chupa badal mein is a copy of a western tune, again I have the original at home.

-a

Which one has been composed first, any legal proof? just curious....If gazi baba claiming without any proof, then I can also claim Duniya ke rakhwale dhoon had been stolen from my cupboard.

Thanks Raghavji. I think Rajasthan is culturally very rich.
Sadly Rajasthani folk music is not getting its dues

Not sure if this was discussed in the other thread on plagiarism and inspired music..

Originally posted by: IndianMusicLove

Which one has been composed first, any legal proof? just curious....

The folk song was from 1992 , I believe. That is what the article says

Originally posted by: raghav64

The folk song was from 1992 , I believe. That is what the article says

That means this issue should had been raised just after HDDCS....If it had not been raised at that time then why Ghazi baba was sleeping till now? If he has really a sound proof then there are so many people, who will help him to fight his issue in court...I am not saying Ghazi baba is wrong, I am just looking for some reason to believe this story...

Originally posted by: IndianMusicLove

Which one has been composed first, any legal proof? just curious....If gazi baba claiming without any proof, then I can also claim Duniya ke rakhwale dhoon had been stolen from my cupboard.

They don;t have the names of the singers, sorry my bad. I assumed it was this guy's voice, but this tape is pretty old and recording quality is pretty bad, but it sounds very nice and folkish. In the song, only the mukhda is like the movie song Nimbooda, the verses are all different and even lyrics are diff, maybe ID stole only the mukhda. Also I have the folk version of Kesariya balma, very cool version eventhough the lekin version is also mind blowing.

-a