Memory lane of R.D. Burman - Page 4

Originally posted by: apparaohoare

Anol da,

You have to agree that "Ekta deshlai kathi jalao" is not the best selection of RD's bengali songs.  Chokhe naam e bristi (Jaane kya baat hai) or "Jete dao amai deko na" would have been a much better choice.

 

 

R.D Burman 

Birth of a legend: A genius was born in 27th June the year1939 to a legendary composer named Sachin Dev Burman. Born in a royal family Rahul Dev Burman was nicknamed by Ashok Kumar. Dadamoni saw Sachinda's kid speaking the word Pa, hence the name Pancham. Rahul Dev Burman took keen interest in music at a very early age. R. D. efficiently learnt to play the Mouth - Organ. He also learnt to play Sarod from the legendary Sarod player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. 

His First Break: The first ever song R. D. Burman composed was at the tender age of nine Aaie Meri Topi Palat for the film Funtoosh for his fathers film the very next year Sachinda borrowed 'Sar Jo Tera Chakraye'for the Guru Dutt film, Pyaasa. At a very young age Panchamda 
displayed his potential of being a music composer. Spotting this 
bundle of talent tempted Guru Dutt to offer a film the son of S. D. Burman (Guru Dutt's in-house composer). Unfortunately the project for which Pancham had scored a song did not see the light of the day. Later actor Mehmood offered Pancham his movie Chhote Nawab. The first song was to be recorded by Lata  Mangeshkar 'Ghar Ajaa Ghir Aayi' in 1961. The song created History in two ways first was the foray of a genius in Hindi film music. This song was instrumental in a patch up between Lata 
Mangeshkar and S. D. Burman (they did not recorded with each other for six years), when Lata came to their house for the song rehearsal. 

Like Father Unlike Son: Pancham was Sachinda's pride. Being a son of a genius music composer music was in his genes. In his early days Rahul Dev Burman was Sachin Dev Burman's assistant, they shared a unique rapport. Sachinda knew his son in and out when, in music sittings,  Pancham would dash out of the music room to smoke and Saschinda would remark "Jao Jao I know you are going out to smoke." Pancham helped his father when S. D. was ailing; he composed a few songs for his father. 

But Pancham was keen to create his own music so he branched out on his own. Sachin Dev was worried when Pancha composed western tunes but R. D. was determined to carve a niche of his own. Sachinda realised his sons popularity when he was taking a walk on the beach and some one pointed out "Woh Dekh R. D. Burman Ka Baap" (Look at R. D. Burman's father). A father was recognised because of his son! Sachin da couldn't be any prouder. Sachinda also guided Pancham when he composed 
Bada Nathkhat Hai Re according to Shakti Samanta the situation was of a regular Bhajan. So R. D. composed a trademark Bhajan when Sachinda heard the tune, he remarked that the song did not have his element and every composition by a composer should reflect his idiosyncrasy. So Rahul Dev Burman recomposed the Bhajan and viola, the aria was a piece de resistance.

Song Sung Blue: Rahul Dev Burman
by Subhash K. Jha

Remembering the finger-snappers and the soulful songs sung by R.D. Burman himself... on the occasion of his fourth death anniversary which fell on January 4, 1998.

It was an inherited talent. Music was a gift bequeathed to Rahul Dev Burman, who passed away so suddenly four years ago, by his father, Sachin Dev Burman. If Burman Dada immortalised himself with his two manjhi songs -- O re manjhi (Bandini) and Sun mere bandhu re (Sujata) -- Burman Baba belted out O manjhi teri naiyya se chhoota kinara in that long-forgotten river-bank(rupt) bilingual Aar Paar directed by Shakti Samanta.

This timeless manjhi song proves that Papa and Burman Jr were sailing in the same boat. Sadly, by the time RD's boat sailed into the 1980s, it developed a leak. If the song hadn't gone unnoticed, RD would surely have sung more such reflective quasi-philosophical songs. Doubtless, the distinctive voice of R.D. Burman was capable of conveying the emotional of a lyric as well, if not better than some male playback singers who sang for him. This is specially true of RD's tunes for Amit Kumar. In the popular Bade achhe lagte hain (Balika Badhu), Amit's voice synchronises so well with RD's that listeners can scarcely tell when Pancham stealthily slips into the number with the boatman's clarion call O manjhi re jaiyo piya ke des... R.D. Burman often contributed key lines to his compositions without claiming credit. Though the legendary cabaret number Piya tu ab to aaja in Caravan is credited only to Asha Bhosle, Pancham's banshee cries of Monica o my darling have rooted the number in the public's mind.

In the hauntingly bare Kishore Kumar-Lata Mangeshkar love duet Hum dono do premee duniya chhod chale (Ajnabi), the composer chips in as the bystander at the railway station to ask where the fugitive lovers are off to. In Lata's version of Phoolon ka taron ka sab ka kehna hai (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), Pancham sings for 'Daddy' Kishore Sahu -- with Daddy ka mummy ka sabka kehna hai ek hazaron mein teri behna hai... These incidental vocal appearances verify Pancham's casual yet unforgettable artistry.

Recalls Gulzar, "Pancham was an excellent singer. He knew the nuances of classical singing. For my films, he sang only a couple of songs. But he lent his voice even so often. For instance, in Jabbar Patel's Musafir, the boatman's voice-over, is Pancham! As a singer, he would perfect a tune by singing it repeatedly. In the album that I did with him in 1994, listen to how well he has sang the numbers Raah pe rahte hain and Koi diya jale kahin (later rendered by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, respectively).
Then in Dil Padosi Hai, the original soundtracks by Pancham before they were dubbed by Asha Bhosle are superb. They show his range as a singer.

The solos and duets that R.D. Burman sang in the '70s asserted his growing reputation as a rock-'n'-roll renegade. Somehow the serious songs sung by Pancham (such as the manjhi number in Aar Paar) never got their due. The hits that Pancham sang were almost invariably gimmicky.

With Mohammed Rafi, RD was heard in his element in the yummy Yamma yamma number in Shaan. RD's most memorable duet of male bonding was the zany jazz-tinged title song of Gol Maal. Sung with Sapan Chakravarty, the song's verve is unmatched by any other song of male bonding in the '80s except perhaps Jaan-e-Jigar, the groovy Goan gaana that RD 'dared' to duet with his favourite male singer, Kishore Kumar in Pukaar.
Whenever R.D. Burman went solo, he made sure it was a song that needed his voice, and no one else's. Incredibly, the all-time favourite Mehbooba oh mehbooba (Sholay), might not have been sung by Pancham at all. At first, this vibrant sexy titillator was to be sung by Asha Bhosle. When Jalal Agha was brought into the picture to lend a vocal drizzle to Helen's sizzle, R.D. Burman was considered by Javed Akhtar, Anand Bakshi and Ramesh Sippy as the best bet for this number inspired by a Demis Roussos chart-topper.

Equally accomplished was Pancham's interpretation of the locomotive rhythms of Dhanno ki aankhon mein raat ka surma. Gulzar's words in Kitaab were transported to a wonderland of images. It became a voyage of self-discovery for Pancham. Equally devil-may-care was RD's interpretation of the number Kal kya hoga kisko pataa (Kasme Vaade) and Samundar mein naha ke (Pukar).

And how elegantly Pancham wore the shirt of hurt into the two Nasir Hussain musicals Hum Kisise Kam Nahin and Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai. In the ever-young songs Tum kya jaano mohabbat kya hai and Dil lena khel hai dildar ka, R.D. walked tall over a terrain of pain. The most meditative solo melody that Pancham sang was Yeh zindagi kuchh bhi sahi in the flop Kumar Gaurav-Poonam Dhillon starrer, Romance, containing some of RD's best compositions ever. The emotional grip of the lyrical delivery rivals Kabhi palkon pe aansoon which Kishore Kumar sang for R.D. Burman in Harjaee. With his singing soul companion Asha Bhosle, R.D. created a dense romantic atmosphere. Though they sang no more than seven or eight full-fledged duets, the slender repertoire created a voluminous impression because of their impact.

The first duet that R.D. and Asha sang was O meri jaan main ne kahaa (The Train). The Rajesh Khanna-R.D. Burman team that bloomed in the '70s was in its infancy when R.D. composed and sang with Asha for The Train. The film had two strikingly original-sounding solos Gulabi aankhen by Mohammed Rafi and Kis liye maine pyar kiya by Lata. Inadvertently, the RD-Asha duet was left out, sidetracked.

R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosle had their revenge the very next year when their uptempo number outpaced all other chartbusters of Apna Desh. Their heat-and-run number? The high-pitched ode to raunch -- Duniya mein logon ko dhokha kabhi ho jaata hai. The number stressed the outlandishness of Pancham's vocals. Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz were dressed as a couple of freakos in this climactic song. Just when you thought they were the '70s version of Sonny and Cher, belying all expectations, the RD-Asha pair hit an all-time high of emotional expression in Sapna mera toot gaya in Khel Khel Mein. While Kishore Kumar accompanied Asha in all the frothy fun duets in the film, R.D.Burman stepped in to create waves in this memorable song of parting and remembrance. Peculiar, passionate and palpably Pancham is Na jaa jaan-e-jaan that largely ignored scene stealer RD-Asha duet in Joshilay. Here and in the disco-very-very special of the '80s, Jaan-e-jaan o meri jaan-e-jaan in Sanam Teri Kasam, Pancham stepped back into the shadows to let Asha 'squeal' the limelight. But his contribution to the two duets is like mistletoe decorating a Christmas tree.

The last duet that R.D. Burman sang with Asha was Yeh din to aata hai (Mahaan). Sadly by then R.D. Burman's career was under a cloud There's an interesting end-game associated with R.D. Burman's career as a singer. In the selective, reluctant and meagre repertoire of songs that the chameleon composer chose to sing, one song is extra-special. Kya bhala hai kya bura in Gulzar's unreleased Libaas. It's one of the few film songs that dare to make light of the burden of existence. The song is special for another reason. It's the only time, Rahul Dev Burman dared to face at the microphone with the singer who had seen him as a child fooling around in shorts at his papa's recordings... and whom the young adult-Pancham hesitantly approached to sing the first song that he ever composed.
That duet with Lata Mangeshkar was the last song R.D. Burman ever sang in a film.

I have already written on Sulekha, four articles on Hindustani Classical ragas on flute, which readers liked. This time I wish to write an article on a pop instrument -- which is our good old mouth organ. In the United States, the mouth organ is called a harmonica. Unlike the flute, the mouth organ is not a classical instrument. One cannot play classical tunes on the mouth organ. I just wanted to bring a change; that is why I decided to write this article. In the 1950's and 60's, the mouth organ was an extremely popular instrument and many teenagers used to play this instrument. The reason why it was popular then was because those years formed the golden era of Hindi film music, which consisted of beautiful melodies. The mouth organ goes perfectly well with melodious and rhythmic tunes. But today unfortunately, the mouth organ is a dying instrument. This is so because most of the modern day Hindi film music does not have any melody. So one cannot play tunes of modern day Hindi film songs on mouth organ, hence the demise. Of course, there are some exceptions.

I remember during my college days in 1958, lots of college students, some of them in my St. Xavier's college in Mumbai, used to play the mouth organ in the corridors of the college so as to attract the attention of beautiful girls. They used to play the song Yun to ham ne lakh hasin dekhe hai, Tumsa nahin dekha (meaning 'I have seen so many beauties before but none of them were like you') from the superhit Hindi film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. Of course, I was not playing the mouth organ at that time; I was a disciplined student. I started playing the instrument only a few years ago. I have attached two audio files along with this article. In my first audio file, I have played a very famous Hindi film song, Hai apna dil to awaara from the Hindi film Solva Saal and in my second audio file, I have played another very famous song, Yaad kiya dilne kahan from the Hindi film Patita. In fact these two are my most favorite songs for playing on the mouth organ. Hai apna dil is pure melody whereas Yaad kiya dilne has some light shades of raga Pahadi. In every mouth organ concert, I play both these songs without fail. In fact, my most favorite song on mouth organ, Yaad kiya dilne kahan was composed by the great music director, Shankar-Jaikishan in 1953. This is a very romantic song and has not lost its beauty even after almost 50 years. What a composition!

Although the flute is my most favorite instrument, I still love playing the mouth organ. The mouth organ has a bluish sound and sounds very melodious when you play it holding close to microphone. It sounds almost like the accordion if played correctly. Hemendra Mahavar who once accompanied Anup Jalota, the famous bhajan singer, accompanied me with his tabla while I played the two mouth organ tunes. Actually, I am a hobbyist and Mr. Mahavar is a classical Tabla player. Mr. Mahavar is a modest person and did not mind playing with a hobbyist like me, that too on a mouth organ. Normally a professional musician will never accompany a hobbyist. Although the mouth organ is a pop instrument, last year, I saw one professional chromatic mouth organ player who accompanied a South Indian Classical vocal player in his concert tour of USA. This shows that it is not just a toy but can be accompanied with classical music.

But to do this, one has to have a high degree of proficiency in playing the mouth organ with classical music. It has lots of limitations since it does not have all the swaras. This is the reason you cannot play classical music on the mouth organ. But you will be surprised that with some difficulty, you can play classical tunes like Piya tose (film: Guide, raga: Khamaj), Rasik Balma. Please refer to my earlier articles on Flute: Rasik Balma (Shudh Kalyan) and Flute: A Celestial Experience. You can also play the famous Marathi classical song Ghanashyam sundara on mouth organ. Please refer to my earlier article on Flute: Raga Bhoopali (Mohanam). I play the mouth organ in every concert. I want to revive public interest in the instrument by once again introducing it to the music lovers so as to revive its past glory.

Now let me describe the instrument, the mouth organ. Mouth organs come in different sizes. They start with 8 holes; they also make 16 holes, 18 holes and 24 holes mouth organs. In China they even make 48 holes. There are two types of mouth organs. The first type is called the diatonic type and the second type is called chromatic. Diatonic type mouth organ is roughly equivalent to the white keys of the harmonium, meaning it has only shudh swaras whereas the chromatic type mouth organ has a sliding key, which can be slid by pressing a button at the end. This chromatic type mouth organ is equivalent to having both white and black keys of the harmonium. In other words, the chromatic type mouth organ can produce both shudh and komal swaras like in a harmonium. The chromatic type of mouth organ is more difficult to play since it has a sliding scale unlike the diatonic type. The mouth organ can be played with a single note at a time or by playing chords or a combination of both. Following are some of the techniques of how to play it.

Single note playing with whistle position of mouth: Open your mouth as if you are going to whistle. With this position of the mouth, bring say the 4th hole of the mouth organ and hold tight against your lips and and place your index fingers tightly over holes 3 and 5 and blow out of the 4th hole (exhale). If your fingers are tightly covering hole numbers 3 and 5, then you will get the clear single note. Do this many times until you get a clear note. It will take some time to create a pure single note. Then with the same position of the mouth, blow in (inhale) so as to create a pure note. Again try this method several times until you get a clear note. Memorize the sound and the position of the hole every time you create a pure note. Repeat this for all the remaining holes and memorize all the notes in a similar manner. Once you practice on all the holes, then you do not have to use your index fingers to cover the previous and the next holes (in this example hole number 3 and 5, for playing hole number 4). You will be able to create a pure single note just by using whistle position (pouching) without having to use index fingers to cover hole number 3 and 5. Note that on every hole that you inhale and exhale, when you inhale you get the next note to the one that you got when you exhaled. Also by widening the whistle position of mouth you can play chords by blowing adjacent holes simultaneously.

Single note playing by blocking with tongue: Say you want to create a single note from the 4th hole using your tongue. To play a single note from hole 4, block holes 1, 2 and 3 using your tongue and blow out from hole 4 to create a pure note. Similarly create sound from other holes by using the blocking method. Blocking by tongue is a very difficult technique. For playing single notes, I would advise beginners to use the whistle position of the mouth as described in the earlier paragraph.

You can create hand effects by holding the mouth organ in such a manner so as to create a large airtight cup. You can also bend a given note on the mouth organ by tilting it. Breathing technique comes naturally to you as you continue practicing the instrument.

Difference between flute playing and mouth organ playing is that in the case of the flute, to create a note you only blow out. There is no blowing in for flute. But in the case of the mouth organ, to create a note you do both -- inhale and exhale. In the case of the flute, you cannot play chords (playing 2 or more notes simultaneously); you can play only one note at a time on the flute whereas you can play chords on the mouth organ as explained earlier. This is not to compare the flute with the mouth organ. Both are totally different instruments, except that both are wind instruments. Flute is a high classical instrument whereas mouth organ is a pop instrument. For learning to play mouth organ, you should buy a book. There is a lot of online help available on the Internet, which can teach you how to play the mouth organ. I learnt to play it on my own by practicing a lot. The mouth organ is my most favorite instrument after the flute.

Like a small flute, mouth organ is easily portable, which can be carried in pant pockets. The best mouth organs are made by Hohner Company in Germany, the country that invented the mouth organ. China makes very good quality and very inexpensive mouth organs. In Chennai, one can buy a 24 holes China made diatonic mouth organ for only 100 rupees in Burma Bazaar. Note that it is great fun to play the mouth organ in the bus, trains and on picnics to entertain people. People just love the rhythm and the sound from the mouth organ. Playing the mouth organ is regarded by doctors as "a perfect aid to health". This is so because playing the mouth organ develops the lungs and air passages and thus prevents catarrhal trouble. Some experts believe that playing it constantly can get rid of the common cold, which affects almost every one of us. This is because while playing the mouth organ, you both inhale and exhale air.

Very few people know that the famous music director, R. D. Burman was a great mouth organ player. The mouth organ was R. D. Burman's most favorite instrument. In fact he played it for many of the Hindi film songs composed by his father, the great maestro S. D. Burman. In fact, the tune which I played in my audio file, Hai apna dil to awaara was originally played by R. D. Burman at the start of this song and in between the stanzas. It seems that S. D. Burman composed the song Hai Apna dil while keeping the mouth organ and his son, Rahul Dev Burman in mind. R. D. Burman also played the mouth organ for some of the songs of the hit film, Dosti at the request of its music directors, Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Some of the other films where R. D. Burman played the mouth organ are Sholay, Teen Deviyaan, Manzil, Pyaasa and a few others. In the famous Guru Dutt film, Pyaasa, R. D. Burman played the mouth organ whenever Mala Sinha appeared on the screen. He represented Mala Sinha's emotions very well using the sound from the mouth organ in the background. R. D. Burman was also called as Pancham. When he was three years old, he constantly used to press the Black 5 key of the harmonium and then utter the words, Pa Pa Pa. One day when actor Ashok Kumar was visting S. D. Burman, he heard young R. D. Burman humming Pa Pa Pa and he gave him the name Pancham. My current article on the mouth organ is my tribute to the great music director, R. D. Burman.

Nine years ago this day, Rahul Dev Burman passed into the ages. His death came just weeks before he was about to return to the reckoning with his score for 1942: A Love Story.

Never has a composer been so missed as Pancham, and the timelessness of his compositions is reaffirmed by the RD remixes which hit the music stores every month.

Arthur J Pais salutes the man he calls India's most versatile composer.

"I adore the father," my friend Vidya Nayak said with firm conviction. "The son is a copycat. Bahut chori karta hain."

I told her Rahul Dev Burman was not the only Indian composer who lifted songs. His father had done so, too. For every song he lifted, the younger Burman composed five or six asli songs. Many were so enchanting that even more traditional composers like Madan Mohan did not hesitate to acknowledge the great young, emerging talent. 

"Didn't S D Burman base the song Jeevan ke safar mein raahi on a Western tune?" I asked Vidya.

From Naushad Ali to Madan Mohan to Shanker-Jaikishan to Salil Chowdhury, getting 'inspired' by a foreign tune wasn't anything unusual even in the 1950s. Only the number of times they did so differed, I argued.

Vidya was one of the few who didn't have a high opinion of RD and were beholden to his father S D Burman. They were vehement in their conviction:. RD was ruining his father's reputation. He is a copycat, one of them almost hissed.

Some members of the anti-RD faction accepted a test I offered to them.

I would play a few tunes composed by the father and son, and they had to identify the composer. They listened raptly to melodies from Amar Prem, Aandhi and Parichay. For the most part, they swore the numbers were composed by the father. They were wrong. I continued with the experiment.

When I played fast numbers from films like Chuppa Rustam, composed by the senior Burman, many identified them as composed by the son.

They could not believe that RD composed soft and lingering melodies, often inspired by the classical tradition. If only they had listened to the songs of Chhote Nawab, the first movie with Pancham's music, made about 37 years ago! There were several exquisite numbers in that film, especially a semi-classical Lata Mangeshkar number. RD must have been in his mid-20s when he composed those numbers.

Throughout his career, whenever he found inspiration in Western music, he also found plenty of stimulation in Indian folk, traditional and classical music. His scores for Chandan Ka Palna, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ghar and Kinara provide ample proof of his versatility.

In my book, R D Burman is among the most creative of Indian composers and was far more versatile than his illustrious father. Whether the son was creating mast songs to be sung by Kishore Kumar in Jawani Diwani, or the haunting, meditative melodies to be voiced by Lata Mangeshkar in Masoom or Asha Bhosle in Ijaazat, there was no denying that a genius was at work.

"He was a genius at composing semi-classical songs, just like his father," Manna Dey told me two years ago, recalling such songs as Aya Ghanshyam in Buddha Mil Gaya. "Despite many setbacks in the 1980s, he was determined to come back in a big way," the veteran singer added.

True, there were nearly two dozen movies in the 1980s that showed RD not even in creative mediocrity. In films like Manzil Manzil, his score was far from inspiring. Yet, from time to time, in films like Ijaazat and Namkeen, he would excel.

Not to forget the score for 1942: A Love Story. The huge popularity of the movie's soundtrack would have brought him back into limelight in a big way. But death was envious of this protean, truly magnificent composer.

While many out of work old-timers like Naushad composed miserable songs when they got an opportunity to return to glory and complained they did not find spurti (inspiration) in the movie's story and song situations, RD would have none of it.

That is why his non-movie album, Dil Padosi Hain, has some of his most acquisitive compositions.  

Asha Bhosle dedicates Grammy nomination to Pancham
12th Dec 2005  14.37 IST
By Agencies  


Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle says her nomination to the prestigious Grammy Awards for the second time was a tribute to her late husband and music director Rahul Dev Burman, popularly known as Pancham.

Expressing great admiration for Pancham's vast repertoire of film songs, Asha, who has been nominated to the Best Contemporary World Music category for her album You Have Stolen My Heart: Songs from R D Burman's Bollywood, said, "It is the dream of an artiste to get a Grammy Award.... I am having the pleasure of receiving the award merely by the nomination."

The singer, who has enthralled music lovers for seven decades, regretted the absence of Pancham who "she missed dearly," especially when he is not around to share with her the glory of fame and recognition.

"I was in San Francisco for eight days for the recording of the album where all technicians were of foreign origin. They were bewitched by the beauty of Pancham's mastery," a nostalgic Asha, who had earlier been nominated for the same award, along with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for Legacy based on Indian classical music, said.

Her favourite number from the album was Mera Kuchh samaan tumhare paas pada hai..., which "is very close to my heart as it transports me back into time when I was with Pancham."

Reacting to these two nominations, Asha said she had not heard Norah but was all praise for her half-sister Anoushka about whom she had seen performing along with her legendary father. "At her age she is doing very well."

Queried on her celebrated 'competition' with her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar , Asha was forthright in her admission that it did exist but was a healthy one.

"The urge to be like her made me work hard and to establish my own identity," she said.

Coming back to her late husband, Asha said that the present breed of composers is inspired by Pancham whose style can be seen in their work. This was a source of solace and spoke volumes about the craft of Pancham, which who was "ahead of his time."

The singer, who has lent her voice to many top stars, said she was happy and satisfied with what life had given her and wished "to dedicate her life to music." a beautiful piece is like a beautiful woman. Simplicity is the essence, not over-embellishment."