| http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=17923 |
| |||||
| Notes for children | ||||||
| Rajiv Vijayakar At a certain level, scriptwriters Salim-Javed subverted the sweet tradition of putting a kid to sleep with a lullaby with their Sholay concept of "So ja warna Gabbar Singh aayega", because till then the lori was another classic progenitor to fabulous songs like Main gaaoon tum so jaao (Brahmachari), Nanhi kali sone chali hawaa dheere aana (Sujata), Aa ja ri aa nindiya tu aa (Do Bigha Zamin), Lalla lalla lori (Mukti), Mere soone jeevan ka aasra (Aasra), Sui ja tara (Mastana), Soya mera chand (Meri Bhabhi), Ae meri aankhon ke pehle sapne (Manmandir), Yashoda ka Nandlala (Sanjog), Aa ri aaja (Kunwara Baap),Chirag kiske ghar ka hai (Ek Nari Ek Brahmachari) and Ek din hasaana (Benaam). By corollary, the mother often became the centre of affection for the child in those days, with saccharine lachrymose odes like Maa mujhe apne aanchal mein chhupa le (Chhota Bhai) and Maine maa ko dekha hai maa ka pya nahin dekha (Mastana). LESSONS IN DESHBHAKTI The traumas of Indepen-dence, the two wars and finally the monster of communalism all got reflected in songs connected with children. Jagriti, one of the most instructive stories made in Hindi cinema, saw poet Pradeep excel himself in Aao baccho tumhein dikhaaye jhaanki Hindustan ki, De di hamein azaadi and Hum laaye hain toofan se kashti nikaal ke/Iss desh ko rakhna mere baccho sambhaal ke. Insaaf ki dagar pe baccho dikhaao chalke (Ganga Jamuna) was a more staid number, but the rousing strains of the Dattaram classic Sun le Bapu yeh paigham (Balak) made the song a chart-topper even amidst a hit parade from concurrent mainstream cinema. Philosophy mixed with the dignity of labour and a fat dollop of inspiration to aspire to great heights came with Nanhe munne bacche teri mutthi mein kya hai (Boot Polish) and its uncelebrated '90s counterpart, Hamari hi mutthi mein akash saara (Prahaar). Jawaharlal Nehru, of course, was the national father-figure to India's children, and the 1967 weepie heralded the arrival of the Kaifi Azmi masterpiece Meri awaaz suno, a symbolic message from Nehru to his loved ones. And the virtues of education by itself became a cute if soppy base for Ek do teen char bhaiyya bano hoshiyaar (Harishchandra Taramati). …AND FUN BREAKS TOO! But if you thought that baccho ke geet in Hindi cinema, especially the older films, was all maudlin sentiment and preaching and no fun, think again. As frisky as could be permitted in the '50s was the song Bachpan ke din bhula na dena (Sujata). Music director Ravi made a successful debut largely because of his chartbuster Chandamama door ke from Vachan. Later came another naughty number Daadi amma daadi amma maan jaa chhodo bhi yeh gussa zaraa has ke dikha from Gharana. Hum bhi agar bacche hote (Door Ki Awaz) was yet another frisky 'birthday' song from the composer. Bachpan had the twin songs enacted by Sanjeev Kumar as a village toy-seller, Aaya re khilonewala and Are muniya ri muniya. And if the former was a sedate composition, it was only because it had a sad version that had to match the tune! And Parichay's Saare ke saare gama ko lekar was a skilled 'desi' version of Doe a deer from The Sound Of Music. Amidst a multitude of movies serenading mercurial maidens, Shammi Kapoor took time off to have a blast with his adopted kids in Chakke pe chakka (Brahmachari). When another Kapoor -Anil - from a later generation came in with his own bunch of protgs, it was time for the parody Na maangoon sona chandni as well as the philosophical Zindagi ki yehi reet hai haar ke baad hi jeet hai (Mr India). And how can we forget Shammi, this time as single dad, chilling out (as the 'today' expression goes) with Re mama re mama re and that anthem of sorts Hai na bolo bolo (both from Andaz). SUPERSTARS FOR KIDS Another superstar of his times, Rajesh Khanna, had a whale of a time with kids. In Anuraag as a flower-seller he sang out Ram kare babua, in Apna Desh there was Rona kabhi nahin rona chaahe toot jaaye koi khilona, while Haathi Mere Saathi was studded with the twin Laxmikant-Pyarelal cult songs Chal chal chal mere saathi o mere haathi and Duniya mein rehna hai to kaam karo pyaare in a film that is the nearest Hindi cinema got to Walt Disney along with Mr India. Khanna's films Daag (Hawa chale kaise) and Amar Prem (Bada natkhat hai) had childrens' songs that were lip-synched on screen by his heroine - in both cases Sharmila Tagore. And while on Sharmila, as the single mother preened over her son with the bright strains of Chanda hai tu (Aradhana). And so even the superstars had their dates with children's songs. The 'biggest'of them all, Amitabh Bachchan, came up with the haunting Kalyanji-Anandji ditty Luk chhip luk chhip jaao na (Do Anjaane) and the almost corresponding Andhaa Kaanoon melody Rote rote hasna seekho. And perhaps Bachchan's biggest compliment to children was that he turned singer with that brilliantly simple Rajesh Roshan song, Mere paas aao mere doston ek kissa suno (Mr Natwarlal), a song that saw him narrating a tale to his kid cronies. And how can we forget his school-day song Toone abhi dekha nahin (Do Aur Do Paanch)? A CHILDREN'S DAY PRAYER The ingenuity of the scriptwriter and filmmaker was seen in creating interesting situations for songs related to children, like Apni apni biwi pe sab ko gurroor hai (Everyone is proud of his own wife) from Do Raaste as enacted by Mehmood Junior. The highpoint of the song was its genesis from a poignant situation where the young boy wants to earn by entertaining people on the streets because his family has fallen on bad times. On Children's Day, therefore, it is timely to offer a heartfelt prayer from the kids to the music makers of today: We are the truly intelligent kids of the millennium - the darlings of Jawaharlal Nehru and the hopes of the nation: Can we get songs today (and of today) that have the excellence of the musical 'notes for children' in the past? THE CHILD SINGERS The music directors of those days were particular about vocal tenor and so the children's songs either were cleverly designed for adults to sing to children or - when it came to the kids needing to sing on screen - Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur and Usha Mangeshkar being their voics. In those times, Robin Banerjee, a small-time composer, got the prodigious daughter of Hemant Kumar Ranu Mukerji to sing Naani teri morni ko chor le gayi (Masoom). But this innovative use of real children as on-screen voices took more than just a while to catch on. It was Shankar-Jaikishan who introduced the first child-singer of consequence, Sushma Shrestha (now Poornima) in the Andaz anthem Hai na bolo bolo. But even Sushma as a kid never really caught on due to subsequent tepid songs under varied composers. The few hits she had were shared with adult singers again - Tera mujhse hai pehle ka naata koi and Ae mere bete (both with Kishore Kumar) in Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Thande thande paani mein nahaana chahiye (of parents giving their kid a bath) with Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor in Pati Patni Aur Woh, Aao tumhein chand pe le jaaye (with Lata in Zakhmee) and Kya hua tera vaada (with Rafi in Hum Kisise Kum Naheen). Rajesh Roshan gave a break to Vijayeta Pandit in his songs from Ginny Aur Johnny like Johnny ko maine to jaana hai aaj. But neither Vijayeta nor Padmini Kolhapure and Shivangi Kolhapure could sustain. The latter sisters sang the title-track of Yaadon Ki Baaraat with Lata, and Shivangi also collaborated with Lata in Chhupa chhupi khele aao (Dream Girl). In the '80s, Laxmikant's daughter Rajeshwari got the hit He Raju he Daddy from Ek Hi Bhool but again could not sustain the pace with later songs. R.D.Burman generated the classic Lakde ki kaathi (Gurpreet Kaur who is now known as Preeti Uttam with Vanita Mishra and Gauri Bapat) from the 1983 Masoom but none of his other expeditions with these child-singers worked and neither did they do well outside his baton. Bappi Lahiri's daughter Rema also never made a mark. In the millennium, Vishal Bhardwaj showed an inclination to introduce child singers. Upagna Pandya, his discovery in Makdee (Papadwale panga na le) was utilized again in Blue Umbrella. Shravan, who has sung in the title-song of Vishal-Shekhar's Ta Ra Rum Pum seems to be promising too, but as of now, there is no singer bright enough to sustain. Aditya Narayan (Rangeela, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Pardes) could have made an impact, as he did with the third Masoom's hit Chhota baccha samajh ke, but father Udit rightly preferred musical grooming and education to singing after these few forays. | ||||||
http://www.indianchild.com/Songs/childrens_songs.htm
|
Childrens Songs
| ||||
|
There are a miniscule number of songs that children are exposed to. Yet, there is scope and space for more songs.Children's songs are penned in a way that they either teach the child something, or then tell a little tale. And what makes it even more attractive is that they are performed by children. Even if the lead singer is an adult, then children are used in the chorus. Most of the musicals created in Hollywood have songs for children that have become evergreen classics all over the world. They are taught in schools and usually performed on stage. Not only is this case with the western film industry, but also the Indian. In fact as far as possible, most filmmakers consciously attempt to at least have one child-oriented song in the movie, as this attracts children to the cinema halls.
When you find it difficult to teach your child something, then the best thing to do is quickly pen down some lyrics pertaining to what you want your child to learn and set it to some popular tune, and in no time whatever the valuable lesson is, he or she will have mastered it in no time. That is the art of teaching children through entertainment! | ||||
Two versions of Twinkle Twinkle little star..
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/t023.html
Edited by Sur_Sangam - 16 years ago
