MOHD RAFI AND JIWAN LAL MATTOO

                                                                           
                                 

         

( Patras Bukhari,  Actor Om Prakash, Jiwan Lal Mattoo  and many more are in this photo. Can any person identify Jiwan Lal Mattoo ? Photo 1940 )

 

                                                                               

                               ( Photo Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo.... Source Internet )

 

PANDIT JIWAN LAL  MATTOO  …A TRIBUTE

I believe some of us must have come across the name of Ustad Abdul Waheed khan  (1876-1949 ), the great vocalist of Kirana Gharana from Lahore. Khan Sahib was a teacher to Begum Akhtar, Hira Bai, Pran Nath and Suresh Babu. He was a strict disciplinarian who never allowed any person to record his performances. But  Jiwan Lal Mattoo, who served at AIR, Lahore from 1937 to 1947 and also headed the music section,  secretly recorded a live radio broadcast of Khayal and Thumri rendering in by Ustad Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan in 1947.  Music lovers  the world over  remain indebted to Jiwan Lal Mattoo for these recordings . And Khan Sahib incidentally happened to be the teacher and Guru of Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo. Pandit Jiwan Lal was himself a great exponent of Kirana Gharana and had  profound knowledge of Punjabi folk and  Indian classical music.

For AIR, Lahore, Jiwan Lal Mattoo brought some noted Punjabi singers namely Noor Jahan, Zeenat Begum, Ali Baksh Zahoor, S Mohinder, Assa Singh Mastaana, Vidya Nath Seth, Surinder Kaur, Prakash Kaur and Shiv Dayal Batish as contractual artists. Malika Pukhraj was already well known to him as she was an approved singer of AIR Lahore. I was told by an elderly professor in Amritsar that  Bhai Samund Singh Raagi who used to sing at Gurdwara Janam Asthaan, Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan), had also received some training from  Jiwan Lal Mattoo in classical music.Samund Singh also served AIR, Lahore at the time of the partition of the country . Samund Singh is also known for his soulful rendering of the  Shabd   ‘Kal Taran Guru Nanak Aaya’ .This composition   was also  used by the  producers of the   movie ‘Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai’ . Padam -Vibushan Pandit Ram Narayan from Udaipur, a renowned Sarangi player approved by AIR, Lahore in 1944 was also supported and guided by Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo.  Pandit Ram Narayan also worked in Mumbai film Industry before moving to Europe and the US as visiting teacher and performer of Indian classical music ( instrumental ). Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahib , Barkat Ali Khan Sahib ,Mukhtar Begum , Shamshad Begum ,Umrao Zia ,Nawab Bai ,Ustad Allah Rakha , Vidya Nath Seth and Rehmat Qawal ( Malerkotla ) held Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo in high esteem. Film music composers Amar Nath, Gobind Ram and Dhani Ram were influenced by the music of Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo.Noted Sitar player Mahmud Mirza is a direct disciple of Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo. Mohammad Rafi and Mehmud Mirza never forgot Jiwan Lal Mattoo. Both would pay glowing tributes to their Guru.  Kartar Singh Duggal ,well  known Punjabi writer ( who also worked at AIR,  Peshawar before Partition ) would often say that everyone who rose to become someone in the music world during the early forties in undivided Punjab, found himself indebted to Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo of AIR, Lahore.

 

DISCOVERING  MOHAMMAD RAFI 

Sometime in 1943, Jiwan Lal Mattoo went for a haircut at a saloon in Lahore where a new helper ( nickname Pheeko) to the main barber was singing Waris Shah’s  Heer in his style. Pheeko had come from  his native village near Amritsar to help his brother who had opened a saloon in Lahore’s Bhatti Gate .  Jiwan Lal Mattoo was attracted to the voice quality of the boy whom he invited to AIR ,Lahore for  audition. The young boy cleared the audition in one go. So much was Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo impressed by the tonal quality of young  Rafi that he asked him to come to his residence during evenings and also on holidays where some basic knowledge of classical music was imparted to the prospective  singer. Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo also trained young Rafi in Raag Shastra especially some commonly used Raagas in Punjab’s folk music like Pahaadi, Bhairavi, Basant and Malhaar. The boy picked up very fast and was soon in the panel of approved artist  of  AIR, Lahore . Later, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo sent him to Ustaad Abdul Waheed Khan for regular training. This new singing sensation introduced by Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo was soon noticed by Lahore's film music director Shyam Sunder. Shyam Sunder was on the lookout for a suitable male singer for his new film ‘Gul Baloch’. After Gul Baloch, Pandit Hussan Lal Bhagat Ram from Lahore's film industry also signed Mohammad Rafi. Jiwan Lal Mattoo requested Shyam Sunder to  write a letter of introduction to Naushad Ali  so that the young singer from Amritsar could try his luck in Mumbai’s film Industry. Naushad was a close friend of Shyam Sunder. With a letter from Shyam Sunder , Mohammad Rafi arrived in  Mumbai much before the partition of the country and the rest is history. After Jeevan Lal Mattoo’s help and training , this  casual helper Pheeko at the Lahore saloon,  rose to unprecedented heights in the Indian film Industry to be known as Mohammad Rafi, the great singer.

WHO WAS  JIWAN LAL MATTOO ?

Jiwan Lal Mattoo belonged to a  Kashmiri Pandit family that had  settled in Punjab much before the partition of the country. The ancestor of this  Mattoo family had moved to Amritsar  from Rainawari in Srinagar city . As time passed, some Mattoos moved to   Lahore while some  stayed back  in Amritsar . their ancestor was  Pandit Mehtab Ram Mattoo, a shawl trader,  who had moved to Punjab  from Kashmir sometime  around 1850 AD . A member from this Mattoo clan settled in Amritsar,  namely Kashmiri Lal Mattoo had also donated about one Kanal of land inside the walled city of Amritsar ( present location Farid Chowk ) in 1908 AD for the construction of a community centre and a Shiva Temple known as ‘Shivala Kashmiri Panditan’. In 2003, I  visited this Shivala complex at Farid Chowk, which is presently a commercial area and found that the minuscule Kashmiri Pandit population currently living in Amritsar was engaged in a prolonged  litigation with some greedy shopkeepers who continued to pay a nominal rent of Rs10 or Rs 15/= per month per shop belonging to Shivala Kashmiri Panditan occupied by them since last many decades. I do not know the present status of the litigation.  I was also informed by an elderly Sikh shopkeeper that about 200-250 Kashmiri Pandit families lived in Amritsar city before partition and the Muslims from Kashmir who lived in the city and suburbs numbered about 16 to 17 thousand approximately.

Jiwan Lal Mattoo was closely related to Krishen Narain Dar of Lahore who served as Superintendent of Police, J&K State during Maharaja Hari Singh's rule. Tikoo family of Lahore was also closely related to  Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo.

Jiwan Lal Mattoo had a profound knowledge of classical music both vocal and instrumental. He was a disciplinarian who believed in the purity of Ragas. He wore tidy clothes . Even during his hectic days at AIR, Lahore and never missed his daily Riyaz. He was also seen at the Kashmiri Pandit  community’s  gathering at Shivala Kashmiri Panditaan, Lahore. This Shivala at the junction of Vachchuwali and Mohalla Sareen, Lahore was constructed by Raja Dina Nath Madan ( finance minister in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore ) in 1835 A D for the Kashmiri Pandit community of Lahore.

  About Jiwan Lal Mattoo ,A  Hameed, a distinguished Urdu novelist and short story writer, has written this:-

“The old Lahore radio station no longer exists except for those of us who spent our early youth in its studios and corridors. It lay in an old house next to Shimla Pahadi at the back of the Governor’s House. I had visited it two or three times before Pakistan was created. There are only two people whom I can recall from that time. One was music composer Jiwan Lal Mattoo and the other Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (later Begum Akhtar).”

On page 232 of her book “ Ragan Josh – stories from Musical Life “, veteran classical music exponent, Shiela Dhar wife of P N Dhar, the then advisor to Mrs Gandhi , writes this:-

“ In the course of his stay in Lahore, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Sahib also taught Jiwan Lal Mattoo together with his son Jawahar Mattoo and daughter-in-law Madhuri Mattoo. All three remained practitioners of Kirana Gharana ”

Pandit Ram Narayan ( born 1927 ) , well Known Sarangi Player remembers Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo and writes this  :-

     “In 1944, I travelled to Lahore to find work in a film studio but was unsuccessful. Instead of work, I auditioned for the local All India Radio (AIR) as a singer, but the station's music producer Jiwan Lal Mattoo noticed grooves in my fingernails. Sarangi is played by pressing the fingernails sideways against three playing strings, which strains the nails. Mattoo made me play the Sarangi, upon which I was employed as an accompanist for vocalists. Mattoo gave me a room to stay in and later helped me contact  Khayaal singer Abdul Wahid  Khan, a rigorous teacher under whom I learned four Raagas.”

 

 Prof Jaya Parimu ( music teacher ) has this to say:-                                           

  " Jiwan Lal Mattoo is a well-known name among classical music lovers. Madhuri Mattoo used to be often on AIR Delhi with her pure classical renditions from 1950 to 1960. Jiwan Lal Mattoo's contribution to classical music is no less than Vishnu Digamber Paluskar, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhandey, Ratanjankar and many more stalwarts. I remember having viewed portraits of eminent Radio stalwarts along with Jiwan Lal Mattoo at AIR Delhi. Hope these are there in the gallery sections of AIR, New Delhi."

 

Manohar Dhar, cousin of artist  Som Nath Khosa  told  me this:-

 

“  Jeevan Lal Mattoo had taken me in his fold. I had developed a close association with his family. Jawahar, his eldest son was imparting music lessons to me. His younger son, Moti was my friend.I also knew Madhuri Mattoo ,the well known vocalist of the country. Before partition, I had moved to Lahore where  stayed with my cousin Som Nath Khosa, a leading artist of India. Som Nath Khosa lived at 15 A, Beadon Road .His house was adjacent to the house  of Pandit Jeevan Lal Mattoo. Mattoo Sahib also called me to AIR, Lahore a couple of times during my stay. Mattoo Sahib would wear a long Achkan coat with a Gandhi cap and tight Pyjamas with a grace and dignified look. His wife would offer me Kahwa tea as and when I would visit them from the rooftop or Chhat as the house was adjacent to the house of Som Nath Khosa, my cousin. Lahore was difficult to forget. After the partition of the country, I met him at AIR, Delhi with my broken young heart. So was he in his position. Great Sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar had also joined AIR, Delhi then. Beyond this, I don’t remember anything .”

 

Pandit T K Jalali, vocalist and well-known composer has this to say:-

" Talking of Late Pt. Jiwan Lal Mattoo, I would like to add that Pandit Mattoo was a renowned vocalist of his time, and held in great esteem. His son Jawahar Mattoo was associated with the music section of AIR and his daughter-in-law, Vidushi Madhuri Mattoo was a celebrated artist of the country. My first cousin Malti Mattoo ( Dulari Kak) from the paternal sidewife of  Moti Lal Mattoo, who expired recently in Calgary ,Canada was Pandit Mattoo's another daughter in law."

In reply to Rahul Pandita’s tweet dated 18^th March ,2000, his follower, Manmohan Singh writes this :-

“ My father,Attar Singh Talwar  is 83 at present. He was a Shishya of Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo for 10 years from 1957 to 1967 at Jaipur where Pandit Ji‘s son,  Shri J L Mattoo served in AIR . My father remembers  many stories  about Pandit  Jiwan Lal Mattoo who was fondly  known as Baba Ji.”

Jiwan Lal Mattoo was married to Roopwanti Bakaya ( daughter of Niranjan Nath Bakaya ). Roopwanti died in New Delhi in 1973. Apart from Jawahar Mattoo, Jiwan Lal Mattoo had another son Moti Lal Mattoo ( 1927 -2009 ) who had settled in Canada. Jiwan Lal Mattoo was closely related to the family of Justice Ram Narain Dar of Lahore. Kishen Narain Dar son of Justice Ram Narain Dar served as superintendent of Police J&K, during the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh.

The partition of the country proved a great setback for this musical genius. He lost his house , library, a great collection of musical instruments and above all his friends and the cultural environment  . He arrived in Delhi as a refugee from Lahore and joined AIR. In 1952, he founded the Radio’s first’ National Orchestra’ called Akashvaani ‘Vadya-Vrinda’ which was later taken over by Pandit Ravi Shanker. He lived in this new city unnoticed. "Prateeksha Aur Milan" is a wonderful orchestral creation by Jiwan Lal Mattoo for AIR's Vadya-Vrinda. In India , he devoted his time and energy to music only .However, he always missed his Lahore .Away from his Lahore, he always felt like an  exile .

 

“Har liya hai kisi ne Sita ko

Zindagi hai ki Ram ka banvaas”……….Firaq Gorakhpuri

 

“ Someone has kidnapped Sita

Is it life or Ram’s exile ?”

 

Shall  posterity  remember this icon and his contribution ?

 

 (Avtar Mota )

 

PS

(1)

Two extremely talented broadcasters of AIR Lahore namely Mohini Das and Satnam Kour  decided to stay back in Lahore post 1947.. Both married  Muslims  and  came to be known as Mohini Hameed and Satnam Mehmood Kour in Pakistan.They worked for  Urdu and Punjabi sections of Radio Pakistan. Mohini Hameed   was the first woman broadcaster  of  Pakistan.  She moved to the US post retirement. Mohini was from Batala near Amritsar and it was Jiwan Lal Mattoo who helped her in getting entry into AIR.Lahore in1939. Patras Bukhari ( who was station  director AIR Lahore at that time) had also heard her   Urdu  compering in some function and he too was highly impressed by her  style. He immediately okayed recommendations of Jiwan Lal Mattoo. Mohini's daughter,  Kanwal Naseer was the first female face on Pakistan Television in 1964. Mohini passed away in 2009 and the Lahore studio of Radio Pakistan was renamed ‘Mohini Hameed Studio’..

Satnam Mehmood Kour  later Joined Pakistan Civil services and was a women's rights activist , college professor and educationist apart from being a well known broadcaster.Satnam did her doctorate from Harvard .She joined AIR Lahore in 1941 . Her ancestors had served in the Army of Maharaja Ranjt Singh. Satnam had married well known freedom fighter and  progressive leader Mehmood Ali Khan . It was Mohini who had inspired Satnam to join AIR Lahore.Satnam  was daughter of Charan Singh, a well known writer from Lahore

(2)

Patras Bukhari (  a Kashmiri by birth  name Syed Ahmed Shah ) was married to Zubaida Wanchoo  who also belonged to a well off Kashmiri family settled in Punjab. Zubaida's father was senior  police officer  (superintendent of police )during British Raj .Patras had studied at Cambridge ..He was Director General AIR  ,New Delhi before 1947. He migrated to Pakistan after 1947. He died in New York where he worked with the  UNO. He was a diplomat and  well known writer as well..

                         

             ( Begum Akhtar singing from AIR Lahore before 1947)

                         (Mohini Hameed)
                                   

             ( Satnam Mehmood Kour)
                                     

                      ( Mehmud Mirza)

                                    ( Shivala Kashmiri Panditan Farid Chowk, Amritsar)

                                                    ( Mohammad Rafi)

                                                           ( Pandit Ram Narayan)

                   ( Patras Bukhari)

  ( Vocalist Pandit Pran Nath from Lahore )




                                                   
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