KASHMIR CONNECTION OF M B SREENIVASAN.. RENOWNED MUSICIAN FROM SOUTH INDIA

                                                                                       

                                                                                  

ZAHIDA AND M B SREENIVASAN ( 1925.1988 )…FROM KASHMIR TO KANYA KUMARI

His  name was Manamadurai Balakrishna Sreenivasan . MBS as he was popularly known , was a doyen of Malayalam and Tamil cinema music .
Born in a  well off Brahmin family , he was a staunch marxist and a leader of the  Communist Party of India. He had an excellent command over English language  that made him to move to Delhi and  work as private secretary to veteran communist leader A K Gopalan . Music was in his blood apart from being attracted towards theatre through IPTA.

MBS  had enormous knowledge of Carnatic, Hindustani and Western music and  in 1959, he took to music as profession . In 1970,  he founded the Madras Youth Choir . Through this platform , he kept composing songs of Tagore, Subramanya Bharathi, Vallathol etc. that spoke of patriotism, national integration, environment protection ,and upholding of social values etc. He scored music for  many successful Malayali and Tamil films and  worked with all  the well known film makers in south  that include  Adoor Gopalakrishnan, MT Vasudevan Nair, Hariharan, K.G. George, Mohan, Lenin Rajendran and many more.

MBS had millions of fans the  world over .Most of the film musicians in the south have either been trained directly or indirectly by MBS or his choir group   or have been influenced by his music. Many  prominent singers have sung songs based on his tunes and compositions .These include S Janki,Shanta P.Nair, Kavita Krishnamurthy , Usha Uthup And P Jayachandran.He was a member of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Central Censor Board .He is known for  introducing many new singer including Yesudas to films .

While in Delhi , MBS came closer to Dr Saif ud Din Kitchloo , a Kashmiri nationalist leader ( hero of Jalianwala Bagh ) from Amritsar.  Dr. Kitchloo  is known for opposing the 'Two Nation Theory ' . He left no stone unturned to oppose it in  all the  platforms /meetings  within the Congress party . He  was General Secretary of the  Congress party and also headed its  Punjab unit  before partition. After 1947, he shifted to Delhi and Later  associated himself  with the  Communist Party of India resigning from the  Indian National Congress . In fact  Dr. Kitchloo is the unsung Indian leader and the architect of Indo Soviet Friendship . Post partition , he did all the spadework to bring India and Russia closer . For this,  he kept visiting Russia and later received the prestigious  'Lenin Peace Prize ' from the Russians .He  had studied at Cambridge and Germany. Dr.Kitchloo  died in 1963 .

MBS and ZAHIDA (daughter of Saif ud Din Kitchloo) fell in love . Both were artistic in temperament . Both were communists by belief and ideology . Both loved music and above all  this relation had the  blessings of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Zahida’s father as well.They proved to be real soulmates  and lived  a happy married life. A highly talented son was also born to them whom they named KABIR. Unfortunately Kabir  also died in 2009 .After MBS died of a massive heart attack in 1988 , Zahida  looked after his work and institutions . She was a respected woman in the  entire film and literary circles of south India .

Adoor Gopalakrishnan wrote the finest ever obituary on the death of MBS paying glowing tributes to Zahida  in supporting and helping the super creative MBS in all spheres of his life. Zahida died in 2002.

                                                                               

                                    ( MBS being honoured By President Of India )

     

And who was Saif Ud Din Kitchloo( 1988-1963 ).. I quote from an interview of  Dr. Kitchloo..

” We belong to Baramulla in Kashmir. Prakash Ram Kitchloo , our ancestor embraced Islam and later my grandfather shifted permanently to Amritsar and started his saffron and Pashmina shawl business. I am a proud Kashmiri.I remember many Kashmiri Muslims living happily in Amritsar before 1947. My wife was from Manto family of Amritsar and her father was a successful lawyer .We were very close to Mattoo family of Amritsar . Mattoos were well off Pandits who lived in Amritsar . Together with Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab , we fought the British rule. Many Satyagraha  , many strikes , many agitations that we led in Amritsar against the British Raj. I remember my comrade Dr Satyapal, Mahasha Rattan Chand, Chaudhari Bagga and the Rowllat Act agitation . I remember how Nehru , myself , Master Tara Singh ., Satguru Partap Singh , Habib ur Rehman Ludhianavi  and many more jointly unfurled the national  flag on the bank of  Ravi  in 1931 and how secretly we arrived in Lahore. A period of about 14 years in the prison  for fighting the British Raj.Setting up of Swaraj Bhawan at Amritsar and   Jamia Milia Islamia University at Delhi . And above all my mind is flooded with memories of close association with Mahatma Gandhi.”

(Avtar Mota )

 

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

MY POEM WITH ENGLISH RENDERING.." THIS LIFE OF OURS IS LIKE A DRUNKARD'S WIFE "

                                                                                   

                                                       ( Photo ..Avtar Mota, July 2015 at Obud Bali,  Indonesia  ) 

To my latest black and white photograph, I add my Kashmiri poem.

(Ya Saen Zindagi Chhe zan Shoraeb Sinz Kolaai)

Ya Saen Zindagi chha zunn,
Shoraeib seanz kolaai.
Na Baa't kaanh
Na kaanh vatchun,
Na raash kenh
Na kaanh Natchun.
Kathhunn chha mohtaaj Aeiss,
Ratithh chha Looka'laaj Aeiss,
Dohaai Su shaam pae't ma Prae'tchh
Vuchh daggun ta neeil'a Daag.
Dohaai magar rachhithh thhaa'vien
Ma'dhier Mà'dhier ta mei'th Khwaab.
Gaash pho'll ta burr mutchur
Burr mutchur ta Raa't Ma'eish.
Tche vunn ta paai Pa'taa Panun
Ba Haei'rr hyaathh khasaai totuuyi,
Hallum Barithh sawaal Chhaemm
Jawaab Ro'ss Azaab Chhum
Azaab Chhum
Azaab Chhum..

(Autar Mota)

My simple English rendering goes as follows...
.
((Our Life is like a Drunkard’s Wife)

This life of ours is like the wife of a drunkard,
Trampled, broken and silent,
Bearing blows that leave no trace but bruises on the soul.

It sings no song for us,
Offers no solace.
The dance it performs now awakens nothing,
Excites nothing,
Leaves only gloom where joy once lived.

Like the condemned,
We wait for a word, a glance, a flicker of sympathy,
While we cling to ethics,
To poise,
To fragments of a life once ours.

Ask not of the night,
The night of mauling,
Of fists pounding against our chest,
Of deep blue and red  bruises that bloom
Like spring flowers  on bare skin.

Ask not of the hiding,
The careful shielding of tender dreams from life’s endless assaults.

Daybreak comes,
And the world stirs alive.
For them, light is life.
For us, it is a moment
To open the door and forget the torment that lingers from Yesterday’s night.

Tell me my wrong,
Where did I fail?
What sin lies on my soul?

This body I wear is heavy with questions that find no answer.

Tell me, O reliever,
where are you?
I will climb any stairs,
To knock at your door,
To meet you.

I go in pain,
O reliever,

In pain that does not end.

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

MADAN MOHAN… THE UNFORGETTABLE MUSICIAN

                                                                                  

     ( The maestro with Lata Mangeshkar  )

                       ( With Mohd. Rafi )

                                       

“JAB  JAB TUMHE BHULAAYA  TUM AUR YAAD  AAYE

JAATE NAHIN HAIN DIL SE  AB TAK TUMHAARE SAAYE “

MADAN MOHAN… THE UNFORGETTABLE MUSICIAN ..

Madan Mohan ( 1924-1975 ) was born in Iraqi Kurdistaan where his father ,Rai Bahadur Chuni Lal Kohli served in a very senior position  with Peshmargha ( Kurdish Police ). Rai Bahadur Chuni Lal hailed from village Chakwal inJhelum District of undivided Punjab .

After Iraq won independence from British rule, Rai Bahadur Chuni Lal Kohli was given the option to either take Iraqi nationality or quit his job . He opted to quit his job and returned to Chakwal  , his ancestral village .After some time ,he  moved to Bombay and became a partner  in Bombay Talkies ( owned by Himanshu Rai ) and later  Filmistan ( Founded by Shashadhar Mukherje ) . And thereafter  , the entire family shifted to Bombay .

.

 During my posting at Amritsar , I came to know many  good things  about Madan Mohan and his close relatives from the city .

Madan Ji had married Sheila Dhingra , niece of  revolutionary freedom fighter Madan Lal Dhingra ( 1883-1909 ) through an arranged marriage . This Dhingra family was well settled in Amritsar and  owned many houses in Katra Sher Singh ( old city )  and some Bunglows on GT Road ( newer and outer part of the city ) .Madan Lal Dhingra’s father ( Dr Ditta Mal Dhingra ) was a well known  and widely respected Civil Surgeon of Amritsar .

Madan Mohan was an affectionate father , dutiful husband , caring son , loving brother and a warm  friend . Every function in his house was a great celebration with his family , close relatives and friends . One  could never miss to see Shanta Mahindroo ( his sister) and her family, Talat Mehmood and his wife, Om Prakash , Madan Puri ,David, his immediate neighbours and  many friends in any function in the family  . His mother Bhagwanti Devi, wife Shiela and brother Prakash Kohli always  acted as hosts and served guests .

Remembering his father , Sanjeev Kohli (Madan ji's eldest son ) says this :-

"One of my most memorable experiences as a child was when he suddenly told me that he wanted me to take a week off from school and go with him on a holiday - I think it was in the late 60's, when I was in my teens, and he probably felt that he needed to bond with his growing son. We went to Pune and Mahableshwar with him driving the car - just the two of us! We walked, we talked, played games, and ate all our favourite meals at the best of places - he even taught me how to row a boat on this trip. Of course, the composer in him always peeped through - in the most uncanny moments, I remember him suddenly humming away - whether it was in the swimming pool with us or even in a hotel lobby - of course it was a new tune striking him, which he had no means of recording at that point in time. To us children then, what appeared strange is now clearly the genesis of one of his great songs.

I also remember great evenings spent at our residence with his colleagues - most often, Chetan Anand, Priya, Kaifi Azmi, at other times Rajinder Krishan and Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, and of course, Lata Ji - he would cook for them and play them a song he had recorded earlier in the day, while we children, way past our bedtime, would sit outside the room and listen.

What made him stand out from his other colleagues was his very western personality. While he was totally an Indian at heart, and of course at music, his command over the English language was amazing. He was indeed a Sahib among his colleagues, in his demeanour, the clothes he wore and his knowledge of global affairs. "

Joining as emergency commissioned officer ( in 1943 ) in Artillery Division of the Army , he left it after two years to join AIR Lucknow as Programme Assistant in 1946 .In Lucknow AIR , he interacted with great  legends of Hindustani  classical music that  included Ali Akbar Khan, Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Ram Narain, Vilayat Khan, Roshanara Begum, Talat Mehmood , Fayyaz Khan, Ustaad Barkat Ali Khan and Begum Akhtar .He was soon transferred to Delhi but he found it a dull station and resigned in 1947 and  moved to Mumbai  to work as full time professional singer . He recorded some private albums and also sang for some films when S D Burman engaged him as his assistant.

 During the period of this struggle , he also acted in some films like Shaheed (1948), Ansoo (1953) and Munimji (1954). PARDA, his first film as a hero was shelved due to some problems even when some reels were shot by the production house .

 Like an army officer  , he was always tidy and well dressed. Fond of  good clothes and  good food ,  his other interests were  body-building , ball room dancing, tennis ,swimming, boating and cricket. He read newspapers and magazines  and kept himself updated and informed about anything and everything around.

Madan Ji loved typical Punjabi food especially non vegetarian ; home made dishes like   Masala Bhindi, Saag-meat, Rajmaah, Khata-meat,  Maha Daal ( with desi ghee tadka) and Kadi Chawal   remained his favourite.

Remembering her Husband ,  Mrs Shiela Kohli ( his wife) once said this :-

“ He was a family man and gave lot of time and attention to his family. He was the most compassionate husband, son , father and a friend one can expect in this world. Sometimes , he would cook some special dish for the family. Cooking was another hobby with him. He was always engrossed in music. At times, he got up in the middle of the night and started composing some tune on harmonium . That tune possibly flashed in his mind at that moment. This also happened while he was driving the car. He would suddenly stop and start writing some lyric on a piece of paper that he kept in his pocket. “

About Madan Mohan , Lata ji  has said :-

“I have always said that he was one of the finest composers that India has ever produced and had a unique style. I have had the privilege of working with almost every composer in the last six decades, and each has contributed so much to my repertoire with their genius. Though I have sung more songs with other composers, my number of hits with Madan Bhaiya are numerous. People say that I added something special in his songs - I do not know whether this happened consciously. Maybe it happened because of our personal rapport and affection for each other, our mutual respect for each other's work, and maybe because of the perfect tuning we had and the fact that he was able to find nuances in my voice and rendition that he intuitively understood. He created such beautiful melodies for me that were always challenging, and I had to be at my best.He would always say that he composed a tune only with me in mind and always had some 'jagahs' conceived with my voice modulation in mind. It was thus always challenging to live up to his expectations and the pleasure on his face after a recording would always give me a lot of satisfaction.

It is impossible for me to list my favorite songs of Madan Bhaiya - there have been many albums in which I have presented some of them, but I always feel I sometimes miss out the less heard ones. Of course, some of our most popular songs have been 'Bairan Neend Na Aaye', 'Yun Hasraton Ke Dagh', 'Hum Pyaar Mein Jalnewalon Ko', 'Nagma-O-Sher Ki Saugat', 'Woh Chup Rahen To', 'Sapne Mein Sajan Se', 'Lag Ja Gale Se', 'Nainon Mein Badra Chhaye', 'Zara Si Aahat', and many others.Ghazals of course, were his forte, but his talent was not limited to ghazals alone. He has composed some memorable folk-based songs, Qawwalis, as well as romantic songs sung by me and other artistes, and of course his classical and semi-classical songs.”

His first independent assignment as music director was in 1950 ( AANKHEIN )

When DASTAK was released in 1970, It re-established MADAN MOHAN as the most versatile film musician with in depth knowledge of Hindustani  classical music. The songs “Baiyaan Naa Dharo”,   “Mai Ri Main Kaase Kahoon “ and” “Hum Hain Mataay-e-Kuchao” fetched him the National Award for best music direction for that year.

Pandit Ravi Shanker had highly appreciated his composition “Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho” for its fantastic variations in Tempo, notes and Rhythm .About his composition " Bhaiyaan na dharo ",Gazal Maestro Ghulam Ali once said this :-

" Dil kartaa hai buss yeh gaata hi rahuun.Kyaa kamaal ki composition hai? Kahaan gaye aissey composer?"

About his composition “ Mai  to tum sang nain mila ke haar gayi sajna “ Begum Akhtar has said this:-

“ In Bolon mein eik aurat apne pyaar mein haar ki yaani shikast ki baat kar rahi hai . Lekin Madan Bhai ne kyaa dhun banaayi hai . Kyaa kamaal ki composition hai .Haar ki baat mein mithaas bhar diya hai. Lajawaab Madan Bhai , tumhe neri bhi umar lag jaaye. Jeete raho “

And so much was Begum Sahiba enamoured with Madan Mohan’s composition “ Qadhar jaane na mora baalam bedardi “ when she first heard it that  she  immediately telephoned him requesting him to  sing it over phone to her . And for 18 minutes , Madan Mohan sang  “Qadhar jaane na”  over the telephone .

When Music Director Naushad heard Madan Mohan’s composition “ Aap ki nazron ne samjha pyaar ke qaabil mujhe “ , he was simply mesmerised . To Madan Mohan he said this:-

“ Madan Bhai , Let me have this Ghazal and you take all my compositions in return”

In 2004, Madan Mohan’s ’s fallow tunes were used by his son, Sanjeev Kohli, for the Yash Chopra blockbuster Veer-Zaara. The tunes were superbly refreshing even after a lapse of about 30 years.

Once, speaking about the method of his work, he said this  :-

"In a film where three minutes is all the time given to a song, the foremost requirement of a song is only one thing; it should be capable of capturing the interest of the listeners in a short period and sustaining it in the years to follow".

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan , Lata Mangeshkar , Mohd Rafi and Talat Mehmood were his close family friend .

There is an incident worth mentioning  that relates to recording of the song “NAINON MEIN BADRAA CHHAAYE “  by Madan Ji.

In 1966, when Raj Khosla started his New Project " MERA SAAYA " , he signed the Karachi born sindhi actress SADHANA ( Born 2nd sep, 1941 ) . Unusal for sadhana ‘s image he wanted a classical song to be picturised on her. He put forth this idea to Madan Mohan and requested him to go ahead with a classical composition . Madan Ji called Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and Lata ji to his house, Raja was unwell that day. He did not have a pen or his diary with him. But then Raja was Raja .Closing his eyes for 10 minutes Raja said ,

“ Madan Bhai … Naino mein Badraa chhaye 
Bijli si Chamkey haaye .......Chalegaa “

“ Array Bhai … Kyaa baat keh di  … Aagay chalo…..”

Once the song was completed by Raja , Madan Mohan sang it playing the harmonium himself. He asked lata Ji to listen . Lata Ji in turn asked Raja to make the song ‘s feelings clear to her . Once Raja made the song clear to Lata Ji ,she wrote the song lines in her diary and Sang it. Madan Ji kept correcting her repeatedly and singing it himself again and again. The perfectionist in him took no chance and  left not even an iota of imperfection in   this composition that turned out to be a master piece later. Unwell, Raja Mehdi Ali khan  sat all along watching Madan Mohan  in his  peak creative mood.

The final recording of the song was delayed for one reason or the other. Lata Ji was very busy while the entire unit kept waiting at Lake Palace Udaipur for shooting the song . Madan Ji had to personally bring Lata Ji to the recording studio and record the song. In this song , Madan Ji introduced pieces from Santoor and Sitar played by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustaad Rais Khan respectively.Madan Ji also composed two more  master pieces like  “JUMKA GIRA RE “ and “TU JAHAAN JAHAAN CHALEGAA”  for this movie .

 Madan Mohan  was hailed as a GAZAL KING in the film industry. His Gazal compositions are haunting and the music of the  Ghazals composed by him  blends with words  .With the use of Western instruments , Madan Ji brought enormous range in Gazal composition .  Every  Ghazal that he composed , remains  popular to this day .

                                                                                           

                    ( With Raja Mehdi Ali Khan )

Madan Mohan and Raja Mehdi Ai Khan combination gave some  superb songs and Ghazals  to Indian cinema. Started in 1950 , this partnership ended with Raja's death in 1966. Some composition from this duo are ..
                                                                                 

(1) Meri Yaad mein Tum Na Aansso Bahaana 

(2) Hai issi Mein Pyaar Ki Aabroo

(3) Rang Birangi raakhi le ke aayi Behna 

(4) Jiya Le gayo ri Mora Saanvariya 

(5) Aapki Nazron ne samjha Pyaar ke qaabil Mujhe 

(6) Woh Dekho Jalaa Ghar Kissi Ka 

(7) Agar Mujh Se Mohabbat hai Mujhe sab apne gham de do 

(8) Mein Nigaahein Teray Chehray se hataaon kaise 

(9) Jo Hum Ne dastaan Apni Sunaayi Aap Kyon Roye 

(10) Lag ja Gale ke phir yeh haseen Raat Ho Na ho 

(11) Chorr kar teray pyaar ka daaman 

(12) Naina barse Rim Jhim  

(13) Teray pass aa Ke Mera waqt Guzar Jaata hai 

(14) Ek Haseen Shaam Ko Dil Mera kho Gayaa 

(15) Kayee din Se jee hai Bekal 

(16) Maine Rang Li Aaj Chunariya sajna Tore Rang Mein 

(18) Tu Jahaan Jahaan Chalega mera saaya saath hoga 

(19) Aap ke pehlu mein Aa kar ro diye 

(20) Teray Bin saawan kaise beeta 

He also  worked with other  poets and film  lyricists that included Rajindra Krishen, Kaifi Azmi , Majrooh Sultanpuri and Sahir . There was a project with  firebrand Urdu poet Makhdoom  Mohiuddin that did not mature. Madan Mohan  set to tune two popular Ghazals of makhdoom for this project.
 As far as I remember , Madan Mohan and Sahir worked together in three films.( Actulally two only )

(1) Railway Platform 1955

(2) Gazal 1964

(3) Laila Majnu 1976 . (Tunes composed by Madan Mohan before his death were used for the songs of this movie while background score was provided by Jaidev)

“Naghmaa o Sher ki saughaat kisse pesj Karuun “ from Gazal was an instant hit. "Basti Basti Parbat parbat Gaata Jaaye Banjaara “ was again a super hit composition from Railway Platform.And “Koyee pathhar se na maare meray deewaane ko” was a tune created by Madan Mohan . “

Inspite of the fact that Sahir and Madan Mohan worked together for two films actually, they were great friends . Sahir appreciated his music and Madan Ji loved his poetry . They had many things in common. Both were Punjabis . Both loved good food and clothes . Both were highly creative individuals. And finally both loved the bottle.

                                                                           

             ( With  Urdu poet and film lyricist Sahir Ludhianavi )

Between 1950 and 1975 , Madan Mohan  composed about 650 film songs . Every composition of this Maestro is evergreen and immortal .“Meri Awaaz Suno “ is a poem written by Kaifi Azmi on the Death of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. This poem was also composed to a beautiful song by Madan Mohan and used in Sawan Kumar Tak’s movie NAUNIHAAL . In this movie , the song was picturized showing the funeral of Pandit Nehru in a very emotional and touching sequence.
                                                                             

  ( Madan Mohan with Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru )

Apart from those discussed above , his below listed compositions also remain my favourite to this day..

(1) Unko yeh shikaayat hai ki hum kuchh Nahin Kehtay
(2) Tu Pyaar kare Ya Thukraaye 
(3) Ho Ke Majboor Mujhe Uss ne Bhulaaya hoga 
(4) Me yeh soch kar uss ke dhar se uthaa thhaa  
(5) Milo Na tum To Hum Ghabraayein
(6) Kaun aayaa meray Mun Ke Dwaare Paayal Ki jhankaar liye
(7) Phir Wahi Shaam ahi Gham Wahi Tanhaayi hai
(8) Humsafar saath apna chorr chale
(9)Tu mere saamne hai Teri zulfein hain khuli
(10)Rehtay thhay Kabhi Jin Ke dil Mein 
(11) Teri Aankhon ke Sivaa Duniyaa Mein Rakha Kyaa hai

 In 2013  Government of India released a commemorative postal stamp  in his honour.

                                                                               

Madan Mohan had many friends and well wishers . One such friend happened to be  Late G R Santosh noted painter  from Kashmir  .Adds  artist and photographer Shabir Santosh son of late G R Santosh :-

“I had the privilege of watching the shooting of the song .. "Mai ri me  kaa se kahuun Peerr apne Jiya Ki " from the film Dastak in a Mumbnai   studio along with my father Gulam Rasool Santosh when I was very small and Madan Mohanji had invited Santoshji..it was an experience I still cherish..   “                                                             

In 1975, at a young age of 51 , Madan Mohan died of liver cirrhosis, putting  lakhs in tears and grief. Where  have such creative composers  gone   ? What we get today  is no match  to what these great masters have left as heritage . Why do Connoisseurs  yearn for good film Music today ?

  To remember Madan Mohan  is a pleasure . It brings  many fond memories of Indian cinema and his great songs .

I end this post with four  lines of  poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz  ..

Raat yuun  dil mein teri khoyee huyi yaad aayee

Jaise veeraaney mein chupkey sey bahaar aa jaye

Jaisey sehra on mein ho’lay se chaley baade e naseem

Jaisey beemaar ko Be Wajah  Qaraar aa jaaye

( Last night, your misplaced recollections crawled into my heart

As if  spring  had arrived secretly  into a desolate garden.

As  if  morning breeze was  blowing unhurriedly in a wasteland

As if  an unwell person suddenly felt  healthy for no reason.)

( Avtar Mota )

PS

   For the photographs and some details appearing in this  post  , I remain greatly indebted to the family of  Madan Mohan especially to his son Sanjeev Kohli ji.  

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

FIREBRAND URDU POET MAKHDOOM MOHI UD DIN AND FILMS

                                                                           

            

* FIREBRAND URDU POET MAKHDOOM MOHI UD DIN WITH MADAN MOHAN.

There was a project with Makhdoom that did not mature. Madan ji puting Makhdoom's Gazal to a tune created by him.

Previously Chandrasekhar had approached Makhdoom for using his song Ek Chameli ke Mandve Ta'lley for his 1964 movie "Cha Cha Cha".Chandrashekhar was also from Hyderabad and a friend of Makhdoom.The song was set to a music by Composer Iqbal Qureshi who was from Aurangabad but lived  in Hyderabad.

Before that Makhdoom's song " Jaane Waale Sipaahi Se Poochho" was also used for 1960 movie "Ussnay kahaa Thhaa".

After the deäth of Makhdoom, his Gazals were also used in films like GAMAN(1978), BAZAAR(1982) and  MANDI(1983).

" Aap ki Yaad Aati Rahi Baat bhar" from  movie GAMAN written by Makhdoom won best play back singer award for Chhaya Ganguli.

"Phir Chhirri Raat Baat Phoolon ki"sung by Lata Ji for BAZAAR , touched new heights of popularity .

For MANDI , Asha Ji sang " Ishq ke Sholay ko Bhadakaao" a Ghazal written by Makhdoom .

I am informed that the producers of GAMAN, BAZAAR and MANDI had obtained permission from Nuzhat Mohiud din ( Son of Makhdoom) for inclusion of his Ghazals in their films . Nuzhat was a writer and a well known poet apart being actively associated with Communist party of India .

( Autar Mota )

*PS
For this photograph , i remain highly  indebted to the family of  Great  Madan Mohan ji . The Photograph shall not be used for any commercial purposes .

  CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

BALKAVI BAIRAGI. PARLIAMENTARIAN ,JOURNALIST , EDUCATIONIST, HINDI POET AND FILM LYRICIST

                                                                            

BAL KAVI BAIRAGI ( Born 1931-2018 )

"O prabandh ke vikretaaon

Mahakaavya ke o kretaaon

O neelaam lagaane vaalon

Pal pal daam badaane vaalon

O mujh par mandraane vaalon

Mera mol lagaane vaalon

Jo mera sanskaar ban gayi

Woh saugandh nahin bechoonga

Chaahe sabhi suman bik jaayein

Apni gandh nahin bechoonga 

Yeh vyapaar tum hi ko shubh ho

Muktak chhandh nahin bechoonga"

( Balkavi Bairagi )

Long back  ,I had the privilege of  sharing some beautiful moments with this poet , journalist , parliamentarian  and above all a great human being . He was on an official visit to  Kashmir.He said his real name was Nandramdas Dwarkadas Bairagi but his love for children made him to write many poems and books for them. People started calling him Balkavi Bairagi.And he liked this  new name. I also met his wife, a gracious lady who accompanied him . 

Bairagi lived in Neemuch where he  was also associated with some  Educational Institutions .He had been a  teacher , MLA ( 1967-1972),  Minister In MP ( 1980-1984 ) and MP Lok Sabha (1984-1989 ) and in 1998 he was    nominated to   Rajya sabha  from MP .  

As  poet, Bairagi  wrote lyrics for more than 25 Bollywood  films . His song " Tu Chanda ne chaandini , tu taruwar mein shaakh  re " that he wrote  for Sunil Dutt's  "Reshma Aur Shera " remains an  all time popular song. This song  has been  sung by Lata Ji in her melodious voice.

  

This world always  welcomes the new and newer. When newer things arrive , old is sidelined . People forget  what is being abandoned today was close to them  yesterday only .  Yesterday only,  this abandoned    was received with all the enthusiasm that is shown to the new arrival today. So why worry ?That is the law of nature . That is the flow . Can we stand against the flow? And after the leaves fall, who looks towards  the branch.?

Based on above feelings, he wrote a poem  “Jhar gaye paat Bisar Gayii Tehnii “. This is my favorite poem .  .I quote some lines from this poem…

Jhar gaye paat bisar gayi tehni.

Karun katha jag se kya kehni

Nav konpal ke aatay aatay 

Toot gaye sab ke sab naate

Ram kare iss nav pallav ko

Parray nahin yeh peeda  sehni

…………Jhar jaye paat bisar gayi tehni...

Bairagi was also a freedom fighter who was brought up in extreme poverty. He was always attached to his mother . Till his death , he would always say:-

" My father created my physical being, the rest was done by my mother.A debt that can never be repaid ."

 Bairagi had a peaceful death in his home in 2018. He slept one night and never woke up again. It was a massive heart attack in sleep. He lived with his son .Some time back, I gifted his wonderful book ,"aao bachon gaao bachon" to a child who felt overjoyed when I read two poems to him. 

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.