REMEMBER NUTAN AND MADHUBALA?

YEH RAATEIN ,YEH MAUSAM, NADI KA KINARA

Some time in the 1960’s a distant relative of mine from New Delhi visited me at my home in Chennai[then Madras]. This guy was born and brought up in Delhi and was, at the age of about 25, visiting my city for the first time .Once he had settled down at my home in Nandanam he expressed a desire to visit the Marina beach. ‘I have never seen a beach’ he said to my astonishment .We forthwith boarded a bus to Triplicane and thence walked to the Marina. It was dusk by the time we reached the beach. As soon as his eyes set on the blue waters he exulted ‘This is divine’. We sat on the sands and I switched on my transistor and what song should we hear but that Kishore and Asha Bhonsle perennially alluring romantic song, YEH RAATEIN YE MAUSAM NADI KA KINARA.

YEH RAATEIN ,YEH MAUSAM, NADI KA KINARA

As the sound of the winds meshed with the dulcet voices of the master singers , and as the gentle lyrics wafted into the air, my relative closed his eyes for several moments even after I had switched off the radio. As a few tears trickled down his eyes I asked him how he felt . Slowly as if returning from a state of coma he said

‘If there is any proof needed at all that love is the greatest emotion known at all living creatures this song is the proof. If there is anything more beautiful than the sea, I am yet to experience it. I am shifting for good to Madras’.

He lived up to his words and even to this day at past the age of 60 he is a familiar sight at the Marina on most evenings romancing the sea.

These thoughts raced through my mind last evening when I attended another excellent concert conducted by SATRANGIMUSIC Chennai, headed by Pramod Nair and accompanied by singers Usha and Jaya.

Jaya and Pramod sang that Ye raatein melody from DILLI KA THUG [By the way why does ‘Dilli’ alone attracts that pejorative word ‘thug’?} almost to perfection. Jaya has a comely sensous voice that resembles Asha Bhonsle’s.

The evening began with a song from HOWRAH BRIDGE –after all it was a concert to pay tribute to Madhubala and Nutan . Jaya began with that all time great club song AAYIYE MAHERBAN number from that movie composed by O.P Nayyar. She captured that come hither spirit of the song.

The first high point of the concert was then to arrive as Usha rendered that song that takes me back to my childhood when the moon was the object of much poetic description—a tradition that has been sadly lost. Any poet who refers to the moon these days may be accused of being just that—a lunatic ! Usha sang CHAND PHIR NIKLA that lyrical statement of love ad longing from PAYING GUEST . Usha has a touch of Lata and has a comely personality to boot—not the ‘come- on- dance- with- me’ look that is in fashion these days. Her joy at the very idea of singing is something to behold. An MA in music she is grooming her daughter Kamalaji to sing. The smile that she has at the end of her song sends your heart into a silent contemplation of the beauty of her voice and the musical quality of the songs she chooses..

Usha and Pramod joined voices to sing that peppy title song from TERE GHAR KE SAMNE that had the audience tapping their feet. Only to be entranced next by Jaya with KAALI GHATA CHHAI MORE from SUJATA .The song CHOD DO AANCHAL that Pramod and Jaya sang next from the film PAYING GUEST reminded us of gentler times when zamana frowned on undue physical expression of love .These days …. Oh let us leave it at that !

Compere beyond compare Lakshmi told the audience that the song that followed was the one that first established Lata as a musical marvel. Just as Lakshmi finished her brief interlude came the gentle voice of Usha with that evocative song AAYEGA AAYEGA AAYEGA AANE WALA, AAYEGEGA from MAHAL .My heart skipped a few beats. Lakshmi had asked who the composer was and promptly came the answer from an obvious lover of hindi film melodies . Khemchand Prakash whom the iconic Naushsd described as My Musical Guru!

Usha’s rendition was a highlight that evening and this song brought out how a song ought to be sung—the listener must unconsciously feel the emotions of the song. I for one truly felt a longing for what I can not fathom….that was the depth of emotion Usha and the song stirred in me.

Interspersed with songs from Sarawati Chandra, Phagun,Kalapani, came the one with Hemant Kumar singing LEHRON PE LEHER from CHABILI with music by Snehal Bhatkar.This sentimental hit was followed by that cute melody from Bandini MORA GORA ANG LAI LO . MOHE SHAAM ANG DAI DE .Lakshmi told us that this was written by Gulzar !Trust that poet to overturn current obsession for fair skin!Shah Rukh Khan ought to listen to this song and stop endorsing fairness cream!

Usha then sang another show stealer from Khandaan TUMHI MERI MANZIL TUMHI MERI POOJA— a song never to be forgotten. A couple of songs later Usha again rose to the pinnacle of the evening PYAAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA, that classic Madhubala enacted Naushad masterpiece from MUGHAL- E- AZAM . I switched on my mobile and let a lover of this song sitting in a distant part of the city listen to this gem !!

Two songs later came the denoument – ZINDAGI BHAR NAHI BHOOLEGI WOH BARSAAT KI RAAT.

There is something about nature that inspires the best prose, poetry and art in general. If the nadi stirred me earlier in the concert it was barsaat ki raat that dipped into the deep recesses of my heart .Pramod and Usha sang in unison with the soft drizzle in Chennai on a night said to be colder than any other over many years. Unbelievable that Chennaites were actually seen in shawls. But then many things are unusual about the city—love of the golden era of Hindi film music is one such.

K.R.RAVI

For details of the next concert visit www.satrangimusic.com