April 2015 – The world is too small? or Is it?

Welcome to April, 2015 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

Come 1^st April and rest assured that SoY will come up with something brilliant. For the present, Some thoughts on taxonomic-mathematical analysis of Hindi films and songs has a fairly lashing tongue in the cheek, but that would not take away the merits of three core ideas – viz. Duet Balance Index (DBI) – ‘Duets that are really solos’, Popularity-Quality Index (PQI) – Popularity versus quality and Mathematical Analysis of Bollywood Triangles and Other Films presented therein.

We turn our sails to our regular fair –

Shamshad Begum songs by Naushad – SoY’s tribute to Shamshad Begum on her 96^th birth anniversary (14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013). Shamshad Begum’s entry is credited to Ghulam Haider. Nonetheless she sang with same élan with most of the music directors of the vintage era. When Naushad used her voice first time in Shahjehan (1946) , Shamshad Begum was already at her peak. As she went on to sing a wide range of moods and scales in around 60 songs with Naushad, her portfolio was concurrently getting richer with other music directors like C Ramchandra, S D Burman, Ghulam Mohammad and others. She blazed a scorching trail with O P Nayyar. It remains a very typical irony of the vagaries of Hindi Film Music that she was quite easily replaced with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle by Naushad and O P Nayyar respectively in course of 50s.

SoY has picked up Shamshad Begum songs of C Ramchandra in Shamshad Begum songs by C Ramchandra as a tribute on the 2^nd death anniversary of the legendary singer.” During a brief period in the late 1940s, before Lata Mangeshkar happened in a big way to C Ramchandra, Shamshad Begum was his most important singer, and he was at his creative best. The combination gave some everlasting songs, which are an important part of our musical legacy.”

We recall our April 2013 episode of our blog carnival, wherein we carried a few more articles and a downpour of obituaries on her passing away. We add a few more here:

Naushad on Shamshad Begum in an interview on BBC, shared by Raza Ali Abidi on his youtube channel.

Shamshad Begum Interview, Part 1 of 2 and 2 of 2

By selecting a range of songs form films of different time scale, Asha Parekh-A charming and talented actress provides a fan’s insight to Asha Parekh’s career graph. To this we supplement Unknown Facts About Asha Parekh.

Words by Anna Morcom on Pakeezah (with accompanying videos from Tommydan) – looks back at (main) songs as interestingly seen in the book, Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance on 43^rd anniversary of Meena Kumari’s death.

We pick up two songs from My favourite Meena Kumari songs:

Lau Lagati geet gaati (Bhabhi ki Chudiyan, 1961, Lata Mangeshkar, Sudhir Phadke)
Chand Hai Wohi (Parineeta, 1953, Geeta Dutt, Arun Kumar)

Uff Ye Beqaraar Dil Kahan Luta Na Poochhiye is a tribute to (Smt.) Bela Bose Sengupta on her 74^th birthday on 18^th April, 2015. We pick up a few of the songs listed out at the end of the article:

Yeh Na Thi Hamari Kismat – Main Nashe Mein Hoon (1959) – Shanker Jaikishan – Usha Mangeshakar
Saakiya ek Jaam Woh Bhi to De De – Neend Hamari Khawb Tumhare (1966) – Madan Mohan – Asha Bhosle, Mubarak Begum
Hai Nazar Ka Ishara Sambhal Jaiye – Anita (1967) – Laxmikant Pyarelal – Lata Mangeshakar, Usha Mangeshakar
Uff Ye Beqaraar Dil Kahan Luta Na Poochhiye – Dil Aur Mohabbat (1968) – O P Nayyar – Asha Bhosle

The Lost Films of Helen – This video slideshow shines a light on some Helen films that haven’t been seen since they were originally released many years ago. They are presumed to be lost forever.

Tune, Composer, Language – It’s All the Same attempts at highlighting some examples where a wide arrange of music directors have re-use their tunes within the same language, within the same period of 1940s -1950s.

Double delight with Fusion – Fusion in this post is to mean something totally different from a mere fusion of instrumental music – a mix of two different singing styles in the vocals in the same song. 12 of these ‘Fusion’ songs (from 1950s to 2010) are placed in the player.

Now we move over to Samir Dholakia ‘s choice for the month –

Mere do naina matware – Namaste Jee (1965) – G S Kohli. – Lata Mangeshkar
Maan jaa arre buddhoo jaan jaa Post by Avinash Scrapwala for the song Maan Jaa Arre Buddhu Jaan Jaa – Return Of Johny (1972) – N Datta – Asha Bhosle, Lyrics – SR Saaz,
Hum Tum Yeh Bahar – Amber (1952) – Gulam Mohammad – Mohammad Rafi (for Raj Kapoor), Lata mangeshkar
O Kaali Ghata Ghir Aayi Re – Kali Ghata (1951) Shankar Jaikishan – Lata Mangeshkar Mohammed Rafi
Tum Ho Saath Raat Be Haseen Hai – Mohar [1959] – Madan Mohan – Lata Mangeshkar
Sajan Ki Ot Leke Haathon Mein Haath Leke. Zevrat (1949) – Hansraj Behl -Mohammad. Rafi.. Lata Mangeshkar

Naresh Mankad has remembered Budhdham Sharanam Gachchami – Angulimaal (1960) – Anil Biswas – Manna Dey, Meena Kapoor, and Chorus. This is indeed a more known song. But it has a very different version (predecessor, in terms of timeline) in Anjali (1957), sung by Mohammad Rafi, and composed by Jaidev.

In the end we take up (our customary) very special songs / articles on Mohammad Rafi –

Saawan Ki Ghatao – is A duet from Aage Badho 1947 (Sudhir Phadke ) filmed on very young Dev Anand and Khurshid Bano.
Mohammed Rafi : The amusing voice of Randhir Kapoor enlists songs that Mohammad Rafi sang for the elder Kapoor of the third generation.
Mohammed Rafi’s association with most cultured comedian: Deven Varma – Rafi Sahab sung two duets for Deven Verma in QAWWALI KI RAAT – Iqbal Quereshi – (1964). The two duets, “Husnwaale Husn Ka Anjaam Dekh, Dubte Suraj Ke Waqt Sham Dekh” by Rafi-Asha Bhosle and “Jaate Jaate Ek Nazar Bhar Dekh Lo” by Rafi-Shamshad Begum filmed on Deven Verma and Mumtaz.
Mohammed Rafi Award, while advocating renaming Filmfare Best Male Singer award has listed all major awards that Mohammadi Rafi’s Hall of Fame adorns.
The combination of OP Nayyar and Mohammad Rafi was like tea and milk, creating a very unique, invigorating brew. We would addon Mere Sanam (1965) here simply to buttress the point – Rafi gets to sing four fantastic solos –Pukarta Chala Hoon Main, Humdum mere maan bhi jaao; the heart-rending Tukde hain mere dil ke aye yaar tere aansoo and Hue hain tumpe aashiq ham bura mano bhala maano and three lovely duets as well (with Asha Bhosle) – Roka kai baar maine dil ki umang ko, Haji Baba mere sanam se mera milne ka waada, and finally the lovely song that did not make it to the screen, Humne toh dil ko aapke kadmon mein. Simply divine.

We will end April month’s episode with a very typical Shanker-Jaikishan – Mohammad Rafi songs of 1960s – from (of course) the film ‘April Fool’ – a song which has one of the longest prelude, studded with a huge ensemble of violins, wherein Rafi has taken flights to all the scales –

Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Mere Sapane, Mere Apne, Mere Paas Aa…….

We continue our pursuit of the golden period of Hindi Film Music …….

Welcome to April 2015 edition of Carnival of Quality Management Articles and Blogs.

For the month, we cast our net to search for articles for “Improving measures of measurement of process”, so as to look at the process improvement in the deep nooks and corners. The result seems to be a mixed bag. However, we will take what is available and continue with a more defined journey in next few episodes as we. So, here are some exploratory articles on Improving measures of measurement of process.

Following a measurement journey – …It can be helpful to think of the measurement activities in an improvement project as a journey:

Source: Lloyd, R. Quality Health Care: a guide to developing and using indicators. Jones & Bartlett Publishers 2004

Measures – Measurement is a critical part of testing and implementing changes; measures tell a team whether the changes they are making actually lead to improvement. In improvement work, the team should use a balanced set of measures. Plot data for these measures over time using a run chart, a simple and effective way to determine whether the changes you are making are leading to improvement. For more information: See How to Improve: Establishing Measures

Types of Measures – Structure: Physical equipment and facilities Outcome Measures – The final product, results, Process Measures – How the system works, Balancing Measures– looking at a system from different directions/dimensions.

Measuring Healthcare Quality: An Overview of Quality Measures briefly looks at what are the types of quality measures , how quality measure are developed, where do data on …quality come from, how are the quality measures used, what’s next in quality measurement.

Using benchmarking measurement to improve performance over time – Participation in external benchmarking activities is not….. the ultimate goal. It is the use of data derived from benchmarking to initiate and sustain performance improvement over time.

This paper has placed very relevant quotes as the sidebar, which subtly but equally definitively enhances the message of the article. We have placed them here below:

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” – John Ruskin

“The goal is to transform data into information and information into insight.” – Carly Fiorina

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain

“Data do not speak for themselves – they need context, and they need skeptical evaluation.” -– Allen Wilcox

“It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics.” – George Bernard Shaw

“If you think that statistics has nothing to say about what you do or how you could do it better, then you are either wrong or in need of a more interesting job.” – Stephen Senn

“In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

We will continue with present subject in its more definitive aspects in the next few episodes.

In the meanwhile, in the second part, we have Suresh Lulla’s Blog, from among the Influential Voices Blogroll Alumni. Here are the previous posts on this blog:

• Managing for Quality

• Problem Solving in 4 Steps – 2

• Problem Solving in 4 Steps

• Who Pays for Bad Quality? Is there a Solution?

• Supplier Solutions. MADE IN INDIA

We turn to our regular sections now:

Bill Troy, ASQ CEO has presented the first of the three part blog series ‘A Leader’s Roadmap to a Culture of Quality: Building on Forbes Insights-ASQ Leadership Research: Part 2 of 3’. Roy Lawton – author of the book Creating a Customer-Centered Culture: Leadership in Quality, Innovation and Speed – proposes to provide the missing and necessary specifics for successful action. In the Part One last month, he spelt out how to successfully address point #1 – All employees must apply the four key elements of any strategy for building a quality culture. (Page 8: Boeing’s Ken Shead). In Part Two here, he spells out how to successfully address point #2 – CLOSELY UNDERSTAND CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS, on the road to cultural transformation.

Bill Troy also critically discussed how to Encourage The Next Generation of STEM Professionals. Julia McIntosh, ASQ communications , in her follow through ‘March Roundup: What To Do About STEM Education?’ has summed up a wide ranging views of the fellow ASQ Influential Voices bloggers.

We then move over to ASQ TV Episodes: Quality and Forensics – In this episode, we will see how quality plays an important role in forensic community and how forensic techniques were used to resolve a construction dispute. We will (also) learn how to create a Correction Action Request and we talk to one of the stars of the hit television show, CSI.

Linked videos:

• Forensic Technique Reveal Conclusive Evidence

• The How and Why of Auditing

o Corrective Action Request

Our ASQ’s Influential Voice for the month is – Chad Walters

Chad Walters is a lean consultant with Lean Blitz Consulting out of Augusta, Georgia, and blogs about Lean applications in sports organizations at the Lean Blitz Consulting blog. He has been practicing lean and continuous improvement for more than eight years. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt certified by ASQ and received his MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and B.S. in chemical engineering from Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana.