Month: July 2016

Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music – July, 2016

Welcome to July 2016 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

Hindi Film Music world lost its two more talented, but not corresponding recognized personalities – Mubarak Begum and Omi (of Sonic-Omi duo). Mubarak Begum made her debut in 1949 and thus saw the transformation of the HFM from vintage era to golden era.  Omi (Omprakash Sonic) of Sonic-Omi music director (Uncle, Manoharlal Sonic and his nephew Omi) duo, who did enter the HFM world at the last phase of the golden era and thus saw the transition for the golden era to the present day HFM world.

Here are the tributes to Mubarak Begum:

Mubarak Begum - Woh Na AAyende Palatkar

Ae Dil Bata  Hum Kahan Aa Gaye  – Khooni Khazana (1965) –  S Kishan –  Khawar Zaman
Chaah Karani Thi Chaahkar Baithe – Punarmilan (1964)  – C Arjun – Raja Mahedi Ali Khan
Itne Kareeb Aa Ke Bhi  – with Talat Mahmood – Shagoon (1964) – Khayyam  – Sahir Ludhianvi
Mere Aansuon Pe Na muskara – Morey Man Mitwa (1965)  – Dattaram –Priyadarshi
Hum Haal-e-Dil Sunayenge – Madhumati (1958)  – Ssalil Chowdhary – Shailendra
Mujhhko Apne Gale Laga Lo  – with Mohammad Rafi – Humrahi (1963) – Shankar Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri
Bemurrawat Bewafa – Sushila (1966) – C Arjun – Jan Nissar Akhtar

Hamrahi (1963) – Mubarak Begum & Rafi – Mujh Ko Apnay Galay Lagaa Lo, Ae Meray Hamraahi – Shankar Jaikishan (Hasrat Jaipuri)

Gogola (1966) – Mubarak Begum & Talat – Zara Keh Do Fizaayo.n Se Aame.n Itnaa Sataye Na – Roy & Frank (Baalkavi Bairagi)

Phoolon Ke Haar (1951) – Mubarak Begum & Devendar Goel – Jhoom Jhoom Kar Door Gagan Pe Badal Kare.n Ishaaray – Hans Raj Bahal (Varma Malik)

Basera (1950) – Mubarak begum & BS Nanji – Dekho Ji Baat Suno, Tum Mujhse Aan Milo– MA Rauf (Sardar Ilham)

Awara Shehzadi (1956) – Mubarak Begum & Shashikant – Karlo Ji Pyaar Karlo Ji Pyaar Dil waalo Pyaar Kar Lo – Nashad (Sartaj)

Patit Paawan (1955) – Mubarak Begum & Sudha Malhotra – Jeevan Ka Tu Ujiyaara Hai, Rakhwaara Bansi Waara Hai – Jamal Sen (Bharat Vyas)

Haar Jeet (1954) – Mubarak Begum & Geeta Dutt – Bechain Hai Betaab Hai Is Dil Ka Fasaanaa Sun Le – SD Batish (Kaif Irfani)

Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare (1966) – Mubarak Begum & Asha – Saaqiyaa.n Ek Jaam Vo Bhi To De – Madan Mohan (Rajendar Krishan)

SoY also had posted An evening with Mubarak Begum on January 5, 2013.  I have selected these two songs from this post:

And the tributes to Omprakash Sonic:

AAJ KE FANKAR- A TRIBUTE TO COMPOSER OMI (DUO SONIK- OMI)

We also recollect Omi ji (of Sonik-Omi) in an exclusive interview with Anmol Fankaar and “Sansaar Hai Ik Nadiya” – (Sonik) Omi

We now take up posts that remember the Anniversaries:

Sanjeev Kumar – The Actor Who Rose Above The ‘Hero’ – From among his several costars, ranging from Hema Malini to Sharmila Tagore, from Raakhee to Vidya Sinha, Suchitra Sen to Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar experimented the most with his female lead and bosom pal Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan). These two superbly talented actors played out all kinds of relationships on screen – husband-and-wife (Koshish), father-in-law and daughter-in-law (Sholay), lovers (Anamika), father-daughter (Parichay), the multifarious 9-character role in Naya Din Nayi Raat, ending up as the doctor and patient who hesitatingly comfort each other on finding that their respective spouses are having an affair (Silsila).

Shankar-Jaikishan’s songs for Mukesh  – Continuing the series on Shankar-Jaikishan, SoY presents the songs composed by them for Mukesh as a tribute to the singer on his 93rd birth anniversary (22 July 1923 – 27 August 1976). All the songs that are posted present a good panorama of their association.  I have added a few on my art here. Except for ‘Apne Hue Paraye’ song, these songs that immediately popped up, but had remained dormant till the memory was jolted out by this post….

‘Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega, Mera Saya Saath Hoga’ – The Everlasting Songs of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan – From patriotic to sentimental, from humorous to romantic, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan penned a wide range of songs that were simple yet sublime. In a tribute, we revisit some of those everlasting songs on the extreme end of the spectrum:

Music Makers of Golden Era

The Music Makers of the Golden Era – Roshan, Anil Biswas, Hemant Humar, Mohd. Shafi, Naushad, Jaikishan, C. Ramchandra and Madan Mohan

‘Rehearsals were Never Easy, Music Sittings were Always Fun’ – Remembering Madan Mohan – Madan Mohan, the creator of immortal melodies and film ghazals, had a fun-loving, outgoing personal side as a gracious cook and host, a wrestling and racing enthusiast, a car freak among other energetic interests – his eldest daughter Sangeeta Gupta in a conversation with Peeyush Sharma.

Orthodox RD Burman – an extremely talented and creative composer with a solid foundation in the orthodox style of composition., a style of composition where there is an emphasis on melody and melodic content in the vocals of the song. We can listen to 30 handpicked songs in his orthodox style in a playlist by clicking LINK TO R D BURMAN PLAYLIST

Tumko Piya Dil Diya Kitne Naaz Se – GS Kohli, the Unsung Music Composer – We have picked up only one song here to simply illustrate the versatility of GS Kohli.

We now take a look at posts on other subjects –

My Favourites: Songs of Strangers – in honour of those long-gone days, when pardesis seemed to make frequent trips to far flung villages and find the love of their lives in those unsullied vales, here are some of my favourite pardesi songs.

My Favourites: ‘Where Are You?’ Songs – I have picked up two of the less heard songs from this list to give us the idea about what the subject is about –

D P Ranagan, in one more of his highly innovatively informative article, Star showers in Bollywood, has presented Hindi Films songs that have featured the stars

Book Review: Dorothee Wenner’s ‘Fearless Nadia: The True Story of Bollywood’s Original Stunt Queen’Fearles Nadia

In her biography of Hindi cinema’s ‘original stunt queen’, German film-maker and curator for the Berlin International Film Festival, Dorothee Wenner sets out to explore the life and times of this fascinating actress. Fearless Nadia: The True Story of Bollywood’s Original Stunt Queen (Translated by Rebecca Morrison; ISBN: 0-14-303270-4; Penguin Books; 248 pages; Rs 295)

Ten of my favourite Dupatta/Chunri/Chunariya songs – a salwar-kurta (or churidar–kurta) or a sharaara, or even a ghaagra, the dupatta served to drape the upper part of the body: the bosom, at least, but in some cases, even the head. It thus became a symbol of modesty—and, in some instances, an extension of the heart, the feelings of the wearer. More than the saree or any other garment, the dupatta became the theme for songs. (It even gave its name to one really lovely Pakistani film starring Noorjehan). However, this post is really a response-in-kind of “absolutely lovely dupatta” that friend, fellow blogger and soul sister Anu’s gift to the author.

Three Queens of the Indian Drums focuses on some great contemporary female players of Indian drums.

Pakistani Stars endorsing Lux Soap – The first Pakistani actress to endorse Lux Soap was Meena Shorey in 1956

Guru Dutt with his family (1957)

guru-dutt-family

Back row: Guru Dutt with his father, mother and Geeta Dutt. Front row: Guru Dutt’s brother Atma, his wife, sister Lalita and her husband. The children are those of Guru and Atma Dutt.

Autographs of Hindi Film Stars – I and II – and links to the profiles of – Om Prakash, Cuckoo,Nalini Jaywant, Vimla, Kuldeep Kaur, Jairaj, Sajjan and Veera

Biswajeet – Memories – as told to Santosh Sud in1990 – throws light on some very interesting facets of him.

In Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @SoY, having covered G M Durrani, Talat Mahmood, Surendra and ‘Other’ Male Playback Singers , Mukesh and Mohammad Rafi’s ever green solo songs, first and second part of  Other Noteworthy Solo songs in the Male Solo Songs category till now, I also declared MY Top Male Solo Songs, choosing Mohammad Rafi as the Best Male Singer for 1949 and his Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki (Dulari, Naushad) as the Best Song. SoY also has released Best songs of 1949: Wrap Up 1, choosing Mukesh as the Best Male Singer and Tu kahe agar as the Best Male Solo.

Then I have taken up Solo Songs of ‘Other Than Lata Mangeshkar’ Female Singers, in which we covered Suraiya, Geeta Roy , Shamshad Begum, Raajkumari, Asha Bhosle, Surindar Kaur.

On Mohammad Rafi’s anniversary we end our present episode with a few of Sonic-Omi’s Mohammed Rafi songs that did not gain ‘high’ popularity:

Haseen JulfoN Ka Rang De Do – Beti (1969) – Shakeel Badayuni

Mere Mehboob Tu Mujhko – Beti (1969) – Shakeel Badayuni

Yeh Dil Nahin Hai – Aabroo (1968) – GS Rawal.

We will take up an exclusive article on Mohammad Rafi in our next Fading Memories.. Unforgettable Songs episode…..

I look forward to receive your inputs for further enriching the contents of the posts…..

The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – Female Solo Songs – Other Singers –Asha Bhosle, Surinder Kaur

We have now covered four ‘other’ female singers – Suraiya, Geeta Roy,  Shamshad Begum and Raajkumari – who have had a fairly significant share of solo songs in 1949. Among the solo songs that I selected for ‘other’ female singers, Asha Bhosle (4) and Surinder Kaur (5) would have jointly crossed the double digit threshold to earn a separate post in our Micro Review.

Here is a one-from-the film- filter selected result:

Solo Songs of Asha Bhosle

On a very first look at the female solo songs of 1949, I had thought that I would hardly find an insignificant enough solos and a couple of Asha Bhosle duets.  However, as I sorted through the songs with a fine tooth comb, I did find noticeable enough numbers. No surprises here that Asha Bhosle has yet to set her signature groove.

Chupake Chupake Mast Nigahein – Ek Teri Nishani – Saardul Kwatra – A Shah

Kahati Jawani Kisi Ko Dil Mein Basa Le – Lekh – Krishna Dayal – Qamar Jalalabadi

Mere Pyare Sanam Ki Pyari Gali Ho – Parda – Sharmaji (a.k.a Khayyam) – Swami Ramanand

Hai Mauj Mein Apne Begane, Do Chaar Idhar Do Char Udhar – Raat Ki Raani – Hans Raj Behl – Arzoo Lakhanavi

YT records this one as the first recorded song of Asha Bhosle.

Solo songs of Surinder Kaur

Surinder Kaur also has fairly noticeable presence during the year, in terms of some very pleasant solos and  duets.

Ae Chand Tere Saath To Rehate Hain Sitaare – Dada – Shaukat Dehlvi (a.k.a. Nashad) – Rafi Ajmeri

Kya Tum Na Aaoge, Umeedon Pe Udasi Chhayi Hui Hai – Kaneez – Ghulam Haider – Harishchandra Akhtar

Dil Ke Maalik Toot Gaya Hai Mera Dil Toot Gaya Hai – Roop Lekha – Khan Mastana

Ye Lakhon Hasaratein – Sanwariya – C  Ramchandra – P L Santoshi

Chanda Re Main Teri Gawahi Lene Aayee – Singaar – Khursheed Anwar – D N Madhok

Tum Sang Akhiyan Mila Ke – Sunhere Din – Gyan Dutt – D N Madhok

Our next stop is the last one on our journey of ‘other’ female singers, where we will take up ‘others of the ‘other’ female singers.

Carnival of Quality Management Articles and Blogs – July, 2016

Welcome to July, 2016 edition of Carnival of Quality Management Articles and Blogs.

We have already taken up the following topics for the familiarization of different elements of new version of ISO 9001-

For the present episode we will see how ‘Leadership’ in the Other ISO Management Standards’ is addressed.

Leadership – Leadership may therefore be the most important lever in an (ethical) system designed to support (ethical) conduct.

In The Expanding Role of Leadership in Management System Standards Chad Kymal states that new versions of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 set clear expectations. He also has drawn a broader canvas of the expanding role of the leadership in MSS.

In a very lucid white paper – The Importance of leadership in Management System Standards – BSI concludes that “many of the leadership responsibilities are contained in the standard text of Annex SL. So the principles and requirements for the other management system standards will be very similar, but with a focus onto the respective discipline, for instance environmental management or health and safety management.”

In Top Management Commitment: What Are The Standards , Syed Mahammud Wasif has postulated 10 initiatives that set the tone for the top management commitment.

Leadership for the Many, Not the Few – Beth Zimmerman states that all members of the Evans team are supported in exercising and strengthening their leadership skills in ways that align with their personal passions and Evans’ corporate goals. We also make additional investments to ensure that those with people-management responsibilities have strong skills in, and a consistent approach to, supporting those they manage in succeeding in their respective roles. Evans applies a mix of practices to bolster leadership – Coaching, Tools for Success, Mixed-level Teams, Internal and External Opportunities for Growth, Training for People Managers,

We also have a few videos on the subject:

  • ISO revisions – All about leadership in the new standards
  • Management and Leadership overview
  • Teaching leaders “What to Stop”

Obviously, before we can expect many more articles on the actual practices, we will have to wait for some more time as more and more organizations take up the implementations of the newer versions of these management system standards.

For the August, 2016 episode, we will take Change Management in the new versions of these management standards.

We will now turn to our regular sections:

ASQ CEO, Bill Troy in his ASQ’s Influential Voice has a guest article by Scott Rutherford – What Do We Expect from Senior Leaders? – that also looks at our current subject of leadership. Scott Rutherford recalls a 1986 Quality Progress review  by Dr. Joseph Juran.  The quote is:

“It is most important that top management be quality-minded. In the absence of sincere manifestation of interest from the top, little will happen from below.”

We now watch the latest ASQ TV  episodes:

In Jim L. Smith’s Jim’s Gems for the month of May, 2016, we have –

  • The Magic Ingredient for Success – is attitude! Successful people have a way of looking at things, a way of seeing obstacles as opportunities, and a way of “hanging in there” to make the most of every possibility. This is an attitude of positive affirmation that almost always guarantees success….The good news about attitude is that it can be altered, and we, not anyone else, are in charge of our own attitudes. What’s your Jim's Gemsattitude? If it’s not going to bring you success, then change it!
  • Where Should Organizations Focus their Greatest Efforts?… On Process or People? – Peter Drucker, the late author and management consultant, wrote that “neither technology nor people determine the other, but each shapes the other.” …..In planning how to evaluate claim data quality, building a framework of systems-thinking proved extremely helpful. Namely, the process principles of statistical thinking formed the conceptual foundation of a quality improvement plan which included: (1) All work occurs in a system of interconnected processes; (2) Variation exists in all processes; and (3) Understanding and reducing variation are keys to success….a translation from process to a greater attention on people suggests the following principles: (1) All work is done by individuals; (2) An individual’s work is variable; (3) Key to quality improvement is reducing variation by getting the right person into the right job….a predominant focus on people can lead either to management paralysis or to process tampering, when people are primarily held accountable…..Success stems from having the right processes and the right people in place. The development of this leadership style has been shaped by envisioning processes first and then providing people the opportunity to engage those processes.

I look forward to your active participation in enriching the blog carnival as we pursue our journey in exploring the happenings across quality management blogs…………

Note: The images depicted here above are through courtesy of respective websites who have the copyrights for the respective images.

The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – Female Solo Songs – Other Singers – Rajkumari

Having listened to the three female singers, Suraiya, Geeta Roy and Shamshad Begum, who individually have a fairly large share of solo songs in the year under review, I went on to collect all representative solo songs of female singers other than these three most significant of the ‘other’ singers; the picture that emerged is quite interesting. Of 30 + songs that I have selected and for which I could locate the live YT link, solo songs of Raajkumari again has major share of 10+ songs. Her songs from Mahal had attained a very high popularity ranking then, and remain quite popular even now.

Solo Songs of Raajkumari

Main To Haar Gayee Hun Laga Ke Nain – Bhikari – Hans Raj Behl – Sevak Ram

Kyun Dil Mera Tadapati Hai – Dhoom Dham – Sufi Samaj – Aziz Kashmiri

Mere Dil Ki Duniya Hai Jinke Hawale – Jigar- C Ramchandra – Ehsaan Rizvi

Main Woh Dulhan Hun Raaz Na Aaya Jise Singaar– Mahal – Khem Chand Prakash – Nakhshab Jarachavi

YT also documented its second version:

Mahal also had yet another iconic Raajkumari song – Ghabra Ke Jo Ham Sar Ko Takaraye To Achcha Ho. 

Lo Woh Sapno Ki Dumiya Basane Lage, Hamain Bhane Lage – Neki Aur Badi – Roshan [Roshan’s debut film] – Kidar Sharma

He Chandravadan, Chanda Ki Kiran, Tum Kiska Chitra Banati Ho – Ram Vivah – Shankar Rao Vyas

Jal Bin Machchali, Piya Bin Sajani, Tadap Tadap Hi Mare – Rangila Rajasthan – S K Pal – Bharat Vyas

Ham Bhi Aseer-e-Gam Hain – Thes – Snehal (V B Bhatkar) – Prem Sarang

Ari Ho Mohe Chhed Gaya – Singaar- Khurshid Anwar – D N Madhok

Our next call is two jointly significant ‘other’ female singers – Surinder Kaur and Asha Bhosle –  in our journey of solo songs of ‘other’ female singers.

Fading Memories….Unforgettable Songs: July, 2016

Welcome to our July, 2016 episode of ‘Fading Memories. Unforgettable Songs’.

We will first take up a few of the songs of 1940s. These songs have been forwarded by Sumantbhai (Dadu) from his great treasure trove collection.

Daras Bina Dukhan Laage Nain – Meerabai (1932) – Bibbo  – SP Rane

While searching for a YT link, I landed up on same bhajan, but it was for film Sneh Bandhan (a.k.a.Intezar) 1940, composed by Panna Lal Ghosh.

Ab Shaad Hai Dil Aabaad Hai Dil – Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933) – Ratanbai – Pankaj Mallik

Here too we find a version of this song, sung by Utpala Sen and released in 1948

We now take a Sardul Kwatra’ composition sent in by Samir Dholakia. As the coincidences happen, I am separately taking a micro-view of songs of 1949 and I had shortlisted this song under “Other Male Singers’ –

Chot Padi Dil Pe Aisi Ke Bas Yaad Karen – Ek Teri Nishani (1949) – Raja Gul- Sardul Kwatra – Sarshar Shalani

As it happens I had also identified 1949 – Sardul Kwatra song for my Micro Review, under Other Female Singer group.. And this is an Asha Bhosle song!.

Chupke Chupke Mast Nigahein –

There is another Asha Bhosle song from the same, but composed by Pandit Amarnath.

Teri Kafir Jawani Ko Jawani Kaun Kahata  Hai

Do these songs sound bells for future specialization by Asha Bhosle……

And this was enough to kindle enough interest about Sardul Kwatra.  Till now I have certainly heard a song here or  a song there that were composed by Sardul Kwatra, but had really that name registered in my mind as a the music director who ought to be explored. So, I went on to search for Sardul Kwatra (1928-2005) on Google and YT.

Among some good references, here is one that should be of interest – Sardul Kwatra and his Soulful Music – Harjap Singh Aujla.His filmography records 20 films to his credit, of which Ek Thi Nishani is his debut film.

So, here we go over to taste some of the Sardul Kwatra’s compositions.

Dil De Ke Pachchata Gaye Hum – Ek Teri Nishani (1949) – Uma Devi

I have selected the songs at random, only taking care to pick up song of different singers.

Kyon Khel Preet Ka Kheli – Goonj (1952) – Suraiya  – Lyricist : D N Madhok

None these songs I had heard previously, so I have no comment to make on any of these songs…..

Jaaun Main Kahan – Pipli Saheb (1954) – Lata Mangeshkar  – Lyricist : Hasrat Jaipuri

Jhoom Le Gaa Le Khushiya Manaa Le – Son of Alibaba (1955) – Geeta Dutt , Shaminder: Lyricist: Prem Dhawan

O Jadugar Na Mujh Pe Kar Ye Jhoota Jadoo – Air Mail (1960 – Sudha Malhotra – Lyricis: Anand Baxi

Sun Meri Faryad – Air Mail (1960) – Suman Kalyanpur .

Sardul Kwatra, obviously, has composed several songs for Punjabi films. Here is one representative song from Heer Sayal (1960) rendered by Mohammad Rafi Asha Bhosle, Shaminder,  Mubarak Begum, Sudha Malhotra

I have retained Saardul Kwatra’s  Mohammad Rafi songs for now traditional ending of our each episode:

Jalte Deep Bujh Gaye – Jalte Deep (1950) – Lyrics : M A Taj

Shaam Suhani Ho – Kala Chor 1956) – Lyrics-  Verma Malik

Chhod Ke Teri Duniya – Mirza Sahiban (1957)

If you have songs to share, you are most heartily welcome…..

The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – Female Solo Songs – Other Singers – Shamshad Begum

Our micro view of female solo songs for 1949 has covered Suraiya and Geeta Roy till now. We will take up third equally significant player – Shamshad Begum

In terms of range of music directors, nature of songs and ranking on the commercial success, solo songs of Shamshad Begum also seem to follow the pattern that solo songs of Geeta Roy seems to follow.

However, before we draw any inference, let us first listen to the representative songs.

Piya Piya Tu Bol Papiha – Bholi – Pandit Govind Ram – Ishwar Chandra Kapoor

Taqdeer Ka Sab Khel Hain – Bhool Bhulaiya – Bulo C Rani – B R Sharma

Aankh Mili Dil Chala Gaya Koi Pyar Ki Duniya…. – Chandani Raat – Naushad  – Shakeel Badayuni

Utha Hai Ik Tufaan Seene Mein – Chilman – Hanuman Prasad – P L Santoshi

Saath Mere Hai Saanwariya – Dada – Shaukat Dehlvi (a.k.a. Nashad) – Hussaini Hyderabadi

Chandani Raat Hai Kaisi Suhani, Hay Re Chanda Teri Uthe Jawani – Dil Ki Duniya – Pandit Govindram – Zia Sarahadi

Chandani Aaye Ban Ke Pyar – Dulari – Naushad – Shakeel Badayuni

Mastana Nigaho Ke Deewane Hazaron Hai – Garibi – Bulo C Rani – Shevan Rizvi

Naino Ke Mast Ishaare, Mast Bana Gaye – Jaltarang – Husnlal Bhagatram – Mulraj Bakri

Tadap Tadap Ke Din Gujhara Hai – Jannat – Hanuman Prasad – M K Chhibber

Hai Mausam Suhana, Ankhon Mein Kahani Hai – Maa Ka Pyar – Pandit Govindram – Ishwar Chandra Kapoor

Tam Tam Se Zaankho Na Raaniji – Namoona – C Ramchandra – P L Santoshi

Khatein Hai Thokare Haye Kismat Ke Maare hue – Nisbat – Pandit Givindram –  Majrooh Sultanpuri

Nahin Fariyad Karate Hum , Tumhein Bas Yaad Karate Hai – Sawan Aaya Re – Khemchand Prakash – Bharat Vyas

We will take up solo songs of Raajkumari in our next episode.

The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – Female Solo Songs – Other Singers – Geeta Roy

In the last episode, we had listened some representative solo songs of Suraiya.

As we will go through the songs of Geeta Roy, we will see that her voice has that distinct charm that spans the voice quality of vintage era female singers as well as that of golden era female singers.

And yet, we do not find that critical mass of box-office chart buster individual songs or the albums. The banners, and as a result, the music directors, that commanded premium in the market place do seem to have veered around Lata Mangeshakar. Well, that would still give enough weight to Geeta Roy to remain a good alternative choice.

Well, what did turn of events did not permit that situation to emerge and sustain is still tucked up in the future.

Mil Gaye Tum Jab – Amar Kahani – Husnlal Bhagatram – Rajendra Krishna

Naino Main Bhar Liya Neer – Chakori – Hansraj Behl – Mulkraj Bhakari

Kotwal Daroga Apna Ki Ab Dar Kahe Ka – Darogaji – Bulo C Rani – Manohar Lal Khanna

[This album had 12 solo songs, all by Geeta Roy! Heroine was Nargis. But the film that was destined to be an in the draw of all-time box-office hits was another Nargis starrer – Barsaat. And that album had all female songs to Lata Mangeshkar’s account!!]

Na Tum Mere Na Dil Mera, Ajab Bebas Hai Meri – Dil KI Basti – Ghulam Mohammad – Waheed Quereshi

Chandani Raat Hai, Gulshan Mein Bahar… – Ek Thi Ladki – Vinod – Aziz Kashmiri

Dukho Mein Jo Muskara Rahe The – Garibi – Bulo C Rani – Shewan Rizvi

Baithi Hun Main Nain Bichhaye, Dil Mein Dil Ka Dard Chhupaye – Hamari Manzil – Husnlal Bhagatram – Rajendra Krishna

Hamein Deke Jaana Nishani Tumhari – Imtihan – Shyam Babu Pathak – A N Shrama

Toote Bandhan Toote Aaj Re – Kamal – S D Burman – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

Paa Ke Nazaron Ka Ishara, Ham Kisi Ke Ho Gaye – Kaneez – Hansraj Behl – Sarshar Shailani

Chal Diye Moonh Pher Ke – Karwat – Hansraj Behl – Buta Ram Sharma

Gaoon Main Dil Ka Tarana – Nanand Bhojai – Bulo C Rani – Pandit Indra

This is remake of Gujarati film with same name, for which Avinash Vyas had composed the music. Both versions have quite independent songs. The female playback for these songs was also that of Geeta Roy. Here is one such song –

Saji Sole Singaar

Ek Yaad Teri Jeene Ka Sahara – Tara – Vinod – Aziz Kashmiri

Aaya Mera Sajanva Aaya, Ae Chand Na Sharama Tu – Zevrat – Hansraj Behl – Habib Sarahadi

Our next call is solo songs of Shamshad Begum….

The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – Female Solo Songs – Other Singers – Suraiya

Having completed the Male Solo Songs sector of Best songs of 1949: And the winners are?, we now move over to the Female Solo Songs.

The Lata Mangeshkar-monopolistic-domination of Female Solo Songs universe that we could distinctly see in the-post 1950 era already seems to have gained momentum in 1949. But, interestingly, of other female singers, Suraiya, Geeta Roy and Shamshad Begum still have good deal of steam left in the fight for the share of the cake – if not individually, then certainly collectively.

We will first take a detailed look at songs of these OTHER female singers and then sum up the Top Songs of the lot collectively. In the subsequent round we will repeat the cycle with Lata Mangeshkar solos. When we have Top Songs from both the streams in front of us, we will take a call to judge the overall impact these singers have on the female playback singing universe and see whether there are strong validation signals in 1949 for (what we know in hindsight) how the post-1950 scenario has shaped up.

Solo Songs of Suraiya

Suraiya, one of the last singer-actors, has had a good run in 1949 as well – 9 films, 43 solos and 9 duets. We have chosen to pick up only one song from each of the films, since all other songs are very easily available on You Tube. Some of the solo songs were as popular as any other ‘most’ popular songs then, or even now.

Diwali Ki Raat Piya Ghar Aanewale Hain – Amar Kahani – Husnlal Bhagatram – Rajendra Krishna

Woh Pas Rahe Ya Door Rahein, Nazron Mein Samaye Rahate Hain – Badi Behan – Husnlal Bhagatram – Qamar Jalalabadi

Aise Mein Agar Tum Aa Jaate – Balam – Husnlal Bhagatram – Qamar Jalalabadi

Ek Bewafa Ki Yaad Ne – Char Din – Shyam Sunder – Shakeel Badayuni

Char Din Ki Chandani – Dillagi – Naushad – Shakeel Badayuni

In order to cast our net wide enough, I have chosen this song here over the other two fabulously famous songs – Murliwale Murli Baja and Tera Khayal Dil Se Bhulaya Na Jayega.

Woh Aaye Aur Aake Chale Gaye – Duniya – C Ramchandra –

Aaja More Balma Bahana Karke – Naach – Husnlal Bhagatram – Kaif Irfani

Aaja Meri Duniya Main – Shair – Ghulam Mohammad – Shakeel Badayuni

Naya Naino Main Rang – Singaar – Khursheed Anwar –

We will take up Solo Songs of Geeta Roy in our next episode.

The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – MY Top Male Solo Songs

In the stage 1 of our Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY we have taken Male Solo Songs. We have covered solo songs of G M Durrani + Talat Mahamood, Surendra + ‘Other’ Male Singers, Mukesh, and Mohammed Rafi’s evergreen solo songs, in conjunction with  Mohammed Rafi’s other noteworthy songs , in two parts.

The universe from which I have picked up my choice of the Top Male Solo Songs for the year 1949 remains the songs that have been presented for the individual male singers in the previous posts. This was just with a view to get the opportunity to revisit as many more songs as possible, thereby supplementing what game-setting overview post @SoY already has offered.

As would be expected, not more than one song from a film has been chosen. That provided me a better opportunity to further closely evaluate my choice of THE song when there was more than one song to choose from a film.

Here are the songs that I would choose as Top Male Solo Songs for the Year 1949, in no particular order, except that films have been arranged in the descending alphabetical order.

Any one song or all songs from one album put together, Mukesh’s songs from Andaz do make Mukesh a very close second contender. But, in terms of total number of songs in a year, with the different numbers of music directors and in terms of overall popularity and impact as a singer in the given year, I would put my bets on Mohammed Rafi as the Best Male Singer for 1949 and Suhani raat dhal chuki as his best solo song.

SoY also has released Best songs of 1949: Wrap Up 1. The wrap up has very elaborately laid different considerations and equally different points of views. SoY Award for the Best Male Playback Singer for 1949 goes to Mukesh and The Best Male Solo of 1949 is Tu kahe agar.

We will now move over to the next phase of The Micro View of the Best Songs of 1949 @ SoY – viz. Other than Lata Mangeshkar Female Solo Songs.