August 14, 2016 – The world is too small? or Is it?

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

We will dedicate our present episode to Mohammad Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980), as our tribute on his 36^th death anniversary.

Sudhir Kapoor, in his post – Jaane Meri Akhiyon Ne Dekha Hai Kya – so rightly states that voice – the magic, the magnetism, the feeling of surreal contentment that descends into the being, and ensconces it with a joyous delight…The most remarkable trait of Rafi Sb’s singing is his ability to project performance through sound. The song under the discussion here is:

Jaane Meri Akhiyon Ne Dekha Hai Kya – Pyaar Ki Jeet (1962) – Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle,– Sudhir Phadke – Qamar Jalalabaadi

SoY has dedicated My favourite Rafi songs by Shankar-Jaikshan – A tribute to Rafi.: Lakshmikant Pyarelal (389); Shankar-Jaikishan (374); Chitragupta (261) and OP Nayyar (216) are four music directors who have composed maximum songs of Mohammad Rafi. The generally regarded three ‘Best’, Naushad, SD Burman and Roshan’s songs are far less than the above numbers. The post and the discussion thereon picks up some not so well-membered songs from SJ-Rafi combine. We will pick up one from Archana (1974) – enacted by Sanjeev Kumar – for our present episode:

Jaane Kis Roop Ki Jaadubhari Parchhai Ho, Log To Log Rahe Apne Se Sharmati Ho

On our part, we will listen to duets of Mohammad Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur today. The songs that we have picked up are the ones that certainly need brushing up of the memories. I have selected the songs without any specific common theme in the mind.. just to see how does the random pick up of Rafi- SK duets of different music directors sound today…..We have selected only one song of a given music director.

So here we go, in the descending chronological order:

O Chhokari Tu Hai Ras Bhare Phooln Ki Tokri – Bhai Behan (1959) – N Datta – Sahir Ludhianvi

Sahir can also play so easily with playful lyrics….

Zara Thehro Ji Abdul Gaffar- Satta Baazaar(1959 – Kalyanji Anandji – Hasrat Jaipuri

Arun Kumar Deshmukh in his post on this song feels that Naushad seems to have been inspired from this song when composing Mere Pairon Mein Ghunghroo Bandha De from Sanghursh (1968). May be, but the song certainly is set to a typical Garba (gujarati folk dance) tune. KA has used this tune in Saraswati Chandra (Main To Bhool Chali Babul Ka Desh)

Aurato Ke Dabbe Mein – Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh (1960) – Hansraj Behl – Prem Dhawan

Bharat Bhushan is not only pitted in real difficult position of being in Women Only coach, since the song calls for quite a different acting prowess than his usual roles. And he does seem to have lived up to the exception…

Collection of Couplets – Saranga (1960) – with Hemant Kumar as well – Sardar Mallik

We get to listen to quite a different Mohammad Rafi, and so too Suman Kalyanpur, in these couplets

Muskuraaye Khet Pyaase Tarse Tarse – Love in Simla (1960) -Iqbal Qureshi – Rajinder Krishan

Enacting an Indian farm on a stage show……..with a Dutch-designed wind mill in the background

Mujhe Jag Di Bana De Malika -Dark Street (1961) – Dattaram – Gulshan ‘Bawra’

Dattaram has deftly handled a pure Punjabi folk tune

Chhail Chhabeela Chhokra Maine Le Gayo Nadiya Paar – Hamaari Yaad Aayegi (1961) – Snehal Bhatkar – -Kidar Sharma

Here is a song that is set to a Rajasthani folk tune..

Zinda Hai Zinda Hai Hamse Wafa Ka Naam – Ramu Dada (1961) – Chitragupta- -Majrooh Sultanpuri

And now we have a quawwali too

Ho Maine Kaha Ho Suno Zara – Gypsy Girl (1961) -Sardul Kwatra – Anjum Jaipuri

A very light, lilting tune…. One can almost correlate it with a typical Jhonny Walker song.. However, as we do not have the vide in this clip let us not speculate anymore..

Is Gulshan Ko Aag Lagaa Do – Zarak Khan (1963) – S Mohinder – -Anand Bakshi

On a standalone basis, it is slightly difficult to judge what the song has to covey…

Kisne Mujhe Pukaara Kisne Mujhe Sada Di – Saaz Aur Aawaaz (1966) – Naushad – Khumar Barabankwi

The song is possibly first duet that has an element of a typical suspense film formula – image of the heroine shrouded in the ‘clouds of smoke’ and hero chasing the voice that sings the song…

The song has another version as well, one with a subtle variation in tempo and scale..

Aa Hum Ahd-e-wafa Kar Le – Do Bhai (1969) – Laxmikant Pyarelal

LP also using Suman Kalyanpur in a duet with Mohammad Rafi – possible the dictates of the times…one can find many other such songs in ‘67 to ‘69 period on YT – quite a few of them had become popular too at that time.

Mere Yaar Ki Yaari Dekh Ke – Insaaniyat (1974) – Shankar Jaikishan -Hasrat Jaipuri

Post-Jaikishan period Shanker has attempted using Rafi’s theatrics to present the formula playboy mood of the song.. Suman Kalyanpur matches note to Rafi’s note