RMIM Archive Article "249".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: RDB: In Memoriam
#
# Posted by: Raju Bathija (bathija@sindhu.theory.tifr.res.in)
# Source: Midday (Jan 6 96)
# Author: Raju Bharatan
#
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In Memoriam
Asha on R D Burman
by
Raju Bharatan
for Midday
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday was R D Burman's second death anniversary. Also yester-
day, Asha Bhosle was in tune with R D Burman, while day before
yesterday, she harmonised with O P Nayyar, and today, she is in
sync with A R Rahman. Tell me, has there been a singer who has
gone along with a trendsetter of the 50's, the 70's and now, the
90's?
What Asha, therefore, had to say of Pancham when he was living
acquires an even deeper meaning --- now that R D Burman is no
more.
``Do you know'', revealed Asha to me once, ``that Pancham would
literally dance while recording a Khel Khel Main due like `Sapna
mera toot gaya'. Even as Pancham danced, I got the flow of
rhythm, the mood of the song and could add that bit more to the
number as I watched this born composer foot tappingly express
himself to the singer.
In this sense, Kishore and Pancham were made for each other.
``I remember Pancham rehearsing Kishore and me for S D Burman's
Nau Do Gyrah duet, `Aankhon mein kya ji'. What I didn't know then
was that the tune idea of `Aankhon mein ...' was RD's, not SD's!
Likewise, I recall --- once again without knowing the original
tune to be the son's --- Pancham coming to rehearse with me for
Dada Burman's Teen Deviyan duet, `Arre yaar meri tum bhi ho
gazab'.
When R D Burman finally became a music director himself, even
after coming up with a truly inspiring tune like `Aa jaa aa jaa,
main hoom pyar tera' for Teesri Manzil, Pancham had this habit of
querying: `Do you think this song is good?'
``With my long experience of singing, I could feel it in my bones
that `Aa jaa aa jaa' was going to make waves. But Pancham those
days (mid '60s) lacked the gumption to assert his viewpoint.
``In fact, I had to take `Aa jaa aa jaa' to Lata didi for Pancham
to be convinced that it was a beat-based tune without parallel in
the annals of our music. Didi sat up with a jerk as I hummed the
Pancham refrain, `Aa jaa, aa jaa, aa jaa, aa jaa, aa ja, aaa
...'. Didi told me I should not change a note, that I should give
this part of the song to Pancham exactly as he wanted it ren-
dered.
``I had asked Pancham for a day to make up my mind whether I
wanted a change here --- I was then an established singer, he a
rising composer. I mention this only to bring into focus
Pancham's being needlessly conscious of his junior stature in the
music world.
``I knew him to be set for big things from the moment I rendred
`Maar daalega dard-e-jigar koi iski dawa kijiye' from Pati Patni.
I had discovered that even a seasoned singer like me, to be
effective here, had to keep a careful count of the beat.
``It is this unusual beat of his that finally enabled Pancham to
carve out a niche for himself. Pancham had picked up from his
father the art of engaging Kishore and me in no end of verbal
teasing. There always were those naughty Pancham `touches' in a
duet by Kishore and me. How mentally nimble I had to be to ensure
that Kishore did not steal the moment from me!
``But Pancham was always there to even out things. That's how we
three --- Pancham, Kishore and I --- could come up with masti
bhare duets like `Jaane-e-jaan dhoondhta hi raha' and `Agar saaz
cheeda tarane banege' in Jawani Diwani' `Bhali bhali si ek
soorat' in Buddha Mil Gaya; `Rekha o rekha jabse tumhen dekha' in
Adhikar; and `Hawa ke saath saath' in Seeta Aur Geeta. With Panc-
ham, there to even out things between Kishore and me, there was
no limit to my sense of innovation under this flexible baton.
``It took me long, very long, to grasp the fact that Pancham was
a composer first, a husband after. For instance, it didn't matter
if he slept on the floor, but his recording system, his stereo,
had to be immaculately kept in the place. Pancham lived, ate and
slept music.
``You couldn't find a gentler husband, once you left him with his
music --- in peace to create something out of this world like
`Mera kuchch saaman tumhare paas pada hai' for Gulzar's Ijaazat.
Look at the wildly irregular metre of this song lyric! Who, but
Pancham could have so turned it as for it to fetch me the
National Award as best Singer?''
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Raju Bharatan -- Mid-Day, January 5, 1996
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian