RMIM Archive Article "226".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Shanker Tribute Part - 1 By Hemant
#
# Posted by: Hemant Parikh (parikh@xtra.co.nz)
# Author: Hemant Parikh
# Source: various - Screen, Raju Bharatan
#
Tribute to Immortal Shanker Posted by Hemant Parikh 4th May 1997.
Please send suggestions & Alterations to > parikh@xtra.co.nz
Shanker: He was the total Musician
Raju Bharatan met Shanker at a special piano demonstration for
him in the composer's room . Later Shanker took him to his Famous
music room at Mahalakshmi, where this total composer, with the
aid of certain musicians, recreated the whole art of SJ's scor-
ing. From the tape of that memorably live soiree emerges this
per-sonalised piece on Shanker on the occasion of the master
composer's seventh death anniversary, falling on April 26. Arti-
cles Complied By Hemant Parikh. From Screen, 29April,1994.
He had invited me to his seaface home he was in his cosy music
room there. He was at the piano, the man who composed Geet gaata
hoon main gungunata hoan main for Kishore Kumar to put over On
Vinod Mehra in "Lal Patthar". Right now, he was evoking from the
piano his "Sangam" notes of Dost dost na raha. He was, another
seven-letter name for sangeet. He was the numero uno of the
Shanker-Jaikishan duo.
Jaikishan's ocean-view home was just a mile away on the Marine
Drive front. There was Jaikishan's left hand that naturally went
to the piano. Here it was Shanker's right hand that naturally
went to the piano. Imagine Shanker's right hand on the piano and
Jaikishan's left hand on the piano and have the entire format of
our popular you music at your finger-tips!
Shanker had been dogmatic on one point that he would demonstrate
the art and craft of composition to me only on the piano. "How
much of the real composer in me can you possibly get to savour on
the harmonium?" Shanker had asked. "Mind you, I myself played the
harmonium in SJ's Yeh na thi hamari kismat in "Main Nashe Mein
Hoon". Even so the harmonium re-mains a limited instrument where
it comes to unfolding your art. On the piano, by con-trast , can
zoom with my notes. Here, let me demonstrate how by playing one
of my pet compositions. . .
And Shanker proceeded to play finesse and flair from "Yahudi",
Yeh mera diwana pan hai. When I sing it as Yeh mera diwana pan
hai, what I mean is Sangeet mera deewana pan -hai! explained
Shanker. "In fact, I was lolling in that cot there and gazing at
the ceiling when the idea came to me in a flash. Swiftly getting
up, I came to this piano here and those first notes as Yeh mera
deewana pan hai. They were dummy words, of course, but Shailendra
said they were fine, they fitted the situation pat, when he later
came to write-to-tune. I had completed the tune on the piano with
my own Mukesh in mind, that's why I was put out when it was sug-
gested it should be Talat Mehmood for Dilip Kumar playing
"Yahudi".
"In vain did I press my point, for the consensus was in favour of
Talat. Only I new how I had given the tune shape and substance
with Mukesh's vocals in mind. In the end, seeing I was not satis-
fied, it was decided the whole thing would be a toss-up. My joy
new no bounds as the spin of the coin favoured Mukesh. But now
Dilip Kumar playing "Yahudi" was unhappy he had set heart on
Talat. I had nothing against Talat, it was just that I had com-
posed the number for Mukesh. So I earnestly requested Dilip Kumar
to come to the song s recording next afternoon, but only after
one, when we would be ready from the take Dilip Kumar wanted to
come earlier but, I was quietly insistent, for only I knew how
besura Mukesh could sound at the rehearsal stage!
By the time Dilip Kumar came at 1.30, we were set and raring to
go. And the resonance with which Mukesh came over in Yeh mera
diwana pan hai made Dilip Kumar come over and embrace me. It was
One of the most fulfilling moments in my life."
Now I had Shanker talking, but he had laid down this condition
that I would not probe whose tune it was: Jaikishan's or his. I
tried a subtle approach to overcome this SJ barrier. "Fine, you
have told me how you won over Dilip Kumar" I said, "but what
about the time you had a job convincing Raj Kapoor about the
theme-song of "Shree 420"?
The very vigour which Shanker, at this point, descended on the
piano was a give-away as to who had composed Mera joota hai
Japani.
"Sounds wonderful now it's proved a hit on Raj Kapoor in "Shree
420", noted Shank-er, "but what a struggle I had here, Mera joota
hai Japani is in Bhairavi, here let me show you how. I make a
point of its being in Bhairavi because it's the fashion to attri-
bute this raag in SJ's repertoire to Jai. Oh, Jai too composed
some wonderful tunes in Bhaira-vi, I concede that, but in the end
it remained a shared legacy. "But we were on how Mera joota hai
Japani came to be composed. As was my practice, I had prepared
five tunes for the theme-song situation. I had already struck an
equation with Raj Kapoor in the matter of creating theme-songs.
So I was quite confident my very first tune would be okayed."
"It was the theme-song of "Shree 420", so I had given it every-
thing in my composing armour. I played my first tune, no response
whatsoever from Raj Kapoor. I played my second tune, again no
response. Third time lucky I had to be, I reasoned, as I played
my next tune, again no reaction from Raj Kapoor! I was in a cold
sweat now, this was the first time a theme-song tune was going to
the fourth stage. And I well knew that two inferior tunes of the
lot formed numbers four and five! Add to that the fact that I was
a total mental blank that day after those five tunes, having put
every bit I had into the selections. "It was with great hesita-
tion, therefore, I played my fourth tune as.."
And here Shanker turned to the piano to add: "This is how I
played that fourth tune to Raj Saab( Imagine listening Mera joota
hai Japani): Dunder-dunder-dunder-dunder dunder-dunder-dunder-
dunder dunder-dun-der-dunder-dunder dunder-dunder -dunder-dunder
dunder-dunder -dunder-dunder ... And Raj Saab pounced on it,
saying it was exactly what he wanted! That crooked smile of Raj
Saab's as I wiped my brow I will remember for life."
"Why? I asked. "If those fourth and fifth tunes, too, had failed,
would Raj Kapoor have asked Jaikishan to play the theme-song?.
"No, way" said Shanker, "the theme-song at RK, with SJ, was my
responsibility, so the reason I wiped brow was for something
totally different. The point is, not Jai, but I would have had to
produce five fresh theme-tunes next day! Produce from where? I
had exhausted my stock that day itself, since I reserved nothing
but the best for Raj Kapoor. Don't take me literally, of course.
I would have come up with five more fresh tunes next day, I am
merely trying to communicate to you perplexed state of mind when
that third tune, too, stood rejected."
"Maybe the first three tunes were rejected because they were not
in Bhairavi", I suggested. "They weren't in Bhairavi, come to
think of it. But the total musician never thinks of the raag
while composing. He plays in Sur and raag just flows. So I can't
go along with you on the point that Mera joota hai Japani, as it
finally emerged, because it was in Bhairavi. I maintain that my
first three tunes were good, very good. But then I only looked at
the tune Raaj Saab had an exact visual idea of what he wanted.
And he just seized that fourth tune from my custody the moment I
struck the right note, as he audio-visualised it".
"What about Ramaiyya vastavaiyya? I asked, nothing Shanker had
momentarily forgotten all about not identifying a tune as his.
"Oh, Ramaiyya vastavaiyya, that's an interesting question. For,
after the Mera joota hai Japani theme song, the most important
situation in "Shree 420" was Ramaiyya vastavaiya. How graphically
Raj Saab had told me that situation to me! The tune he told me,
had to have a sweep and a cadence like nothing heard in an RK
movie before. The tune, Raaj Saab had told me must bring the Bom-
bay bastee to vibrant life. Only towards its end, he added, would
Mukesh be joining in -we now know Raj Kapoor chipped in with
Maine dil tujh ko diya, but, at that point, even the tune was not
ready, leave alone the words.
Incidentally, I always prepared the tune first and then got words
written by Shailendra. Letting the poet write the song first, I
had discovered, led to his penning the song-lyrics in the same
monotonous metre. No, I don't agree this, my reverse style of
tuning, placed a limitation on Shailendra's poetry. The Ramaiyya
vastavaiyya tune came first, yet did Shailendra's poetry suffer
in any way? No! the words for me represented the portrait, the
tune the frame. Once the framework was ready in the form of my
tune, the portrait, the song-lyric, could always be fitted in,
exactly to size."
It is a job keeping Shanker on the sound track you want, the man
knows so much he wanders most interestingly, mind you -from one
musical crescendo to another. Gently bring him back to Ramaiyya
vastavaiyya, asking which of his five tunes clicked here.
"Ha, you have me back where you want me, Raju," laughed Shanker.
Ramaiyya vastavaiyya came to be tuned immediately after Mera
joota hai Japani. Let me be honest and admit that I, normally
full of confidence, was nervous here. After all, Mera joota hai
Japani came through the hard way, so who new what lay in store.
Therefore" revealed Shanker (turning instantly to the piano), "as
a naturalised Andhra I put my own dummy words and played the
first tune like this to Raj Saab: Ramaiyya vastavaiyya ramaiyya
vasta-vaiyya. And, lo and behold, that very first tune, which I
had played with my dummy Telugu words of Ramaiyya vastavaiyya was
instantly picked up by Raj Saab!
"My faith in my composing ability stood restored. For Ramaiyya
vastavaiyya was a far more difficult situation to compose for
than Mera joota hai Japani. In Mera joota hai Japani, you could
be freewheeling, Raj Saab or the screen would take care of the
rest. In Ramaiyya vastavaiyya, the key turn in the story -line
had to emerge from my tune. Yet I got it right the first time, so
I had reason to feel proud.
" I thought I knew Raj Saab's mind well by the time I came to
compose Mera joota hai Japani, it turned out I didn't. I had
doubts about my insights in to Raaj Saab's mind in the case of
Ramaiyya vastavaiyya, it turned out my doubts were misplaced. May
I add that, like in the case of Yeh mera diwana pan hai, Shailen-
dra preferred to retain my dum-my punchline of Ramaiyya
vastavaiyya. "But it makes no sense," I pointed out. "It will
when you see it on the screen," said Raj Saab seated by
Shailendra's side.
"How come Ramaivya vastavaiyya too, is in Bhairavi ?" I asked.
Shanker looked stumped. But recovered to note: "Yaar, take it as
a sign that I know my Bhairavi as well as Jai did. But seriously,
the tune comes first, the raag after.
"Even in the case of the tune you played as soon as I entered
this room?" I asked, "The tune you were playing on this piano as
I entered was Dost dost na raha, Isn't that, too, in Bhairavi? I
give up", said Shanker, "you are the first patrakar to pin me
down on this raag matter. All I can say is SJ always looked upon
Bhairavi as a sada-suhaagan raag. Our idea was to create a style
of Bhairavi totally different from the Bhairavi of Nauhad. Judge
how we changed the entire pattern of Bhairavi in films with
Mohabbat ki dastaan and Suno chhoti si gudiya ki lambi kahani.
But aren't those two tunes from "Mayurpankh" and "Seema" the
Bhairavi of Jaikishan? I queried mischievously.
"There's no such thing as a Shanker Bhairavi or a Jaikishan
Bhairavi", retorted Shanker, retaining his cool, "there's only an
SJ Bhairavi. "I have put him on the defensive, which is the last
thing I want, so I say, leadingly, "Shanker Saab, who but you
could have orchestrated Pyar hua ikraar hua (in "Shree 420") and
Sub kuchch seekha hum ne (in "Anari"). Whether you care to admit
or not it is easy for a musically trained ear to spot out your
instrumentation, your orchestration as more ornate, as more rich,
in style and content alike. To my ears, Shanker, and Shanker
alone, could have orchestrated Jaao re jogi tum jaao re the way
it came over in "Amrapali" on Vyjayanthimala."
Jaao re jogi tum jaao re was some tune, wasn't it? "reminisced
Shanker, "Dance music is the toughest to orchestrate, the
integration has to be split-second here. Yes, I rejoice in the
style of orchestration I brought to Pyaar hua ikraar hua, Sub
kuchch seekha hum ne and Jaao re jogi tum jaao re. As for Vyjay-
anthimala in , "Amrapali" from the beginning the arrangement was
that I would do the dance section of SJ' s music. I took it on
since I was a dancer myself."
"In Krishna Kutty's troupe, wasn't it?" I said, If I remember
right, There was a toda, Vyjayanthimala, as the heroine of
"Patrani", disputed. Whereupon you assumed perform-ing attire and
danced it out on the sets to show her how it could be done.
"True?" said Shanker, "But that's not to say I taught an accom-
plished dancer like Vyjayanthimala something, I merely showed her
how it had to be done for my music."
"This business of showing performers how to do their jobs,
weren't you taking on too much, was it not resented?" I asked.
"But why should it be resented?" enquired Shanker, "Remember,
something resented only when the person showing you how does not
know the job. And I new music and dance inside out, so I could
tell them exactly what to do. But for this knowledge and back-
ground, you just couldn't have got what you call SJ's distinctive
orchestral integration. I myself play the Piano, the Dholak, the
Tabla, the Accordion and of course, the Harmonium."
"That's why, whether the instrumentalist be Shivkumar Sharma,
Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ramnarain or Rais Khan, he has to play
exactly what I want for precisely the length I want. They are
very good players in their chosen field, that's why they are
being paid extra well to play. But to play exactly what I want.
Nobody dictates to me. If a composer knows his job, nobody can
dictate to him."
Did Shanker then not know his job after Jaikishan died? Why was
he not able to dictate like in his prime?
He was not able to dictate because the first thing filmmakers
did, upon Jaikishan's death, was to withdraw the 60-piece
orches-tra facility SJ had always commanded. And minus this big
orchestra, Shanker was a musician with his hands tied behind his
back.
There were 17 SJ releases in the year 1971, in which Jaikishan
died. Out of this, 12 films were released by September 12, 1971,
the day Jaikishan died. They were flops for the major part, so
Jaikishan had to carry the can for their fate as much as Shanker.
But then Jaikishan was no more, only Shanker lived on to see the
remaining five films, too, fail in l971. This was the signal for
produc-ers to withdraw the multipiece orchestra facility from
Shanker. Sharp-speaking, Shanker had not made too many friends in
the industry. So they hit him where and when it hurt most.
It was a pathetic sight to see Shanker reduced to using the musi-
gan as a "surro-gate" to give birth, in his 1972 "Seema" avatar
to something like Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai jaane kaun aas
paas hota hai. The tune proved one point - that Shanker could
capture the old SJ magic only if given the spot aid of the multi-
piece orchestra that was, by 1971, part of his compositional
mindset.
In one and only one film was Shanker accorded this multipiece
facility without reserve after Jaikishan's passing - in Manoj
Kumar's "Sanyasi". Sohanlal Kanwar, as an old faithful, reposed
full faith in the man and Shanker lived up to his promise made to
me that, one day, he would do a full theme in Bhairavi to explose
the myth of who had mastery over this raag.
I was there as Lata Mangeshkar was brought back into Shanker's
"Sanyasi" re-cording room by Mukesh for Sun bal brahmachari main
hoon kanya kunwari. It was a superbly crafted tune and Shanker,
taking time off from the middle, came over to whisper to me, wait
and watch how I do it again, this time all by myself!"
The "Sanyasi" theme-song, Chal sanyasi mandir mein, was a
stunner, lending Hema Malini a new seductive allure altogether.
And has there been a better parody of the bhajan than Baali
umariya bhajan karun kaise. Recall, too, the catchy motif of Yeh
hai Geeta ka gyan. The well-integrated score of "Sanyasi", mas-
terfully orchestrated, was proof positive that Shanker still had
it in him. All he needed was a comprehending filmmaker.
Raj Kapoor could have assumed that comprehending role afresh when
he broke with Laxmikant-Pyarelal after, "Prem Rog". The way for
Raj Kapoor to hit LP at that 1982 "Prem Rog" point, was to bring
SJ back into RK, in the persona of Shanker. Indeed, when Raj
Kapoor first dropped Shanker in favour of Laxmikant-Pyarelal for
"Bobby", Shanker, naive as they come, had no idea he was out of
RK. There was one more big RK film on the anvil and Shanker's
belief was he would be doing that film! Hence his spirited
rejoinder: "Let LP come into RK, now Raj Saab will know on the
spot whose work is better."
Note here that Hasrat Jaipuri in 1994 Inteview clearly stated
that: "Some tunes of RK's late "Bobby" and "Prem Rog" were tuned
by SJ at their private sittings. It was only Raj Kapoor to
remember those SJ type tunes and LP used it" and became Hit
thanks to SJ.
Even after losing out on "Bobby," the man was the picture of con-
fidence. His musical grip, Shanker knew, was intact, so he felt
he needed to fear no one. He lost bounce only when told that
R.D.Burman, not he, was to do "Dharam Karam". To be told that
this "Dharam Karam" theme of Randhir Kapoor needed a younger
style of music associated with RD, was the crowning insult to
Shanker. Any score by SJ and RK has always been a joint endeavour
with Raj Kapoor calling the shots. To be told now therefore that,
in effect, SJ's tunes for Randhir Kapoor's "Kal Aaj Aur Kal"
tunes, like Bhanwre ki gunjan hai mera dil, Aap yahaan aaye kis
liye, Jab hum hange saat saal ke and Tik tik tik tik chaltei
jaaye ghadi, were not trendy enough for the "Kal Aaj Aur Kal"
youth theme of Randhir Kapoor was a wrench. After that, Shanker
was never the same ebullient RK music man again, though he kept
saying, "I still believe Raj Saab will send for me one day."
That one day never came, but the day came (April 26, 1987) when
Raj Kapoor materialised an Doordarshan to pay his Shraddhanjali
tribute to Shanker. There were tears in Raj's eyes. But those
tears remained perched on the eyelids. Those tears refused to
come down because they were tears of remorse. Remorse for the man
who had helped Raj Kapoor set RK on its musical feet with the
able aid of a protege called Jaikishan Panchal. Shanker Singh had
left his native Punjab to settle in Andhra so as to be able to
create Ramaiyya yastayaiyya for Raj Kapoor. And Raj Kapoor has
jettisoned Shanker when he needs RK's psychological back-up most.
Maybe Raj Kapoor was not quite his own master after the gigantic
losses piled up by, "Mera Naam Joker" and "Kal Aaj Aur Kal". But
that could not mitigate Raj's sense of guilt in this tele-moment
of traumatic thank-sgiving to Shanker. Those penitent tears
finally dropped from Raj Kapoor's eyelids. Those tears were for
Raj Kapoor, perhaps, a pearly reminder, of the elaborate dream
sequence Shanker had composed for "Mera Naam Joker", a dream
sequence to beat the "Awaara" dream sequ-ence. A dream sequence
that had failed to became a screen reality because, by that "Mera
Naam Joker" stage, Raj Kapoor had run out of the resources needed
to picturise it.
Shanker's one wish was that I should accompany him to his Famous
music hall at Mahalakshmi for him to recreate for me the aura of
that "Mera Naam Joker" dream sequence. That day, too, never came.
I could get only an inkling of that dream- sequence number from
the way Shanker played it on that peerless piano. And what he
played was clinching evidence of the fact that here was the total
musician in action. Here was a man who believed that only if he
wore a kurta could he create something like Sapnon ki suhani
duniyo ko for Dilip Kumar in "Shikast", only if he wore a suit
could he create something like Dost dost na raha for Raj Kapoor's
"Sangam"!
He was a peculiar man, tart of tongue, but soft at heart. Even
while being very strict with his musicians, he had the knack of
carrying them with him by obtaining for them very generous pay-
ment from produc-ers. It was this straight rapport with his musi-
cians that was denied to Shanker when the industry cut his
orchestral strength. It was like severing his umbilical cord.
"Shanker-Jaikishani" sangeet died the day the industry tried to
dictate to Shanker. Shanker was effective only so long as he was
dictating the strength of his orchestra and thereby calling the
tune. The total musician was thus a total misfit in the end. As
Shanker shuffled off his mortal coil leaving all his nine
Filmfare Best Music Director awards behind, Na haathi na ghoda
hai wahaan paidal hi jaana hai became his self-composed epitaph .
Shankarabharanam QUIZ
The Carnatic Shankarabharanam approximates closest to the Hindus-
tani Bhilawal. And it was in the Bhilawal that Shanker composed
Ichak daana beechak daana for "Shree 420". In Yamani Bhilawal to
be precise. Wherever the score was predominantly classical, as in
"Pooja" and "Basant Bahaar", Shanker's was the dominant composing
hand Jaikishan's grip was essentially Hindustani, Shanker's was
Hindustani and Carnatic. This gave Shanker an added advantage,
especially in scoring dance music. Let us, in this light, look at
10 classical numbers identifiably composed by Shanker and venture
to pick out the raag in which they have been scored.
1) It was a Carnatic raag widely employed in Hindustani music
that Shanker picked up to tune Yaad na jaaye beete dinon ki on
Rajendra Kumar in "Dil Ek Mandir", bringing to full circle the
triangular romance of Rajendra Kumar, Meena Kumari and Raaj
Kumar. Name that Carnatic raag in which Mohammad Rafi comes so
feelingly over as Yaad na jaaye beete dinon ki. Kirvani
2) Padmini is the ‘peachy' picture of Southern dancing beauty as
she moves on twinkle toes to put across Jhanana jhan jhanake apni
paayal in "Aashiq": It is a dance tune which has Padmini articu-
lating Shanker's composing mastery in all its orchestral
integrity. Which is the raag in which Shanker calls the steps on
Padmini in Jhanana jhan jhanake apni paayal? Shankara
3) What were the steps Padmini could take that Vyjayantimala
could not match on the screen: "Patrani" Vyjayantimala was almost
totally in the compositional hands of Shanker in the film of that
name, co-starring her with Pradeep Kumar Shanker was particular-
ly proud of the fluidity of movement he achieved on Vyjayantimala
in Kabhi to aa kabhi to aa kabhi to aa Sapnon mein aake chale
jaane wale. Which is the raag? Bhairavi
4) Bharat Bhooshan's Nimmi co-starrer, "Basant Bahaar" was origi-
nally assigned to Anil Biswas, but its producer-hero had reluc-
tantly to settle for Shanker-Jaikishan under distributor press-
ure. Whereupon Shanker took it upon himself to demonstrate to
Bharat Bhooshan that SJ's hold on our classical tradition was no
less firm than that of Anil Biswas. The "Basant Bahaar" score
largely masterminded by Shanker ranks as an all-time Hindi film
classic. Shanker mixed Pilu with Bhairavi surpassingly cleverly
in Rafi's Badi der bhayi badi der bhayi. But it was one pure raag
by Shanker in that transcendental climax number of Rafi for
Bharat Bhooshan: Duniya na bhaye mohe ab to bula le. Identify the
raag. Todi
5) Shanker's approach to tuning was such that he could not help
flaunting his musical knowledge. Next to Bhairavi, he favoured
Darbari. Shanker went on record on Radio Ceylon as saying he
needed the sombre notes of Darbari to create something as pro-
found as Tu pyaar ka saagar hai for Manna Dey on Balraj Sahni in
"Seema". In the Same "Seema", Shanker was ultra mellow in that
all-time classical piece he composed for Lata to vivify Nutan:
Manmohana bade jhoote. Which is that raag? Jaijaiwanti
6) From the sublime to the rip-roaring Manna Dey and chorus
blues-chaser: Lapak jhapak tu aa re badarva. Bhudo Advani's Sar
ki khet, is a "Boot Polish" memory that can never fade. The songs
for "Boot Polish" had to be done in a tearing hurry, so this
quizmaster asked Shankner how he had hit upon the Lapak jhapak
tune. "Woh to kuchch halka-phulka bana diya tha", said Shanker
dismissively. But that halka-phulka Lapak jhapak number was in
the same sonorous raag as Ustad Amir Khan's Jhanak jhanak payal
baaje. In which raag did Manna Dey materialise on Bhudo Advani in
Lapak jhapak tu aa re badarva? Adana
7) It was Raj Kapoor who handpicked Bhairavi as SJ's modernised
counter to Naushad, starting with "Barsaat" itself. Indeed, five
of SJ's 10 songs in "Barsaat" are in Bhairavi. To wit, Barsaat
mein, Mujhe kisi se pyaar ho gaya, Ab mera kaun sahara, Chod gaye
baalam and Main zindaagi mein hardam rota hi raha hoon. The
last-named number by Rafi sounded a hangover of Husnlal -Bhaga-
tram, only because Shanker had been that composing duos assis-
tant. Likewise, the raag employed by Shanker in composing for
Lata, Meri aankhon mein bus gaya koyi re was of Husnlal-
Bhagatram. In which raag did Meri aankhon mein bus gaya koyi re
come over on Nargis in "Barsaat"? Pahadi
8) How well Jaikishan had learnt the classical ropes from Shanker
became manifest as he came up with Jhanak jhanak tori baje pay-
aliya for Manna Dey in "Mere Huzoor". This one was in the same
raag as Shanker's Mujhe tum se kuchch bhi na chahiye for Mukesh
on Raj Kapoor in "Kanhaiya". Going even further back to Raj
Kapoor's , "Awara", we had in the same Mukesh's voice in the same
raag, Hum tujh se mohabbat kar ke sanam. Moving from Jaikishan's
Jhanak jhanak tori to Shanker's Mujhe tumse kuchch bhi to the
same Shanker's Hum tujh se mohabbat kar ke sanam, can you pick
out the raag in which the three tunes unfold? Darbari Kaanada
9) Can't Lokendra Sharma at Vividh Bharati do something to see
that one of the finest lullabies by Lata, composed by Shanker for
Amiya Chakraborty's "Kathputli" So jaa re so jaa mere raaj so
jaa, is heard more often? It reveals Shanker, orchestrally flam-
boyant most of the time to be soft as a whisper. It is a Lata
lullaby to treasure. In which raag does Lata render So jaa re so
jaa in "Kathputli"? Chandranandan
10) Finally, a duet composed by Shanker: Asha-Manna Dey's Re man
sur mein gaa from "Lal Patthar". This one was chosen by the Sur
Singar Samsad as the best classical song of the year 1971 and
this quizmaster faced no end of flak for being a convener party
to the selection. The truth is, the judges were evenly divided,
so we had finally to abide by the verdict of Sur-Singar's techni-
cal adviser, the legendary G.N Joshi. And Joshi was clear in his
mind that Shanker (or whoever) had struck the most authentic
classical notes in Asha-Manna's Re man sur mein gaa. Identify the
raag. Yaman
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian