Lata Mangeshkar Punjabi Article
bhagwa...@aol.com
under various Punjabi MDs:
http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/aujla-1/
LATA MANGESHKAR GAVE HER BEST UNDER THE MUSIC DIRECTION OF A TRIO OF
PUNJABI FILM MUSIC DIRECTORS
Harjap Singh Aujla
South Asia Post - June 30, 2007
I am experiencing mixed feelings of immense pleasure and deep sadness
in compiling this article. The pleasure is born out of the
satisfaction that I am experiencing the nostalgia of a treasure of
unparalleled Punjabi music that once flowed from the God given vocal
chords of Lata Mangeshkar. The sorrow is due to the Punjabi nature of
callous indifference that leads to virtual extinction of this kind of
treasure trove. To me writing of this article amounts to salvaging of
some of the treasures buried under deep seas after the sinking of
Titanic. As I dig deep into what Lata Mangeshkar has sung in Punjabi
in her younger years (1948 to 1950), I wonder at these marvels in
Punjabi language. She is simply the most brilliant singer that India
has produced during the twentieth century. Her voice is most feminine
that can be imagined and her effortless modulation and range of notes
from the highest to the lowest, do amaze the top notch critics of
music.
All of us have heard her best in Hindi/Urdu films, but most of us have
missed out on what gems she has given us in Punjabi films. She sang in
only half a dozen Punjabi films dating way back from 1948 to 1950 and
1953-54. She, in all created about two dozen songs, but she gave us
superb melodies that may never be replicated. In her songs, she
appears to have mastered the sweet Lahori Punjabi.
In my childhood I had heard the best of Lata Mangeshkar in Punjabi
films, thanks to All India Radio Jalandhar-Amritsar and Radio Pakistan
Lahore. But the irony is that All India Radio has lost, perhaps for
ever, its best film music in Punjabi and Radio Pakistan has banned
playing of Indian Music, also perhaps for ever. For the historians and
connoisseurs of Punjabi music, this tragedy is unforgettable.
This story starts with the independence of India and the destruction
of Punjab. Overnight hundreds of thousands of people were given
marching orders, against their will, to go to new unknown abodes. One
such person was music director Vinod, a Christian by faith. He moved
from Lahore to Amritsar and then to the film city of Bombay. He had
obtained lessons in composing film music from Late Pandit Amar Nath,
had studied to the music of Master Inayat Hussain and learnt as to how
Ghulam Haider was composing the preludes and interludes for his tunes.
Vinod loved Lahore, its narrow lanes and its Central Punjabi culture,
he did not want to leave this city, but the reality of communal frenzy
frightened him into packing up. He never felt at home in Bombay and
his yearning for the bazars and folks of Lahore was never subsiding.
His deep sense of sadness found a unique expression in the most
memorable Punjabi film music that he composed.
Music Director Vinod's first super-hit Punjabi film venture happened
to be a movie called "Chaman" (1948). In "Chaman" Pushpa Hans sang a
soulful song "Saari raat tera takni haan raah, haye tarian ton puchh
chann wey". Even Shamshad Begum sang some very nice songs for this
film, but the climax was the two songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It is
an important piece of information for the historians of Punjabi film
music that one of the earliest songs that Lata Mangeshkar sang was a
Punjabi song for film "Chaman". The lyrics of the song are "Galliyan-
ch firdey dhola, nikke nikke baal veh, balan kolon puchhni haan,
channa tera haal veh". This song was composed in a very slow beat in
"Raaga Piloo" mixed perhaps with "Jaijaiwanti". The tune is very sad
and Lata's highly emotional rendering is even sadder. This song,
written by Aziz Kashmiri, is a beauty. If we compare the finesse, this
song puts Lata's first ever Hindi song "Dil mera torah, ho mujhe kisi
ka na chhorha tere pyaar ne, hay terte pyaar ne" sung for film
"Majboor" composed by Master Ghulam Haider to shame. This is a
landmark Punjabi song. The secong Lata Mangeshkar song from the same
film is "Raahe raahe jandiya, akhiyan milandiya, akhiyan chura ken a
jaah, dhola veh, akhiyan chura ken a ja". This is a variation of a
Punjabi folk tune "Dhola". These songs can easily match the appeal of
music director Shyam Sunder's landmark songs composed for Hindi film
"Bazaar" also made in1948. This films lyrics were composed by Aziz
Kashmiri, another Lahore based poet, who also migrated to Bombay. Aziz
wrote in earthy Punjabi better than most others. If anyone can find
these songs with a collector or someone who does not know their real
worth, he will be stepping on a rare treasure. No amount is too much
for these records.
Film "Lachhi" was shot in 1949. Its music was composed by the Late
Master Hans Raj Behl. The lyrics were penned by Mulkh Raj Bhakhti,
another import from Lahore. Lachhi was a big hit. Its landmark song is
"Naale lammi te naale kaali, haye weh channan, raat judaiyan waali"
sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Other songs sung by Lata include "Do milde
haaye dilan noon, bedard zamana door kare, haaye vichhran te majboor
kare" and "Haarha veh channan, yaad saannoon teri awe". Lata
mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi had sung some very memorable Hindi songs
for music director Shyam Sunder in film "Bazaar", but the film
"Lachhi"duet (Lata & Rafi) with lyrics "Kaali Kanghi naal kale waal
payi vaahunia, aa mil dhol jaania" is no less than the "Bazaar"
masterpieces. Some of the songs of film "Lachhi" are still available
in some of the music shops in India.
Vinod composed the music for a super-hit Hindi/Urdu film "Ek Thi
Ladki", in which a Lahori Punjabi girl Meena became very popular as
the heroine. A Punjabi folk based song "Laara lappa laara lappa laayi
rakhda, addi tappa adi tappa layi rakhda" based on a folk tune of song
"Jutti meri jandi e pahariye de naal, paula mera janda e musafire de
naal". Lara lappa song was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and became a big
hit. Soon afterwards Vinod composed the music for a Punjabi film
"Bhaiyaji" in 1950 with five Lata songs. Its best emotional song "Jhil
mil tariya jah Akhiyan na maar veh, ajj saada mahi naal tutt gaya pyar
veh" was very brilliantly sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Shanker Jaikishan,
who started music direction with Raj Kappor - Nargis starrer film
"Barsaat" (1949), attempted to give Punjabi style music. Initially
they composed a music which was similar to that of Pandit Husnalal
Bhagatram, but by the time they composed music for Dilip Kumar - Nimmi
starrer film "Daag" (1952), they had a new model before them and it
was Vinod's film "Bhayiaji" song "Jhil mil taariya jah akhiyan na maar
veh". This pattern they used for the Lata superhit song "Kahe ko der
lagayi re, aye na ab tak baalma". Vinod's other songs for the film
"Bhaiyaji" including a Lata - Rafi duet "Chal aa bagan wich nachiye
ni, ki badliyan chha gayiyan" also became hit.
Sardar Davinder Singh, a highly dedicated Programme Incharge of
Punjabi Programmes at All India Radio Delhi, who died a few years back
told me a very interesting story. This story of historic significance
unfolds as follows:
One day in late sixties, Davinder Singh was sitting in his dilapidated
office in the Annexe of Broadcasting House New Delhi. The morning
Punjabi Programme was over and he was planning the evening programme.
All of a sudden a middle aged Maharashtrian looking thinly built woman
was ushered into his office. The woman introduced herself as Lata
Mangeshkar. She had come from Bombay for a live performance. She asked
Davinder Singh if he had a rare Punjabi film song of 1950 bearing
lyrics "Rassi utte tangiya dupatta mera dolda, udd pudd jana pataa
dassda nayin dhol da". The song is from a Punjabi film "Madari" with
musical score by Ustrad Allah Rakha Qureshi. Davinder Singh had this
song at the radio station. Lata wanted to pay any price to have it.
But the government rules did not permit Davinder Singh in parting with
this record. Lata wanted it desperately, because this song, along with
some other rare Punjabi songs in her own voice dating back to
1948-1950 period were very dear to her. Davinder Singh made a copy of
this song from a 78 RPM disc and handed it over to Lata Mangewshkar.
Another two songs from film "Madari" bearing lyrics "Puchh mera haal
kade ake mere haaniyan, tere pichhe rondiyan ne akhiyan nimaniyan" and
"Asan takkya maahi nuun pehli waar, oh akh bacha ke gallan wich laake,
chhod gaya, haye ni dil torh gaya" were very emotionally sung by Lata.
In the meanwhile Vinod was composing typically Punjabi tunes for some
of the Hindi/Urdu films also.
Ustad Allah Rakha Qureshi (the great tabla master) composed the music
for another Punjabi film "Phumman" in 1950. Its music is great, but
two of its Lata Mangeshkar songs are simply outstanding. The lyrics of
one song are " Main addiyan chuk chuk vekhan, menoo maahi nazar na
aawe". The other song is "Raatan andheriyan aa gaiyan, dhola, raatan
andheriyan aa gaiyan, dhola teriyan uddikan chha gaiyan". Lata's first
three years in Punjabi films were outstanding.
Soon the producers of Punjabi films realized that the market for
purely comedy based Punjabi movies is very restricted. On the other
hand the Hindi films were much richer in content and lavish in budget.
Only in the quality of music the Punjabi Cinema could compete with its
counterpart in Hindi. The market for the Punjabi Cinema was mostly
confined to the East Punjab Circuit which included Punjab, Jammu and
Kashmir, hill areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and Haryana (which
was also a part of the then Punjab). Delhi and UP territory was
another market, but not really good, because the refugees from West
Punjab were spread thinly all over U.P. and were not a concentrated
block. Pakistan was a good territory for exhibition, but due to piracy
and cheating its returns were poor. Therefore the number of Punjabi
films made in India dwindled to a trickle.
Lata reluctantly sang for another good musical Punjabi film "Vanjara"
in 1953-54. She did this on the request of a singer/actor Shaminder
Singh Chahal, a wealthy landlord of Muktsar, In Ferozepore District of
Punjab. Lata sang about five songs including two duets with Shaminder
Singh in the music direction of Sardul Singh Kwatra. Sardul himself
admitted that after the creation of Pakistan, the market for Punjabi
cinema had dwindled very badly. More than 60% of Punjabi speaking
population was based in Pakistan. India's less than 40% share got
scattered all over the country. Sardul said even the will to make
decent Punjabi films in India was lacking. The producers were
contented in making humour centric movies only. Urban culture was
totally missing in the Punjabi films. All this and stoppage of the
exhibition of Indian films in Pakistan in 1960, caused the virtual
demise of Punjabi cinema in India. But, by then, Lata Mangeshkar gave
her best to Punjabi films in "Chaman" (1948), "Lachhi" (1949),
"Bhaiyaji" (1950), "Madari" (1950) "Phumman" (1950) and
"Vanjara" (1954). She gave us two dozen precious gems.
It is true that there is nothing in sheer numbers, Lata's two dozen
Punjabi songs are worth more than 10000 ordinary songs currently
circulating in Punjab. After the Golden three years of Punjabi film
music, perhaps Lata also smelled that all is not well with the Punjabi
cinema in India, so she started shying away from Punjabi films. If the
lovers of good Punjabi music can unearth some of the rare gems of Lata
Mangeshkar, they will be doing a great service to Punjabi music.
>From the 1980s, some good Punjabi films are being made, but the
standard of music set by Vinod, Hans Raj Behl, Allah Rakha Qureshi and
later on by Sardul Kwatra and S. Mohinder (Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai 1969)
is being sorely missed. Folk singers, untrained in classical music,
have become heroes and singers in the films and the standard of music
in Punjabi films has taken a steep nose dive.
Across the border in the 1950 - 1960 decade, however, the Golden
Period of Punjabi Film music took shape in Pakistan. They made great
musicals with, a daughter of the soil, Zubeida Khanum as the top play-
back singer. But after Zubeida Khanum's marriage, the standard went
down in Pakistan too. Only a miracle can restore the standard of
Punjabi film music to its days of past glory.
A genuine master of the art of music direction Vinod, who was every
inch a Punjabi, became a casualty of the fall of Punjabi cinema in
India. He wanted to compose music for Punjabi films, but not more than
two films were made in each year and the contracts for composing the
music were grabbed by Hans Raj Behl and Sardul Kwatra. Thus Vinod felt
squeezed out of his first love, the music making for Punjabi films
too. This frustration told on his health and he died at the prime of
his youth during the mid-fifties, un-honoured, unwept and unsung.
krr...@gmail.com
> Another article by Harjap Singh Aujla this time on Lata Mangshkar
> under various Punjabi MDs:
>
> http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/aujla-1/
Thanks for posting this informative article. Does anyone know whether
any of these songs are available anywhere?
(snip)
> channa tera haal veh". This song was composed in a very slow beat in
> "Raaga Piloo" mixed perhaps with "Jaijaiwanti". The tune is very sad
> and Lata's highly emotional rendering is even sadder.
Had the overall tone of the article not been so laudatory, I would
have suspected some double entendre here!
Warm regards,
Abhay
Narsingh
> Thanks for posting this informative article. Does anyone know whether
> any of these songs are available anywhere?
> Abhay
Hi,
Surjit Singh had posted this article a while back. You can find almost
all of the Lata's Punjabi songs on his site
http://hindi-films-songs.com/lata-panjabi.html
Narsingh
