Whither Shankar Jaikishan?
A few days back I paid a visit to the local Planet M store at Sadar Bazar. I visited it after several months and as ever, I returned disgustingly disappointed with their lopsided collections, especially in the older music section. There were plentiful albums on RD Burman, a handful on Madan Mohan, a few on SD Burman and even a couple of polite ones on Naushad and - surprise surprise, Chitragupta- but there wasn’t a single piece on Shankar-Jaikishan- the tunesmiths who unarguably ruled the charts in the golden fifties and sixties!
A similar story was seen at the newly opened Music World store (at Pacific Mall) last week, where I had even dared to ask the salesman about this unjust anomaly but had received only a blank quizzical look from him as if I had asked some impossibly tough Newton’s theory!
It’s not that the smaller Agra editions of these stores are cutting out Shankar-Jaikishan. The problem is repeated at their bigger versions in Delhi also. And the root of this lies in the sheer negligence on HMV’s part (the music company which controls the rights of 80-90% movies from that era).
Take Lata Mangeshkar, for example. Till date I have seen only one album featuring the diva with the composers. Quite strange! From Barsaat till about the mid-sixties, when the rift between the two widened, Lata Mangeshkar was the leading singer in nearly all their films, so much so that there are some movies like Poonam and Aurat where she is the only singer, no male solos, not even any duets! Even beyond the mid-sixties, despite their differences, Latadi continued to be permanently placed in their recording room, with some significant releases like Raat Aur Din, Prince, Laat Saaheb and Teesri Kasam coming out in the late sixties. Post-Jaikishan’s untimely demise, when Shankar continued to compose solo (though keeping the joint brand name as a mark of respect towards his late partner), they patched up big time and gave us Sanyasi, Do Jhoot, Chorni and Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai.
For such a long-lasting and dazzling association, some of which encompasses some magnificently brilliant melodies, one single album is a grossly small representation!
Also, HMV should realize that they cannot keep on playing one song from a film like a warped stuck record. For example, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayii has two beautiful solos Andaaz mera mastaana and Sheesha-e-dil itna na uchhalo, both equally good, if not better than Ajeeb daastaan hai! Similarly, one has to delve into Chhoti Bahan to notice that the album is not restricted to that one song played once a year or about Jaaoon kahan bata e dil (both realy nice songs). There is the porcelain fragile Baaghon baharon mein ithlaata gaata aaya koii as well, which for some unknown reason is criminally neglected. Why can’t HMV feature this in some collection of Latadi, possibly in the myriad ‘Love’ or ‘Romance’ series that the company releases with quite an alarming regularity, but with all the same solos that have been oft repeated? In Yahudi the focus always centres on Yeh mera deewanapan hai, but who will carve out the rhythm wonder Dil mein pyaar ka toofan (a tune used by Yash Chopra as Neeche paan kii dukan in a tipsy scene in Silsila) or the pain-lashed Aansoo kii aag leke teri yaad aayi? Why the latter number wasn’t included in the ‘Dard’ series of Lata Mangeshkar is anyone’s million dollar guess? Similarly, the tender Lo aayii milan kii raat suhaani aaj from Aashiq is never found in any album, and from Aah, the love-lorn ditty Sunte the naam hum jinka bahaar se is always short-changed!
I can go on and on about this!
Even if I momentarily set aside my obsession for Lata Mangeshkar, there is huge bulk of work by Asha Bhonsle for the enterprising duo some of which are, if I may be allowed to be a little blasphemous, by far superior to her numbers for either SDB or OPN. In fact, many of my personal favorite numbers of Ashaji from that era invariably emanate from Shankar Jaikishan’s rich repertoire. For example, amongst her cabaret songs, it’s the unsung beauty of Parwano ki raah mein (Haryali Aur Raasta) that excites me the most (the wanton and lush interludes are only rivaled by Helen’s energetic dance to the song). Or, take for example, the lusty intonations of Mujhe pyaas badi pyaas lagi hai or the rustic come-hither calls of Dekhoji raat ko julam ho gaya both largely unknown songs, but nevertheless mindblowingly mesmerizing. And then there was the steamy, sensuous and sensational Dilruba dil pe tu yeh sitam kiye jaa (Rajkumar), with some lip-smacking rigorous and vigorous drum beats. Moving aside from the hot numbers, they also gave her the innocence of Nanhe munhe bachhe teri muhhi mein kya hai and the romance of Raat ke humsafar thak ke ghar ko chale! In the latter years, Asha Bhonsle worked for many big projects of Shankar-Jaikishan - the title song of Hare Kaanch Kii Choodiyan is a precious example from this age. And then there are the bumper hits Parde mein rahne do parda na uthaayo (Shikar) or the sizzling Ang lag ja baalma (Mera Naam Joker). I have yet to come across an album depicting this momentous association.
The male singers don’t fare any better. It is a common knowledge that Rafisaab teamed up with Shankar Jaikishan to create colossal ditties for Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra and Rajendra Kumar starrers. Yet, again, for this vast collection there is just one cassette that I have seen. Even there, the focus is just on the hit songs, leaving behind some genuinely interesting numbers. For example, Rafisaab’s heart wrenching rendition of Kahan jaa raha hai (Seema) is almost impossible to find.
Mukesh and Manna Dey are other two singers who featured copiously in Shankar Jaikishan songs yet exclusive albums featuring the artistes with the composers are conspicuous by their absence. For example, Mukesh’s Mast nazar dekh idhar (Ek Dil Sau Afsaane) is a fabulous number that has been unfairly buried in the debris of time; the rhythm, the beats and the interlude in this song would put any modern musician to shame! The same ignonimous fate stuck other scintillating numbers e.g. the sarcastically poignant Ae pyaase dil bezubaan (Begunaah), the tragic Yeh zindagi (Sapnon Ka Saudagar) and the shining-as-gold Yaad aayi aadhi raat ko kal raat kii tauba (Kanhaiya).
Every singer who worked under Shankar Jaikishan, be it Mukesh, Manna Dey, Rafisaab or even Suman Kalyanpur and Subir Sen, has found that single (usually more) number that they could cling on to for a lifetime. It would have been impossible for a shrilly Sharda to survive had she not found a mentor in them (I am deliberately not going into any debatable issues about their personal lives here!) In fact, if I could bear Sharda, it is solely because she sang under Shankar- Jaikishan’s (more the former’s) exquisite orchestra - take for example the ultimately wide-angled, luxuriant and breathtakingly enormous title song of Around The World or, on the other spectrum, the dew-drop fresh and delicate love-duet Jaane chaman shola badan (Gumnaam).
If we leave the collections for a while, the movie albums of Shankar-Jaikishan are fast dwindling. In the early nineties, HMV had done the favor of re-releasing some of them I had managed to get hold of Poonam/Shikast, Main Nashe Mein Hoon/Kanhaiya, Saanjh Aur Savera/Ek Dil Sau Afsaane and a few more. But try finding them now! It s like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack. And even if you get the cassettes, the CD’s wouldn’t be there. But shouldn’t HMV also realize that there would be a mass of interested people like me who would like to own the entire albums of such superb musicals like Raj Hath, Nagina, Patrani or Aurat. The songs of these films are easily exchanged in the gray space of the web world but the rightful revenue to the company, and the resultant royalty to the artistes’ heirs, is irretrievably lost!
There have been a few (IIRC, only two) Golden Collection Series on Shankar Jaikishan and strangely there is no Legends Series edition released on the duo. Why so?
In the Golden Collection-Shankar Jaikishan series, my grouse about including the more common-placed numbers remains. For example, once again there was Ajeeb daastaan hai, or Raja kii aayegi baaraat or Kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisaar. I accept these are all numbers worth their weight in gold. But for the series, they could easily have come up with more editions, including many of the unknown ditties that have been mentioned up above in this write-up. Or some other ones that I can immediately (and off-hand) think of - for example, the fusion fiesta of Sajan sang kaahe naina lagaaye (Mai Nashe Mein Hoon) or the philosophical twinge of Duniya isi ka naam hai (Duniya) or the masti of Patli kamar hai tirchhi nazar hai (Barsaat) or the choral beauty of Naacho gaao nacho (sans any lead singer)(Amrapali) or the haunting notes of Do din ke liye mehmaan yahaan (Baadal) or the deceptively vivacious but inherently tragic Mai har raat jaagi tumhaari qasam tum bahut yaad aaye (Gaban) {what a splendidly sensational song with a complex tune that sucks you into its many folds} or the orchestral sizzler Teen kanastar peet peet kar (Love Marriage) or the naughty Dil se dil takraaye (Love Marriage, again) or the reckless abandon of Thandi thandi hawa mein (Prince) or the optistic Baat baat mein rootho na (Seema) or the impish Aaj na jaane paagal manwa kaahe ko ghabraaye (Begunah) - the list is simply endless!
HMV’s neglect of Shankar Jaikishan is sad, disgusting and horrible; especially considering the fact that they were the pioneers of Hindi film music, imparting it with the grammar that has been the foundation for subsequent generations. Shankar Jaikishan gave a fresh sound to the music, and their interlude music is par excellence - often, I have loved their songs for the flawless orchestra they built into their songs. And all Shankar Jaikishan tunes are extremely easy on the lips, so much so that listening to them one can feel the effortlessness in them. They gave a definite structure and symmetry to the songs.
Sadly, it is not only HMV’s collection where Shankar Jaikishan are getting a raw deal. Even on the internet it is hard to find good articles on the duo. On Orkut, a popular youngster site, the members in Shankar Jaikishan club are a mere 338 (compare this to Panchamda’s 7505 members in one of the clubs, it is way too less, but this is still understandable, but even for that music-chor Pritam one finds 395 members, you would know why I am fuming!) On Mouthshut.com, another fairly popular site where common readers post their views and reviews, there is simply no listing on Shankar Jaikishan under the Bollywood Movie Personalities (you can find even a non-star Shayan Munshi and Tushar Kapoor, but no SJ!!!)
With HMV holding a treasure trove of music rights, the company has a formidable responsibility in educating the young generation about the values of the undoubtedly Golden Era of Hindi Film Music the fifties and the sixties. They have to go beyond just making quick bucks in releasing shoddily done up remixes (when they have the originals with them!). Till a few years up to his death, RD Burman was a lost entity, but the collective force of media, Ashaji and the music industry revived his memory a big way posthumously. Similar effort needs to be done for Shankar Jaikishan as well. The Golden Era of Music has to be informed and told to all. And in that, they have to rightfully return the crown to the shahanshahs of that time - Shankar Jaikishan!
Related Readings - Shankar Jaikishan Expressions: Mukesh’s Sad Songs
Lataji Sings for Shankar Jaikishan - A List of My Favorite Songs
Shankar Jaikishan Expressions-2: Non-Lata Mangeshkar Duet
Powered by Zoundry
Enjoyed the post? Subscribe to Random Expression's RSS Feed
In case you find this site entertaining and useful please contribute your own bit by making a nominal donation.
A fresh way to contact me - New Contact Form added to the site. We love to hear from you, keep writing in!
March 14th, 2007 at 10:45 am
WOW! I envy your knowledge DJ. I try hard to listen to new (oldies) songs. But I seem to gravitate towards songs I already know. The people employed in these big music shops are not very knowledgeable about their wares. They give blank looks when asked for a certain album ( I was shopping for some ‘Abhang’ -style song).
It would be nice if u could put up some 10s song every week so that we could search and hear and discuss it. A thought for a new blog…or is there already one like it somewhere?
Good post.Now I will try to listen to all the songs listed in this post.:)
And me first !!
March 14th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Really strange!!! :O.
What could be the reason. Didn’t you ask with the shop manager?
March 14th, 2007 at 11:37 am
For the list I read later on and come
.
March 14th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
looooooong post…. will read later
March 14th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Sad but very true,DJ!I have observed the same in the PlanetM and Music World outlets..in fact I have stopped going there since I know for sure I won’t find what I’m looking for.
Regarding the post,am amazed..flabbergasted..speechless..gasp!You are a walking-talking encyclopedia of hindi film music(understatement,am sure!).Haven’t listened to many of the songs you have listed.Though I do agree about one thing you said,there are often much better songs in an album than the oft-repeated popular hit song..they just get lost.. and we lose out on listening to such gems!Sigh.
March 14th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
DJ, i used to think you’ve PhD only in Lata Mangeshkar and u r at a graduate level in hindi cinema and PG level in hindi music.
I think my figures are outdated. You are doctorate in all of them
Why not send this in a letter to HMV. They might consider re-releasing some old gems.
(S-J is the most favorite music-duo of my dad. )
March 15th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Vidya - Gold aapka
Yes, often i hv seen these music stores guys lacking in knowledge (strange, since their recruitment ads always want someone with ‘deep knowledge of music’, wonder if the bosses themselves are fully knowledgeable?!)
I’ll try to put up a few songs - in fact i had started a series called ‘Lost Treasure’, wherein i pulled out a largely unknown song and discussed it. But then, any routine bogs me down, and that series got abandoned. You know that’s why this blog is called Random Expressions
Juneli - What could be the reason? I think the post discusses that. It’s all the music company’s fault. They need to flood the market, then only the retailers will keep it!
Arre no list, its just a post with songs as examples
Anks - Will wait
Ragz - Arre nahin, there are many more people much more knowledgeable than me, i m just a fledgeling. But since my interest lies in Latadi, SJ and Madan Mohan, I keep absorbing any new piece on them. You need to enter a few Yahoo Music Groups to know the kind of immense knowledge some people have!
Invincible - LOL…arre nahin, no doctorate. It’s just interest yaar. I am sure a cricket fan will churn out much more statistics/details than I do in music… Yep, i m sure your dad would love SJ - they were the top favorites then… Even my dad has a strong fondness for their music. And the reason is evident - the music is simple, melodious and wonderful!
March 15th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Shocking! But what a musical post! Vintage Deepak! Gone back to fond memories of SJ era. Still that song from Rajkumar - Is Rang Badalti Duniya Mein - gives me goose bumps.
PS: This post gave a “first” in a way. Deepak spoke good about Asha, even though it was under the garb of SJ
March 15th, 2007 at 11:01 am
As expected I can see your outrage and that’s too genuine one. I also feel in the same way when I don’t find the old songs album and cassettes and more than that instead of preserving the originals they are making remix and the new generation would not know those are old gems. They enjoy them thinking it’s a new pop song! Shame on!
I’m next to Manish regarding Asha ji.
.
Not only that I’m surprised reading the good words for Sharda in your post
. But you know that I like her only the song is “Titli udi ud jo chali” from Suraj. Pata nahin I just love it.
It’s really good to read your post on music and film and get some knowledge. And you know that you are our chalta-firta encyclopedia
.
Keep writing.
March 16th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Manish - Thank u
Even while I was writing I knew you would appreciate it. Oh yes , I love all songs of Rajkumar!
LOL- i dont hv anything against Ashaji …but…but… ha ha … In this post, I hv even spoken good about Sharda:P
Juneli - Sharda has sung some good songs under SJ’s baton. Apart from the two mentioned in the post, I quite liked her cute rendition in Aath ko aath mein jama karo (Elaan) and Le jaa le jaa mera dil mera dil (An Evening In Paris).
March 18th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Yo DJ:
Mahn…you write so well, that one cannot just read just a few lines. I had to finish reading the entire thing.
And I had no idea about the S-J crisis in music stores.
In any case, as soon as I am done exams end of April, some wonderful SJ numbers will be headed Ur way.
March 22nd, 2007 at 11:13 am
Sani - Hey thanks a ton
All the best for your exams!
March 25th, 2007 at 2:15 am
DJ
Have you ever thought of compiling your chosen blogs into a book? Seriously, if ever you think positive in this direction, note down my name as a potential buyer for five books. No kidding DJ!
SJ blog is excellent. You never remembered New Delhi.
I want you to know that I have read the blog twice and so found a typographical error: Ay pyase dil bezubaan is Begunah and not Baadshah as mentioned in the blog. Anyway, great blog and u deserve heavy compliments.
-Harshad Jangla
Atlanta, USA
March 26th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Harshadji Thank u so much. I hope some day i could do that even.
Thanks for pointing out the error, I will rectify it immd.
March 30th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Your article on SJ is really heart breaking.Indeed,it has been my personal experience too when i go scouting for these SJ collections not only in planet M but also those authorised to sell the HMV cassettes and CDs.You end up geting to see repeatedly the same songs in different permutations and combinations and those other rarer gems from these musical king duo.i spend hours on the net trying and getting info on their style of working and orchestration.your writeup on the duo in a way is at the same time, to discover there could be someone like me who feels the pain for these two and the neglect heaped by everyone with the passage of time on SJ.
March 30th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Dr Jadhav - A warm welcome to the blog… and yes it is very heartbreaking indeed. Nice to meet you…
April 28th, 2007 at 10:44 am
after a long time i have come across a person who really understands film- music
you have echoed my inner desire thru your article. in fact few days back i have written something like you(though i cannot write like you ) which goes as under….
one of the reasons why great maestro like shankar-jaikishan and op nayyar are marginalised to-day in favour of RD Burman and AR Rehman because of the callous approach of HMV and singers like Lata and Asha who have displayed shameful ingratitude to their original mentors. when a wet-behind-the -ears Lata crooned for ‘mahal’ and made her presence felt , it was ‘barsaat’ which took her to dizzy heights. followed’awaara’, ’sri420′, ‘chori-chori, ‘patita’ and many other s-j marvels and soon enough lata left everyone behind including shamshad,suraiyya and geeta……….one can read the post on o p nayyar (not forgotten). please keep on writing.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
i want to add two songs of asha in your article…….both are duets…..chali kaun se desh guzaria with talat in boot polish and ghungharwaa mora chham chham baaje with rafi in zindagi. what a tonal quality! and of course that nautanki song of teesri kasam …..paan khaaye saiyyan hamaare. you are doing a very good job by keeping their memory alive. i also want your impressions on the songs of
aurat, nagina, kathputli, poonam, shikast……there are so many. please write as and when you feel like.
yours
arun
May 1st, 2007 at 6:29 am
Arun - Yes, I love ‘ Ghungharwa mora chham chham baaje’. And there is one more song that I should have mentioned - ‘Kisi ki jaan lete hain’ from Jhuk Gaya Aasman - amazing orchestra, excellent tune, lovely singing!
Thanks for liking the post
All five films you mention are my top favs. So will surely write on them someday!
May 7th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Pleas co not forget the haunting melody of rafi-mubarak begum from hamrahi Mujko apne gale lagale ay mere hamrahi and couple of other exquisite numbers from Amrapali and basant bahar (Mein piya teri tu mane ya na mane). Thanks for all the memories.
May 7th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Kansara - Warm welcome here
And many thanks for liking the post.
May 11th, 2007 at 7:26 am
[…] Related Reading - Shankar Jaikishan Expressions-1Lata Mangeshkar Sings For Shankar JaikishanWhither Shankar Jaikishan? […]
June 15th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Came across this blog while surfing. Fantastic post. I grew up in the 70s & 80s, listening to RD, LP and KA, of whom RD is my favourite. But I am an admirer of SJ. They gave divine music in the 50s; their music in the 60s was also fisrt rate. While their, rather Shankar’s, music in the 70s, when they lost their position, was, by comparison, a tad disappointing, Shankar stil gave from time to time high quality songs. The last film for which Shankar composed music before he died was a low budget film called ‘Krishna Krishna’ which had a fabulous Asha solo, IIRC. Recently I heard a Lata solo from Aurat (nainon Se Nain Hue Chaar); what a fabulous song! And thanks for mentioning ‘Sajan Sang Kaahe Neha Lagaaye’ (Main Nashe Me Hoon) which is one of my favourite Lata solos. There is another less heard S-J classic from ‘Choron Ka Raja’ (Tum To Dil Ke Taar Ched Kar’ which has very unusual beat. S-J were great music directors; they were trend-setters, and it is unfortunate that music companies are neglecting their awesome repertoire. Thaks for reviving their memory.
June 16th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Ajay - A very warm welcome to the blog
And I am happy you liked reading the post.
Just a small correction - the film is Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (not just Choron Ka Raja)…and I had written a post once on how I went through the trouble of getting the audio of this album!
Do keep coming in to the blog again…
September 26th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Prabably old generation people have lost the touch of feel of SJ style, and younger generation people had never developped the taste of SJ style. Otherwise, in SJ style apart from merit of the tune of a song the orchestration of the song used to be a parallel song. And solo instruments like accordian,saxophone used to compete the main singer,like parellel singers.Is it seen elsewhere in those times or today?
February 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
To prove Guttikumar feelings, i want to cite one example (though there are many) of S-J songs which has everything neatly placed…..the tune, lyrics, singing , prelude ane interlude music, rhythm and pacing. This song is from Rajkapoor’s ‘Anaadi’ ……”sab kuchh seekha humne na seekhi hoshiyari”. This number is a perfect song created by Shankar …no loose ends, no sagging folds….everything tightly packed. This song is one of the best of Shankar-Jaikishan, Mukesh, Shailendra combination.
The dashing accordion and Mukesh do a terrific ‘jugalbandi’. The present generation is quite clueless about their music. They live in a world of plagiarised music and have numbed their senses.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
HMV has been always disrepectful to the creators….they only stick to the commodities “Jo bikta hai’, most probably in their view shanker jaikishen, naushad and others were not saleable…but they earn their bread and butter even today on their works. useless company. Had Gulshan kumar came in to the picture earlier when SJ were ruling, he might have done some justice to all.