4^th June 1946-25^th September 2020

If there was one singer who ruled the Tamil & Telugu film music from late 60’s for almost four decades it was definitely Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam, simply known as S.P Balasubrahmanyam or just lovingly SPB. I know most of my acquaintances must be wondering why I have not covered him in my blogs so far. The sheer number of songs that he has left behind is humongous and for me , a person not too familiar with his songs , it was an uphill task and I kept procrastinating. I felt that before his 78^th birth anniversary, I should at least make a sincere  attempt  to write about him in my blogsite.

If one looks at his great achievements, it is truly mind-boggling!

• Recorded around 40,000 songs in a career of 50  years
• Honoured with Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan & Padma Shri awards by the Government of India
• Six National awards for best male playback singing
• 25 Andhra Pradesh state awards, 3 Tamil Nadu state awards and 3 Karnataka state awards
• 8 Filmfare awards
• Many other awards that may fill an entire page

Singer, actor, voice actor, Music composer, TV presenter, Film producer -he wore so many hats! When I started looking at the list of songs  only from  Tamil films ( he had sung in 16 languages), I was looking at a huge list that even I could remember from my memory. Now one very honest confession-I have listened to very few of his  songs and that too it is mostly restricted up to the early 90’s. I felt the best way to do a proper justice to his vast repertoire is to break the blog in three parts. His association with the legendary music maestro Ilayaraja is something that is timeless and so I shall go against my usual ‘chronological ’ logic and take up that first ( all would be happy to read this part only!!) . Next would be the relatively lesser number of songs he sang for one more legend  M.S. Vishwanathan  but who had honed his singing in the early years. Last part would be his songs with other music composers. The last category has some true gems that might have slowly faded away from public memory.

Now , usually I give a short biography of the artist in my blogs , but I am sure SPB’s life & his musical journey is well documented and is also  well known,  that I can skip that and focus on his songs. As such this blog  is going to be a long one; usually my blogs have a selection of 25-30 songs but I have to make an exception for SPB!

It was  cruel fate that came in form of the Covid-19 pandemic to snatch him away when his voice was still young even at the age of 74 .

Part 1: SPB with Ilaiyaraja

SPB and Ilayaraja-what a great combination that brought in a total revolution in the Tamil film music! Together they painted on a huge canvas that remains one of the golden combinations for millions of fans of both the legends.  SPB “ arrived” in the Tamil film music scene in the year 1969 with two songs that brought him immense fame: Aayiram Nilave Vaa  and Iyarkai Yenum Ilaya Kanni. Subsequently he got few chances now but  the then numero uno T M Soundrarajan was going strong and also from mid-70’s K J Yesudas was also slowly making his mark in Tamil films. However,  once Ilayaraja and SPB started hitting off with their first collaboration “ Naan Pesa Vanthen from the film Palooti Valartha Kili in 1976 , there was no looking back for SPB. With elaborate orchestration and  a heady cocktail of Carnatic classical music, Western symphony and Tamil folk, IR set off a completely new trend in Tamil film music  that catapulted him to great heights. With SPB and S Janaki becoming integral part of IR’s music , it was a grand feast for the listeners. SPB’s unique style of rendering all the various moods and intricate touches like that “micro second “ laugh in between, modulating the voice in multiple ways enriched IR’s tunes. The 20 songs that I have listed here are cream of the cream , in my opinion. It is quite obvious that each  fan of SPB-IR will have a totally different list . Any major miss in the listing may please be pardoned due to my own limited knowledge on the subject.

( Year of film-Song-Film-Lyricist -co-singer)

1. 1976-Naan Pesa Vanthen Sollathan -Palootti Valartha Kili-Kannadasan-Duet with S Janaki

Supposed to be the first collaboration of SPB with IR , this is a pleasing duet that gives you an inkling about what a grand musical journey  these two would go on to take us through.

2. 1977-Vizhiyile Malarndadu-Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri-Panchu Arunachalam

One of my all-time favourites from this pair-an unconventional rhythm pattern. That “ Un ninaive pothumadi” line by SPB is simply superb.

3.1979-Ilamai yenum Poongatru-Pagalil Oru Iravu-Kannadasan

One of the early super-hit songs from SPB-IR, this one remains an evergreen number. For better audio quality, I  have provided a link that has only audio.

4. 1979-Chinna Pura Ondru-Anbe Sangeetha-Vaali-Humming by S.P Shailaja

SPB breathes life into Vaali’s emotional lines and IR’s haunting tune.

5. 1980-Ithu oru ponmaalai-Nizhalgal-Vairamuthu

An  iconic song of SPB-IR that brought immense fame to both along with the lyricist Vairamuthu. IR’s orchestration and SPB’s masterful rendition will ensure this song will have a permanent place in history of Tamil film music.

6. 1981-Oru Kunguma Chengamalam-Aaradhanai-With S Janaki-Vairamuthu

How can one forget that “ Un koonthal poovanum” line by SPB , that excellent humming along by S Janaki and IR’s sudden shifts in interludes!

7. 1982-Ilaya Nila Pozhigirathe-Payanangal Mudivathillai- Vairamuthu

I committed a  faux-pas in my blog on Ilayaraja by leaving out this classic song of SPB-IR pair. Now I have ensured it is included here!. If there is one song created sheer magic  with guitar and SPB , it should be this one. The quintessential SPB style is in full flow, with that trademark laugh of his at “ azhuthidumo athu mazhaiyo”. Sheer bliss!

8. 1982-Poovil vandu koodum – Kadhal Oviyam – Vairamuthu

A pure classical masterpiece designed by the maestro IR for another maestro SPB!

9. 1983-Thakita Thathimi-Salangai Oli-Vairamuthu

A scintillating dance number with all the typical touches of SPB’s superb grasp of what playback signing is all about .

10. 1983-Geetham Sangeetham-Kokkarako- Vairamuthu-With S.P Shailaja

SPB brings out an intricate alaap in the charanam and beautifully merges that with the lines ‘geetham sangeetham’.

11. 1984-Kaadalin Deepam-Thambikku Yentha Ooru-Panchu Arunachalam

A song that seems to have been tailor-made for Supertstar Rajnikanth -his style is equally matched by SPB in his singing.

12. 1985-Idayam Oru Kovil-Ithayakoil-Ilaiyaraja-Humming by S Janaki

I am sure this must be among the topmost melodious songs of SPB -his voice  sounds like a mix of honey, sugar, nectar etc…Ilayaraj debuted as a lyricist with this song  and it is said to be for his wife, with her name Jeeva appearing at many places.

13. 1985-Kootathile Koil Pura- Ithayakoil—Muthulingam

Just listen to the end of each charanam -SPB sings at the speed of a bullet train..amazing singing right from start to end!

14. 1985-Sangeetha Megam-Udaya Geetham-Muthulingam

Intha degam marainthalum Isaiyai Malarven…kelai poomaname..on 25^th Sep 2020 , these lines were in everyone’s mind after the unfortunate demise of this great singer. He must be entertaining the Gods now with his ever-youthful voice ..

15. 1985-Thene thenpandi meene-Udaya Geetham-Vaali

The film Udaya Geetham was one of the best albums from the golden pair of SPB & IR. This soft , mellifluous lullaby is simply out of the world…

16. 1986-Chinnamani Kuyile-Amman Koil Kizhakkale-Gangai Amaran

A fantastic duet between SPB and the harmonium, with IR’s trademark flute chipping in at the right intervals, a contagious rhythm …what more do we need?

17. 1986-Yenna satham intha neram-Punnagai Mannan-Vairamuthu

A song that is best ‘heard’ than viewed—the superb efforts of IR & SPB are slightly spoiled by some ridiculous picturization . I have given the link that has only audio!

18. 1986-Pani Vizhum Iravu -Mouna Raagam-Vaali-Duet with S Janaki

Mouna Raagam was not only a great musical bonanza with excellent songs, it also had a superb background score. It was difficult for me to select from Nilave Vaa , Mandram Vantha thendralukku and Pani vizhum Iravu…although in this blog  I have tried to focus mostly on solo songs  of SPB , I thought this one duet of the evergreen pair SPB & S Janaki should be definitely included. Of course, their duets alone should be the topic of many blogs!

19. 1989-Manguile poonguile-Karakaatakkaran-Gangai Amaran

SPB completely moulds his voice to suit a folk artist and what we get is an absolute stunner. The way he renders that “ Yammmma” is just delightful!!

20. 1989-Keladi kanmani-Puthu Puthu Arthangal-Vaali

Twenty songs from a vast ocean may not fulfil even the statistical sampling size rule. All SPB fans would not be satisfied with this miniscule listing …but I have to carry forward many of his songs with IR for future blogs for brevity sake. This is just a tip of the iceberg. The last one in my selection is an example of how SPB and IR worked together to give hundreds of such haunting melodies. The chorus used in this song is excellent.

Part 2-SPB With M.S. Vishwanathan

If the association of SPB with IR gave a grand feast of songs that were rich in orchestration , we have in contrast, the other legend of Tamil film music, the Mellisai Mannar bringing out the best of SPB’s vocal strength. The ‘70’s were the years in which  Tamil film music was going through lot of changes-the old were giving way to the new, people’s tastes were changing and there was still lot of impact of Hindi film music ( till the arrival of IR). From 1969 till 1976 , SPB’s singing was moulded by MSV and few other music composers whom we shall be looking in the third part of my blog. There was a raw, very young voice of SPB that was like an uncut diamond and went through an evolutionary phase. In the songs at the very beginning , he had to match his singing to the leading heroes of those times, MGR & Sivaji Ganesan and hence we can hear a different SPB from what we hear in his peak association with IR . MSV’s style was more towards creating excellent tunes and  relying less on  orchestration . In these 12 songs , you can get a perspective of SPB’s vocal dynamics that were so beautifully brought out by MSV

1. 1971-Aayiram Ninaivu Aayiram Kanavu-Avalukkendru Oru Manam-Kannadasan

The very beginning humming of SPB sets the tone of the song..full of joy and energy. Shades of TMS  in style? Definitely not the nasal tones.

2. 1971-Pottu Vaitha Mugamo-Sumathi En Sundari-Kannadasan-Humming by B Vasantha

One of the early super hits of MSV & SPB…will remain an evergreen number. B Vasantha was a singer who was mostly used for exquisite humming in songs those days. This time SPB sings for the Nadigar Thilagam , almost sounding like him. MSV in his inimitable style comes out with a scintillating tune and orchestration.

3. 1971-Maathamo Avani-Utharavindri Ulle Vaa-Kannadasan-Duet with P Susheela

MSV creates a magical charanam that takes off with lot of energy as compared to the soft Pallavi. SPB’s youthful voice and P Susheela’s melodious voice complement each other so well.

4. 1973-Aval Oru Navrasa Nadagam-Ulagam Sutrum Valiban-Kannadasan

The film Ulagam Sutrum Valiban was MGR’s magnum opus that ran for many weeks and was a hit even in so many reruns. The film’s music was also evergreen This one was the only one song by SPB in that film. Just observe how he matches his singing  to suit Makkal Thilagam MGR’s trademark , full throated style of enacting a song on screen.

5. 1977-Angum Ingum Paathai-Avargal-Kannadasan

K Balachandar-MSV-Kannadasan—these three , whenever they joined together , gave some of the everlasting melodies. Many songs were composed , written, and picturised in manner that gave the gist of the entire film in a 3-minute song. This is one such gem. Also, one of my personal favourites . By the year 1976-77 , SPB had developed his own style. Observe how each and every word is delineated by SPB in his singing to convey the perfect import of that word! Amazing…

6. 1977-Vaan Nila Nila Alla-Pattina Pravesam-Kannadasan

What can one write about this song? Kannadasan took up the challenge given by MSV with a tune that he initially found difficult to write the lyrics , but once MSV hummed it with la..la..la then the pen of Kannadasan never stopped! And to complement these two legends  , SPB made this a song that even centuries cannot erase from this world by his impeccable singing. The orchestration is typical MSV, with that superb solo violin played by his trusted lieutenant Joseph Krishna.

7. 1978-Kamban Yemaanthan-Nizhal Nijamagirathu-Kannadasan

One more gem from the golden quartet of K Balachandar, MSV, Kaviarasar and SPB.

8. 1978-Ilakkanam Marutho Ilakkiyam Aanatho-Nizhal Nijamagirathu-Kannadasan-Duet with Vani Jayaram

Like I had mentioned earlier, the same golden quartet continues to enthral , with Vani Jayaram adding her own touch. The film Nizhal Nijamagirathu had just two songs only and somehow both made their way into my selection!

9. 1979-Namma Ooru Singari-Ninaithale Inikkum-Kannadasan

By the late 70’s when IR had almost taken over the Tamil film music into his fold, MSV came out with a stunning score in this film. My selection mostly has a strong tilt towards the melodious songs of SPB, but for a change , listen to this rocking number. The modulation in his voice is simply out the world.

10. 1979-Therottam Ananda-Nool Veli-Kannadasan

A masterpiece from MSV , Kannadasan and SPB that is  now mostly forgotten. An intricate rhythm pattern and as usual the Kaviarasar in full flow with all words ending with ‘ attam’ and ottam’..which only he is capable of writing. Above all the way SPB showcases his masterly skill -just listen to the way he adds a special touch to “ chinna chinna” , “vanna vanna” , “ yenna yenna” what a beauty!

11. 1981-Raagangal Pathinaaru-Thillu Mullu-Kannadasan

A classical masterpiece by SPB , with that typical MSV ‘s unique style in presenting an intricate tune. The tabla & sitar  simply weave a magic along with SPB!

12. 1982-Unakkenna Mele Nindrai-Simla Special-Vaali

The last song in my MSV-SPB section-a dance number rendered with full gusto by SPB.

Part 3- SPB With Other music composers

 I have now listed out some outstanding songs of SPB that he had sung under the music direction of other composers. Now a disclaimer  at the beginning: I have not included many music directors who were active after the 90’s and so many fans would be disappointed to see famous names like Deva, Vidyasagar, Harris Jayaraj etc missing. My own limited or almost zero  knowledge on songs made after early or mid-  90’s is the main reason for not including them.

One can get a totally different feel of SPB’s singing for these composers; some of these are full of energy, some soulful, some with strong classical base and some full of pathos. I hope readers would find these songs almost in the same league as those he had sung with the two great legends IR & MSV. Now one more disclaimer -many would get offended with me for including A.R. Rehman in ‘ others’ – it is nothing to do with the composer and more about my own lack of exposure to ARR’s songs.

1. 1971-Thoduvathenna thendralo malargalo-Sabatham–G K Venkatesh

G K Venkatesh had scored music for very few films in Tamil and was more prolific in the Kannada films . Both MSV & IR were in awe of his composing and technical skills in recording. This SPB number is almost an identity for GKV’s Tamil film music.

2. 1975-Samsaram Enbathu Veenai-Mayangukiral Oru Madhu- Vijay Bhaskar

Just like GKV, Vijay Bhaskar was also more famous in Kannada films. He was assistant to many legendary composers in Hindi film music also. This is one of SPB’s rare but superb song. That phrase  “ Manam.. Gunam” is the highlight!

3. 1975-Unnai Naan Paarthathu-Pattikatu Raja–Shankar Ganesh-Vaali

A peppy , energetic song by SPB, with that famous humming..pa pa pa pa!

4. 1976-Nanda Nee Yen Nila-Asai 60 naal–V Dakshinamoorthy-Ra Pazhanisami

In my blog on 50 years of the Tamil film music, I had included this song. V Dakshnimaurthy was always treated with respect by all in the industry.. his main focus was in Malayalam films , but he gave this superlative Dharmavati raagam based song to SPB to ensure that this song and SPB’s name remain etched permanently in listener’s memory. An extra-ordinarily long Pallavi rendered superbly by SPB.

5. 1978-Mazhai Tharumo Yen Megam-Manitharil Ithanai Nirangala -Shyam-Kannadasan-Humming by S.P Shailaja

Samuel Joseph, known by the name Shyam in films, was more into Malayalam films and this lilting melody caresses you as you listen.

6. 1978-Mathanotsavam-Sathurangam –V Kumar-Vaali-Duet with Vani Jayaram

V Kumar was a low profile but highly talented music director who could get only a limited  success , what with other legends dominating the music scene. This is a forgotten song and definitely deserves to be in SPB’s best song list.

7. 1979-Poonthenil Kalanthu Ponvandu -Yenippadigal—K V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

After giving his major break for SPB with the song Aayiram Nilave vaa, it was after many years that K.V. Mahadevan  gave SPB a memorable song in this 1979 film. Typical under-stated orchestration of KVM but he gave lot of scope for SPB to demonstrate his vocal skills.

8. 1979-Naan ennum pozhudu -Azhiyada Kolangal–Salil Chowdhury-Gangai Amaran

Salil Chowdhury was a legend in Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam film music. In his few Tamil films , he made a great mark and this one , which was originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Bengali and Hindi got a fresh feel with SPB’s impeccable rendition.

9. 1980-Shankara Natha Shareerapara-Shankrabharanam-K.V Mahadevan-Veeturi Sundararamamoorthy ( Telugu)

Usually,  I have not mixed other language songs in my blogs, but this one can definitely be a welcome exception. This film’s music cut across all language barriers and remains one of SPB’s best in terms of some one not having learnt classical music formally , but giving out his best for a film that was all about classical music.

10. 1982-Moongilile Paatisaikkum-Ragam Thedum Pallavi-Music & Lyrics by T Rajendar

T Rajendar’s music and lyrics were unconventional- he created his own style and many of his songs were very catchy and caught the attention of people in the 80’s.

The ending of each charanam is so nicely rendered by SPB.

11. 1992-Kaadhal Rojave–ARR-Roja-Vairamuthu-Humming by Sujatha

A R Rehman stormed the Tamil music scene with the bilingual  hit Roja. SPB , with subtle stress in the words and phrases, provides a soulful song.

12. 1993-En Veetu Thotathil–ARR-Gentleman-Vairamuthu-Duet with Sujatha

The very early tunes of ARR were so different and he created his own style just like how IR created when he entered in with Annakili. Of course, this song got the added punch with some excellent singing by our SPB-the romance just oozes out through his voice.

13. 1994- En Kaadale En Kaadale —Duet- ARR-Vairamuthu

If one has to select one song of SPB & ARR as the best, this one would definitely take the cake. That “ Killuvathai Killivittu” makes one’s eyes moist.

14. 1994-Mettu Podu Mettu Podu—Duet-ARR-Vairamuthu-With the starting lines by P Susheela

A fantastic duet between SPB & the saxophone played by Kadiri Gopalnath. Songs of these types are just a child’s play for SPB!

I hope I was able to do a tiny bit of my tribute to this legendary and most prolific singer. One of the most striking features of his voice was that it never seemed to age! Hope I shall try to showcase more songs in my future blogs.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. Ms Subashree Thanickachalam’s QFR series in Ragamalika You Tube channel
4. A close friend of mine for providing list of SPB’s songs

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

Exactly two years ago I started this  blogsite,  www.musicunrestricted.in . I could complete around 30 different blogs on various legendary artists in both Hindi & Tamil film music. Writing about the great contribution to Hindi and Tamil music by these legends  has given me immense satisfaction and I feel it is the blessing from the Almighty and encouragement from my friends and family that keeps me motivated  to  write.

In the last two years, it has indeed been an enriching experience for me to listen to the excellent songs by various artists. I have now realised what a challenging task it is going to be for me as I have a huge list of artists to be covered in my blogs, both in Hindi and Tamil films music. However, on the birth and death anniversaries of Rafi sahab, I always make it a point to write about  few of his songs and pay my humble tribute  and so this 24^th December 2023,  the 99^th birth anniversary of Mohammad Rafi Sahab  the blog is about him.   

We are just   a year away from celebrating his birth centenary. The immense variety in Rafi’s singing will keep all his fans mesmerized for many years to come. And so, for  bloggers like me there can never be a dearth of topics on which I can write about as Rafi sahab has left behind a huge legacy for us.

So far I have focussed more on Rafi’s solos in my blogs and for a change I thought why not look at his excellent duets with so many singers . Before I go further , let us look at some interesting statistics:

Out of the approximate 5400 odd songs that Rafi had sung, his solo songs  are around 2900 , and the rest 2500 are with other singers. Now if we look at those 2500 songs , roughly 2000 are duets with female playback singers duets , 300 are duets with other male playback singers and around 200 are songs with multiple singers .

Doing a further analysis of his 2000 duets with female playback singers  , we have some interesting  observations:

Maximum duets are with Asha Bhonsle( 43%) , followed by Lata Mangeshkar (22%) , Suman Kalyanpur( 8%), Geeta Dutt (7%)   and Shamshad Begum (6%) , together consisting of 86% of his duets. Rest , around  14%  have been with various female playback singers numbering around a whopping 70 different singers!! Of course, some of  these 70 may not be truly singers as there are some songs in which the heroine just hums  few lines . Even if we discount those which can be just a handful , the numbers show how Rafi sahab was  so humble and accommodating to sing with many junior  and upcoming singers. 

One more reason for understanding these numbers for me is to segregate the article into two parts: the first one is about  his fabulous duets with the five major playback singers , i.e Lata , Asha, Suman, Geeta and Shamshad. In the next blog  I will continue  on some of his best duets with the other female playback singers; of course, it will be  impossible to cover all the other  female playback singers , but at least I shall highlight some of the best from that list.

As much as Rafi’s solo songs are great hits, his duets are also equally fascinating. The popular perception is that he had sung most of his  best duets with Lata , which is true to some extent in terms of the highest quality & popularity  of the songs. But as we will discover in this blog, his duets with other singers are equally good and provide a different tonal feel. Each listing has the , song, film ,year , music director and lyricist in that order.   I am starting with the seniormost Shamshad, followed by Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhonsle, and Suman Kalyanpur. Within each section, I have listed the songs in the chronological order of the film’s release.

Departing from my usual format of writing about each song, I am only giving a brief about Rafi’s association with each singer and doing away with describing each song . This is to ensure I cover maximum songs. Also, I am not giving any biography of the female singers as I shall be writing about them in detail individually , in future blogs. Of course, Lata Mangeshkar has already been covered int two of my blogs.

Shamshad Begum

( 14^th April 1919-23^rd April 2013)

Shamshad was quite senior to both Lata and Rafi and it was said that when newcomers Lata, Rafi were getting around Rs 250-300 per song, Shamshad was commanding a princely  Rs 5000 per song. Her voice had a very unique timbre and was compared to the sound of a  temple bell. She had a truly resonating voice and when she sang, all other singers sounded feeble.

Rafi-Shamshad duets have an earthy, Punjabi flavour and when you listen to the song “ La de more baalma aasmani chudiyan” you can understand what a great peppy feel they could bring to the song.

1. Solah Baras K Bhai Umariya-Aag-1948-Ram Ganguly-Behzad Lakhnavi

2. La De Mohe Balma Aasmaani Chudiyan-Rail Ka Dibba-1953-Ghulam Mohammad-Shakeel Badayuni

3. Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar Bharke Aankhon-C.I.D-1956-O.P.Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

4. O Gaadiwale Gaadi Dheere Hank Re-Mother India-1957 -Naushad-Shakeel Badyuni

5. Bheega Bheega Pyaar Ka Sama-Sawan-1959- Hansraj Behl-Prem Dhawan.

Lata Mangeshkar ( 28^th Sep 1929-6^th Feb 2022)

If there was one pair that has given the most memorable duets it has to be Rafi-Lata. Although in terms of numbers , her sister , Asha Bhonsle had sung almost double the number of duets with Rafi, the innate melody and the manner in which Lata & Rafi matched each other , make their duets immortal. It has always been my personal belief that God took the best vocal cords while creating  Lata & Rafi and that is why when they sang together it is sheer bliss to listen. It was really unfortunate that between 1963-67 , both of them did not sing together due to that infamous spat they had over the royalty issue. It is said that in the film Jewel Thief that came in 1967, both ultimately patched up ( Lata was losing out more opportunities than Rafi as Asha & Suman were singing with him!) and the song Dil Pukare Aa Re Aa Re kicked off  their second innings.

I have listed some of the best 14 duets of this golden pair that would give the readers a feel of the immense variety in their singing.

1. Aaja Ke Intezaar Mein-Halaku-1956- Shankar Jaikishan-Shaliendra

2. Chali Chali Re Patang-Bhabhi-1957-Chitragupt-Rajendra Krishan

3. eevan mein piya tera saath-Goonj Uthi Shehnai-1959-Vasant Desai-Bharat Vyas

4. Dheere Dheere Chal Chand Gagan Mein-Love Marriage-1959-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

5. Main Chali Main Chali -Professor-1962- Shankar Jaikishan-Shaliendra

6. Baar Baar Tohe Kya Samjhaye Payal -Aarti-1962-Roshan-Majrooh Sultanpuri

7. Mujhe kitna pyaar hai tumse-Dil Tera Deewana-1962- Shankar Jaikishan-Shaliendra

8. Paaon Choo Lene Do-Taj Mahal-1963-Roshan-Sahir Ludhianvi

9. Yaad Mein Teri Jaag Jaag Ke Hum-Mere Mehboob-1963-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

10. Kabhi raat din hum -Aamne Saamne-1967-Kalyanji Anandji-Anand Bakshi

11. Bekhudi Mein Sanam-Haseena Maan Jayegi-1968-Kalyanji Anandji-Akhtar Romani

12. Ni Sultana Re Pyar Ka Mausam Aaya-Pyar Ka Mausam- 1969-R.D Burman-Majrooh Sultanpuri

13. Meri Duniya Mein Tum Aayee-Heer Ranjha-1970-Madan Mohan-Kaifi Azmi

14. Mujhe Teri Mohabbat Ka Sahara Mil Gaya Hota-Aap Aaye Bahar Aayee-1971-Laxmikant Pyarelal-Anand Bakshi

Geeta Dutt ( 23^rd Nov 1930-20^th July 1972)

Most of the Guru Dutt films had his wife Geeta Dutt as the lead female playback singer and of course Rafi was the most preferred singer for Guru Dutt. Geeta Dutt’s voice had a very unique quality that could suit the entire gamut of emotions-playful, soulful, pathos, sensuous . She was truly versatile and many of her duets with Rafi are super hits even today. She had a very sad personal life and passed away at a very young age of 42. Her marriage with Guru Dutt failed and that made her severely depressed leading to alcohol, and  ultimately ruining her life.

1. Sun Sun Sun Sun Zaalima -Aar Paar-1954-O.P.Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

2. Udhar Tum Haseen Ho-Mr & Mrs 55-1955-O.P.Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

3. Ankhon Hi ankhon mein Ishara-C.I.D-1956-O.P Nayyar-Jaan Nissar Akhtar

4. Hum Aapki Ankhon Mein Is Dil-Pyaasa-1957-S.D.Burman-Sahir Ludhianvi

5. Tum Jo Mile Mere Humsafar-12 ‘O’ Clock-1958-O.P. Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

6. Rim Jhim Ke Tarane Leke-Kala Bazaar-1960-S.D.Burman-Shailendra

Asha Bhonsle ( Born 8^th Sep 1933)

The living legend , Asha Bhonsle needs no introduction. One of the most versatile and prolific singers, she  has sung the maximum number of duets with Rafi. Her early career was shaped to a great extent by O.P Nayyar, S.D Burman and Ravi , and to a lesser extent by many other music directors. However, the popular name that a majority know is that of  R.D Burman. Many duets of Rafi and Asha are astounding, showcasing their amazing skills in rendering intricate tunes with so much of ease.

1. Hum Safar Saath Apna Chhod Chale-Aakhri Dao-1958-Madan Mohan-Majrooh Sultanpuri

2. Deewana Mastana Hua Dil-Bambai Ka Babu-1960- S.D Burman- Majrooh Sultanpuri

3. Abhi Na Jao Chodkar-Hum Dono-1961-Jaidev-Sahir Ludhianvi

4. Mein Pyar Ka Rahi Hoon-Ek Musafir Ek Haseena-1962-O.P.Nayyar-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan

5. Khanke To Khanke Kyun Khanke Jab Raat Ko Chamke-Vallah Kya Baat Hai-1962-Roshan-Prem Dhawan

6. Ye Khamoshiyan Ye Tanhaiyan-Yeh Raaste Hain Pyarke-1963-Ravi-Rajendra Krishan

7. Deewana Hua Badal, -Kashmir Ki Kali -1964-O.P.Nayyar-S.H Bihari

8. Ek Chameli ke mandve tale-Cha Cha Cha-1964-Iqbal Quereshi-Makhdoom Mohiuddin

9. Roka Hai Kai Baar Maine Dil Ki Umang Ko-Mere Sanam-1965-O.P Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri

10. Phir Miloge Kabhi Is Baat Ka Wada Kar Lo-Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi-1965- O.P.Nayyar-S.H Bihari

11. Saawan aaye ya na aaye, -Dil Diya Dard Liya-1966-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

12. In Baharon Mein Akele Yu Na Phiro-Mamta -1966-Roshan-Majrooh Sultanpuri

13. Panchi Re O Panchi Ud Ja Re O Panchhi-Hare Kanch Ki Chudiyan-1967-Shankar Jaikishan-Shailendra

14. Raat Ke Humsafar,-An Evening in Paris -1967-Shankar Jaikishan-Shailendra

15. Hum Intezaar Karenge Tera Qayamat Tak-Bahu Begum-1967-Roshan-Sahir Ludhainvi

Suman Kalyanpur (Born: 28^th January 1937)

Sometimes , for an artist , one single quality becomes both a boon and a bane. Suman Kalyanpur’s voice resembles that of Lata so closely that many a times a song actually sung by Suman is wrongly attributed to Lata. For many years even I had thought of the song “ Mera Pyar Bhi Tu Hai” -a duet sung by Mukesh and Suman in the film Saathi as a Mukesh-Lata duet!

Suman has a very strong training in classical music and she has a wide repertoire of songs in Marathi. The period 1963-67, when Lata did not sing with Rafi became her most prolific time in Hindi films and one can observe that by looking at the years in the songs that I have listed below. I would prefer not to write about any controversies on how her career was supressed as I always prefer to talk about the artist ‘s music only. Rafi, as usual , had a very good association with Suman and had sung many romantic and classically acclaimed duets with her.

1. Dil Ek Mandir Hai-Dil Ek Mandir-1963- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

2. Ajhoon Na Aaye-Saanjh Aur Sawera-1964-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

3. Tujhe Pyaar Karte Hain-April Fool-1964- Shankar Jaikishan- Hasrat Jaipuri

4. Itna  Hai Tumse Pyaar Mujhe -Suraj-1966- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

5. Dil-E-Betaab Ko Seene Se-Palki-1967-Naushad-Shakeel Badayuni

6. Tujhe Dekha Tujhe Chaaha-Choti Si Mulakat-1967-Shankar Jaikishan- Hasrat Jaipuri

7. Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar-Bramhachari-1968- Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources  for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. www.geetmanjusha.com

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned  & embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

1^st May 1919-24^th Oct  2013

The most popular male playback singers in  Hindi films from late 1940’s till 80’s were : Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh , Kishore Kumar , Manna  Dey  , Talat Mehmood, and Mahendra Kapoor. Among them , Rafi & Kishore definitely have a great fan following, while Talat Mehmood and Mukesh, created  their own niche and have a dedicated set of listeners. However, it is indeed surprising to note that although  Manna  Dey sang more songs than Mukesh and Talat Mehmood, relatively he is less-talked about. Prabodh Chandra Dey, popularly known as Manna Dey , though much  respected & admired  for his strong classical base and some memorable romantic  & philosophical songs , did not have a large fan-following . Even I am guilty of writing about him only after my blogs on Rafi, Kishore, Talat & Mukesh! . This lapse of mine is purely unintentional but somewhat reflects the general perception. One possible reason for this could be  due to the fact that most of his songs were  picturized as background/title songs or on a character/obscure actor. Of course,  Raj Kapoor was the notable exception for whom MD( I will refer to him henceforth in this article as MD)  sang many great songs ,albeit after Mukesh, who was his main voice. So , with due apologies to one of the most talented and classically well-trained legendary singer  Manna Da ,  as he is affectionately called, I shall try to do some justice for the inadvertent lapse on my part!

I have also taken up quite a large number of songs as each and every one of them is a classic. Like Mukesh & Talat, for MD  also, quality overpowered quantity. Very few of his songs can be considered as mediocre. That really puts lot of pressure for a blog writer in selecting his best!

Prabodh Chandra Dey was born on 1^st May 1, 1919, which makes him older in  age to Rafi , Mukesh and Talat by 4-5 years and  Kishore by 10 years. His mother Mahamaya & father Purna Chandra Dey influenced him a lot in music during his early years. Later, he was trained  by his paternal uncle Krishna Chandra Dey from whom he learnt classical music formally. Apart from his uncle he had  training under Ustad Aman Ali Khan, who was a classical composer and vocalist under the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana. These learnings  made him the singer with the best classically trained voice in Hindi film music.

MD  started assisting his uncle K.C Dey and later S.D. Burman , who incidentally learned music from his uncle along with him in early years. After a stint in assisting other music directors and even working as independent music composer , he got his first singing break through the song “Gayi tu gayi Seeta sati” in the film Ram Rajya, 1943, under the music direction of Shankar Rao Vyas. Although he sang few other songs for other music directors , it was in 1950, with the song Upar Gagan Vishal for the film Mashal, under the music direction of S.D Burman , that MD got his major break.

In the years that followed , two songs-Dharti Kahe Pukarke – Mausam beeta jaaye and Hariyala Sawan Dhol Bajata Aaya from the 1953 film Do Bhiga Zameen brought him more fame. The great music maestros Shankar-Jaikishan ( S-J) , especially Shankar was instrumental in giving MD  some of his career best songs and also brought a new facet of his singing to the fore -romantic duets. His songs from the Raj Kapoor films like Shree 420, Chori Chori( Pyaar Hua Ekraar Hua Hai, Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandini mein Hum, Yeh raat bheegi , etc ) are still fresh in everyone’s mind.

MD  himself has talked about in great lengths about the contribution of Shankar in boosting  his career and so my blog is arranged in two parts. The first part is on  some of his best songs (13) with S-J and the second part , 20 of his songs with 17  other music directors .

With approximately 3000+ songs in Hindi films in  career spanning a glorious 50 years , MD has left for us a legacy of some of the best classical , philosophical, romantic, and soulful melodies and it is indeed a difficult task to list out 33 from them. Song, name of film and its year of release, lyricist and co-singers is the sequence followed.

PART 1-Manna Dey  with Shankar-Jaikishan

Shankar-Jaikishan

The music duos , Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal ruled the Hindi film music world for two decades , with so many unforgettable melodies. Although they had worked primarily with Rafi & Mukesh, without any doubt, they played a major  role in giving a major boost to MD career. MD  himself has talked a great deal about this and it really pains me to  see in some books and blog sites, that  this fact is ignored. That is the reason I have taken up the listing into two separate parts. It was Shankar who insisted that only  MD  should  render the song Sur Na Saje Kya Gaaon Mein from Baiju Bawara although the producer, director wanted Rafi to sing. Similarly , when the producer of the film Chori Chori wanted only Mukesh to sing all the songs  as he was the natural choice  for Raj Kapoor, it was once again Shankar who insisted that the producer should listen to MD ’s songs and then decide. The songs of Chori Chori turned out to be the best evergreen duets and proved the faith that Shankar had in MD  to render even romantic songs. I am sure after listening to them , one can appreciate  the immense variety in MD ’s singing and what a great role  S-J played in his  career.

1. Lapak Jhapak-Boot Polish -1954-Hasrat Jaipuri

One of the earliest associations of MD  with S-J. His classical strength has been utilised so nicely by S-J. Only a great character actor like David can pull off a superb on-screen enactment , sitting inside a jail and entertaining his fellow jail-mates. A timeless classic that is now very rarely heard.

2. Ab Kahan Jaayen hum-Ujala-1959-Shailendra

The film Ujala is unique for the fact that it had Shammi Kapoor in a sober role , long before his Elvis Presley style rock & roll star image . In the film Ujala , instead of Rafi , who later became the de-facto  voice of Shammi Kapoor,  Mukesh and MD  did the honours. This song is remarkable for the fact that S-J utilized the  chorus as the main orchestration , along with MD ’s soulful rendition of Shailendra’s superb lyrics.

3. Yeh raat bheegi bheegi-Chori Chori-1956-Shailendra-With Lata Mangeshkar

The film Chori Chori can be considered as a landmark for MD  for the two greatest duets he had sung with Lata-Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandini and Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi. Apart from this there were Jahan Mein Jati Hoon and also a great humming by MD  in Pancchi banoon Udti phiroon. This was the film in which the producer ( AVM films from south) had initially insisted that only Mukesh should sing, but it was Shankar who pitched in strongly for MD  and ultimately turned out to be  great musical hit. The duets in this film proved that MD  can render  romantic songs with equal finesse as the classical , bhajans, philosophical ones that he was stereotyped into.

4. Tu Pyar ka sagar hai-Seema-1955-Shailendra

One can appreciate why I had devoted a separate section for MD ’s songs with the great S-J as some of the career best songs of the former came from this golden duo. Poignant lyrics by the great Shailendra brought to life by MD ’s superb singing.

5. Jhanak Jhanak Tori Baaje Payaliya-Mere Huzoor-Hasrat Jaipuri

Whenever the best classical based songs of MD  are talked about, this one will always be there at the top five. A masterly Darbari Kanada raag based composition , that etched MD ’s name in golden letters in the annals of Hindi film music.

6. Ketaki Gulab Juhi Champak-Basant Bahar-1956-Shailendra-With Pt. Bhimsen Joshi

I had to include all the three songs from this milestone film for both MD  and S-J. Many would have heard the story behind this song narrated by the legend himself. How he had even thought of running away to Pune to escape from singing this song that was picturized as a competition song with the legendary classical singer Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. Ultimately his wife insisted that he should  give all his best and not to lose heart. What an evergreen masterpiece this turned out to be!

7.. Sur Na Saje Kya Gaaon Mein-Basant Bahar-1956-Shailendra

Similar to how Shankar fought for MD  in Chori Chori,  he had strongly pitched for him against the wishes of the producer-director who wanted Rafi to sing this song as it was picturized on Bharat Bhushan. Shankar had insisted that he had composed Sur Na Saje only  with MD  in mind . It is well known  that  S-J had composed some of the best songs for Mukesh and Rafi but those days, the composers knew who was the best choice for a particular  song and  were truly great to stick to their beliefs. That is why we got such immortal songs from them with different singers.

8.. Bhay Bhanjana Vanna-Basant Bahar-1956-Shailendra

A song that appears to be simple , but one has to listen intently to appreciate how difficult it is to sing and really wonder at MD ’s ability to make it so easy. Whenever I listen to this song, my eyes automatically become moist. The power of the tune and MD ’s rendition truly moves you. The last part of the song is never heard in the audio versions-please do listen to that in the link provided below.

9.. Dil Ka Haal-Shree 420-1955-Shailendra

It is to the credit of S-J to bring to limelight, MD ’s ability to sing lighter, folksy songs . What a simple tune and orchestration , with MD  going all out and making it a great song, suitably aided by Shailendra’s poetry that conveys  life’s philosophy in a language that even a layman can understand.

10. Chalat Musafir-Teesri Kasam-1966-Shailendra

The combination of MD  & S-J  come out with another iconic  folk song , that is so infectiously catchy that you feel like taking a dholak and sing along.

11. Dil Ki Girah Khol do-Raat Aur Din-1967-Shailendra-With Lata Mangeshkar

Long before R D Burman made MD  sing some western style songs  like Aao twist kare, it was S-J who gave this beautiful waltz , that can even be counted among the top most romantic songs of Hindi films.

12. Re Man Sur Mein Gaa-Lal Pathar-1971-Neeraj-With Asha Bhonsle

A hidden gem from the film Lal Pathar that had two other memorable songs -Geet gaata hoon mein by Kishore and Unke Khayal aaye tho by Rafi. I fail to understand why such songs are almost forgotten now and very rarely heard . Asha and MD  show their superb strength in the classical genre.

13. Kaal Ka Pahiya Ghoome Bhaiyya-Chanda Aur Bijili-1969-Gopaldas Neeraj

I conclude the section on MD  ‘s immortal association with the great maestros Shankar-Jaikishan with this scintillating bhajan . Neeraj and S-J had a great association , especially with Shankar. The lyrics , simple but superb tune and a classic rendition by MD  make this one of the greatest bhajans. Neeraj conveys profound philosophy in this song…this is almost an eight-minute song that appears in the film at various scenes. Songs like these are “ Made for MD ”!

PART 2-Manna Dey  with Other composers

Even at the risk of making this blog too lengthy , I have chosen  as many as 13 songs from the golden team of S-J and MD  and again 20 songs by other music directors. Even this is not an exhaustive list as many gems might be missed out! The immense variety & quality in MD ’s  repertoire  definitely deserves an elaborate listing.

Although I waxed eloquently about the golden combination of MD  & S-J, his songs with many other legendary music directors are no way inferior. It has always been my goal to showcase all the great  artists  without any bias. I hope readers will be able to appreciate the multi-faceted singing of MD  with  17 different music composers. Except for S.D.Burman, Kanu Roy and Salil Chowdhury, I have selected only one song per composer. The listing is arranged based on alphabetical order of the music director’s name with each song having the film, year , lyricist, and any co-singer mentioned in that order.

C.Ramachandra

Mere Jeevan Mein Kiran banke-Talaq-1958-Kavi Pradeep

Chitalkar Ramachandra himself was a good singer and rendered many songs and whenever he chose other singer he preferred Talat Mehmood to a great extent and Rafi to a lesser extent. As such MD ’s association with CR  was very limited. This lilting duet is a signature CR style , with that tabla tempo changing so nicely in the first antara . Few other songs from this pair are Insaan ka insaan se ho bhaichara from the film Paigam and Tu chupi Hai Kahan from Navrang.

Dattaram Gaikwad

Masti Bhara Yeh Sama-Parvarish-1958- Hasrat Jaipuri-With Lata Mangeshkar

Dattaram Gaikwad, who assisted  Shankar-Jaikishan for their percussion arrangement , individually composed some superb songs. Film Parvarish was one of his masterpieces -who can forget Mukesh’s soulful Aansoo bhari hai yeh Jeevan ki rahen?! . Like how S-J utilized MD ’s vocals for some of the best romantic duets, Dattaram proves he is no less than his mentors with this song. That accordion interlude is simply out of the world!

Jaidev

Chale Jaa Rahen Hai Mohobbat Ke Mare-Kinare Kinare-1964- -Nyay Sharma

Jaidev was one music director who never latched on to any particular singer and had composed wonderful songs with many male & female playback singers. The film Kinare Kinare, for e.g., had three great songs -Chale Jaa Rahen Hain  by MD , Mukesh’s Jab gam-e-ishq satata hai to hans leta hoon,  Rafi’s mesmerizing Teri Tasveer Bhi Tujh jaisi and Talat’s Dekh Li Teri Khudayee. Truly great achievement of Jaidev to give superb songs to all the four legends in one single film.

Kalyanji-Anandji

Kasme vade pyaar wafa-Upkaar-1967- Indeevar

An iconic song that gave a completely new image to the great actor Pran who, till then was known for his negative roles only. With bare minimum orchestration, Kalyanji-Anandji gave MD  one of his best songs ever. As the cliché goes, imitation is the best form of flattery-the well-known music maestro from South , Ilayaraja , who is an institution by himself , and has very rarely taken other tunes , was very much inspired by this song. He took this entire song  into a Tamil film  with the legendary K.J Yesudas rendering  Kanavu Kaanum Vaazhkai Yaavum.

Kanu Roy

Phir Kahin Koi Phool Khila-Anubhav-1971- -Kapil Kumar

Hindi film world sadly ignored many  genius artists. Whenever I listen to the songs of Kanu Roy, I feel that how the industry failed to give more opportunities to him. His songs in the film Anubhav, Avishkar and Grihapravesh and even his very first film Uski Kahani -all are hidden gems. Few years back good old Vividh Bharati used to play these, but looks like now-a-days, even they have forgotten him!

I have included both the masterpieces he composed for MD  as they are simply out of this world ! Brings out MD ’s voice is such a beautiful way.

Hasne ki chaah ne itna-Aavishkar-1974-Kapil Kumar

An offbeat film for the first super-star of Hindi films, Rajesh Khanna, this is a masterpiece from Kanu Roy & MD . Written by a relatively unknown lyricist Kapil Kumar, the words are truly profound. A lifetime best rendition by the legend.

Laxmikant -Pyarelal

Tum gagan ke chandrama-Sati Savitri-1964- -Bharat Vyas-With Lata Mangeshkar

Many-a-times it so happens that  a gem of a song is composed for a relatively obscure film. Laxmikant & Pyarelal come out with a classic duet , written in  chaste Hindi by the venerable Kavi Bharat Vyas.

Madan Mohan

Kaun aaya mere man ke dware-Dekh Kabira Roya-1957- Rajendra Krishan

Madan Mohan, being the Ghazal king, worked mostly with Talat & Rafi for his exquisite ghazals but when he wanted to compose a classical song in Raag Rageshri, it is obvious that he chose MD . It is really to the credit of MD  that even with few songs that he could get from a composer, he made it a memorable one for himself and for the composer.

Naushad

Jundariya   Katati Jaaye Re-Mother India -1957-Shakeel Badayuni

For the maestro Naushad, it was mostly Rafi among male playback singers and Lata among the female singers. Although these are, no doubt ,immortal golden songs, one does feel that Naushad could have utilized MD  in more number of classical songs. Both were so adept in the classical genre that one fails to understand why he composed only a handful of solo songs for MD . But still , the maestro did compose few memorable songs for MD  like this one from the epic film Mother India.

O.P.Nayyar

Tu Hai Mera Prem Devata-Kalpana-1960–Qamar Jalalabadi-With Mohd Rafi

One more example of a composer not having worked much with MD . For OPN’s style it was always Rafi and later, when he fell out with Rafi for a brief period , he composed some great songs  with Mahindra Kapoor, Mukesh & Kishore. For this rare male-male duet set in raag Lalit , his natural choice was MD  apart from Rafi. A superb duet in which MD , obviously excels, but Rafi , even if comparatively less trained in classic music as compared to the former, renders it in his own soulful manner.

Rahul Dev Burman

Aayo Kahan Se Ganshyam-Buddha Mil Gaya-1971- -Majrooh Sultanpuri

Whenever Pancham composes a song strongly rooted in classical raag, it is always  a delightful one to hear. Personally , I mostly prefer such compositions of R D Burman rather than the ones he is usually famous for . Pancham also gave MD  some western style and outrageously comical songs like Aao Twist Karen and Ek Chatur Naar Karke Singaar.

Ravi Shankar Sharma

Ae Mere Zohra Jabeen-Waqt-1965- -Sahir Ludhianvi

Like many other music composers, for Ravi also , MD  had sung few songs only. For Ravi , it was mostly Rafi followed by Mahindra Kapoor. But as we had observed earlier in the blog, whatever MD  sang, became a milestone song . This is a perennial favourite  whenever a wedding song or a romantic one  at a mature age theme is talked about.

Ravindra Jain

Door Hai Kinara- Saugar-1973- Music & Lyrics

To the best of my knowledge this is the best song from the rare combination of MD  & the great music director-cum- lyricist Ravindra Jain. A typical “ Maajhi”-boatsman song , one more example of a great song that is now very rarely heard. To be very frank, till the time of writing this blog, I never knew this was composed by Ravindra Jain! A hidden gem.

Roshan Lal Nagarath

Laga Chunri Menin Daag-Dil Hi Toh Hai-1963- Sahir Ludhianvi

Whenever one talks about MD ’s songs this is always at the top. What else can one expect from Roshan -he composed the career best songs for all the legendary singers -Rafi, Talat & Mukesh and for MD , this can be considered as the Mt Everest. Even today, if there is a singing competition, aspiring singers would always like to attempt this to prove their mettle. With the great poet Sahir coming with superlative metaphors and MD ’s ‘out-of-the world’ taans towards the end of the song, this song can never be explained. One has to keep listening again and again and immerse oneself into it fully. Of course, there is one more great qawwali that Roshan had composed for MD  that he sang along with Rafi, Asha , S.D Batish and Sudha Malhotra-Na to caarvaan ki talash-Yeh Ishq hai -I had written a very elaborate note on this song  in my blog on Roshan-Sahir team combination.

Sachin Dev Burman

Poocho Na Kaise- Meri Surat Teri Ankhen-1963- -Shailendra

The most famous and intense composition of S.D. Burman  for MD  is Poocho Na Kaise. Set in Raag Ahir Bhairav, this soulful and stirring rendition by MD  definitely deserved an award which unfortunately he did not get ( there are many such glaring omissions in these awards!). One of the best from this team who were ‘guru-bhai,’ both having learnt  music from MD ’s uncle K.C Dey.

Tere Naina Talash Kare Jise-Talash -1969-Majrooh Sultanpuri

An equally scintillating classical composition as Poocho Na Kaise, but this one is relatively less-talked about. The use of tabla and mridangam by SDB and MD ’s effortless singing makes this an evergreen one.

Salil Chowdhury

Ae mere pyare watan/ Kabuliwala-1961- -Prem Dhawan

Ranked among the topmost patriotic songs, this remains one of the most soulful &  famous  renditions by MD . The way he conveys  the pathos from the heart of a man yearning for his homeland shows that he could convey all types of emotions.

Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli-Anand -1971-Yogesh

It took almost 10 years after Ae mere pyare watan for Salil Chowdhury to offer MD  one more landmark composition. Film Anand is well known for excellent songs of Salil  and this one, written so beautifully by Yogesh, picturised in the yester-year pristine Juhu beach of Mumbai is permanently etched in everyone’s memory.

Usha Khanna

Apne Liye Jiye To kya jiye- Bal-1966-Javed Anwar

Usha Khanna is the lone , commercially successful female music director in the golden era of Hindi film music. Before her there were Jaddan Bai and Saraswati Devi, who belonged to the vintage era, i.e., pre-1940’s. In her songs one can observe influence of various other music directors’ style, which she herself had talked about. One can easily mistake this to be a Shankar-Jaikishan style composition. Written by her father ( Manohar Khanna) under the pseudonym Javed Anwar , this is a memorable song of MD  that is almost forgotten now-a-days. Nice philosophical lines , rendered with full energy by MD.

Vasant Desai

Nirbhal se lai balwan ki-Toofan Aur Diya-1956- -Bharat Vyas

It is only once in a lifetime we come across such epic compositions. Written by the great Kavi Bharat Vyas that describes the struggle of the weak or supressed against the mighty & powerful, each and every word is not written, but sculpted. With MD ’s powerful vocals and one more genius , Vasant Desai composing a power-packed tune , these songs should be played more often. Sadly, these are almost faded into oblivion. For me , whenever I hear this song, it motivates me immensely. This is one of those songs that is almost more than 6 minutes long and plays in the background in the film at different stages. By sheer co-incidence of being the last song in alphabetical order, this is the right song to end the blog. No one else could have delivered the powerful lyrics of  this song like MD .

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources  for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. www.geetmanjusha.com

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned and embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights. I would also like to thank various blogs-articles published in the Internet from which I had obtained many information while writing this.

Born: 10^th January 1940

The only way I can write about someone like Kattassery Joseph Yesudas      ( KJY) is by making it into a series. Otherwise,  how can one do justice to an artist who has sung around 50,000 songs, in a career spanning six decades, and won innumerable awards. Padma Sri in 1975, Padma Bhushan in 2002 , Padma Vibhushan in 2017, eight National Award for best male playback singing , various  State Film Awards for Best Singer, Filmfare awards  and a lifetime achievement award- the list goes on.

Above all these awards he has an  immense fan following across the country. Popularly called as KJ Yesudas, Jesudass, affectionately Dasettan and also referred to as a Gaana Gandharvan ( Celestial singer) , he has been most prolific in the South Indian film music and has also sung some excellent songs in Hindi films , apart from few other Indian  languages.

KJY has the unique blend of a mellifluous voice , with a rich tone and with a strong training in classical music , what we listeners get to hear is pure honey-laced music. The impact he made with his singing can be understood by just this anecdote. The noted music director & lyricist in Hindi films , Ravindra Jain was blind and he had composed many hit songs for KJY. Once he had said that if at all his vision is restored, the first person he would like to see would be KJY!.

Born on 10^th January , 1940 to Augustine Joseph & Elizabeth Jospeh, in Kochi, Kerala, his father’s friend, Musician Kunjan Velu Bhagavathar was the first guru for  him. Yesudas completed the Ganabooshanam course at R. L. V. Music Academy, Thrippunithura. Later, due to financial constraints , he  could partially complete his training under the tutelage of the Carnatic music maestro K. R. Kumaraswamy Iyer and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer  at Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvananthapuram. For a brief period, he also studied music under Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, and then  he took advanced training from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.

Having made his debut , with the song: Jaathi Bhedam Matha Dwesham that was written by the venerable Shree Narayana Guru & music composed by the veteran music director M B Sreenivasan, he had his first major break with the Malayalam film Bharya, for which music was composed by G Devarajan. He would then go on to have a glorious career in the Malayalam film music and would inspire many singers in Kerala  to follow his footsteps.  My blogs are  restricted to  Hindi & Tamil film songs and hence I am not going into his Malayalam songs where he became the numero uno.

In Tamil he had his first song under the baton of veteran Veena Vidwan S Balachandar for the off-beat film Bommai ( 1964) that was also directed by him. However, that film got released later and his first released song was Aasai Vantha Pinne that he sang as a duet with B Vasantha for the film Konjum Kumari ( 1963)  for which music was composed by Veda. Both these did not give any fame to him   and he had to wait for the film Kadalikka Neramillai that brought him some attention.

As I had mentioned at the very beginning , it will be impossible to write about his songs in one or two blogs. It has to definitely  run into many parts. In this blog I am trying to showcase only  the early two decades ( 1963 to 1983)  of KJY’s Tamils songs alone, with a promise to continue the series in future.  His rich collection of songs in Hindi would be the topic of a separate blog by me in future.

I have made a humble attempt to write about 27 songs from the early two decades ( roughly 1963-82) , splitting them into 7 from the first decade  and 20 songs in the next decade . The usual disclaimer always holds good-these may not be everyone’s favourite. I have tried to list out songs that showcases the different moods in KJY’s singing and also tried to pick them from a diverse set of music directors. Of course, my personal favourites could have over-ruled the popular ones !

Sequencing is chronological,  based on year of film’s release , with film , year, song, music composer, lyricist and co-singers listed in that order.

The first decade….1964-73

His initial songs in the films  Bommai , Konjum Kumari almost went unnoticed. Then came the super-hit film  Kadalikka Neramillai in the year 1964 in which  two songs  of KJY were well received : Nenjathai alli konjam tha and Yenna Paarvai Unthan Paarvai. During the early years of struggle, KJY sang some excellent songs , but still,  did not get noticed in a big way. His moment of glory started with the iconic song “ Deivam Thantha Veedu “ in the year 1974. However, to my great surprise , as I sat down to write this blog , I came across many forgotten gems which he sang in the initial few years. I am sure many of his fans would love to hear them. Some of the rare gems from  that period are:

1. Kathalikka Neramillai-1964-Yenna Paarvai Unthan Parvai-Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-Duet with P Susheela

The two duets in this film remain the most popular among the listeners from his early films. The visuals evoke nostalgic  memories for those born and brought up in  Chennai of ‘60’s, with a serene Marina beach looking so clean & beautiful!

2. Marakka Mudiyuma-1966-Vasantha Kalam Varumo–T.K. Ramamoorthy-Suratha- P Susheela-humming by KJY

One can wonder why I included  this song in a blog about KJY because he has only a background humming throughout the song. But for two reasons I included this-this was the first film that T. K. Ramamoorthy composed independently after his separation from M S Vishwanathan and also due to the fact that songs that have a male singer humming along the lead female singer are relatively rare. And above all the third reason is that it a forgotten gem and is truly worth mentioning. The humming of KJY enhances Susheela’s excellent rendition. One can say this was one of the best ever composition of T.K Ramamoorthy as an independent composer ( he composed just around 15 films after his split from MSV ) and sadly this song was deleted from the film after having been included  originally, after 5 days of running. When I heard this for the first time while researching for this blog, I was simply mesmerized by the tune and the talam pattern-really  sad that it did not get the due it richly deserved.

3. Thulabaram-1969-Kaatrinile Perum Kaatrinile- G Devarajan-Kannadasan

Originally made in Malayalam under the same title, this film had two great songs-this one by KJY and a duet by TMS & P Susheela-Poonjittu Kannangal . G Devarajan was well known for melodious tunes. KJY brings out the pathos in the song  so well , especially with  the alaap in the interludes.

4. Kalyana Oorvalam-1970-Koonthalile Nei thadavi-R Parthasarathi-Vaali-Duet with S Janaki

A very obscure music director-R Parthasarathi and an equally rare situation for a song where an uncle ( Chittappa) who brings up his brother’s daughter dreams of giving her away in marriage. Nagesh plays the Chittappa role and is a sublime melody with KJY’s voice having a raw emotional appeal. I always have a special liking to the melodious voice of S Janaki in her very early days.

5. Jeeva Nadi-1970-Aruvi Magal Alai Osai-V Dakshinamoorthy-Vaali- Duet with Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi

While researching for the early songs of KJY , I kept discovering more and more unheard gems. Another rare combination of Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi singing a duet with KJY , composed by the legendary Dakshinamoorthy ’ swami’ – as he was reverently called . I am not an expert in identifying the raagam, but as per information available in the Net , this is set in Saaranga ragam.

6. Annai Velankanni-1971-Vaanam Yenum Veedhiyile- G Devarajan-Kannadasan-Duet with Madhuri

The veteran composer from Malayalam films G Devarajan comes out with yet another evergreen classic for KJY from this hit film that had many leading actors playing cameo roles.

7. Karumbu -1973-Thingal Maalai Venkudayan -Salil Chowdhury-from the Tamil literary classic Silappathikaram written by Ilango Adigal.

Probably one of the oldest ever lyrics taken for a film-from the ancient Tamil literary classic Silappathikaram written by Ilango Adigal. Once I came across this song, I found this  simple but melodious  tune very soothing. Music was composed by the great Salil Chowdhury ( who later on gave  KJY a super hit song in Hindi films-Jaaneman Jaaneman). Whatever I could gather from the Internet sources is that the film Karumbu was either  unreleased or had a very short run. With direction  by Ramu Kariat ( of Chemmeen fame), a Malayalee, music composed by a Bengali and another Malayalee singing lyrics from a  Tamil epic with flawless diction. What a great combination and justifies the fact that music transcends language barriers !

This is taken from the Kaanal Vari -the song of the oasis-from Silappathikaram and is in chaste Tamizh of Sangam times. The interpretation of this song is complex and presently beyond the scope of this blog.

The second  decade….1974-83

The  years 1973-74 were a turning point for KJY. He  finally “ arrived” in the Tamil film music world. With MGR’s midas touch  falling upon KJY , he had a hit song in Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban-Thanga Thoniyile . And then came the song that finally ensured that there was no looking back for KJY-the most famous  Deivam Thantha Veedu Veethi Irukku, penned by the great Kavignar Kannadasan and  melodiously tuned by the veteran MSV. This was followed by another scintillating classical one : Athisaya Raagam from the 1975 film Apoorva Ragangal . Finally, the public got hooked on to this great singer and his glorious  journey continued after these super-hit  songs.

1. Aval Oru Thodarkathai-1974-Deivam Thantha Veedu-M.S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

Should I say anything about this song that is well known to everyone  in Tamil Nadu? It is just a timeless classic with Kaviarasar going all out in capturing the philosophy of life , a captivating tune that mesmerizes us till today and above all a rendition that etched KJY’s name in golden letters in Tamil film music.

2. Apoorva Ragangal -1975-Athisaya Raagam Ananda Raagam-M.S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

After almost struggling between the years 1963-1974 in Tamil films , KJY finally got going in the 70’s. One after the other he started giving some iconic songs that made him a household name in T.N. Composed by MSV in a very rare Mahati raagam and then ending it with Bhairavi. It is said that MSV took the help of noted classical singer M. Balamuralikrishna who had suggested this raagam which he had created  in a tetra tonic scale ( only four notes).

3. Swami Ayyappan-1975-Harivarasanam Vishwamohanam-G Devarajan-Kambankudi Kulathu Iyer/Konnakathu Janaki Amma

The famous devotional song on Swami Ayyappan is very closely associated with KJY . I could see in the Internet that the credit for writing this is having some ambiguity and so I have mentioned both the names I could see. Anyone knowledgeable can throw some light on this. KJY later on was advised that the word “ Arivimarthanam” should in fact be split into Ari & Vimarthanam and he used to sing with the corrected version  later on.

4. Then Sindhude Vaanam-1975-Unnidam Mayangugiren-V Kumar-Vaali

One of the most under-rated music composers, V Kumar came out with this masterpiece of a song, that KJY rendered so beautifully. The piano used in this song is simply exceptional. Thanks to Ms Subashree Thanikachalam for giving lot of background information about this song in her QFR YouTube series- I could know that the person who played the piano is Trevor Fernandes. The song has a ghazal feel with superb western style orchestration. One more interesting fact about this song is that originally SPB was supposed to sing this but due to his tight schedule at that time he could not and it went to KJY. KJY himself considered this song among his topmost ones.

5. Bhadrakali-1976-Kannan Oru Kai Kuzhandai-Ilayaraja- Vaali-Duet with P Susheela

An iconic song that , when it was released , used to be heard almost daily in radio- those days it was the only source for many to listen to film songs. This could have been the  first Tamil song of KJY in Ilayaraja’s music. A lilting romantic duet sung as a lullaby between a husband & wife that remains evergreen even today.

6. Manmatha Leelai-1976-Manaivi Amaivathellam-M.S. Vishwanathan-Kannadasan

It seems Kannadasan wrote this specially for MSV , not only as a lyricist, but as his close friend . KJY takes us through the intricate alaapanais with so much ease that only if we listen intently, we can appreciate how much effort he must have actually put in to make it appear so smooth for us!

7. Mogam Muppathu Varsham-1976-Yenadhu Vaazhkai Pathayil-Vijaya Bhaskar-Kannadasan

Music director Vijay Bhaskar was very much known for excellent scores in  Kannada films. He had even assisted the veterans like Naushad and Madan Mohan in Hindi films. Although he had scored  music for very few Tamil films , many of them were great melodies and well known. In this song , KJY as usual renders a masterpiece with the typical play of words by Kannadasan-“எண்ணெய் இல்லை ஒன்றிலே , என்ன இல்லை ஒன்றிலே.”

One more song that has a superb piano playing along.

8. Neethikku Thalaivanangu-1976-Intha Pachhai Kilikkoru-M.S Vishwanathan-Pulamaipithan

Towards the later part of his career, MGR started giving opportunities to both SPB and KJY . Most of the songs KJY sang for MGR were super hits ( as such MGR was known for his great music sense). This lullaby is one of the best from the team of MSV-MGR-KJY.

9. Oru Oothappu Kan Chimittugirathu-1976- Nalla Manam Vaazhga-V Dakshinamoorthy -Kumaradevan

V Dakshinamurthy swamigal ( as he is always reverentially referred to) had scored many songs for KJY in Malayalam and in Tamil films also they had come out with  certain classics like this one. He had made the raagam Kalyana Vasantham popular in film songs with this “ Nalla Manam Vaazhga.” Written by a relatively unknown lyricist Kumaradevan , this remains one of KJY ‘s immortal songs.

The orchestration is simply out of the world.

10. Vaazhvu En Pakkam-1976-Veenai Pesum Athai Meetum- M.S Vishwanathan- Kannadasan- Humming by B S Sashirekha

The decade of ’70 saw KJY coming out with some of his career best songs. Some,  inexplicably fade away from public’s memory. Like this one gem of a song that most would have forgotten. I hope my inclusion here will be liked by many fans of KJY. A superb melody!

11. Meenava Nanban-1977-Thangathil Mugameduthu-M.S Vishwanathan-Muthulingam-Duet with Vani Jayaram

One more super hit song from the team of MGR-MSV & KJY , this time joined by another legend  -Vani Jayaram. When two classically trained singers sing together it is sheer pleasure to hear them take us through a song  with so much of ease. MSV’s percussion is out of the world, especially those short pauses just before the  start of interludes .

12.Andaman Kaathali-1978-Andamanai Paarungal Azhagu-M.S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan- Duet with Vani Jayaram

The composer and singers  remain the same , with a difference that it is now for another legend-Sivaji Ganesan. Whenever duets of KJY and VJ are talked about, this one will be at the top. A special mention should be made on the mind-boggling use of guitar and mandolin by MSV. When the times were changing with new  music directors & style of compositions  coming in , MSV used to prove with songs like this that he was  still the king!

13. Aval Appadithan-1978-Oravugal Thodarkathai- Ilayaraja-Gangai Amaran

Ilayaraja brought out the multi-faceted singing of KJY , especially with songs that have a western feel. This one from an offbeat film Aval Appadithan can be considered as a precursor as two years down the line  another famous song from the same team would come out :Yen Iniya Pon Nilave  from Moodu Pani. The orchestration, especially the piano & flute in this song defines the quintessential maestro , Ilayaraja. This will be among the topmost songs for  both IR & KJY.

14. Mullum Malarum- 1978-Senthazham Poovil -Ilayaraja-Kannadasan

At the very beginning , that fabulous humming by KJY sets the tone for this song. One  of IR’s finest orchestrations that literally takes you through  a musical road trip , with Kaviarasar’s fantastic lines and KJY’s soft-as-velvet voice caressing you gently.

15. Kavariman-1979-Brova Bharama Raghurama-Ilayaraja-Thyagaraja Swamigal

I remember  when this film was released , this song used to be heard regularly in radio. After many years looks like it is totally forgotten now. Long before IR and K Balachandar team came up with several classical numbers in the film Sindhu Bhairavi, this was a  rare Carnatic classical kriti of Saint Thyagaraja used in a film song. Even the famous Telugu film Shankarabharanam that had Carnatic classical music as its mainstay came in the next year.

16. Moodupani-1980-Yen Iniya Pon Nilave-Ilayaraja-Gangai Amaran

The full credit goes to Ilayaraja for bringing out a different style of singing from KJY. It remains a favourite with almost all till today. A classic guitar song of IR, with KJY freaking out with those “ da dara da da daaaaa” intricacies!

17. Thai Pongal-1980-Theertha Karaithanile Shenbaga Pushpangale-Ilayaraja- M.G Vallaban-Duet with Jency

There have been many songs that have somehow got into the “ now -forgotten category” . This is a superb one , with KJY scaling the higher octaves with so much ease. A curious co-incidence-the following lines have a connection to the  song # 7 in the first section ( the song from Silappathikaram-Thingal Maalai Venkudayan).

காவிரி ஓரமாய் கோவலன் காதலி

பூவிழி மாதவி காதலில் பாடிய

கானல் வரி சுகம் தேடிடும் நெஞ்சங்களே  கொஞ்சவா

18. Koil Pura-1981-Vedam Nee Iniya Natham Nee-Ilayaraja-Pulamaipithan

Give a song with a strong  classical base  to KJY and he just turns it into a timeless classic. With IR always having that expert touch of combining a classical tune with the innovative orchestration that he is well known for, what else can one want? Veenai, Violin, Flute, Mridangam all become magical instruments for the maestro and he compresses a full-fledged classical concert effect into a 4-minute film song. And who else to give full justice to the song except the Gaana Gandharvan?

This is supposed to the first time the raagam “ Goulai” was used in a Tamil film song.

19. Ananda Raagam-1982-Megam Karukuthu Mazhai-Ilayaraja-Panju Arunachalam- Alongwith S Janaki & Ilayaraja

KJY proves he can pull off a folksy tune with the same ease that he does in a classical tune. A very famous duet of KJY with the versatile S Janaki.

20. Moondram Pirai-1982-Kanne Kalaimane-Ilayaraja-Kannadasan

The best way to conclude my first part of blog in covering the early two decades of KJY’s glorious innings  has to be this unforgettable  song. This was also  the  last film song written by the great Kaviarasar Kannadasan. The pathos that KJY brings out is something that will remain with us for ever.

Legends like KJY cannot be summarised in one blog. I hope to continue this in future blogs and also plan to write about his Hindi songs which are a class apart.

Till then…goodbye .

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. Ms Subashree Thanickachalam’s QFR series in Ragamalika TV You Tube channel

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

28^th Sep 1929-6^th Feb 2022

The last time I wrote about this great singer , it was a hurried tribute immediately after her sad demise more than a year back. With an illustrious career spanning almost 7 decades , she has left behind thousands of songs for us to cherish. It is almost impossible for any blogger  to do full justice to the task of writing  about her songs.  If there is one singer whose songs I can keep listening on and on without ever getting bored, after my personal favourite Rafi, it is no doubt Lata Mangeshkar. One may have reservations on some of the issues she had with many of her co-singers, music directors etc  as a person, but when it comes to Lata ,  the artist , she was absolutely without any comparison. She was just perfection personified!

During her prime years, mainly the 50’s to early 70’s , she had rendered her best songs composed by  almost all the leading music directors of those days and picturised for heroines across generations! Till the first decade of this century, she was active though age had caught up and one could sense  the strain in her  voice in last films like Veer Zara ( 2004).

On 28^th Sep , 2023 she would have completed 94 years. I was wondering what theme I could select  to write about. I thought of taking up the various genres she sang that would be a fitting tribute to the versatility in her songs. There is always a popular belief that Lata could only sing  sober, classical  and romantic songs, but if we seriously explore we can find she had rendered all the genres, even songs with sensual tones that one normally does not associate with her.

I have tried to showcase all types of songs that she sang. The genres and the songs are solely my own choice.  Song listing is based on various genres , with the song -film-year-music director-lyricist-co-singer mentioned in that sequence. I have also tried to place one style  contrasting to the previous one so that when you listen you can appreciate the variety in her singing.

Patriotic-Vande Mataram-Anand Math-1952-Hemant Kumar-Bankim Chandra Chatopadhyay-Lata with Hemant da.

Whenever we talk of Lata’s patriotic song, Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon is the most commonly talked one. Many would have forgotten this gem of a song from a 1952 film Anand Math that was the debut film for the veteran music composer  Hemant Kumar’s debut in Hindi films. Whenever I listen to this , especially the way in which Lata stretches the “Maa……aaa” , I get goosebumps. She would have been just 23 years when she sang this. What a maturity in her rendition!

• Romantic- Dil dhadke nazar sharmaye -Albela-1951-C.Ramachandra-Rajendra Krishan

We go one year back…1951. The film Albela was a musical feast with C Ramachandra giving a dozen odd hits. If one had followed Lata’s songs closely, one can always  observe an extra sweetness in her voice whenever she sang for CR. This one oozes with romance.

• Sad- Aaj Socha to aansoo bhar aaye-Hanste Zakhm-1973-Madan Mohan-Kaifi Azmi

I vaguely remember reading somewhere , an article,  in which it was mentioned that Lata had lost the innate sadness in her voice in her later years. I would beg to differ on this. Listen to this masterpiece from the 1973 film Hanste Zakhm composed by one her most favourite music composer – Madan Mohan. MM’s masterpiece composition with his trademark sitar bringing out the pathos in Lata’s voice so poignantly.

• Happy- Kahe jhoom jhoom-Love Marriage-1959-Shankar Jaikishan-Shailendra

Who else to bring out the foot-tapping  energetic Lata, than Shankar -Jaikishan. Although she had not mentioned much about the great emperors of Hindi film music ( like many others!!) , it was SJ who had given hits after hits during her initial two decades of career. I always describe SJ’s compositions as “high-octane level”-the energy in their songs is simply infectious!.

• Ghazal- Hum hai mata-e-koocha-Dastak-1970-Madan Mohan-Majrooh

Madan Mohan, whom Lata considered as her rakhi-bhaiya, composed the best ghazals ever in Hindi film music and was rightly called the Ghazal king. He had Rafi , Talat among male singers and Lata among female , to render his masterpiece ghazals.

Dastak was MM’s all-time best film , that gave him his first and sole  National award for best music . Note how Lata displays  her expertise in  Urdu diction with words like ‘kharidaar’ . Many times, when I listen to this song, my eyes automatically become moist.

No gender bias when I write this-normally male singers are considered experts in rendering ghazals, but just listen to the manner in which Lata pulls this off with such a commanding style.

Nothing is impossible for the Nightingale!

• Qawwali-Teri Mehfil Mein kismat aazmakar -Mughal-E-Aaazam- -1960-Naushad-Shakeel-Duet with Shamshad Begum

If there is one genre in which Lata had sung very few songs and could be considered her Achille’s heel, it is definitely the qawwali where her sister , Asha  had the upper hand. But the veteran Naushad did bring out her skills in this also , pairing her with the indomitable Shamshad Begum who, in the pre-Lata days was the highest paid singer and was much sought after for her voice that resembled a temple bell. When Lata, Rafi were getting paid around Rs 250 per song, Shamshad commanded a princely amount of Rs 5000 per song, those days!

•      Lullaby-Mein gaaon tu chup ho jaa-Do Aankhen Barah Haath-1957-Vasant Desai-Bharat Vyas

Make any incurable insomniac listen to this lullaby and I am sure he will fall asleep by the time the song ends! A simple but subtle orchestration  by one of the most under-rated music composers Vasant Desai. The film version of this song is even more beautiful with added alaap in between that was sadly missed out in the version  we normally hear in radio.

•      Sensuous- Bahon mein chale aao,-Anamika-1973-R D Burman-Majrooh

When I  discuss about singers with some  of my friends, they  have a prejudice  against Lata , stating she was more suitable for sober , sad, classical songs and was not capable of singing sensuous songs. Even worse is that there is a popular perception that only if singer is able to sing such songs he/she is labelled as “ versatile”-whatever that means! My personal take is that it could have been more of a personal choice that she avoided these songs and not that she could not sing them. This one song is enough to prove that. There is one more composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal-Aaa Jaan -e-Jaan , aaa mera yeh husn jawan . One more reason why the popular perception veered around that view could have been that Lata’s voice has an  inherent divinity.  

I try to stay away from these controversies and enjoy each artist’s skills that enriches my listening pleasure.

•      Despair-Khuda-E-Bartar – Taj Mahal-1963-Roshan-Sahir Ludhainvi

Many would not have heard this rare song from the film Taj Mahal that was more known for the very popular romantic duet of Rafi & Lata-Jo Wada Kiya Woh Nibhana Padegaa. Again, these types of songs were quite rare for Lata , but as always she renders anything given to her with expertise. Written in chaste Urdu, by the great poet Sahir Ludhianvi, Lata brings out the basic theme of the song-futility of wars in such an evocative manner.

Playful-Aplam chaplam -Azaad-1955-C.Ramachandra-Rajendra Krishan-Lata with Usha Mangeshkar

A superbly choreographed song , that brings out the peppy style of Lata’s singing. One can also categorise this song a dance number. Percussion was always a great strength on CR and the tabla superbly played in this song keeps excellent company to the sisters-Lata and Usha.

Haunting-Kahin deep jale kahin dil-Bees Saal Baad-1962-Hemant Kumar-Shakeel Badyuni

Among all great  music composers of the golden era, Hemant da and Madan Mohan composed some of the best haunting scores. This one is an eternal favourite among those ,  composed by Hemant da. The way Lata croons the “ oh oh ho…..” conveys the eerie feeling so nicely. 

Classical- Man mohana bade jhoote-Seema -1955-Shankar Jaikishan-Shailendra

One can list out hundreds of Lata’s classical raag based songs. In this 4-minute song, the magicians SJ bring out a full classical concert feel , with the classicism in Lata’s voice at its best. The  alaap she does towards the end of the song are so intricate and with a voice that is pure honey, we go into another world while listening.

Bhajan-Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum-Do Aankhen Barah Haat-  1957- Vasant Desai-Bharat Vyas

I am consciously avoiding the most popular songs in a particular genre, only  to showcase some songs that somehow go un-noticed. Many would have expected Allah Tero Naam , but it is a much- talked about song among  the devotional songs of Lata. Ae Malik Tere Bandhe Hum  is equally , if not even more pious. Composed by the legendary Vasant Desai who , along with Jaidev are considered to be masters in composing bhajans. Of course, if we look at Lata’s Marathi abhang, Meera bhajans, there are countless examples one can write about. That would be the topic of an exclusive blog.   

Folk-Non-Film-Doli Chad Diyaan Maariyaan (Heer-Punjabi Folk song) -Traditional composition-Rendered live at Albert Hall , London, probably in 1974

I  always discover songs that I have never heard , when I start searching content for my blogs. This is exactly what happened when I was looking for some folk songs of Lata. I was simply floored completely when I listened to this. She performed this at the Royal Albert Hall in London maybe in 1974. At the age of 45 , her voice was as sweet as it was when she sang those fabulous melodies when she was just a teenager.

One more quality of Lata was her meticulous practice to learn the right pronunciation  of the language in which she sang. Just listen to her Punjabi diction in this  heer that she delivers with  perfection.

That was my humble attempt to write about the immense variety in Lata’s singing . For many of these genres there could be hundreds of examples, especially for the sad, ghazal, happy, romantic & classical ones. One can never do full justice while writing about such great legends. Hope I shall be able to continue in future blogs to write about her and thousands of masterpieces she had left behind for us to enjoy.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. www.geetmanjusha.com

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

The poet who wrote for the common man

Shailendra (Shankardas Kesarilal) (30^th   Aug 1923 to 14^th   Dec 1966)

Part1-His association with Shankar-Jaikishan, S.D Burman & Salil Choudhary

After  three  consecutive blogs  on singers, namely , Rafi, Kishore  on their death and birth anniversaries respectively  and then one on a great singer in South Indian languages-P B Sreenivas,  I thought of writing one  exclusive blog on a lyricist. So , just as I was contemplating on which lyricist to focus upon,  my thoughts veered around Shailendra-one of my personal favorites. And what sheer co-incidence that I realized that 30^th August 2023 will be his 100^th birth anniversary. What a great occasion to pay tribute to this fabulous poet who wrote some of the greatest Hindi film songs. With some 1000 songs  written within the  young age of 43, he left behind immortal gems.

He brought the greatest philosophical concepts to a layman in very simple language and at the same time maintained  the lyrical beauty. Most of us would have heard songs like Awaara Hoon, Kisiki Muskurahaton Pe Ho Nissar, Sab Kuch Seekha Humne  Na Seekhi Hoshiyaari, Tu Pyar Ka Sagar Hai Tere Ek Boond Ke Pyase Hum…etc. Only a few would have known the man who was behind such simple, yet profound lines. As such lyricists are among the least recognized and talked about even among those who are very passionate about old film songs.

Shailendra’s name given at birth was Shankardas Shailendra. Born in Rawalpindi in the undivided India, his family moved to Mathura. At a very early age he  lost his mother , and had a difficult childhood . The harsh realities of life he faced in his formative years would make him write about life in simple words that would connect with the masses so easily. He  completed his Diploma in Electrical & Mechanical engineering and took  up with a job in the Indian Railways as a welder- Grade B mechanic. But fate planned something grand for him as one of the greatest poet and lyricist Hindi film music industry had ever seen.

In late 1930’s and 40’s  he took part in the freedom struggle and was even jailed by the then British government. The hardships and pains he underwent at that time , coupled with the difficulties in his childhood, made him write about life’s philosophies in his poems. Once , when the noted film maker Raj Kapoor heard about his poem Jalta Hai Punjab that he had read out in a mushaira ,  he was very much impressed and wanted Shailendra to get associated with him for the film Aag. However at that time Shailendra refused as he felt mainstream cinema was not his focus. But later, when he got married and was having financial difficulties he approached Raj Kapoor and at that time the latter was looking for fresh talent for his next film Barsaat. That film  revolutionized the Hindi film music and the golden quartet of Shankar-Jaikishan-Shailendra -Hasrat went on to become a permanent chart busting team for Raj Kapoor and for many other film makers. One after the other , songs from films  Awaara, Shree 420, Anaari brought immense fame to this quartet. Apart from RK, this team went on to create magic for other banners also. Shailendra’s next best association after Shankar -Jaikishan was with Sachin Dev Burman and Salil Chaudhury. If I have to do a proper justice to his repertoire I have to split the blog in parts. Part 1 shall be about his songs with the three main music composers he worked with . Around 75% of his songs were for these three. In the next part I shall focus upon his association with other composers.

Sometimes, a person makes a single mistake in life that leads to a tragic end. Despite advice from many of his friends, Shailendra went ahead with production of a film Teesri Kasam that was based on the novel Maare Gaye Gulfam written by Phanishwar Nath Renu. This film took a long 4 years in the making and ultimately was released in 1966. There were many bitter episodes associated in the making of the film that made Shailendra disillusioned. It was too late to save him from the ill effects of tobacco and alcohol and he died at the young age of 43 on 14^th Sep, 1966. If he had stuck to only writing songs, we could have had thousands more  from his golden pen.

His close associate Hasrat Jaipuri had written this song for the film Teesri Kasam, that aptly describes the pain in passing away of one of the greatest poets Hindi film music had ever seen:

 प्रीत बनाके तूने जीना सिखाया

हंसना सिखाया, रोना सिखाया

जीवन के पथ पर मीत मिलाए

मीत मिलाके तूने सपने जगाए

सपने जगाके तूने, काहे को दे दी जुदाई

काहे को दुनिया बनाई, तूने काहे को दुनिया बनाई

दुनिया बनाने वाले, क्या तेरे मन में समाई

Shailendra wrote almost 50 % of his songs for the great Shankar-Jaikishan composer duo. It is generally assumed that Shailendra worked more with Shankar and Hasrat Jaipuri with Jaikishan. Since S-J were mostly known for composing the tune first and then getting the lyrics written, it is commendable that Shailendra could write about romance, philosophical , comical songs that perfectly fitted the tune. He wrote in a language that was predominantly devoid of tough Urdu words  ( which was the more preferred style those days) and hence could be understood by the laity. 

It is a herculean task  to select say 20 songs from the thousands  he had written . But let me try to list out some outstanding among them.  While selecting these songs , I have tried to list out those that brought out the lyrical beauty of the song more than the musical or singing aspect.

The sequence of the details mentioned are: Film/Year of release/Song/Music composer/Singer(s) and are listed in chronological order.

1. Barsaat/1949/ Barsaat Mein Humse Mile/ Shankar-Jaikishan//Lata

The very first film for which Shailendra wrote-apart from this , he also wrote Patli Kamar Hai Tirichi Nazar Hai.  Maybe the fact that it was Barsaat that brought in a turn in his life and the words प्रीत ने सिंगार किया में बनी दुल्हन, सपनों की रिमझिम में नाच उठा मन, Shailendra named his home as “ Rimjhim”-Just my imagination!!

2. Awaara/1951/Dam Jo Udhar Muh Phere/ Shankar-Jaikishan/Mukesh & Lata

Shailendra’s imagination runs riot, asking the moon to turn aside so that the lovers can talk to each other! But towards the end he  asks the  moon to be a witness and a messenger:

मै चोर हूँ काम है चोरी

दुनिया में हूँ बदनाम

दिल को चुराता आया हूँ मैं

येही मेरा काम, हो येही मेरा काम

आना तू गवाही देने ओ चन्दा आ आ

मै उनसे प्यार कर लूँगा नज़रें तो चार कर लूँगा

दिल को चुराके खो मत जाना

राह न जाना भूल

इन कदमों से कुचल ना देना

मेरे दिल का फूल हो मेरे दिल का फूल

ये बात उन्हें समझा दे ओ चन्दा आ आ

मै उनसे प्यार कर लूंगी बातें हज़ार कर लूँगी

3. Do Bheega Zameen/1953/ Dharti Kahe Pukarke/ Salil Choudhury/Manna Dey

Shailendra’s first association with Salil da-two great creative minds together composed around 100 immortal songs for approximately 19 films.

Who can forget these eternal lines:

धरती कहे पुकार के, बीज बिछा ले प्यार के

मौसम बीता जाए, मौसम बीता जाए

अपनी कहानी छोड़ जा, कुछ तो निशानी छोड़ जा

कौन कहे इत ओर तू फिर आए न आए

मौसम बीता जाए…

4. Patita/1953/Andhe Jahan Ke Anghe Raste/ Shankar-Jaikishan/ Talat Mehmood

All the songs in the film Patita were written by Shailendra except for Yaad Kiya Dil Ne Kahan Ho Tum that was written by Hasrat. What great lyrics in all those. Difficult for me to select -still I went ahead and listed three . Talat’s velvety voice , S-J’s exceptional composition and Shailendra’s golden lines:

जीने की चाहत नहीं

मर के भी राहत नहीं

इस पार आँसू उस पार आहें

दिल मेरा बेज़ुबां

हम को न कोई बुलाए

ना कोई पलकें बिछाए

ऐ ग़म के मारों मंज़िल

वहीं है दम ये टूटे जहाँ

आग़ाज़ के दिन तेरा

अंजाम तय हो चुका

जलते रहें हैं जलते रहेंगे

ये ज़मीं आसमां

5. Patita/1953/Hai Sab Se Madhur Who Geet / Shankar-Jaikishan/ Talat Mehmood

It is strange that  songs that have pathos as the theme are mostly melodious , although a majority do not like them!.  Rather than describing the song, just read these lines and wonder at the imagination of this great poet.

हैं सबसे मधुर वो गीत जिन्हें, हम ददर् के सुर में गाते हैं

जब हद से गुज़र जाती है खुशी, आँसू भी छलकते आते हैं

पहलू में पराये दर्द बसाके, हँसना हँसाना सीख ज़रा

तूफ़ान से कह दे घिर के उठे, हम प्यार के दीप जलाते हैं

काँटों में खिले हैं फूल हमारे, रंग भरे अरमानों के

नादान हैं जो इन काँटों से, दामन को बचाये जाते हैं

जब ग़म का अन्धेरा घिर आये, समझो के सवेरा दूर नहीं

हर रात की है सौगात यही, तारे भी यही दोहराते हैं

6. Patita/1953/Mithi Se Khelte Ho Baar Baar / Shankar-Jaikishan/ Lata

The third song from this great album-this time he brings out the anguish of the heroine  in the film who faces so many struggles in her life that she asks her creator why He is tormenting her again and again.

मिट्टी से खेलते हो

बार–बार किस लिए

टूटे हुए खिलौनों

से प्यार किस लिए

बनाके ज़िदगानियाँ

बिगाड़ने से क्या मिला

मेरी उम्मीद का जहां

उजाड़ने से क्या मिला

आयी थी दो दिनों की

ये बहार किस लिए

ज़रा सी भूल को

ज़ज़ार रूप नाम दे दिए

ज़रा सी जान सर पे

सात आसमान दे दिए

बर्बाद ज़िन्दगी

का ये सीगार किस लिए

ज़मीं गैर हो गयी

ये आसमान बदल गया

हवा के रुख़ बदल गए

हर एक फूल जल गया

बजाते है अब ये

साँसों के तार किस लिए

7. Boot Polish/1954/ Nanhe Munne Bachhe Tere Muthi/ Shankar-Jaikishan/ Rafi & Asha

The film Boot Polish was  critically acclaimed with a special mention for the child actress Naaz in the 1995 Cannes Film Festival and three Filmfare awards-Raj Kapoor as a producer, Tara Dutt for Cinematography, and excellent acting as a  supporting actor for David.  This song was also one of the big break for Asha Bhonsle . Shailendra brings out the rays of optimism for kids who are forced to become vagabonds due to cruel fate. Just wonder at these lines -bringing out such profound philosophy in such a simple poetry was his greatest strength .

नन्हे मुन्ने बच्चे तेरी मुट्ठी में क्या है

मुट्ठी में है तक़दीर हमारी

 हम ने क़िस्मत को बस में किया है

भोली भली मतवाली आँखों में क्या है

आँखोन में झूमे उम्मीदों की दिवाली

आनेवाली दुनिया का सपना सजा है

भीख में जो मोती मिले लोगे या न लोगे

ज़िंदगी के आँसूओं का बोलो क्या करोगे

भीख में जो मोती मिले तो भी हम ना लेंगे

ज़िंदगी के आँसूओं की माला पहनेंगे

ज़िंदगी के आँसूओं की माला पहनेंगे

मुश्किलों से लड़ते भिड़ते जीने में मज़ा है

हम से न छुपाओ बच्चो हमें भी बताओ

आनेवाले दुनिया कैसी होगी समझाओ

आनेवाले दुनिया में सब के सर पे ताज होगा

न भूखों की भीड़ होगी न दुखों का राज होगा

बदलेगा ज़मना ये सितारों पे लिखा है

8. Seema/1955/ Kahan Jaa Raha Hai/ Shankar-Jaikishan/ Rafi

The best lines from this song are these that talk about how to overcome the struggles in life.  Shailendra’s own  experience in life and how he became a successful poet must have inspired him to write these.

जो ठोकर न खाए

नहीं जीत उसकी

जो गिर के संभल

जाए है जीत उसकी

निशा मंज़िलो के

ये पैरो के छाले

कहा जा रहा है

तू ऐ जाने वाले

9. Seema/1955/ Tu Pyaar Ka Saagar Hai/ Shankar-Jaikishan/ Manna Dey

One more masterpiece from the same film Seema.  Pankh Hai Komal, Aankh Hai Dundhli, Jaana Hai Sagar Paar….what a poignant way of conveying the humongous challenges of life !

तू प्यार का सागर है

तेरी इक बूँद के प्यासे हम

लौटा जो दिया तुमने, चले जायेंगे जहाँ से हम

घायल मन का, पागल पंछी उड़ने को बेक़रार

पंख हैं कोमल, आँख है धुँधली, जाना है सागर पार

जाना है सागर पार

अब तू हि इसे समझा, राह भूले थे कहान से हम

इधर झूमती गाये ज़िंदगी, उधर है मौत खड़ी

कोई क्या जाने कहाँ है सीमा, उलझन आन पड़ी

उलझन आन पड़ी

कानों में ज़रा कह दे, कि आये कौन दिशा से हम

10. Jaagte Raho/1956/Zindagi Khwab Hai/ Salil Choudhury/ Mukesh

The evergreen combination of Shailendra & Salil da continues. One of Mukesh’s best songs. The film Jagte Raho is unique and critically much acclaimed-the entire film talks about events happening in a single night , when the protagonist Raj Kapoor, is thirsty and wanders around to have some water to drink. In his journey , what he sees provides a metaphoric glimpse of life.

रंगी को नारंगी कहे, बने दूध को खोया

चलती को गाड़ी कहे, देख कबीरा रोया…

ज़िंदगी ख़्वाब है, ख़्वाब में झूठ क्या

और भला सच है क्या

सब सच है

ज़िन्दगी ख्वाब है…

दिल ने हमसे जो कहा, हमने वैसा ही किया

फ़िर कभी फ़ुरसत से सोचेंगे बुरा था या भला

एक कतरा मय का जब, पत्थर से होंठों पर पड़ा – २

उसके सीने में भी दिल धड़का ये उसने भी कहा

एक प्याली भर के मैंने, ग़म के मारे दिल को दी

ज़हर ने मारा ज़हर को, मुरदे में फिर जान आ गई

ज़िन्दगी ख़्वाब है…

11. Anari/1959/ Kisiki Mukurahaton Pe Ho Nissar/ Shankar-Jaikishan/Mukesh

This song has become a sort of an anthem  about humanity. Only a person with utmost sensitivity could come up with such inspiring lines that continues to move generations after generations. One need not write anything about these lines-it is enough to just read them and wonder at the imagination of Shailendra.

किसी की मुस्कुराहटों पे हो निसार

किसीका दर्द मिल सके तो ले उधार

किसीके वास्ते हो तेरे दिल में प्यार

जीना इसी का नाम है

माना अपनी जेब से फ़कीर हैं

फिर भी यारों दिल के हम अमीर हैं

मिटे जो प्यार के लिये वो ज़िन्दगी

जले बहार के लिये वो ज़िन्दगी

किसी को हो न हो हमें तो ऐतबार

जीना इसी का नाम है

रिश्ता दिल से दिल के ऐतबार का

ज़िन्दा है हमीं से नाम प्यार का

के मर के भी किसी को याद आयेंगे

किसी के आँसुओं में मुस्कुरायेंगे

कहेगा फूल हर कली से बार बार

जीना इसी का नाम है

12. Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai/1960/Hoton Pe Sachhai Rehti Hai/ Shankar-Jaikishan/Mukesh

Who else can one describe our great country and its even greater culture better than Shailendra?

होठों पे सच्चाई रहती है

जहाँ दिल में सफाई रहती है

हम उस देश के वासी है

हम उस देश के वासी है

जिस देश में गंगा बहती है

मेहमा जो हमारा होता है

वो जान से प्यारा होता है

मेहमा जो हमारा होता है

वो जान से प्यारा होता है

ज़्यादा की नहीं लालच हमको

थोड़े में गुजारा होता है

बच्चों के लिए जो धरती माँ

सदियों से सभी कुछ सहती है

हम उस देश के वासी है

कुछ लोग जो ज़्यादा जानते है

इंसान को कम पहचानते है

ये पुरब है पूरबवाले

हर जान की कीमत जानते है

मिल जुल के रहो और प्यार करो

एक चीज़ यही जो रहती है

हम उस देश के वासी है

जो जिससे मिला सीखा हमने

गैरों को भी अपनाया हमने

जो जिससे मिला सीखा हमने

गैरों को भी अपनाया हमने

मतलब के लिए अंधे होकर

रोटी को नहीं पूजा हमने

रोटी को नहीं पूजा हमनेस देश में गंगा बहती है

13. Kala Bazaar/1960/ Na Mein Dhan Chhahoon / S D Burman/ Geeta Dutt & Sudha Malhotra

In this song Shailendra proves his mettle in writing a bhajan and that too with profound philosophical undertones.

न मैं धन चाहूँ, न रतन चाहूँ

तेरे चरणों की धूल मिल जाये

तो मैं तर जाऊँ, शाम तर जाऊं

हे राम तर जाऊँ…

मोह मन मोहे, लोभ ललचाये

कैसे कैसे ये नाग लहराये

इससे पहले कि दिल उधर जाये

मैं तो मर जाऊँ, क्यों न मर जाऊं

लाये क्या थे जो लेके जाना है

नेक दिल ही तेरा खज़ाना है

सांझ होते ही पंछी आ जाये

अब तो घर जाऊँ अपने घर जाऊँ

थम गया पानी, जम गयी कायी

बहती नदिया ही साफ़ कहलायी

मेरे दिल ने ही जाल फैलाये

अब किधर जाऊँ, मैं किधर जाऊँ

14. Hariyali Aur Raasta/1962/Bol Mere Taqdeer Mein Kya Hai/ Shankar-Jaikishan/ Mukesh & Lata

In songs like this, Shailendra can become a true romantic at heart!

Just a sample from the  first antara :

बोल मेरी तकदीर में क्या है

मेरे हमसफ़र अब तो बता

जीवन के दो पहलू है

हरियाली और रास्ता

कहा हैं मेरे प्यार की मंजिल

तू बतला तुज को हैं पता

जीवन के दो पहलू है

हरियाली और रास्ता

जहा हम आ के पहुचे है

वहा से लौट कर जाना

नहीं मुमकिन मगर मुश्किल

हैं दुनियां से भी टकराना

तेरे लिए हम कुछ भी

सहेंगे तेरा दर्द अब दर्द मेरा

जीवन के दो पहलू है

हरियाली और रास्ता

15. Usne Kaha Tha /1960/ Aaha Rimjhim Ke Yeh Pyare Pyare Geet / Salil Choudhury/ Talat Mehmood & Lata

Sometimes the lyrics themselves enhance  the melody of the tune to a great extent. This is a classic example. Just reading the lines will make to swing to the inherent lilting quality of the lines.

“सुनो तो ज़रा , झिंगर बोले चीकी मीकी चीकी मीकी ” ….how sweet these words sound!

16. Bandini/1963/O Jaanewale Ho Sake To Laut Ke Aana/ S D Burman/ Mukesh

We can dedicate these immortal lines to all the great artists who are now not with us , but left such a deep impression with their immense work .

ओ जानेवाले हो सके तो लौट के आना

ये घाट तू ये बाट कहीं भूल न जाना

बचपन के तेरे मीत तेरे संग के सहारे

ढूँढेंगे तुझे गली गली सब ये ग़म के मारे

पूछेगी हर निगाह कल तेरा ठिकाना

दे दे के ये आवाज़ कोई हर घड़ी बुलाए

फिर जाए जो उस पार कभी लौट के न आए

है भेद ये कैसा कोई कुछ तो बताना ….

17. Guide/1965/Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai/S D Burman/ Lata

The film Guide was a milestone for Sachin Da-all the songs are beyond any comparison. The opening lines and the tune literally conveys the feelings of the heroine, who wants throw away the shackles in her life.  One of the best from the great team of SDB, Lata and Shailendra.

काँटों से खींच के ये आँचल

तोड़ के बंधन बाढ़े पायल

कोई ना रोको दिल की उड़ान को

दिल वो चला हा हा हा हा हा हा

आज फिर जीने की तमन्ना है

आज फिर मरने का इरादा है

अपने ही बस में नहीं मई

दिल हैं कही तो हूँ कहीं मैं

जाने क्या पा के मेरी ज़िन्दगी ने

हस कर कहा हा हा हा हा हा

मै हूँ गुबार  या तूफ़ा हुन

कोई बताए मैं कहाँ हूँ

दर है सफ़र में कहीं खो न जाऊं

रास्ता नया आ आ आ आ आ आ

कल के अंधेरों से निकल के

देखा है आँखे मलते मलते

हां फूल ही फूल ज़िन्दगी बहार है

तय कर लिया आ आ आ आ आ आ

18. Guide 1965/Wahan Kaun Hai Tera Musafir/S D Burman/ S D Burman

Burman da sang just a handful of songs in Hindi..and what immortal ones !!. This one describes the story of the film in few lines.

वहाँ कौन है तेरा

मुसाफिर जाएगा कहाँ

दम ले ले घड़ी भर, ये छइयाँ पाएगा कहाँ

बीत गए दिन, प्यार के पल–छीन

सपना बनी ये रातें,भूल गए वो

तू भी भुला दे,प्यार की वो मुलाकातें प्यार की वो मुलाकातें

सब दूर अंधेरा,सब दूर अंधेरा

मुसाफिर जाएगा कहाँ

दम ले ले दम ले ले दम ले ले घड़ी भर

ये छइयाँ पाएगा कहाँ

कोई भी तेरी,राह ने देखे

नैन बिछाए न कोई

दर्द से तेरे,कोई ना तड़पा

आँख किसी की ना रोई आँख किसी की ना रोई

कहे किसको तू मेरा,कहे किसको तू मेरा

कहते हैं ज्ञानी,दुनिया है फानी

पानी पे लिखी लिखाई,है सबकी देखी

है सबकी जानी

हाथ किसी के ना आयी  हाथ किसी के ना आयी

कुछ तेरा ना मेरा, कुछ तेरा ना मेरा

मुसाफिर जाएगा कहाँ

19. Teesri Kasam/1966/ Sajan Re Jhoot Mat Bolo/ Shankar-Jaikishan/Mukesh

This film always brings bitter-sweet feelings. Although the songs, especially the lyrics , are one of the best ever , I always feel so sad for Shailendra as to why he took the decision to produce this movie. The terrible financial loss and the despair he had while making this broke him completely and took away this genius from us at a young age of 43.

सजन रे झूठ मत बोलो, खुदा के पास जाना है

न हाथी है ना घोड़ा है, वहाँ पैदल ही जाना है

भला कीजै भला होगा, बुरा कीजै बुरा होगा   

बही लिख लिख के क्या होगा

बही लिख लिख के क्या होगा, यहीं सब कुछ चुकाना है

सजन रे झूठ मत बोलो, खुदा के पास जाना है …

लड़कपन खेल में खोया, जवानी नींद भर सोया 

बुढ़ापा देख कर रोया

बुढ़ापा देख कर रोया, वही किस्सा पुराना है

सजन रे झूठ मत बोलो, खुदा के पास जाना है….

20. Mera Naam Joker/1970/Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan/ Shankar-Jaikishan /Mukesh-Lyrics by Shailendra and his son Shaily Shailendra

The film Mera Naam Joker flopped at the time of its release -a rare phenomenon for the immensely successful showman Raj Kapoor. However later it became a “ cult-classic.” Personally I always consider this as one of the best music created by S-J. Shailendra could write only a small part of this song and then passed away ( the movie was released 4 years after he passed away as it took a long time for RK to finish the movie). His son Shaily Shailendra completed this immortal  song that , fatefully , became an ode to all those who created this.

I will continue my tribute to this great poet-lyricist in part 2 that shall talk about the  great songs he composed for music directors apart from Shankar-Jaikishan , S D Burman and Salil Choudhury.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories book by Mr. Manek Premchand
4. www.geetmanjusha.com
5. https://nikhileiyer.wordpress.com/

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

22^nd Sep 1930-14^th Apr 2013

காலங்களில் அவள் வசந்தம்

கலைகளிலே அவள் ஓவியம்

மாதங்களில் அவள் மார்கழி

மலர்களிலே அவள் மல்லிகை

With due apologies to the  great Kaviarasar  Kannadasan I am taking inspiration from his own lines to describe the singer who had rendered this immortal song as பாடுவதில்  அவர் தென்றல். Original line in that song is  காற்றினிலே அவள் தென்றல் . When one listens to P B Sreenivas’ songs it is just like  a gentle breeze caressing you softly. He was also lucky to have his profession etched in his initials! It seems he himself used to joke about fate selecting  his  initials that denotes   Play Back Singer !

Prathivadhi Bhayankara Sreenivas (22 September 1930 – 14 April 2013) popularly  known as P. B. Sreenivas or just PBS , like most of his songs , was a mild-mannered gentleman, and had never got into any controversies . When he sang it was as if the  words in the songs should not get hurt—he was so soft in rendering them. He possessed a very rare attribute of knowing multiple languages-not just singing in many languages, but had proficiency to even compose poems in eight languages. Apart from his mother tongue Telugu, he was proficient in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, Sanskrit , Hindi and English. His major  work as a play back singer has been in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu languages.

PBS  was born in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. His father, Prathivadhi Bhayankara Phanindraswamy, was a civil servant  and Seshagiriamma, his mother was a musician. PBS completed his  Bachelor of Commerce degree and also  the Hindi Visharad from the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha. Though his father wanted him to pursue a career in Government sector, his passion was singing. PBS  himself narrated an anecdote from his early years , when his parents took him to an astrologer to get an advice on whether he will have a good career in music or should he opt for a regular job. Strangely the astrologer predicted that the boy will not have any future in music! But his mother went by his passion and took a chance , luckily for him and for us!

Initially his uncle, Kidambi Krishnaswamy, who was a drama artist and a singer, gave him an opportunity to sing in a drama. Later, he also took him to the legendary veena vidwan, Emani Sankara Sastry, who  introduced PBS to S. S. Vasan, the owner of Gemini Studios. There, PBS  sang a super hit song sung by Mohammed Rafi, his favourite singer,  “Huye Hum Jinke Liye Barbad”, composed by Naushad Ali, which landed him the opportunity to become professional playback singer. Although PBS became a well-known playback singer in the South film industry, his first song was for a Hindi film, Mr Sampath that was produced by Gemini studios and music was composed by Emani Sankara Sastry with B.S Kalla. His first song in Tamil was “ Sinthanai Yen Selvame for the film Jathakam ( 1953), that had music by R Govarthanam.

Later on, PBS started singing in Tamil, Kannada ( he was the main voice for Dr Rajkumar) and  also his mother tongue, Telugu. Malayalam songs were comparatively few. His long-cherished dream of singing with Lata Mangeshkar got fulfilled with the song Chanda Se Hoga Who Pyara in the film Main Bhi Ladki Hoon that was produced by AVM Productions and was a remake of the Tamil film Naanum Oru Penn. Although from 1953 onwards he kept singing few songs, the major turning point is his career was the evergreen Inbam pongum vennila veesuthe in the film Veerapandiya Kattabomman that he sang with P Susheela under the music direction of the veteran G Ramanathan.

By that time TM Soundararajan was well established as the de-facto voice for both the leading actors M G Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan. Most of the other male singers were also known for their high pitched, full-throated singing with exception being the composer-singer AM Raja. PBS found  a niche by having a soft style of singing that suited almost all the other actors except MGR and Sivaji , more prominently for Gemini Ganesan. Slowly he became the voice for Gemini Ganesan and many other actors . He was also sought after for soft , melodious romantic songs. His repertoire in languages apart from Tamil is also quite vast. My knowledge is limited to Hindi and Tamil music and so I am not qualified to talk about his works in other languages.

Before I start my song list, I would like to narrate a personal experience. So far in my life I was able to meet only one singer in  person and even have a few words. That was PBS . Long back ,in the early ‘90s  when I used to work in Hyderabad, I met him in a restaurant and again in Chennai somewhere in 2011-12 I met him in the New Woodlands Hotel in Chennai , which used to be his favourite joint. He is known for his trademark cap or turban and was always found carrying a dozen pens and a sheaf of paper. Over a masala dosai and cups of hot coffee , he used to compose hundreds  of poems in the eight languages he knew!

I have selected  25 songs of this legendary  singer . PBS has sung around 3000 songs and as far as Tamil songs are concerned most of the songs he had sung are great ones, making my task of selecting 25 from them a herculean one!

Listing is chronologically arranged based on the year of film with description in following sequence:

Song/ Film/ Year of film/ Music director/Lyricist/ Co-singer

Some of the links to the songs may not play here-you may have to open them in YouTube in order to listen/view by clicking on the link

1. Inbam Pongum Vennila/ Veera Pandiya Kattabomman/ 1959/ G Ramanathan/ Ku Ma Balasubramaniam/ Duet with P Susheela

Although PBS debuted in 1953 in Tamil film music, it took almost 6 years for him to get noticed , with  the veteran G Ramanathan giving him a  super  hit  in this 1959 film. The subtle, intricate sangathis that he does in this song are too good and  for the next few years , there was no looking back for PBS.

2. Kannale Pesi Pesi/ Adutha Veetu Pen/ 1960/ P Adi Narayana Rao/ Thanjai N Ramaiha Das

One can say that PBS rally “ arrived “ with  this great comedy film that had 5 songs rendered by him under the music direction of P Adi Narayana Rao. I have selected two songs from this movie-this one a superb romantic one and the next a classical master piece that is almost forgotten now.

3. Vanitha Maniye/ Adutha Veetu Pen/1960/ P Adi Narayana Rao/ Thanjai N Ramaiha Das

One can hear a totally different PBS in this classical masterpiece based on Hamsadhwani raagam.

4. Chittukuruvi Aaduthu ( Thennankeetru Oonjalile )/ Paathai Teriyudu Paar/1960/ M B Sreenivasan/ Jayakanthan

The debut film for music composer M B Sreenivas in Tamil and what an immortal melody he composed ! Known for his famous Madras Youth Choir music and experimental style of music, MBS got more fame in the Malayalam music industry. It is said that he composed this song fully with the help of the xylophone.

PBS & S Janaki later on rendered many immortal classics -the humming in this song by both are top class. Sadly, such songs have almost faded away from our memory .

5. Kalangalil Aval Vasantham/Paava Mannippu/1961/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan

The iconic song that always comes to one’s mind whenever we talk of PBS. By this time PBS had become the de-facto voice of Gemini Ganesan and rendered most of his hits for this actor. The greatest  strength of PBS was in giving a velvety softness to the lyrics.

6. Mayakkama Kalakkama/ Sumaithangi/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan

PBS had the opportunity to render some of the immortal lines written by the great Kannadasan. This song conveys the essence of life  in a simple language but at the same time makes a profound philosophy. In my blog on Kannadasan, I had written in detail about this song and how it even inspired another contemporary of the Kaviarasar, Vaali to fight back and get his foothold in the industry.

7. Manithan Yenbavan Deivam/ Sumaithangi/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/Kannadasan

PBS himself was a poet and used to write poems in eight languages. May be this made him give utmost respect to the lyrics and he has rendered some of the great masterpieces written by the one and only Kaviarasar Kannadasan. Just observe the way PBS renders the lines at the end of each charanam and you can understand what I am trying to convey. Absolute bliss to listen to this song again and again.

8. Poojaiku Vantha Malare/Paatha Kaanikkai/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with S Janaki

One more exquisite duet of PBS and S Jananki. The way PBS does a subtle twist with the word “ vaa” is his unique skill.

9. Rojamalare Rajakumari/ Veerathirumagan/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with P Susheela

If we see any playlist of PBS best  songs, this one is bound to be at the top. An evergreen romantic melody that was supposed to have been rage in neighbouring Sri Lanka.

10. Azhagiya Mithilai Nagarinile/Annai/ 1962/ R Sudarsanam/ Kannadasan/ Duet with P Susheela

A fast-paced romantic duet , composed by the veteran R Sudarsanam , picturised so nicely in  the Chennai of 1962! May be due to the song starting off with the description Azhagiya Mithilai Nagarinile, for those born and brought up in Chennai, it is so nostalgic to see all those iconic landmarks captured in vintage black& white photography. PBS & Susheela come up with a breezy , lilting duet that is as fresh as it has been  picturized.

11. Nilavukku Yen Mel Yennadi Kobam/ Poilcekaran Magal/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan

The film Poilicekaran Magal is one more feather in PBS’ cap ( now think of it-he always had a  fur cap in early years and later on a turban!). All the songs from this film are nothing but sheer classics.

12. Ponnen Yenben Siru Poovenben / Poilcekaran Magal/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with S Janaki

The magical vocals of PBS and S Janaki join together again. PBS being a master in the lower notes and Janaki in the highest. Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy compose a terrific Darbari Kanada based immortal classic. The story in the film is about the character played by Balaji ditching the heroine after loving her. The manner in which Kannadasan had written the song and the how  V-R composed this with an undercurrent of things to  follow in their lives makes this a haunting melody.

13. Intha Mandrathil Odi Varum/ Poilcekaran Magal/1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with S Janaki

Third song from the same film in this  listing-the mellisai mannargal must have been in one of their best ever creative moods to come out with such scintillating songs. Janaki, as usual is so much at ease , effortlessly singing at the higher octaves. Somehow, personally I always have a bias towards Janaki’s songs in the 50’s & 60’s when she sounded so melodious. Not to be left behind, PBS comes in the last charanam only and as these legendary singers always do, he makes his mark so impressively. The song, though a duet , is picturized on a brother-sister and the lines by Kannadasan , composed by V-R and excellent singing by PBS & SJ convey the theme of the song so nicely.

14. Ninappathellam Nadanthuvittal / Nenjil Or Aalayam/ 1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan

One more iconic song from the incomparable team of Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy, Kannadasan and PBS-the more I started listening to PBS’ songs while writing this blog, I realised how subtly and with such effortless  under-stated elegance, PBS conveys the emotions of a song in a unique way.

And how can I even attempt to write about the master-sculptor of words Kannadasan and the incomparable composers V-R  ? Immortal lines, with immortal music. That is the only way I can describe.

15. Pon Ondru Kanden Pen Angu Illai/ Padithal Mattum Poruma/1962/ Kannadasan/ Duet with TMS

I have a complaint against the mellisai mannargal-why did  they compose very few  duets of these two great legends -TMS & PBS!!! We definitely would have loved many more . What contrasting voices and styles but at the same what a perfect synchronised singing by them.

Sometimes I feel , how can I describe such songs?! It is enough to close one’s eyes and just get immersed in them.

16. Paalvannam Paruvam Kandu/Paasam /1962/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with P Susheela

To the best of my knowledge , one of the very few songs that PBS sung for the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR! This films commercially flopped as it was again one of the very few ( or may be the only one!) in which the character played by MGR dies at the end of the film. Kannadasan , in his inimitable style , condenses the entire story of the film with the lines:

நேர் சென்ற பாதை விட்டு நான் சென்ற போது வந்து,

வா வென்று அள்ளி கொண்ட மங்கை இல்லையா

17. Yentha Oor Yendravane/ Kaatu Roja/ 1963/ K V Mahadevan/ Kannadasan

What imaginative lyrics , words ending with “oor” that signifies  place names and at the same time the inherent beauty of Tamizh language that also conveys many other interpretations-only Kannadasan can think of such lines. And like adding icing on the cake,  we have two other geniuses -K V Mahadevan and PBS , the simple tune of the former and emotive singing by the latter. Songs like these are made once in thousands of years.

18. Aval Paranthu Ponaale/ Paar Magale Paar/ 1963/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with TMS

The two great legends once again render a classic , evergreen song-TMS & PBS. Except for the interludes , and a guitar that keeps playing in the song, there is almost nil orchestration-V-R created a gem of a song purely with the power of evocative  singing by both the singers.

19. Anubavam Puthumai/ Kathalikka Neramillai/1964/ Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy/ Kannadasan/ Duet with P Susheela

One of the topmost duets of PBS & PS, this is a melody that meanders along at a leisurely pace, with the deep bass voice of PBS and sweet  , honey-laced vocals of PS. V-R come up with a masterly orchestration -the interlude strings are simply addictive ! The magical Bongos of V-R is heard in its full glory with intricate variations in the rhythm patterns ; not only that even the strings , flute , accordion all add up to an evergreen song that simply cannot fade away from our memories.

20. Thol Kanden thole kanden/ Ithayakamalam/1965/K V Mahadevan/ Kannadasan/ Humming by  P Susheela

Ithayakamalam was a musical bonanza from the veteran KV Mahadevan. All the songs from this film are absolute classics. When it comes to such breezy romantic numbers, it is a pure cake-walk for PBS. Sheer bliss listening to his baritones in this song.

21. Kathirunthe Kangale/ Motor Sundaram Pillai/ 1966/Vaali/ M S Vishwanathan/ Duet with P Susheela

The list of peppy , romantic duets PBS sang with PS doesn’t seem to end…enjoy one more from this fabulous team, this time with lyrics by Vaali and composed by MSV .

22. Nilave yennidam nerungathe/ Ramu/ 1966/  M S Vishwanathan / Kannadasan/

This Bageshri raag based composition by MSV has an excellent shehnai playing in the interludes and to me I consider it as one of the best use of this instrument that is normally associated with north of India. MSV had used this instrument in so many songs so well. Also, this ranks among the top most songs of PBS. Just note the way he emotes the lines: Oomaiyin kanavai yaar arivaar

Though most of the versions feature this as a solo PBS song, I realised the songs starts with short recital by Susheela.

23. Mouname Paarvaiyal / Kodi Malar/ 1966/ M S Vishwanathan/ Kannadasan

The magic created by MSV with Shenai in the Nilave yennidam nerungathe, is now replaced with sitar and flute. Superb orchestration by MSV and once again a song dripping with romance from the velvety voice of PBS. I find a common trait between singers like PBS,  Talat Mehmood & Mukesh in Hindi , in the sense that though they sang comparatively lesser number of songs , the quality of their songs were simply great.

24. Thamari Kannangal/ Ethir Neechal/ 1968/ V Kumar/ Duet with P Susheela

One more under-rated and less recognised musical genius was Varadarajulu  Kumar, popularly known as V Kumar. He was closely associated with most of the early hit films of legendary director K Balachandar. In the midst of giants like G Ramanathan, Vishwanathan-Ramammorthy, KV Mahadevan , he made a unique niche for himself with some excellent orchestration and off-beat tunes.

The late 60’s gradually saw PBS singing far lesser number of songs . However, His quantity might have come down , but quality always reigned supreme. Composed at high octaves, both PBS and PS excel in this romantic duet , picturised on not a regular hero , but the comedy legend Nagesh.

25. Thendrale Nee Pesu/ Kadavul Amaitha Medai/ 1979/ Ilayaraja/ Vaali

By mid-70’s Tamil film music saw the entry of a phenomenon called Ilayaraja. He had his own set of new singers and also gave a fresh career to S Janaki. K J Yesudas and SPB started becoming the new sensations. I am unable to understand why this was the only song IR composed for  PBS. After listening to this , my own personal take is that if IR had utilised him for his soft melodious numbers , they could have been another unique combination.

But as everyone knows , the gentleman that PBS was, he never believed in running after money. Almost at the age of 50 when he had sung this  , his voice had that same freshness.

With those 25 songs, I conclude my small tribute to this genius.

Ohh..just wait-as a bonus song I am giving the link to his superb duet in Hindi he sang with the nightingale Lata Mangeshkar; on screen we have the macho Dharmendra and a beautiful Meenakumari !

Long before many famous singers from South sang with the legendary Lata, we had our PBS fulfilling his ambition way back in 1964 ( Film : Main Bhi Ladki Hoon, Composed by Chitragupt, written by Rajendra Krishan but the tune was taken from the Tamil version of the song Poo Pola Poo Pola Sirikkum from the  movie Naanum Oru Penn, 1963, music for which was composed by R Sudarsanam)

It was really a challenge to leave out many other great songs of PBS and I am sure many readers may feel disappointed not to see their favourites. May be one day I can select those which I had to reluctantly  leave out to make the blog as concise as possible. By sheer co-incidence , I started off by comparing his songs to Thendral-breeze and the last song in my listing happened to start with that word!

After a very long gap , in the year 1986 , when I was in college and watching the off-beat movie Oomai Vizhigal, I was totally surprised to hear PBS’ soulful song Tholvi Nilay Yena Ninaithal Manithan Vazhvai Ninaikalama and was simply floored by that song. What a depth in voice at the age of 56!

Even more  surprising for me was to realise ,  while researching for this blog , that PBS’ last recorded song for a Tamil film was in 2010 for the film  Aayirathil Oruvan-Song: Penmane , music composed by G V Prakash , written by Vairamuthu that he sang at the age of 80 along with Bombay Jayashree. The voice had an even heavier baritone but I would say not a tad faded or jaded  for his age! His lines were almost towards  the end of the song and more like a recitation. I felt that since he did not have a prominent part in the song, I did not include in my listing. Those interested can search for the same in YouTube.

As the cliché goes, legends like PB Sreenivas never die…they continue to live in their immortal songs that they left behind for us.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The songs mentioned are from the popular , public domain and  have been mentioned / embedded  only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights. .I sincerely thank the publishers of following  Internet sources  for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. Quarantine from reality series in YouTube by Ragamalika TV

4^th August 1929-13^th October 1987

Around one and half years back I had posted an article here on Pre-Aaradhana Kishore Kumar. Obviously, there must be a sequel to it and what other occasion than the 94^th birth anniversary of the legend that falls on 4^th Aug 2023. For the benefit of those readers who might have not read that blog, I am posting the link to that here:

The Pre-‘Aaradhana’ Kishore Kumar

Kishore da started singing for films as a playback singer with the film “ Ziddi “ that was released in 1948 ; music was composed  by  Khemchand Prakash , picturised on a very young Dev Anand. However, he had to wait for around 21 years to get the major break , although, as I had mentioned in my earlier blog, he gave some wonderful songs in those 21 years. But somehow he remained slightly behind the stalwarts Rafi, Talat, Mukesh & Manna Dey, partially due to his  focus more  on acting instead of play back singing. Instead of going into endless arguments as to why he got sidelined, I always feel the discerning listeners of Hindi Film Music ( HFM) are really blessed to have these 5 greatest male playback singers who enriched the music world with their immense variety and talent. When I started writing my blogs, I realised that I like each and every artist who were great in some aspect or the other.

When the Aaradhana tsunami came , there was no looking back for Kishore and he shot into the limelight he richly deserved. With RD Burman and Rajesh Khanna team strongly rooting for him, he started giving hits after hits with astounding speed and quality .  By this time , he practically stopped acting , directing , producing , writing, and even composing music -all the other skills he was good at,  but might have been diverting his attention away from his core competency. An  analysis of the number of films he acted and the number of songs he had sung in both these periods is interesting:

Period	No. of films acted	No. of songs          ( approx.)
1946-1969	74	363
1969-1987	13	2260

The perennial dilemma for me is how to select a few songs, say 25-30, from the vast ocean he left behind from 1969 to 1987. I know that many of my friends who are ardent  Kishore fans may feel that I have missed out some of their favourites but as I always say , these are my personal choices and I have to restrict the length of my blogs!

Song list is arranged chronologically based on the year of the film and  described in this sequence: Song-Film-Year of release-Music director-Lyricist-any co-singers

1. Roop tera mastana-Aaradhana-1969-S.D Burman-Anand Bakshi

The song that gave the biggest break of his career. Accordion, saxophone, and the thundering rhythm of Burman da, excellently picturised  in a single shot and with that so-sensual tone of Kishore…the most remembered song of Kishore.

2. Mere Naseeb mein ae dost-Do Raaste-1969-Lakshmikant-Pyarelal- Anand Bakshi

Laxmikant-Pyarelal come out with a superb song with a sombre tone .  Their  usually elaborate orchestration gives way for a very simple , soulful melody and Kishore excels in such sad songs also.

3. Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi-Khamoshi- 1969-  Hemant Kumar-Gulzar

A haunting melody  from Hemant da, sung with a great intensity  by Kishore. Khamoshi was an intense film and in line with the mood of the film, Hemant da & Kishore da created  a masterpiece.

4. Teri duniya se hoke-Pavitra Paapi-1970-Prem Dhawan-Prem Dhawan

Prem Dhawan was an under-rated and not-so-recognised ,  multi-talented artist-choreographer, lyricist, and an occasional music composer also. This is a very famous song of Kishore picturized on a young Parikshit Sahni. The deep baritone of Kishore traverses from the low to high notes with that  natural , free style of singing , which was his greatest strength.

5.  Phoolon ke rang se-Prem Pujari-1970-S.D.Burman-Neeraj

Burman da had a great association with Kishore da and in fact considered him as a “ manas putra”-godson. Kishore da always gave his best for the senior Burman. Lyricist Neeraj wrote some great songs for S D Burman . Picturized in the beautiful Swiss alps, this  evergreen song  will remain as fresh as it was when composed 53 years ago!

6. Zindagi ka safar-Safar-1970-Kalyanji -Anandji-Indeevar

Kalyanji -Anandji were one of those rare composers who worked successfully right from the early 60’s and were able to quickly adapt to the changing style of music right up to the early 2000. Also, they composed excellent songs with all the three stalwarts-Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore.

7. Geet gaata hoon mein-Lal Pathhar-1971-Shankar -Jaikishan-Dev Kohli

Shankar-Jaikishan and Kishore are a unique combination. They had very few songs together but whatever they composed for him were excellent and projected a totally different tone of Kishore . Sadly, in the popular realm, this combination is mostly ignored . Out of the duo , Shankar was always open to try other singers like Kishore and Manna Dey. After the unfortunate death of Jaikishan at a very young age of 40 , the industry totally ignored Shankar , but I keep discovering many gems from him which he composed individually, but always under the title of Shankar-Jaikishan . Whenever Shankar & Kishore  worked  together, what else can one expect than gems like this song Geet Gaata Hoon Mein.

8. Yeh jo mohabbat hai-Kati Patang-1971-R.D.Burman-Anand Bakshi

Apart from Aaradhana, there are two films that are known for Kishore’s fabulous songs : Amar Prem & Kati Patang. Any playlist of Kishore is bound to have this immensely popular song, that defines exactly  Kishore’s style of singing. That intoxicated ‘ yeh jo mohabbat hai’ is something that will remain etched forever in the film music world.

9. Zindagi ek safar hai suhana-Andaaz-1971-Shankar Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri

There were many songs that had that famous yodelling of Kishore , but I consider this  one as one of the best ever  yodelling!! The very first strains of the prelude will announce fabulously that it is a S-J composition. That grand orchestration , the high-octane energy, and the furious rhythm-all typical S-J sytle. One more “ signature song” of Kishore da.

10. Dil aaj shayar-Gambler-1971-S.D.Burman-Neeraj

One of my favourite Kishore songs, this has that remarkable stamp of senior Burman, with Kishore  conveying the intense emotions written by the great poet Neeraj in an  impeccable way.

11. Koi hota jisko apna-Mere Apne-1971-Salil Choudhury-Gulzar

Salil da is well known for his intricate compositions. In his initial days he had composed some songs for Kishore that were  lighter tunes , mainly for those films which had Kishore as the actor. For Salil da , the main preferences were Talat, Mukesh and to a lesser extent Rafi. However, after hearing Kishore render this song that had intricate transitions from the lower to higher octaves and how Kishore da rendered them so effortlessly, it seems Salil da repented very much that he had not worked with Kishore da more .

One of my very favourite Kishore song-an absolute gem.

12. Tum kitni khoobsurat ho-Jangal Mein Mangal-1972-Shankar-Jaikishan-Hasrat Jaipuri & Neeraj

The humming at the beginning, and once again , those fabulous violins of S-J ,the way in which Shankar brings out the vibrato in Kishore da’s voice-all these make this a masterpiece. I am sure many Kishore fans might not have heard this rare song. I would request them to listen to this song and enjoy a different texture in Kishor’s voice.

13. Yeh kya hua kaise hua-Amar Prem-1972-R.D Burman-Anand Bakshi

Amar Prem had “ amar” songs of the Pancham da-Kishore da -Anand Bakshi troika who were a terrific team. Chingari koi bhadke, Kuch toh log kahenge are the other two immortal songs of this team in this film.

The voice modulation of Kishore da  perfectly fits the on-screen Rajesh Khanna. Pancham da’s superb use of the flute that keeps “ answering” Kishore’s queries and Anand Bakshi’s simple but powerful lines are just out of the world.

14. Oh mere dil ke chain-Mere Jeevan Sathi-1972-R.D Burman-Majroh Sultanpuri

The juggernaut of Pancham-Kishore-Rajesh Khanna continues….How can I describe this song except to say that it is an emotion that can only be felt.

The guitar and thundering percussion of Pancham joined with a santoor piece all add up to an evergreen number. The breezy style of Kishore da’s singing is in full glory.

15. Yeh Jeevan hai-Piya Ka Ghar-1972- Lakshmikant-Pyarelal -Anand Bakshi

The songs in which Kishore da slightly softens  his natural  baritone are simply nectar. LP for a change create a very soothing and soft tune with minimal orchestration that consists of mainly a  guitar. One of the greatest melodies from L-P & Kishore da.

16. Pal pal dil ke paas-Blackmail-1973-Kalyanji Anandji-Rajendra Krishan

The 4-5 years after Aaradhana saw Pancham, L-P and K-A vying with each other to give Kishore da their best creations. This one is again a perennial favourite of any Kishore fan and must definitely be among their  top ten . KA were also equally great in their percussions ; in this song the combination of guitar, violins and accordion complement the full-throated Kishore da’s free style singing.

17. Mere bheegi bheegi si-Anamika-1973-R.D.Burman-Majrooh

Another vintage Pancham-Kishore combo, this time with Majrooh and picturized on the great actor Sanjeev Kumar.

An iconic song. That slight breaking of voice in the word “ mann” at the end of first antara and again at the end of the song are Kishore’s USPs.

18. Mere dil mein aaj kya-Daag-1973-Laxmikant Pyarelal-Sahir Ludhianvi

Laxmi-Pyare come out with one more super hit for Kishore da. Their typical percussion that keeps pounding at your heart and at times, takes a strategic pause at certain places , where Kishore lowers his voice. These subtle variations in the orchestrations make the songs of the golden era evergreen.

19. Ghungroo ki tarah-Chor Machaye Shor-1974-Ravindra Jain

The blind music director cum lyricist Ravindra Jain composed some great songs with many singers. I can say he was the last one to continue the rich legacy of melody from  the golden era to the late 80’s.

Kishor delivers a pathos ridden song in his inimitable style.

20. Oh Hansini mere Hansini-Zehreela Insaan-1974-R.D Burman-Majrooh

One more personal favourite of mine. Pancham creates sheer magic with saxophone, accordion, flute  and guitar. The antara of the song is simply superb.

21. Dil Aisa Kisi Ne  Mera Thoda-Amanush-1975-Shyamal Mitra-Indeevar

Shyamal Mitra was a noted singer and  music composer who worked mainly in Bengali film music  . Amanush was his most noteworthy Hindi film and this famous song by Kishore da made Shyamal Mitra’s  name popular in HFM.

22. Tera bina zindagi se koi-Aandhi-1975-R.D Burman-Gulzar-With Lata

The first duet in my selection- I did not realise that all the songs I selected from the “top of my mind recall” were solos! This is a fabulous duet with Kishore making  a late entry. All the three duets from the film Aandhi are great. The other two mesmerizing duets are :

Is mod se jaate hain, kuch chust kadam rakhkar &

Tum aa gaye ho noor aa gaya hai

23. Badi sooni hai-Mili-1975-S.D.Burman-Yogesh

The last song composed by S D Burman, the recording of which he could not attend as he suffered a stroke and was in hospital. Few days later, on 31^st Oct 1975, Burman da passed away . Maybe the pain that Kishore might have felt while recording this song , knowing his mentor was in hospital , is reflected in the immense emotion he had put in this song. Remains one of Kishore da’s best sad song.

24. Tum bhi chalo-Zameer-1975- Sapan Chakravarty-Sahir Ludhianvi-With Asha

Sapan Chakravarty was a long-time assistant to Pancham da and also a singer in Bengali films. He had composed music for  a handful of Hindi films, and this one is the best among them. There are two versions of this song, and both are excellent. The fast one is a duet with Asha and there is a slower , solo version of Kishore. I have selected the former.

25. Chalo bhool jayen-Do Jhoot-1975-Shankar -Jaikishan-Vitthalbhai Patel-With Lata

The fourth S-J song in my list-one more hidden gem from Shankar. Somehow, being a great S-J fan, I cannot digest the popular perception that after Jaikishan’s demise , their music was not good. Of course , Shankar could give only few hits , but some of his compositions were too good and maybe the public could not appreciate. This is also a great Kishore-Lata duet.

26. Chalte chalte Mere Yeh Geet-Chalte Chalte-1976-Bappi Lahiri-Amit Khanna

Between the many fast paced, disco songs that Bappi Lahiri was famous for, he had composed some great sober songs. This song had become a sort of epitaph for Kishore da…no one can ever say ‘alvida’ to his songs. I prefer the audio only link instead of the video of the song.

27. Rimjhim gire sawan-Manzil-1979-R.D. Burman-Yogesh Gawde

Whenever one thinks of the famous rain songs in HFM, this will always be there at the top.

28. Chhookar mere man ko-Yaarana-1981-Rajesh Roshan-Anjaan

I end this blog with , what I consider , as one of the best by Kishore in his latter days. The soft tone of his voice gently caresses you like a cool breeze. Excellent composition by Rajesh Roshan, son of the legendary Roshan Lal Nagrath.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights. I sincerely thank the publishers of following  Internet sources  for the information that I could gather for this article

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia