Vasant Desai Part 2 (post-1950s): His male singers

In Vasant Desai Part 1 pertaining to the vintage years (1930s and 40s), we were introduced to his multifaceted talents, including his acting and singing. As per N Venkataraman he had sung a total of 37 songs in Hindi and Marathi. We all agreed that he was an outstanding singer, but surprisingly his singing career came to a complete halt in 1944. The era of the great male playback years was a few years away. The difference between vintage and golden era (post-1950s) is not merely chronological, but also the singing style and emergence of new great playback singers: Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle etc.

As far as female playback singers are concerned Lata Mangeshkar is a clear front-runner with over 110 songs by Vasant Desai. Besides the quantity, several of these songs are timeless. On the other hand he does not show any marked preference for any male singer. He was very eclectic in his choices and gave great songs for a wide range of singers. Therefore, it is best to review his male singers in specific groups. For each singer in this post, I have taken one representative song. In many cases I have taken a duet if I liked that most.

A. Vintage singers

Hans Jakhar has observed that the year 1950 should also be included in vintage era. He is right if you consider that in Dahej (1950) his male singer is Krishna Goyal and female singer is Jayshree. This is interesting because by then the great playback singers of the golden era were in full bloom and Vasant Desai had already used them in earlier years. Also, the hero of the film Karan Dewan sang some everlasting songs until a year ago, such as Duniya hamaare pyar ki yun hi jawan rahe (with Lata Mangeshkar; Lahore, 1949; Shyam Sundar). We also find Surendra and GM Durrani in Vasant Desai’s films in the early 1950s. The most popular of them was Krishna Goyal’s songs in Dahej.

1. Krishna Goyal
Who was Krishna Goyal? Anil Bhargav’s ‘Swaron Ki Yatra’ says that he was born in Jammu in 1927. After completing his education and training in music he came to Lahore Radio Station which started broadcasting his songs regularly. The attraction of singing in films drew him to Bombay where he got his first break as an actor-singer in Krishna Sudama (1947) under the baton of Shyam Babu Pathak. He sang in about a dozen films, but his most famous remains this song from Dahej, picturised on the actor-singer-until-a-year-back Karan Dewan!

Aa ja nigahon mein aa ja, khayalon mein aa ja by Krishna Goyal from Dahej (1950), lyrics Shams Lakhanavi, music Vasant Desai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tkh503PbHw

B. Classical singers/ Musicians

Vasant Desai was famous for his classical raag-based songs. This is very different from having famous classical musicians sing and perform in a film setting. Vasant Desai shows his mastery with the classical form with some great artistes.

2. Panditrao Nagarkar (1910-1977)
Panditrao Nagarkar (full name Govind Parashuram Nagarkar) studied up to matriculation. He took to music early and trained in classical music for some time. In 1930, the record company Odeon cut some records of his songs. He sang and acted in theatre as well; he started his own drama troupe named Sulochana Sangeet Mandali with the singer Sulochana Palkar. The troupe lasted from 1934 to 1937.  What brought him great fame was his acting and singing in the Marathi film Amar Bhopali (1951). This movie was a biopic on Honaji, a simple cow-herder, who had innate gift of poetry, set in the last days of Maratha Confederacy, i.e. early 19th century. Panditrao played Honaji and sang his verses. Our friend Dr Deshpande mentioned in his comment #104 on the last post that it was Honaji who popularised Lavani. The bhajan set in Raag Bhopali, Ghanshyam sundara has become a cultural icon of Marathi middle class households. This song has been discussed earlier on SOY and it has floored us for its beauty. This video also gives its meaning in English, which indicates that it is the song of dawn. I am told that ‘Bhopali’ besides being a raag, also means in Marathi a class of morning songs of prayer, generally to Krishna. As Honaji was also a cow-herder, he sings a prayer to Krishna to arise, in the style of Shri Venkatesh Suprabhatam:

The flock of birds that gathered together
On a tree in the evening
Flew away at dawn in search of food.

Rising up at dawn, the kavadi starts on his way.
Finishing their morning chores, womenfolk with water pots on their waists,
Have gone to Yamua river to fetch water.

Mukunda, partake of our offerings.
O, the one who is the root of all happiness, arise,
The night has ended and it is morning.

The cows are mooing
Milk the cows taking milk pot.
The calves are eagerly waiting to suckle.

The bee trapped inside the closed lotus flower finds freedom
As the face of easterly direction lightens obliterating the darkness.
O the one who is dark like rain-filled cloud blissful Krishna!
The sun has risen.
Arise O forest-dweller!
The sun has arrived at the sunrise mountain.

Ghanshyam sunddara by Panditrao Nagarkar /Panidtrao Nagarkar & Lata Mangeshkar from Amar Bhopali (1951), lyrics Honji Bala, music Vasant Desai.

3. Ustad Amir Khan
The main theme of Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje was highlighting the superiority of classical over baazaru through dance. Ustad Amir Khan was a singers’ singer. It is said that Vasant Desai had earlier composed the title song in Raag Darbari, a profound raag which went very well with a serious singer like Ustad Amir Khan. But V Shantaram was not happy about it. He asked Vasant Desai to redo it in Raag Adana. Both have the same scale but Darbari emphasises the lower half of the octave (पूर्वांग प्रधान), whereas Adana emphasis the upper half (उत्तरांग प्रधान). The result is a bright title song. If you want to have a feel how it would sound in Darbari, think of SJ-Manna Dey’s Jhanak jhanak tori baaje payaliya from Mere Huzoor (1968).

Jhanak jhanak payal baaje by Ustad Amir Khan from Jhanak Jhanak Paya Baaje (1955), lyric Hasrat Jaipuri, music Vasant Desai

4. Ustad Bismillah Khan
Ustad Bismillah Khan was a मस्त फकीर. In any concert he would play the tune of Dil ka khilauna haye toot gaya on public demand. His shehnai was the highlight of Goonj Uthi Shehnai. He combines with Ustad Amir Khan in this wonderful Raagmalika, picturised on the guru Ulhas (vocal) and his pupil Rajendra Kumar on the shehnai. The video recognises the raags used as Bhatiar, Ramkali, Desi, Shuddh Sarang, Bageshree and Chnadrakauns tarana.

Raagmalika jugalbandi by Ustad Amir Khan and Ustad Bismillah Khan from Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), music Vasant Desai

5. Ustad Salamat Ali Khan (12.12.1934-11.7.2001)
Ustad Salamat Ali Khan with his elder brother Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan made the famous Ali Brothers. They received rigorous training in music from their father and became the flag-bearers of Sham Chaurasia gharana which was named after their birth place. This gharana had a long tradition of Dhrupad gayaki. To Ali brothers goes the credit of bringing Khayal gayaki to this gharana. After partition they migrated to Pakistan where they kept the flag high for Hindustani classical music. Because of some personal differences the brothers parted ways and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan sang solo thereafter. He trained his sons Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan and Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan who are carrying forward the family tradition of classical music. He sings this Raagmalika with Lata Mangeshkar from an unreleased film Amar Samadhi (1960). The video identifies the raags used as Lalit, Shuddh Sarang, Yaman, Marwa and Adana.

Tumhre gun gaaun (Raagmalika) by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Lata Mangeshkar from Amar Samadhi (UR, 1960), music Vasant Desai

6. Pt. Jasraj
Pt. Jasraj was a classical singer for the uninitiated and hence the most accessible. He was the flag-bearer of Mewati gharana; Vasant Desai uses him beautifully in the film Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966).

Vandna karo archana karo is dhara mahan ki, swarg ke saman ki by Pandit Jasraj from Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1968), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Vasant Desai

C. Mainstream playback singers

7. Rafi
Rafi sang 36 songs in all for Vasant Desai. In Goonj Uthi Shaenai (1959), he had two solos – Kah do koi na kare yahan pyar and Maine peena seekh liya – and three superb duets with Lata Mangeshkar. My favourite is this duet which starts with a slow shehnai piece played by Rajenda Kumar which pulls a restless Amita towards him. She responds with a slow recital, Rok sake na raah hamari duniya ki deewar/ Saath jiyenge saath marenge amar hamar pyar, followed by an unexpectedly fast song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kl3pkHBmhs

8. Manna Dey
Manna Dey had an immortal inspirational song, Nirbal se ladai balwan ki, ye kahani hai diye ki aur toofan ki in Toofan Aur Diya (1956), and next year he combined with Lata Mangeshkar to sing one of he best rain songs in our films. You see Shantaram, Sandhya, her kids, and the ferocious prisoners dancing in joy in the rains they have been waiting for long. Now the parched earth would be drenched letting them plough and sow seeds.

Ho umad ghumad kar ayi re ghata, kaare kaare badra ki chhai chaai re ghata by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar from Do Aankhen Baarah Hath (1957), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Vasant Desai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtUnvEtFcZA

9. Talat Mahmood
Talat Mahmood makes an early entry with Vasant Desai in Hyderabad Ki Nazneen (1952). Thereafter, he gets songs off and on. His two duets with Lata Mangeshkar have become extremely popular. One is Tim tim tim taaron ke deep jale from the film Mausi (1958). And the other is this fast-paced joyous song, picturised on Raja Gosavi and B Saroja Devi.

O dildar suno ek baar kya mera pyar pasand hai tumhein by Talat Mahmood and Lata Mangeshkar from School Master (1959), lyrics Kavi Pradeep, music Vasant Desai

10. Hemant Kumar
The only song Hemant Kumar possibly sang for Vasant Desai is Nain so nain naahi milaao, a duet with Lata Mangeshkar. But he did not need to sing too many songs to sing a masterpiece.

Nain so nain naahi milaao by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar from Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1959), lyrics Hasrat Jaipuri, music Vasant Desai

11. Subir Sen
For non-Bengalis, Subir Sen’s voice is indistinguishable from Hemant Kumar. He got to sing this marvellous duet with Lata Mangeshkar.

Pyar mein milna sanam hota hai taqdeer se by Subir Sen and Lata Mangeshkar from Ardhangini (1959), lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, music Vasant Desai

12. Where is Mukesh?
I don’t off-hand remember any Mukesh song composed by Vasant Desai. It seems very unusual. But Mukesh must have sung from him.

D. Unusual singers

13. V Shantaram
V Shantaram as a singer? I don’t know whether he sang any songs. But the famous prayer Ai maalik tere bande hum we associate with Lata Mangeshkar was also sung by Shantaram when he leads the prayer with the outlaws.

Ae maalik tere bande hum, aise hon hamaare karam by V Shantaram & others from Do Aankhen Baarah Haath (1957), lyrics Bharat Vyas, music Vasant Desai

14. Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar, the actor-non-singer did sing many songs in Bombay Talkies era and some other films in 30s and 40s, but that came to a full stop in 1947. But Vasant Desai made him sing two solos – Railgaadi railgaadi, chhuk chhuk and Naav chali naani ki naav chali and two duets/triads in Aashirwad (1968). The train song became so popular that the Indian Railways often used that in their advertising campaigns. Once their tableaux in Republic Day parade was based on this theme.

Railgaadi, railgaadi, chhuk chhuk chhuk and Naani ki naav chali by Ashok Kumar from Aashirwad (1968), lyrics Harindranath Chattopadhyay, music Vasant Desai

Here is a combined video of Ashok Kumar’s both the solos.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

1. The YT links of songs have been embedded only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog claims no copyright over the songs, which belongs to the respective owners.

2. In some songs playing on another site has been blocked, but by clicking on the links you can play them on YT.

3. The information on Panditrao Nagarkar is courtesy my friend Yashodhan Parande who has sourced it from ‘Marathi Vishwakosh’. The word ‘kavadi’ in the song ‘Ghanshyam sundara‘ means a milkman (one who carries a ‘kavad’ – a stick with two pots at the end carried on shoulder.)

4. I am greatly helped by the material on different sites.