Friday, October 14, 2011

Shanker's birthday on 15th October 2011

composing some tunes and playing them to the delight of the theatre artistes, as they relaxed after the days work was over. Premnath was among such prominent and enchanted ones and was always pestering, Raj for a break for Shankar along with Jaikishan, into movies, The year was1947-1948, S&J were on the rolls of Prithvi theatres as a Tabla and Harmonium player respectively and also were as by then Raj had already made Aag which had some tunes by S&J as reflected in those 78 rpm records as per the norms then, tune by Shankar or Jaikishan as the case may be, though the music credits were shown as Ram Ganguly.
Something strange happenned as Vishwa Mehra and Raj got the feedback from HMV, that some of the tunes of Barsaat were being re-hashed and being sold by Ram Ganguly, and enraged as Raj was, nonplussed looked at Vishwa Mehra in askance, on what his next course of action should be and prompt came the reply "Replace Ram Ganguly with SJ as these songs were anyway composed by them". Raj did give instructions to HMV but was filled with a nagging fear and anxiety as he was found vacillating "Perhaps it may be better to let things be as before...put Ram Ganguly's name back in"
For his next venture Barsaat, Ram Ganguly. had already two songs recorded with tunes by S &J. and at the most critical and vital moment,Mehra put his foot down as fair play seized him, admonishing Raj firmly for replacement then and there.

Thus a new pair of Music Directors by the name of Shankar Jaikishan were ushered under the umbrella of RK Films, for Barsaat,
as its now well known musical compositions, then, lay like dormant clouds, burst forth into a Rainbow of Melodies, the like of which was, not heard till then, fresh in its fragrance, distinctly novel orchestra, at once electrifying, euphonious to the ear and a connossiers delight, that did not look back.
Some moments have their destiny, latently stored all over, shrouded till the opportunity opens up, in its own inscrutable way and historic, as viewed in retrospect, bestowing a splendid spectacle forthwith, for the next two decades of an uninterrupted feast of spell binding music.
springing joyously from this ecstatic musical fountain of bountiful bliss, as the SJ caravan surfed along, sailing majestically, setting its sails from one canvas to another until the whole of their musical spectrum got absorbed and eneveloped into a facade of brilliant shades of the rainbow, split from a single ray of the SJ light, as reflected by the coveted white Impalla's, they once sported, for collecting their many prestigeous FF awards.
Shankar ji, you have braved many a storm in the battle of life, a pyschosis beyond one's comprehension confronted in the wake of your mentor deserting you at a very vulnerable phase, already bereft of Lata, and so many factors that started weighing you down, our fond remembrances of you as the architect of the phenomenon called SJ, as we also get a glimpse of your turmoil on Jai's demise in an interaction to Amin Sayani....
"Kya kahun, Amin Bhai, Mera Zindagi ka Saathi Chala Gaya mere paas reh hi kya gaya kehne keliye....Pehle kabhi soch hi nahintha itni choti umar me humsabko chodke chala jayega ...khair jo uske baten jo achhi baten sari duniya ko yaad rahegi,.....kaise pyar dena, kaise pyar lena, kitna milansar se rehna usi ko aata tha hame bhi nahin aata. Hamesha mujhse kehta tha,.... Are yar tum hamesha gusse me rehthe ho, kisi na kisi ko daanthe rehthe ho........"
while you never really had the need for such a situation while Jai was there, it became conspicous after he left so suddenly, as the made for each other, stared starkly now at you, with the strange and awkward feeling knawing you "What if I had gone first ......." remains unanswered with wishful thinking taking the reins of unbridled imagination and I do subscribe to the subtle and subconscious feeling looming large among pragmatic SJians
that your foursome were the four wheels of the Divine Chariot that got embellished consciously as SJ and invisibly as the invincible SJSH.
It was Destiny that snatched away Shailendra from this foursome in 1966 and one wheel went rolling off, making vaccum in one half of the jodi and
with Jai the second diagnol wheel also gone, Destiny truck its most vital blow leaving you to brave a storm unprecedented and totally taken unawares.
However we celebrate your birth anniversary with nostalgic remembrances of a soul who coined his love for music as a "Deewanapan.."
and rejoice in them as life bmaecomes worthwhile but for a few things and dominant among them being the SJ thread running throughout
our subconscious life perpetually ever and consciously surfacing as the occasion warrants.
If there was a trendsetting
"Mohabbat ki dastaan hai yeh sno......in Mayurpankh there was an equally beautiful number
by Lata "Kushiyon ki chand muskuraaye re..."
If there was the dream evoking number by Lata
"Koyi mere sapnon me aaya....." from New Delhi
which ultimately got shelved due to strange reasons there was another classical in the form of "Murali bairan bhayee..."
which was very much there filmed on Vyjayantimala rated as a Lata classic to this day.
If there was the feelingly sung
"Chandrama madhbara kyun jhoome badar mein.."from Patrani
there was an equally impressive "Kabhi tho aaa kabhi tho aaa kabhi tho aaa....
and what a score SJ did for Patrani as Lata's vocals are really tested as she raises her pitch into " Pawan Ganga....."
and the classical music that follows is just euphonious as it sends you into raptures.
One should heare Patrani's album to understand the classical depth of Shankar in dance music which is legendary.
My humble salutations to you Sir Shankar Singh Raghuvansi
rgds
murthy