InDepth

Deep dive into the world of Naushad! The Naushad phenomenon would not be complete if I do not mention about the following songs; these are the ones that have been my personal favourites : 1.  Mera pyar bhi tu hai... ( Saathi )  I chose this song only because of the tremendous sweetness that it imparts on the ears of its listeners. I think Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur did a sparkling job. Based on Raga Pilu (sometimes called Misra Pilu), the song depicts happiness and love. Here Naushad-sahab is very cautious about the fact that the notes encircle within a relatively limited periphery or range so that Mukesh's voice is aptly suited. It is noteworthy to mention that Lata Mangeshkar had once stated in an interview that Mukesh never really liked high-pitched vocals and preferred serenity over loud expressions. Naushad's melody offers just that kind of liberty to Mukesh to usher and Suman Kalyanpur too provides the same gentleness and smoothness that the song required. On the screen...

What is essential in life is to be happy. With all aspects taken care of – money, status, friends, fame, to name a few – life still needs that one thing, and that is happiness. The famous author R.K.Narayan, in his renowned story collection “ Malgudi Days ” mentioned time and again the importance of this aspect; the simple fact – that happiness is a choice, and we must consciously want to make that choice at every stage of life. One of the choices I make to get myself instantly happy is to travel. Not far and wide, but close-by. It is rather important for me to be on my budget, stay on my terms and to be on my own mercy to enjoy a travel. As the famous Frank Sinatra once sang, “ I travelled each and every highway/And more, much more than this/I did it my way ”, you must find your own way that suits you. Perhaps, someone wants to indeed go the far. That is perfectly fine. I came to know of a couple in Europe who had spent most of their romantic life motorbiking through large parts...

The pandemic was teaching us new things every day. Economic crisis was seen before, job losses were not that rare in the Western World. Even massive population getting sick due to an unknown wave of infection was recorded before in human history. I think the corona pandemic taught mankind a very cruel lesson which was by and large new – how to live alone! My first trip to Germany went smooth, I had got an apartment to share. I received a lot of help from my new company and my manager – many things which could have gone wrong were falling in its place. The only thing that was bothering me – and I am sure many of us – was the continuously growing mistrust in social life and the increasing seclusion and loneliness. Aloneness is very different from loneliness – the former one you choose on your own will, and it can be fulfilling and needed at times. But loneliness is pathetic, it is bitter, and it is a curse. We are humans and not animals. We have developed trust for thousands of years. ...

Rise to fame and self-confidence Naushad was a taskmaster. He took his assignments very seriously. For his early films he would study the script, understand the genre and compose according to the mood of the film. Often he would travel to the exact part of India where the story was based and find out more about the local dialect, the folk music prevalent in that area and then set his tunes accordingly.  He was an artist who grew in confidence. He developed his craft in steps and ventured into areas never seen in Indian films. The orchestration was completely overhauled under his direction. Naushad's early struggle and pains are reflected in many of his songs, of course through their tunes. But I have a feeling that the grandeur and opulent use of bandishes (Indian classical music composition) and musical instruments in some of his songs might have been a testimonial of his ambition to display something very huge so that it fitted in contrast to the struggles that he had...

Struggle and Early Years in Bombay.... Naushad had quite a struggling start to his career in Hindi Film Industry. The early displeasure from his father notwithstanding, Naushad made a decision to come to Bombay to start his career as musician. The early days were tough as he had neither any prior experience in films nor he knew anyone in the music fraternity. It was 1937. As his very first assignment, he got a chance to play Piano with music composer Ustaad Jhande Khan. It is important to note that Naushad used to play Piano in his early days and knew about Western Classical Music. Bach, Beethoven were names he would admire! So much talent and skill at such an early age! This broad knowledge of music helped him - he had acquired the music of dehat (rural India) through his travels, had learnt Hindustani Classical Music and now could also play Western instruments. One of the biggest movie making houses of pre-independent India was called Film City . For records, before the Indian Film I...

Early life in Lucknow...... Naushad had quite a struggling start to his career in Mumbai. He had to spend many days and nights out in the open, sleeping on the footpath. But before traveling to Bombay (Mumbai these days), we must find out his childhood and boyhood. Let us try to divide his early life into some parts.  Naushad was born in Lucknow. Lucknow has been a city of culture, ethos, passion, craft and most importantly, of art. Even today, there is art in the air. The famous lawyer cum author A.P. Sen thrived in his pursuit of art and literature in the city of Lucknow. Like him, many have heaped praises on the beauty and auspicious nature of the city.  Naushad described some glimpses of his childhood in one of his interviews. It would be a house full of friends and relatives flocking every day. His father was a clerk and had good connections in the society - the family was a well-known one. The most beautiful part was the idea of assimilation of different cultures, faiths...