Harjap Singh Aujla

BETWEEN 1968 and 1970, I was serving on the faculty of the Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh. During 1968 and 1969, I was one of the teachers who took the students of the college on annual all India educational tours. Each year Bombay was prominent on our itinerary. Finding some time off from the hectic official duties, I attempted to have a face to face meeting with great singer Lata Mangeshkar in 1968, but did not succeed. But in 1969 a chance meeting with a popular music director Jai Kishan Panchal provided an opportunity to be face to face with the celebrated female playback singer of India, Lata Mangeshkar.

It was a December 1969 morning; the venue was a music studio at Film City Tardeo in Bombay. Well before Lata’s appointed time, music director Jai Kishan along with lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri had arrived at the studios. Soon I also reached the place along with some music loving students. A fifty piece orchestra was rehearsing the tune. Lata Mangeshkar arrived and after receiving bouquets of flowers from every one present, she moved straight to her recording cabin. She did not need much rehearsal. Entire recording in two phases was completed in thirty minutes. Jai Kishan made her a special request to meet one of her fans, who came all the way from Punjab. She was gracious to accede to the request.

Jai Kishan told me to go to her cabin and meet her. I touched her feet and told her that I was one of her avid fans. She asked as to what do I like in her music. I just needed such an opportunity to express my feelings. I told her that I liked almost everything that she recorded during her first decade and after that I like some songs and do not like most others. She was quick to respond. She told me frankly that during the fifties the music directors were composing music from their heart. At that time they were influencing the public taste, now they fall in line with the public taste and are composing crossbred music out of touch with real India.

She said she was thankful to a lot of Punjabi music directors who made great tunes for her to sing, at a time when she was evolving her personality as a singer. She said she was discovered by Amritsar born Master Ghulam Haider, a maverick Punjabi music director and in her early years several Punjabi music directors; Vinod, Shyam Sunder, Hans Raj Behl, Allah Rakha, Sardar Malik, Madan Mohan and Pandit Husnalal Bhagatram offerred her their finest compositions to sing. According to her recollection, out of her first dozen songs, two were in Punjabi composed by a brilliant music composer Vinod. She did not remember the name of the film, which I told her. It was “Chaman” (1948). She smiled in affirmative.

Lata was all praise for Shyam Sunder, who composed exotic music in films “Bazaar” and “Lahore”. Both films were released in 1949. She vividly recollected the film “Lahore” and the song “Baharein phir bhi aayengi, magar hum tum juda honge” as one of her most memorable songs. A duet of the same film sung with actor Karan Diwan “Duniya hamare pyaar ki yoonhi jawan rahe, main bhi vahin rahoon mera saajan jahan rahe” was also very close to her heart.

She remembered Hans Raj Behl’s composition “Haaye chanda gaye pardes, chakori yahan ro ro mare”. She also remembered Husnalal Bhagatram’s great tunes for films “Bari Behan” and “Afsana”. I reminded her of her great songs composed by the same duo in film “Meena Bazaar”, including a duet with Rafi “Paas aake huye hum door, yehi tha qismat ko manzoor”.

Lata became nostalgic after hearing about this long forgotten duet. Lata talked fondly about another great Punjabi music director Madan Mohan, who always maintained his sublime standard, when many others were succumbing to bad public taste. I reminded Lata about a couple of songs composed by Madan Mohan ji.

One was “Aja kahin se aja, dilka qarar leke, baithe huye hain kab se tera intezaar lake” from film “Samunder”. Another song was “Tum ho saath raat bhi haseen hai, ab to maut ka bhi dar nahin hai” from film “Mohar”. She loved both songs. Much later on I discovered that she asked “HMV” to release both these songs as her favourites under the music direction of Madam Mohan.

ata faintly recollected about a dozen songs she sang in her early years for music directors like Vinod and Hans Raj Behl. I reminded her of two more music directors Sardul Kwatra and Allah Rakha Qureishi for whom she sang some Punjabi songs. She was surprised at my memory. I knew most fans of great personalities do have sharp memories.

We touched several more subjects, about which I shall write sometime later on. She gave me half an hour and for that precious moment. I shall always be indebted to her.

[harjapaujla@gmail.com]

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