Asha, Range Unbound

Abstract

On 8^th September 2021, Asha Bhosle turned 88.  She is the famous sister of her even more decorated elder sibling Lata Mangeshkar. She is well-known as the voice of numerous hit songs composed first by O P Nayyar (OPN) and then R D Burman (RDB). She is celebrated for the ghazals she immortalized for Khayyam in Umrao Jaan (1981). Finally, she is remembered for the final flourish of her film career with A R Rahman in Rangeela (1995) and Lagaan (2001). But she is clearly more than the sum of these parts.

In this blog, I explore Asha’s work as a playback singer in Hindi films to better appreciate her range and versatility. It is not easy to pick and choose from the songs of a singer whose career has spanned seven decades and over 12,000 songs. I propose to select mostly her solos for some of the many music directors she worked with and share what I liked best about them. I concede that this is a somewhat restrictive approach.

O P Nayyar

I regard the music of Sone Ki Chidiya (1958) as one of the top two or three scores of OPN. The film has Balraj Sahni, Nutan and Talat Mehmood in the cast. Talat has two memorable duets with Asha. Pyar Par Bas To Nahin Hai is essentially a Talat number with Asha providing only the humming. But there is also a solo version of the song where Asha excels. Similarly, Raat Bhar Ka Mehman Andhera is essentially a Rafi solo with Asha snatching just a few notes at the end to stamp her class. Thus, in the same film, you have Asha converting a duet into a solo and a solo into a duet and holding her own against two senior artists like Talat and Rafi. Here are the two songs along with another favourite of mine from Mitti Mein Sona (1960). 

Pyar Par Bas To Nahin

Raat Bhar Ka Hai Mehman Andhera

Poocho Na Hamme Hum Unke Liye

S. D. Burman

Like OPN, S D Burman (SDB) spotted Asha’s talent early and used her in many hit duets for his films in the 1950s and 1960s. Later, he made her sing some of her most memorable solos. SDB was the music director of  Lajwanti (1958) that had four solos by Asha, each better than the other. The two that stand out for me are at two ends of the emotional scale – one happy and the other slightly melancholic.

Koi Aaya Dhadkan Kehti Hai

Ga Mere Man Ga

Asha sang two other beautiful solos for SDB for two of Bimal Roy’s classics – Sujatha (1959) and Bandini (1963). Sujatha had many hit songs but this one picturised on Nutan is a cinematographic classic. The manner in which Asha starts the song with soft humming and elongates the ‘Re’ at the end of the next line Aise Mein Kahin Koi Miljaye Re while shyly hiding her face in the curtain matches Nutan’s shyness on screen exquisitely.     

Khali Ghata Chai Mora Jiya Tarse

In Bandini, SDB had given Lata and Asha two solos each, apart from one song each for Mukesh and himself. Though the film and all the songs were hits, this Asha solo stand out in my mind and heart. The song is picturised in a jail courtyard with a prisoner turning an atta chakki while singing this song and Nutan visible in the background. Asha brings out the desolate loneliness of life in a prison with her voice and the deliberate slow pace of singing.

Ab Ke Bharas Bhejo

Shankar-Jaikishan

To Shankar-Jaikishan (S-J) must go the credit for discovering the child-like quality in Asha’s voice and exploiting it to the hilt. In Boot Polish (1954), S-J used Asha in all but one of the songs and made her the voice of Baby Naaz and the children. Mud Mudke Na Dekh, a Manna Dey-Asha duet from Shree 420 (1955) remains one of the best-remembered dance songs to this day. S-J also used her to sing Paan Khaye Saiyan Hamaro in Teesri Kasam (1966) to pep up Waheeda Rehman’s lively dance number further.     

Nanne Munne Bachche Teri Mutthi Mein Kya Hai

Paan Khaye Saiyan Hamaro

C Ramachandra

Tu Mere Mein Tere from Navrang (1959) is one of Asha’s best solos. She imparts her voice a tremble that creates an ethereal touch that suits the  dream sequence filmed on Sandhya and Mahipal.

Tu Mere Mein Tere

Ravi

The moment you think of music director Ravi and Asha, the blockbuster hit Waqt (1965) comes to mind. But Ravi had made Asha sing the lori-like song Chanda Mama Door Ke from the film Vachan (1955). Ravi had also given her some hits in Dilli Ka Thug, including two popular duets with Kishore. 

Chanda Mama Door Ke

Roshan

The music of Roshan is always associated with the success of Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). In particular, the qawwali Na To Caravan Ki Talash Hai is unforgettable. Roshan used Asha, Sudha Malhotra, Rafi, Manna Dey and S D Batish in this qawwali. Yet, in Dil Hi To Hai, Asha single-handedly delivers an even more appealing qawwali number for him.

Nigahein Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai

Madan Mohan

As composer and his muse, Madan Mohan (MM) and Lata were a match made in musical heaven. Yet, MM did not hesitate to use Asha where he felt the tune required her specific skills. The iconic Jhumka Gira Re from Mera Saaya (1966) and Shokh Nazar Ki Bijliyan from Woh Kaun Thi (1964) come to mind here. It does not come as a surprise that MM has composed melodious songs with Asha in mind. A song each from Bank Manager (1959) and Akeli Mat Jiyo (1963) are listed below. The latter, with the use of castanets, would have done OPN proud, had he been the composer.

Sabha Se Ye Keh Do  

Thodi Der Ke Liye Mere Ho Jao

Hemant Kumar

Hemant Kumar has sung a number of fine duets with Asha and has also composed some great solos for her. Here is a sample from Ek Jhalak (1957) and Anupama (1966).

Yeh Hasta Hua Carvan Zindagi Ka

Kyon Mujhe Itni Khushi Dedi Ke Gabrata Hai Dil

Khayyam

Phir Subha Hogi (1958) was one of the early successes of Khayyam as a sensitive music director. Two haunting duets of Asha with Mukesh from the film are popular to this day. But she made you take notice of this solo with her soulful rendering. The slow beat and the tune remind you of Do Dil Toote Do Dil Haare from Heer Ranjha (1970). After hearing the two songs together, can anyone claim that Lata is incomparable?

Do Boondein Saawan Ki Haye

If ever any music director was to born to compose music for a particular film, then it must be Khayyam for Umrao Jaan (1981). The film did not merely showcase his music and the depth and breadth of Asha’s talent but also the poetry of Shahryar. It had twelve songs of which five were solos by Asha, one better than the other. For me, the choice of one among of them is this.

Yeh Kya Jagah Hai Doston

R D Burman

I do not have a count of how many songs Asha recorded for each music director. But I would not be surprised if she had sung the most for R D Burman (RDB). Unfortunately, the songs – both the solos and duets – had an element of predictability, if not repetitiveness about them. This is not to deny that many of them represented good music that the fans liked. So, at the risk of being unfair to Pancham, I would like to remember his musical association with Asha through a solo from Ijaazat (1987) that is among her best. I like the song also because it makes me recall two songs based on Raag Pilu composed by SDB – Chodo Chodo Mere Baiyan Sanware from Miya Biwi Razi (1960) and the more famous Tere Bin Soone Nain Humare from Meri Soorat Teri Ankhen (1963).     

Khali Haath Shaam Aayi Hai

Other Music Directors

I see that I have already listed 18 songs and there are a large number of music directors from Anil Biswas to A R Rahman for whom too Asha had recorded some wonderful songs. My apologies for terminating the list of songs here rather abruptly in the interest of preventing the blog from becoming even more unwieldy.   

My Take

In the style popularised by Fareed Zakaria in his weekly GPS program for CNN, here is my take. Asha is an incomparable singer who can hold her own against anyone, particularly her sister Lata. For me, they are not rivals. I do not have to like Lata less to love Asha more. Like public goods that economists talk about, they are ‘non-excludable’. So, all discussion as to who is better is essentially meaningless.

Having said that, I will conclude with a thought that crossed my mind as I was reading a book recently. The book is “Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by sports journalist and author David Epstein. His thesis is that the counter-intuitive way the generalist succeeds “…is by sampling widely, gaining a breadth of experiences, taking detours, experimenting relentlessly and juggling many interests – in other words by developing range.” Conventional wisdom may tell us that Lata is the generalist and Asha the specialist. However, according to the logic of the book Range, Lata may be the specialist in a narrower field and Asha the generalist with a wider range.

In the 1980s when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was asked whether she preferred a specialist or a generalist, she is supposed to have countered “Which specialist, which generalist?”. Her take seemed to be that you cannot have an ab initio, generic preference for one over the other. I can live with that, knowing that I am as likely to enjoy the next Lata ghazal as another Asha duet!       

S. Krishna Kumar

Bengaluru,

30^th September, 2021

Blog #18  

Towards (Data) Nihilism

Abstract

A report and an article in The Hindu grabbed my attention last week. The report was about the Supreme Court (SC) dismissing a plea by a student to direct the government to reopen schools. The article was on the shelving of the 2021 census operations. Having read them over two successive days, I was struck by the progressive disuse of data in Indian political and policy discourse. That was the trigger for this blog.

“Reopening of schools: SC won’t interfere”

That was the headline of a news report in the front page of The Hindu of 21^st September, 2021 by Krishnadas Rajagopal from New Delhi. The case was also extensively reported by other newspapers as well as by Live Law    and India Legal. Here, I have used the report in Live Law.in dated 21^st September 2021 to summarise the outcome of the petition and highlight certain observations of the learned Judges who heard the case.

The case in question was Amar Prem Prakash vs. Union of India and Others in the matter of reopening of schools and resumption of physical classes. It came up finally before the bench consisting of Hon. Justice D Y Chandrachud and Hon. Justice B V Nagarathna on 20^th September, 2021. Basically, the learned Judges took the view that reopening schools after the pandemic was a complex governance issue where the Supreme Court cannot issue blanket directions. The interests of children who are being affected physically, psychologically and mentally must be balanced against the risks they may be exposed to when they mix with other children in the school environment. Following the remarks by the bench, the Counsel for the petitioner sought permission to withdraw the petition. Accordingly, the petition was dismissed as withdrawn.

However, for the purposes of this blog, the observations of Justice Chandrachud, rather than the outcome of the case, are more relevant.

• “This issue is fraught with grave complexities. We cannot give judicial mandate in a petition where we don’t have data”.
• “The government itself has to tread with extreme care when the issue is of exposing the younger children to the dangers of COVID-19. So, the court must be equally or even more careful because there is absence of data before us, absence of scientific knowledge on our part and also on the part of the petitioner who has moved the Court. The petition is not based on any scientific assessment.”

“What counts is seldom counted”

That is the title of an article by S Irudaya Rajan and U S Mishra in the Hindu dated 22^nd September, 2021 lamenting that “Census data in India are losing their relevance in the development agenda.” They draw our attention to the irony of large rallies and gatherings being allowed while the decadal Census 2021 has not been conducted. The authors concede that Census data have been losing significance over time. They list causes for this decline but argue that it is fundamentally because “…the data collected are not disseminated in time, despite the use of technology.

The main reason for the delay in timely sharing of data collected at huge financial and opportunity cost this is that “…the government regulates the release of the numbers based on its calculations of whether or not the Census data have the potential to harm the political agenda.” They point out how data on internal migration collected in Census 2011 was made public only in 2017 because it had to be used for the Economic Survey 2016-17.

Going beyond the immediacy of the present moment, Rajan and Mishra write “Despite the decadal nature of the data, the inter-Censal and post-Censal information could very well be generated with interpolation and extrapolation.” This will facilitate appreciation of future trends. Rather than being fixated on just the sex ratio and work participation rate, the Census data,” …if explored intelligently and systematically…have much more potential.” In this context, their words “There is also a lack of interest by the scientific community in a nuanced exploration of the data.”  ring so true.

India’s Data Heritage

At independence, India had a good system of ‘periodic returns’ embedded at various levels in the bureaucracy. These daily/weekly/fortnightly/ monthly/quarterly returns threw up a lot of useful data on everything ranging from births/deaths, rainfall/crops, health/family welfare to even crime. At the apex level, every State had a Bureau of Economics and Statistics that collated this data to produce annual reports. Over the years, the importance of data collected by public agencies has declined both on account of their under-funding and due to the entry private, for-profit agencies. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) as a foil to the entire governmental statistical apparatus in the country and Skymet as a rival private weather/rainfall forecaster to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) illustrate this change rather well.

Covid-19 has subjected our ‘legacy’ statistical system to a ‘stress-test’ and sadly the system appears to have failed the test. There is no point in our boasting about our lineage going all the way back to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1886 when Covid-19-related deaths are not properly recorded under the successor Act of post-Independent India.

The lack of data Justice Chandrachud talked about in open court is thus symptomatic of a larger system failure. It is a pity that the learned Judges did not dwell on this aspect and convert the petition into a larger PIL about the rights of citizens, including even students, to be properly informed about Covid-19. It is indeed a sorry sight to see that twenty months into the pandemic, learned Judges of the Supreme Court, no less, are seen to be speculating about the third wave and its likely severity in open court rather than pull up governments for not sharing the relevant data and assessments and keeping the citizens well-informed.

Nor is this confined only to the pandemic. The other focus of this blog – the Census of 2021 – appears to have been postponed indefinitely without a formal notification or circular from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGCCI). Researchers have to infer even this from a reply to a Parliament Question. Some of them have pointed out how the postponement will affect vulnerable sections of the population who are beneficiaries of welfare programs. It has been estimated, for example, that if the basis of coverage under the targeted Public Distribution System (PDS) is shifted from the 2011 to the 2021 Census data, the number of beneficiaries will go up from 80 to 92 crores. If there is a PIL on behalf of the potential beneficiaries, will that also be dismissed on grounds of non-interference in governance matters? Is government’s obligation to collect and publish data in a timely manner justiciable? Or will even the Supreme Court continue to show forbearance despite mounting evidence of denial of benefits to certain sections of the people? Will the Court be inclined to grant interim relief by directing the government to update the beneficiary list based on inter-Censal population projections of RGCCI?        

Data as a Public Good

The Economic Survey 2018-19 prepared by the Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) of the Government of India weighed in with the rather cliched call for data “Of the People, By the People, For the People” and averred that “government must intervene in creating data as a public good, especially of the poor and in social sectors of the country.” But it was short on specifics. In any case, neither the CEA nor any of the Ministries thought it appropriate to do what was required to beef up our statistical system with capabilities required for a country to deal with data needs during a global pandemic.

Data Nihilism

According to one definition, nihilism is “the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.” It is interesting to speculate if, even prior to the pandemic, there has been creeping nihilism at work in so far as our statistical systems are concerned. Nihilism may well have a ‘Suggestio Falsi, Suppressio Veri ‘aspect too. That may explain the reluctance to admit ‘reverse’ migration during the lockdown in 2020 or denial of deaths due to oxygen shortage in 2021. Progressively, the lack of timely and reliable data may affect our daily lives in more ways than we can imagine now, leading to the ushering in of a nihilistic society before our very eyes. It may lead to the phenomenon of ‘hollowing out’ unfolding in the social sphere. On that consideration, the tolerance shown by the learned Judges at the lack of data seems misplaced. The Amar Prem Prakash case was before the Supreme Court for five weeks. Surely, that was long enough time for government(s) to furnish some collated data to the Court and help them overcome the sense of helplessness about data and scientific assessment of the pandemic situation.    

In his book “Nihilism” (2019), Nolen Gertz starts with nihilism being an “ideology of nothing” and raises the following questions: “Is nihilism, then, believing in nothing? Or is it the belief that life is nothing? Or the belief that the beliefs we have amount to nothing?” Of the three, the last one is the most insidious. These are not merely the rhetorical questions of armchair philosophers but vital issues of concern to all those who are invested in India as a constitutional democracy where the Legislature and Executive can be and are called into account by a vigilant Judiciary to ensure that we do not become a nihilistic society by ‘default’ when a number of ‘design’ safeguards are still available to us. There is a world of difference between intervention and interference. The Judiciary surely can and must intervene to get citizens access to reliable, timely data without interfering in governance.  

This blog has turned out to be rather lengthy without the redeeming inclusion of a musical video or the lyrics of a song. My apologies.  

S. Krishna Kumar

Bengaluru,

27^th September 2021

Blog # 17

Rekhaon Ka Khel

Abstract

This started out as a blog on Kaifi Azmi and the song ‘O Beqarar Dil’ from Kohraa (1964), one of his many great hits that I am particularly fond of. However, as I read up about him, a line that he had written in a later song resonated with me and seemed to have a connect with his career. Hence I changed my mind and decided that this blog will be about that other song ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho’ from Arth (1982). The music for the film was scored by Jagjit and Chitra Singh and the song has been sung by Jagjit Singh himself.

Life and Career

Kaifi Azmi was born Athar Husain Rizvi on 14^th January, 1919 in the village of Mizwaan in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. He wrote his first ghazal at the age of eleven. Soon, he became a popular invitee to mushairas and one of his early ghazals sung by Begum Akhtar became a hit. He was active in the Quit India agitations in 1942 and became a member of the Communist Party of India a year later. He then became associated with the Progressive Writers’ Movement. His film career began in 1951 and along with his contemporaries Sahir, Majrooh and Jan Nisar Akhtar, he  changed the tone and tenor of Hindi film lyrics. Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) was his first major success as a lyricist. This was followed by other hits like Haqeeqat and Kohraa (1964), Anupama (1966), Shola Aur Shabnam (1971), Pakeezah (1972), Arth (1982) and Razia Sultan (1983). Another was Heer Ranjha (1970) where the entire dialogue was in verse. He also wrote the dialogues for new-wave films like Garam Hawa (1973), Manthan (1976) and Kanneshwara Rama (1977). Kaifi Azmi died on 10^th May, 2002. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1974 and Sahitya Academy Award in 1975.

The Setting

In the film, this song is picturised on Pooja (Shabana Azmi) and Raj (Raj Kiran). Pooja has been cheated and deserted by her husband for another woman. Raj comes into her life as an empathetic friend. The song opens with Pooja walking into Raj’s apartment for her birthday celebration with a forced smile on her face. We see that something has upset her for she is fighting back tears. We realise soon that she has received her divorce papers that day. She is so distraught that she wants to walk out but is persuaded by Raj to come back, have the piece of cake she has already cut and then leave, being seen off by Raj.

Doha 1

Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho,

Kya gham hai jisko chhupa rahe ho

The song opens with Raj gently asking Pooja why she is smiling while hiding her sadness. ‘Itna’ is a delightfully ambiguous word. It can either mean “this much” to connote a small amount or “so much” to suggest a large quantity. There is only a hint of smile on Pooja’s face but knowing the background to her sadness, Raj is really asking her why she is smiling “so much”. The opening lines also reveal Raj’s awareness and sensitivity. He is at one end of the room as Pooja enters and walks towards him. In that instant, he has sized up that she is upset and quizzes her softly. Jagjit’s liquid voice makes it even more gentle and dissolves any possible tinge of interrogation.

Doha 2

Aankhon mein nami, hansi labon par

Kya haal hai kya dikha rahe ho

By now, Raj has made Pooja sit in front of him when you also notice the Happy Birthday, Pooja sign on the wall. He is seeing her at close quarters. So, he notices the wetness in her eyes and the forced smile on her lips. He therefore asks her what is her real condition and what is she trying to pass it off as. You can recognise a smile, even a faked one, from a distance but moist eyes can only be seen closer up. The beautiful word ‘haal’ refers as much to physical wellness as to Pooja’s mental state.

Doha 3

Ban jaayenge zeher peete peete

Yeh ashq jo peete ja rahe ho

Here, Kaifi Azmi takes the liberty of jumbling up the key words for better effect. ‘Ashq peena’ is an expression unique to Urdu/ Hindi that means suppressing one’s tears. It does not literally mean drinking one’s tears. What Raj is telling Pooja is that if she keeps on pushing back her tears, they will turn into poison. Kaifi Azmi sticks to the imagery of drinking using the word ‘peete’ thrice in this couplet. But what he is hinting at is the toxification of the mind and the soul by the tears rendered poisonous by holding them back.

Doha 4 

Jin zakhmon ko waqt bhar chala hai

Tum kyon Unhe chhedhe ja rahe ho

In everyday usage, ‘chhedna’ means to tease. Here Raj is asking Pooja why she is raking up old wounds that have been healed by time itself. That may be the prosaic English translation. Kaifi Azmi does not suggest healing. He uses the words ‘bhar chala’ with reference to ‘zakhmon’. It is just filling up, a band-aid kind of treatment or mere patching up. Even then, why stir up old wounds is the question. In the film, this is where Raj has seen the divorce papers. He is really asking her why, when the pain of separation from the husband is already being endured, she is letting the formality of the divorce upset her so much.    

Doha 5

Rekhaon ka khel hai muqaddar

Rekhaon se maat kha rahe ho.

Raj’s final word of advice to Pooja – Do not get defeated by Fate which is a mere interplay of the various lines of your palm. But he does not give the advice straightaway. He puts Fate in perspective first by pointing out that it is a mere ‘khel’ of ‘rekhaon’ or ‘lines’. There is some doubt among music lovers whether Kaifi Azmi is referring to lines on the palm, the forehead or the territorial borders. But the director leaves us in no doubt – Raj is picturised taking up Pooja’s right palm as he sings the first line and folding it during the second line of the doha.

The choice of the word ‘khel’ appears to be deliberate. If you believe in Palmistry, you can elevate the various lines of the palm to be sure-sign indicators, if not determinants, of your Fate. But Kaifi Azmi seems to shrug it off as ‘khel’, as a mere play of lines rather than a deeper inter-play of unknown forces. That then leads logically on to Raj’s advice to Pooja: Do not get overwhelmed by Fate.

The word appeals to you at a philosophical and spiritual level as well. Vedanta distinguishes between the body-mind complex that most of us identify with and the supreme consciousness of which we are all a part, which is a witness or observer in the scheme of things. Day-to-day events in our lives are the unfolding of a drama that we ought to observe and move on without becoming over-attached. That is why it is nothing more serious than a ‘khel’. 

Throwback to Kaif Azmi’s Career

Kaagaz ke Phool (1959) was an iconic masterpiece from Guru Dutt. It had memorable songs by Kaifi Azmi. But the film bombed at the box much to the disappointment of Guru Dutt and his eventual death. It impacted Kaifi Azmi too, as producers began to perceive him as ‘unlucky’ and avoided signing him up. After the 1962 war with China, Chetan Anand began to work on Haqeeqat. The story goes that when he approached him for the lyrics, Kaifi Azmi reportedly asked him why he would want to sign up an unlucky person. Chetan is supposed to have reassured him that he himself was considered unlucky and that their combination could be ‘lucky’. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. To me, it does not matter if Kaifi Azmi believed in muqaddar or Fate, palmistry, etc. personally. He was a progressive poet. He was aware that he was regarded as ‘unlucky’ in film circles and he mentioned it to Chetan Anand. Yet, he brings it up in this song, but shrugs it all off as the mere play of the lines!    

The Director’s Hand

Arth is believed to be an autobiographical film, the allusion being to Mahesh Bhatt’s love affair with actress Parveen Babi. Either because of that or due to his innate capability as a Director, his picturisation of the song is superb. The lyrics, music and singing have been converted into a one-act play that stays in your mind for a long time. The whole song is shot in a room with Raj and Pooja holding hands or seated facing each other. In the third doha when she walks way, she moves into an alcove-like space that is in darkness. Raj comes up to her but she goes past him to pick up her bag and leave. and persuades her to go back to the table. Even when she leaves finally, it appears as if she has heeded his advice. There are other touches too like Raj using the rose or her bag to drag Pooja back without touching her. Only in the last doha, he holds her palm and closes it. He is a friend but there is no intimacy between them.

Interrogation as Advice

According to me, the beauty of the song is that palatable advice offered by an empathetic friend, is structured as a few questions asked by him. The entire song is not an interrogation. In the five dohas, Kaifi Azmi uses kya twice and kyon once. In two dohas, neither of these words is seen. The questions are rhetorical in as much as Raj is not expecting Pooja to reply. But the Director and the actors leave you in no doubt that the message is going home. Polonius’s advice to his son in Hamlet is celebrated as great poetry. I think Kaifi Azmi deserves no less praise for coming up with a poetic prototype of advice from a caring friend to a woman in distress!

Jagjit Singh as the Music Director and Singer

The impact of the song is enhanced by its slow pace, the repetition of each doha twice and Jagjit’s melifluous voice. The subtle variations that he introduces go a long way to maximising the impact on the screen. He maintains a slow, unhurried tempo throughout the song, in keeping with the mood. The way he stretches ‘kyon’ slightly in the fourth doha as Raj wipes off Pooja’s tears adds a special appeal.

Summing Up

Going beyond the film and specifics of the situation of Raj and Pooja, what appeals to me most is the universality of the message of the song. All of us bear wounds on our bodies and souls. Most of us try to camouflage them. Many of us are overcome by them, a few prevail over them. But on any given day, we are all pretending to be happy when we may be not. Whenever I meet anyone now, particularly people I do not know well personally, I always wonder what grief they may be carrying and how they may be coping with them. It gives me a sense of commonality with everyone. Unhappiness or grief is a great leveler.

Secondly, may be due to the context and characters of the film, I somehow feel that women bear the greater burden of hiding grief and carrying on. They are also more reticent and we have to infer the state of their minds from their eyes and body language. The song is thus a eulogy to the strength of character that women naturally possess. 

Dedication

Today happens to be my wife Vilasini’s birthday. Knowing how much I enjoy writing, she had been urging me for a long time to start my own blog. I shrugged off my inertia and took the plunge finally on 29^th May 2021. Since then, this is my fourteenth blog. I dedicate it to her for all her support and spiritual sustenance over the years.

Guidance to Readers

It may be best to read the blog with either the audio or the video on. To facilitate this, I have provided the audio link in the opening para of the blog. The video link is at the beginning of the discussion on doha 1. You just have to click on the title of the song given there for the link to open and let you read the blog independently.   

S. Krishna Kumar

Bengaluru,

15^th September, 2021    

Jaadhu Ka Khilona

Abstract

I heard Duniya Jise Kehte Hain for the first time in the mid-1990s in Mauritius on a local channel in my car radio as I was driving. I was simply blown away by the beauty of the lyrics, the depth of their meaning and the sadness of the song conveyed through the exquisite voices of Jagjit and Chitra Singh. I knew the ghazal genre slightly, thanks to a popular weekly Doordarshan programme in the mid-1980s. Jagjit Singh, Talat Aziz, Anup Jalota and Pankaj Udhas were names I was familiar with. But I was smitten by this particular song. In the last twenty-five years, it has remained my favourite ghazal of Jagjit Singh. I discovered the poet Nida Fazli (NF) through this ghazal. Since then, I have come up to appreciate many of his other equally perceptive lyrics.

Mukhda – The World as a Toy

Duniya jise kehte hai, jaado ka khilona hai

Mil jaaye to mitti hai, kho jaaye to sona hai

As one would expect, there are many Hindi film songs that begin with the word Duniya. Among the more memorable, we have Shakeel Badayuni’s O Duniya Ke Rakhwale from Baiju Bawra (1952) and Duniya Mein Hum Aayen To Jeena Hi Padega from Mother India (1957). Sahir Ludhianvi asks us derisively Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bi Jaaye To Kya Hai in Pyaasa (1957). We also have Shailendra quizzing God himself about what he was thinking when he created the world – Duniya Bananewale Kya Tere Man Mein Samaayi, Kaaheko Duniya Banayi, Toone Kaaheko Duniya Banayi (Teesri Kasam -1966).  

As far as I know, NF is the first poet who attempts to conceptualise Duniya and not complain about it. And equally uniquely, he thinks of the world as a toy. We are more used to humans being regarded as toys in the hands of an uncaring Fate – the Kath Putli image comes to mind readily. Translating NF’s words into ‘magical toy’ does not do justice to his vision. Jaadhu Ka Khilona is more correctly the ‘toy of magic’. It is not just any toy imbued with a few magical qualities. It’s magic itself, manifesting as a toy!

And the Jaadhu that the poet is in amazement of has nothing to do with magic associated with P C Sorcar or David Copperfield. It is in our relative perception – how do we value or appreciate something when we have it and when we lose it. The poet says that it is mud if you have it, gold if you do not. Mind you, he is not talking about two toys, one made of worthless earth and the other of precious metal. He refers to mud and gold at two ends of the spectrum in the absolute sense. NF’s allusion is not to the disappointment of something valuable like gold when you aspire for it becoming worthless when you have it in your hand. Nor is it the “Ghar Ki Murgi Daal Baraabar” syndrome. You have the lentils and are probably enjoying it too. But when you do not have it, you miss it as much as chicken. Philosophically, there is a lot of difference between the two positions.

Antara 1

Achha sa koi mausam, tanha sa koi aalam

Har waqt ka rona to, bekaar ka rona hai

Having expressed his wonderment at Duniya, NF moves on to reflect upon the other realities of our existence. It is a given that as humans, we complain and cry. But in each life, there are good seasons and tranquil moments. If we ignore them and still cry, then we are crying in vain. The tears are worthless. This is a theme that gets picked up in the next antara too.

Antara 2

Barsaat ka baadal to deewana hai kya jaane

Kis raah se bachna hai, kis chhat ko bhigona hai

Loosely translated, these lines ask the question how do the crazy rain clouds of the monsoon know which path to eschew and which roof to drench with their showers on.  We cannot fathom what was in the poet’s mind when he wrote those lines. But they remind you of the following verse from Ella Fitzgerald:

Into each life some rain must fall

But too much is falling in mine

Into each heart some tears must fall

But someday the sun will shine.

The poet is telling us subtly that the rain that falls over our roof or skips our area is a random physical phenomenon and not any pre-meditated fate. In good time, (Recall the key words in Antara 1), the rains and the dry spell will even out. There is no need for wasted tears.

Antara 3

Gham ho ke khushi dono kuch der ke saathi hai

Phir rasta hi rasta hai, hasna hai na rona hai

NF next turns his gaze towards the journey of life. We normally regard our family and friends as companions in this journey. But how do they impact you? Obviously, through the pain and pleasure they cause. The poet urges us to see that and recognise that the resultant unhappiness and happiness are the true de-personalised companions in life. I am rather taken in by this perspective.

The poet makes a more valuable point here – the fellow-travelers are short-time preoccupations. Once we realise that, then our true companion in the journey of life is the journey itself and there will be no occasion to rejoice or cry. If we visualise the journey NF is alluding to in spiritual terms, we see the validity of his observations and their universality.  A spiritually evolved person then, is one who can carry on with her journey without being distracted by fellow passengers or the pleasure or pain they may cause. “Treat them both as impostors”, as Kipling said in a different context. Another perspective, taught in management schools is that the journey is not merely more important than the destination, it is THE destination!

The Music

Jagjit and Chitra Singh have themselves scored the music for the song.  Jagjit’s golden voice is ably complemented by that of Chitra Singh. Jagjit draws you to the song with his opening vocal improvisation. The nuances and flourishes he brings into Antara 2 and 3 around the words ‘deewana’ and ‘kuch der ke saathi hai’ are mesmerising. I also love the way the Santoor has been used throughout the song to create the effect of a flowing brook.  

Conclusion

A service colleague of mine is supposed to have confessed to his friends that when the time comes for him to go, he would like to be seated in a rocking chair and breath his last listening to Mohammad Rafi sing Suhani Raat Dal Chukhi. My ‘aakhri qwaish’ would be similar, except that I may want to depart listening to Jagjit’s incomparable voice singing Duniya Jise Kehte Hain!

S. Krishna Kumar

Bengaluru,

13^th September, 2021     

Virat Kohli as Sublimational Leader

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) in Man and Superman (1903)

Abstract

2020 and 2021 have been great years for Indian test cricket. First, our Test team registered a remarkable 2-1 series victory over Australia in Australia to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after losing the first test in Adelaide. Then came the equally dramatic 3-1 domestic win against England at home, after losing the first test in Chennai. And now in the English summer of 2021, the team is ahead 2-1 in the test series with one test to play. The way Virat Kohli (VK) and his team have bounced back every time they have been down has led to heated discussion about his aggressive mien and counter-intuitive selection of the final playing eleven. In this blog, I examine if VK’s critics are not being uncharitable in faulting his style over substance.

Sublimation

In psychology, sublimation is understood as the process through which people transcend their baser impulses and transform them into something nobler. In her article “Sublimation in Behavioral Psychology”, author Kendra Cherry argues that “Sublimation works by channeling negative and unacceptable impulses into behaviors that are positive and socially acceptable.” She points out that Freud had considered sublimation to be a sign of maturity.

Sublimation and Leadership

In his insightful paper titled “Sublimational Model of Leadership”, V R Bhatnagar, after a literature survey of various styles of leadership, develops a new model of leadership based on the concept of sublimation. He writes: “The Sublimational Model of Leadership focuses on three components: the ‘abnormality’ or uncommonness of a leader, his skills in identifying and providing scope for the fulfillment of needs of those being led, and his skills in sublimating or aligning these to the vision of future that is shared by the leader and the led.” It is easy that in the case VK, all the three components are present in abundant measure.

That VK was an unusual leader was obvious since his days as the captain of the India Under-19 team. There is no doubt too that he provides every member of his team the fulfillment they are looking for not only in terms of personal achievement but also of being part of the winning team. As a leader, VK enables individual goals to be sublimated into a larger purpose – one of making India the top team in all three formats of the game.  He does that not merely by exhortation but example and empowerment. We have only to see the intensity of purpose underlying the easy camaraderie at the team huddles on the pitch to realise that this is a group of equals who exult in each other’s achievements on and off the field. This is a team where someone or the other steps up when the chips are down and keeps the team in contention. There is also a fearlessness among the players that has caught the attention of cricket lovers all over the world. Tailenders play like seasoned batsmen. Debutant bowlers used in short spells break crucial partnerships when more experienced teammates fail to make a mark/. The leader is also a tough taskmaster when it comes to fitness, practice and preparation. The support staff blend into this setting and the results are there for all of us to see. Bhatnagar refers to this as “…the dynamic interplay between the personality of the leader and the needs of those being led.”

Confirmation of the Hypothesis

All that may sound like theoretical hypothesizing. What does the cricketing world think? Writing for Cricinfo in January 2021 at the end of the Australian tour, Osman Samiuddin points out how the series that started off with the dominating presence of VK ended up with the entire team coming to be liked by everyone. “Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan, Vihari, Pant, Washington Sundar – countless others, which is precisely the point. None of them are anonymous, but because they ordinarily would not get as much attention, they brought an unexpectedness to how this series played out. And with the focus diffused across all of them, it wasn’t about any of them as much as it was truly about the whole of them, pleasant relief from the usually intense gaze hung on one man as the prism through which an entire team, sport and country is seen.”

“The facelessness was endearing and it left this team feeling like one from a less frantic age, before that of the Indian Cricket Superstar…… All that was left was a side of cricketers banding together to do extraordinary things in an extraordinary sport. What’s not to like about that?”

In his ‘Between Wickets’ column for The Hindu dated 8th September 2021, Suresh Menon argues that VK’s team might be India’s best ever and has the results to show for it. Ravi Shastri has been saying this for a while, taking pains to emphasise that this was not a magical, overnight transformation but one that was achieved through hard work on the part of all concerned. Let me quote Suresh Menon in extenso:

“What this team has is heart. Put into bat and down 127 for seven on the opening day at the Oval, they are pushed to the wall. But with amazing insouciance they wipe the writing off it. In the four victories in Australia and England, only one bowler. Mohammed Siraj, had a five-wicket haul. The wickets have been well shared. There have been only three centuries, and twice India have bounced back after being dismissed for under 100.

“That 36 in Adelaide and 78 in Leeds serve to highlight the temperament of players who can let bygones be bygones and remember only the good times. It is a rare quality in an individual, even rarer in a team. In the past, Indian teams always had a couple of outstanding individuals on whom everything rested. When Sunil Gavaskar was dismissed, that was half the team gone. If the great spinners were collared, there was no one to turn to till Kapil Dev came along, and if he had a bad day, that was that.

“For the first time, Indians can rejig an old ditty and say, ‘If Bumrah doesn’t get you, Shami must’. Or sit back assured that someone will make a significant score. And their most successful bowler hasn’t played yet!”

Conclusion

Suresh Menon may well prove to be right. Or like the poet Robert Browning, we may like to believe that the best is yet to be. Even then, the prototype of that greater team which may emerge in the future will be provided by the great team that VK has moulded today in his own image. This is not to say that as a batsman, fielder, captain and strategist rolled into one VK is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) or that he is perfect. As a leader, VK has been sui generis. But one cannot imagine a future great Indian team or captain not having many of the characteristics that VK has so successfully marshalled and presented to Indian cricket! And that may well be his defining legacy!

I wish you a Happy Gowri Ganesha Festival!

S. Krishna Kumar

Bengaluru,

9^th September, 2021

Transmogrification of Kalavathi

Abstract

According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘transmogrify’ is to ‘transform in a surprising or magical manner’ (emphasis added). The word ‘round-tripping’ has acquired ominous overtones in India in the context of black money, money laundering, clandestine investments and the like. But in a general sense, the self-explanatory word denotes the return of a thing back to the place from where it travelled out. Coming home, in a sense. In this blog, I examine whether even music can round-trip from one genre to another and how it may undergo transmogrification in the process.

The Provocation

Sanjay Subrahmanyan disclosing the creation ‘Dravida Kalavathi’ as a new raga in Episode #11 of On That Note, tempted me to find out more about Kalavathi. In the process, what I discovered was fascinating and made me want to share it with friends. So, here goes.

Kalavathi (Carnatic)

According to Raga Surabhi, Kalavathi is a janya of the 16^th Melakartha Chakravaham. Bhalira Vairagyamentho is a Bhadrachalam Ramadas kriti set to this raga.  A more popular kriti in the same raga is Kalavathi Kamalasana Yuvathi by Dikshitar. S. Sowmya gives a nice introduction to the raga and the kriti in her audio recording of the song. In spite of its beauty, Kalavathi is not often heard in music concerts. Even when it is used in ragamailka swarams, it is not always easy to identify.

Kalavathi (Hindustani)

Kalavathi in the Hindustani tradition is more akin to Valaji in Carnatic music, a janya of the 28^th Melakartha, Harikambodhi. Musicians acknowledge that the raga came to their system from Carnatic music. It is supposed to be named after Goddess Saraswathi. Janasammohini is a raga closely related to Kalavathi. Both belong to Khamaj Thaat and are often blended together in Hindi film music.

Dravida Kalavathi (Carnatic)

This raga has been inspired by the song AzhageAzhagu from the Tamil film Raaja Paarvai (1981) for which music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. When you listen to the song, you discern its basis in Carnatic Kalavathi. Sanjay Subrahmanyan has extrapolated certain phrases in the tune of the song to come up with Dravida Kalavathi. As a layman listening to it with my untrained ears, I felt that it has strong Valaji overtones and hence more in common with Kalavathi in the Hindustani tradition.   

I find it fascinating that despite the raga Kalavathi in our two systems of music having their origin in two different Melakarthas, Sanjay’s Dravida Kalavathi seems to achieve convergence with the Hindustani rather than the Carnatic version of Kalavathi. At a trivial level, this may be seen as the Valaji-Kalavathi-Dravida Kalavathi round-trip. At another level, it’s like a happy married woman coming home (maayke) from her sasural.  Or we can see it poetically as a triplet of “Irundaha Veedu – Iraval Veedu – Sondha Veedu” in the memorable words of Tamil lyricist Vindhan.

However, some tricky questions arise. What can be Dravidian about a raga that is a throwback to its Hindustani parent? We are not privy to why Sanjay chose to add the Dravida prefix to the new raga. Karnataka or Dakshina Kalavathi may have been ruled out as a possibility because we already have our own but different Kalavathi. A neutral Mishra Kalavathi or more accurately Mishra Valaji? These may be the lazy speculations of idle minds. But what is beyond doubt is that in all this toing and froing, Indian music as a whole has been considerably enriched.   

I conclude by presenting audios and videos of selected programmes and film songs based on Kalavathi/Janasammohini.

1.        Raag Kalavati. This is a 2019 video by the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EM²RC) of the Savithribai Phule Pune University. It features an interaction of two hosts with singer Sawani Shende (SS) and is a rich source of content on Kalavathi. SS explains at the outset that the raag has been adopted from Carnatic music. Apart from a bandish and a druth that she sings, SS and her hosts bring out many finer aspects of the raag, including film songs based on it.

2.        Haye Re Woh Din Kyun Na Aaye            Anuradha (1960) was a Hrishikesh Mukherjee classic for which music was composed by sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. This lovely solo by Lata is picturised on Leela Naidu and Balraj Sahni.  

3.        Kaahe Tarasaye Jiyara      Next to Yaman, Kalavathi/Janasammohini seem to have been favourites of music director Roshan. This Asha-Usha sister duet from Chitralekha (1964) and the immortal qawwali Na To Caravan Ki Talash from Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) where he has used other ragas as well is proof of that.

4.        Hai Aghar Dushman Dushman   Kalavathi seems to be suited for the qawwali genre. Other qawwalis in the raga are Sanam Tu Bewafa Ke Naam Se from Khilona (1970) and Hai Aghar Dushman Dushman from Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (1977). I have featured the second one here because Rafi’s intro to the raga in the opening phrase is breath-taking. Even the qawwali-like song Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye from Sarfarosh (1999) is based on this raga.   

5.        Swagatam Subh Swagatam        This is the Hymn of the Asiad for the IX Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1982. The music was composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar. The tune was so captivating that even our daughter Rohini who was not even two years old then loved to sing the song.         

6.        Yeh Tara Woh Tara Har Tara      This song from Pardes (1997) is a brilliant demonstration by A R Rahman of how even a classical raga can be handled with a light touch. Javed Akhtar rises to the occasion with his lilting lyrics that appeals to children who are the focus in the song sequence. 

5.        Thatti Sellum Muthu Kannan Siruppu I have picked this song from the list of 18 Kalavathi-based Tamil film songs listed by Wikipedia. It is from the film Thanga Padakkam (1974). The music is by M S Viswanthan. The list includes the classic Naan Indri Yaar Varuvar from Maalayitta Mangai (1958) that is caveated as a ragamalika of Abhogi and Valaji.

Hope you enjoy this a-typical, audio/video-rich blog.

S. Krishna Kumar

Bengaluru,

3^rd September, 2021