Subir Sen

Introduction

Yesterday morning, in its Film Sangeet program, Radio Ceylon paid tribute to playback singer Subir Sen (SS) on his death anniversary. I heard the program, listened to a few more songs of his on YouTube and decided to add my own tribute to the singer.

His Life

SS was born in Dibrugarh, Assam in 1934 and moved to Kolkata in 1951 where he trained in music, took part in competitions and became a popular singer. Guru Dutt got him over to Mumbai. Shankar-Jaikishan gave him his first break in their film Aas Ka Panchhi (1956) and many hit songs in a series of their films quickly thereafter. Despite this promising start, SS’s career in Hindi films was short-lived. But he has left behind many melodious songs, duets particularly, that I will share in this blog.

Dheere Chalao Zara – Shailendra – Shankar-Jaikishan – Lata & SS – Aas Ka Panchhi (1956)

SS made his debut in this film with the hugely popular title song Dil Mere Ek Aas Ka Panchhi. However, I have picked a breezy duet of his with Lata. As a newcomer, SS is able to hold his own, though Lata’s voice sounds a lot fresher despite her having been in the industry for a decade. With his “Jahan Bhi Tu Kahegaa, Jahan Bhi Le Chalegaa, Chaloongi Sang Tere, O Mere Sajnaa” Shailendra anticipates Sahir in Naya Daur (1957) – “Tu Chaahe Le Chal Kahin, Tujh Pe Hai Mujhko Yakin”! Lovers in a motor car or a taanga gadi, the sentiments of the two poets converge!

Manzil Wohi Hai Pyaar Ki Rahi Badal Gaye – Shailendra – Shankar-Jaikishan – SS – Kath Putli (1957)

This solo is perhaps the most popular of SS’s songs. It is a piano song and yet S-J’s orchestration downplays the piano to give full scope to the other instruments, particularly in the interludes. It is picturised beautifully. SS’s voice sounds more confident. Though this is a SS solo, Balraj Sahni and Vyjayanthimala make it a visual duet. What a great, sensitive actor was Balraj Sahni!    

Pyar Mein Milna Sanam – Majrooh – SS & Lata – Vasant Desai – Ardhangini (1958)

The veterans Majrooh and Vasant Desai combine to give us this exquisite duet. The opening humming and the instrumental prelude give you just a hint of raag Kedar that Vasant Desai would use years later in Guddi for his Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena.    

Gori Tere Natkat Naina – Shailendra – SS & Geeta Dutt – Hemant Kumar – Hum Bhi Insaan Hai (1959)

Hemant Da is the music director. In this song, the voice of SS resembles that of Hemant Da even more. This is perhaps because the tune and the orchestration resemble that of Hemant Da’s score for the song Chali Gori Pi Se Milan Ko Chali in the film Ek Hi Raasta (1956).

Dil Leke Jaate Ho Kahan – Indeevar – SS & Kamal Barot – Kalyanji Virji Shah – O Tera Kya Kahna (1959)

This KamSune song is one of the early hits of Kalyanji before he teamed up with his brother to form the Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He has used the KamSune baby-like voice of Kamal Barot to give us a hummable duet with SS which is picturised on Mehmood and (the KamDekhe) Chitra.

Mein Rangeela Pyar Ka Rahi – Hasrat – SS & Lata – Shankar-Jaikishan – Chotti Bahen (1959)

This popular duet loses none of its sheen because it is picturised on the sub-cast of Mehmood and Subha Khote. Mehmood is young and healthy and the voice of SS suits him well. Subha Khote exudes natural beauty. It is a taanga gadi song that is not in the usual O P Nayyar horse-hoof beat.

Gar Tum Bura Na Mano – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan – SS & Asha – S Mohinder – Mehlon Ka Khwab (1960)

Straightaway, this is a duet that ought to have enjoyed better recognition. Madhubala’s vivacious screen presence makes even the normally wooden Pradeep Kumar lively. Mohinder’s music reveals the OPN touch here and there but led by Asha’s coquettish voice, SS gives this KamSune music director a memorable hit.

Hume Un Raahon Par Chalna Hai – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan – SS & Arti Mukherjee – Robin Banerjee – Masoom (1960)

This is another song where the voice of SS matches that of Hemant Da in tone and timber. The music gives life and meaning to the elevating words of the lyricist – Chadna Hai Hume Chanda Ki Tarah, Suraj Ki Tarah Nahin Dhalna Hai. This song belongs to the category of the flower ‘born to blush unseen’.

Baharen Luta Ke – R C Pandey – SS & Suman Kalyanpur – Bulo C Rani – Anarbala (1961)

A relatively unknown duet featuring SS with Suman Kalyanpur that leaves you wishing that she had been given greater opportunity in the Hindi film world. Bulo C Rani’s tune is a throw back to duets like Jhoom Thi Hai Nazar (Hatim Tai – 1956) and Dil Ki Nazar Se (Anari -1959)  

Kya Kaha Zara Phir Kaho – Prem Dhawan – SS & Geeta Dutt- Kalyani-Anandji – Gangu (1962)

This is a dance number filmed on the unlikely pair of Chandrashekar and Naaz. The music directors bring in a classical touch to the melody by infusing touches of raag Yaman.  

Gagan Ke Chanda Na Pooch Humse – Shailendra – Lata & SS – Shankar-Jaikishan – Apne Huye Paraye (1964)

This is a duet led by Lata for Sashikala but SS proves an excellent foil as the voice of Manoj Kumar. The instrumental prelude combines melodies of the Orient and the Occident and is a delight by itself.

Koi Mera Hogaya – Tajdar Taj – SS – SS – Midnight (1972)

SS was reportedly fond of Westen music. It shows in this song from an obscure film that he himself composed the music for. The waltz-like tune gives SS scope to showcase his resonant voice by adding a slight tremble to it as he utters the words Hogaya and Ko Gayaga.  

Conclusion

This is a remembrance of SS rather than an appraisal. An appraisal of his work is not possible without also listening to his numerous Bengali songs of various genres. Suffice it to say that in his short sojourn into Hindi film music, SS enriched it with his own unique rich voice. That is what we will always gratefully remember him for. I thank Radio Ceylon for ensuring through tributes such as this that even flowers that blush unseen do not completely waste their sweetness in the desert air!

S. Krishna Kumar

29^th December 2022

Bengaluru

Blog # 52

‘Gentle Giants’

Introduction

On 3^rd December, 2022, Arangam Online featured the twins B V Raman and B V Lakshmanan (BVR-BVL) as one of the two artistes for the day. It was a trade-mark traditional concert that I enjoyed. Having heard them since at least the 1960s, I felt this would be as good a time as any to pay them a tribute that was overdue.

BVR-BVL were my mother’s cousins on their fathers’ sides. To the family, they were Ramu-Lachhi Anna. Our parents were married in 1943 and lived in Meerut till my father was posted to Poona in 1954. They had come to know BVL more closely, as he was then teaching music in Delhi. In 1955, our parents moved to Bangalore. BVR-BVL then became regular guests at our home in Malleswaram whenever they came over for concerts. As I began to listen to Carnatic music in my high school days, I interacted with them during their visits to our home. A little later, my interaction with them were Q&A sessions with BVR-BVL patiently clarifying my many doubts. As I became a little more knowledgeable, the sessions became more educative for me. After I got into the IAS in 1969 and was on the move, I saw less and less of them but kept in touch with their music through cassettes and other recordings. This tribute is based on my recollection of some of the many ragas and compositions that I had heard them sing.

Gajananyutham – Muthuswami Dikshitar – Chakravaham

I start with this kriti for two reasons. First, as traditionalists, BVR-BVL liked to start their concerts with a varnam or an invocatory piece on Ganesha. Second, they had specialised in singing the compositions of Dikshitar. This song was one of their favourite opening numbers.

Rame Bharata Palita Raja – Muthuswami Dikshitar – Jyotiswaroopini     

My brother and I grew up listening to Gaanaamudha Paanam sung by BVR -BVL and to our untrained ears it sounded like Shanmugapriya. We were corrected by BVR-BVL who introduced us to Jyotiswaroopini. No recording of the Koteeswara Iyer classic is readily available. I have therefore picked on this Dikshitar kriti. The raga aalaapana is by BVL and the twins sing it with relish.

Hiranmayeem Lakshmim – Muthuswami Dikshitar – Lalitha

This song in Lalitha was one of the favourites of our family. If they were not planning to sing in their concert, BVR-BVL would sing it informally at our home to all our delight. This grounding in Lalitha helped me spot the raga in Naushad’s composition Ek Shahenshah Ne Banwa Ke Haseen Taj Mahal from the film Leader (1964).

Shri Swaminathaya Namasthe – Muthuswami Dikshitar – Khamas

Khamas is an exquisite raga with many popular songs in practically all the languages. BVR-BVL enjoyed singing it and none better than this piece by their favourite composer Dikshitar.   

Devi Ival Rama – Arunachala Kavi – Kaanada

BVR-BVL were fond of the Tamil compositions of Arunachala Kavi. I have heard them sing pieces like Ramanai Kannara Kandaane (Mohanam) and Ramanukku Mannam Mudi Tharithhane (Hindolam). Another Mohanam song En Palli Kondeerayyaa, first popularised by N C Vasanthakokilam was a concert favourite of T K Rangachari who like BVR-BVL had trained under the redoubtable ‘Tiger’ Varadachariar. For this blog, I have chosen a song of Arunachala Kavi in raga Kaanada.

O Rangashayi Pilachite – Thyagaraja – Kambodhi

Kambodhi was one of the main ragas that BVR-BVL excelled in. They would sing it elaborately and with great feel for the sahitya. This long audio clip of Thyagaraja’s famous song is an example of their mastery of the raga and the kriti. Both BVR and BVL do the raga aalaapana. They get excellent violin and mridangam support from M Chandrasekharan and T K Murthy. BVR-BVL also sang a Tamil composition in Kambodhi. To the best of my recollection, the Pallavi was Thedi Vandharul Seyyum Deivame, Unnai Paadi Pazhani Malai Padiyerum Tirunalil. Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to identify the composer or the full song. I am hoping that some reader of this blog may throw light on the author and vintage of this song!

Kannatalli Neevu Naapaala – Thyagaraja – Saaveri

One of the favourites of BVR-BVL in Saaveri was the Shankari Shamkuru, a composition of Shyama Sastri. Here, I have used BVR-BVL’s rendering of a kriti of Thyagaraja in Saaveri.

Chandrachooda – Purandara Dasa – Darbari Kaanada

The repertoire of BVR-BVL included songs in Kannada and languages other than Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil. In its version popularised by MLV, this song is set to Shankarabharanam and sung in a slightly faster pace. Here BVR-BVL use Darbari Kaanada and a more apt slower tempo.

Mannupugazh Kosalai – Kulashekara Aazhvaar – Ragamaalika

BVR-BVL set these paasurams to music in raagamaalika. The choice of ragas – Durga, Mayamalavagaula, Saranga, Hindolam and Neelambhari – is exquisite. This was a sought-after piece in their concerts since very long. In the last decade, Sanjay has popularised this song and he has been followed by Saketharaman, Ramakrishnan Murthy and others.

Ramu-Lachhi – A Familial Appreciation

For me, what stood out about BVR-BVL was their simplicity and smiling visage. They were always clad in a dhoti and a white Khadi half-sleeve shirt. They were soft-spoken and always had time to interact with me and my siblings during their visits to our home. They sang at the wedding receptions of all four of us. In a display of misguided enthusiasm and stupidity, I requested them to sing Mokshamu Galada in raga Saramati at my reception. They told me sotto voce that this song was inappropriate at weddings!

As artistes, they were never rushed for time and that showed in the leisurely pace of their concerts. Though they were twins, Lachhi was always subtly deferential to the elder Ramu. They had a collaborative attitude towards their accompanists and were popular with all of them. One aspect of their talent that I never got to watch and appreciate was that of teachers of Carnatic music. Trips to Madras were rare during my service days. As a result, I never visited them at their Habibullah Road home. I have however heard first-hand accounts of people who had learnt from them about how good they were. Some of them have even written about it.

In the family, my maternal uncle Dr. B V Subramanian was an avid fan of the music of Ramu-Lachhi Anna. He and my aunt Dr. Gomathy had their practice in Thirumangalam near Madurai. My uncle would try and take in as many concerts of theirs as possible. My cousin Dr. Visalakshi learnt music for about ten years mainly from BVL. She and my uncle would also attend the annual Sadashiva Brahmendrar festival Ramu-Lachhi organised at Manamadurai. She continues to be associated with the event even now.

2021 was the anniversary year of BVR-BVL. In one of the tributes, they were referred to as the ‘gentle giants’ which I thought was appropriate for this blog. I conclude with links to some of those tributes.

https://dhvaniohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ centenary-tribute.pdf

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/a-teaching-method-of-their-own/article34045308.ece

http://indpaedia.com/ind/index.php/BV_Raman,_BV_Lakshmanan

https://tyagaraja-aradhana-calicut.org/programme/ inaugurations-to-date/b-v-raman-and-b-v-lakshmanan/

S. Krishna Kumar

8^th December 2022,

Bengaluru Blog # 51