The last few weeks have been tough for assorted reasons. The one thing that got me to unwind and get ready for the long back to back days was music; especially the old Bollywood classics. As the rough patch started to ease, I got back into the rhythm of practicing and singing. I first started with a few chosen Raag Yaman songs, then it was Taal Keharva, this was followed by Rafi melodies, which preceded Kishore da renditions and finally today I was hooked on to the legend that Madan Mohan was.
While I have to admit that my appreciation that the legend that Madan Mohan peaked when I fell in love with "Tere liye" from Veer Zara, some of his songs have been childhood favorites. "Zara si aahat hoti hai" by sung by Lata Mangeshkar, "Teri Aankhon Ke Siva" by Rafi and "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" a Lata and Rafi duet are not just pure gold but are terrific examples of Mandanji's versatility.
Born in Baghdad, he breathed his last in Bombay at a very young age of 51. However, in that time he gave music to about 100 movies and for singers that ranged from the gazhal maestro Talat Mahmood to the effervescent Kishore Kumar. His partnership with the Nightingale is the reason we are blessed with melodies such as "Baiyyan Na Dharo", "Aap Ki Nazaron ne Samjha" and "Ruke Ruke se Kadam". The list is endless.
It's not just the pathos and the depth that his music had which differentiated him, or that he used the influence of gazhals and classical music seamlessly; but it was his ability to weave all of this deftly with the lyrics and mood of songs across movie genres such as war (Haqeeqat) or tragedy & romance (Mera Saya) or haunted spirits (Woh Kaun Thi). That is the sole reason that every song of Dastak is unforgettable and even an amateur like me has to sing every song of Woh Kaun Thi. If songs were a weave, warp and weft of these melodies would leave even the most talented weaver struggling for years to understand how to get the craft right!
As I was going through his body of work I realised that as far as lyricists go, about 50% of his work is with three - Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Kaifi Azmi and Rajendra Krishna. In fact both Mera Saya and Woh Kaun thi are Mehdi Ali Khan babies as is Anpadh. I will admit that Anpadh is maybe as an album not at the same pedestal as the other two but who can forget the overwhelming love that is poetically and profusely expressed in "Aap Ki Nazaron Ne Samjha"!
And that took me back to a discussion I had with a music expert many years ago. During a conversation I mentioned that while the melodies of Veer Zara were honey sweet, the soul haunting song in the album was just one - "Tere Liye". It was only this that compared to all the gems mentioned above. The expert highlighted to me that it was because it was this song that paired the right raag, the right melody with the right lyrics. It was the perfect pairing that created a masterpiece which touches the depths of the listener's heart each time and every time without fail.
And so as I switch from humming "Zara si Aahat" to "Aapki Nazaron Ne Samjha" to "Tere Liye", I thank the legendary Madan Mohan for leaving behind this treasure trove of melodies which are soul food for music lovers and a blanket of comfort for one and all.
On that note will call it a night! Have a good one peeps!
