Here's 'Rahte they kabhi jinke dil mein'. The song, a beautiful composition by Roshan, is based on raag Tilang. 

Rahte they kabhi jinke dil mein 🌿

Here's the everlasting melody from the golden era of Hindi film music and my absolute favourite *Mujhe gale se laga lo*. 
In 1963, Sahir Ludhianvi paired, for the first time in his career as a lyricist, with Ravi in the film 'Aaj aur kal' and together they created magic. 
A wheelchair-bound Nanda sings this song to the handsome Sunil Dutt who plays a doctor in the film. 
I think this is amongst Asha Bhosle's best sad songs. She has always revealed her vocal depth and range through songs based on classical raags. And so she does with this gem of a song based on राग आसावरी.

Mujhe gale se laga lo 🌿

Here's *Rajnigandha phool tumhaare* from Basu Chatterjee's 'Rajnigandha', a heartwarming film. It was one of the first low-budget middle-class films in the 70s that told real-life, no-drama stories with identifiable actors that struck a chord with the viewers. 'Rajnigandha' won the filmfare award for best film. 
When you watch the song, do notice Vidya Sinha's expressions and you'll realize you could well be watching a girl next door. And do notice Yogesh's lyrics and his use of textbook Hindi words at a time when the trend was to use textbook Urdu words, as well as Salil Chowdhury's prominent use of the Indian classical musical instrument, sitar.
I've taken a track that's heavy on guitar rather than widely available tracks heavy on percussion.

Rajnigandha phool tumhaare 🌿

गाँव वालो! लक्ष्मीकान्त जी की पुण्यतिथि पर प्रस्तुत है उन्हीं का संगीतबद्ध किया मुजरा *अगर दिलबर की रुसवाई* 🌿
Mujra has its own charm which comes from the music and the शायरी, in this case by Anand Bakshi. 70s was Bakshi's era, wherein he gave several hits including 'Jhilmil sitaron ka aangan hoga', 'Khilona jaan kar' and this mujra-style number *Agar dilbar ki ruswaai* set in राग कलावती, from 'Khilona'.
Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) composed quite a few songs that were picturised as a मुजरा. The film has some memorable performances by Sanjeev Kumar and Mumtaz. 
There's a striking resemblance between the skyrocketing careers of Mumtaz and L-P. 
Both started their film career in the early 60s. Both initially worked in B-grade films.
Mumtaz, while working in B-grade films and also as a supporting actor, gave some splendid performances in films around mid-60s and gradually reached the top as a leading lady with 'Kinara' in 1969. 
L-P too composed A-grade music while working for B-grade films in mid-sixties. 
Mumtaz went on to win the Filmfare award for her performance in this film in 1970.

Agar dilbar ki ruswaai 🌿

For someone who was not classically trained, Madan Mohan (MM) used raags effectively (and innovatively). While it's Roshan who is usually associated with राग यमन कल्याण, MM composed two gorgeous songs in this राग – 'Ja re badra bairi ja' from 'Bahana' (1960), and another, a joyous interpretation of यमन, a variation of this same melody in *Jiya le gayo ji mora saanwariya* from Anpadh (1962) which I'm singing today. The song is a glorious example of how MM could use a राग (यमन in this case) without making it apparent while enhancing its sweetness and appeal. 
Lata once said about MM, "People say that I added something special in his songs. Maybe it happened because of our personal rapport and affection for each other. He composed a tune only with me in mind and always had some 'jagahs' conceived with my voice modulation in mind. It was always challenging to live up to his expectations."
Bindu, pleasing to watch in a salwar-kameez sporting two plaits, must feel honoured that a lovely song by Lata was picturised on her. 

Jiya le gayo ji mora saanwariya 🌿

गाँव वालो! RD Burman, also known as Pancham, was a musical genius who brought about new arrangements and influences from world music into his work. His ties with Asha Bhosle — professional and personal — are much talked about, but what isn't common knowledge is the special bond he shared with Lata Mangeshkar. He fondly called her 'didi' and the two created some really good songs together. 
I'm singing *Tere bina jiya jaaye na*, a song that RD Burman specially created for Lata, and a song that's intelligently penned by Gulzar. RDB and Lata’s ability to analyse the situation in the film made the song starring the beautiful Rekha and handsome Vinod Mehra come alive. The rich tone of मादल तरंग (a pahaadi instrument used with the folk tunes of Nepal), tabla, duggi and Spanish guitar give the song a distinct identity.
विविध भारती पर 'पंचम की संगीत यात्रा' कार्यक्रम में आशा व गुलज़ार से बात करते हुए पंचम ने कहा था:
*ये बड़ी मज़ेदार चीज़ है। जिस सुर में गाने की पंक्ति ख़त्म हो, उसी सुर में...उसी सुर का तबला बजे। जैसे हमारे यहाँ तबला तरंग है, तो हम लोगों ने कोशिश की कि उसे मादल तरंग में बजाया जाए.*

Tere bina jiya jaaye na 🌿

A poignant song from 'Sahib bibi aur ghulam' originally sung by Asha Bhosle. Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics are set to tune by Hemant Kumar. 

Meri baat rahi mere man mein 🌿

Despite his lack of formal education in classical music, OP Nayyar composed several songs based on classical raags. Here's an intensely classical *Dekho bijli dole bin baadal ke* based on Raag Ramkali. The lyrics are written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and singers are Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar. 

Dekho bijli dole bin baadal ke 🌿

My humble attempt at *Ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko babul* from 'Bandini'. 
It's a song from a time when women got married and left home, sometimes without being able to go back for years. The song talks of separation, of longing, of sadness for innocence lost, of grief for a time that will come no more, of a need to re-connect. But under all of it, it's a song of alienation. It's a song for those who struggle with changing roles and relationships that life throws at them.
When Asha Bhosle was trying hard to bring out the emotion, SD Burman, to get her into the mental frame, asked her to remember her brother, her family (they had abandoned her after she eloped with a neighbour). As Asha broke down remembering her lost family, SDB ordered the take. She poured her soul into Shailendra's poignant lyrics.
पीलू was OP Nayyar's favourite राग (remember 'Piya piya na laage mora jiya' and 'Ik pardesi mera dil le gaya'?) However, SDB composed the heart-wrenching tune in this राग with just violins and flute giving Asha scope to portray the contrasting emotions of hope and sadness.

Ab ke baras bhej bhaiya ko baabul

Here's तुम अपना रंज-ओ-ग़म in राग पहाड़ी, my favourite raag ❤️ 
It's a beautiful collaboration between the music director Khayyam and his wife Jagjit Kaur who has sung this song in her own inimitable style. 

Tum apna ranj-o-gham 🌿

Here's my attempt at the classic 'Piya aiso jiya mein'. Kudos to Hemant Kumar for creating this masterpiece! Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics capture the feelings of a newly married India woman beautifully. The playfulness, the naughtiness and the coyness in Geeta Dutt's voice is supremely suited to the song. 





Piya aiso jiya mein 🌿

Here's my humble attempt at Geeta Dutt's 'Na jao saiyaan'. The supremely talented singer mesmerised audiences with the range in her voice switching from painful to playful, traditional to contemporary.
A voice that enthralled with 'Waqt ne kiya', enticed with 'Mujhe jaan na kaho', moved you to prayer with 'Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo', and pleaded with *Na jao saiyaan*, which is my tribute to the singer. 
If you think this is just another song and one of those films, you couldn't be more wrong. The tale of a woman’s desperation to gain her husband’s love and attention, and eventually finding solace in drinking, couldn’t have been closer to Geeta Dutt's real life. The song sums up the character of Meena Kumari in the film – a woman who is traditional at the core, but liberated enough to make sexual demands of her wayward husband. Nobody but Geeta Dutt could have brought alive the poignancy of the situation. 

Na jao saiyaan 🌿

The golden quartet of Naushad, Shakeel Badayuni, Rafi and Dilip Kumar is a benchmark in Hindi films in terms of a legacy of unforgettable melodies. 
Music director Naushad was regarded as only a little less than a god by music lovers in India in the 40s and the 50s. However, unlike SD Burman, he wasn't able to reinvent his music to stay contemporary, and he had started showing signs of a certain ennui by the late 60s. 
From 'Ram Aur Shyam' (1967), known for Dilip Kumar's double role, and perhaps the quartet's last successful collaboration, I'd like to dedicate to Dilip Kumar *Aaj ki raat mere dil ki salaami le le*, farewell disguised as a party song. It talks of an impending separation, perhaps forever. One of my most favourite songs, it's a lovely tune by Naushad in my favourite राग पहाड़ी beautifully sung by Rafi saheb. 
आज की रात मेरे दिल की सलामी ले ले 
कल तेरी बज़्म से दीवाना चला जाएगा 
शम्मा रह जाएगी, परवाना चला जाएगा 
Steeped in chaste and graceful Urdu, Shakeel Badayuni's lyrics serve to showcase the fact that he was much more than a mere lyricist for Hindi films, he was in fact a शायर of great repute. 
It's a grand piano song in which Dilip Kumar, though not looking quite as debonair (he was in his mid-40s by then) as he did in another piano song 'Jhoom jhoom ke naacho aaj' in 'Andaz' two decades ago, conveys a lot of feelings without being melodramatic.
Here's my humble attempt at the iconic song in a male voice. 

Aaj ki raat mere dil ki salaami le le 🌿

Eonomy of expression, usage of common man's language, and use of simple words yet meaningful lyrics are all hallmarks of Shailendra's writing. No wonder Gulzar considers him the greatest lyricist in Hindi films. 
On his death anniversary, I'm singing *Kaise din beete kaise beeti ratiyaan* from the Hrishikesh Mukherjee film 'Anuradha' (1960) about a woman who sacrifices her singing career to move to a village with her doctor husband, and ends up feeling trapped and stifled. The film, starring the exceptionally good actor Balraj Sahni and one of Hindi cinema's most luminous faces and Miss India Leela Naidu (in her debut), is a thoughtful treatise on how marriage can threaten the individuality of spouses. The film is based on Sachin Bhowmick's short story which in turn, was inspired by 'Madame Bovary', a novel by Gustave Flaubert.
Anuradha sings this song when her old friend, Deepak visits their home and requests her to sing. The song expresses her unvoiced regrets and long-repressed feelings, and it makes the guest privy to Anuradha’s unhappiness, and to her husband's total disinterest in her music. My favourite song in the film is 'Haaye re wo din kyun na aaye' (I sang this a few months ago), followed by 'Kaise din beete', both plaintive songs of regret in which कविराज Shailendra exquisitely portrays Anuradha's state of mind.
The song acts partly as catharsis, as for the first time in years, Anuradha sings. And partly as a catalyst for her desire to leave her husband, return to the city and begin a new life.
For all of this to happen within 2-3 minutes, the song needs to be excellent. So then it's fitting that the composer is none other than Pandit Ravi Shankar. The sitar maestro composed music for relatively few films, compared to his otherwise massive discography, but when he did, he made sure they were worth the wait.
The film went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival in 1961.

Kaise din beete kaise beeteen ratiyaan 🌿

Born in Dhaka to Mangalorean parents, Suman Kalyanpur's songs in 3 languages are equally popular – in Hindi, in Bangla and in Marathi.
लता मंगेशकर की सगी बहनों में से किसी की भी आवाज़ लता जी जैसी नहीं है, जितनी सुमन कल्याणपुर की है. Suman Kalyanpur was very uncomfortable about this similarlity. She once said, "I was quite influenced by Lata. In my college days, I used to sing her songs. मेरी आवाज़ नाज़ुक और पतली थी (My voice was fragile and thin). What could I do? Also when Radio Ceylon relayed songs, the names were not announced. Even the records sometimes gave the wrong name (Lata's name was mentioned in place of hers). Maybe that caused more confusion." And this similarity is probably the reason Suman Kalyanpur could never emerge from Lata's shadow. 
In the golden era of the 50s and 60s, female playback singing was dominated by the Mangeshkar sisters. When Lata was not available for recording, or the producers could not afford her high remuneration of Rs. 100/- per song, the song used to go to Suman Kalyanpur. During the period when Lata had refused to sing with Rafi over royalty issues, Suman Kalyanpur got to record >140 duets with Rafi. 
In 'Dil hi to hai' in 1963, music director Roshan gave a tandem song to Suman Kalyanpur — a duet with Mukesh, 'चुरा ले न तुमको ये मौसम सुहाना, खुली वादियों में अकेली न जाना' and a much slower and sad solo *Yun hi dil ne chaha tha*. The rhyming of the रदीफ़ remains the same - रोना-रुलाना and अकेली न जाना but the essence is completely different. For me, the solo stands out for its brilliant yet soft 'Suman Kalyanpur effect'. Classic शायरी of Sahir Ludhianvi adds to the beauty and charm of the song. 
हमें भी नहीं इल्म हम जिसपे रोए 
वो बीती रूतें हैं के आता ज़माना 

Yun hi dil ne 🌿

1965 की बात है. Dev Anand was making 'Guide'. SD Burman, who was to make music for the film, suddenly had a heart attack. He needed treatment and rest. 
At this crucial time, Dev Anand made a big decision — he moved the shooting of the film by 6 months. He declared that the music of the film will be made only by SDB even if it meant waiting for 6 months. कहते हैं कि जब बर्मन दादा स्वस्थ होकर लौटे तो उन्होंने सिर्फ़ पाँच दिन में फ़िल्म के सभी गाने तैयार कर दिये. 
There was just one problem — Dev Anand did not like one of the songs. हालाँकि जब गाना यूनिट के बाक़ी लोगों ने सुना तो सभी ने बहुत तारीफ़ की लेकिन देव आनन्द अड़े रहे. The director Vijay Anand resolved the deadlock saying - फ़िलहाल इस गाने को शूट कर लेते हैं. अगर बाद में फ़िल्म में अच्छा नहीं लगा तो कोई दूसरा गाना रिकॉर्ड कर लेंगे. 
So the song was shot in Udaipur. During the entire duration when the song was shot, देव आनन्द ने महसूस किया कि गाना सभी की ज़बान पर चढ़ गया था and all unit members, from the set to the hotel, used to be humming this song - *Kaanton se kheench ke ye aanchal*. Dev Anand finally relented and agreed to use the song as-is in the film. कहरवा ताल पर तैयार किये गए इस गीत को शैलेन्द्र ने कमाल का लिखा है. गीत कितना मशहूर हुआ, ये हम सब जानते हैं.
इस गाने की एक और ख़ासियत है. एक अनोखा प्रयोग एसडी बर्मन ने इस गाने में किया था जहाँ उन्होंने पूरा गाना, यानी मुखड़ा और अन्तरा, एक ही धुन में तैयार किया था. 
शास्त्रीय संगीत के दृष्टिकोण से देखें, तो राग शुद्ध भैरवी के आरोह अवरोह में ‘रे’ ‘ग’ ‘ध’ ‘नी’ कोमल लगते हैं. मज़े की बात ये है कि विद्वान लोग गाते-बजाते समय राग भैरवी की ख़ूबसूरती बढ़ाने के लिए कभी शुद्ध ‘ध’ लगाते हैं, तो कभी शुद्ध ‘ग’ या ‘नी’ भी, जिस से राग भैरवी, राग मिश्र भैरवी बन जाती है. इस गीत में शुद्ध ‘ग’ का प्रयोग किया गया है, इसीलिए ये कहा जाता है कि ये गीत मिश्र भैरवी पर आधारित है.

Kaanton se kheench ke ye aanchal 🌿

The music of 'Chori Chori', created by Raj Kapoor's team: Shankar-Jaikishan (S-J) - Shailendra - Hasrat Jaipuri, fetched S-J their first Filmfare award.🏆
On Raj Kapoor's 96th birth anniversary and Shailendra's death anniversary 🌸🌺🌹 
I'm singing *Rasik balma*, considered to be one of the finest Lata Mangeshkar renditions. She leaves her stamp on the film with one of her greatest sad songs. Based on राग शुद्ध कल्याण, it sends one into that state of enchantment that children fall into when listening to stories of magic and fantasy. It may be technically the best composition of the film and the emotion and pathos with which Lata sings the song is👌😍
The story goes that the filmmaker Mehboob Khan loved the song so much that when he was being treated for a heart attack in Los Angeles, he used to call up Lata in Mumbai and ask her to sing this very song over telephone. Only when she sang to him was he soothed to sleep. It was Lata’s long-distance singing that kept Mehboob in good cheer.

Rasik balma 🌿

To the most important woman in my life - my mother Indu Saraswat 💖🌿🌸
Thank you for giving me the great adventure of life 🙏🥰
You are the strongest, the wisest and the most fun person on earth.
Here's your birthday gift, mommy - मैया मोरी मैं नहीं माखन खायो. I have beautiful memories of you lying in bed beside me, singing this भजन to wake the 6-year-old me early in the morning 🥰😍
Wishing you peace, love, happiness and good health. Love you, mommy 💖

Maiya mori main nahin.mp3

Bhansali composed the song while waiting at the airport when his flight was cancelled. 
The magnificent composition opens in raag maand, moves on to raag bihaag and winds up with raag puriya Dhanashree (or is it raag purvi? 🤔)
The song starts off like a typical mujra and transitions into a unique melody rooted in Indian classical music and dance, with Kathak bols by Pandit Birju Maharaj interwoven into it.
Shreya Ghoshal's honey-laced voice meanders around beautiful raags, given the tune’s allegiance to beautiful classics like 'Mohe panghat pe nandlaal' from Mughal-e-azam and Pt. Ravi Shankar’s ‘Karuna suno shyam mori’ from Meera. 
For the performance in the film that Deepika Padukone confessed to have found demanding, set to Panditji's own Avadhi-Brajwasi thumri 'Balma re chunariya maiko laal ranga de', it is said that Birju Maharaj asked Deepika to dance for Ranveer Singh the way Madhubala had danced whom he had choreographed in 'Bhola bhola man mera kahin re sajan'.

Mohe rang do laal 🌿

In the 60s and 70s, when the world of ghazals was dominated by renowned names like Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, Begum Akhtar, Talat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan, a new voice appeared on the horizon in the 70s — that of Jagjit Singh with his wife Chitra Singh. The couple's first album 'The Unforgettables' released in 1976 made them a star in the ghazal industry in India. It became the highest-selling album at a time when there was no market for non-film albums.
Its massive success established the couple as the most popular singers outside the film world. The ghazals had a totally different sound from that of traditional ghazals —Jagjit had creatively used several western music instruments. Some music critics faulted this as a move to destroy the ghazal. The truth was that it was a historic event that breathed new life into ghazals in India. 
I'm singing Tariq Badayuni's (yes, he's Shakeel Badayuni's son 😊) beautiful ghazal of hope sung by one of my favourite Singers, Chitra Singh, *Ek na ek shama andhere mein jalaaye rakhiye* from the same album. 

Ek na ek shama 🌿

गाँव वालो! Madhubala was nominated only once for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. However, her popularity was such that even when she acted with Dilip Kumar (they had a torrid affair and would have got married but for her father standing in their way), after the shots, people waited in queues just to get a glimpse of her. A complete film industry depended upon her charms.
'Phagun' was made 11 years before she breathed her last at 36. At 21, she was discovered with a hole in her heart (ventricular septal defect). When she shot for this film, she was so ill that she would vomit blood in between shots. And people swooned. As they did with *Piya piya na laage mora jiya*, a song that sings of the pangs of a first love. The lyrics are more explicit in their longing than one would expect from a village girl of those times (we are used to more coy expressions), yet so innocent in their expression. The flute interludes are lovely, and the song ends with a long flute solo. The film had one of OP Nayyar's best scores and the song majorly depends on flute interludes and dholak. 

Roli Saraswat

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