Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers in the AI Economy and about the world of work. The sketchnotes are my own.
Raga Based Gems from SD Burman
The legendary musician KC Dey was the first musical guru for SD Burman. He also learned from Bhishmadev Chattopadhyay and Ustad Allauddin Khan. SD Burman was a very successful composer and singer in Bengali cinema when he decided to move to Bombay to try his luck as a composer for Hindi films - a language he barely knew. He brought in the sound of folk music of the East to Bollywood. Today I want to showcase 5 gems from SD which are raga based.
The forgotten music of Rajasthan
What makes this festival magical is the way the sun and the moon are blended in with music to create magic. The Mehrangarh fort becomes like a giant movie set where the forgotten music of Rajathan is offered to a global audience. That is what the Rajasthan International Folk Fest is all about
Remembering RD Burman
RD Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) is an influencer in Bollywood even today. Reality shows dedicate episodes to him, channels organize special RD Music shows, his songs are part of recent movies like Aisha, Tamanchey, Race, etc, TV serials are using cover versions of his songs, not to mention the remixes of his songs. Yet the same RD had long spells towards the end when he was without work. Success and failure perhaps have to be measured beyond the life span of an artiste.
The Charm of Raga Kedar
If you think that Kedar is primarily used to express Bhakti Rasa (the emotion of devotion) then you have to listen to this song from Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) composed by OP Nayyar and sung by Mohd Rafi and Asha Bhosle. This song is fabulous example of the use of Kedar in a romantic setting with Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna on screen.
RD Burman and Raga Khamaj
In Amar Prem he used the raga for two more songs Bada Natkhat Hai Re and then again in Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge. Let me hasten to add that in Kuchh Toh Log, the notes of Khamaj merge into Raga Kalavati. But even then can you think of another movie which has three songs based on the same raga in one movie?
The Charm of Raga Yaman
Raga Yaman evokes deep introspection at the end of the day and evokes a sense of anticipation of the evening ahead. If you thought it was only for spiritual songs, you are wrong. There are several romantic compositions in Yaman as well.
Ten Terrific Songs of RD Burman - Raga Based
RD Burman passed away on 4th January 1994. That year saw the release of 1942 A Love Story, a score that was to get him one of his three Filmfare awards for Best Music Director. He got nominated 17 times for the award that eluded him. While we mostly associate a more western sound with RD, I think of him as a composer who simplified the most complex Hindustani classical music and made it accessible to the masses. That is the true yardstick of expertise.
The Ten Best Songs of Manna Dey
Manna Dey began his career when he sang a duet with Suraiya in the film Tamanna in 1942. A year later he followed with his first solo “Gayi tu gayi Seeta sati” from the film Ram Rajya. He came to Bombay not to be a singer but to be a composer, inspired by his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey. Manna Dey assisted Anil Biswas and Khem Chandra Prakash before deciding to abandon his dream of composing music.
The Charm of Raga Jaunpuri
Jaunpur was an independent Sultanat in the 15th century which had a reputation of being a city dedicated to learning (ilm ka shahar). It was considered second only to Varanasi as a hub of music and musicians. Jaunpur’s sultans used to be ‘wazirs’ to the Tughlaq dynasty, but then they broke away and created their own. The late morning raga, Jaunpuri traces its origin to Jaunpur.
The Charm of Raga Bhairavi
Every composer has their favorite raga. A raga that will sneak up regularly in compositions. It is almost like an unfinished task that comes back to haunt you. You attend to it for a bit but there is so much more to be done. If one speaks about Raga Bhairavi, one has to talk about the obsession of the duo Shankar-Jaikishan (called S-J by fans) with the raga. Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi (1922–1987) continued to sign his work as Shankar Jaikishan even sixteen years after Jaikishen Dayabhai Pankal passed away in 1971.
The Charm of Raga Todi
Todi is a morning raga that is sung from 8am to 10am. It has the ability to evoke the same mood of playfulness of a newborn lying in bed content, smiling and playful. In film music, Raga Todi has been largely used in composing songs that depict pathos. Raga Todi or Miyan ki Todi was the trademark composition of Miyan Tansen the legendary composer in the court of Akbar. Raga Todi is also known as Miyan ki Todi, Shuddha Todi and Darbari Todi. All these names essentially refer to the same Raga Todi.
The Charm of Raga Ahir Bhairav
According to musical folklore, the melody of their cowbells is supposed to be behind this raga. Thank you for giving us this gem. Ahir Bhairav is a late morning raga and can be sung from 8am up to 10 am. In my second novel Married But Available, the enigmatic Keya is listening to it at 4am. That only shows that it is possible to enjoy a Raga even if the time is not a hundred percent accurate.