Rafi continues to inspire talent
By Devinder Bir Kaur
TODAY when the remix and pop culture rules the musical roost, it comes like a whiff of fresh air to have a whole evening devoted to the sheer bliss of old Hindi film songs. The credit for providing succour to the souls of music lovers goes to Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society.

Audioscan by ASC
Prem Aggan; Sacred Chant of Shiva; Annamika; Mera Pritam Piara

Bobby Deol’s love for Punjab
By Sarbjit Singh
THE youngest Jat of actor Dharmender’s clan is alive and kicking. Five decades of living in Mumbai has made no significant difference and transformation. Vibrating rural life and fields of Punjab haunt Dharmender and his family members. A brief talk with Bobby Deol during his recent visit to City Beautiful brought all this to fore.

Artistic temple
By D.C. Sharma
WHAT charms tourists at Kangra are not the snowclad Dhauladhars and the delectable green valley, but the antique artistic temple of Mata Brajeshwari.

Rafi continues to inspire talent
By Devinder Bir Kaur

TODAY when the remix and pop culture rules the musical roost, it comes like a whiff of fresh air to have a whole evening devoted to the sheer bliss of old Hindi film songs. The credit for providing succour to the souls of music lovers goes to Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society. Year after year, since 1986, the organisation has been keeping alive the memory of the legendary golden-voiced singer Mohammed Rafi.

This year too, on July 31, the death anniversary of the singer, the society held the finals of the Rafi Awards-’98 at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh.

Like always, the selection of the songs and singers’ performances was worthy of praise. Out of the 425 applicants, 80 were selected for the semi-finals and only 24 could make it to the finals. Each aspirant had to sing a solo and a duet chosen by a draw of lots. Having started late (by more than one-and-a-half hours), the programme continued non-stop for nearly five hours. But it was an evening to remember.

Each song was a gem. Rafi’s solos are precious and those selected for the evening simply priceless. And his duets with Lata — divine !

Ye reshmi zulfein. ye sharbati aankhen... (“Do Raaste”) by Sukhdev Sagar of Jalandhar set the ball rolling. Teri zulfein pareshan...(“Preet Na Jane Reet”) by Amarjit Singh of Mohali caught on the mood. Gar tum, bhula na doge... (“Yakeen”) by R.S. Kala of Ludhiana despite a “shaky” start, held promise.

Salaam aapki neechi nazar ko sallam...(“Boy Friend”) by Rajeev Kumar of Kaithal was another missive. Kaliyon ne ghunghat khole...(“Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya”) by Prem Bangar of Nawanshahr set the scene of acceptance.

Zindagi ke safar mein akele the hum, mil gaye tum, to dil ko sahara mila,,,(“Nartaki”) by Narinder Kumar expressed gratitude. Jaan-e-bahar husn tera, bemisaal hai...(“Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya”) by Dr Anil Sharma made one feel the satin smoothness of the lover’s praise.

Mohabbat ki raahon pe, chalna sambhal ke...(“Udan Khatola”) by Devinder Kaushik pressed the warning note. Na jaane kyon hamare dil ko tumne dil nahin samjha...(“Mohabbat Zindagi Hai”) by R.L. Anand brought out the lover’s bewinderment. Jaanewalo zara, mudh ke dekho mujhe...(“Dosti”) by Dr Yugraj Singh of Patiala pleaded for a sympathetic look. And Hum, aapki mehfil mein, bhoole se chale aaye...(“Jab Se Tumhein Dekha Hai”) by Ajay Bakshi conveyed a sense of loss.

The female singers too displayed their talent in Lata Mangeshkar’s songs with equal zest. Ghunghat nahin kholungi saiyyan tore aage...(“Mother India”) by Manjit Kaur was the first entrant. Mere man ka banwara panchhi...(“Amardeep”) by Bobby Nagpal and Aaj ki raat naya chand le ke aayi hai...(“Shaadi”) by Nikhat Ali followed.

Uthegi tumhari nazar dheere dheere...(“Ek Raaz”) by Rimi Chopra showed the confidence and grasp of the tune by the young singer. Daga daga wai wai wai, hogayee, tumse ulfat hogayee...(“Kali Topi Lal Rumaal”) by Veenu Kautish was not only a melodious song, but also a very well-performed number. In the same vein was Dil ko lakh sambhala ji, phil bhi dil matwala ji...(“Guest House”) by Richa Sharma who seemed to enjoy the song as much as the audience did.

Tera jalwa jisne dekha, woh tera ho gaya...(“Ujala”) by Bhavna Khanna of Hisar, Mujhe mil gaya bahana teri deed ka...(“Barsaat Ki Raat”) by Arvinder Kaur of Ropar and Mori chham chham baaje paayaliya...(“Ghunghat”) by Rimpi Jain of Ambala were also well rendered.

Hum pyar ka sauda karte hain ik baar...(“Zindagi”) by Darshan Saini and Teri raahon mein khade hain dil tham ke, hai...(“Chhaliya”) by Meena Soodan of Ambala showed the singers good grasp of the tunes. Tujhe kho diya, humne paane ke baad...(“Aan”) by Dr Pratima Duggal was another sad number.

The duets gave the contestants another chance to score marks. The evergreen duets included Dheere dheere chal chand gagan mein...(“Love Marriage”) by Ajay Bakshi and Bobby Nagpal.

Husn chala kuchh aisi chaal, deewane ka poochh na haal...(“Bluff Master”) by Amarjit Singh and Rimi Chopra and O jaanewale sun zara, yeh dil ka majra...(“Preet Na Jane Reet”) by Rajeev Kumar and Veenu Kautish were fast duets that were sung with zest and verve.

The classical number Jhoole mein pawan ke aayi bahar... (“Baiju Bawra”) by Sukhdev Sagar and Richa Sharma exhibited effortless runing in of the two singers, especially during the high notes. Equally well tuned were R.L. Anand and Meena Soodan in Aanewale ko aana hoga...(“Sohni Mahiwal”) and Narinder Kumar and Manjit Kaur in Piya kaise miloon tujhse, mere paaon padi zanjeer...(“Saranga”).

The talent-filled evening came out with three best singers in the two categories. The female category declared Veenu Kautish — first, Rimi Chopra — second and Manjit Kaur — third. The male category result declared Narinder Kumar — first, Sukhdev Sagar — second and Amarjit Singh — third.

Adding to the success of the evening was the fine orchestra under the baton of synthesiser Raman Kant. Raman, a fine singer himself, sang Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s number from “Taqdeer”: Mujhe bhool jaana, agar ho sake... Before him, talented Rinku Kalia sang a Punjabi number Aisian nigawan tere naal ladiyan... The scout for talent, Naresh Dhiman from Zee TV’s “Sa Re Ga Ma” programme, further enlivened up the show by rendering Rafi’s fast number Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein shamil hai...(“Aap To Aise Na The”). Undoubtedly, Rafi’s songs are a part of music lovers’ lives.

Audioscan by ASC
Where is the musical aggan?

PREM AGGAN (United Music; Rs 45): When Feroz Khan sets about to make a film for the sonny boy, you can be sure that he would like everything to be perfect, including the numerologically ordained two “g”s in the title. But when it comes to music, he slips up for no fault of his. The baton is handed over to Annu Malik who can no doubt come up with inspiring music on his day. But when it is not one of those days, he can be unabashedly a copycat. Here he happens to be in an inspirational mood while composing one or two songs, but in the other mood during the rest of the time. The latter mood makes him believe that he is A. R. Rehman. The temptation to tell you which song sounds like which previous Rehman hit is strong, but that will spoil the fun. Use the cassette as a quiz and reach your own conclusion.

But if you have not heard the originals you are surely going to enjoy the album. It is noteworthy for two reasons. One is that almost all songs are hummable and second, the chance given to a new singer Pricilla Corner in two songs has paid off. The voice is promising.

Anu Malik knows Har dam, dam badam... is the song most likely to make it to the popularity charts. So, it has been featured right at the start of the cassette. Somehow, one happens to like the version of this one which is at the end of the cassette. While the former has been sung by Hariharan and S. Mahadevan, the latter is in the voice of Sadhna Sargam and Hariharan.

Lyrics are by Sudarshan Faakir, Rahat Indori, Santosh Anand and the late M. G. Hashmat.

Sacred Chant of Shiva (Times Music; Rs 75): After all that pumping up of adrenalin with the earlier two cassettes, this is time for some cooling off with these sacred chants. These indeed light up one’s path to one’s inner self through silence and joy.

The cassettes has been brought out by the International Art of Living Foundation, founded by Ravi Shankar, who was given the title of “Yoga Shiromani” by the President of India in 1986. Listening to the Sanskrit rendering by Bhanumati Narsimhan, Urmila Devi Goenka, Craign Pruess and devotees of the foundation is a moving experience indeed. The power is best felt through Om Nama Shivaya, which covers the whole of Side B. Those 31 minutes do bring about a catharsis.

To obtain the maximum benefit from these sacred chants, it has been recommended to sit comfortably, with eyes closed, in a settled environment and let the music wash over you. After playing one selection of your choice, let silence reverberate for at least five minutes or longer.

Annamika (Milestone Dance; Rs 60): This puny singer has catwalked her way to considerable success in a short time; and has won enough fans to come out with a cassette named after, who else, herself. Her album is a mixture of English, Hindi and Punjabi songs and if all goes well can hope to have a decent run.

While Intezar... comprises a version recording, others like Kala sha-kala... and boliyan are with tradional Punjabi lyrics. Still others have been written by Annamika herself. And she has done a fairly professional job there. One thing that goes in her favour is that in all three languages her diction is excellent. Most singers fall flat while doing Punjabi numbers.

Kahin karta hoga who mera intezaar... is already doing well because of the video version on the TV channels. The Punjabi songs should be particularly successful in the North.

Music has been composed, arranged and performed by Edwin A. J. Fernandes. The inlay card gives the lyrics of all songs. That is a trend well worth emulating.

Mera Pritam Piara (Nice Stereo, Rs 25): After the successful launch of his first audio cassette on Gurbani, Prabhjot Singh Bali has come out with another set of hymns from the holy Guru Granth Sahib. Titled “Mera Pritam Piara” this cassette contains four “shabads” including “Mera Pritam Piara”..., Jis ke ser upar, Ja ki preet Gobind... and Daras tere ki pyas man... Giving him company is Sarabjit Kaur Bhasin, holder of a master degree in music.

Bali has chosen pahari, yaman, shiv, ranjani and des ragas as base for the shabads while blending them with others. “Although pure classical has its own charms, blending makes it easy for the listeners,” says Bali.

Bobby Deol’s love for Punjab
By Sarbjit Singh

THE youngest Jat of actor Dharmender’s clan is alive and kicking. Five decades of living in Mumbai has made no significant difference and transformation. Vibrating rural life and fields of Punjab haunt Dharmender and his family members. A brief talk with Bobby Deol during his recent visit to City Beautiful brought all this to fore.

“I want to wander around in the fields to a breath fresh air. I want to see my village, my people, my relatives and my ‘nanke’. All this fascinates me. But now there is no time available. When I had the time, circumstances in Punjab were not favourable for us to come to be with our people”, said Bobby turning a bit emotional.

He continues, “There was violence and letters for threat. So father and family preferred to stay back in Mumbai. I was just a kid when I last visited my village with my father and mom. Perhaps it was in 1980 or earlier. But since then I have never been either to my village or my mother’s. My mother has however visited her village once or twice alone in these years.

“Whenever I go to Shimla for shooting, I feel like stopping my car to go to the fields when I enter the Punjab area near Chandigarh. I even tell my friends and the film director that something pulls me towards Punjab. When I went around Chandigarh I felt like settling here. The city is not very far from my native place,” he added.

I asked Bobby if his father had a farm near Bazpur in Udham Singh Nagar (UP). “I have never been to that place”, he replied.

To quench my thirst my father has purchased a small farm near Khandala in Maharashtra”, he said. He often goes there to have a dialogue with the fields and crops.

“Earlier, my sister was living in Chandigarh. But she has also shifted to Bombay. So, that link with Punjab has also been snapped. Some relatives, cousins of my father, live near Phagwara”.

Bobby said he felt sorry that he did not know Punjabi. “I feel ashamed that I do not know Punjabi”. When I told him that his Punjabi was not that bad, Bobby said it was “Bombayite Punjabi”. I like the way commoners speak it here in Punjab”, he added.

“We are aware of the fact that Punjabis love my father, my brother Sunny and me intensely. They lap up the movie involving any of us. I continue to look for an opportunity to be in the heart of Punjab”, he said, turning philosophical. He wanted to continue to talk about these informal issues as he seemed to be fed up with the never-ending “filmi” talk, but a call for dinner ended all this.

Artistic temple
By D.C. Sharma

WHAT charms tourists at Kangra are not the snowclad Dhauladhars and the delectable green valley, but the antique artistic temple of Mata Brajeshwari. Built by the Pandavas well before the great war of Mahabharata, the temple building had suffered sufficient losses, but being of a sturdy built, it still stands like a solid rock.

The main building of the temple had been erected in three parts all of which are equally strong. They are made of antique mortar and chiselled stone of rare quality. Modern masons have failed to specify the strength and quality of lime used in this temple building.

Standing on solid but artistically designed pillars, the entry to the diety’s abode provides comfortable space, airy enough even for a large gathering of pilgrims.

The main temple dome keeps a holy room at the base. Above its curved roof, the dome begins to have a slight but slender shape providing rare classical designs on all sides.

The steeple at the top of the main dome is visible even from a very long distance. Throughout the year, this artistically designed building and well-decorated dome inspires, invites, and blesses the tourists.