Tale of two ghazal kings

It was memory-evoking undertaking for this reviewer to go through the two books written on two maestros of ghazals who belonged to two different times. The first book is titled "Talat Mahmood: The Velvet Voice" authored by Manek Premchand and the other is "Baat Niklegi Toh Phir: The Life and Music of Jagjit Singh" by Sathya Saran. The first book has been published by Manipal University Press and the second one by HarperCollins Publishers India.

The Velvet Voice.

The introduction to the book on Talat Mahmood has been written by another legend, the inimitable radio presenter Amin Sayani. He mentions the names of some 'musicologists' who wrote on the singer in the first part of the book - reminiscence of his family members and that of some of his avid admirers. Interestingly, one of the contributors to this part is HQ Chowdhury of Bangladesh, a true connoisseur of music, who has published Incomparable Sachin Dev Barman and Golden Oldies, two books chronicling the development of Bengali, Hindi and Urdu songs of the sub-continent.

It is in the second part of the book that Premchand covers Talat Mahmood's entire musical career - from his film songs to non-film geets and ghazals and roles he played in several films. Ameen Sayani wrires: "He was always gentle and scintillating hero, whom many women, young or old, swooned to see and hear." He signs off in his iconic style with the following words: "Whether you are a dedicated fan of Talat Mahmood or knew him closely as I did, you are going to love this book. So, behno aur bhaiyo, read on!" 

Premchand opens his preface with the mention of the iconic Talat number "Jaayen to jaayen kahan......" from the film Taxi Driver. Many readers will recall watching this movie in Dhaka, maybe many times over only to listen to the songs again and again. The mention of this all time great song would draw the readers immediately to the book with the heightened desire to read more about the singer, his songs, the lyricists and his music directors. Premchand also talks about another extremely popular number "Jalte hain jiske liye, teri aankhon ke diye, dhoond laaya hoon wohi geet main tere liye" to the delight of the readers. In fact, all of the Talat's film songs were hits among the connoisseurs of melodious romantic and sad Hindi songs.  Who would not stop in his track hearing "Tasbir banata hoon, tasbir nahin banti..." or "Ruper oi Prodeep jele, ki hobey tomar..."  HQ Chowdhury is witness to the fact that these songs used to be played not only in houses of song lovers but also in every cinema hall in district towns before show time and in every restaurant throughout the '50s and '60s. The old gramophones are gone and gone are the golden oldies.

Talat Mahmood used to sing ghazals as well, with such envious perfection and passion. Premchand writes: "Talat was called the King of Ghazals for a reason; his deep study of Urdu poetry compounded with exceptional singing. He rendered ghazals soulfully. Many a composer have referred to his predilection for good poetry, something that characterised his thinking all his life. Almost 200 of his songs are ghazals, and if you consider the singer's hindi/urdu work only, one in three of his songs is a ghazal..."

Premchand philosophises: " Around the universe of such music, there is often an unspoken bond between thousands of us. Many of us may have a story to tell, about how we got interested in music, and what remarkable things happened in our journey."

While paying homage to Talat, HQ Chowdhury tells us how the great singer with a unique voice, was avoided by the music directors when he was in the middle of his career despite having given them one hit after another. This is the other side of the story of Talat's life many readers would discover reading for the first time. 

Baat Niklegi To Phir    

It was in the late '70s, the era of tape recorders and cassettes, when we became aware of another golden voice presenting ghazals of outstanding variety. The deep throated, honey-dipped voice of Jagjit Singh turned heads around when  somewhere, someone played a cassette.

The book begins with an elaborate account of Jagjit's birth (Third of eleven children of his parents), growing up in an almost hand to mouth situation, his childhood and education, youthful days, casual singing bouts in school and college, desire and desperation, desolation and dejection, and finally his sauntering into the arena of serious music, an inevitability perhaps ordained during his birth as a gift from the Divine. About his orientation in music in the early years, Sathya Saran writes: If singer Kishore Kumar copied K.L. Saigol before he discovered his own style, Rafi was Jagjit's idol. In soiree after soiree, he would sing Rafi's popular numbers, choosing the ones that tore at the heart strings."

The story of his early days, his dream to become a playback singer, his journey to Bombay to fulfill his dream, his struggle there and his return to his village penniless and broken hearted will fill the mind of the reader with compassion. After a while, he went back to Bombay, and to survive he took up small roles in films and did small commercials. About his struggling days, Sathya writes: " Jagjit did everything to keep afloat. He did small commercials. He sang at weddings, attended soirees at the homes of rich and famous...he was tireless in his attempt to find that chink into which he could thrust the proof of his undeniable talent. But as time passed, Jagjit realised that the world of playback singing was not meant for him. "

He finally decided to become a ghazal singer. "It was a wise choice. The goddess of music would soon express pleasure over his sacrifice." His break came one day when one of his friends, Jimmy Narula, arranged an audition at HMV. Jagjit became a singing sensation after the release of the album titled The Unforgettables. Sathya Saran writes: "The Unforgettables, released in 1976, would catapult Jagjit Singh to an unprecedented level of popularity. Sharing the spotlight with him was Chitra Singh, life partner, singer and one time student."

The book goes on to give details of another important turn in his life that came when he met Chitra Singh, when she was still married to her first husband. Sathya Saran tells us how Chitra's marriage ended in a divorce,  the two gradually became dependent on one another, they came closer, love blossomed in silence, and finally decided to marry. The entire episode reads like the script of a cinema. They became a happy couple, deeply in love with each other and loved by everyone. They sang together and the world listened with rapt attention.  They were blessed with a son who became the apple of their eyes.  They had a daughter too. The son grew up to be a good looking young man. And then tragedy struck. On 28 July, 1990, their 18 years old son Vivek Singh died in a car crash in Bombay. It changed their life. Chitra Singh stopped singing. After a long pause, Jagjit sat before a harmonium. The show must go on.

Baat Niklegi Toh Fir is a book worth reading.

The reviewer works at The Daily Star. He can be reached at: shahnoorwahid@yahoo.co.uk