BHAIRAVI THUMRI-JUGALBANDI FROM FILM:'RAM TERI GANGA MAILI'

Kankana Banerjee

Ravindra Jain

This is a  rare piece of  Bhairavi Thumri,"सैय्याँ सैय्याँ सैय्याँ हो सैय्याँ रटती मैं डोलूँ   .."  beautifully sung by Nirmala Devi and Kankana Banerjee,in Jugalbandi.Though singing is intermitantally masked by the dialogues ,where thumri's audio level has been suppressed.But the song goes on continuously for more than 5 minutes.It starts with a 'Doha'( couplet) and also ends on a 'Doha'( couplet).Late Smt.Nirmala Devi was the master of singing the jugalbandi thumris and had cut many such records,singing  along with Lakshmi Shankar.

Late Shri Raj Kapoor was a great fan of her singing and getting a suitable situation in his film,he used this thumri.Though film's music was composed by Ravindra Jain,but for this song he simply provided the music accompaniment.Kankana Banerjee also has an extremely flexible voice and had matched  it well,with her co-singer at all levels.The harmony in their singing is superb.
                         I can say so much for both of these artists, because I got the chance to listen to them singing in Classical Music Concerts many times here at Kanpur.

This thumri starts with a couplet:

                      'प्रीतम की पगली भई,रट रही पी पी नाम। 
                       प्रीत बिना ये कब मिले, मेरे को आराम॥' 

                   हाँ...सैय्याँ सैय्याँ सैय्याँ, हो सैय्याँ रटती मैं डोलूँ ।
                    ………। 
 And thumri ends with this couplet:

                      'साईं तेरा रूठना , आदर करे ना कोय। 
                      दुर दुर करें सहेलियां,साईं मुड़ मुड़ देखे कोय॥'    
                        

A TRIBUTE TO RAJESH KHANNA :RAAGMALIKA IN HINDI FILM -BAWARCHI(1972)

Kishore Kumar

Manna Dey

Lakshmi Shankar

Music Director:MADAN MOHAN

Nirmala Devi

Kaifi Azmi

A scene from the film 'BAWARCHI'

                                             

Harindranath Chatterji

This raagmala was picturised on a household scene, in an early morning in Hindi film BAWARCHI.The singers are:Manna Dey,Nirmala Devi,Lakshmi Shankar,Kishore Kumar,Harindranath Chatterji and one more unidentified singer.Lyrics are written by Kaifi Azmi in which some part of Harindranath's English poem is also included.The whole presentation is very pleasing. It begins with raga Alhaiyya Bilawal and then ragas Maru Bihag ,Nat Bhairavi ,Dhaani(Dhanashree) ,Hansadhwani  are used by music director Madan Mohan.The  complete lyrics of this raagmala are as follows:

Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
Saare jag mein hua ujiyara
Naache jhoome ye man matwara, matwara
Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
gaya andhiyara, gaya andhiyara

Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
Saare jag mein hua ujiyara
Nache jhume ye man matwara, matwala
Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
Bhor aayi gaya andhi....ga pa dha ni..
Bhor aayi gaya andhi....ga  ma  re  sa...
Bhor aayi gaya andh....ni dha..
Bhor aayi gaya aandhiyara
Bhor aayi gaya aandhiyara

बीन  मृदंग  ढाप  सब  बाजत ,
ता  पर  नाचत  कृष्ण  कन्हैया, 
गोपिन  के  संग  रास  रचावत ,
नाच  दिखावत  ता  ता  थैय्या,
ता  ता  थैय्या । 
खेलत  गेंद  गिरी जमुना बिच,
नृत्य  कियो  तब  नाग  नथैया,
कोपि  के इंद्र  चढ़यो ब्रज ऊपर ,
गोप  करत  सब हा  हा दैय्या , 
धाय उठाय लियो गिरि नख पर ,
बंशी  बजावत  धेनु  चरैया ,
जब  से  मोहन  मन  में  आये ,
नित्य  करत  राधा  राधा  राधा ,
राधा  राधा  राधा।
Bhor aayee gaya andhiyara,...
Dha dhin tik ta thei, ta ta thei...

Dharti bhi jhume bagiya bhi jhume
Dharti bhi jhume bagiya bhi jhume
Bhanwara machal ke kaliyon ko chume
Bhanwara machal ke kaliyon ko chume
Nanhi kiran muskaye 
Laage neela gagan bada pyara,bada nyara.
Bhor aayi gaya aandhiyara
Bhor aayi gaya aandhiyaa..

Din ye sandesha le ker purab se aata hai
Din ye sandesha le ker purab se aata hai
Mehnat jo bante vahi phal milke khata hai
Mehnat jo bante vahi phal milke khata hai
Maje udao mil ke, khushi manao mil ke
O! maje udao mil ke,khushi manao mil ke
Nayi baharen aayi dekho phool khilao mil ke.
Ek dooje ki  sochoge to mauj karoge
Hanste gaate din beetega mast rahoge
Deta hai jitna koi utna hi pata hai
Deta hai  jitna koi utna hi pata hai
Din ye sandesha le ker purab se aata hai
Mehnat jo bante vohi phal milke khata hai.

Dekho kahta hai tumse savera 
ye savera, ye savera, ye savera 
Dekho kahta hai tumse savera. 
Chodo chodo bhi  ye tera mera, tera mera 
Dekho kahta hai tumse savera 
Phooti gagri liye fir rahe hain
Mil ke jo nahi peete the paani
Jo bhi karna hai tum aaj ker lo,
are yaad rakho jogi ki ye baani
Ki palatti nahi hai samay ki ye dhara.

Bhor aayi gaya andhiyara
gaya andhiyara, gaya andhiyara
gaya andhiyara, gaya andhi

hey ti ti ti ti ddhh di di dh d d du du
ti ti ti ti ddhh di di dh d d du du
Good morning
good morning, good morning o papa
good morning, good morning o dady
good morning , good morning  every body

good morning ,good morning, good morning
Beta, yes papa
Barkurdar, yes dady
Apni bhasha mein bolo, hai hai bhoola,
Namaste Namaste o Pitaji, Namaste.
Jai Hind Jai Hind o Pitaji, Jai Hind
Namaste namaste hai sabko, good morning Babu Chacha
Namaste, Namaste, Namaste, Namaste.

The morning rays are coming
The happy days are coming, kya
The morning rays are coming
The happy days are coming
Haye haye bhoola..
Subah ki kiraney aayi hai, bahut achha
Khushiyan hi khushiyan laayi hai

Subah ki kirane aayi hai
Khushiya hi khushiya laayi hai
Namaste namaste o pitaji, namaste
Jai Hind Jai Hind o pitaji, Jai Hind
namaste namaste hai sabko
namaste, namaste, namaste, namaste

aayi paniya bharan ki bela
aayi paniya bharan ki bela
laga jamuna ke tat per mela
laga jamuna ke tat per mela
aayi paniya bharan ki bela
mil ke bhar lo ye bhar lo aao gagri
mil ke bhar lo ye bhar lo aao gagri
baje cham cham  kyon ghunghru akela
aayi paniya bharan ki bela
aayi paniya bharan, 
aayi paniya bharan ki bela

dhi te tum na na na,dhi te tum na na na
na dir ta tum ta dha na....

The coloured part of the lyrics is not there in the video clip but it is there in the audio clip of the song. Also the singer of this part is not known to me.If any one knows please write in comments part.The audio clip is from the courtsey of  Shri K.L.Pandey, IRTS,Advisor, Railway Board Of India.

NIRMALA DEVI : A CLASSICAL VOCALIST AND ACTRESS OF 1940s HINDI CINEMA

Myself getting the autograph of Nirmala Ji in Kanpur in the year 1988

I met her first time in 1986 during a music conference at Kanpur.It was 1st March and Nirmala Ji was on the stage of fully packed auditorium,clad in a plane light yellow chiffon sari,looking like a saint, presenting thumris,dadras,ghazals and bhajans.She started singing at 2:00 AM and till 6:30AM audience was listening to her melodies with full attention and giving applause at time to time.I still remember her song"JAYE NA PAIHO HAMARI GALEE AIKE ......"being rendered in the early hours of dawn and in that season of Basant and Holi,I saw many morning walkers gathered outside the auditorium, mesmerised by the charm of her superb singing.Nirmala Ji could expand her voice to all the three octaves of music very comfortably.Which is very rare for vocalists.After the concert I sat with her and talked about her acting in Hindi Films as well as her singing.But she in short told everything and said about her son GOVINDA ,whose first debut film 'LOVE 86' was ready for release.
I again got the chance to listen to her melodious singing in 1988, in the concert organised by a local body in Kanpur.I reviewed her work in films and found to the best of my knowledge,that she acted in 13 Hindi movies and sang about 60 songs for music directors like:Naushad,Sajjad Hussain,Firoze Nizami,Pt. Govindram,Shankar Rao Vyas, Vinod,Bulo C.Rani,Madan Mohan and O.P.Nayyar.She also did playback singing in a few films,such as :Shama- Parwana(1954),Musafirkhana(1955),Haseena(1955), Jagir, Zara Bach Ke ,Lady Robinhood (1959),Haqdar(1964) and Bawarchi(1972),Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1985).
She belonged to Varanasi( Banaras) and got groomed in vocal music by Ustad Atta Khan of Patiala Gharana.She was married to film star of that era of Hindi Cinema, Arun Kumar Ahuja, with whom she worked in films: SAVERA(1942),CHALIS KAROD(1945),SEHRA(1948) and JAI MAHALAKSHMI(1951).Since 1942 till 1951 she did acting only in 13 films along with singing about 50 songs.The movies were:Sharda(1942),Savera(1942),Kanoon(1943),Gaali(1944),Geet(1944),Jeevan(1944),Chalis Karod(1945),Piya Milan(1945),Ghunghat(1946),Sehra(1948),Anmol Ratan(1950),Janmashtami(1950) and Jai Mahalakshmi(1951). Further between 1954 to 1985 she did playback singing in 9 films only,singing only 10 songs.Here are some of her popular song numbers:
(1).Ghir Aayee Badariya Ghar Aao..   (film:SHARDA,1942,Music:Naushad)
(2).Hamare Saiyyan Lakhon Mein Ek...(film:ANMOL RATAN,1950,Music:Vinod)
(3).Jhoothe Zamane Bhar Ke..(duet with Moh.Rafi,film:MUSAFIR KHANA,1955,Music:O.P.Nayyar)
(4).Ulfat Ke Jaam Pila...(film:SHAMA PARWANA-1954,Music:Husnlal-Bhagatram)
Nirmala Ji had got recorded many unforgettable light classical melodies,such as: thumris, dadras, chaiti, hori etc.But she also sang very skillfully khayals, taranas, bhajans, ghazals and geets.Music lovers all over the world still keep on searching for her rcordings.Her LP record of light classical songs 'Weekend Pleasure' was a great success.Here I am giving a Chaiti from that record:

After saying goodbye to  films she was fully devoted to her music concerts all over India and cutting records of her singing.In my city Kanpur itself she gave her Five Music Concerts since 1982 to 1988. She was a preferred artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan.Let us enjoy a ghazal sung by Nirmala Devi for All India Radio:

In a collection of Thumries LP released by HMV,she sang in raga Mishra Shivranjani "Ro ro nain ganwaye,sajna na aaye...".Let us enjoy that melody: 

How can  we forget the THUMRI-JUGALBANDI, she presented along with Lakshmi Shankar in two LP records.One of these is being given to enjoy the harmony and melody intermixed very nicely: 
She got recorded the ghazals of Mirza Ghalib for an EP record released by HMV.It is a real treat to listen to these ghazals.Also she had composed and sung many bhajans, but I very much like her bhajan "Hari Tum Bhaktan Ke Hitkari.." in Bhairavi ,which is a masterpiece of music. Also  her last film-song from Bawarchi(1972),composed by Madan Mohan in raga Alhaiyya Bilawal,sung with,Manna Dey,Lakshmi Shankar,Kishore Kumar and Harindranath Chattopadhyay,is still very popular .The song is being given here:

NIRMALA JI AND MY ELDER DAUGHTER AJITA

Nirmala Ji has passed away in 1996,but she is still alive in the memories of her music lovers.She has left behind a treasure of her melodious songs for generations to come.