The Divine Voice of ‘Devotional ‘ Kishore
by Arghya Dutta
Kishore Kumar is considered to be a “versatile genius” with so many outstanding facets of his artistic personality. If overall as an artist, Kishore is versatile, only in singing domain he is a “versatile singer” in a true nature. Right from romantic to sad to soulful to motivating to semi-classical to qawwali to patriotic and to ghazals, Kishore had shown his tremendous variety in his god-given voice each and every time he had stood behind the microphone.
Here we discuss, yet another interesting genre of songs from Kishoreda - devotional songs - where he, as always, did tremendous perfection in singing, although he remained underrated always.
Kishoreda’s first true devotional song was “Leela Aparampar prabhuji teri leela aparampar” which he sang in the movie, Humsafar(1953). The song was composed by the maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan sahib. The song requires extensive voice modulation and Kishore sang the song with great feeling. The antara where he goes up with “ O neele ambar pe basaria, teri jay jaykaar…,” the feeling touches hearts.
Next came the classic “Haal tujhe apni duniya ka nazar to aata hoga” from Asha(1957). Composed by one of Kishore’s earliest admirers, C Ramchandra, the song is different, as now, Kishore is complaining to the Almighty for all the misdoingd on planet earth. His voice carries the grief and complaint and very “open throated”.. with “ Maalik tu bhi isko banaake ab pachhtata hoga…” truly depicts a person’s disappointment which he keeps in front of the god,,,
One of my most favourite devotional song from Kishore was in Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein(1964)- a song which he himself composed and sang alongwith Manna De. The song “O jag ke rakhwale humein tujh bin kaun sambhaale” is very soulful and touches heart immediately with the divine tune.. Manna starts the song with chorus and Kishore enters very late and immediately leaves a heavy impact with “Kiya sab kuchh tere hawaale, o jag ke rakhwale”.. Manna reportedly praised Kishore openly for the composition as well as the rendition… Shows again, the genius of that man- Kishore Kumar!
Kishore sang many devotional songs in the 70s, when he was on the top spot in playback singing. Chhoti Bahu(1971) saw Kishore rendering “Hey re kanhaiya, kisko kahega tu maiyya..” composed by his long time associates Kalyanji-Anandji.. The song depicts the dilemma of young Kanhaiyya, as he was born in Devki’s house but brought up in Yashda’s home and finding it difficult whom he should call “his actual mother”.. “Jisme tujhko janam diya ya jisne tujhko pala…”, very simple lyrics and simple tune and Kishore’s “open voice” makes this song very close to heart..
“Ram ka naam badnaam na karo..” is perhaps the most popular devotional song of Kishore which he sang in Hare Rama Hare Krishna(1971) under Rahul Dev Burman. Youth getting astray are motivated by Kishore with the “tyaag” and “dharma” of Rama and Krishna here with a voice “pioneering” and “comforting”.. The feelings which he brings here also makes the song memorable and timeless. “Ram ko samjho, Krishna ko jaano, neend se jaago o mastano..”, Kishore calls the youth to follow the “true path”of Almighty to come out of darkness.
Mere Jeevan Sathi(1972) is mainly rememberd for the romantic songs of Kishore for Rajesh Khanna, but the song “Aao kanhai mere dham” is very special for those who love Bhajans.. The true passion and anxiety of a bhakt for not getting the darshan of Lord Krishna, is reflected in the anxious voice of Kishore “dekho ho gayi shaam”… Composed by Rahul Dev Burman- a truly sublime bhajan for Kishore..
Naya Din Nayi Raat(1974) saw this time Laxmikant Pyarelal turning to Kishore for a nice melodious and simple Krishna vandana in terms of “Krishna Krishna bolo Krishna…”, influenced by Bengali kirtan- with proficient usage of the instrument “khol”. The song was sung very melodiously by the two legends- Kishore and Lata and is even popular to this day!
In 1974, the newcomer music director Rajesh Roshan handed Kishoreda a very high pitch beautiful devotional number “Jai Bholenath Jai Ho Prabhu” in the movie “Kunwara Baap” where Kishore sang as many as 4 songs … Although, the song might not have left too much of an impact as a “devotional song” in the mind of the audience, it is very much a memorable and a very melodious song of Kishore and Lata..
But the best was yet to come!! Laxmi-Pyare turned again to Kishore with “Prem ka rog laga mujhe yeh”- a classic devotional song on a semi-classical note in Do Premee(1980)! All the three antaras were different from one another and the note changes were complex!! With lot of vigour in his voice, Kishore sang like a truly “magan” bhakta in “Yeh kaanton ke haar hai saare , murari..” This song is still a showcase of Kishore’s multi layered voice!!
The next considerable devotional song was “Bhole O Bhole” from Yarana(1981) composed by Rajesh Roshan, may not be called a “true devotional song” in a proper sense, but had the essence of a troubled mind addressing the God.
The last significant bhajan by Kishore was in Swami Dada(1982) for Rahul Dev Burman with “Ek roop kayin naam man mandir tera dham..”.. Again a simple tune sang with lot of emotions… But bhajans were scarce those days in Hindi Cinema, and this song remained the “swan song” for Kishore as far as devotional songs are concerned…
In 1986, recovering a heart attack, Kishore recorded his last Rabindrasangeet album (Bangla) with music arrangement of his another true admirer- Hemant Kumar.. The typical low note devotional Rabindrasangeet “ Klanti aamaar khama koro prabhu…” (Please forgive my tireness, O Lord..), according to me, is the best devotional song of Kishore …
A man of many moods, Kishore truly proved his versatility in all genres of singing.. Although, his devotional songs cannot fall in the same category of “Man tarapat hari darshan” or “Sukh ke sab saathi”, but the glimpse of his great talent cannot be overlooked in all the devotional songs he had sung!! A truly “divine” voice!
June 29th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
@common_man 443,
Glad that you found my post worth a chuckle. Must have brightened your day.
Now, it would be even better if you can delve into some details to explain your points.
Which are the things that are not equal ? Is it on the sur or taal or the taans or meends ? Is it the low pitch or high pitch ? Is it the voice modulation ? Is it the expression ? Is it the “originality” ?
Yes, I enjoy the originality of “Aake seedhi lagi dil pe” more than the pedestrian “Salamat rahe dostana”. I enjoy the original “Cheel cheel chillake” and the original “Mere bhole balam”.
It’s one thing if you like Rafi more than KK. It’s also perfectly acceptable if you think Rafi got the much more quality songs. But if you make a claim that Rafi is the “better” singer, you might do better to substantiate your claims if you explain *why* that is so.
You can elaborate on the most important factors - sur, taal, modulation, expression, originality (or rather, Rafi’s intrinsic originality). KK has both intrinsic and extrinsic originality.
June 1st, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Dear All Music lovers,
Its sad to note the infighting amongst you all. Why belittle an acknowledged singer for whatever selfish motives-whether love for ones own fav? Its highly deplorable to see people with suspect musical inclinations to comment on rafi sahabs talent, range, low notes singing, yodelling etc etc. Have you all become god or surpassed him too to write such comments? KK too had tremendous respect for rafi sahab. See their duets, their camarederie, etc. I had witnessed a KK concert starting with a 2 min silence for rafi in a stadium in pune-with the background instrumental of “Jahan daal daal par sone ki chidiya karti hai basera…” after rafis demise. And here are some overtly zealous people trying their hands at adversely commenting on the grtness of Rafi sahab.
Pl refrain from such acts & bring out the goodness of the songs of the singers-geniuses in their own right & share them with all. Pl avoid adverse comments.
May 21st, 2010 at 12:41 am
I love these posts. Always very amusing and get a good chuckle from me
“For all the alleged ’simplicity` of Kishore’s songs, I haven’t yet come across a soul around who can re-create them. I am not talking about merely duplicating the tune swara for swara - even Suresh Wadkar can do that!”
ROFL I wish the Ghantasala fans would understand this simple concept
“I like Kishore more than Rafi because, all things being equal, I give greater weight to originality.”
Wasn’t Kishore Kumar the one who started out by copying KL Saigal?
Mohammed Rafi had a different style than KL Saigal when he started out in the industry.
Rafi’s voice & expression were quite original and I’ve never seen anyone completely emulate them
Of course…I KNOW that’s not what you were referring to…you are talking about Kishore’s antics i.e. adding humming before a song, yodelling, or antics like in Padosan. I can respect that…but it is far from enough to compensate from Rafi’s approach to singing or his own intrinsic originality.
And by the way..all things weren’t equal
“There are things which Rafi can do, which Kishore cannot. And vice versa too.”
What Rafi could do but Kishore could not, was more valuable, than the vice versa. Rafi was so talented that for individual syllables he could put the right emotions & modulate his voice just right. This is a level of detail that Kishore’s “spontaneous” showed only occasionally.
“It’s like comparing Sunil Gavaskar to Viv Richards.”
Rafi was Rafi. Incomparable. We don’t need to use analogies for him to someone else.
With all due respect to you, you’re just rationalizing. It’s all good. In the past I’ve seen you take Kishore’s failure to express emotion at a given time as a charming excuse for integrity hahaha! To each his own
You have fun listening to this “original” “Aakhe Seedhe Lagi Dil Pe”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BQhtqWAhrY
whereas I’ll listen to to Rafi’s “Salamat Rahe Dostana Hamara” where for individual syllables he puts profound emotions & modulations. It’s not “hard” for the sake of being hard. It’s supreme, unparalled expression
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM9n7omT1yE
May 20th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Arghyaji,
Bahut hi achha likha hai apne. Bina kisi tulna kiye hue, guruji ke baare mein.
Khan sahab aur Surjit sahab,
Aap logon ke upar to baat karna bhi humare jaise logon ke liye tauheen hai, khaas kar ke tab jab humko shastriya sangeet ka charcha chhode aaj kareeb 10 saal ho gaye hai. Aap jaise logon ko padhne ke liye hi hum kabhi kabhar aa jaate hai yahan pem aur Kishorefan,Prabhanjanji, Satyanshji aur Arghyaji jaise sachche logon ki baat samajhne ke liye. Achche insaan hai aap sab log, uparwala aaplogon ko khush rakhe hamesha.
Koi naya lekh nahi aa raha is forum mein Kishoreji ke upar yeh bahut dukh ki baat hai. Moderatorji se sadar nivedan hai is cheez ko zara dhyaan de. Humein aur achche lekh ki zaroorat hai yahan pe. Arghyaji, Satyanshji jaise log yahan pe pratinidhitva kam kar diye hai kuchh bahar ke logon ke murkhta ke wajah se, yeh bahut dukh ki baat hai. Unhe phir se bulaiye is forum ko sundar karne ke liye.
Guruji ka ek gaana main bahut sun raha hoon kuchh dino se, aap logon se share karna chahta hoon yahan pe:
‘ Tere liye maine sabko chhoda, tu hi chhod ke chal di/ Janam maran ke saath ka wada kaise chhod ke chal di’.
Ek gumnaam sangeetkar Shyamal Mitra ka banaya hua geet, Indeevarji ke likhe hue bol aur Kishoreji ka gaaya hua bhari, gehra aur low yeh gaana sahi mein ek alpa charchit madhur gaanon mein se hai.
May 16th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Anil @ 440,
You are reading too literally into my analogy.
What I meant to say was that Rafi’s approach to singing was akin to Gavaskar’s approach to batting: orthodox approach to batting, playing by the rules, adhering to the right technique, unrelenting dedication and focus etc.
Kishore was more like Richards in that he cared a fig about rules and technique, and he created his own rules and shots. For eg., in those days, playing across the line was considered a strict no-no and was frowned upon by connoisseurs.
Another inference from the analogy was that Rafi’s art was cultivated while Kishore was a natural.
What is that about S.S.Das ? I only criticized Rafi on his classical renditions. I never said he was technically weak otherwise.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Surajit,
Are you sure Rafi V Kishore is akin to Gavaskar V Richards? Going by your various posts on the two singers, it should be more like S.S.Das (remember the Indian opener who ‘appeared to be technically very good’?) V Richards.
May 10th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Khan Sahab,
Thanks. Also read your post from the other thread.
Yes, Man re is a great song by Rafi. It’s one of my favourite compositions and renditions.
Very few people know that both the tune and verse of Man re
was inspired by an old bandish in Yaman Kalyan which goes something like this:
manA tu kAhe nA dheer dharat ab
dheer dhare sab kA raj sudharat
jAke sar RaghunAth virAjat
wAke sab hi kA raj sAdhat
Tulsidasa, RaghunAth krupA teN vighana sab Tarat
Roshan distilled the essence from this bandish and creatively
extended it for his alltime classic. A great example of what
an original mind, well-educated in classical music, can achieve.
I also love Rafi’s Kabhi Khud Pe from Hum Dono. Great rendition for Jaidev.
However, since when the comparision of Rafi and Kishore comes up, most people, dare I say most Rafi fans, focus on the level of difficulty as a barometer to rate the abilities of the singers, let me dwell on that a little bit.
The level of difficulty displayed is a perfectly valid canon by which to evaluate a singer (obviously, once we have made sure that there are no glaring mistakes on the Sur and Taal). But it is not the only one nor is it the most important, IMO of course. Some of us place a higher premium on originality (paradoxically, it is not easy, originality).
That is why we reward Kishore - not because he was capable
of great feats of swara-acrobatics (to be sure, he wasn’t, but neither was Rafi), or because had a sweeping range over all the octaves (he didn’t, and neither did Rafi), but because in the realm of musical expression, he was supremely original. And he was original while not sacrificing a whit on the technical front - be it sur, taal, range of voice, voice control and voice modulation etc.
The superlative voice control he exhibits in songs like “Husn Bhi Hai udhAas”, “Jagmag jagmag karta nikla”, or even his so-called “silly songs” (title song of Jhumroo, for eg.), while giving exquisite expression, is nothing to be sneezed at.
I always ask this question to music fans who always look at the level of difficulty to rate singers.
Is there any intrinsic merit in making things difficult just for the
heck of it?
In music, Kishore Kumar could do the kind of magic beyond the
pale of even the most formidable technicians. Songs like “Chingari Koi Bhadke”, “Kuch to log kahenge” are unreplicable (sic). Like many of his gems, these are ’simple` tunes made immortal by sheer weight of expression, by a man who could be profound without trying hard.
It was never the kind of delivery that beckoned, “I’m difficult and I beg of you to take notice.” And yet, they are not at all easy, even technically.
Kishore’s ability to smoothly switch across registers and notes within a song is very rare. His singing is so smooth that all the artistry is overlooked. It’s only when we attempt to duplicate them that we realize the many, seemingly simple, ways he elevated the song.
For all the alleged ’simplicity` of Kishore’s songs, I haven’t yet come
across a soul around who can re-create them. I am not talking about merely duplicating the tune swara for swara - even Suresh Wadkar can do that!
In summary, both Rafi and Kishore were great singers (among others). I like Kishore more than Rafi because, all things being equal, I give greater weight to originality.
There are things which Rafi can do, which Kishore cannot. And vice versa too. Their approach to music and singing is very different. It’s like comparing Sunil Gavaskar to Viv Richards.
May 8th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Surajit Bose sahab, 435,
Your all points are correct. I was just mentioning your points in the other thread in one of my posts. Your following para - I fully agree with them and are correct.
“You can be a Rafi fan for many reasons - and there are many - but not based on his classical songs, or because he is technically superior (neither of which can be proven).
When you assess a singer technically, you look at various factors. They are:
Sur - most basic requirement
Voice quality
Vocal range - (number of notes that the meat of their voice covers)
Voice modulation
Expression
Once these have all been met successfully, we can call upon higher technical skills like the ability to render “classical” songs that involve murkis, taans, sargams etc.”
I will add a little more to the last line i.e sargams etc. keeping in the complete attributes of the particular rag, as each of the different rags require change in voice techniques and deliverances going by musical terms. To achieve this gifted voice is a must.
Yes, the above qualities are must for a voice which can be called “perfect” . I was just mentioning about ghantasala sahab, the telugu singer in the other thread in this regard in reply to some rafians claims about rafi sahab’s voice range.
Technically going, rafi sahab was basically fine, and nothing more than that. I also do not see much weight on rafi sahab’s fans claims about rafi sahabs classical skills ?
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Arghya,
I have no intention to contest the content or the logical conclusion of your post (#433). Infact I agree with you on many points. However I have to point out some not-so-true and/or exaggerated stuff that you mentioned as support to your claims.
*The records of Jimmy Rodgers which had inspired the 21 year old lad now started getting overshadowed slowly but surely over the time. So was the perfection Kishore achieved in this falsetto breaking head voice that after one of his performances in Wembley Stadium much later, the British media listening to “Main hoon jhumroo” declared that - this Mr. Kumar can yoodel better than even Jimmy Rodgers”!!! History takes a turn .. Who would believe that it was indeed JR, whose yoodelling had once inspired Kishore.*
I wouldn’t take anyone who declared this (if he/she did it) seriously. There were/are many Western vocalists who are better equipped than Kishore when it comes to yodelling. This is not to say that KK’s yodelling is not good, actually he was one of the better ones, none of the folks who tried his ‘jhumroo..’ or other such songs could do it quite as well (though I have listened to some fairly decent versions of KK’s yodelling songs). I wouldn’t also buy your “KK took over the yodelling baton from JR” theory. There is only a very miniscule portion of the Western audience who have actually heard KK (or any other Indian singer for that matter). For them there are many yodellers, some came before JR, some during his time and some after him and KK is not one of them. I have to reiterate here that this is not to belittle KK in any manner; his yodelling was class act. The contrast between his modal voice (deep and rough) and the falsetto voice (when he yodelled) made his yodelling especially catchy, something we miss in Sonu’s yodelling.
*And his falsettos-of course! At the age of 51, this guy could effortlessly render a romantic song fully in his falsetto register(coming out of his baritonal structure)- ‘Chhukar mere man ko”- only because the MD, Rajesh Roshan, wanted him to go softer. The same request he had obliged around 10 years back to Laxmikant Pyarelal, when the duo had wanted the same from him in the best ever song on life- “Yeh jeevan hai”…*
Neither ‘chukkar mere man..’ or ‘yeh jeevan hai..’ has been sung in falsetto register. False voice? yes, partly; but not falsetto register. For KK, the falsetto register would start from about c4 (since his modal register extends upto e4/f4). Both these cases are good examples of voice modulations but are not exactly falsetto singing (though he goes into falsetto in some parts of ‘chukkar mere man…’). Rafi’s ‘ooparwala jaankar anjaan..’ and ‘mere duniya…’ are some other songs in HFM were the singer employs majorly head voice to give it a soft feel. In the song “Jaanu meri jaan..” KK does employ falsetto singing during that ‘hei…….’ alaap. He also sings in falsetto in many of his yodelling songs (during the transition from chest voice to the yodelling- which itself is falsetto- voice).
*What Ms Carey started perfectionizing whistling notes in the 80s, this Khandwa genius-just casually and with hardly anyone’s notice, did that stunt in 1967 at the age of 42, in Sadhu aur Shaitaan*
Mariah is not the first one to sing/sound in whistle registers. Mariah herself was highly influenced by a singer named Minnie Ripertone. There were/ are several lesser known singers who sang/sing in whistle register. Speaking of KK’s effort, I don’t take it for whistle register singing. To me it sounded as if he is inhaling air in. The voice (for its frequency) is pretty much in the whistle register, but is it ’singing’? However I have to say KK’s effort is pretty ‘experimental’ and very very funny.
April 22nd, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Arghya ji,
A great post - keep it up
Sudheer bhai,
Thanks for your post. Your points are well noted. In the other blog, Just your another friend Mr. Dhaniram had come and has given some useful illustrations and great examples and enlightened us for which we are very grateful. Now, We are very very happy to see your beautiful post on rafi and his songs.
Jara soch ke baat kiya karo - rafi fans ji.
Arghya ji was talking about experimentation in hindi playback singing. Just seeing one para on kishore kumar and suddenly putting up a post on rafi and his songs and saying all blah blah blah. Kindly please have a look at Arghya ji’s post which is so dignified and no where has any comparison feature with any singer or issue. Not only this para, even other music lovers in this thread of kishore kumar have not resorted to such biased comparisons on their own. Comparisons come only when biased fans (mainly of rafi) just start claiming that rafi was that and that and start talking about other singers. Even if they do not specifically discuss about other singers, they state in their posts, no singer can sing this song of rafi and blah blah blah like Mr. Dhaniram has just stated in the other blog about chal ud ja re panchi - for rafi stating that it was much much better than the ghantasala version (which is in fact the other way) and he has received what he has to receive from music lovers. Mr. dhaniram is not to be heard or seen after the responses he received for his post. I request you kindly to stop singing rafi naam in a biased way, otherwise same thing or response may happen to you as well.
Rafi was great, so kishore was as well great. This is the fact of HFM and no body can dispute or change this. Remember always, it was kishore who had dethroned rafi and I would not like to say much, as we have respect for all great singers.
April 22nd, 2010 at 8:07 am
Sudheer,
Fair point. Yes, Kishore would not have been able to match Rafi in songs like “Yeh chaand sa roshan chehra” or “Hum bekhudi mein tum ko” or “O Duniya ke rakhwaale”.
Using that logic, even Rafi would not have been able to match Kishore in songs like “Jeevan ke safar mein rahi” or “Dukhi mann mere” or “Aa chal ke tujhe” or “Aake seedhi lagi dil pe”.
Sorry, I disagree about Rafi’s yodelling capabilities. When you yodel, you basically are crossing registers, from full voice to
falsetto. For this yodel to really have the “popping” effect, you need a particular type of voice, with a decent amount of separation between registers. Kishore was (extremely) successful with this; my
guess is that Rafi as a tenor, had a smoother “break” between registers and would not be as successful.
It’s funny how you say that every song of Kishore’s can be rendered by Rafi, and not vice versa. Nothing can be farther from the truth. There is no way Rafi could’ve yodelled the way Kishore has done, and Rafi couldn’t have sung the title song in “Jhumroo”, or many such songs.
Let me talk about their singing highlighting two aspects.
Firstly, most lay-Rafi-fans (Rafi fans without the knowledge or grounding in Indian Classical Music) jump to the conclusion that Rafi is a superior singer to Kishore, without elaborating, in a technically meaningful way, how they came to that conclusion.
Their “proof” being the large number of “classical” songs that Rafi has sung, as compared to Kishore.
Nobody talks anything about “how well” Rafi has sung those classical songs. I reiterate that in the “classical” songs that were really challenging (like “kuhu kuhu boley koyaliya” or “jhananan jhan jhananan jhan” - from “Rani Roopmati” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suZPPgnsKhc , or “Baat chalat nayee rang dari” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoQJIy8o9Qc ), Rafi was very pedestrian in rendering them. Rafi could barely navigate taans, even straightforward ones. And the ones that he rendered decently (”Madhuban mein radhika”, “Man re tu kahe”) didn’t really contain any challenging passages to be classified as “classical songs”.
You cannot say, on one hand, that Rafi was a better singer than Kishore because he rendered classical songs while Kishore did not, and on the other hand, plead, when someone points out obvious flaws in his classical renditions, that it’s unfair to judge Rafi’s classical renditions based on “absolute classical terms”. You cannot have it both ways.
Also, I am amused by Rafi fans who harp on his capabilities in singing “high pitched” songs. Because it’s convenient to forget that Rafi has very few songs that he rendered ably in the lower registers. Why should the ability to sing in the high pitch be considered any superior to the ability to sing in the lower pitch. High-pitched or low-pitched is a factor of the voice, and has nothing to do with actual talent.
Here is one song by Rafi that was set to a low register, and he was distinctly uncomfortable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PKNh4ceh14
I will say that Kishore at least had the sense to stay away from classical songs instead of mangling them the way Rafi does.
You want to hear classical film songs that were really good, even in “absolute classical terms” ? Look no further than the Mangeshkar sisters. Here are a couple of good ones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-K7vbU0rM&feature=PlayList&p=ECA9C6C07543DEF1&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=4 in Jaijaivanti.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxAxLGrJ-Ac in Bhoop/Deshkar.
Secondly, I’ll say this about their contributions to music. If Rafi hadn’t ventured into music, the Hindi film musical universe would’ve been much poorer, for his songs (not classical songs, just film songs) wouldn’t have been replicated with the same effect and expression that he was known for.
But if Kishore had not been around, not only would the musical universe been poorer (for the same reasons as Rafi), but it would have been smaller too, for an entire genre of film songs - comedy, fun & frolic - would’ve been absent.
You can be a Rafi fan for many reasons - and there are many - but not based on his classical songs, or because he is technically superior (neither of which can be proven).
When you assess a singer technically, you look at various factors. They are:
Sur - most basic requirement
Voice quality
Vocal range - (number of notes that the meat of their voice covers)
Voice modulation
Expression
Once these have all been met successfully, we can call upon higher technical skills like the ability to render “classical” songs that involve murkis, taans, sargams etc. This is the realm where Lata and Asha reside.
Going by that list, there is no concrete evidence that Rafi is technically superior to Kishore. Both excel in all the basic categories.
I agree that Rafi has more beautiful compositions to his name (and a fair amount of the credit should go to the outstanding MDs who ruled during his time - Naushad, OPN, SDB, SJ etc.), but that is not sufficient “evidence” to claim that he was a “better” singer than Kishore.
“Greater” and “better” are two mutually exclusive attributes, and one can be one without being the other. I can agree that Rafi was a “greater” singer than Kishore, but disagree with the claims about him being a “better” singer.
April 19th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Arghya ji,
Yes, kishore was a phenomenon in hindi. But I don’t think kishore would have been able to attempt songs like yeh chaand sa roshan chehra, mohabbat zindabad, oh duniya ke rakhwaley etc. where not only modulations are required, but even high pitch voice is required, which in my view, kishore simply did not had that range to render such type of renditions. Nothing much to take offense on this, kishore was good in the “type of songs” he rendered and in my view most of the songs of kishore belong to that particular type in which he was comfortable to render. Most of the compositions were made in such a manner so as to enable kishore to sing the songs. In fact, I simply love kishore for the type of songs he rendered. Rafi on the other hand had a wide range of voice which could attempt and bring beauty to various genres which kishore could not attempt. The yodelling genre was first attempted by rafi in hindi and thinking that it is a dilution from pure music, rafi had shifted from it and the result we know was the golden era of hindi playaback singing of 50’s and 60’s. I am sure, kishores every song could have been rendered by rafi and on the contrary, many of rafi songs could not have been even attempted by kishore. It is just because kishore did not have that wider range of voice which is necessary to render high pitch songs, which was possessed by rafi and by the way this wider range of voice was even possessed by ghantasala, though I do not want to compare ghantasala and kishore kumar here.
Also, since it is a column on devotional songs, I could not think kishore can create any patch on rafi in this particular genre, as rafi was way ahead of kishore, as you yourself put it in the last para of your article.
April 14th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Has there been ever so much of experimentation in film playback music since that man?
People near and dear to him say he could effortlessly replicate bandishes of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahab in isolation.. But when asked to do the same behind microphone in recording rooms, he declined uprightly, saying much in the line of spirit of his mentor Dada Burman that ‘film music should be light and understandable to common man only’..
Abhas Kumar Ganguly still holds a huge with a capital H- number of innovations and experimentations in Hindi playback music which remain unparallelled even today. People aped and copied him but no new innovation in the same line could be seen even today with so much help of techno digital recordings and acoustic innovations.
So, here he comes up with the first ever yoodelling in Indian Cine music in 1950 with “Aati hai yaad humko january february”, encouraged by none other than his first true admirer and father of music direction in modern indian cinema-Khemchand Prakash. The records of Jimmy Rodgers which had inspired the 21 year old lad now started getting overshadowed slowly but surely over the time. So was the perfection Kishore achieved in this falsetto breaking head voice that after one of his performances in Wembley Stadium much later, the British media listening to “Main hoon jhumroo” declared that - this Mr. Kumar can yoodel better than even Jimmy Rodgers”!!! History takes a turn
.. Who would believe that it was indeed JR, whose yoodelling had once inspired Kishore.
So, again he comes up and makes the first and only “hichki”(hiccup) song in Hindi in 1957- “Aaj na jaane pagal manwa”.. He hiccupped 24 times in that song with four hiccups at a stretch at a time and never missing a note.. And added a topping on the ice cream with a superb yoodelling towards the end.
There he goes stunning the senior MD Salil Chwodhury twice in Half Ticket in 1962. Once, by singing a song with two different voices- one of a child and one of a man- “Are waah re mere maalik” and again with another bivocal song -the classic- “Aake seedhi lagi”. Indeed surprising though is that Kishore had already done a bivocal song(perhaps first ever in Hindi movies) around 10 years back! Only C Ramchandra would have known the genius of that singer when in 1952, Kishore effortlessly sang a bi-vocal “Charandas ko peene ki jo adat” with singing and acting.
What Ms Carey started perfectionizing whistling notes in the 80s, this Khandwa genius-just casually and with hardly anyone’s notice, did that stunt in 1967 at the age of 42, in Sadhu aur Shaitaan.
And add to that the first wooing and purely sensual rain song in Hindi movies- “ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si” to the best ever sensual song in Hindi film history- “roop tera mastana”, Kishore held a sexuality in his voice without going vulgar. He simply carried an awed passion and seduction which swayed the nation with “Dil kya kare jab kisise” or “Hothon pe jaan chali aayegi” much later.
And his falsettos-of course! At the age of 51, this guy could effortlessly render a romantic song fully in his falsetto register(coming out of his baritonal structure)- ‘Chhukar mere man ko”- only because the MD, Rajesh Roshan, wanted him to go softer. The same request he had obliged around 10 years back to Laxmikant Pyarelal, when the duo had wanted the same from him in the best ever song on life- “Yeh jeevan hai”… He did them time and time over again.. Not to forget the newcomer Bappi’s modified plagiarized song” Dil se mile hai dil”, which he sang in three different falsettos … And it was he who pressurized Bappi to change the tune of that song as initially it had sounded too similar to RD’s “Aese na mujhe tum dekho”..
There he goes in his stage performances which the nation had never seen before. Forget harmoniums and standing in a corner of a stage and crooning, Kishore Kumar would sommersolt, shout, scream, mimic and entirely fire up the audience like none else. A performer unparallelled, he truely showed how singing can entertain rags to riches.
Kishore kumar- the first and the only singing phenomenon- as Satyajit Ray had put him.
April 5th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Musharaff sahab,
I respect your views to only certain extent. I think you have to know much much about ghantasala sahab to arrive at such conclusion. As I was given to understand, he was not only a versatile classical singer but a versatile filmy playback singer and music director as well, who ruled telugu film industry close to 3 decades, a feat perhaps no other playback singer in India might have achieved.
Next, your comment on siva sankari vs. o duniya ke rakhwale, both in darbari kannad rags, the siva sankari song is far tougher than o duniya ke and much wider covering all the 3 octaves, whereas the hindi song o duniya ke is not much wider like siva sankari. The siva sankari song has been composed in more notes whereas o duniya ke is certainly lesser in number of notes (goes for sa to da in two different octaves at the maximum) Whereas siva sankari goes form da note in lowest octave to highest ni note in the final octave thus covering more notes than the hindi one and accordingly fulfilling the requirements of a more high pitch composition than the high pitch in hindi song. Ghantasala sahab renders all the octaves with comfortable ease, without any strain with perfect modulations, exactly hitting notes with perfection, fulfilling exactly the requirements of the darbari kannad. the ease in rafi sahab’s voice is clearly less as compared to ghantasala sahab’s rendition. Ghantasala sahab clearly envelopes rafi sahab in all angles. The concluding rag continuously hitting highest ni in final octave close to 5 to 7 times with ease, is exemplary. The hindi composition of Naushad sahab is surely great and rafi sahab has done justice fully to the extent possible, but the same is no where near the siva sankari composition - a rendition & composition par excellence and to my knowledge the greatest of all filmy classical songs composed till date.
I think these points were clarified many times earlier too, including by other carnatic and hindusthani musicians.
April 4th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Musharaff ji, POST ONLY FOR YOU
Thanks for your post.
PARAMJEET JI, YOU ARE BETTER EQUIPPED FROM MUSICAL POINT OF VIEW TO REPLY TO MUSHARAFF JI ON SIVA SANKARI, WHICH WAS RENDERED ONLY IN ONE TAKE.
Musharaff ji, classical musicians have opined that (both hindusthani and carnatic) that siva sankari is the most toughest song known in playback singing, and the pitch is higher than the one in o duniya ke rakhwale.
Just hear this link, a devotional sanskrit rendition from a telugu film mahakavi kalidasu, wherein ghantasala reaches the top note present in music. i.e sa in the higher octave (around 2 : 45) - highest comfortably sustaining. This rendition has been acclaimed (by musicians) as an incomparable rendition challenging the best of skills of a singer. Ghantasala, however, renders it quite comfortably. See his command on the diction, pronounciation and comfort, range on notes, modulation etc. THIS WAS ALSO RENDERED IN ONE TAKE ONLY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3w5omAMF98
Musharaff ji, - you had not replied to my post wherein I had given you a link on ghantasala - have you read it carefully. That should keep at rest your notion of his classical songs being more famous than his non classical songs. True, as you say, he was classically versatile than others, but he was a versatile filmy singer as well, you can know from the link. The thing is, his classical songs have become more famous with everybody, whereas songs in “other genres” continue to remain evergreen peerless favourites with Andhras, (might be due to language stream diference expressions required for non classical songs ) similar to the ones of rafi and kishore.
Thanks again for your post and views, which I respect & similar regards with receiprocations. Hope we can wind our discussion with this post, If your doubts are satisfied, because I think, the forum should not be misused much with other discussions, however great they may be.
April 3rd, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Musharafji,
Maine sonu nigam ke saath rafi sahab ki comparison nahi ki.. Comparison rajaon ke beech mein hoti hai, raja aur rank mein nahi.. Magar mere kehne ka yeh matlab tha ke sirf versatility hi greatest banne ke liye kaafi nahi hai. Main khud rafi sahab ka bhakt hoon magar mujhe kishoreji zyada pasand hai.. Ho sakta hai kishoreji ne ‘madhuban mein radhika’ ya ‘ parda hai parda’ jaise bhajan ya qawalli nahi gaye, magar phir Rafi ne bhi ‘ aake seedhi lagi’ ya ‘ main jhumroo’ jaise adbhut gaane nahi gaye.. Agar rafi sahab unke gaye nahi gaate to koi aur gaata (Manna ji ya aur koi), beshaq utni madhurta se nahi(koi sandeh mat rakhiyega usmein)’ magar agar Kishoreji waise gaane nahi gaate to shayad hindi film gaano ke itihaas mein hi aese gaane na bante.. Salil Choudhri kabhi nahi soche the kishoreji ladki ki awaaz mein ya ek bachchein ki awaaz mein aese ga sakte hai. Khair chhodo, aapko baat shayad samajh mein nahi padegi…
Rafi sahab beshaq high notes ke guru the.. Main khud yeh kehte aa raha hoon itne dinon se.. Magar sangeet sirf tar saptak tak hi seemit nahi hai. Aage aur kuchh nahi bolunga, bahut baar bol chuka hoon.
Playback singing mein main Kishoreji ko Rafi sahab se aage hi rakhoonga.. Rafi sahab bhi bahut hi bahatareen parsha gayak the magar jis tarah se gaane ki sahi roop pakad ke, sahi tarah se emote karke aur enact karke Kishoreji gaanon ko pesh karte the woh asadharan aur bemisaal hai. Aur kuchh nahi kahunga, bahut baar keh chuka hoon.
Abhi ke liye itna hi. Dhanyavaad…
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:38 am
Vitthal ji Paramjeet ji,
Thank you very much for your kind response. I have listened to “Shiva Shamkari” of Ghantasala. Actually this is more of a classical song than a high pitch song. This song, if I am not wrong because my knowledge in classical songs is not deep, is tuned on “Darbari’ and based on “teen taal”. It starts with a short “alaap’ and then goes on with ‘Taan” for the rest of the time for which Ghantasala is remarkable. At the end of the song during the “Taan’ Ghontasala goes at a high pitch and stays there only for a few seconds and that does not cross the pitch rendered by Rafi that he reaches singing “Rahkwaale” for the last time.
On the other hand “Duniya ke rakhwale though based on “Darbari’ is more of a high pitch song although it has a classical flavor. In all the four “Antaras” of the song Rafi went to extremely high pitch and held his voice steady.”Zindabaad, aye Mohabbat zindabad’ is another high pitch song of Rafi representing revotution of love without classical touch.
In my humble opinion, after listening to songs of Ghantasala, he is classically more versatile than any of the playback singers and his classical based songs are his best ones. The song Shiva Shankari is the best example.He could also have been an exellent classical singer if he wanted to make his career in classical music.
Rafi on the other hand can not be branded as a classical singer although did sing classical songs in films such as “Madhuban mein radhika” or “Man tadpat hari darshan” etc which became extremely popular. He sang a wide range of other songs. But what is remarkable about Rafi’s voice is whatever he sang became an outstanding song that won hearts of millions of people. and brought him enormous popularity and recognition and placed him above other playback singers. If one listens to Rafi’s songs, to quote a few, of the films “Dosti”, Taajmahal”,Mere mehboob” or “Baiju Bawra” and compare them to the songs of any playback singer in any language of India he will understand the genious and versatility of Mohammed Rafi.
There is a lot of difference between Rafi and Sonu Nigam. In fact Rafi was Sonu Nigams idol and Sonu came into limelight by singing Rafi’s songs. In London Sonu Nigham sang Rafi’s song in Royal Albert Hall in a program “Resurrection of Rafi”
If Ghantasala was the monarch of telegu songs, Mohammed Rafi was the “Playback gayakon ki Badshah” as qouted by Amin Sayani in celebrating 25 years of ‘Binaca geetmala” in radio Ceylon.Rafi held this position for nerarly two degades amid competition from other musical giants like Kishore Kumar, Manna dey, Talat mahmood, Mukesh etc.Manna Dey once remarked about Rafi, ” Such a big artist was not born in the last 100 years, nor will be born in the coming 100 years.”
Lastly my humble submission is that I have respect for all the singers. I have also respect for other’s choice. As Vitthal ji is a fan of Ghantasala, I am a fan of Mohammed rafi and if I am not wrong Arghya ji loves Kishore kumar.
April 1st, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Arghya ji,
that is a nice piece of information. Kishore kumar arguably as well as inarguably, is a quite popular singer. There is no iota of doubt in that.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:25 am
Musharaff ji, - friend - thanks for your post to me.
Regarding your doubts, i request you kindly to have a look at my post 418 here and please read the same.
Since I have already stated the facts, as you have requested, I am again putting the points, as brief as possible.
I state that yes, extreme high pitches and extreme low pitches have comfortably rendered by ghantasala, in fact, his voice range easily enveloped all the three pitches. The siva sankari song is one of the examples in this regard. Many other extreme high pitch songs have also been shared here. Qawalis, comedy genres, patriotic genres, devotionals etc. etc. (for many youtube links are not available - you have to listen them in cassettes available in market) there are plenty to mention, he was a great versatile genius who virtually was the monarch of telugu playback singing for close to 3 decades and this should be enough for your questions. Kindly have a look at the following link ; You will get the answer: (this has already been shared here couple of times)
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/11/stories/2003021100450100.htm
I hope you will appreciate the same.
Thanks a lot again for your post and comment.
Regards,
Vitthal
April 1st, 2010 at 8:35 am
Hi friends and Kishoreji fans,
just forget those controversial debates and enjoy this piece of news.
http://blog.taragana.com/politics/2010/03/21/gandhi-tagore-kishore-reigned-in-koiralas-heart-24600/
Girija Prasad Koirala- the statesman from neighbouring country of Nepal who demised some time back- had admitted of being influenced highly by three Indians in his life- Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Kishore Kumar. Indeed very proud statements he made which can be seen in that link. Looking at the way Nepal is reacting to India of late, this statement of Kishore Kumar’s popularity transcending borders is really encouraging.