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King of RHYTHM
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Composer C. Ramchandra's hits were remembered at a performance by the Rooplyn Music Circle
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THE MOST glorious period of Hindi film music was perhaps between the 1950s and the 1970s. The genius of composers such as Naushad, S. D. Burman, Salil Choudhary, Kalyanji-Anandji, Shankar-Jaikishen, Ravi, Anil Biswas, C. Ramchandra and Vasant Desai met the golden voices of Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar, with brilliant lyrics by those of the calibre of Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kavi Pradeep, Kaifi Azmi, Shailendra, Sahir Ludhianvi and Rajinder Krishan.
The songs they created in tandem at various stages are still hummed today with the same sense of enjoyment as when they were first heard. This was evident at a concert organised in the city on Sunday to pay tribute to Narhar Chitalkar Ramchandra at the Music Academy Mini Hall.
Singers and musicians of the Rooplyn Music Circle treated the audience to the evergreen melodies of the composer, who incidentally began his career by donning the grease paint for a film called "Naganand."
He made his musical debut in the Tamil film arena. "Jayakodi" and "Vanamohini" may not have taken him places but it caught the attention of Hindi actor Bhagwan who gave him a break in "Sukhi Jeevan."
Not that the film did much to the career of Annasaheb a.k.a Ram Chitalkar, but he was noticed.
Often addressed as the `king of rhythm,' the composer loved to experiment with instruments; he liberally used the oboe, the bongo, the trumpet and the clarinet to add a new dimension to his music. And the result? Numbers such as "Shola Jo Bhadke," "Shin Shinaki Boobla Boo," "Aana Meri Jaan Sunday," "Gore Gore" and "Eena Meena Dika."
Not that he was uncomfortable with the classical mode. Who can forget the haunting "Yeh Zindagi Usiki Hai," "Jaag Dard Ishq Jaag" ("Anarkali") or "Kaise Aaon Jamuna" (a thumri from "Devata"), "Bhine Bhine" (Sohrab Modi's "Nausherwan-e-Dil") or Katethe Hain Dukh" (V. Shantaram's "Parchain"). Not to forget his music for the films "Azad", "Navrang," "Paigham," Guru Dutt's "Bahurani" and S. S. Vasan's "Vanji Kottai Valiban."
As the Rooplyn singers Anand Madhavan, Surojit, Sujeet, Sruti, Anitha, Prasanthi, Radhika, Padma and Abhinaya, unleashed one melody after the other, the members of the audience could not help but sing along and tap their feet, recalling those days when music was simple. No techno, no tracks, no mixing. Just sweet lyrics set to lilting tunes.
Despite the interest in cricket taking the front seat at some points (the scores were being announced off and on), it was music that won the hearts in the end.
SAVITHA GAUTAM
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