Salil Chowdhury: The Unpredictable Genius

“Music will always be dismantling and recreating itself, and assuming new forms of reaction to the times. To fail to do so would be to become fossilized. But in my push to go forward I must not forget that my heritage is also my inspiration.” – Salil Chowdhury.

A young Salil Chowdhury

This musical genius was born in Sonarpur, 24 Parganas, just south of Calcutta in Bengal on 19th November 1923. His father Gyanendra Chowdhury was professionally a doctor, but passionately a music lover. At home, the doctor would forever listen to Western classical symphonies and also folk songs of Bengal and Assam. This sort of music pervaded the atmosphere. Subconsciously, young Salil would imbibe all those different sounds, as also pick up the contrasting styles of using the orchestras and instruments. This would also help him bring about an integration of Indian and Western melody in the future.

There was a piano at home, and soon enough the precocious boy was learning to play it well. He also learned to play the flute and spent many a day playing it in the tea gardens of Assam where his father practised medicine. By the time he was 8, Salil was an ace flautist. Singing too was happening to him now. To add to all that, Salil also had an elder brother called Nikhil who had formed a music group called Milan Parishad. The programmes this group arranged were exerting much influence on Salil. Seeing all that, his father started teaching him classical music and folk songs.

Turbulent times

As he was finishing school, things were turbulent all around. World War II was on, and there was famine in Bengal. The British were unpopular, and to add to things, there was just too much poverty around, especially among the oppressed workers in the tea gardens he knew so well. Salil went to school in Calcutta, which was at a distance of 30 kilometres from Sonarpur. These travels from his small village to the big city brought him close to the naked realities of the discontent that existed everywhere. He was disturbed enough by the unfairness in all sections of society to join farm groups and student protests etc. He also joined the army for a brief spell, and while in it, was shocked to see how one day the army vehicle dumped food grains on a slippery road, so as to pass over safely. This was at a time when there were so many people going without food. These and similar experiences were fuelling his system with the passion to create his music. As such, he got involved with the communist movement, which was promising a balanced society and golden tomorrows. He was drawn naturally towards this thinking and he travelled through farms and lived with peasants, writing, singing Bengali songs for them. Mainly songs of hope and courage. Many of these things he did after joining the Indian People’s Theatre Association, which he did as a flautist, and later for the Communist Party.

The writer, poet, composer, and singer

Independence came, and the battle was won against the oppressive British, but other battles remained. He thus continued his writing, singing, and song-making for the oppressed. By 1950 Salil had created a healthy new style of music which judiciously used Western and Indian instruments and styles of composition. He also became very popular for the integration of choral singing in his songs, no doubt inspired by what was consistent with the communist thought: glory for the masses versus glory for the individual. And yet another thing he specialized in were background scores, where the music helped support a mood or even create one, without the assistance of words. In this area he would become a specialist, with background scores in a number of films. With his new forms and specialities, he became very popular in Tollygunge in Calcutta, the centre of the Bengali film industry. This was the first phase in his life, the writer, poet, composer, and singer of Bengali songs in Calcutta, before his move to Bombay.

About this first phase, many years later he gave an exclusive interview to Sandhya Sen in Nabakallol magazine (Issue #9, 1995). In response to a question about his early years, he said, “When with some maturity I came to regard this world and my place—among countless others—in it, the primary emotion that burned deep inside me was one of fierce protest. I railed against the torment and cruelty that was killing humanity little by little. I saw on the one hand terrible famine and on the other hand utter waste. And this terrible unfairness opened for me the creative forces of my music.”

After this first phase began his second one, which was of Hindi cinema in Bombay. Do Bigha Zamin made by Bimal Roy was fortunately his first Hindi venture, because it was to become a landmark film. It got the Filmfare Award for Best Picture in the very first year the awards were set up. Salil Chowdhury gave good music in it, but he would have to wait for another Bimal Roy film, Madhumati, to earn his own first Filmfare award. Meanwhile in Do Bigha Zamin Balraj Sahni did an excellent job as an impoverished farmer who pulls a rickshaw in Calcutta to earn money and save his land in the village from being taken away by a wealthy industrialist. We don’t have to look hard to see Salil Chowdhury put his experiences and convictions into the music in the film’s story. The number Mausam beeta jaaye (Manna Dey, Lata, chorus) is a good representation of it. The film clicked, Salil Chowdhury got more opportunities and settled in. Another film, Naukri, starring Kishore Kumar, dealt with the story of an educated young man in search of a job in the urban jungle. The film’s best song, Chhota sa ghar hoga baadalon ki chhaon mein (suggesting the golden tomorrows) was right up Salil Chowdhury’s alley. Another man for the masses, Shailendra, wrote the lyrics, so the collaboration was forceful. Biraj Bahu, Jagto Raho, and many films happened to Salilda (as he came to be known) in the coming few years. In Musafir, he actually made Dilip Kumar sing his only song ever, a duet with Lata: Laagi naahi chhoote Rama, chaahe jiya jaaye.

Laagi naahi chhoote Rama, chaahe jiya jaaye (Musafir, 1957) Salil Chowdhury / Shailendra / Dilip Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar

Salilda went on to improvise and create new forms, and refused to be predictable. He brought his thinking and emotions to so many songs that he made in Jagte Raho, Ek Gaon Ki Kahani, Madhumati, Usne Kaha Tha, Parakh, Half Ticket, and so many more movies. Making beautiful melodies based on classical raags as in Aaja re pardesi and Ghadi ghadi mera dil dhadke (both Madhumati and raag Bageshri), Jaago Mohan pyaare (Jagte Raho/Bhairav), Ja re ja re ud ja re panchhi (Maya/Bhairavi), Toote hue khwaabon ne (Madhumati/Darbari Kanada), Tasweer teri dil mein jis din se utaari hai (Maya/Bhairavi), O sajna barkha bahaar aayi (Parakh/Khamaj), Chham chham naachat aayi bahaar (Chhaya/Bahaar), Na jiya laage na (Anand/Malgunji), etc.

Salilda on the piano

Besides classical, his other efforts were so enjoyable. Like using western instruments and methods such as the mandolin and oboe in Mila hai kisi ka jhumka (Parakh/ Lata), and the Philharmonic progression in Saathi re (Poonam Ki Raat/Lata). Mixing east and west in the presto Aaha rimjhim ke ye pyaare pyaare geet liye (Usne Kaha Tha/Talat and Lata). The inclusion of Jairam Acharya’s eloquent sitar in O sajna (Parakh/ Lata), with Manohari Singh’s euphonic flute playing obbligato softly. Exploiting Sumant Raj’s flutes in Aaja re pardesi and Zulmi sang aankh ladi (Madhumati/Lata). The use of the mandolin in O saba kehna mere dildaar ko (Kabuliwala/Rafi, chorus). The sublime piano in Koi sone ke dil waala (Maya/Rafi) and the blissful harmonium in Hum haal-e-dil sunaayenge (Madhumati/Mubarak Begum). Salil Chowdhury needs research, because his music is huge.

The master music-maker was a restless perfectionist. And a rebel. He would often go against the sthaayi-antara-sanchaari approach so common in songs. He would often start high and instead of going up the common aaroh-style, would come down in avroh fashion. Such an approach is called utarang in classical music. For example, in Jhoome re, neela ambar jhoome (Ek Gaon Ki Kahani), which descends at mera dil bhi jhoome in the cross line. In Zindagi kaisi hai paheli haaye (Anand), the cross line kabhi to hasaaye, kabhi ye rulaaye comes down. This last song also featured a female-only chorus, adding a wonderful dimension to the song. Sometimes Salil Chowdhury would include speech in a song, as Talat charmingly did in his duet with Lata in Prem Patra (Sawan ki raaton mein aisa bhi hota hai), as also Meena Kumari’s speech and laughter with Manna Dey’s singing in Pinjre Ke Panchhi (Kubra chadhe ghodi). At other times, he would have a song run its entire length without any rhythm whatsoever. This is called Senza Misura and it helps when the words are very sensitive. A case in point: Mere man ke diye (Parakh/Lata).

Mere mann ke diye (Parakh, 1960) Salil Chowdhury / Shailendra / Lata Mangeshkar

Take the tandem songs from Honeymoon, Mere khwaabon mein khayaalon mein chhupe. In the Mukesh version, Lata was made to go soprano with her aa ha aa ha in the interludes. Since Mukesh couldn’t have gone soprano in Lata’s version of the song, the maestro put high-pitched key flutes to do that job. And if he gave Lata’s vocals flutes here, he did the same for his wife, Sabita Banerjee in Sapan Suhane, in her song Chaand kabhi tha baahon mein.

A brief alphabetical list of his songs till 1970 follows now. Mere Apne, Anokha Daan and Anand were among the great musicals after our cut-off point, many songs of which have found a mention somewhere in this narrative.

• Aaha rimjhim ke ye pyaare pyaare geet liye (Lata, Talat/Usne Kaha Tha)
• Aake seedhi lagi dil pe jaise katariya (Kishore/Half Ticket)
• Aaja re pardesi (Lata/Madhumati)
• Aansoo samajh ke kyoon mujhe (Talat/Chhaya)
• Aara rum tara rum, duniya ke kaise kaise gham (Kishore/Awaaz)
• Aye dil kahaan teri manzil (Dwijen Mukherjee or Lata, chorus/Maya)
• Aye mere pyaare watan (Manna Dey/Kabuliwala)
• Baag mein kali khili bagiya mehki (Asha/Chand Aur Suraj)
• Chham chham naachat aayi bahaar (Lata/Chhaya)
• Dharti kahe pukaar ke (Lata, Manna Dey, chorus/Do Bigha Zamin)
• Dil tadap tadap ke keh raha hai aa bhi ja (Mukesh, Lata/Madhumati)
• Ek samay par do barsaaten (Manna Dey/Jhoola)
• Ganga aaye kahaan se (Hemant/Kabuliwala)
• Ghadi ghadi mora dil dhadke (Lata/Madhumati)
• Hum haal-e-dil sunaayenge (Mubarak Begum/Madhumati)
• Ina na mujhse tu pyaar badha (Talat, Lata duet or Talat solo/Chhaya)
• Ja re, ja re ud ja re panchhi (Lata/Maya)
• Ja tose naahi boloon Kanhaiya (Lata, Manna Dey/Parivar)
• Jaago Mohan pyaare (Lata and chorus/Jagte Raho)
• Jhoome re, neela ambar jhoome (Talat/Ek Gaon Ki Kahani)
• Koi sone ke dil waala (Rafi/Maya)
• Kooen mein kood ke mar jaana (Kishore/Parivar)
• Machalti aarzoo, khadi baahen pasaare (Lata/Usne Kaha Tha)
• Maine teri liye hi saat rang ke sapne chune (Mukesh/Anand)
• Mere man ke diye (Lata/Parakh)
• Mila hai kisi ka jhumka (Lata/Parakh)
• Munna bada pyaara (Kishore/Musafir)
• Na, jeeya laage na (Lata/Anand)
• O sajna, barkha bahaar aayi (Lata/Parakh)
• Phir wohi dard hai, phir wohi jigar (Manna Dey/Apradhi Kaun)
• Raat ne kya kya khwaab dikhaaye (Talat/Ek Gaon Ki Kahani)
• Raaton ko jab neend ud jaaye (Lata/Mem Didi)
• Saathi re, tujh bin jiya udaas re (Lata/Poonam Ki Raat)
• Saawan ki raaton mein aisa bhi hota hai (Lata, Talat/Prem Patra)
• Suhaana safar aur ye mausam haseen (Mukesh, chorus/Madhumati)
• Tasweer teri dil mein (Lata, Rafi/Maya)
• Toote hue khwaabon ne (Rafi/Madhumati)
• Ye mere andhere ujaale na hote (Lata, Talat/Prem Patra)
• Zindagi khwaab hai (Mukesh/Jagte Raho)
• Zindagi, kaisi hai paheli haaye (Manna Dey/Anand)

In his music making, Salil Chowdhury never composed a tune after the lyrics were written. He considered music higher than words, which could fill in the tune later. He gave a lot of thought to orchestration, and in fact to the entire musical ambience.

This is what Lata Mangeshkar would say about the composer to the Bengali Alokpaat magazine, November 1997: “Over the course of my life I have worked with a hundred music directors. Of these, perhaps ten understood both music and cinema. And of these ten, Salil was the foremost. Sometimes he would spend days on end without food or sleep in critical examination of one of his compositions, before deciding for himself how the tune should be developed. I have never before seen the equal of composer Salil Chowdhury.”

Lata Mangeshkar and Salil Chowdhury
(Pic: lataonline.com)

And writes classical music authority Rajan Parrikar: “(Salil Chowdhury was) by a long shot the most beautiful and complex musical mind to have come out of Bengal.” He cites as the very best examples of Raag Bhairav Lata’s rendering of Jaago Mohan pyaare (Jagte Raho), and Man re Hari ke gun ga (Musafir), both composed by Salil Chowdhury. But not just his complex tunes and quick twists in scales, or vakras as they are called (as in Jhanana jhanana baaje bichhua baaje, Lata/ Chand Aur Suraj).

Salil Chowdhury was the first to use Vani Jairam’s voice in Malayalam films, and he used it many times. He introduced Yesudas too, in Anand Mahal (1976). In fact here are some of the songs he composed in the ’70s: Haal-chaal theek-thaak hai (Kishore and Mukesh/Mere Apne), Koi hota jisko apna hum apna keh lete yaaro (Kishore/Mere Apne), Rajnigandha phool tumhaare (Lata/ Rajnigandha), Kayi baar yoon hi dekha hai (Mukesh/Rajnigandha), Ni sa ga ma pa ni…janam janam se hain hum to pyaase (Yesudas/Anand Mahal), Na jaane kyoon hota hai ye zindagi ke saath (Lata/Chhoti Si Baat), Jaan-e-man, jaan-e-man tere do nayan (Asha and Yesudas/Chhoti Si Baat), and the soulfully planned Madbhari ye hawaayen (Lata/Anokha Daan).

Mrinal Sen, Salil Chowdhury and Basu Chatterji

Salil Chowdhury gave music in not just Hindi films (75 of them), but also in Bengali and many regional languages. He has a fantastic fan following among Malayaalis, composing music for some 26 Malayalam movies. In addition, he made music for several TV serials like Darpan (1985), in which he composed the title track in paanch maatra (Jhaptaal-1-2/1-2-3), with super chord progression. There were other serials like Kurukshetra, Alag, and Charitraheen, the last based on a Sarat Chandra story. He also provided great background scores in some 20 films, not just in the songless Kanoon, and Ittefaq, but in other films like Sara Akash, Achanak, and Mausam (1975), the last of which had songs composed by Madan Mohan.

Salil Chowdhury with Antara Chowdhury

In the late ’70s, Salil Chowdhury went back to Calcutta because he found the Bombay music scene very different now. He continued to work there, making music for Bengali films. He set up a recording studio with his wife, playback singer of yesteryear, Sabita Banerjee. Their two daughters have poetic names (Antara and Sanchari).

In 1994, he came to Bombay to make music for a film on Vivekananda. But on Teachers’ Day, 5th September 1995, this composers’ composer, the teacher, master-call him what you will passed away.

Singer Talat Mahmood had sung a few songs for Salil Chowdhury. One of the songs Talat loved was the Mukesh-rendered Kaheen door jab din dhal jaaye. You wonder if he had shared that thought with the maestro. Many music lovers also think that’s a slice of heaven.

Kaheen door jab din dhal jaaye (Anand, 1971) Salil Chowdhury / Yogesh / Mukesh

Excerpted with permission from Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories, by Manek Premchand. Notion Press (2019)

(All pictures are courtesy Google Image Search)

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