{"id":4076,"date":"2018-02-18T12:16:07","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T06:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=4076"},"modified":"2018-02-18T13:30:03","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T08:00:03","slug":"khayyam-the-poets-musician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/khayyam-the-poets-musician\/","title":{"rendered":"Khayyam: The Poets\u2019 Musician"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_4077\" style=\"width: 910px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4077\" class=\"wp-image-4077 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/wohsubah-pyaasa.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/wohsubah-pyaasa.jpg 900w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/wohsubah-pyaasa-400x150.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/wohsubah-pyaasa-150x56.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/wohsubah-pyaasa-768x288.jpg 768w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/wohsubah-pyaasa-300x113.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4077\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hope, even if Utopian, versus a crushing mope?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Comparisons, as they say, are best avoided. But one cannot help indulging in them nonetheless.\u00a0 Thus, whenever I tune to ye <em>mehlon ye takhton ye tajon<\/em> (<em>Pyaasa<\/em>), <em>Woh subah kabhi to aayegi<\/em> visits me almost reflexively.\u00a0 And I always marvel as to how could this latter muse on lilt achieve the same, if not better, impact as the celebrated <em>Pyaasa<\/em> number?<\/p>\n<p>Sahir outscoring Sahir?\u00a0 An even-paced, un-flapped Mukesh versus a smouldering and exploding Rafi?\u00a0 Hope, even if Utopian, versus a crushing mope? Raj versus Guru Dutt? Mala versus Waheeda? A wistful twosome versus a charged up congregation?\u00a0 An apparently placid Khayyam versus a tumultuous SD Burman? There is enough to suggest that <em>Pyaasa<\/em> number should have surged ahead of <em>Woh subah<\/em>.\u00a0 But it does not.\u00a0 My confusion confounds!\u00a0 What is the X factor?<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><strong><em>Woh subah kabhi to aayegi<\/em><\/strong> (<em>Phir Subah Hogi<\/em>, 1958) Sahir Ludhianvi \/ Asha Bhosle and Mukesh<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OVr6yr4nkVM\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>However, in <em>bik gaya jo vo kharidar nahi ho sakata<\/em> (<em>Shola aur Shabnam<\/em>), the same Khayyam sounds so near to <em>mere saamne se hata lo ye duniya<\/em>\u2026 is so Burmanesque!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4074\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4074\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4074\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/kh.jpg\" alt=\"Khayyam\" width=\"200\" height=\"269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/kh.jpg 200w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/kh-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/kh-150x202.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4074\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mohammed Zahur Khayyam (music director)<br \/> Pic: Google Image Search<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The reason perhaps is that Khayyam is one music composer who thought that his music ought to facilitate a melodious unfolding of the verses in their truest meaning and sentiments &#8211; a music that also connected to the relevant period\/milieu.\u00a0 His music in W<em>o subah kabhi to aayegi<\/em> does precisely that. It is an overarching muse, a wistfulness with no immediate<em> casus belle<\/em>, and thus no up-heaving emotions or music.\u00a0 Mukesh\u2019s singing, though full of pathos and pain, yet remains even in pace and modulation.<\/p>\n<p>But <em>Jaane kya dhoondhti rahati hain<\/em> moves with the assumption that there is no fire left in the relationship, but soon discovers a hibernating ember that becomes a blazing fire of emotions as the poem concludes. The music\/singing accordingly mounts, becomes furious with an impact that gives goose bumps &#8211; <em>bik gaya jo vo kharidar nahi ho sakata<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><strong><em>Jaane kya dhhoondti rehti hein ye aankhen mujhmein<\/em><\/strong> (<em>Shola Aur Shabnam,<\/em> 1961) Kaifi Azmi \/ Mohd Rafi<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sZo8fha19BI\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I guess, Khayyam was averse to ordinary\/cheap lyrics though there could be exceptions.\u00a0 One that readily comes to mind is <em>&#8220;Gapoochi Gam Gam&#8221;,<\/em> penned by Sahir. Ignoring such exceptions, he had had the privilege to put on music the words of great masters including Amir Khusrau, Mir and\u00a0Mirza Ghalib.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4078\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4078\" class=\"wp-image-4078\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/umraojaan.jpg\" alt=\"Umrao Jaan\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/umraojaan.jpg 524w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/umraojaan-400x265.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/umraojaan-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/umraojaan-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4078\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shayari, dance and music were existential to the courtesan Amiran\/Umrao Jaan<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A mention of <em>Umrao Jaan<\/em> is necessary to bring out the earnestness, the depth and the genius of Khayyam. I personally feel that the success of this film owed, to a large extent, to his music.\u00a0Shayari, dance and music were existential to the courtesan Amiran\/Umrao Jaan. The success of a cinematic adaptation of this literary work thus critically depended on how best it captured the music, style and milieu of the time. Khayyam\u2019s delivery on the point is perfect, one of the best ever.\u00a0 The importance of Khayyam gets heightened if one reckons that JP Dutta\u2019s <em>Umrao Jaan<\/em> of the year 2006 failed \u2013 failed not because of Aishwarya but because of poor music and poor understanding of the music milieu of the time.<\/p>\n<p>Khayyam received the Filmfare Award for <em>Umrao Jaan<\/em>.\u00a0 But Asha got the superior National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer.\u00a0 That must have put Asha on cloud nine &#8211; winning the National Award for singing classical, singing serious!\u00a0 Before this, only one out of her seven Filmfare Awards was for a serious song \u2013 <em>chain se humko kabhi aap ne jeene na<\/em>\u2026(<em>Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye<\/em>, 1975 \/\u00a0OP Nayyar).<\/p>\n<p>In my humble view, SD Burman and Khayyam were the composers who really understood Asha\u2019s range and potential. SDB\u2019s <em>ab ke baras bhej bhaiyya Babul<\/em> (<em>Bandini,\u00a0<\/em>1963) will lend weight to this perception.\u00a0 But Khayyam got her even earlier \u2013 <em>Do boondein sawan ki<\/em>, the poem in its entirety is an askance: whether existential inequities are circumstantial or destinational? A poem so serious, sung with so much of feel and depth, and so brilliantly composed! Interestingly, Asha\u2019s husband \u2013 Pancham \u2013 looked not to Asha but to Lata for his serious songs \u2013 examples, <em>Ghar, Aandhi, Kinara, Khusboo<\/em> and <em>Amar Prem<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><strong><em>Do boondein saawan ki<\/em><\/strong> (<em>Phir Subah Hogi<\/em>, 1958) Sahir Ludhianvi \/ Asha Bhosle <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ID86UsQ81f8\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>However, Khayyam was not the one to treat Asha a lucky mascot for his future efforts.\u00a0 In the following year 1982, he engaged Lata and not Asha for two songs in the film <em>Bazaar<\/em> \u2013 of which one was written by Mir Taqi Mir \u2013 <em>Dikhayi diye yun<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In 1983, for <em>Razia Sultan<\/em>, he again leaned on Lata for three songs including my favourite <em>Aye dil-e-nadan<\/em>, penned by Jaan Nissar Akhtar.\u00a0 Poetry on lilt, in full flow, a muse as endless as the tract serving as its backdrop and Khayyam is just breathtaking with his pauses and silences.\u00a0\u00a0 The music of <em>Umraao Jaan, Baazar<\/em> and <em>Razia Sultan,<\/em> taken together, constitutes a high point of Hindi Film Music, especially as it\u00a0 flowed opposite to the general tide of the prevailing trends.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><strong><em>Aye dil-e-naadan<\/em><\/strong> (<em>Razia Sultan<\/em>, 1983) Jaan Nisar Akhtar \/ Lata Mangeshkar <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rJRIAKQhaYA\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>My most precious Khayyam song? No dilemma! It is <em>Shaam-e-gham ki qasam<\/em>.\u00a0 It thaws a frozen slice of time that wraps the memories of a togetherness \u2013 my first and platonic at that! A distance of over four decades has intervened since &#8211; is it not\u00a0 an aeon? This ghazal brings alive that togetherness.<\/p>\n<p>Or do I get into a time warp, for it has no real connect with the mundaneness of the moment present, much less with its pains or the problems?\u00a0 Or is it what Sahir was hinting at as he mused\u00a0 &#8211; another Khayyam composition :<\/p>\n<p><em>Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai<br \/>\nKi zindagi teri zulfon ki narm chhaaon mein guzarne paati<br \/>\nto shaadaab ho bhi sakti thi.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Magar ye ho na sakaa, aur ab ye aalam hai<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Ki tu nahin, tera gham, teri justjoo bhi nahin.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Guzar rahi hai kuchh is tarah zindagi jaise,<br \/>\nise kisi ke sahaare ki aarzoo bhi nahin.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Inhi andheron mein reh jaaunga kabhi kho kar<br \/>\nMain jaanta hoon meri hum-nafas, magar yoon hi<br \/>\nKabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai..<\/em><\/p>\n<p>May be not, for Sahir\u2019s distancing still has a trace of pain and pine in it.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><strong><em>Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein<\/em><\/strong> (<em>Kabhi Kabhie<\/em>, 1976) Sahir Ludhianvi \/ Mukesh <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dLL9YFAXaYY\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Shaam-e-gham ki<\/em>\u2026. \u2026 what is remarkable about this number is that despite its intense craving for a complementarity, its gripping melancholia, it yet rejuvenates me, I yet feel as if I am levitating. Surreal or time warp effect!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4079\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4079\" class=\"wp-image-4079\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/shaam-e-gham.jpg\" alt=\"Shaam-e-gham ki kasam\" width=\"400\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/shaam-e-gham.jpg 638w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/shaam-e-gham-400x244.jpg 400w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/shaam-e-gham-150x91.jpg 150w, https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/shaam-e-gham-300x183.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Shaam-e-gham ki kasam<\/em> is an inalienable fusion of the words, of the melody and the singing<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This ghazal, to my mind, is an extraordinary creation. It is an inalienable fusion of the words, of the melody and the singing. A masterly synergy. It is a popular belief that people with the name Khayyam have a deep inner desire for love and companionship. I wonder if Khayyam \u2013 the music-magician who never appeared to be the part of a competitive milieu \u2013 found an empathizing sentiment in this masterly creation of his own, though it certainly imported the spirit of his name.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sham-e-gham ki qasam, aaj ghamgeen hai hum<\/em><br \/>\n<em>aa bhi jaa, aa bhii jaa, aaj mere Sanam<br \/>\ndil pareshaan hai, raat viraan hai<br \/>\ndekh jaa kis tarah aaj tanhaa hain hum<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>chain kaisa jo pehlu mein tu hi nahin<\/em><em><br \/>\nmaar daale na dard-e-judaai kahin<br \/>\nrut haseen hai to kya, chandni hai to kya<br \/>\nchandani zulm hai aur judaai sitam<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>ab to aajaa ki ab raat so gayi <\/em><em><br \/>\nzindagi gham ke seharaav mein kho gayi<br \/>\nDhoondti hai nazar tu kahaan hai magar<br \/>\ndekhate dekhate aayaa aankhon mein nam<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #c2150a;\"><strong><em>Sham-e-gham ki qasam, aaj ghamgeen hai hum<\/em><\/strong> (<em>Footpath<\/em>, 1953) Ali Sardar Jafri, Majrooh Sultanpuri \/ Talat Mahmood <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qYrzOxANjj4\" width=\"100%\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ITKf6fxngf\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/sahir-ludhianvi-songs-poetry\/\">Sahir Ludhianvi:  The Rebel, The Lover<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Sahir Ludhianvi:  The Rebel, The Lover&#8221; &#8212; Silhouette Magazine\" src=\"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/sahir-ludhianvi-songs-poetry\/embed\/#?secret=2ViE1Rib9N#?secret=ITKf6fxngf\" data-secret=\"ITKf6fxngf\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The earnestness, the depth and the genius of Khayyam led to the creation of masterpiece ghazals, songs and nazms that are among the most beautiful melodies in Hindi film music. Vijay Kumar explores a few of Khayyam&#8217;s everlastings songs on the music maker&#8217;s birthday.<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":778,"featured_media":4081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[821],"tags":[1762,979,980,981,534,1242,1752,982,542,515,1562],"class_list":["post-4076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-makers","tag-asha-bhosle","tag-kabhie-kabhie","tag-khayyam","tag-khayyams-music","tag-lata-mangeshkar","tag-mohd-rafi","tag-mukesh","tag-music-director-khayyam","tag-sahir-ludhianvi","tag-sd-burman","tag-talat-mahmood"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/778"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}