I looked at the calendar. The date was 4th January 2003.
Nine years ago, this day had shattered me badly. A genius called Rahul Dev Burman left the world, leaving his millions of fans like me clutching on to his memories.
I am one of those millions. Nine years later, and my heart still refused to believe that we had lost such a talented composer. In the evening, as I made my drink, I felt like meeting the great composer.
And guess what...that day, Panchamda came to meet me...and composed some songs in my humble living room.
You don't believe me? Well, just go to your nearest music shop and buy the CD named Gulzar remembers R.D.Burman.
Meet Pancham~!
GULZAR AND PANCHAM
There can only be one Gulzar and there can only be one Pancham. God's machinery up there cannot recreate the same magic again. It was our good fortune that both these greats walked on this earth during the same period. And more importantly, they found each other!
One was the wizard of words, the other was a magician of music.
One made ordinary words seem special, the other created wonders with the seven notes.
One was the beginning of a song, the other was the grand finale.
One was Gulzar. The other was Pancham.
THE ALBUM
NOTE : I have given my opinion on some songs. Some of them may sound Greek to you, as they involve a bit of technical terms of music. Please bear with it!
Vol.1 :
Katra Katra(Ijaazat)
Listen to the twin track recording magic.
Din jaa rahe hain(Doosri Sita)
Khaali Haath Shaam aayee hain(Ijaazat)
The rhythm pattern in the antara is made up of half regular bar and half pickup.
Yeh Saaye hain(Sitara)
Roz Roz Aankhon tale(Jeeva)
The way Pancham composed the word ''sapna'' is something very few achieve.
Musafir hoon yaaro(Parichay)
I understand that Pancham was having his bath when his guitarist friend strummed idly on the guitar. Hearing it, Pancham shouted from under the shower and told his friend to keep on playing the pattern. When he emerged out of the bathroom, all dripping wet, he hummed the tune of this song....composed under the shower.
Aaj kal paon(Ghar)
Listen to the antara's first line. The way it goes up and up....uff! Panchamda was the best! He had also done this in the first line of the antara of ''Aur kya ahadewafa'' from SUNNY.
Lakdi ki kaathi(Masoom)
Well, truly, Gulzarsaab was the king of children's songs.
Saaton Baar bole(Dil Padosi hain- Album)
Listen to the sargam.
Gulmohar gar tumhara(Devata)
Personally, I liked ''Chaand churaake'' from DEVATA better.
Piya Baawari(Khoobsurat)
Indian classical? Try this song. Listen to the authentic kathak todas. Listen to the purely classical tune.
Botal se ik baat(Ghar)
Nice song. But ''Tere bina jeeya jaaye na'' would have been better!
Vol.2 :
Silli Hawa Choo gayee(Libaas)
Listen to the magic of Pancham in such sparse instrumentation. Truly, a gem of a song!
Ek hi Khwaab(Kinara)
One guitar, one bass guitar, and for the ones with sharp ears, one maadal. Played randomly on free verse of the highest class.
Bechara Dil kya kare(Khushboo)
The typical R.D.Burman rhythm pattern.
Khamosh sa afsana(Libaas)
What a tune...
Kabhi Kabhi sapna lagta hain(Ratnadeep)
The haunting voice of Kishoreda and Ashaji...what else is bliss?
Is mod se jaate hain(Aandhi)
The lyrics and the song...the thought and the elaboration...Gulzarsaab and Panchamda!
Raah pe rahte hain(Namkeen)
Classically knowledgeable people will be stunned when they hear this song for the first time. In the second music, the chorus starts singing ''Sa ma''. The notes are actually ''Pa Sa'', according to the song. Did Pancham make a mistake there? No way! Listen to the whole music shifting the scale by 5 half notes, making the original ''pa'' the new ''sa''. That was Pancham!
Koi deeya jale kahi(Dil Padosi Hain- Album)
Brilliant...absolute!
Aanewala Pal(Golmaal)
Gulzarsaab's lyrics are heaven. If they are tuned by Panchamda, it is seventh heaven. What after that? Well...try Kishoreda's soulful voice...
Tujhse Naraaz nahi jindagi(Masoom)
The words, the emotions, the arrangement....everything was fantastic! What a song!
WHAT MAKES THIS ALBUM SO SPECIAL
How would you feel if you could actually hear Panchamda composing the above songs? Just imagine, Panchamda singing in his inimitable voice, with the harmonium in his hands, giving instructions to the other players, deciding on the scale etc. Add to that Gulzarsaab's bassy voice telling you some interesting anecdotes about his friend Pancham. Like about the time when Panchamda finished mixing the song Musafir hoon yaaro at 1 in the night and called Gulzarsaab out of his house at that unearthly hour. Gulzarsaab spent the rest of the night in Panchamda's car, listening to the mixed song again and again, while Panchamda zoomed around town till the wee hours of the morning. Or like the time when Panchamda had presented a broom to Ashaji as a birthday present, to taunt her about her habits of cleanliness. All this is interspersed throughout the album, giving you that nostalgic feeling.
Panchamda's voice(recorded at home while composing) is a treat in itself. Truly, no one can sing a song as well as the creator himself. And this album proves it. One feels that the real song should not start at all. I for one, can spend any amount of time just listening to Panchamda.
To top it all, the songs! What a selection! Every song is carefully selected, and successfully portrays the magic of the Gulzar-Pancham association.
IN CONCLUSION
It was past twelve. I came out of my trance....I looked at the calendar. It was 5th January 2003.
Nine years ago, this day had shattered me badly. A genius called Rahul Dev Burman left the world, leaving his millions of fans like me clutching on to his memories.
Gulzar was no exception. His loss was greater than others. Listen to this tribute to friendship.
I braced myself for another year of Pancham-less music.
