Some reviews are written to convince. Others to decieve. Rest are written with the intent of sharing the joy of the product to the rest of the world who can enjoy the same. This review is for the musically inclined. Who are as passionate about Ghalib and his ghazals as I am and with whom I want to share the joy of this album.
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About the album: HMV has brought about a cut n paste version of ''Mirza Ghalib: Portrait of a genius'' called ''Ghalib ke kalam se''. (STHV 852273). Price: Rs. 60. I am reviewing this album.
Side A retains songs from the original but side B has a whole lot of singers paying tribute to the genius of the kaafir poet.
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About the poet:
Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869) is one of the best remembered Urdu poets India has produced. But the poet himself had no great liking for the language he wrote in and preferred Persian instead. The first twenty years of his writing career were spent writing Urdu poetry before he turned to Persian. In the later years of his life, Ghalib came back to write in Urdu with the same fervor as in his youth. The most surprising thing about this poet whose education was either ill-defined or ill-documented is that neither time nor age could make any difference to the quality of his superlative poetry.
Ghalib never considered himself a true muslim. Never fasted during Ramadan, loved wine and women. He frequented a ''tawaif'' who was one of his ardent admirers. Not much is known about his family but with his kind of lifestyle, it would be easy to assume that they were less than fond of him and his ways.
Ghalib, like most poets did not recieve his due in his lifetime and died a poor man. However, his poetry lives on and through different voices continues to regale the audience who can understand them.
This collection of Ghazals rendered by the best in the music world elevates the compositions of this kaafir poet.
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About the Ghazals:
Side A:Contains Ghalib in the voices of Mohammed Rafi and Begum Akhtar under the baton of the maestro Khayyam.
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Mohammed Rafi doesn't sing Ghalib. He breathes life into every composition that he is called upon to deliver. Ghalib would have been proud. It is difficult to imagine that this was the same singer who also catered to the ''yahoo'' crowd with equal delight. Stuff that legends are made of.
Whether it is the loss expressed in....
Zikr us parivash ka aur phir bayaan apna
Ban gaya raqeeb jo tha raazdaan apna...
(parivash=fairy like, raqeeb=rival, enemy)
or the pain of loneliness.......
Muddat hui hai yaar ko mehmaan kiye hue
josh-e-badah se bazm charaghaan kiye hue
or the rebellius .............
qad of gaisuu
or the pain in................
Nukta chin hai gham-e-dil
Mohammed Rafi leaves the audience panting for more....
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The genius of Begum Akhtar comes to the fore in the two ghazals
yeh na thi hamari qismat ke wisaal-e-yaar hota
agar aur jeete rehte yehi intezaar hota
and the luminiscent
Sab kahan kuch laala-o-gul me numayan ho gyeen
Khaak me kya soorten hongi ke pinhaan ho gayeen
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Side B:
gets off to an amazing start with Lata Mangeshkar blazing her way through
Hazaaron Khwaishein aisi ke har khwaish pe dam nikle
Bahut nikle mere armaan phir bhi kam nikle
Mukesh follows next with :
Na hui gar mere marne se tasalli na sahi,
Imtehaan aur bhi ho to yeh bhi na sahi
Sad and melancholous, this ghazal seeps into your senses.
Asha Bhonsle creates magic in her rendition of
Kabhi neki bhi uske jee mein agar aa jaye hai mujhse
Jafaayen karke apni yaad bhi sharma jaayen hai mujhse
The Mohammed Rafi clone Mahendra Kapoor comes on par with his guru in
Main hoon mushtaq-e-jafa
Mujhse jafa aur sahi....
Chitra Singh rises to the occassion next and sings straight from the heart....
Kab se hoon, kya bataaoon jahaan-e-kharaab mein
Jagjit Singh provides a fitting finale with
Kucch is dil ko beqaraari hai
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This album is worth every penny you invest in it. In fact, it is a steal at Rupees sixty. If you have an ear for ghazals but cannot understand Ghalib, you can still buy this album. The sheer melody of the songs and the andaaz -e-bayaan of the singers will leave you in unparalleled ecstasy.
