MouthShut.com Would Like to Send You Push Notifications. Notification may includes alerts, activities & updates.

OTP Verification

Enter 4-digit code
For Business
MouthShut Logo
13 Tips
×

Upload your product photo

Supported file formats : jpg, png, and jpeg

Address



Contact Number

Cancel

I feel this review is:

Fake
Genuine

To justify genuineness of your review kindly attach purchase proof
No File Selected

Suraj Re...Jalte Rehna
Jan 07, 2005 06:23 PM 16566 Views
(Updated Jan 07, 2005 06:30 PM)

“Amar gaaner swaralipi lekha rabey panthe pakhir kujano kakoli ghirey.”


“The chords of my songs will be preserved in the tunes of flying birds”


HEMANT KUMAR MUKHERJEE – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY


Among the most prolific musicians from Bengal, Hemantda was an eloquent interpreter of Rabindranath Tagore’s songs. He carried forward the trend of Rabindrasangeet initiated in the early 40s by Pankaj Mullick and K. L. Saigal. A versatile composer, he scored films like Kohra, Nagin, and Bees Saal Baad.


For more than fifty years Hemantda gave to music listeners innumerable hits - jewels by their own virtue. His recorded songs sum up to about 2000. He scored the music of about 150 Bengali and 50 Hindi films. He also had a brief stint with film direction under his home banner'Geetanjali productions'. Although not blockbusters, the films were modest runners.


When Hemantda first appeared on the Bengali music scene, it was not only difficult, but also almost impossible for a new artist to make a name for himself. Pankaj Kumar Mullick had already brought Rabindrasangeet from the closets of the musically educated right into the common Bengali household through his rich voice. A streak of Rabindrasangeet singers influenced the intellect of Bengalis for quite a few years.


Hemantda was one of those rare artists who savored unearthly pleasure by keeping himself busy within the domain of his work. Affluence and luxury used to create the same emotions within him, as did melancholy and poverty.


Wealth, awards, trophies did not bring about a change in his simple attire. Clad in a dhoti and a shirt with sleeves rolled up, the same mundane ness in conversation, it was the same Hemantda always. Success never blinded him.


10 BEST SONGS




  1. Suraj Re Jalte Rehna




(*Jagat bhar ki roshni ke liye, karodon ki zindagi ke liye,


suraj re, jalte rehna, suraj re, jalte rehna.*)


This was a devotional song from “Harishchandra-Taramati, penned by kavi Pradeep and composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal…one of the earliest songs sung by Hemantda.




  1. Hai Apna Dil To Awara




(Hai apna dil to awara, na jaane kispe ayega…)


This song penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by S. D. Burman was a jovial number from Solvan Saal, finished as a chartbuster in the 1958 “Binaca Geetmala”. Every Dev Anand song to which Hemantda lent his voice became an instant hit.




  1. Na Yeh Chand Hoga




(*Na yeh chand hoga, na tare rahenge,


magar hum hamesha, tumhare rahenge.*)


From the film Shart, this song was composed by Hemantda himself, and the world saw his potential as a musician. Later he teamed up with Salil Chowdhury in Anand Math.




  1. Raah Bani Khud Manzil




(*Raah bani khud manzil, peechhe rah gayi mushkil,


saath jo aaye tum…*)


Lyrics by Kaifi Azmi and again composed by Hemant Kumar, this song brought out the modern side of his. With this song, Hindi music found the use of synthesizers for the first time.




  1. Ae Dil Ab Kahin Na Jaa




(Ae dil, ab kahin na jaa, na kisika main, na koi mera…)


Composed by Kalyanji-Anandji for the film Bluff Master, this song made melancholy songs famous in Bollywood.




  1. Jaane Who Kaise Log The




(*Jaane who kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila?


Humne to jab kaliyan maangi, kaaton ka haar mila*)


Another famous hit which continued the fashion of sad songs, this one was composed by S. D. Burman for the film Pyaasa.




  1. Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni




(Yeh raat yeh chandni fir kahan, sun ja dil ki daastan…)


This song from the Hindi film Jaal opened and closed the syndicated television series Movie Mahal in Britain and to hear him sing'This night, this moonlight may never be ours again. Heed the story of my heart.' was to be transported, even if the viewer did not understand the language.(The age-old story of the power of music!)




  1. Tum Pukar Lo




(*Tum pukar lo, tumhara intezaar hai,


khwaab chun rahi hai raat, beqarar hai, tumhara intezaar hai.*)


This song was written by Gulzar and composed once again by Hemantda for the film Khamoshi catapulted the young Dharmendra to fame.




  1. Ganga Aye Kahan Se




(*Ganga aye kahan se? Ganga jaye kahan re?


Lehraye pani mein jaise dhoop chaaon re…*)


One of the earliest masterpieces that made famous the Salil Chowdhury-Hemant Kumar duo famous, this song was a derivation of a famous poem from Tagore’s Geetanjali




  1. Beqarar Karke humein




(Beqarar karke humein yun na jaiye, aapko hamari kasam laut aaiye)


Hemantda won the prestigious Filmfare award for this song from Bees Saal Baad.


A TRIBUTE


Noted Bengali singer and a disciple of Hemant Kumar, V. Balsara says:


“It was amazing how this exceptional person led such a simple life. He wore simple clothes, carried himself in a simple manner, all in all he lived life in a very simple way. Never did I notice any touch of ego within him. All this made him a very respectable person in everybody's eyes. I still hold him in that high esteem and will do so for the rest of my life. If I were to talk about his music, I would say that he was miles ahead of his contemporaries. His voice had a mystic romanticism inherently mixed within it.


Only when he was satisfied with a song, would he go ahead and record it. He was extremely adept in composing music. His compositions were sure to touch people's hearts, to make a permanent seat in them. That is why those songs have become eternal, mesmerizing people even today.


He was truly a living legend who has surpassed his times through his music.”


After his first record was released, while returning to his residence, Hemantda heard a strain of a Pankaj Mullick song being played in a house. He asked his friend, “Will my songs ever replace those?” No one answered him.


But much later, Hemantda got the answer himself. Not only did his songs play in people's homes in Bengal, but played all over the country. They were played not only on gramophone discs, but also in people's hearts. Today, its streaks keep returning on our lips and are ensconced forever in our psyche.


Though Hemant Kumar has left the mortal world yet he remains alive to all his admirers through his countless songs - immortal melodies in the history of Indian music.


Upload Photo

Upload Photos


Upload photo files with .jpg, .png and .gif extensions. Image size per photo cannot exceed 10 MB


Comment on this review

Read All Reviews

X