Who can forget the lilting, romantic numbers unforgettable renderings, which had a distinct feel, recognisable in the choice of accompaniments, the piano, sax, acoustics and then the soulful strain of melody..
Pukarta chala hoon main.. galli galli bahaar ki..bas ek shaakh zulf ki..bas ikk nigaah pyar ki
Chain se humko kabhi aapne jeene na diya (electrifying combination of asha Bhosle and O.P)
balma khuli hawwayein.. mehki hooyi fizaayein, dil chhahta hai mera, behekna iddhar uddhar
Woh huns ke mile humse..hum pyar samajh baithe
Aap yunhi agar humse milte rahe.. dekhiye ek din pyaar ho jaayega (makes you want to fall in
love all over again)
Sawan ki ghata chhayi, yeh dekh ke dil jhooma.. lee pyar ne angdayi , deewaana hua badal. (Rafis attitude..unbeatable)
Aap ke hassen rukh..pe aaj naya noor hai..mera dil machal gaya..toh mera kya qasoor hai
The list is endless..I can go on and on.. singing and typing.. reliving the days of school and college competitions when many of his compositions had led me to the coveted goal.
And now you have to read this..
There is no way I can breviate the above article without losing out on the necessary detailing, so I guess you will just have to return after reading the link.
My father always said "chadhte sooraj ko hi salaam hai"..Who worships the setting sun, its only the rising which is heralded.
This man a powerhouse of talent, perhaps the only Music Director of those days whose name would appear on the billboards of the films over and above the cast and crew and read something like 'O.P.Nayyars so and so". Today he is forgotten, unknown, to most .
In the days of yore, when his contemporaries were stalwarts who were steeped in classical training like S.D.Burman, Naushad, Jaidev, Madan Mohan, he was perhaps the only music director who could not read music and had no classical training. His heart spoke and he recorded music which has eventually defied time. I cannot recall any of his tunes, being unsuccessful, which is a commendable feat in itself.
I remember seeing him recently on the musical show "Sa re ga ma pa" which I watch because of the high calibre of the participants, where he was accorded a standing ovation by the audience and a programme was dedicated to just his songs. His quiet dignity and poise apart from his signature white attire and hat, made him a striking picture of health and elegant calm.
Who could have imagined that after the adulation and celebration of an hour of the show, he returns to an almost monastic solitude of either a Hotel room or an adopted family !!
What is fame, then, in the final analysis. Only a fickle food on a shifting plate. A recognition by those who you dont know and whose concern for you is ephemeral..If this story does not prove it, none will.
'Fame is a vapour, popularity an accident; the only certainty is oblivion"
8 comments:
Kaveetaa,
it is sooo sad..the industry is heartless..here today gone tomorrow.
when i hear his songs now, I will always remember this article.
But it is rare that he is out of the house and his family is in luxury..
speaks a lot about the man.
God ..these songs.. I love them..I had no idea these were his!
But then he was so much before my time.. I am only 20. Todays lot is good too.
But his is different..clean and melodious
one of my absolute favourite...how many nights have i spent listening to ' phir wohi dil laya hoon' and 'ek musafir ek haseena'
he was awesome...
must do a post on him for sure...
may i quote a song that he composed written by another genius
Kaifi Azmi
" andhere kya ujaale kya
na yeh apne na woh apne
tere kaam aayenge pyaare tere armaan tere sapne
zamana tujh pe ho barham
na aaye rahbar mausam
bahaarein phir bhi aati hai
bahaarein phir bhi aayengi"
Puja,
why just the industry.. I think it is true of the universe in general.Nobody has time to maaintain ties ..emotions are the most useless emotion to nurture in these days of materialism..
Anonymous.. yeah. Come to think of it. He seems to have taken on the struggle for himself. I maybe wrong but I sensed a detachment and yogic air about him. He did not the least look as if he was cursing his situation or juncture in life. Very resigned to it and witnessing it all with a calm. The smile on his face seemed to say it all.
Monica..He was before my times too. but his music is timeless. We grew up with R.D., but I loved O.P. always. And still do. He is unmatchable and inimitable..
Silbil,
yes.. I loved the song you mentioned..'woh hans ke mille humse' is also from the same film and Kaifi Azmi..The last of the mohicans..kaifi Saab.You remember 'waqt ne kiya kya haseeen sittum' from Kaagaz ke phool? Neither those makers. nor lyrics, nor music..Itna thehraav. Today everything has to be pulsating alive or then it is re-mixed to be so. Wonder why?
Lovely songs .. O.P.nayyar.
Thanks kaveetaa. I think you have done hima great sevice by bringing up his story. It needed to be told. Personal live and public lives are always diverse. God does not give everybody everything. But if he is stoic about it as you have said , then he has been blessed. I just have to download more of his songs on my i-pod.
Thanks Neha,
I guess the purpose of blogging is to bring out issues which merit attention. If I had turned my cheek on this one, then all the years that I have loved his tunes and loved singing them would somehow have seemed fake and hollow.
How often is it that composers like O.P. Nayyar grace the planet? The man is almost 80 now. He needs to feel his life has been well lived.His talent well rewrded. Just doing my 2 bit.
:)
O P Nayyar is no more. I think he had a great run. Most artists don't dwleve on their past achievements. Lata can not bear to listen to her own recordings. Most authors don't read their own books. It would not be a stretch to imagine that O P Nayyar was alike in these respects.
Composing a song is part one of the service a music director provides. Part two is talking about it with the fans. Granted part two seems more rewarding to the ego, but it is the tormented part one of the creativity that artists long for.
When the fans keep celebrating the past, then it must be a torture for the artists. They must see it as a tacit acknowledgement that we all know that the best is behind them.
Having said that, O P Nayyar was great. But he had his quirks. Refusing to compose for Lata when he really did not have any fights with her is one of them. Interacting with each talent is how new avenues open. Perhaps, the press made too big a deal of this choice made by the composer and the composer found himself trapped in it.
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