14th March 1913-28th March 1988
Whenever we look at the list of the most popular and well-remembered music directors of the Hindi film golden era, the name of Shri Nath Tripathi will mostly be an after-thought! Even I am guilty of this omission as I am writing about him after having covered around 14 other music directors earlier.
Known more for his devotional and classical-raag based songs , he did not have any distinct style of orchestration like many others that made it relatively difficult to recognize his composition immediately after listening to few strains of his songs. However he had the uniqueness of coming out with intensely melodious songs and extracted the maximum from a raag or a tune that he composed. He is definitely one among the music directors who were recognized for their strong rooting in classical raaga-based compositions, like Naushad, Vasant Desai and to some extent C Ramachandra.
S. N. Tripathi, was born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, to one Pt. Damodar Dutt Thakur, was a school principal. He obtained his BSc degree from Allahabad, and got his training in classical music from the famous Morris College of Music in Lucknow founded by the Pandit V. N. Bhatkhande, later known as Bhatkhande Music Institute. Like numerous other artists, he also moved to Bombay , as it was known then, in 1935 and worked as a violinist for the veteran music director Saraswati Devi.
He got his first opportunity to work as an independent music composer for the film Chandan in 1941. After having composed for many films either mythological or historical ones, he ultimately achieved for the superb compositions in films like Janam Janam Ke Phere(1957), Rani Roopmati (1957), Lal Qila ( 1960) and Sangeet Samrat Tansen ( 1962) .
A lesser-known facet of this talented composer was that he had acted in many films ( roughly at least 50 odd films!) and was also a film director , having directed approximately 15 films. His role as Hanuman in the film Ram Bhakt Hanuman ( 1948) brought him many such assignments, mainly in mythological films. He had a well-built physique that suited the role of Hanuman in many films. He also directed few successful Bhojpuri films , with Bidesiya ( 1963) being the most popular.
While gathering details of some of his best songs, I was pleasantly surprised to listen to two songs that appear in the film one after the other in the film Rani Roopmati -Ud Jaa Bhanwar Maya Kamal Ka by Manna Dey and Aaja Aaja Bhanwar by Lata. These two songs alone are enough to place him among the topmost composers of the golden era. More about these two songs in my song listing below. His two compositions in the film Lal Quila are without any orchestration and rely only on the pristine vocals and the singing skills of the legend Mohammad Rafi. One of these songs is quite famous-Na Kisiki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon, but the other one is very rarely heard- Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayaar Mein.
I should definitely mention a word about the great lyricist Bharat Vyas ( who ( about whom I shall dedicate a blog in the near future) who had a great association with S. N Tripathi ( for brevity I shall refer as SNT in this article) . In this selection of 22 songs , 10 of them were written by him. Shows what a great team they were. Bharat Vyas was well-renowned for writing mostly in chaste Hindi as compared to many of his contemporaries who used lot of Urdu shayari.
As a humble tribute to this multi-faceted music composer who was also an actor and director , I have selected 22 songs that showcase his immense composing skills. The songs are listed in chronological order of the year in which the film was released . The song-film-year-singer(s) and lyricist are mentioned in that order.
- Jhumti Hai Nazar, Jhumta Hai Pyar-Hatimtai-1956-Mohammad Rafi & Asha-Raja Mehdi Ali Khan
It was a sheer pleasure for me to listen to this song , literally after decades. I do not know why this song is never played in radio now-a-days ; I remember few years ago at least once in a while we used to hear this. A delightful duet and that is not in the typical classical style of SNT, but one with a westernized touch.
2 Parwar Digar-E-Aalam-Hatimtai-1956-Mohammad Rafi-Akhtar Romani
One of the famous devotional songs of Rafi, he has given his heart to this song. SNT’s skill in composing songs that have a historical/mythological/religious flavour was unmatched. One should not forget to compliment the excellent lyrics of Akhtar Romani , more famous for his ghazals .
3 . Aa Laut Ke Aaja Mere Meet-Rani Roopmati-1957-Mukesh-Bharat Vyas
One of the most popular songs from the film Rani Roopmati, and also one can say one of the top songs of Mukesh that he sung for music directors other than Shankar-Jaikishan, Roshan and Kalyanji-Anandji who are usually associated with his best songs.
4. Baat Chalat Nahin Chunri Rang Dal- Rani Roopmati-1957- Mohammad Rafi & Krishnarao Chonkar-( Credited to Bharat Vyas but this is a traditional classical bandish)
The film Rani Roopmati was based on the legendary love between Rani Roopmati of Mandavgarh ( Mandu) and the ruler of Malwa kingdom , Baaz Bahadur ( Baazid Khan). The film was also directed by SNT and was one of his major works in terms of music , along with Sangeet Samrat Tansen.
5. Ud Jaa Bhanwar-Rani Roopmati-1957-Manna Dey-Bharat Vyas
The two songs Ud Jaa Bhanwar and Aaja Aaja Bhanwar appear in the film one after the other and are the superb examples of SNT’s mastery in the classical genre. The first one is based on Raag Darbari Kanada and the second , Brindavani Sarang ; I have not watched the film , but understand from the visuals that in the first song , Manna Dey renders an outstanding Darbari Kanada and the ‘bhanwar’ ( bee) flies away , having been trapped inside a flower. Then comes the nightingale , Lata , who also gives out a superfluous song , that makes the bee come inside and settle itself inside the flower! Both songs have a philosophical connotation-escaping from the world of illusion and getting attracted towards it .
It is really sad to note that these two songs are not heard popularly in radio/any playlist . These are as good , if not , even better than many other songs that are usually considered among the best film songs based on classical raagas.
6. Aaja Aaja Bhanwar- Rani Roopmati-1957-Lata -Bharat Vyas
7. Jhanan Jhan Jhan Baaje Payaliya- Rani Roopmati-1957-Mohammad Rafi & Lata -Bharat Vyas
One more song that is strangely ignored by the popular media -it is really incomprehensible why SNT’s many such masterpieces have slowly become totally forgotten. A super duet by Rafi & Lata, both show their prowess in rendering a classical gem. The frenetic pace towards the end of the song is an icing on the cake!
8. Janam Janam Ke Phere- Janam Janam Ke Phere-1957-Mohammad Rafi -Bharat Vyas
Rafi had rendered so many title songs , that are usually picturised during various stages of the film’s story. SNT was known for his purity in the compositions, avoiding any extra-ordinary ornamentation in orchestration and let the tune speak for itself. This song takes us through the various stages in the film’s story.
9. Zara Saamne To Aao Chaliye- Janam Janam Ke Phere-1957-Mohammad Rafi & Lata-Bharat Vyas
One of the most popular songs composed by SNT, the usage of Shehnai is something that SNT mastered in most of his songs.
10. Un Par Kaun Kare Vishwas-Kavi Kalidas-1959-Mohammad Rafi & Lata-Bharat Vyas
My observation after listening to many songs of SNT that he got stereotyped into composing only for mythological/historical films and so the style must have got restricted. Branding an artist into a strict stereotype has always been the bane of our film producers and directors , thereby depriving of a variety of music that we could have otherwise enjoyed. As usual Lata & Rafi both render this high-pitches emotional song in their usual style.
11. Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera Ujde Dayaar Mein-Lal Quila-1961-Mohammad Rafi-Bahadur Shah Zafar
When it comes to experimentation, SNT was equally adept. The film Lal Quila has two songs that are , what is called in musical term, Senza Misura – It indicates that a piece of music, or a section within a piece, should be performed without a strict tempo or time signature. Essentially, it signifies free rhythm or tempo. Both the songs Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera ( surprisingly not heard much) and Na Kisiki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon( more popular) are truly masterpieces by SNT, ably helped by Rafi, who always elevated such songs to a level that maybe even the composer would not have imagined.
Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera ends with the poignant line:
कितना है बद-नसीब ‘ज़फ़र’ दफ़्न के लिए
दो गज़ ज़मीन भी न मिली कू-ए-यार में
12. Na Kisiki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon- Lal Quila-1961-Mohammad Rafi-Bahadur Shah Zafar/Muztar Khairatabadi? ( there is a controversy as to who had actually written this-Muztar Khairatabadi ‘s son is Jan Nissar Akhtar and grandson Javed Akhtar)
13. Nigahon mein tum ho-Jadoo Nagari-1961-Lata-Hasrat Jaipuri
It is really sad to note that many such gems of SNT got relegated to films that were relatively obscure , with no major actors to give them a boost. He very rarely worked for the top heroes or banners and thus his music remained unsung. Normally Lata is always associated with songs that are set in higher octaves, which is one her major strengths , but this is one of those rare ones in which she sounds very sweet in lower notes. Also a rare teaming up of SNT with Hasrat Jaipuri.
14. O Pawan veg se udne wale ghode-Jai Chittaud-1961-Lata-Bharat Vyas
The historical-mythological theme keeps running for SNT. This song however is one of the more popular ones and the horse-hoof rhythm is not a sober trot but a fast one befitting the legendary Chetak that was the horse in which the great warrior Maharana Pratap rode.
15. Man ki gagariya mein tu chamka-Piya Milan Ki Aas-1961-Mohammad Rafi & Lata-Bharat Vyas
At last we see a prominent hero -Manoj Kumar in one of SNT’s films! This is again a sober melody by his , with Lata and Rafi rendering it with perfection. Note the variation in the tempo of the song as it progresses.
16. Badli Badli Duniya Hai Meri-Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Lata & Mahendra Kapooor-Shailendra
I have selected 6 songs from this career-best work of SNT. The film has totally 13 major songs and is definitely the best ever work by SNT. I could have included few more songs like the Raag Deepak Deepak Jalao, Jyoti Jagao by Rafi , but due to brevity sake , restricted myself to just 6 songs . Badli Badli Duniya is a delightful duet by Lata & Mahendra Kapoor.
17. Jhoomti Chali Hawa- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Mukesh-Shailendra
In a film that was dominated by Manna Dey , Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh , like in many other instances, steals the show with just one song and turns it into one of the most popular one. SNT must have selected Mukesh for this song as it has some low octaves which was definitely Mukesh’s forte. Shehnai is mostly very prominent in SNT’s compositions and this song is one of the classic examples.
18. Sapt Suran Teen Gram- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Manna Dey-Swami Haridas
19. Raag Bhairav Pratham Shant Ras Jake- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Manna Dey -Swami Haridas
Sapt Suran Teen Gram and Raag Bhairav Shant Ras are true gems that have been very sadly ignored by the mainstream media and the radio stations , including good old Vividh Bharati who have never played these songs to the best of my knowledge.
Raag Bhairav Pratham Shant Ras Jake is a raagamalika with many major raag like Bhairav, Malkauns, Hindola, Deepak, Megh Malhaar, mentioned with their main characteristics in terms of swar in aaroh and avaroh. Truly a masterpiece rendered by Manna Dey along with a chorus that is equally adept , classically.
20. Sudh Bisar Gayi Aaj- Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Manna Dey & Mohammad Rafi-Shailendra
A superb duet rendered by two legends-Rafi & Manna Dey . Note the part when Rafi starts off with a masterly low octave, matching step by step with Manna Dey-one can almost hear him sing like Manna Dey-the scene depicts Swami Haridas and Tansen singing together
21. Hey Natraj Gangadhar Shambu Sangeet Samrat Tansen-1962-Kamal Barot & Mahendra Kapoor-Traditional bhajan
Kamal Barot had a very distinct voice and SNT seems to have utilised her vocals so well that this song always comes to one’s mind whenever we think of her best songs. This superb bhajan in high octaves is tailor-made for Kamal Barot and Mahendra Kapoor. The link provided below has the full audio version .
22. Mohammad Shah Rangeele – Nadir Shah -1968-Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur – Majrooh Sultanpuri
I end the blog with an absolutely stunning composition by SNT that was sung by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur ( in the film version it was Suman and the audio record had Lata !) . What a complex composition that shifts between different tempo !
Mohammad Shah was among the last Moghuls and was called “ rangeela” due to his penchant for the arts -music and dance -rather than the duties of governance! Thanks to YouTube , I could listen to this song that was never heard in radio-reasons known only to them and God! I have given the links to both the versions-first one has Suman and second Lata-once can never tell the difference at first-only discerning music lovers would be able to differentiate their voices.
Although he was active in his career as a music director and director of films till the late 70’s , his memorable musical works was till the late 60’s . He passed away on 28th March 1988, at the age of 75 in Mumbai . His trusted assistant Chitragupta branched off as an independent music composer and was known for his very sweet melodies that must have been imbibed into him by the veteran S N Tripathi .
Acknowledgement & Disclaimer
I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:
- You Tube
- Wikipedia
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.
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