Tag Archives: shankar-jaikishan

The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 4

February 7, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi (15^th October 1922 to 26^th Apr 1987)

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal (4^th Nov 1929 to 12^th Sep 1971)

Continuing from the Part 3 of my series on the Golden Duo music composers Shankar Jaikishan( SJ) , I am presenting the concluding part here. This is the concluding part of this particular series. SJ will keep appearing in many other themes or in combination with their prominent singers or in some other theme-based blogs in future. After all they have left behind more than thousands of songs to explore.

The year 1971 is particularly significant as it was the year Jaikishan passed away due to liver cirrhosis at a very young age of 42 . It is said that the iconic song Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana , Yahan Kal Kya Ho Kisne Jaana , sung by Kishore Kumar was the last one composed by Jai. In his memory, the Gaylord restaurant in Churchgate , which was one of his favorite joints in Mumbai, had kept the table he used to occupy regularly, vacant for one month as a mark of respect. He lived life king size, was flamboyant and social and in a way just the opposite personality of Shankar . No one knows for sure why he became so addicted to alcohol that cased him his life at such a young age. Many stories float around and I generally do not wish to ponder much over these. He was brilliant in composing romantic melodies, background music , peppy tunes . Together with Shankar whatever he left behind is absolutely priceless.

After his demise , the quirky film world slowly started distancing away from Shankar so much that even Raj Kapoor signed the upcoming Laxmikant Pyarelal for his next venture Bobby after the dismal failure of Mera Naam Joker. Shankar was not the type to canvass for assignments and being the introvert, he became more and more reclusive. Few producers who still valued his work gave some films and he prodded along for another 16 years. The critics mostly write off the music of Shankar during this period , but I definitely like some of his songs that are truly memorable and I have listed them here. It is said that the trusted assistant and arranger for SJ, Sebastian D’ Souza also retired from film industry with the film Sanyasi in 1975 and for the last few films Enoch Daniels had assisted Shankar.

In this part, I have also listed few very rare non film music of SJ that may be known only to their ardent fans .

Let us look at these songs and enjoy the last works of the golden duo. Songs are in chronological order, with song , film, year, singer(s) and lyricist mentioned in that order.

Part 4

Good Times & Bad Times/ Bombay Talkie/1970/ Written and Sung by Usha Uthup

Everyone remembers Usha Uthup from Hare Rama Hare Krishna film and may be erroneously thinking that was her debut . But this film Bombay Talkie , a Merchant-Ivory production with whom Shashi Kapoor had many collaborations was actually the debut for her in Hindi films. A completely different style of SJ can be heard in this song. Absolutely sad that except in Internet and YouTube , this song is neither heard nor talked about anywhere.

2. Typewriter Tip Tip Tip/Bombay Talkie/1970/Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle/Hasrat Jaipuri

One more hidden gem from the same film Bombay Talkie , this one sung in their typical style by both Kishore and Asha. The some somewhat reminds one of another SJ’s tune Sachha Pyar to Ruk Nahin Saktha. This song is also totally unlike a typical SJ composition. Could be the only song dedicated to the humble ‘ typewriter’ !!

3. Jab Bhi Yeh Dil Udaas/ Seema/1971/ Rafi & Sharada/Gulzar

My personal favorite, mainly for the way in which SJ composed the tune in a haunting manner and also the innovation they made by making Sharada start off with just humming in the first antara and then gradually add few lines and finally to sing along with Rafi in the last antara. Also this film could be the only one collaboration of noted lyricist Gulzar with SJ.

4. Ek Thi Nindiya Do thhey Naina// Seema/1971/ Suman Kalyanpur/Gulzar

I heard this song for the first time while writing this blog! A sweet lullaby. There are sweeping statements by many stating melody started going down in SJ ‘s music even as early as the 60’s. Wish they listen to this song! A very brief song-just around 2 minutes only but I am sure it will linger in your memory .

5. Jeevan Bhar Dhoonda Jisko/ Naadan/1971/ Mukesh/ Hasrat Jaipuri

Most of the films SJ composed in this period were for lesser-known banners and not commercially successful ones. As I had mentioned in my Part 3, due to this fact , despite the music being good, the songs were forgotten. In this film Nadan, there are two other Mukesh solo songs that are good: Ae Badal Jhoom Ke Chal, Mehnat Hamare Jeevan and one by Asha-Bol Naadan Dil that were heard in radio for many years-only recently looks like these have been slowly vanished from our memories.

6. Re Man Sur Mein Gaa/ Lal Pathar/1971/ Manna Dey & Asha/ Neeraj

One of the best Kishore Kumar songs was from the same movie -Geet Gaata Hoon Mein that I had written about in my blog on KK. This classical song of Manna Dey and Asha that I have selected is a superb , but forgotten song. I have to keep repeating that SJ’s music quality never came down. Maybe in their peak every song in a film used to excellent; in the later years , the percentage came down , but still the creative spark was alive.

7. Cham Cham Baje Re Payaliya/ Jaane Anjane/1971/ Manna Dey/ S.H Bihari

A typical Manna Dey-SJ combination with a strong classical base. One unfortunate aspect is that I would like to only “ listen” to this song and not watch the picturization that , in my opinion , totally spoiled the excellence shown by Manna Dey and SJ. That is why I have given the link only to the audio version! Shankar gave Manna Dey most of his fabulous songs , which has been acknowledged by the singer himself.

8. Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana/ Andaaz/1971/ Kishore/Hasrat Jaipuri

Post Aradhana wave , Rajesh Khanna and Kishore da came with many super hits, though most of them were not by SJ . In my humble opinion this one song of SJ is equal to many of those composed by others. Popular till today and as I mentioned in my introduction , the last one composed by Jaikishan. Yodeling of Kishore da at its best!

9. Tum Kitne Khubsurat Ho/ Jangal Mein Mangal/1973/ Kishore/ Neeraj

I find it strange that many Kishore Kumar fans generally do not talk about this masterpiece from him, in which he did a rare vibrato. Maybe the reason that it was composed by SJ made this a lesser-talked about song. I always found SJ-Kishore combination , though rare, had given us some brilliant songs.

10. Humko To Jaan Se Pyaari Hai/ Naina/ 1973/ Rafi/ Hasrat Jaipuri

Rafi sings this in his inimitable style, with the eternal romantic Hasrat Jaipuri , creating sheer magic with his words. The first part of the song as seen in this full version video link was new to me. The good old piano and string arrangement of SJ is in full flow in this song.

11. Chal Sanyasi Mandir Mein/ Sanyasi/1975/ Mukesh & Lata Mangeshkar/ Vishweshwar Sharma

After a long gap , Lata Mangeshkar sang for Shankar in the film Sanyasi, and that proved to be a great hit. Three duets of Lata and Mukesh, Chal Sanyasi Mandir Mein, Sun Baal Bramhachari and Bali Umariya Bhajan Karoon Kaise and a not-much-heard solo by Manna Dey “ Kya Maar Sakegi Maut Use” ( one more rare combination of Indeevar writing for Shankar) -all are good songs from this film.

12. Chalo Bhool Jayen Yahan Ko / Do Jhoot/1975/ Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar/ Vitthalbhai Patel

Among the later compositions of SJ this one is absolutely stunning. The tune is simply mesmerizing and one would like to listen to this multiple times. After a long gap one could hear those magnificent string arrangement of SJ along with that trademark accordion. Making full use of the extraordinarily strong vocals of Kishore da and the easy gliding over at higher octaves skill of Lata, Shankar creates a memorable song.

13. Naav Kaagaz Ki Gehra Hai Pani/ Duniyadari/1977/Mohammad Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar / Vishweshwar Sharma

One can say that the number of hits by Shankar had almost dried up by the year 1977 , but he could still come out with some great songs that had that typical melody and the exceptional tempo that made SJ evergreen. Of course , commercially, by the late 70’s , Lakshmikant Pyarelal, R D Burman and Kalyanji Anandji were ruling the charts, with new comers Ravindra Jain and Rajesh Roshan also chipping in with some good songs. But one has to remember it was almost 30 years since Shankar had started his career and he was still coming out some good songs , albeit once in a while. This aspect is conveniently forgotten by many when they criticize his music !

14. Tumhare Bin Guzaare Hai/Atmaram/1979/ Rafi & Lata/ Vishweshwar Sharma

The year is 1979 and Shankar had come a long way from his “ Barsaat” of lilting melodies. Still those magical fingers were playing on the piano to come out with a gem of a song like Tumhare Bin Guzare Hain . If we look at the lyrics they seem to be perfectly apt from Shankar’s perspective.

khabar kya thi ki apne bhi

sitare aise bigadenge

ki jo puja ke kabil hai

wahi log rang badalenge

( So many of his associates, including RK had ditched him by this time!)

15. Pardesiya Tere Des Mein/ Garam Khoon/1979/ Mohammad Rafi & Sulakshna Pandit/Singhar

Recently the actress-singer Sulakshana Pandit passed away and I had mentioned this song in a small tribute to her through my blog. She has sung this so well, matching the legend Rafi sahab equally. A highly under-rated song that many seem to have forgotten. Has all the ingredients of a typical SJ composition-superb orchestration and a brilliant tune. The lyrics is ascribed to Singhar , which, as I understand could have been a pseudonym of the singer Sharada.

16. Dekha Hai Tumhe Kahin Na Kahin/Chorni/1981/Kishore/Shaily Shailendra(?)

We are now looking at almost the end of Shankar’s career, but he has managed to come out with a pleasing and melodious song in Kishore’s vocals. I am not very sure about the lyricist as in some places it was credited to Shailendra but then I realized it could have been his son Shaily Shailendra.

17. Gori Hai Kalaiyan/ Gori/1991/Kavita Krsihnamurthy/ Sudhakar Sharma

Released almost 4 years after the passing away of Shankar in 1987 , this song has an interesting story. It is said that this was almost the last song composed by Shankar and as the producer , Sudhakar Sharma had financial issues and could release this only in 1991, the tune seems to have been adopted for another film by Bhappi Lahiri ( Aaj Ka Arjun-Gori Hai Kalaiyan -Lyrics by Anjaan-Sung By Shabbir Kumar and Lata; of course the antara tune and lyrics were changed but this was a clear inspiration from Shankar’s tune).

I also understand it was during the recording of the songs for the film Gori, Shankar passed away in total obscurity.

Few glimpses of Shankar Jaikishan’s non film tunes

Raag Jazz Style-Non Film Album-1968-Instrumental-Sitar by Rais Khan-Raag Shivaranjani & Bhairavi

Long before concepts like fusion in music became very popular, SJ did an album consisting of 11 tracks set to classical raagas with a touch of western style: Todi, Bhairav, Malkauns, Kalavati, Tilak Kamod, Mian Ki Malhar, Bairagi, Jaijaiwanti, Mishra Pilu, Shiv Ranjani & SJ’s most favourite Bhairavi. I am providing links to two of them here: Shivaranjani & Bhairavi

2. Title music of Films Division documentary on Mount Everest-1968

I do not know how many would be aware that SJ composed the title track and entire background score for an Indian Government’s Films Division documentary on the Mount Everest. The documentary was 77 minutes long and captures the preparations, approach, and summit, featuring music by Shankar Jaikishan and commentary by Zul Vellani. Here is just a glimpse of that -the title track of that documentary.

Twenty years after Shankar’s death and forty-two years after Jaikishan’s death a film called Love In Bombay was released in 2013! This was made in 70’s by Joy Mukherjee as part of his “ Love In” Trilogy-Love in Shimla and Love In Tokyo , but the film got shelved and was released much later by Joy Mukehrjee’s son in 2013. This could be the absolute last film of the emperors of Hindi film music , Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal to be released.

Personal likes and dislikes may vary among music lovers , but one can never deny the great contribution of SJ to the Hindi film music who created some of the greatest film songs that would be etched in the golden letters of Hindi film music history. They could compose a sad song with a fast tempo and still it would create the right emotion while hearing, they could make a pure classical song appeal to the layman, they could give all hit songs in a film-a feat they repeated many times, they could make even a wooden-footed person get up and dance to some of their fabulous dance numbers, they got the highest remuneration -sometimes even higher than the actors! and at their peak just a letter from them that they are composing music for a film would open up finances without any hassles for the producer….I can go on and on….

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been mentioned and embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

Hindi Film Music Composers

The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 3

February 4, 2026 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi (15^th October 1922 to 26^th Apr 1987)

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal (4^th Nov 1929 to 12^th Sep 1971)

When I started this blog in Dec 2021, I started writing about artists in no particular order or any theme etc. As and when I started writing about many artists, and when I looked at their year of birth, I realized many of the legends were born around 100 years ago. For Mohammad Rafi, I could remember and posted some articles commemorating his birth centenary year in 2024.

However I have not been able to do the same for many other artists. For example , Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi of the Shankar-Jaikishan duo ( SJ) had his birth centenary year in 2022 and it mostly went off without much publicity.

Most of the media , except very few of his ardent fans , must have forgotten this. Even I am guilty of this lapse. However in November 2024 I did post my blogs in two parts on the great Golden Duo music composers, and mentioned about Shankar’s centenary . In those two parts , I had covered their immortal songs composed till the year 1967. The year 2029 shall be the birth centenary of Jaikishan and so now we are somewhere in the middle of the birth centenaries of this great pair of music composers. I think it is apt to continue my series on the magical duo SJ and their great compositions later than the year 1967 , till the year I had covered in my Part 2.

In many books on the golden era of Hindi film music and in the Internet we find many articles, blogs in which SJ ‘s music in the later years , i.e mid 60’s , 70’s are described as relatively mediocre!. I personally believe in enjoying the music of all the great artists of the golden era of film music ( either Hindi or Tamil) and so do not like comparisons. But I would like to mention that most of these authors forget one very important fact. For many legendary music composers, their debut and few subsequent films were not so impressive and they had a late start . Those who keep harping about SJ’s so-called decline in music towards their end never talk about what a spectacular debut they had with Barsaat in 1949 that totally changed the Hindi film music template. Not only that , they could sustain that momentum for two decades continuously , with some of their films having all the songs as super hits. This is an achievement unparalleled , but most ignore this when they talk only about the deterioration in their music !. And it becomes more interesting to note that typically most of these films had 6-8 songs , or even more and rendering 100% hits in many films is no mean achievement. As noted lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar once said in a program, SJ made Hindi film music into a novel that was till their arrival a short story!

Most artists reach a creative peak and then there is a slump. But in the blogosphere and in books, SJ are singled out with remarks on their low point, some surprising and undeserving Filmfare awards , promoting a mediocre singer etc.

May be the extreme success of SJ triggered so much of envy and bitterness against them. Further they completely dismiss the music of Shankar that he independently composed after the sudden demise of Jaikishan in 1971 . Although if one compares these songs of Shankar with the ones he created along with Jaikishan at their peak, they may be not be perceived to be good, but one can find many good songs even during this period. In my selection , covered in Part 3 & 4 there will be many such songs and readers/listeners can make out for themselves what beautiful compositions Shankar composed independently also.

As such , Shankar was an introvert and after the death of Jaikishan, he had become even more reticent. Most of the producers, including Raj Kapoor, who totally depended on SJ’s music for his films , ditched Shankar and as a result he composed very few films that were mostly low budget and poorly made films. Hence even if some of the songs in those films were good , the film being a flop, its music also flopped. Fate had something even more cruel for Shankar. When he passed away on the 26^th April 1987, his family had not informed the film fraternity/media and so his funeral was attended by handful of close relatives, neighbors, and friends. The film world came to know about his death only on the next day! For a man who painted on a grand canvas , it was a sad , lonely final journey.

Normally I do not spend much time defending some artist or comparing one with another , but in case of SJ , after seeing so many adverse comments on them I had to deviate from my usual style.

Forget all these issues or controversies and let us immerse ourselves in their glorious music . For me they will always rank among the topmost music directors and somehow, like Rafi’s songs that have a great impact on me , I always felt SJ’s music has great passion, rhythm, energy, and a grandeur that is till now unmatched.

Statistically , SJ composed for approximately 180 films and of these two-thirds were before 1971, ie demise of Jaikishan. Rest one-third were composed between 1971 to 1987, mainly by Shankar. Not only post- 1971 , but even prior to that many songs were composed by Shankar. It is well-known that they used to compose independently all along but had never revealed who composed which song . Generally it is said that Shankar preferred to work with Shailendra and Jaikishan with Hasrat Jaipuri. That could give some clue and also the fact that most of the songs that either had a strong classical base or were based primarily dance numbers were composed by Shankar. The title songs of RK films were also composed by Shankar.

I realized once I listed their songs after 1967, that I may have to cover this blog in part 3 & 4. So the introduction will remain in Part 3 and I will cover the songs from 1967 to 1970 in Part 3 and 1971 till 1991 in Part 4.

Songs are in chronological order, with song , film, year, singer(s) and lyricist mentioned in that order.

Panchi Re O Panchi/ Hare Kanch Ki Choodiyan/1967/ Mohammad Rafi & Asha Bhosle/Shailendra

The prelude is trademark SJ , with those 50+ violins , the slightly fast paced waltz rhythm and that electronic organ/keyboard that features so prominently -all make this a delightful song. Rafi and Asha render this with their characteristic flair.

2. Aawara Ae Mere Dil/ Raat Aur Din /1967/ Lata Mangeshkar/ Shailendra

Raat Aur Din was a bonanza for SJ lovers-almost all the songs are superb. This was also the last film in which Nargis acted. I have selected three songs or rather I should say four as Aawara Ae Mere Dil has two versions-fast and a slower one. The reason why I consider SJ as great composers is apparent in this song. The basic tune is same in both the versions , but note the variation they have made in the orchestration . I have provided the links to both the versions( the uploaders have wrongly labelled the fast on as slow and vice versa!!)

The dance by Laxmi Chhaya in the fast version is simply out-of-the-world and in spite of the audio quality not being that good I have still posted the one that has her dance.

Once again the use of accordion, guitar, flute , trumpet , violins and not to forget the chorus in the slower version -all vintage SJ.

Fast version:

Slow version:

3. Dil Ki Girah Khol Do/ Raat Aur Din /1967/ Manna Dey & Lata Mangeshkar/ Shailendra

An eternal duet by Manna Dey and Lata-even after listening to this song a thousand times , one can never get bored of it. Like many SJ fans, I can identify an SJ song just by listening to few seconds of its prelude. They “ affix their signature” before their songs! Of course credit also goes to Sebastian D’Souza and Dattaram, SJ’s constant companions looking after the orchestration and percussion. And what to say about Shailendra-the great poet who was a rock solid support for SJ along with Hasrat.

4. Raat Aur Din/ Raat Aur Din /1967/Mukesh/ Hasrat Jaipuri

This is a tandem song, sung by both Mukesh and Lata. Both are excellent-I just selected Mukesh’s version at random. His voice always had a special touch whenever he sang for SJ! Contrary to one more myth , where people even used to credit Raj Kapoor for all the great songs , SJ composed excellent songs outside the RK banner proving the fact that all these myths somehow keep circulating!

5. Mein Gaaon Tum So Jao/ Brahmachari/1968/ Mohammad Rafi/ Shailendra

Remember songs like this one are from the late 60’s , whereas one more myth spread around was that SJ’s music lost its melody in later years! Sorry I keep emphasizing these points , but it is to highlight what sober songs they composed even in late 60’s. Note the subtle way in which SJ , keeping in mind this is a lullaby, create a soft-as-silk tone for the song but at the same time the orchestration still sounds so grand. This magic was created only by these golden duo.

6. Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche/ Brahmachari/1968/ Mohammad Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur /Hasrat Jaipuri

Is there anything one has to write about this song?It is popular across the country even in those regions where Hindi is not the main language! Once again that absolutely mesmerizing prelude with guitar, violins and accordion is worth a ton of gold. Adding even more charm is that saxophone in interludes.

7. Sacha Hai Gar Pyaar / Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan/1968/ Mohammad Rafi/ Shailendra

Although the song Kaun Hai Jo Sapnon Mein aaya ( no doubt inspired from Elvis Prisley-but SJ elevated the song to a higher level despite being an inspired song) is more popular, I have listed a rarer song that is brilliant and sounds so melodious and grand; especially the interludes and antaras are simply superb. Rafi executes this in his inimitable style.

8. Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe/ Kanyadaan/1968/Mohammad Rafi/ Neeraj

I agree I might have repeated this song , now for the third time in my blogs but don’t you agree this is worth repeating even more? Popular among even today’s generation and I believe it will remain popular for centuries.

9. Janak Janak Tori Baaje Payaliya/ Mere Huzoor/ 1968/Manna Dey/Hasrat Jaipuri

When it comes to pure classical numbers , SJ relied mostly on Manna Dey and this remains one of the most memorable Darbari Kanada based song in Hindi films. Film music breaks away from the strict rules of classical music and that is why SJ knew the pulse of a common listener and could integrate superb orchestration in a classical based song. That , in my humble opinion , was one factor that made their music so popular.

10. Ruk Se Zara Naqaab/ Mere Huzoor/ 1968/Mohammad Rafi/ Hasrat Jaipuri

Romantic songs , generally were Jaikishan’s forte and this is one more gem from the romantic trio: Jiakishan-Hasrat -Rafi who have given us some of the most romantic songs in Hindi films. Do we see any reduction in melody even in 1968??

11. Parde Mein Rehne Do/ Shikar/1968/ Asha Bhosle/ Hasrat Jaipuri

It is said the producer-director were little hesitant to have this song as it was considered a bit bold for those times. But SJ always knew the pulse and stood firm and this song went on to become a super hit so much that the film Shikar is forgotten , but this song remains popular till today. Fetched Asha and award also!

12. Tumhe Mein Agar Apna Saathi/ Shatranj/1969/ Mohammad Rafi & Asha Bhosle /S.H. Bihari

After the sad demise of Shailendra , Shankar relied on many other lyricists and he always experimented with other singers and lyricists. Whereas Jaikishan firmly went with Rafi and Lata for most of his songs. We see S H Bihari ( normally paired with OP Nayyar for many fabulous songs) writing for SJ. Shankar’s theory was mostly to compose the tune first and then get the lyrics done , so that fresh tunes can come up as he felt if he has to compose to an already written lyric, that could restrict creativity. However there were many other composers who believed exactly the other way. Nothing is better or worse-it is because of this we get to hear so many great songs! Note how the piano follows through out the song. Vintage SJ!

13. Badan Pe Sitare Lapete Hue/ Prince/1969/Mohammad Rafi/ Hasrat Jaipuri

The freshness and youthfulness in a SJ tune is eternal. In today’s lingo this song still rocks , whenever it is played. If we observe the preludes and interludes of a SJ composition is worth to write about as a separate blog! Wait—this song as a fabulous postlude also with that trademark SJ’s electronic organ/keyboard.

14. Kal Ka Pahiya Ghoome Bhaiyya/ Chanda Aur Bijli/1970/ Mana Dey/Neeraj

Few months back when I wrote about the great poet-lyricist Neeraj , I had included this song. I have no hesitation to repeat this here. This is so under-rated that many do include it even in the top songs of Manna Dey. Once again I wish to emphasize how even in 1970 , there was no loss of melody in SJ’s compositions.

15. Aaya Na Humko Pyaar Jatana/Pehchan/1970/ Mukesh & Suman Kalyanpur /Indeevar

Piano, violins and shehnai-what a strange combination ! Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur were a rare combination in duets and this song has one more rare association-Indeevar writing for SJ.

16. Tum Mujhe Yoon / Pagla Kahin Ka/1970/ Mohammad Rafi/ Hasrat Jaipuri

This song became sort of an anthem for Rafi , so prophetically written for him. The interludes have a mix of saxophone , piano and sitar , with the flute answering to every line of Rafi in the antaras.

17. Jane Kahan Gaye Who Din/Mera Naam Joker/1970/ Mukesh/Hasrat Jaipuri

The film flopped despite Raj Kapoor putting all his finance and energy into it. Irrationally people dismiss the music of Mera Naam Joker also just because the film flopped. For me , personally this was one the topmost album of SJ with many songs becoming immortal. Many songs were not included in the film and one of them by Rafi “ Sadque Heer Tujhpe” is one of the best “ heer” ever composed for films. However I have selected two Mukesh songs that can be said to be among his career best songs.

18. Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan/ Mera Naam Joker/1970/ Mukesh/Shailendra

Shailendra unfortunately passed away during the making of Mera Naam Joker in 1966 itself and his son Shaily Shailendra completed this song after Shailendra had written only the mukhda.

With this , I conclude Part 3, mainly for the sake of ease of reading and will continue with further songs of SJ in Part 4. We will look at those songs predominantly composed by Shankar alone, after the demise of Jaikishan in Part 4. That will include glimpses from a non-film album “ Raag Jaaz Style ” that had fusion of Indian classical presented in Jazz style through instrumental music and also a superb title instrumental music SJ composed for a Films Division of India ‘s documentary on mount Everest.

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 2

November 15, 2024 Sivanandam Palamadai 2 Comments

Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi (15^th October 1922 to 26^th Apr 1987)

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal (4^th Nov 1929 to 12^th Sep 1971)

When I started writing my blog on the golden duo, Shankar-Jaikishan , I initially thought I would be able to cover a representative list of their songs in two parts. I published Part 1 on 1^st November 2024 that had 25 songs selected from the years 1949 to 1960 . When I started listing out the songs from year 1960 onwards, I found that I may not be able to do full justice to their work in just 2 parts and it has to go to part 3! That shows how prolific the golden duo S-J were. Added to the huge number of hits in the 60’s , some of the films in this decade had multiple super hits, leaving me in dilemma as to which one I should include in my blog. So, there will soon be Part 3 also and to everyone’s surprise there would be many songs that Shankar composed after Jaikishan’s untimely death in 1971 ; most of the authors of books and blogs on HFM summarily dismiss the songs Shankar composed in 70’s as not worthy but I would completely disagree . We will come to that in Part 3!

As I had written about S-J ‘s journey and the highlights of their style in my first part , let me straight away start with the song list. This blog , i.e. Part 2 covers their songs from 1961 to 1966. It is a well-known fact that the decade of 60’s was the peak of SJ’s career. Every film had so many hit songs and at least 2-3 were super hits and that is why I had to stop this part with year 1966 and continue the rest of the songs in next blog.

This decade saw a major change in the overall style of music and more so in S-J’s own style. The influence of western music became stronger, Rafi was also at his peak and also the years 1963-67 were marred by the infamous spat between Lata & Rafi during which they did not sing any duet together. This resulted in many new duet combinations with most of the music directors signing up mainly Suman Kalyanpur & Asha Bhonsle along with many other female singers to sing with Rafi. Rafi was not at all the loser and it was more of an issue for Lata, whose total number of songs got reduced , especially the duets. It is interesting to note that it was Jaikishan , who took lot of efforts to bring the two legends together -unfortunately the film for which Lata & Rafi started singing together once again was shelved and so the honour went to S.D Burman’s Jewel Thief with the song Dil Pukare Aaa Re Aaa Re . I will not go into the details of that rift as there are many versions going around and as per my own unwritten rules, I steer clear of controversies!

Let us focus and enjoy S-J ‘s immortal compositions in their super-golden era!

Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par-Junglee-1961-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

I intentionally left out the most popular Yahoo! Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe and instead selected this soulful romantic number mainly to emphasize that S-J were equally capable of composing very soft , melodious numbers as much as they were experts with a boisterous “ Yahoo!” I could not find in YouTube the sole Rafi version; this link has both Rafi & Lata solo versions. You can understand Rafi’s superb singing with Lata failing a bit at the high octaves!

Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko-Sasural-1961-Rafi- Hasrat Jaipuri

It is said that the first lines of this song were thought about by Hasrat when his son was born. Later he must have composed this into a song for the film .The last stanza in the link provided below is a bonus, that appears only in the film version. Usually in radio we hear only the first two stanzas. One of Rafi’s most famous songs that is always remembered even till today.

Dheere Chal Dheer Chal-Boy Friend-1961-Rafi- Hasrat Jaipuri

Now-a-days in the name of rap we hear absolute cacophony! This song can be defined as a melodious rap! An oxymoron as how can rap be melodious?! Yes , if we have S-J & Rafi it can be! The frenzied pace in which S-J composed this , ably assisted by his trusted lieutenants Sebastian and Dattaram and of course Rafi, is something unbelievable. The percussion & guitar use is mind boggling. Pity such songs are totally ignored in media. There are two other absolutely fabulous songs in the same film: Mujhe Apna Yaar Bana Lo- a Rafi solo and a very rare duet of Rafi with Aarti Mukherjee -Aiga Aiga Aiga Yeh Kya Hogaya. Check these two songs out in the Net and you will be bowled over!

Mehtab Tera Chehra-Aashiq-1962-Mukesh & Lata-Shailendra

Sometimes S-J take a slight pause, sit back, and compose some masterpieces with a leisurely pace. Such songs seem to have been tailor-made for Mukesh. Sitar, sarangi, and the favourite accordion of S-J are prominent . Sebastian deserves all praise for being the sheet anchor for S-J with extraordinary orchestration. The song ends with a superb alaap by Lata that is simply out of the world.

Tera Mera Pyaar Amar-Asli Naqli-1962-Lata-Shailendra

How can someone describe this song?! Grand -this one word is enough ! S-J ‘s typical orchestration with the 1st & 3rd interludes being the same and 2nd one different. With the mandolin giving a counter melody, Lata’s scintillating singing and the ethereal beauty of Sadhana on screen , all these make this song a visual delight as well. I can keep listening to such songs of S-J a thousand times without ever getting bored!

Dil Tera Deewana Hai Sanam- Dil Tera Deewana-1962-Rafi & Lata-Shailendra

Bijli Girake Aap Khud Bijli Se Dar Gaye

Hum Saadgi Pe Aapki Lillaah Mar Gaye

The way Rafi sings that Lillaah sets the tone for what we are about to hear in the next 5 minutes. When Rafi & Lata roam around in the stratosphere of octaves, there are the ubiquitous 30-40 violins , guitars , saxophone all creating a harmony that is “ never-dull-a-moment”. In most of S-J ‘s songs we hear so much happening that one gets lost in the song totally. That was their secret of success and reigning at the top for more than twenty years!

Mujhe Kitna Pyaar Tumse- Dil Tera Deewana-1962-Rafi & Lata-Shailendra

Classic example of how S-J could give multiple super hits in the same film. This is a slightly sober song version as compared to the earlier one . With violins, piano, mandolin and guitar giving excellent company to Rafi & Lata , this is truly another gem from S-J.

Masoom Chehra Yeh Kaatil Adayen- Dil Tera Deewana-1962-Rafi & Lata-Hasrat Jaipuri

Hidden in between the above two super hit songs, this is a sweet romantic number, mostly forgotten now . Starts off with the mouth organ -rarely heard in a S-J song . Flute plays in between in short phrases. Also notice the tabla takes a brief pause in the antara . Must definitely be Dattaram’s touch!

Bol Mere Taqdeer Mein Kya Hai-Hariyali Aur Raasta-Mukesh & Lata-Shailendra

Sometimes I feel the interludes of S-J alone deserve so many awards! The song deceptively starts off with a relatively slow pace with only the bongos accompanying the singers . Then comes the first interlude , with flutes imitating the movement of a train and then the tempo builds up , with the accordion, reaches the height with mandolins , guitars and finally hands over the baton to the majestic violins of S-J that ends with a flourish. Mukesh has his own charm in such duets.

Ae Gulbadan Ae Gulbadan-Professor-1962-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

It is unimaginable that they could come out with super hits after super hits with so much of regularity. Really sad that they are not being celebrated the way they should have been. When Rafi starts off with the lines ‘kya haseen mod par aa gayee zindagani , that string arrangement takes the song to heavenly heights.

Mein Chali Mein Chali- Professor-1962-Rafi& Lata-Shailendra

Whenever Rafi & Lata sang together , the palpable romance in the song was sheer bliss to hear! One can take an analogy of how a great building is built starting with a strong foundation-the way S-J begin the song with the prelude is something similar! Apart from Rafi & Lata , the violins and guitars are also in a conversation. Not only the prelude and interludes, just observe the postlude also in this song. I simply cannot stop wondering at the amazing orchestration in S-J ‘s songs.

Chotisi Duniya Pehchane Raaste-Rangoli-1962-Kishore Kumar-Shailendra

In the 60’s Kishore had few songs with S-J that were mostly in the films in which he also acted as the hero. It is said that after Barsaat brought together S-J , Shailendra & Hasrat together, S-J had promised Shailendra that they would recommend him to few producers. But apparently S-J had forgotten this promise and Shailendra wrote a small note to them “ Chotisi Yeh Duniya Pehchane Raaste Hain , Tum Kahin Toh Miloge , Kabhi Toh Miloge Toh Poochenge Haal,’ which they later used in this song. I do not know how far this is true as I find a long and continuous association of S-J with these two lyricists. In fact , only in few films that were remade from Tamil, Rajendra Krishan wrote for them as he used to write the dialogues also as he knew the language. Later on, after Shailendra’s untimely , tragic demise, other lyricists started writing for S-J like, Neeraj. Film world is full of such stories and we do not know the real facts!

Yaad Na Jaye Beete Dinon Ki-Dil Ek Mandir-1963-Rafi-Shailendra

S-J who could make a song full of pathos sound so soulful and at the same time have such intricate orchestrations. Who should get the credit? S-J for such a soulful composition , Rafi for rendering it from his heart or Shailendra for the immortal lines? ! Talat Mehmood had natural vibrato in his voice , but Rafi brings that out effortlessly with his skill. When we listen it may appear to be effortless, but he must have sat in a corner and gone through those famous self-improvisations for which he was well-known!

Tum Hi Tum Ho Mere Jeevan Mein -Ek Dil Aur Sau Afsane -1963-Rafi & Lata-Shailendra

A somewhat rare song that we used to listen quite a lot earlier, but now has faded away from memory. All other male songs were rendered by Mukesh except for this one. Due to some reason Mukesh was not available and since the filming was due , they recorded with Rafi and thought afterwards they can replace with Mukesh’s voice. But it is said that when Mukesh heard this , he said let it remain in Rafi’s voice! One more anecdote for you!

Kuch Sher Sunatha Hoon Mein -Ek Dil Aur Sau Afsane-1963-Mukesh-Hasrat Jaipuri

Mukesh goes all out in rendering this -what a tune and what superb poetry by Hasrat Jaipuri. Makhmal pe tum chalo to chile paaon gulbadan! S-J , apart from Kalyanji-Anandji and Roshan always brought out the best in Mukesh’s voice. Observe how beautifully S-J utilized the Sarangi in this song. The antara is structured like a wave we see in shores, slowly building up and then crashing on to the shore, taking a brief pause when the music completely stops and it is the sonorous voice of Mukesh that dominates! Wow!!

Mujhko Apne Gale Laga Lo-Humrahi-1963-Rafi & Mubarak Begum-Hasrat Jaipuri

One of the most memorable songs of Mubarak Begum. Unfortunately, her talents were not utilized properly due to HFM ‘s monopolistic issues. The complete cessation of background music towards the end of the antara takes this song to a different level. The film version of the song has three antaras but I found most of the uploads in YouTube with poor audio quality and hence this link that has only two but of good quality.

Aaj Kal Mein Dhal Gaya-Beti Bete-1964-Rafi-Shailendra

Long before I started my own blogsite, I had written an article about this song. One of the best lullabies ever composed in HFM . Sadly, we do not hear this often and as usual most of the popular media channels never air this , reasons best known only to them!. An excellent composition, with superb lyrics, soulful singing by Rafi and an under-played but grand orchestration by the masters S-J.

Tumne Pukara Aur-Rajkumar-1964-Rafi & Suman Kalyanpur-Hasrat Jaipuri

During the Rafi-Lata rift years, many music directors could not afford not to have Rafi in their duets as he was at the peak of his singing career. It was Lata who missed the opportunities and so we had some of the fabulous duets of Rafi with Suman Kalyanpur & Asha. The interlude is a harmony between saxophone, guitar, and the ubiquitous violins of SJ. The slow pace of the antara that is almost like a recitation , contrasts so well with the mukhda.

Ajhoon Na Aaye Baalma-Sanjh Aur Savera-1964-Rafi & Suman-Hasrat Jaipuri

Though I am not an expert on raagas, I understand this is based on Raag Madhuvanti. I intentionally posted the audio only as the picturization spoils the sanctity of the song rendered so beautifully by Rafi & Suman. S-J did a yeoman service to HFM by having many songs based on classical raagas in a simple format that would appeal to the masses.

Dost Dost Na Raha-Sangam-1964-Mukesh-Shailendra

Sangam and Mera Naam Joker were major works of SJ for Raj Kapoor , the former a super hit and the latter a flop ; but I would still say the music of Mera Naam Joker was equally good like Sangam. This song can be described as quintessential S-J : grand orchestration, piano simply out of the world, interludes that are still etched in our memory.

Yeh Mera Prem Patra- Sangam-1964-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

One of the best Rafi songs in a RK movie that over shadowed to some extent the equally good ones Mukesh sung in the same film. They say one of the reasons a rift happened between Shankar & Jaikishan was this song. They had an unwritten agreement that neither will reveal which song was composed by whom and Jaikishan apparently broke this by revealing it was his composition in some interview to a magazine. Shankar had however denied this story. Let us forget that and listen to this masterpiece and get ourselves lost in the beauty of the song.

Bedardi Baalma Tujhko-Arzoo-1965-Lata-Hasrat Jaipuri

Saxophone and violins take centre stage with those typical high octaves of Lata & S-J! Apparently Lata once asked S-J why they set such high pitch and their response was to match those fabulous violins that were an integral part of their orchestration. One more example of a song that an undercurrent of pathos , but presented in a catchy style Only SJ could do it.

Jaan Pehchaan Ho-Gumnaam-1965-Rafi-Shailendra

I had written about this song in my blogs earlier under different themes but would always like to repeat as this is the most shocking under-appreciated song in our country , whereas it has a cult-following in western countries! It was the opening song shown in the titles of a 2001 Hollywood film Ghost World title, in a German beer brand advertisement , and also many pop artists abroad recreated this. Something similar to the “ awara hoon” craze. SJ & Rafi showed they were the real kings of jazz. Unfortunately all the video versions of this song cannot be embedded as they do not play in other sites and so I had to upload only the audio version. Those interested please do check out the video in YouTube as the dance in the song is simply out of the world-Laxmi Chhaya , choreographed by Herman Benjamin who has also sung this on screen.

Tumhe Yaad Karte Karte-Amrapali-1966-Lata-Shailendra

All the songs of Amrapali were sung by Lata except for one “ Nacho Gaao Nacho Dhoom Machao – a rare one that had only chorus singing the song. Apart from this the other songs , viz, Jao Re Jogi Tum , Neel Gagan Ke Chaaon Mein , Tadap Yeh Din Raat ki are all top class and deserve to be included but due to brevity , I am restricting to one. We can say “Tumhein yaad karte karte” is one of Lata’s top songs with a restrained orchestration by SJ and a very soft singing by Lata.

Aaja Re Aa Zaraa-Love In Tokyo-1966-Rafi- Hasrat Jaipuri

When we see the simple personality of Rafi and then hear him sing songs like Jaan Pehchan Ho and Aaja Re Aa Zaraa , it is simply unbelievable how he sings such westernized tunes so authentically. They say when he starts singing in front of the mic , he transforms into a different person. Remember this was in 1966 , and observe that stylish singing. He did not have any role model in HFM for taking inspiration for such a style . It is truly amusing when we hear the popular media taking only one popular music director’s name to have brought western style music in HFM , ignoring the likes of S-J, C Ramachandra, Salil Choudhury and many others. I do not have anything against that music director, i.e. R D Burman but to ignore all others and talk only about him is so biased. The main purpose of my blogsite is to cover all the artists , rather than getting fixated with one or two artists only. Coming to this song, the use of piano, violin and guitar is exemplary and so is Rafi’s singing with that vibrato that he does so effortlessly.

Baharon Phool Barsao-Suraj-1966-Rafi-Hasrat Jaipuri

In addition to the song Teri Pyari Pyari Surat Ko , this one made Rafi a household name. Rafi used this tune to sing few songs composed in Dutch and English also , in his concerts abroad , as the tune was so popular.

Titli Udi Udi Jo Chali- Suraj-1966-Sharada-Shailendra

Even I was surprised to include this song as Sharada is not a favourite singer for me , personally. Plus, it is a general talk , again no one knows how far true , that one of the reasons for S-J’s decline was Shankar’s promotion of Sharada as an alternative singer to Lata. As usual I will stay clear of the controversies! But this song made a great change in the Filmfare awards. Till then the award for best playback had only one category irrespective of whether male or female playback singer. Since this song was tied with Rafi’s Baharon Phool Barsao, a separate category for female playback singer was introduced from the next year. The tune , lyrics and orchestration in this song are good and could be said to be one of the few songs of Sharada that I like. She had serious accent issues and those days , it truly mattered. Today anything passes off as music!

If one can ignore the accent issues of Sharada , she did sing few good songs . I was also shocked to know only now, when researching for this blog that she had passed away in June 2023 and I do not remember seeing that news prominent in any media!

Duniya Bananewale-Teesri Kasam-1966-Mukesh-Hasrat Jaipuri

Whenever I write about the songs from this movie Teesri Kasam it is always with a feeling of sadness. Shailendra venturing into film production with this film despite many of his well-wishers advising him not to do that mistake completely devastated him financially and ultimately the dejection took him away from us at the early age of 43! It is even more tragic to note that the film that bombed at the box office on its release is now considered a cult classic. S-J had poured their heart into this film’s music. Each and every song is a masterpiece. Ideally I should be including all the songs from this film but restricting myself to just two.

Aa Aaabhi Jaa Teesri Kasam-1966-Lata-Shailendra

Personally, I rate this song much better than the more popular Paan Khaye Saiyyan by Asha. SJ could have kept the rhythm simple but they added a slight variation in the beats , making this a great song.

Raat Ke Humsafar-An Evening In Paris-1967-Rafi & Asha-Shailendra

One of the most famous duets of Rafi & Asha and no doubt a great song. That was a time when films getting shot in foreign locales were becoming popular and most of them had music composed by S-J. Who else to give that grand orchestration that suited a European setting?!

Taron Se Pyaare-Diwana-1967-Mukesh-Hasrat Jaipuri

A classic example of how a mediocre film can have such fabulous music. Apart from this song, few others like Deewana Mujhko Log Kahe , Ham To Jate Apne Gaon , Ae Sanam Jisne Tujhe , Tumhari Bhi Jai Jai etc were all great hits. The Shehnai played in Taron Se Pyaare sounds like a bagpiper! S-J knew exactly how to bring out the best from Mukesh.

We are still 3 years away from the end of the 60’s decade and I have completed my Part 2! Shows how S-J had dominated the 60’s with the most memorable songs of HFM. I will continue this musical journey with S-J in part 3 , showcasing their songs from 1968 till 1979, with Shankar plodding along bravely from the year 1971 , with his friend & partner Jaikishan departing in 1971. Most of his associates ditched him , including his mentor Raj Kapoor! To re-phrase the famous quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar-That was the most unkindest cut of all…….

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Hindi film songs

The golden duo: Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 1

November 1, 2024 Sivanandam Palamadai Leave a comment

Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi (15^th October 1922 to 26^th Apr 1987)

Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal (4^th Nov 1929 to 12^th Sep 1971)

Among the great legendary music directors who created immortal film songs during the golden era of Hindi film music ( HFM) , that is from late 40’s to early 70’s , there were two, who ruled at the top for almost two decades. It is very rare to see quality and quantity going hand-in-hand , but Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi & Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal could exactly do that ! They created sheer magic with their tunes that had an eclectic mix of the classical , catchy rhythm patterns, unparalleled orchestration that appealed to the connoisseurs as well as the laity. If we look at the Hindi film music( HFM) journey from the 1930’s when songs started appearing , the early years were influenced by Hindustani classical music and Rabindra sangeet style of music. They were no doubt melodious but was not that much understood and appreciated by the masses. However , when Shankar -Jaikishan ( abbreviated SJ from now onwards) stormed the music scene with the film Barsaat in 1949, there was sudden whiff of freshness in the music that was melodious and at the same time with a faster tempo and an easier format for a layman to appreciate and sing along. From then it was literally a “ barsaat” of hit songs for the next two decades, uninterruptedly.

The impact of their music was so powerful that even in regions within our country where Hindi is not the main language, their songs Like Awaara Hoon or Ramayya Vastavayya became so popular. Crossing the seas, even in far off countries where the Hindi language was unknown, like Turkey, Russia & China people could sing along with “ Awaara Hoon” ! Talking about that song , noted music director Pyarelal of the Laxmikant -Pyarelal duo once said , if one has to understand S-J , it was that accordion piece that comes immediately after that Awaara hoon line. We cannot think of that song without that piece. That , in essence , was S-J style. For their fans , every note of the preludes and interludes of the songs are almost etched in memory.

The pulse of the masses was rightly discovered by S-J . Their compositions were a heady cocktail of underlying classical raag base to which they added a fast , catchy rhythm, an orchestration with superb preludes, interludes & postludes, even to the extent of composing sad songs with a faster tempo -all these factors making them the undisputed ‘emperors ‘ of HFM till around 1970. If I can go a little overboard , I can even call them the ‘ superstars’ among music directors. They painted with a larger canvas and made songs the center-piece of a film , and started getting paid sometimes even more than the main actors ! Their names in the posters were enough to pull the crowd. With 179 films and around 1300 songs , any discussion on the golden era of HFM cannot be complete without their music. In one of his shows, noted lyricist and story, screenplay writer Javed Akhtar rightly described their music as: “till the advent of S-J , film song was a short story, but S-J made it into a novel” There can be no better way to describe .

Somehow, despite all the greatness in their career, today we seem to have totally forgotten them, more so in the so-called mainstream media, radio/TV channels that keep harping about just one or two names always! The year 2022 was the birth centenary of Shankar, and sadly there was no mention of that! That is no surprise as the film world is notorious for ignoring many such stalwarts . For Shankar , the neglect started immediately after the sad and sudden demise of his partner Jaikishan in 1971. Even more irritating is that in many of the books or blogs , whenever they talk about S-J , they start off with how the glorious music they gave initially deteriorated in their later years ( as if all other music directors did not have their creativity reducing in later years!) , their so-called rift , and again how they did not deserve some of the Filmfare awards etc. Somehow I find this repulsive and so would not talk anything about that and would, instead dedicate a two-part blog to capture their excellent music. S-J’s music has to be celebrated.

I started writing this blog on 16^th October ’24 just a day after the 102^nd birth anniversary of Shankar. By the time I complete this blog it would be closer to 4^th November which happens to be the 95^th birth anniversary Jaikishan. This blog comes immediately after my earlier one on the genius Sajjad Husain. I am wonder-struck with the contrasting variety that we had in the music of the golden era. Sajjad music became immortal with just less than hundred songs and on the other extreme end of the spectrum we have S-J with more than 1300 songs , working with some 115 different movie banners and around 100 different film directors!

One may wonder why I am going overboard in praising their music. In any creative art, sustaining the top position for two decades is definitely a great achievement , more so in the intensely competitive film industry. Also there may not be a single day when their songs are not played or remembered . Their songs were the first to transcend our borders and go to various regions like Russia , the middle-east and even Europe. One of their songs Jaan Pehchaan Ho ( from the film Gumnaan, sung by Mohammad Rafi) is strangely ignored in our country , but so many artists in Europe & USA have recreated that and even used it in a commercial advertisement for a beer brand and in the titles of a Hollywood movie Ghost World! Songs like Awaara Hoon , Mera Joota Hai Japani, Kisiki Muskurahaton Pe Ho Nisar , Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche, Yahoo!..Chahe Mujhe Koi Junglee Kahe, Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana are popular even in those regions of our country where people may not know Hindi.

At their peak , they mostly used a grand 60–70-piece orchestra ! They were the highest paid among music directors, reaching an astronomical figure of Rs 5 lakhs in the 60’s. It is a fact that many actors owed their career to the super hit songs scored by S-J in their films. They had the maximum number of silver jubilee and golden jubilee films in those days. It is said that , if the film producer was able to rope in S-J , a simple letter from the duo that they are composing music for the film , would make financiers queue up for funding the film. Sometimes the film posters used to have only “ Music by Shankar Jaikishan” rather than the name of actors and it was a guarantee for success. Only one other music director had this recognition and that was O.P Nayyar.

How these two legends joined together is interesting. They were from different backgrounds. Shankar, a Punjabi born in Madhya Pradesh and brought up in Hyderabad ( then in Andhra Pradesh & now in Telengana ) and Jaikishan , a Gujarati , born in Bansada, Gujarat. Both did not have much of formal education. But music was their passion. When these two met at the office of Gujarati film director , Chandravadan Bhatt in search of opportunities to score music for films , they discovered their common interest and that is how their association began.

Shankar started working for the Prithvi theatres that was run by Prithviraj Kapoor and he introduced Jaikishan as a harmonium player. Shankar had by then learnt to play Harmonium , Tabla, Accordion, Piano and also learnt kathak dance. When Prithviraj ‘s son Raj Kapoor made his first film , Aag in 1948 , he chose Ram Ganguly as the music director. S-J assisted him on the orchestration and Shankar was also assisting the noted music duo Husanlal -Bhagatram . When Raj Kapoor wanted to make Barsaat in 1949, he had some issues with Ram Ganguly and that is how luck smiled upon the young S-J to fetch them their first break as independent composers. Barsaat’s music brought in a huge wave in the form and style of HFM that catapulted them to the top. Initially , it is said that many other veteran music directors were initially skeptical and only C Ramachandra had remarked that one day these boys will prove to be tough competitors!

Although they composed under the joint name Shankar-Jaikishan, it is no secret that they used to compose the songs individually. However they had their trusted arranger for orchestration and percussion in common: Sebastian D’ Souza taking care of the orchestration and Dattaram Wadkar, looking after the rhythm section. It is said that Shankar’s forte was more on dance-based songs, theme-based songs and in Raj Kapoor’s films the title song was always Shankar’s responsibility. He worked more with Shailendra. Jaikishan was more into the romantic and sad songs and worked with Hasrat Jaipuri. Jaikishan was also an expert in background music. He was also more social and looked after the financial aspects. He had the skill to interact with the outside world whereas Shankar was more of an introvert , a bit short tempered , traits that would go against him after the demise of Jaikishan. He was not the party-going type unlike Jaikishan and was happy with his other hobby, that was wrestling! Many stories were written about their so-called rift post Sangam film. I read somewhere that Shankar himself denied those stories.

More than two years back , in this blogsite I had written about the golden team of S-J with their inseparable lyricists Shailendra & Hasrat Jaipuri. During those days , I was not embedding the songs and so it was just a long write up on some of their best songs. Their music is an ocean and I am sure that I would be able to pick many other songs that I could not cover in my earlier blog .

To my pleasant surprise, when I started listing out their songs , I found that I could pick an astonishing 50 songs from their debut year 1949 to 1960! And there was more to come from the decade of 60’s which was their peak! So I am breaking this blog into two parts-Part 1 covers 1949 to 1960 and Part 2 the years after 1960 till Shankar’s demise in 1987. Many music critics tend to completely dismiss the songs composed by Shankar alone , but I beg to differ and found many good songs composed by him in the 70’s. I will try to cover them in Part 2.

Songs are sequenced chronologically, as per the year of their films, with song /film/year/singer(s) and lyricist mentioned in that order.

Patli Kamar Hai Tirchhi Nazar Hai/Barsaat/1949/Mukesh & Lata / Shailendra

I have selected this song as this shows the early signs of S-J’s fabulous orchestration. Note how they seamlessly switch over from the foot-tapping part that Mukesh sings in contrast to the sober Lata’s part. The long association of Mukesh & Lata would continue for many years with S-J . With Barsaat , S-J had arrived in a grand style!

2. Tere Bina Aag Ye Chandini-Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi/Awaara/1951/Manna Dey & Lata/Shailendra

Can someone believe this song was composed around 75 years back! A classic example of their grand orchestration. Starting off slowly with Lata’s slow lament conveying the pangs of separation , the song jumps to a fast tempo with Manna Dey conveying the frustration of on screen Raj Kapoor soulfully. The violin arrangement became a trademark of S-J and stayed with them in most of their songs. Mandolin brings in the joy when Lata starts off with the lines ‘Ghar aaya mera pardesi’ with that famous dholak beats of Dattaram who was instrumental in providing a great percussion support in all S-J songs. That peculiar style of Dattaram’s dholak had a unique term in the industry-Dattu’s theka!

3. Aawara Hoon/Aawara/1951/Mukesh/Shailendra

This song could be termed as the most famous song from India, having captured the hearts of Russia , Turkey, and many other Middle-Eastern countries. It was mentioned even in the Noble -prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s novel Cancer Ward! A simple tune , but the way in which S-J composed it with the follow-through accordion, and those fabulous interludes, and last but not least , Shailendra’s simple but heart-touching poetry make this song an eternal one.

4. Ae Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal/Daag/1952/Talat Mehmood/Shailendra

One of the earliest examples of counter -melody. Note how S-J play with accordion in the antara. A simple song , but remains popular till today, with Shailendra’s poetry that touches every heart. Although Talat Mehmood sang very few songs in S-J’s direction, this one will count among his top ten without a doubt.

5. Jhoome Jhoome Dil Mera /Poonam/1952/Lata/Hasrat Jaipuri

In the 50’s Lata’s career was to a great extent shaped by S-J’s solos, a fact that she might not have attached much importance , but we , fans of Lata & S-J can very well appreciate. In this article alone there are around 11 duets and 6 solo songs of Lata-all fantastic ones. The best part in this song is the manner in which the interlude starts with that fabulous accordion playing just for few seconds only to handover the baton to those violins . All along the mandolin gives great company to Lata , with a flute that chirps like a bird in between. Tere is never a dull moment in S-J’s orchestration. They embellish each and every part of the song.

6. Aa Neele Gagan Tale/Badshah/1953/Hemant Kumar & Lata/Hasrat Jaipuri If I can rank the famous duets of Hemant Kumar & Lata , this song will definitely be in the top 10!. What a haunting superb melody , accompanied by an under-stated orchestration that has accordion , harmonium , violins with a waltz rhythm.

7. Manmohana Bade Jhoote/Seema/1955/Lata/Shailendra

For all those critics of S-J who trivialized their music as ‘copied from western music’ or ‘too loud’ , they gave a fitting reply by composing songs like Manmohana Bade Jhoote and also with all the songs of Basant Bahar. Based on raag Jaijaivanti, with that exceptional singing by Lata, S-J prove that they do not need a 60–70-piece orchestra always! They have used just a tanpoora, tabla & sarangi in this song.

8. Ramaiyya Vastavayya/Shree 420/1955/Rafi, Mukesh & Lata/Shailendra

An iconic song that is popular across our country, even in non-Hindi speaking regions! One of the best songs with three legends singing together: Rafi , Mukesh & Lata. Shankar , having been brought up in Hyderabad knew Telugu and it is said that once he, along with Jaikishan & lyricist Shailendra were waiting for tea in a small tea stall where the boy serving tea was supposedly named Ramaiyya. Shankar was calling out to him for bringing the tea -the first lines of this song in Telugu translates to” would you come , Ramaiyya” . Jaikishan started putting those words to a tune and Shailendra filled in the rest of the lines. A legendary song was born!

9. Duniya Na Bhaye Mohe/Basant Bahaar/1956/Rafi/Shailendra

As I had mentioned earlier , with the film Basant Bahar , S-J figuratively slapped their critics and proved they can compose songs with pure classical base as much as a jazz or rock& roll song. One can include all the songs from this film , but due to brevity , I am including this one and another gem of a song by Manna Dey.

10. Bhaya Bhanjana Vandana Sun/ Basant Bahaar/1956/Manna Dey /Shailendra

The music directors of the golden era were firm in deciding who should sing which song. It seems the producer & director wanted Rafi to sing all the songs of Basant Bahaar , but Shanker was very firm in insisting Manna Dey for this and few other songs in the film. What a great decision and how soulfully Manna Da has rendered this song based on Mian Malhaar raag. I literally have goosebumps whenever I listen to this song. I have read articles and seen videos , where many ignore the name of Shankar in giving a major boost to Manna Da’s career. But the man who really matters, Manna Dey always acknowledged the contribution of Shankar to his career and that is enough.

11. Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi/Chori Chori/1956/Manna Dey & Lata/ Shailendra

Should I write anything about this classic romantic song that flows through like a meandering river. Set on a base of raag Kirwani , the guitar, string arrangement with that solo violin and sarangi all playing on your ears till you are elevated to a tranquil state. Once again , it was Shankar who firmly put his foot down and rooted for Manna Dey and also gave a completely new genre to him, namely romantic songs. Manna Da , till then was mostly associated with only classical, philosophical, and sad songs. The producer was from south, the renowned A.V Meyappa Chettiar insisted on Mukesh as an obvious choice since the hero was Raj Kapoor. Shankar convinced him to listen to Manna Da and then decide! After listening , AVM , luckily agreed! All the three duets in this film were sung by Manna da. Chori Chori also fetched S-J their first Filmfare awar

12. Dil Ka Na Karna Aitbaar Koi/Halaku/1956/Rafi & Lata/Shailendra

Many a times it so happens that though the film faded away from memory , its music was not at all forgotten. I am sure that if you ask the die-hard fans of S-J , they would definitely mention this film , remembered mainly for the songs. Halaku, for me , is one among S-J ‘s superb albums. I have included three best songs from this movie-all are truly masterpieces for the excellent orchestration and catchy tunes. That famous Dholak of Dattaram , and oh God that Mandolin !! No words can do justice in describing these songs. Just listen to these 3 gems and get yourself immersed in their melody.

13. Aaja Ke Intezar Mein/ Halaku/1956/Rafi & Lata/Shailendra

The waltz like rhythm, Rafi & Lata ‘s great singing , the strings and cellos that come in waves and that mandolin making its presence felt in between only to fade away at the blink of the eye! Sheer magic…

14. Yeh Chand Yeh Sitare / Halaku/1956/ Lata/Shailendra

It appears that a most of us have forgotten this gem. I have very rarely heard this played even in the good old Vividh Bharati. Just observe that percussion arrangement, the interlude with guitar and mandolin pieces throughout the song.

15. Aaye Bahar Banke Lubhakar/Rajhath/1956/Rafi/Hasrat Jaipuri

With Rafi, S-J could give peppy Yahoo style songs and at the same time come out with such soulful melodies also. Here he has literally poured out his heart into the song. Rafi’s singing directly touches your heart and that is why they remain evergreen. Knowing this , S-J kept the orchestration to the bare minimum and let the master take over!

16. Bol Ri Katputli Dori/Katputli/1958/Lata/Shailendra

During the 50’s , S-J had composed so many songs like this one for Lata that brought out the best in her. Once again , a lesser-talked about and recognized fact is that S-J were instrumental in taking Lata to the heights of her popularity. Sadly , she herself had not acknowledged this much except in one or two occasions. Apart from being a masterpiece to listen to , this song is a visual treat. Vyjantimala did not require any elaborate costume or setting. In the simplest of the setting and dress, she pulls off a scintillating dance and emotes the song on screen to perfection . Truly great !

17. Aate Jaate Pehloon Mein aaya koi/Yahudi/1958/Lata/Shailendra

Continuing on the same lines from the earlier song, one more rare solo of Lata in S-J’s composition that has a superb dholak.

18. Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai/Yahudi/1958/Mukesh/Shailendra

Somehow S-J could always bring out the best in Mukesh. With very simple orchestration, S-J proved in this song they could create the same magic with Mukesh , not singing for Raj Kapoor in a R.K Film banner , but for Dilip Kumar in Bimal Roy’s film!.

19. Tera Jaana Dil Ke Armanon/Anari/1959/Lata/Shailendra

That interlude alone deserves all the awards in the music industry!! What a magnificent prelude and interludes. Piano & string arrangement in this song are simply out of the world. Not to forget one of Lata’s most soulful rendering. Most of S-J ‘s songs have three antara , but this one just has two but that is enough to prove their innovative variations.

20. Yaad Aayee Aadhi Raat Ko/Kanhaiyya/1959/Mukesh/Shailendra

One lesser-heard gem from Mukesh-SJ -Shailendra combination with a slow pace and that typical low octaves in which Mukesh was absolutely sweet. Note the conversation that the violins have with Mukesh every time he asks “ kist baat ki tauba”. I could have also included the other song “ Mujhe Kuch Bhi Na Chahiya “ which is more popular…with S-J it is always a difficult choice .

21. Dheere Dheere Chal Chand Gagan Mein/Love Marriage/1959/Rafi & Lata/Hasrat Jaipuri

Only the words say “ Dheere Dheere chal” ; S-J’s tune, zooms like a formula 1 race! One can sense the pace right at the beginning with those violins and guitars playing at a frenzied pace. Most of the S-J fans can identify the song just by listening to few seconds of the prelude! And when you have two greatest romantic voices behind the microphone , what else do you need?

22. Kahe Jhoom Jhoom Raat / Love Marriage/1959/Rafi & Lata/Shailendra

If anyone accuses me for being too much biased towards Lata & Rafi, it is OK. I accept with all humility! It is impossible for me to ignore these immortal numbers! It is a well-known fact that many music directors used to say that when they have Rafi & Lata , they do not have any restrictions in composing the tune at any pitch or any scale or range or tempo. S-J utilized their skills to the full. The uniqueness of S-J ‘s interludes , ably assisted by Sebastian and Dattaram is that they become a painter who steps back , looks at the painting and keeps adding few strokes of the brush repeatedly till the painting becomes masterpiece. Almost all the interludes of S-J are like exquisite paintings!

23. Duniya Walon Se Door/Ujala/1959/Mukesh & Lata/ Shailendra

While researching for this blog I was surprised to note that during the early 60’s a whole lot of Hindi film songs were recreated in far-away Greece by many singers. This was absolutely new information for me. I only knew about Awaaara Hoon being recreated in Turkey . There is a nice Greek version of this song Duniyawalon Se Door . The prelude with those bongos beat and that combination of mandolin and xylophone ( I hope I am right in identifying the instruments) sets the mood of the song. The mood they create is as if the lovers, true to the words, duniyawalon se door jalnewalon se door aaja aaja chale kahin door, are running away. S-J can create sheer magic with their tunes that conveys the entire emotion of the song. That is why they were the emperors!

24. Ajeeb Daastan Hai Yeh/Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayee/1960/Lata/Shailendra

One more song that was recreated by a pop group called Ivy York in 2010, almost 60 years after Ajeeb Daastan Hai Yeh was composed. No doubt, S-J ‘s composition was inspired from Jim Reeve’s song “My lips are sealed” , but if one can keenly observe they had just taken the first line only. The preludes, interludes were superbly embellished by them and that is why I hate when critics of S-J keep harping about their so-called plagiarism. Many-a-times they had made it even more beautiful than the original one. For that matter most of the legendary music directors had, on few occasions , had taken inspiration from others , but that stamp was always made on S-J!!

25. Aa Ab Laut Chalen/Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai/1960/Mukesh & Lata/ Shailendra

A song of epic proportions! It is said totally there were more than 70-80 artists ( violin , cello, guitar, percussion etc and a huge number of chorus singers ) apart from the main singers Mukesh and Lata. The entire orchestra couldn’t be accommodated within the recording studio and some had to even spill over to the corridors. In order to avoid disturbing noise from outside , they recorded this at the dead of night so that there was no traffic noise! We can only imagine what S-J would have done if they had today’s modern technology. The alaap of Lata at the end and the climax of the song is something that gives one goosebumps.

With these 25 songs, I complete the Part1 of my blog. Hope I have been able to pay my tribute to these great composers , whose music will never fade away in hundreds of years to come. I will come up with its sequel soon. Maybe I need part3 also , if the list becomes too long! With S-J one can never have enough!

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer

I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

You Tube
Wikipedia

Music Unrestricted

Tag Archives: shankar-jaikishan

The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 4

The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 3

The golden duo-Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 2

The golden duo: Shankar-Jaikishan-Part 1

Let's talk music!