Darshana - the science and spirituality behind Hinduism

 

Raja's third book delves into Hinduism, the science and spirituality behind the religion that puts humanity above any belief system. It is the most syncretic religion ever and never choose to enslave, kill or terrorize humanity to meet its belief system. Most if not all of its systems are rooted in science and a deep understanding of the cosmos.

A simple example is the five mantras any practicing Hindu chants prior to eating a meal.

Om Pranaya Swaha - representing the flow of energy governing the thoracic area associated with the heart and respiratory systems.

Om Apanaya Swaha - governs the abdomen providing energy for the large intestine, kidneys and concerns primarily with expulsion of waste

Om Vyanaya Swaha - pervades the whole body focusing on the act of free movement

Om Udanaya Swaha - governing the neck and head, activating all the sensory receptors such as the eyes, tongue, nose and ears, responsible for the erect posture of the body, sensory awareness, and the ability to respond to the outside world

Om Samanaya Swaha - focuses on the area between the heart and the navel, activating and controlling the digestive system: the liver, intestines, pancreas and stomach, and their secretions, additionally it relates to kundalini and expansion of consciousness.

Om Brahmane Swaha - offering all that i am ( which i am not ) to the supreme universal life force.



Distinguish between a social evil and a spiritual representation

Hinduism believes in true equality, non withstanding the insidious attempts of the conversion driven agenda from some insidious sects. A classic case is casteism - often touted as a spiritual obligations of Hinduism. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The term "Casta" is NOT an Indian or Hindu term and is not found in any ancient Hindu literature. It's a Portuguese term used often to denote social rank in feudal Europe based around royalty and aristocracy (pretty much like what obtains in the UK to this day as we observed during the Platinum jubilee celebration). The Indian / Hindu term 'Varna' simply means classification and is NOT hereditary but based solely on one's disposition (sva-bhava) and one's actions (karma). Unlike European aristocratic norms, this is NOT hereditary or hierarchical in any sense of the word and examples abound in our Scriptures that establish this beyond reasonable doubt. Indeed, our Scriptures emphasize the fundamental Oneness of all things in this Universe (be they human or otherwise and be they living or not).

Attention - Troll Ahead: Why does Pakistan have a better reputation compared to similar countries like India and Bangladesh, etc.?

 I just answered this question on Quora and thought makes for a reasonable epistle for my nascent blog!

To start with 'Similar countries?' I am not even going to respond this abysmal level of illiteracy, idiocy and ignorance.

This question must have been asked by one of those brain washed Pakistanis trolls who are fed a constant narrative of hyper-Muslim ideology and their alleged religious superiority.

All the Pakistani or Bangladeshi restaurants I’ve been anywhere in the world - over 100 countries - advertise themselves as ‘Indian’..only when you enter one, you realise it is actually a Bangladeshi or Pakistani owned outlet! I struggle to think of one that proudly advertises itself as “Pakistani restaurant” - even smaller and less known nations like Nepal have restaurants proudly identifying them as such! Including one in Lisbon where I enjoyed a great meal a few weeks ago.

Pakistan’s reputation (or lack of it) is well documented; a hot bed of religious fundamentalism, nuclear proliferation, a puppet of whoever spends enough on its corrupt rulers, the fountainhead of Islamist Jihad terror and held together by a tattered fabric of hyper-religious nationalism. And dole from whoever is available to grant a few dollars.

Bangladesh - on the other hand - doesn't suffer from a similar deeply detestable reputation and there is some rationale to it. It has a vibrant clothing industry, jute and rice production is huge. and its global denizens are far more ready to call themselves as ‘Bangladeshis’ as opposed to the Pakistani restaurant owners or shop keepers who brazenly pass themselves off as Indian to an unsuspecting non-South Asian diaspora. Though all this is changing under the present blatantly anti-Hindu government. 

India’s reputation as a deeply democratic nation, with a well rounded judiciary (some strange comments on the former BJP spokesperson notwithstanding), active independent press (some may argue too anti-BJP or anti-Hindu with some degree of truth), rule of the common law (well delayed definitely) and a world leader in several areas from Software to renewable energy is well established. It doesn’t need any further validation from the brain washed religious fundamentalist nations

Science and spirituality in Hinduism

 I’m sure you would agree that Science is essentially pursuit of knowledge, usually knowledge that benefits humankind. As Richard Feynman said - "Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt."

The Vedic philosophy in turn believes in pursuit of Knowledge & wisdom!

Science focuses on the brain.

Vedic philosophy (refer to Nukra Sutra, Rg Veda) focuses on the mind-fulness and consciousness - while asking for the ‘brain’ to remain still to observe.

Very early in the Rg Veda is the Gayatri Mantra (actually the 3rd Samhita) - which essentially means - “Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine Light. May he inspire our thoughts, stimulate our understandings.” Note second sentence. How beautiful is the thought - ‘inspire our thoughts (as a social being, integrity) and ‘simulate our understandings’ (as a scientist; can we ask more?).

Some would comment that faith is only necessary when it comes to matters of religion and that science is based on empirical evidence. Although this sounds nice, it’s not 100 percent accurate. For example, we all believe in the existence of the atom. But how many of us have actually seen an atom with their own eyes? I’m not denying the existence of the atom. Nor do I dis-believe the people who have measured its existence. The point made here is that we are placing faith in those who have done the experiment and we are accepting their results - empirical or otherwise. We are placing faith in the few who have done the experiment.

Similarly as beautifully explained in the Atharva Veda, the Guru who can teach you to ponder, to consider, to reason is the one who is critical to one’s search for truth. Note: Nowhere in any of our Hindu scriptures say anything about ‘you have to do something’…it merely suggest and asks you to ponder, to envision, to think, to consider and often both the right and wrong are equally correct! Schrodinger’s cat anyone? :)

I was speaking at a seminar last year (in Buenos Aires of all the places!) on ‘Spirituality and Science’ and the example that resonated with the audience was the entire logic of a temple construction. Re: the Moola-Sthanam (Garbha-graha) - why is it that we cross 4 concentric rectangles?

Moola = root Sthanam = location / place (as in Paki-Sthan and Afghani-sthan)

Most Hindu temples - in South India which is still in reasonable form - thanks to less Islamic barbaric invasions and wanton destruction; are in the form of four concentric rectangles and the devotee normally circumambulates each of these concentric rectangles before reaching the centre-most point, Moola-Sthanam (unless the devotee happens to be a VIP or a "special darshan ticket-holder" :-). 

Each of the 4 concentric rectangles represent the 4 "koshas" (sheaths) that the devotee has to shed before reaching the Supreme Brahman as described in the Taittiriya Upanishad - Brahmananda Valli

The outermost rectangle represents the gross-body made of food (usually the part of the temple where you find the chappal-wallahs, the food stalls...etc), then the Prana-maya representing Prana, the Mano-maya kosha representing mind and emotions, the Vijnana-maya representing intellect and reasoning and finally, at the centre, the Moola-Sthanam representing the formless, shapeless and all pervasive Para-Brahman (& this isn’t really ‘God’ as used in Abrahamic philosophy…happy to explain the difference to someone interested).

The temple-journey hence is a metaphor for the journey of life, from physical needs through emotional through intellect and finally, that which lies beyond all the previous four koshas - the Moola (root) of all of this Universe! And that is the essence of my religion! Not something that preaches death and destruction. And most Hindu philosophers and gurus like Sadguru never advocate ignoring scientific approaches, they focus primarily on how you can remain sensible and calm, look inward and search for truth! We seem to derive great pleasure in finding faults with him & other Hindu gurus (& they are human beings with warts and all - perhaps a lot less than many of us, at least yours’ truly) while ignoring the rabid rants of other religious leaders whose sole aim is either power or money or both and they choose jihad and violent means to achieve their ends. Thats what makes me sad and sometimes angry.

The problem with this is - one needs to read, interpret and assimilate logically to review and either accept or reject the theological assertions. In Hinduism it is almost a way of thought - thats how this religion (if one may call it that) is structured..

Consider, for example, a passage from the Nasadiya Sukta, or Hymn of Creation, from the Rg Veda … it presents various possibilities as to how the universe might have come about, and concludes by (rhetorically!) exclaiming:

...Who really knows, and who can swear, // How creation came, when or where! // Even gods came after creation’s day, ?? Who really knows, who can truly say // When and how did creation start? // Did He do it? Or did He not? // Only He, up there, knows, maybe; // Or perhaps, not even He.

All it does is make you think and consider options!

Casteism and Varna

 Thanks to some ignorant, half-witted folks in the US, there has been a sudden resurgence of Casteism and its alleged Hindu roots.

A few points merit thoughtful consideration:

1. The term "Casta" is NOT an Indian or Hindu term and is not found in any ancient Hindu literature. It's a Portuguese term used often to denote social rank in feudal Europe based around royalty and aristocracy (pretty much like what obtains in the UK to this day as we observed during the Platinum jubilee celebration)

2. The Indian / Hindu term 'Varna' simply means classification and is NOT hereditary but based solely on one's disposition (sva-bhava) and one's actions (karma). Unlike European aristocratic norms, this is NOT hereditary or hierarchical in any sense of the word and examples abound in our Scriptures that establish this beyond reasonable doubt. Indeed, our Scriptures emphasize the fundamental Oneness of all things in this Universe (be they human or otherwise and be they living or not)

3. Any 'sizing up' that occurs in the Bay Area or any other place where Hindus/Indians suddenly find themselves in senior management roles (thanks to their focus on education and an upbringing / management style based on humility) is purely social and professional snobbery to figure out somebody's place in the pecking order inherent in every society in the world - based on one's pedigree, place and size of residence, make of one's vehicle, school and university attended etc. Nothing unique to India / South Asia and of no relevance to the Hindu Varna system.

I am going to debunk this myth that 1. the root of casteism in Hindu and 2. its existence is purely a Hindu/Indian phenomena

The first is actually the easier one.

Ancient Hindu texts like the Vedas, the Puranas and the Shatapatha Brahmana explicitly mention that the involvement of the Shudras in Vedic rituals is essential, and that reverence to the menial / hard working / karmic folks pleases Brahman. The Shukla Yajurveda as an example (16.27) says: ‘Homage to you carpenters and to you chariot makers, homage. Homage to you potters and to you blacksmiths, homage. Homage to you boatmen and to you Punjishthas, homage. Homage to you dog-leaders and to you hunters, homage. This is the Veda that deals with everyday living - the essence of Dharnic living - righteousness.

Some of the greatest Indian kings were ‘Shudras’ by definition - coming from classes usually engaged in non-hereditary menial work. Even the greatest of the modern Indian kings - Shivaji - comes from the Bhosle class. It is quite interesting that - in 1674 - when Shivaji was crowned Emperor, Marathi priests from Pune actually visited Kashi and spoke about the Scriptural impact of a menial class King becoming Emperor. That great priest of Kashi; Bishweshwar Bhatt, who had immense knowledge of Vedas, Puranas, Smriti and politics, issued a certificate that Shivaji could and should be crowned Emperor as nothing in the scriptures precludes any hereditary rationale for rulers - someone thinking of the coronation of Napoleon a century later?

The first great Empire in India was the Maurya dynasty - again coming from menial classes! Like the Mauryas and Marathas, there are other examples of Hindu dynasties that came from the lower castes – the powerful Cholas, Hoysalas, Chalukyas and the Rayas of Vijayanagar. Two well-known castes that go against the grain of caste are the Lingayats of Karnataka and Nairs of Kerala. The Lingayats, who claim equality with, if not superiority to, Brahmins, have priests of their own caste who also minister to several other non-Brahmin castes. The Nairs, who come under the Shudra category were soldiers and commanders in the king’s army.

Strangely - for the caste supposed to rule and inflict atrocities on other classes as per modern pseudo intellectuals: there are hardly any sustained example of Brahmin kings!

I argue that Casteism is essentially a British phenomenon fostered on an Indian public that was bereft of true spiritual leadership in the early part of the 19th Century - principally by folks like Lord Macaulay whose policies were drafted and implemented to systematically destroy the inclusive and humanitarian ethos of the Hindu mind.

Nicholas B. Dirks, Chancellor of the University of California, has conducted an exhaustive study of how the British transformed Indian society for the worse. In his ‘Castes of the Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India (2001),’ he says the concept of caste hierarchy was a British construct. For instance, before the emergence of British colonial rule, ‘kings were not inferior to Brahmins’, and ‘[u]nder colonialism, caste was thus made out to be far more – far more pervasive, far more totalising, and far more uniform – than it had ever been before, at the same time that it was defined as a fundamentally religious social order,’ says Dirks. Further, ‘In fact, however, caste had always been political – it had been shaped in fundamental ways by political struggles and processes….What we take now as caste is, in fact, the precipitate of a history that selected caste as the single and systematic category to name, and thereby contain, the Indian social order…In pre-colonial India, the units of social identity had been multiple, and their respective relations and trajectories were part of a complex, conjunctural, constantly changing, political world. The referents of social identity were not only heterogeneous; they were also determined by context. Temple communities, territorial groups, lineage segments, family units, royal retinues, warrior sub-castes, ‘little’ kingdoms, occupational reference groups, agricultural or trading associations, devotionally conceived networks and sectarian communities, even priestly cabals, were just some of the significant units of identification, all of them at various times far more significant than any uniform metonymy or endogamous caste groups. Caste was just one category among many others, one way of organising and representing identity'.

In 1798, English Orientalist Henry Colebrooke wrote: ‘Daily observation shows even Brahmins exercising the menial profession of a Shudra.’ Dirks’ claims are backed by Indian authors. M.N. Srinivas explains in Castes in Modern India: ‘It is well known that occasionally a Shudra caste has, after the acquisition of economic and political power, Sanskritised its customs and ways, and has succeeded in laying claim to be Kshatriyas.’ Srinivas cites the Raj Gonds, originally a tribe, but who successfully claimed to be Kshatriyas after becoming rulers of a tract in Central India. ‘The term Kshatriya, for instance, does not refer to a closed ruling group which has always been there since the time of the Vedas,’ he says. ‘More often it refers to the position attained or claimed by a local group whose traditions and luck enabled it to seize politico-economic power.’

Dirk further writes: ‘Within localities, or kingdoms, groups could rise or fall (and in the process become more or less caste-like), depending on the fortunes of particular kings, chiefs, warriors, or headmen, even as kings could routinely readjust the social order by royal decree..’ demonstrating that caste has nothing to with hereditary privilege but a mere vocational parameter - a ‘Varna’ in Sanskrit and Hindu texts.

S.S. Ghurye of Bombay University explains in Caste, Class and Occupation (1961) how the British infused caste identity among Indians by the simple task of conducting a census. The ‘nice grading of contemporary groups provided a good rallying point for the old caste-spirit’ he writes. Several caste advocacy groups were formed and these groups wrote petitions to the British, requesting a higher rank in the hierarchy to be drawn up by the census authorities'. 

Rajni Kant Lahiri, Professor of Hindi, University of Kanpur, writes in the European Conspiracy Against Vedic Culture: ‘The British rulers documented caste and tribe in all its complexities in the gazetteers and counted it in census operations from 1881. For 1911 census, Herbert Risley, the commissioner, went a step further and said the census had also to identify ‘social precedence as recognised by native public opinion’. It means the caste had to be located in the ritual and social hierarchy and it was to determine which caste was high, which intermediate, and which low. It was a divisive game played by the western rulers to divide and rule and reduce Hindu society into many fractions.’

The British, of course, were thoroughly pleased with the outcome of their social re-engineering. Administrator and diplomat Lepel Griffin believed caste was useful in preventing rebellion, while James Kerr, the principal of Calcutta’s Hindu College wrote in 1865: ‘It may be doubted if the existence of caste is on the whole unfavourable to the permanence of our rule. It may even be considered favourable to it, provided we act with prudence and forbearance. Its spirit is opposed to national union.’

In fact - it is the Christian Church that was instrumental in dividing humanity into various castes! As Ghurye writes: ‘It is well to remember in this connection that even the Roman Church, in its desire to propagate its faith, was prepared to accommodate caste in its practical programme, though it was opposed to the humanitarian principles of the Church. Pope Gregory XV published a bill sanctioning caste regulations in the Christian Churches of India.’ In Ancient India, as mentioned earlier; Hindu texts like the Vedas, the Puranas and the Shatapatha Brahmana explicitly mention that the involvement of the Shudras in Vedic rituals is essential, and that reverence to the lower classes pleases Brahman.

Another hymn (18.48) from the Yajur Veda (reason for quoting Yajur as opposed to the other 3 Vedas is that this one deals with everyday living!) says: ‘O Lord! Please fill the Brahmanas with light, the Kshatriyas with light, the Vaishyas with light and the Shudras with light; and in me fill the same light.’

It is a measure of the enlightened nature of Indian society that it accorded great respect to the working class. In contrast, most other civilisations treated labourers and agriculturists as property. In Athens, only 10 per cent of the population had the vote; the majority were slaves.

The Bible is rampant with comments on slavery, however - not one Biblical figure, including Jesus or St. Paul, is recorded as saying anything against slavery, which was an integral part of life of Judea, Galilee, and in the rest of the Roman Empire during those times. For example - Take this passage from the Bible, 1 Timothy 6:1-2: ‘All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing (Christian) masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers (Christians). Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.’

On the other hand, ancient Indian history is littered with examples of men who crossed the so-called great divide. Take Veda Vyasa, who wrote the Mahabharata: his mother was a fisherwoman. Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, was a Dalit in today’s parlance. Several celebrated rishis (seers) hailed from lower castes – Jabali’s mother was what one would call a prostitute today. Aitareya, who wrote the Aitareya Upanishad, was born of a Shudra woman. Parashara, the revered law-giver, was the son of a Chandala, the lowest of the Shudras, who live with the dead. Vishwamitra was not a Brahmin but a Kshatriya. Again, Saint Thiruvalluvar, who wrote the Thirukural, was a weaver. Kabir, Surdas, Ramdas and Tukaram, who are revered as saints, came from the humblest echelons of Hindu society. And please - this is purely an observaton to be taken with a pinch of salt (& pepper!) - Unlike Jesus, who had to be whitened and given blond hair in order to be accepted as the son of God by Europeans, Indian saints did not have to undergo any cosmetic surgery to be accepted by the masses.

In summary, as Krishna says in the most important Hindu philosophical treatise - Bhagvata Gita: ‘Birth is not the cause, my friend; it is virtues which are the cause of auspiciousness. Even a Chandala observing the vow is considered a Brahmin by the gods.’

On the other hand, it is worth reviewing Casteism in Europe. When westerners poke India with the caste prod, they should look back at their recent history. John Campbell Oman, who was a professor of social sciences at Government College, Lahore, wrote in Caste in India (1907): ‘…certain epochs the law in Europe has compelled men to keep, generation after generation, to the calling of their fathers without the option of change…In England an ancient enactment required all men who at any time took up the calling of coal mining or dry salting, to keep to those occupations for life, and enjoined that their children should also follow the same employment. This law was only repealed by statutes passed in the 15th and 39th years of the reign of George III; that is in the lifetime of the fathers of many men who are with us today. A more striking European example of a compulsory hereditary calling, common enough in the Middle Ages and down to the last century in Russia, is that of the serfs bound to the soil from generation to generation.’

Edward Alsworth Ross offers a detailed account of Europe’s caste system, which lasted till the beginning of the 19th century in Principles of Sociology (1920): ‘In Prussia (modern Germany), not only men, but land too belonged to castes, and land belonging to a higher caste could not be purchased by an individual belonging to a caste lower than that. This provision was abolished by the Emancipation Edict of 1807.’

Another oppressed community was that of the Cagots of France: ‘They were shunned and hated; were allotted separate quarters in towns, called cagoteries, and lived in wretched huts in the country distinct from the villages. Excluded from all political and social rights, they were only allowed to enter a church by a special door, and during the service a rail separated them from the other worshippers. Either they were altogether forbidden to partake of the sacrament, or the holy wafer was handed to them on the end of a stick, while a receptacle for holy water was reserved for their exclusive use. When a Cagot came into a town, they had to report their presence by shaking a rattle, just like a leper, ringing his bell…Some of the other prohibitions on the Cagots were bizarre. They were not allowed to walk barefoot, like normal peasants, which gave rise to the legend that they had webbed toes. Cagots could not use the same baths as other people. They were not allowed to touch the parapets of bridges.’

I end with one interesting data point: The percentage of blacks in US prisons is higher than blacks jailed by the former Apartheid regime of South Africa. And the wealth gap ratio between the average white family and the average black family in American is 18:4 – that’s greater than the wealth gap between the two races in Apartheid South Africa.

Need I say more?

Can we learn from History?

 Its the occasion on India's 75th Independence day - a day which most observers in the 1940s would have probably bet against! A prediction of a badly divided India, an India degenrating into a hotbed of militant fundamentalism, a nation unable to fend for itself was the common reported opinion when India managed to rid itself of its yoke of British imperialism.

India has proved its doubters wrong in many aspects - it remains a vibrant democracy, rule of common law remains common (delayed perhaps!), it has made significant progress as a self-sustaining economy (atma nirbhar Bharat!) and for the first time in several decades - we have a leadership team deeply committed to ethical and inclusive development. sabka saath - sabka vishwas!

However on this occasion, I decided to publish an article I drafted a few months ago about a movie I saw. It impacted me so much that I took over 4 weeks to pen the initial draft and only now - as I take a flight from India to Sydney via Bangkok; I get around to completing it and publishing it on landing back in Sydney.

A long time back as a young man with long hair, I watched Spielberg’s Schindler’s List in one of the many movie theatres that dot central Calcutta. It affected me deeply. Like it did to many of us. The movie made me read about the holocaust and contemplate deeply about what makes human beings behave with such utter depravity.

I read The Gulag Archipelago, the seminal Alexander Solzhenitsyn three part volume over the course of a year while ‘studying’ for my final year engineering in Varanasi. Alexander’s original Russian prose translated into English was evocative and a young man about to start his career in this world; mesmerising in its intensity.

I read with increasing horror Madhusree Mukherjee’s Churchill's Secret War over the course of 2 months through the Sydney lockdown - not because it was that thick a book but it took me time to digest what was written and to get over the horror the sheer evil Churchill and the English government perpetrated on a hapless Indian public. It was probably the toughest book I ever read (far tougher than ‘An Introduction to Chemical engineering’!). I think it needs to read by every right thinking person to understand the depths of human depravity, this well researched, no-holds barred book makes Gulag Archipelago feel like Enid Blyton. At least 3 million Indians were starved to death by the ‘policies’ of the British at a time when India provided the largest support to the Allied forces fighting the other equally evil Axis forces.

I watched Sardar last year, that incredible slow burner on the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in 1919 and wrote a blog about it. My epistle gave way to some strong opinions but I stand by what I said - we need to learn from history otherwise we are condemned to repeat it. And repent when it is too late.

I watched Kashmir Files a few days back. And my first feeling was - we need to learn from ths no-holds barred depiction of recent history.

It took me a week to get over the initial shock the movie left me with. In my opinion: It is the most disturbing movie ever made, and I have watched a few. It is actually a true story - Vivek Agnihotri and team have made this after over 700 interviews of people impacted, a decade and more of meticulous research has gone into this and had the advantage of getting some of the best actors ever to grace Indian cinema star in the film - can we contemplate a finer all-round actor than Anupam Kher? From playing a 70 year old man at the age of 28 in Saaransh (1984) to playing the evil villain Dr Dang in Karma (1986) to the irreverently funny father in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), this man has done it all. Kashmir Files is his finest role yet. He is quite simply unbelievable & the question needs to be asked - is this the finest performance by any actor in any movie in any era in any language?

My mind wandered to Alec Guinness playing Colonel Nicholson - which was in my opinion, the finest performance by anyone in a Hollywood film; and who suddenly felt far less real than when I had first watched Bridge on the River Kwai as a 15 year old in Navina cinema in Calcutta. Anupam in The Kashmir Files makes the intensity and steadfastness of Alec pale in comparison.

A bit of history - little known outside India and even in India tightly kept under wraps till a non-Congress government came to power in 2014: 700,000 Kashmiri Hindus are in exile for 3 decades. They are the Gandhi without guns. As Gurumurthy said, taking up guns is not in Hindu blood because it is not in Hindu philosophy. Only theologies & ideologies which covert the world take to arms. Hindus suffer from paradox of tolerance. It is Hindus who need protection from State because they rarely take to arms. Just imagine - in which other country can a million people be refugees in their own country - displaced out of their age-old homeland because one particular religion acolytes are now the majority in that region? It can only happy in India and can only happen to Hindus - sadly. It became a state where beheading swords and loud guns were constantly heard, grammar and epistles are no longer. A place where Muslims constantly taunted their Hindu neighbours, raped and vilified their daughters, sisters, mothers and daughters; besides their customs and beliefs.

This movie lays bare the unfiltered evil of Muslim Jihad and its inhumane approach to anything remotely deemed un-Muslim or as per the book they follow. I think we need to define evil here, evil is not merely something that is bad. Evil i think is a completely different creature. Evil believes bad is justified, its activity is essentially brutal violence divorced from humanity or conscience. The Jihad Ideology is what gives evildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination.

This evil has been depicted in visceral realism and horror - all with a a pliant administration scuttling down any murmurs of protest from the hapless Hindus. it is more Proustian than Proust - the corruption of academia, the inability of the good to fight against evil, and the failure of appeasement politics, are all viscerally laid bare in the movie.

This movie needs watching, more importantly the story needs retelling; it needs soul searching - why does a religious entity need to indulge in such horror and brutality to satiate its teachings?

But I think these terrorists and the people (almost all the Kashmiri muslims unfortunately) aren't the biggest problem. The biggest problem sits somewhere else. They sit in air conditioned offices to defend them. if only these (& this includes folks like yours’ truly) had used the appropriate means to protest government indifference, the scale of the tragedy would’ve been far less.

As our learning - can we at least stop defending such ideologies and people? And learn from History - appeasing a particular community or religion or cult will only make things worse for the next generation. Bullies cannot be appeased. They have to be pushed back. The issue for democratic, humanity based order in countries like India is that the enemy is not just beyond its walls. It is here, among us. Men and women, some of them highly placed, some of them obscure, but all believing genuinely in the Jihadi aims and the Islamic creed and desiring to substitute that sternly efficient inhuman creed for the muddled easy easygoing liberty of our democratic institutions. Just consider - for merely sharing a Facebook post 'I stand with Nupur Sharma', Kanhaiya Lal was arrested, made to apologise, given no security despite several calls to behead him by the Islamists. He was beheaded within days of getting bail. In the same country, Munawar Faruqui is telling his jokes making fun of Hindu culture and its Gods under state security.

Can we start with ensuring the safety of folks like Nupur Sharma whose only fault was to quote from the Koran? And from Salman Rushdie - himself of a fatwa for over 3 decades and now lying in a hospital ICU as a victim of this fatwa who writes - 'A poem cannot stop a bullet. A novel can't defuse a bomb....But we are not helpless, we can sing the truth and name the liars'.

The GOATs of Hindi film music - an analysis of the greatest music directors in the history of Bollywood cinema

Over the holiday break in December 2020, I did a fair bit of driving around the Australian east coast. The drive from Sydney up to central Queensland is a long one - about 15 hours of driving time through some gorgeous scenery and gave me ample time to listen to Spotity and ruminate on Bollywood music, the music directors that made Hindi Film Music and some of their amazing compositions that stand the test of time. While driving early one morning from Gold Coast to Harvey Bay, I was listening to Talat singing for Shanker Jaikishen (SJ) and my thoughts turned to how this great singer dominated the early fifties before losing out to Rafi and Mukesh in the singing stakes. Then my mind wandered around to the great Music directors who used Talat effectively when he was at his tremulous soft silken peak in the early fifties after making his debut in Hindi cinema with Arzoo, 1950 singing 'Ae Dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal' for his mentor Anil Biswas, pictured on a pensive Dilip Kumar. Picking some of Talat’s great songs is something I’m going to leave for my next blog because by then my mind had meandered to considering a definitive list of the greatest Hindi music directors ever - especially when one considers the era when melody was queen!  While entering a petrol station in Sunshine Coast, I considered the idea of blogging on the top 5 best music directors in the history of Hindi Film Music and soon realised as I got back into my car to drive further north into Queensland; that it is a task not for the faint hearted. It’s tough, one needs to be brutal to reject more than choose; and dispassionate about the criteria to utilise for this exercise.

A discussion of this nature is easy with a Shanker Jaikishen (SJ). They were prolific (their 100th film Prince was released in 1968 a mere 19 years since their first), they dominated music industry like no one ever has done before or since (9 Filmfare awards in 20 years), they demonstrated incredible variety - from the pathos laden Daag, 1952 (with Talat!) to the classical Basant Bahar (1955). In between they kept pace (in fact created the pace) for the rumbustious Shammi, demonstrated their command over classical dance music; even Carnatic classical - the opening Thillana in Chori Chori, 1956 by ML Vasantakumaj is worth mentioning; and allied the soft and sentimental with vigorous violins and accordions to create something as unique as Andhe Jahan Ke Andhe Raaste (Patita, 1955) with its revolutionary counter melody strains. 

Or the choice is easy with O P Nayyar as the one true consistent competition to SJ during the fifties till the mid-sixties and for whom SJ composed the Love Marriage (1959) Rafi solo, Teen Kanister Peet Peet Kar as a gentle dig to his ‘westernised’ inspiration for his music. 

The discussion becomes more interesting when we consider a Sajjad, the tart mouthed genius whose tunes and impositions on the nuances of the voice made even the great Lata doubt her ability and prepare significantly more when called to render for him (witness Wo to chale gaye ae dil) from the same Sangdil, 1954 that featured the incredible Talat solo - Ye hawa ye raat ye chandni. Sajjad Husain did few films but left an indelible impression on the minds of music lovers. He created soothing melodies for posterity, which to this day lead music lovers into a world of melody and silken soft music. If you haven’t heard the songs of Sangdil, please do! And listen to Saiyyan, 1951 which happened to be a remake of the classic Duel in the Sun and featured amongst others this peppy Rafi number pictured on Sajjan (later famous as the Vetal in the serial Vikram aur Vetal in the 80s on Indian television).  Hear Us paar is deewar and let me know if Sajjad could keep rhythmic pace with the great innovator Chitalkar Ramachandra himself!

And where do we place the little known Chitragupta - father of the better known (at least, to this generation of music aficionados) but arguably less talented musical duo Anand Milid who brought melody back into a parched musical scene with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988. It’s quite an incredible data point - Chitragupta used the sonorous voice of India’s greatest male playback singer, Rafi; more often than anyone - bar Laxmikant Pyarelal (LP) and SJ, a whopping 225 times (379 and 330 to LP and SJ respectively). Much more than a Naushad (114 songs) with whom the popular imagination as a Rafi acolyte is often written. If you haven’t heard Rafi singing for Chitragupta hear this heart stealer from Oonche Log, 1965 a remake of the K.Balachander directed Tamil hit Major Chandrakant that gave the screen name of Rajnikant to a certain Sivaji Rao Gaekwad! Or this brilliant Rafi number pictured on Sunil Dutt (Main Chup Rahungi, 1962) to appreciate the melodic genius of Chitragupta. 

This discussion on the GOATs perhaps become quite uncertain and complex when we consider a Laxmikant Pyarelal who despite dominating the music firmament post SJ, never really created a unique proposition but remained as a less-tuneful extension of SJ. Do we give them pride of place for their domination of the early/mid to late 1970s post the sad and untimely demise of Jaikishen in September 1971?

Where do we place the genius of Salil Chowdury who despite a penchant for 'lifting' western classical music (Itna na mujhse tu pyar from Chhaya, 1961 is a straight lift from Mozart 40th Symphony) was a trendsetter in his own right - witness the music of Bimal Roy's Do Bhiga Zameen (1952) and Madhumati (1958).

And can we ignore the multi-faceted Roshan or the Hemant Kumar mentored Ravi Shankar Sharma who won two Filmfare awards (Gharana, 1962 with the Rafi heart stealer Husnawale tera jawab nahin beating SJ's Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti hai and Naushad's Gunga Jamuna and Khandaan 1966 beating SJ's Arzoo) at the height of the SJ domination. Or the great Madan Mohan who redefined ghazals in Hindi film music besides bestowing on Lata some of her greatest tunes. 

Finally, where do we place the enfant terribles of Hindi Film music - the irrepressible Chitalkar Ramachandra, the innovative R.D. Burman and the man who re-took Indian music to global heights - A.R. Rahman each of whom found a place in my earlier post on the most innovative music composers ever.  

Enough of rumination, let me think who would be my first choice music directors.

#5 Naushad: The titan of Indian classical music, the man who almost defines Hindustani classical tradition in the Bollywood music industry, an institution who gave KL Saigal his last great musical (Shahjehan, 1946 where the the great Rafi played chorus to Saigal in Mere Sapnon ki rani, ruhi, ruhi), he is an easy choice to make and a difficult one to leave out. He defined Hindi music in the forties and early fifties; continued to be a great music director (but not very prolific) all through the sixties (his last great musical was probably the Dilip Kumar - Sanjeev Kumar starrer - Sunghursh, 1968 with those intensely romatic Rafi solos (Jab dil se dil takrata hai and Ishq Diwana Husn bhi ghayal). Naushad won the very first Filmfare award for music for the incredible Rafi number (yes, Lata did sing a couple of lines at the very end, but let's perhaps ignore it for the moment?) from Baiju Bawra (Tu Ganga Ki mauj main jamuna ka dhara ).

Naushad was the music director for Hindi film's first diamond jubilee - Rattan (1944). There are several interesting anecdotes about this movie and its iconic songs - one of them concerns Naushad's wedding! Naushad's father disapproved of music in general and had no idea about how big Naushad had become post Rattan. When Naushad's marriage was fixed by his parents in his hometown of Lucknow, his dad mentioned to the bride's family that his wastrel of a son was a tailor instead of something as disreputable as a musician! And to make the cycle complete, the wedding band played the songs of Rattan little knowing the man who composed those tunes was the one getting married! And in Padosan (1968) when Sunil Dutt is asked by Kishore Kumar the sings he knows, the only song he claims to know is O Janewala balamwa laut ke aa  exhibiting the influence of Rattan a quarter of a century later!

He unfortunately became typecast as the musical icon for the Dilip Kumar movies by the fifties (despite a great pairing with Rajendra Kumar - witness Mere Mehboob, 1964 and Saathi, 1968 in which he worked with Mukesh after a break of 20 years after Andaaz, 1948) and when Dilip began losing his way, Naushad did too. But, in a long career from the mid-forties to the seventies; Naushad was the one fixed spot in an ever-changing Hindi Music universe; forever traditional, forever melody driven. forever classical and rather unfortunately, forever unchanging. 

And which is the song that defines Naushad for me? A very difficult choice but if I’ve to pick one then has to be the Rafi classic from Kohinoor, pictured on Dilip with lyrics by Shaheel Badayuni! Hear Madhuban mein radhika naache set to Raag Hamir.

#4 C Ramachandra:  if Naushad was the fixed spot in the changing universe, CR wielded the magical baton that made the universe dance to his boisterous beats right from 1947 when he composed the Zany Aana Meri Jaan in the P.L.Santoshi helmed Shahnai, 1947. 

Just an interesting fact – P.L . Santoshi was the father of Raj Kumar Santoshi who gave us all those blockbusters in the nineties with Sunny Deol (Ghaya, Ghatak etc). 

At the same time CR could deliver traditional classical based songs - witness Anarkali (1952) which, in my considered opinion was as good a musical as the magus-opus Mughan-e-Azam (1960), based on the same fictional story but made on a significantly smaller budget than the Mehboob Khan helmed version. 

It’s a little-known fact that CR gave more songs for the emerging phenomenon of Rafi to sing in the forties than Naushad, the quality of songs Rafi sang in the forties for CR were vastly superior to the songs he sang for Naushad in the same decade. It was only in the fifties with the advent of Talat that Rafi fell off the CR composing favour - but even then; cometh the complex song, cometh the Rafi voice (Dekh were samsara ki haalat, Nastik 1954); Yeh Hasrat Thi Ke Is Duniya Mein Bas Do Kaam Kar Jaate (Nausherwan-e-Adil, 1957)! 

Again, CR’s verve and mastery led him to be chosen for Lata’s non-film magnum opus - Ae mere watan ke logon, zara aankh mein bhar lo paani, sung by the diva at the Republic Day celebrations in 1963, a little over 8 weeks after the end of the brutal war with China; a song that is said to have moved Jawaharlal Nehru to tears! 

For me, CR epitomised variety in his composing universe, other than SJ; no other music director has given such an incredible array of musical idioms; the zany Ina Mina Dika as a tandem double with Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle (Aasha, 1957,  Kishore version, Asha version, the soulful Ye zindagi usiki hai (Anarkali, 1952), the wistful Kehke phi na aaye tum (Safar, 1946), the melancholic Hum Kitna Roye (Shin Shinaki Bubla Boo, 1952) and the incredible dance numbers in Azaad, 1956 (Appalam Chhappalam pictured on the electric heeled pair Sayee - Subbalakshmi) and the Tamil magnum opus Vanji Kottai Valipan, 1958 ( Kannum Kannum Kalanthu) - perhaps the finest dance number ever in the annals of Indian cinema; the funny Ek din Lahore ki thandi sadak par (Sagai 1951), the lilting Bechain Nazar Betaab jigar (Yasmeen 1955), the intensely romantic Kitna haseen hai mausam (Azaad 1956), the classical Kaise jaon Jamuna ke set in Raag Bhairavi (Devta, 1956); the list and variety is literally endless. 

And what is the one song that typifies the quintessential CR? Try listening to the ode to the zany - Jap Jap Jap Re sung by Mukesh (only one of the two Mukesh songs rendered for CR my research could identify!) for Raj Kapoor in Sharada (1957). Typically zany, typically unique, typically uplifting, typically CR!

CR was an easy entry for me in this hallowed list!

#3 O P Nayyar:  if CR wielded the magical baton that made the universe dance to his boisterous beats; OPN took the dancing to another level altogether setting the scene with India's answer to Elvis Presley (a little less of the pelvis though given the distinct Indian Victorian sense of propriety) with Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1955) re-launching Shammi Kapoor after a series of flops. 

OP was the sole competitor to SJ during the golden period of Bollywood music and the true trendsetter in the mid to late fifties. He was instrumental in launching and tapping into the great Asha with whom he had a live-in relationship for several years ending only with perhaps the finest Asha song ever sung for OP (Chain se humko kabhi aapne jeene na diya, Pran Jaye par vachan na jaye, 1974) which even the great Shanker praised as an incredible composition. 

OP from the mid fifties onwards gave a series of blockbusters rivalled only by his stubbornness! He never composed for Lata - which is a well-known fact - but a little less known fact is his refusal to work with Sahir Ludhianvi (& by extension BR Chopra) even after the super success of the Filmfare award winning score in Naya Daur (1957). The story goes that he heard Sahir disparagingly refer to SD Burman after the success of Pyaasa (1957) as he felt the success was due to Sahir's urdu poetry and not due to SD's composing acumen; and OP evidently mentioned that if Sahir cannot respect his fellow music composer SD, how can he be expected to be respected! Idiosyncratic, rebellious, egoistic, firm…lots of epithets but none really defined the individualistic OP!

OP’s control over the musical idiom was complete and perhaps no one experimented with singers like he did - including never utilising the voice of Lata Mangeshkar at a time when she was numero uno (perhaps all the way up to numero centenar!). He used Shamshad Begum especially during the early fifties, Geeta Dutt during the early to mid-fifties, Mahendra Kapoor as a Rafi clone in the late sixties when he fell out with the genial singer and used Ustad Amir Khan to sing Raag Lalit as the title of Raagini (1958). But his music will always be associated with the verve in Asha's voice, the lilt in Geeta's and the mischief in Rafi's. 

The other interesting aspect of OP was his remarkable use of musical instruments. Other than SJ, the only other composer I often hear something new even with a song I have heard several times. As an example, consider his use of the Sarangi. The poor sarangi usually has a rather limiting role often as mournful accompaniment to melancholic songs in Indian cinema. OP Nayyar took the sarangi out of the confines of pathos and melancholy and brought in into the realm of the peppy and boisterous. OP gave it a feel-good melody, a fast pace; I could suddenly realise the joyfulness in the sarangi; just hear 'Yeh Kya Kar Dala Tune’ (Howrah Bridge, 1958). Or consider the innovative use of the santoor in Jayia aap kahan jayenga (Mere Sanam 1965, one of the many remakes of Roman Holiday!). But in my opinion; OP's abiding contribution to film music and the use of instruments was the use of the Spanish percussion instrument - Castanet. On one my numerous visits to Spain, I once played Lakhon Hain nigaho mein (Phir wohi dil laya hoon, 1964) and my predominantly Spanish speaking friends pounced on the use of the Castanet! They felt it was amongst the most lilting music they had ever heard!

So, what is the one OP song that defines the man – his rebelliousness, his innovation and his simplistic approach to creating great music. Lots of choices ranging from the sonorous Rafi rendering Sahir's Aana hai to aa raah mein (Naya Daur 1957) to Mahendra Kumar doing his best Rafi impersonation in Lakho hai yahan dilwale (Kismat 1968); from Geeta's melancholic Ae Dil Ae Diwane (Baaz, 1952) to Shamshad & Kishore romantic Mere Needon mein tum (Naya Andaz, 1956)...the list is vast and diverse. But for me; if I have to pick one number; it is Talat crooning (playing the anti-hero on screen too!) Pyar bas to nahin hai mera lekin (Sone ki chidiya, 1958). Like OP and his idiosyncrasies, it is everything the usual OP signature is not – no dholaks, no castanets, no table rhythms…just pure melody and romance with the occasional Asha interjections. Brilliant. And yes it is a tandem with the Asha version too, this was removed from the film though!

#2 S.D.Burman: SD was a genius and I shall start with with  an extract from SD Burman’s biography by Khagesh Dev Burman: “In a musical performance (circa 1937 in Calcutta), Sachin was listed to perform after Saigal. Saigal had to sing a few more songs than scheduled on popular demand. He had to ignore further requests in order to keep his next appointment for which the organizers had already arrived. Almost at the gate, Saigal came to a sudden halt and stood like a statue. Sachin had started singing ‘Ami chhinu eka’. It had not been recorded as yet. Overwhelmed, Saigal sat down in a chair. He was dumbfounded. Was it not his song! It was he who had rendered the tune in Khambaj for the first time in ‘Kaun bujhave Rama tapat mera man ki’, a thumri. But in Sachin’s voice, the intoxicating tune had been transformed completely. A feeling of solitude and loneliness filled the hearts of the audience. They were swept away on the waves of the anguish-laden melody – surpassing the tune, beyond the dictates of Khambaj – a mix of thumri and folk, which rose, reached a crescendo and then fell only to rise again. Saigal sat mesmerized till the song ended. He came to senses at the cry of joy from the audience. Such was the magic of Sachin’s style, the enchantment of his tune. “

But here we are not to discuss SD the singer but SD the musician and the genius of SD was how he cast the Bengali pathos laden strains of Ami Chinu Eka to Teri Bin Sooni in the sonorous voice of Rafi (with more than a little help from Lata)!

SD’s command on Indian folk and Hindustani classical music was complete - just think of the the classy Manna Day singing for Dev Anand as Tak dhum tak dhum baje from Bambai Ka Babu (1960), written to tune by Majrooh Sultanpuri (after SD’s refusal to ever work with Sahir despite the massive Pyaasa success) and hear the original folk number Tak dhoom tak dhoom baje Bangladesher dhol. Or the thumri and folk laden Alo chhaya dola set to dance tune as Pawan diwani on the beauteous Vyjayanthimala in Dr Vidya, 1962. Or the magnificent Rabindrasangeet jodi tare nai chini go seki  set to tune as Tere mere milan ki ye raina (Abhimaan, 1973). The examples of artfully using the rich Indian folk music and transforming into a Bollywood special was SD’s greatest contribution to Indian cinema, making many aware of traditional art forms and their various musical instruments

That and encouraging and bringing the genius of Kishore Kumar the singer; to our midst. 

Kishore may have actually made his solo singing debut for Dev Anand in the Khemchand Prakash helmed song Marne ki duaen kya mangun (Ziddi 1948) -  but it was really SD who tapped the genius in Kishore’s voice giving him hits after hits in the fifties starting from Mere Labon pe  (Baazi, 1951) and  AVM’s Bahar -1951 Qusoor Aapka, huzoor aapka (picturised on Karan Devan; this movie saw the introduction of Vyjayanthimala), continuing with Munimji, 1955 (Jeevan ke safari mein rahi,), Taxi Driver, 1954 (Chahe koi khush ho,) and many more all the way till SD's last film Mili, 1975 (with the great Kishore solos Badi Sooni sooni hai and and Aye tum yaad mujhe). Taxi Driver won SD one of his two Filmfare awards - this one for the Talat crooned Jayen to Jayen kahan at a time when the award was given for an individual song, not for the movie. His second award came a full two decades later for Abhimaan (1973) attesting to the fact that he never lost his touch till the very last in 1975. In fact SD used Kishore for a duet in his very first Bollywood film (O Rangeela, Shikari - 1946).

SD was an incredibly versatile and talented musician and while his partnership with the Navketan productions was legendary, it was his ability to pick the right singer for the right tune was quite simply the best that ever was. Whether it was on Dev Anand in Teen Devian (1965) or for Solva Saal (1965) Rafi - by SD's own admission, the best singer ever in Hindi film cinema - had to compete for vocal superiority with Kishore and Hemant respectively. And when Hemant’s voice was just slightly deteriorating, he dropped him like a hot potato after lavishing a dozen of the finest creations on him starting from Jaal (1952, Ye raat, ye chandni phir kahan) to Baat Ek Raat Ki (Na tum hamen jaanon) where again Hemant competed with Rafi (Akela hoon main - besides 4 duets)! Even in Guide (1965), Kishore found space with the Late duet (Gata rahe mera dil ) while Rafi got the lion's share of the male vocal spoils (the philosophic Dil dhal jaaye, the melancholic kya se kya ho gaya and the romantic Tere mere sapne). Even the great Rafi was rarely used post the late sixties - the last SD-Dev song was for Gambler (1971) - Mera Man tera pyaasa by which time SD felt that Kishore’s voice matched and perhaps exceeded Rafi in its tonal quality. 

For someone as incredibly talented as SD, it took him a full decade since he made his Bollywood debut in Shikari (1946) to reaching the top most echelon joining CR, Naushad, OP and SJ with Pyaasa (1957) but through the fifties and sixties he gave consistently great music ranging from the intensely romantic Khoya Khoya Chand (Kala Bazaar, 1960 ) to the wistful Tu Kahan Ye Bata (Tere Ghar Ke saamne, 1963), from the classy Piya Tose Naina lage re (Guide, 1965) to the classical Nache man more magan (Meri Surat Teri Ankhen, 1963 where the great tabla maestro Shamta Prasad himself played to SD’s direction), from the dreamy Hum Bekhudi mein tumko pukare (Kala Pani,1958) to the dramatic Dil Aaj Shayar Hai (Gambler 1970) from the pithy Ankhon mein kya ji  (Nau Do gyarah 1957, starring the real life newly married pair of Dev Anand and Kalpana) to the philosophical Sahir penned Ye duniya agar mil phi jaaye to kya hai (Pyaasa, 1957). 

SD fell out with Lata in the late fifties during the making of Sitaron Se Aage (1958) - with its magnificent Lata thumri song starting with a beautiful sitar Pag Thumak Chalat Bal khaye and the two fabulous Rafi solos (Zara Ruk Ja Pyare, Sambhalke, Yeh Duniya Hai both pictured on the inimitable Johnny Walker). In the same movie, SD used Asha’s vocals for three solos (Roye Jiya, Aan Milo, Chanda Ki Chandni, Aaj Kal Parson) and then proceeded to lavish some incredible compositions on Asha in the Nargis starrer Lajwanti and I rate one of them (Koi Aaya Dhadkan kehti hai) as one of the best Asha songs ever and the lullaby - Chanda Mama, Mere Dwar Aana, Leke Kirnon Ke Haar Aana (an Asha duet with Manna Dey) is sung to this day in the Hindi speaking heartland to children!

But come Guide (1965), come Lata and SD used his son RD to make peace with the Diva. Typical SD - he just knew how to get the right singer! After all it was a case of Piya Tose Naina lage re can easily mean Piya Tose Gaana aaye re! The variety, the longevity (til his last days he never lost his touch - just listen to Abhimaan 1973 or Talash 1969 with the great Manna Dey sung Tere Naina Talaash karen set to Raag Asavari) and the range of SD makes him an easy one to enter this hallowed list.

How does one summarise SD’s repertoire in one song? It ranges from Geeta Dutt’s first solo hit in Do Bhai (1947) and Ashok Kumar singing in his nasal twang in Shikari to Manhar Udhas crooning for Amitabh Bachchan in Abhimaan. The number of years of delivering consistently great music is SD’s greatest claim to fame as his position as Number 2 in this list of mine, which makes is so difficult to pick one of his songs to represent the great man. A great deal of thought later I plonk for the atmospheric Apni to har aah ek toofan hai (Kala Bazar) - a Rafi classic if there was one, at once soothing and serene, romantic and restrained, subtle and scandalous - the sheer mischief! Imagine flirting with the girl in front of her parents And this is a Vijay 'Goldie' Anand classic too - the picturisation of this song makes everyone recognise the genius of Goldie and his status as amongst the two best song-takers of all times, Raj Kapoor being the other.

#1 Shankar Jaikishen:  I started the epistle on the second best of all times with an extract - I start the epistle on the best with a video of the second best speaking about the best of all times. It is fair to say that without SJ, Indian film music as we know today would not exist. They made their entry in the grandest style possible with Barsaat (1949) as the musical marvel breathtaking in its originality, melody, rhythm and commercial success; leading Mehboob Khan telling his Andaaz (released a few weeks prior to Barsaat)  music director Naushad 'Andaaz Barsaat mein beh gaya!'. Literally it meant that the music of Barsaat - itself meaning rain - swept away his Andaaz! 

Barsaat was a truly watershed moment in the annals of Indian film music. For the first time, the economic power of film music became evident, it featured the first cabaret, established Lata as the most significant singer (male or female) in Indian cinema, sad songs got a lilt and rhythm, the violin replaced the sitar as the language of love (hear the amazing take on the Hungarian Rhapsody)and created the phenomenon of Shankar Jaikishen who dominated the Hindi film music firmament like no one ever did, before or after. 

Barsaat established RK films as arguably India’s all time biggest studio, gave its biggest romantic movie couple in Raj & Nargis, created music as enabling cinematic content instead of a backdrop and for the first time Indian music became global with Raj and Nargis mobbed from Beirut to Moscow. In summary, post-Barsaat musical narratives within melodramas and the deployment of sound and music—including songs—were transformed. as Madhuja Mukherjee writes in The Architecture of Songs and Music

The range, versatility, sustained class, the elegance of their compositions, their adept mixing of genres & styles, the innovative approach to composition from musical idioms to background music and their ability to make little known movies a commercial success make SJ the numero uno in the history of Indian film music. No one came anywhere close to them - they were the Amitabh Bachchan of Hindi film music. Whether they were giving music for Raj Kapoor or his brother Shammi, for little known Nasir Khan (the younger brother of Dilip Kumar) or for the beauteous Bina Rai making her debut in Nagina 1951 , SJ gave it all. In tandem with their favourite lyricists, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipur; they transformed Hindi film music and their hits kept on coming firmly establishing them as the most sought after music directors in a short span of 3-4 years. At their peak, they were often paid more than the lead actors! Their first and only movie without lyrics from either Shailendra or Hasrat (College Girl 1959) resulted in Shailendra penning a short note to Shanker (Chhoti Si ye duniya/pehchane raste hain/kabhi to mileage/tp poochenge haal) which SJ promptly turned into a super hit song (the Late Kishore tandem from Rangoli 1962)!

They composed every genre of music under the sun and when there was a strike in the late sixties they composed jazz - in their own inimitable style - calling it Raga Jazz Style!.

SJ composed the finest rock and roll song in the annals of Indian cinema (the original for the Raja Nawathe produced Gumnaam which was a take on Agatha Christie's And Then there were none and listen to this - sung by a Belgian band at a concert in Salvador, Brazil in 2017!). 55 years later this song till makes one shake a leg or two! Even folks like me blessed with two left feet!

They composed one of the only two songs composed in Raag Madhuvanti sung by Mohammad Rafi and Krishna Rao Chonkar putting paid to Anil Biswas’ comment on their lack of classical pedigree when Basant Bahar which he was supposed to compose music for; was instead given to SJ at the behest of the financiers. And how well did they answer Anil’s tart comment in Basant Bahar! They got Pannalal Ghosh to play the flute in Main piya teri to their tunes and their metre in Raag Bhairavi;  put the two greatest classically trained singers Manna Dey (Sur Na saje in Raag Pilu; Bhay Bhanjana Vandana sun hamari - Raag Miyan Malhar) and Rafi (Duniya na bhaaye mohe ab to bulaa le - Raag Todi & Badi der bhayi badi der bhayi – Raag Pilu) through their musical paces and got Manna to sing and win against the redoubtable Bhimsen Joshi in the final climax competition (Ketaki ghulab joohi champak ban - Raag Basant)! Not to be left behind, they got Lata to sing in Raag Jhinjothi the evocative Jaa jaa re jaa baalamwaa besides pairing with Manna for the Bhairavi based Nain mile chain kahaan!

They created the musical pace with Shammi Kapoor as India’s less pelvic thrusting answer to Elvis composing for him the zany Aiyiya Succu Succu (Junglee, 1961 mistakenly said to be copied from the Argentinian Albetro Cortez’s classic Sucu Sucu) to the melancholic Is rang Badalti duniya ko (Rajkumar, 1965); from the romantic Aye Gulbadan (Professor 1961) to the wistful Dil Ke Jharoke main (Brahmachari 1968); their range was nonpareil. 

SJ were the first to use orchestration as the core to their music - a 100 piece orchestra no less! Listen to the orchestration in a melancholic number like Chhod gaye baalam (Barsaat, 1949) or the breezy Dheere chal ye bheegi hawa (Budtameez, 1961); the SJ imprimatur is evident in its evocative orchestration.

The finest dance numbers in Bollywood music were composed by SJ (yes superior in quantity if not in quality anything the great CR composed) - often composed by the Kathak trained Shanker who once had the temerity to recommend changes to some steps to Vyjayantimala - herself amongst the finest of classical dancers while dancing to Jao re jogi tum jao re (Amrapali, 1967). Take this amazing dance-off music in the same film, can we think of anything more 'dance-worthy?'. For Chori Chori 1955 - a take off from Frank Capra’s It Happened one night; SJ composed one of the finest Lata-Asha duets ever - Man Bhavan ke ghar jaye gori besides composing the Czech motif based Jahan Main Jaati Hoon 

It often written that Raj Kapoor was the reason for the success of SJ but the truth is far more layered than that. They received only one of their nine Filmfare awards for an RK film (Mega Naam Joker; 1971 - the last collaboration), they didnt win it when RK Productions was at its musical & commercial peak - Shri 420, Jis desh mein Ganga behti hai, Sangam). Their sweetest music was composed for everyone - just listen to Chandrama Madhbhara (Patrani1956) and let me know if there is a silkier song ever composed! Or listen to Lata crooning Mohabbat ki dastan aaj suno for Helen making her cinematic debut ( for the Kishore Sahu - Bina Rai starrer Mayurpankh, 1954). Yes, indeed RK saw the potential in SJ and gave the young men their break but SJ had the talent, dedication and commitment to grab it with both hands and create music the like of which had never been heard before! If anything RK owes SJ a lot more considering the global phenomenon RK became - especially in West Asia and Eastern Europe where they all actually thought RK was singing the songs - not merely lip syncing to them!

 

SJ innovated constantly giving less talented singers like Subir Sen key songs to sing at pivotal moments in the movies (even for the ebullient Shammi in Boyfriend 1961 & for Rajendra Kumar in Aas ka panchi 1963) introduced the concept of counter melodies (Patita 1955); used Manna Dey - till then the purveyor of patriotic and classical songs - as a romantic foil to Lata (Chori Chori, Shree 420, Baghi Sipahi and many others) created the first cabaret, composed a song in two completely separate genres (the rumbustious Mukesh rendered Patli Kamar hai & the Lata singing Bichad gayi main ghayal hirani, the first dream sequence (10+ mins of pure listening pleasure)  and started the trend of asking lyricists writing to their tunes!

In summary, SJ made Indian film music the global force it has now become. And choosing the one song thus becomes such a difficult choice! How do we choose between the playful Ille bell aa re (Kali Ghata) the classical Man mohana Bade Jhoote in Raag Jaijavanti (Seema 1955), the romantic Baharon Phool barsao (rated by a BBC pool in 2019 as the finest Bollywood song ever and copied by Jem - Come on Closer) , the intense Dost Dost na raha (Sangam 1965), the orchestra laden Andaz mera mastana (with its 2 min+ music at the start of the song - Dil Apna Preet Parayi, 1961), the silken two sided Lata sung Aayi aayi raat suhani, the frolicsome Kishore keeping pace with Nakhare wali, dekhne mein wo hai (New Delhi 1956) - the choice is immense. SJ’s songs have stood the test of time more than any composer ever and their compositions like Awara and Shri 420 are sung by kids across the length of breadth of India - the accordion motif in Awara instantly as recognisable as the National Anthem. And not just in the Indian subcontinent - several years ago I met a cab driver in Menlo Park, California who sang the entire song in his Russian accent and here is a video of two Caucasian men playing this in Toronto! 

So the one song for me amidst this galaxy of remarkable songs is this amazing Pyar Hua Ikrar hua (Shree 420) with the brilliant RK picturisation as India’s finest song taker coming to the fore as ‘Hum na rahenge tum n rahoge; Phir bhi rahengi nishaniyan’ as three kids from the Kapoor family walk in their raincoats through the rain! 

SJ is an easy choice for the greatest ever!