Panchhi jaa peechhe raha hai bachpan meraa …. Evergreen are the melodies Naushad composed in his salad years. ‘Only someone moving up from the pavements of Bombay knows what it feels like to be getting a neat Rs 500 at the end of each month,’ notes Naushad. Naushad as seen here in early 1942, when he was but 22.
Nainon mein preet hai hothon pe geet hai …. All nine Naushad songs in the 1950 Dastan featured Suraiya. That chanteuse reveals how her swan song for this composer (centre) – put over with Lata Mangeshkar – was recorded by Naushad’s chief assistant Ghulam Mohammad (right), early in 1952, for Diwana. (This photograph relates to early 1947.)
Gaao taraane mann ke ji …. Some competition Naushad faced and yet he remained unfazed – as we see here in mid-1952. (L to r): Roshan, Jaikishan, Anil Biswas, Hemant Kumar, C. Ramchandra, sitarist-composer Mohammad Shafi (Naushad’s assistant from the outset), Naushad Ali and Madan Mohan – a galaxy presenting the picture of how our music vintaged.
Taqdeer jagaa kar aayi hoon …. If fortune favoured her, it smiled upon Naushad even more – from the point at which this composer turned Lata Mangeshkar into the voice of Madhubala as Dulari in November 1949. Lata was one singer whom Naushad encouraged to ‘experiment’ till the instant of recording. His song-sheet almost bore her imprint! (This photograph relates to March 1954.)
Teraa khayal dil se bhulaaya na jaayega …. Never could Suraiya forget how Naushad’s 1949 Dillagi catapulted her to the peak as a singing star. Suraiya’s 54 songs for Naushad from 11 films rank as all-time hits. (This photograph relates to mid-1959.)
Naushad, Raj (Dastan) Kapoor, Mohammed (Tum se izhaar-e-haal kar baithe) Rafi and Rajendra Kumar (in early June 1964: during Sangam special show time). As this composer’s confidant, Rajendra Kumar wanted Naushad, at the piano, to ‘do a Dilip Kumar’ on him by attuning ‘the voice of Raj Kapoor’, Mukesh, to his visage in a remake of Mehboob’s Andaz (1949).
Koee saaghar dil ko behlaata nahein …. Teetotaller Naushad (viewed in mid-1964) with Mohammed Rafi and Shakeel Badayuni, who wrote no fewer than 316 songs in 30 films for this composer. Rafi’s 149 renditions for Naushad eternalize the two as the team supreme.
Ae husn zaraa jaag tujhe ishq jagaaye …. As a pianist himself for starters, Naushad made, first, Dilip Kumar in Andaz (1949) and, then, Rajendra Kumar in Mere Mehboob (1963) ‘sound’ near-ethereal on the keyboard. The author (in May 1967) did his jottings as Naushad played, to him, his finest tunes on the piano.
Taqdeer bani ban kar bigdi …. Her luck ran out as Shamshad Begum began to be marginalized by a Naushad driven by ‘the compulsion of competition’ – as he described the Lata ‘happening’. Shamshad and Naushad are viewed together on 11 February 1970 at her Nite during which our composing monarch publicly acknowledged the Begum’s big hand in his success.
Meri laadli ri meri laadli ri bani hai …. Naushad with the author during his only child Shilpa’s first birthday on 6 December 1972 at the P. J. Hindu Gymkhana on Bombay’s Marine Drive Seaface. Naushad’s strength lay in the fact that he never missed out on a social occasion.
‘Team Naushad’ (in April 1977) – it is complete but for his eldest married daughter Zubeida being away in California. (L to r): Fehmida, Saeeda, Sami-ur Rehman (Raju Naushad), wife Ahliya Naushad, Mohammad Iqbal, Naushad Ali, Mati-ur Rehman (Rehman Naushad – the eldest), Waheeda, Farida and Rasheeda. ‘I could put my own eleven in the field!’ quipped Naushad.
Bekas pe karam keejiye Sarkar-e-Madeena …. Recognizing this one as the author’s pet tune from the (1960) Mughal-e-Azam, Naushad (in his Carter Road, West Bandra music room) cast the Lata–Madhubala Shakeel-written torch-song, inside five minutes, in five different raags in mid-April 1977.
‘Awaaz de kahaan hai ….’ Naushad conducts as Noorjehan renders, solo, her dream duet (with Surendra) from their Anmol Ghadi (1946). An unforgettable moment of tuning it was as the ‘Malka-e-Tarannum’ returned to India after 35 years to perform at Bombay’s Shanmukhananda Hall on 10 February 1982.
The highly honoured niche that Naushad commanded in our music world was buttressed by the 1981 Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement, bestowed upon him by President Sanjiva Reddy (left) in New Delhi on 27 April 1982. (At right is the then information and broadcasting minister Vasant Sathe.) The Padma Bhushan, coming to Naushad in January 1992, alone eclipsed this rare honour.
Face to face, yet they never saw eye to eye – Talat Mahmood and Naushad (in end May 1986), both hailing from Lucknow. After the mood singing that our ghazal wizard did for the ace composer on Dilip Kumar in Babul (1950), Naushad created a sensation by replacing him with Mohammed Rafi on the Tragedy King in Deedar (1951).
Do sitaaron ka zameen par hai milan aaj ki raat. At the presentation night of the Double Platinum Awards for the musical success of Awaaz De Kahan Hai (on 18 March 1990), trojans Naushad and Dilip Kumar shared the stage and many a moment of musical togetherness. In 20 years (October 1948 to October 1968, Mela to Sunghursh), the two did a record 15 films together.