Exponents of ghazal gayaki
Nivedita Khandekar

POPULAR singing duo, Bhupinder and Mitali Singh have carved a niche for themselves in the music world with their inimitable rendering of ghazals.

"Its the rich poetry in ghazals that has attracted us. A sher (couplet) is equivalent to a thousand words. It has its unique appeal. That is what made us choose it, says Mitali. Bhupinder couldn’t agree more.

Analysing how ghazal came out of the collections of a handful of connoisseurs’ collection and grew popular among the masses, Bhupinder says, "earlier, because of the classic Urdu used in ghazals, it was very hard for the common man to comprehend its deeper meaning. But today, with the use of simple lyrics, in Hindustani, as we call it, the common man finds it easy to understand and appreciate the beautiful poetry in it."

Bhupinder, who sang into limelight the superhit number of the film "Haqeekat", Hoke mazboor mujhe usne bhulaya hoga..., never looked back.

His other ever popular songs include, "Dil dhundata hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din.... ("Mausam"), Beeti na bitaye raina.... ("Parichay"), Ek akela is shehar mein... ("Gharonda").

Born at Amritsar and brought up in Delhi, Bhupinder was very familiar with music since his childhood though he was not much into it during the early years.

"But I had it in me and my father knew it well", he says.

His formal training in music started under the tutelage of K.L. Tahim. Bhupinder worked as a casual artiste for Doordarshan and AIR in school days and also played the Hawaian guitar during college days.

Inspired by his father, he was always a great fan of Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar. And fortunately, for the very first song he sang, Madan Mohan’s Hoke mazboor..., he got a chance to sing with those very people. When it comes to classical music, it’s Bade Gulam Ali who endears him.

He also worked as a studio musician with R.D. Burman for nearly 15 years. He cut his first EP in 1965.

Mitali was born and brought up in Bangladesh. She comes from a family where art and music is a way of life, where everybody is associated with some form of music, be it vocal or instrumental. She has been learning classical music since childhood under her guru Mithun Dey.

She used to sing for Bangladeshi TV and radio and also has a few popular numbers of Bangladeshi films to her credit. Mitali was honoured with the country’s national award.

Later, on a Government of India scholarship, she came to Baroda to do her masters in music. She also did M.Phil from SNDT, Mumbai.

Speaking about her inspiration in her field, Mitali says, "I have been listening to Lataji and Ashaji since my childhood. Bengali singers Sandhya Mukherjee and Aarti Mukherjee are also my favourites."

It is Pt. D.V. Paluskar and Bade Gulam Ali Khan who she admires the most in the classical category.

The singers got married in 1983 and since then, it has been a journey together to explore the various facets of music and singing. "Sahil" was the album where they worked together for the first time.

The ghazal came with "Aap ke Naam", "Sharmate Sharmate", "Tauba Tauba", "Aapas ki Baat", "Ek Haseen Sham" to name a few older ones and "Nasheman", "Tu Saath Chal" being the more recent ones.

Their latest album "Kuchh Intezaar Hai" includes the duo’s favourite Saeed Rahee-penned Shamma jalaye rakhana.... Another unique feature of the album is the Apna koi mil gaya... rendition which follows the "sawaal jawaab" pattern, with Bhupinder asking the questions and Mitali answering.

"This album is not just an offer to the traditional connoisseurs of ghazals, but a gift for them in the new millennium", they say.

Though the singers believe in "listening" to enjoy ghazals, they have brought this album on the video format too.

"Visual medium has its own impact, we will agree. And it was necessary from the marketing point of view. But more than anything else, through videos, one can popularise the treasures of ghazals among the MTV generation", says Mitali.

Bhupinder says, "It’s important that the storyline matches the mood of the ghazals. If that is taken care of, then there is no harm in going for the audio-visual combination. Basically, the visuals should be complimentary to the poetry".

Mitali loves to watch romantic movies and also movies with dominant drama element while it is the English action movies that captivate Bhupinder. They also love to read poetry apart from listening to all kinds of songs in various languages. Bhupinder, incidentally, does not listen to other ghazal singers to retain his individuality.

He has also composed music for a few songs. But then, what is more challenging for them — composing or singing to other’s tune?.

"When I am composing, I naturally have a lot of freedom, whereas singing other’s composition is a greater challenge", Bhupinder says.

And, what do they prefer — singing live to the audience at the concerts or recording in the studio? the duo’s reply is unanimous — live performances. While it’s the immediate response of the listeners which gives inspiration to Mitali, it the freedom at such renditions which is more satisfying to Bhupinder.

But for both, concentration and hard work is the key — they conclude. PTI

Bhupinder – Hauntingly 'Hummable'

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For most of his three decades as a singer, he may have teetered on the side of classicism, yet he has assiduously cultivated his popular appeal. Which is why the easy laid-back charm that he exudes is deceptive. Bhupinder Singh personifies melody. And the songs he sings never go out of fashion.

Haqueeqat’s vintage Ho Ke Majboor Mujhe Us Ne Bhulaya Hoga or the hummable Dil Dhoondhta Hai Phir Wohi Fursat Ke Raat Din, or Ek Akela Is Shahar Mein, the music still haunts so also the voice that made these songs immortal.

Most music lovers know Bhupinder the singer. But very few people know that he is also perhaps the greatest guitarist ever to give background score for Hindi films. Working with music directors like R.D.Burman, Khayyam, Laxmikant Pyarelal and others he has played the guitar for songs, like Dum maro dum (HareRama Hare Krishna), Chura liya hai (Yaadon Ki Baraat), Chalte Chalte (Pakeezah)Mehbooba O Mehbooba (Sholay) and many more.

According to veteran music director Naushad, when it comes to the guitar, no one can match up to Bhupinder. He considers Ambar ki ek paak surahi from Kadambari as one of his best creations. The music director was Ustad Vilayat Khan---the first and the last time when the guru provided music for a film. Another of Bhupinder’s great guitar renditions is in Tum jo mil gaye ho from Hanste Zakhm with music by Madan Mohan.

It was Madan Mohan who invited Bhupinder to Mumbai in 1963 to sing for Haqeeqat. Though Ho ke majboor was a runaway hit, he didn’t get offers. " Don’t forget," he reminds you, " I had to compete with the likes of Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey. I realized the going would be very tough."

Instead of seeking singing assignments, he began learning the guitar and met R.D. Burman. " In the early sixties both of us had very little work. So we would just hang out together," he reminisces. It was this strong bond of friendship that was later to transform into a working relationship that resulted in some of the most popular songs of Bollywood.

Today, Bhupinder may have virtually stopped singing for movies, but his name still brings back memories of those years when melody and lyrics were the essence of Hindi films. Back in the seventies Amol Palekar’s brilliant acting and Bhupinder’s mellifluous voice mesmerized audiences cutting across all class and language barriers.

As all good things must come to an end, so did the celluloid partnership of Bhupinder and Palekar and the golden voice went into oblivion. It reluctantly re-surfaced for a one-off song in Ramgopal Verma’s Satya but that’s all and no more.

Bollywood’s loss has surely been a gain for ghazal lovers. In the mid eighties Bhupinder married Bangladeshi singer Mitali and switched from Hindi films to the genre of ghazals which he says have been his childhood obsession.