Settling Score

The flute prelude by Manohari Singh in the Vijay Anand-directed Teesri Manzil’ s iconic song Aaja aaja,main hoon pyar tera,Hazara Singh’s steel guitar notes in the Geeta Dutt song Mera naam chinchinchu from the film Howrah Bridge,directed by Shakti Samanta,the percussion pieces before Dam Maro Dam by Burjor Lord in Hare Rama Hare Krishna,have never received the acknowledgement they deserved. In fact,not even the best of music connoisseurs are aware of these musicians and their body of work. Now an aptly titled coffee table book— The Unsung Heroes (Swar Alaap,Rs 1200)— is all set to pay a tribute to these faceless musicians who were part of some of Bollywood’s most well-known songs. “Everyone remembers the names of the vocalists who sang these songs and they associate the success of the music with these people. But what brought these songs to life were some excellent saxophone pieces,guitar solos,percussion pieces,without which the songs would have been a lot less charming,” says Mumbai-based musician Dinesh Ghate,who co-wrote the book with businessman Kushal Gopalka,corporate executive Arun Puranik and banker Shankar Iyer.

These people are also the founder-members of Swar Alaap— an organisation that was formed last year to to honour these background musicians. Ghate has financed the book and spent almost Rs 10 lakhs on the first batch of a thousand books. “It is the passion for music that drives us,” says Ghate. “Film music is such an important element of Indian social fabric. Many of the people who have made it happen have largely lived in anonymity and deserve this attention. That’s why we decided to come up with the book,” says Gopalka.

The book,which is more like a fan’s remembrance of the golden oldies,opens with forwards by Pyarelal (of Laxmikant Pyarelal),singer Shubha Mudgal and Ameen Sayani and goes on to an interview section that features eight musicians. They include lyricist Naksh Lal Puri,music director Usha Khanna,Lord,Singh and Khan. There is a separate feature on Anthony Gonsalves— an eminent violinist and Pyarelal’s teacher. “Not many people know that the man is in his late 80s and is living a quiet and humble life in Goa,while the whole country still remembers My Name is Anthony Gonsalves— the famous song from Amar Akbar Anthony,” says Gopalka.

The book also includes some iconic photographs,interviews with Shamshad Begum and an obituary for legendary music director OP Nayyar,who passed away in 2007. “With this book we hope people understand the importance of these musicians and acknowledge their contribution,” says Gopalka.