Kaveeta Kaul
Update: You can listen to the podcast of my tribute in a programme dedicated to the Legendary O.P. Nayyar on PodioIndia Ep 31
A truly sad day for Indian music.
This post which receives a record number of hits consistently, referred to by Google, never failed to amaze me at the sheer number who were in search for Nayyar Saheb even now. Today, however, it began receiving an unusually continuous string .
I knew then, maybe what I had feared for a while had happened…Had to mournfully update it.
The total number has crossed over five thousand , just on the link provided above. If anything this substantively proves that Nayyar Saheb was a maestro par excellence, whose memory and strains of melody, stirred our souls, filled it with a longing to know more about him, in a bid as if to connect with the man behind the music and creator of that magic.
Please read the link provided for details on the maestro and his life.
Famed music composer from Pakistan, Sohail Rana, one of his ghazals being the unforgettable ‘mujhe tum nazar se gira to rahey ho, mijhe tum kabhi bhi bhula na sakogey’ , visited the blog and speaks of the last call to O.P. Nayyar just a month ago..he pays an emotional tribute to him in the comment section of the post.
His adopted daughter Ashwini Karandikar too speaks, in the comment section .
Ashraft through his comment has informed us of his passion for O.P.Nayyar’s music and that he has laboriously collected every single song composed by the maestro. Incredible! True passion and grit which needs to be lauded. Priceless treasure is now his!
Siraj Khan who has been writing the biography of O.P.Nayyar Saheb, exclusive rights for which had been granted to him by the maestro, had commented on this post last year as well.. Please read his tribute and of his plans for the book.
View O.P. Nayyar-Not Forgotten. ( 13161 views- 708 comments )
Kaveetaa Kaul
Sachiniti 
Hi!
OP was a great misic director in Indian film industry who was a successful with his attitude and without some big singer.
Salaam to OP.
b
Comment by b — January 29, 2007 @ 10:36 am |
True B..
In fact it has been said that he was the only one who did not record a single song with Lata mangeshkar..probably because of his loyalty towards Asha Bhonsle. I think even she would admit that her talent and her mellifluous voice was honed by Op Nayyar.
I have also heard that he made Rafi sing for Kishore Kumars screen appearance. Only he could be so clear of what he wanted and not bow to pressure..hats off to him.He needed no one to embellish his songs..just his music was melody incarnate.
Comment by kaveetaakaul — January 29, 2007 @ 10:46 am |
O P Nayyar was a gifted individual. As an artist, there are two services one provides.
1. create new stuff. This is private and can be a torture.
2. talk about the stuff created with the fans and press. This is where a perceived material pleasure is derived.
O P Nayyar did the first part extremely well. The second part was also done well, but he became a prisoner of the second part. That is where he lost out in the highly competitive world of creativity.
He did get kudos for his gusto. To run without ever using Lata. But had he collaborated with her, perhaps he would have discovered a dimension to his own creativity. There is a lesson for all of us. If you choose to carve out a niche, evaluate it every so often.
Comment by mumbaiKar — January 29, 2007 @ 7:12 pm |
Mumbaikar,
That was a rather interesting analogy..although I find myself not heartily in agreement.
From the general to the specific: An artist is one when he can be no other. He is born to serve the compusions of his talent.He creates as a tool of expression and sometimes communication.Lets not get into the commerce aspect of art..it then suffers from a disrespect to the standards we are hereby alluding to.
That was generally speaking. To the specific case of O.P. Nayyar, I confess I am no authority on the journey of his life nor privy to details, since he was at his peak a little before my adulthood. However, being smitten by his music, a little inquisitiveness led me to believe that he was a man who was perhaps a misfit. Its no big secret that his reason for not teaming with Lata professionally had little to do with lack of faith in her talent or prowess as a singer, but more because his relationship with Asha Bhonsle led him on that path. Its a rather rare illustration of loyalty in the ‘jungle’ out here. And frankly left me quite bowled over.
Whether it was he who might have benefitted or Lata , is to my mind debatable..Or lets just say it was a mutual loss, just as it might have been a mutual gain.
Also from the information gleaned from industry circles, your inferring to “The second part was also done well, but he became a prisoner of the second part. That is where he lost out in the highly competitive world of creativity.” had me slightly jumbled. He was known to be averse to showmanship, atleast in the latter years..
The above post is only an introduction to the ne which speaks of him. It would be nice if you read this “O.P.Nayyar-Not Forgotten”.
Your last statement is gospel though..evaluation is an essential ingredient of any enterprise. Nayyar saheb though lived with no professional regrets but plenty on the familial front.
Comment by kaveetaakaul — January 29, 2007 @ 7:43 pm |
To: kavitakaul,
Hi!
It was said that OP honestly reasoned that voice of Lata mangeshkar did not match to his music compositions. Whatever may be, but OP gave us a great series of melody by Asha Bhonsle. I realy grateful of you for putting remarkable note on his demise in your blog.
regards,
little’b
Comment by b — January 31, 2007 @ 11:40 am |
little’b,
Thanks. I reckoned that we live in times when plagiarising is a rule, accepted, condoned and even applauded. So a musician like Nayyar saheb to who lifting anothers tune might have been akin to blasphemy, deserves a tribute..Also is the fact that his songs tingle me with whatever the emotion they were meant to convey.. he was truly a genius.
Yes you are right..Sources to say that he found Latas voice unsuitable for his kind of music and also his temperament. He was an egotist and made no bones of it.
regards,
kaveetaa
Comment by kaveetaakaul — January 31, 2007 @ 12:07 pm |
This is a good web site a list of 71 films is given. They have given a reference extracts from , The Legendary OP Nayyar by Vishwas Nerurkar, Is it a book or a monograph? Any idea?
http://www.downmelodylane.com/opnaiyyar.html
Comment by gajanan — February 13, 2007 @ 12:04 pm |
Vishwas nerurkar is based in Mumbai..I will try and get in touch and see if he can shed light on some questions raised by fans of Nayyar Saheb here.
Comment by kaveetaakaul — February 14, 2007 @ 11:52 am |
nice information
Comment by rajendra ghorpade — March 13, 2007 @ 1:37 pm |
Thanks Rajendra
Comment by kaveetaakaul — June 4, 2007 @ 1:00 pm |