OP and glory

Veteran music composer OP Nayyar, if living, would have been 82 today, his zest for life undiminished, writes Raju Bharatan.

To think that Omkar Prasad Nayyar, if living, would have been 82 today, his zest for life undiminished - Hoon abhee main jawaan ae dil.

What a vibrantly vocal role the blithe-spirited Geeta Roy played in O P's 1954 Aar Paar breakthrough, being the one to recommend this fresher composer to fiancé Guru Dutt.

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Go figure
Geeta's songs for O P number a sprightly 62 - 35 of them going solo. Peerless was Geeta Dutt Thandee hawaa kaalee ghataa - in articulating O P's studiedly torrid 1950s style.

So peerless Geeta remained until O P fell for the roly-poly Asha Bhosle. Fell so heavily that, from the 528 female-featuring numbers O P composed for films, Asha sang in a whopping 324.

Going solo in 167 of them Chain se hum ko kabhee. That explains Asha's figuring in 123 of O P's female-male duets one-up on Mohammed Rafi's 122. Rafi's total O P-movie songs number 202.

Counter that
One evening, upon taking the Sharda Marine Drive buildinglift, I found O P's entrance-door ajar, even as I heard soothing sounds emerging from Nayyar's music-room adjoining. I just walked in to surprise O P on the harmonium.

"Play it again, O P!" I urged. "So you've caught me at last!" noted O P, running his wizard fingers across the harmonium.

"The on- raag today, Raju, is Kedar - after Shanker Jaikishan's super Junglee success with Ehsaan teraa hogaa. Only S-J I recognise as competition, so hear my Kedar-counter to that duo."

Thus, first-hand, I savoured what ultimately became Aanchal mein sajaa lenaa kaliyaan in Majrooh Sultanpuri's poetic custody "Such a mood-tune in Raag Kedar going on Joy Mukherji in Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon?"

I signalled my dismay "What do you mean - Joy Mukherji?" responded O P. "Joy's lucky for any composer, wait and watch my Kedar score on him."

Of course, with Rafi there to evoke those Aanchal mein O P notes, it had to sound something special even on Joy. How many memories, how many melodies, crowd the mind as I recall a cluster of O P tunes! I last rang O P to ask if it was Sunny Castelino on his drawing-room piano in Asha's Puchchon na humein on Mala Sinha in Mitti Mein Sona."

Even as O P confirmed it was Sunny Castelino on the piano, it rang a bell and there was Asha herself, as my wife Girija (Rajendran) and I beheld Saroj Mohini Nayyar opening the door to the Bhosle girl!

Moving on
"Girija-Raju say it's an instant hit - Puchhon na humein!" O P remarked. Asha felt pleased as Punch to hear her O P had a hit on the anvil when the whole industry, barring her, had suddenly deserted Nayyar.

Asha-O P, will we hear such a combo again- Yeh duniyaa rahe na rahe. That's in Mitti Men Sona again - like a golden thread does Asha B run through O P's music, Pancham or no Pancham.