Sitaron Mein Tu Hi
Universal
Rs 65
Yesudas,
the Gori tera gaon bada pyara voice, returns to Hindi
music with this private album. What prompted Yesudas, after
recording over 40,000 songs in various languages and
winning the coveted title of Padmashri, to do this album? Was
it the draw of music videos? Was it his desire to relate
to a younger audience? Whatever Yesudas does makes ripples in
Kerala, and Sitaron Me Tu Hi is no exception. It has caught
the fancy of many young people, as I noticed during my recent Kerala
visit.
Yesudas
was strangely rejected by the Hindi film world even after
he gave a string of hits. Salil Chowdhary gave him a
break in Hindi in 1976. Yesudas's first film Anand
Mahal flopped. But one song, Aa aa re mitwa, a
duet with Sabita, was noticed.
The biggest landmark in
Yesudas's Hindi career is Chit Chor, starring
Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab. Ravindra Jain scored the music
for it, and Yesudas won the
national award for his song Gori tera gaon
(1979).
As far as I am considered, these are some
unforgettable Yesudas melodies: Chand jaise mukhade, Jab deeb
jale ana, Ka karu sajani, Janam
janam, Chand jaise mukkadonse, Teri tasvir.
Hardcore Hindi
audiences began to like him in spite of what some
described as his "poor Hindi diction". In the '70s and early
'80s, Mumbai reverberated with Yesudas songs. Then
why was he out of the Hindi film music world so soon? Was
he lobbied out?
Yesudas attempts to recreate the ambience of
his peak days on this album of 10
love songs. The words are all by Mehboob. Lalit of
the Jatin-Lalit team has composed the tunes.
The album's theme is separation. That is why many tunes are melancholic.
Relationships are torn asunder by circumstances or by death.
All songs except two echo this feeling of loss.
The
opening Chamak cham cham cham ke he sitaron tu hi (You are
the twinkle in the stars) features
a
folksy rhythm. Lalit's tune captures a sad longing.
Ishq
mushq ne cupte says: "I can't hide my love. It is like the
fragrance of a
flower". Again a song with sad undertones.
Tu
jaan hai is a good musical experience. The harmonica (mouth
organ) and the sitar blend well. Sajni
chali mo re is a
comparatively faster number. But it still provides space for
melodic improvisation. Lalit is careful to use minimal
orchestration.
Tujh
se bichhad ke features a violin and a flute used
neatly. Man mohini is a fast number with a
folksy beat. Itna
bhim hamse ruto is notable for some good tabla work.
Sanwali
saloni
has a rhythm that matches the movement of a bullock
cart.
Lalit has worked hard on his tunes, but more than express a variety
of emotions, they seem anxious to recreate an era. You can't say
this is Yesudas's best work either, and you may notice a certain
monotony in expression. Everything
in the album harks back to the style of
the ' 70s and early '80s --
orchestra, lyrics and tunes. There is little of the keyboard;
instruments that stand out are the sitar, violin and the
dholak-tabla combination.
Yesudas stresses
certain syllables that may sound awkward in Hindi.
In fact, it's a habit he brings from Malayalam. But then,
as a friend closely associated with this magazine says, "Why
not? What does all this talk of 'unity in diversity' mean if we can't even bring the
musicality of our languages into what we sing?"
