Rewind
Sunehre Pal is a group of music-lovers with a difference. They only tune in to songs from Hindi films of the 1940s through to the ’60s. Vishakha Avachat attends one of their meetings……Vishakha Avachat
Sunehre Pal is a group of music-lovers with a difference. They only tune in to songs from Hindi films of the 1940s through to the ’60s. Vishakha Avachat attends one of their meetings……Vishakha Avachat
For most people, Saturday evenings are for going out with family or friends. But for the members of Sunehre Pal, it’s a time for nostalgia. The group meets on the first Saturday of every month to listen to old Hindi film songs from 1947 to the ’60s.
The brainchild of Balan Iyer, an academic consultant, the idea behind starting the group was to get like-minded people together for a kind of music that is becoming rare. “People like Sajjad Hussain and Naushad were real artistes with a classical base. Many old songs can still have a connect today. When I listen to songs from Barsaat and Awara, I can still relate to the beautiful melody and lyrics. Compared with before, there is less involvement in today’s music industry,” says Iyer.
The group now 55 strong started the listening session at six in the evening, with songs by Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Hemant Kumar, Mukesh and many others. Iyer, who has a collection of over 8,000 golden melodies, says he had thought about forming such a group almost 12 years ago. But his job as a marketing manager in an MNC never left much time for anything else. It was only after he quit and became an academic consultant that he revived the idea of a music-lovers’ group. The first meeting of Sunehre Pal, on May 9 in Chembur, saw a fairly good turnout.
Since LPs and cassettes are difficult to maintain, Iyer has had all his music converted to CDs, and plays them at the listening sessions. He claims to own some rare recordings that even All India Radio doesn’t have. “People often get nostalgic when they hear these songs,” says Iyer. The meetings usually see a major turnout of senior citizens, who see this as a chance to bond with others and relive their youth through the music. Suresh Raje, 70, a retired bank executive says, “I love to attend classical concerts, but there one can only enjoy the music alone. Here, with a large group, time seems to fly.”
Every session starts with an introduction by Iyer on the day’s theme, like great duets of yesteryear. Then he introduces the song and gives details, like the film it is from, the singers, lyricists, music directors, and the actors featured. “We play at least 40 songs in the three-hour duration,” says Iyer. The meetings are held in Bhavna College in Chembur, thanks to a Mr Bhawsar, the administrator, who is also a music lover. While the group comprises mainly people from Chembur, some Ghatkopar, Vikhroli and Thane residents also attend meetings.
Homemaker Kalpana Desai, 57, loves to sing as well. She sits in the front row with a tape-recorder, taping the songs she doesn’t have. Often she hums along, or writes down lyrics of songs she has never heard before. “I have been singing since I was a 6,” she says. Her collection of over 2,000 songs some in written form has been culled from the days of Radio Ceylon and Binaca Geetmala.
R Natraj, who works in an insurance company, says: “I have around 500 audio cassettes. I love listening to songs, but haven’t seen a single movie.” In his childhood and youth, he explains, his only source of entertainment was the radio, where he picked up many great songs.
At the meetings, after each song, the members share their memories or bits of information about the numbers. One member says he once watched a movie in 1955 at Broadway cinema for 5 annas, which was an expensive deal then, and still had to sit in the front row. A song from the film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje was followed by the information that it was the world’s first stereo film on 35mm. Conversation sometimes veers to the stars and collections of their photographs, like one – owned by a member of actor-director Raj Kapoor braiding Lata Mangeshkar’s hair. Some members remember how, as youngsters, they had ‘camps’ for favourites: Music director Naushad vs composer duo Shankar Jaikishen, Kishore Kumar vs Mohammed Rafi. Members are eagerly waiting for their next meeting, on July 4. As member Anant Salvi, 81, puts it: “We may not be Tansens but we are definitely ‘kaansens’ (who have a good ear for music).”
a_vishakha@dnaindia.net
a_vishakha@dnaindia.net
To be a part of this group, contact
Balan Iyer on 98193 23860/ 2528 2750 or email him at balaniyer@hotmail.com
Balan Iyer on 98193 23860/ 2528 2750 or email him at balaniyer@hotmail.com