Description
It was an unforgettable meeting with the great organ player and music arranger of the old Hindi films music, Bahadur Nanji in July 2014 at his residence in Dadar, Mumbai.
He was 94 and living alone with his severe hearing loss. Initially we struggled a lot to find his place in Mumbai and then it so happened I got my first and worst ever lumber injury in the course of going everytime very close to his ears and quickly fetching myself out of the frame avoiding a concrete piller.
I was busy locating and recording the forgotten music makers of Hindi films that month almost a decade ago. It was my first time teaming up with my dear friend Anirban Sadhu who is an able cinematographer and also a visiting professor of film studies.
There are thousand shades of my professional journey of which a major proportion constitute the preservation and dissemination of legacy stories and personal memories. Senior professionals or the family elders often possess a wealth of knowledge and experience that has been gained through years of working in a particular industry or field.
I have a firm believe that by collecting their memories, their institutional knowledge, life values and wisdom can be captured and shared with future generations, ensuring that it is not lost as these seniors retire or move on to other roles.
Here I was blessed to be with a living legend who was also a gifted sketch artiste and portrait painter, and got his scholarship in painting from Bombay Parsi Panchayat.
Those who really care about the national treasure understand it well that senior professionals often have a unique perspective and wisdom that can only be gained through years of experience.
Collecting their memories is a mamoth task of nation building which can allow this wisdom to be passed on to future generations, benefiting both individuals and the family or field as a whole.
Recalling that unanticipated afternoon with Bahadur Nanji who by choice came to work in films did many banners and posters for his films when he was only 25. During the recording he repeatedly announced that he was good for nothing as he could't hear now and forgot all those details we were looking for.
Apart from naming Naushad and Roshan we knew he worked with music directors like Shankar-Jaikishan, Anil Biswas, O P Nayyar and Madan Mohan, he enjoyed the golden chance of singing the song "Sarkaari sadak hai, tera ghar to nahin hai" with Parul Ghosh.
Nanji is renowned for his work on O P Nayyar’s classic composition “Preetam Aan Milo” and Naushad’s “O Duniya ke Rakhwaale” for the 1952 film 'Baiju Baawra'.
Written by Irfan | 29 April 2023
Interested more in above story? Go to the following links.
Gumnaam Hai Koi: The untold story of Music Arrangers and Musicians Part-1
Gumnaam Hai Koi: The untold story of Music Arrangers and Musicians Part-2
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