That was the year of 1958.There was a shop selling only musical instruments of Indian origin at Los Angeles in South california of United states of America.At that time that was the only shop in the whole of America selling Indian musical instruments. Mr.David Burndard was the proprietor of the shop.
One day an Indian young man aged about 35 years of age with a very ordinary and un impressive dress came to the shop as a customer.No body in the shop showed any interest or paid any attention to him.Jusf out of courtesy and etiquette ,one sales woman Christina by name attended him with a fake smile and interest.The young Indian wanted to see some Sitars.Christina showed him number and variety of sitars but none was his likings for.Suddenly he spotted one Sitar kept in very careful elegant manner on the top shelve of a show case.He immediately wanted to see that particular Sitar.
On the one hand that Sitar was kept on the uppermost shelve in a very careful manner and as such it was troublesome to bring it down and it was the most costly sitar and presumably beyond the capacity of the Indian to purchase it,Christiana was reluctant but the Indian wanted that Sitar only.The proprietor David Burndard stepped in and as per his instruction,that sitar was brought down.Christiana at that time informed him nonchalantly that this Sitar is known as BOSS and no Tom,Dick or Harry sitarist can play it.The young Indian promptly replied "you people may know it by BOSS but in our country it is known as SURBHAR". Then he asked if he could play it for few minutes. David Burnard permitted him.New strings were attached and tuning was done.
The young Indian sat to play the sitar.Lo and behold after few minutes ,all the sales men and women and other emoyees left their work to assemble near the young Indian.Even the customers leaving their transactions gathered around the young Indian Sitarist to listen to the magical and hypnotising melodious connotation and annotaton of the rythmic tunes of the seven strings produced by the soft artistic strokes of the trained fingers of the Indian. After finishing the tunes of Alap, Jor and Jhalor when the Indian raised his face,he found a spell bound audience standing before him looking with amazing eyes wide open and was completely motionless.Slowly the shop filled with the sound of spontaneous claps and claps that continued for few minutes.
The Indian was also very satisfied He wanted to purchase it. David Burnard came forward and asked his credentials.He said" I have heard Ravi Sankar(Ravi Sankar is not related to me even by satellite barrring some similirity in the name )playing sitar and he is the best.But I tell you you are no inferior to Ravi Sankar. I can not sell this sitar but I want to gift it to you"
When the young Indian was coming out of the shop,he was stopped by Christiana who with her emotion choked voice and tears in her eyes begged apology saying her misconception "Let me now accept that you are the rightful owner of this exquisite and pricelrss sitar.you will go back to your country and I know we will never meet any more.So at this last moment,I request you to write your name on this one dollar note so that I can keep it for ever with me."
The young man smiled and wrote his name SALIL CHOWDHURY.
SOME MORE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED.
Salil after returning to India composed a song which reads as NA JEONA RAJANI AKHONO BAKI. ... NO NO PLEASE DON'T GO NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG.The musical tone and tune was emanated from that BOSS sitar.. The Hindi translation of that song OH SAJNA,BARKHA BAHAR AAYEE also from contains the tune from that sitar
It's a BIG LIE, as usual by an Indian, who made up this story! His statement can be found here: http://www.tirumalesa.com/fascinating-true-story-of-a-lata-mangeshkar-song-born-in-a-los-angeles-music-shop/
ReplyDeleteSomewhere i read that one salil fan probably south indian name chandrokanta or like this made this story and rebuked by sabita Chowdhury.He made it to highlight salil's name unnecessarily as a fan.
Deleteeven anu kapoor is circulating this fake story....he should have checked for authenticity.
ReplyDeleteExperiments with truth indeed...with a completely fake story
ReplyDeleteSitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar once accused Salilda that he unnecessarily complicated his background score with musical kaleidoscopes. He cited the example of the famous number ‘O Sajna Barkha Bahaar Aayee’ from the film Parakh. It may please be remembered that Lata Mangeshkar had counted this song as one of her ten best ever. Ravi Shankar had opined that there was no need to bring Western music into songs like these.
ReplyDeleteFurther, Salil Choudhary sued sitar vadan by other:
ReplyDelete१९६० में आयी बिमल रॉय की फ़िल्म परख का गीत “ओ सजना बरखा बहार आयी” हिन्दी फ़िल्मॊ में सर्वकालिक सर्वोच्च गीतों में शामिल है। एच. एम. वी ने अपनी स्वर्ण जयंती के उपलक्ष्य में प्रकाशित एक स्मारिका में शास्त्रीय और फ़िल्म संगीत के कई महान कलाकारों से जब उनके पसंदीदा गीतों का चयन करने को कहा तो “ओ सजना बरखा बहार आयी” सभी की सूची में शामिल पाया गया। लता जी भी इस गीत को अपने गाये सर्वश्रेष्ठ गीतों में स्थान देती हैं। बेहद मिठास लिये हुई धुन में सलिल दा ने जयराम आचार्य के बाजाये गए सितार के टुकड़ों को इतनी खूबसूरती से समाहित किया कि गीत सुनते समय सुनने वाले का रोम रोम खिल उठता है। मगर मज़ेदार बात ये है कि इस गीत की धुन का जन्म, सलिल दा के कार चलाते समय बारिश में वाईपर्स की लय और आवाज़ से प्रेरणा लेते हुए हुआ था। इस गीत क एक और खास पहलू और है कि सलिल दा ने गीत में बांग्ला गीतों के एक विशिष्ट अंग ’सांचारी’ का उप्योग इस गीत के अन्तिम अंतरे में किया था। सांचारी बांग्ला गीतों में बहुत बार बनाई जाती है मगर हिन्दी गीतों में सांचारी का उपयोग यदा कदा ही देखने को मिलता है। इस गीत में सांचारी का प्रयोग इस गीत को और मधुर बनाने में बहुत योगदान देता है।
ओ सजना बरखा बहार आई (परख)
Why any Indian will buy Sitar from LA when it is originally manufactured ij India
ReplyDeleteI think why should not an Indian buy Sitar from LA.
ReplyDelete