Born in 1920, Hemant Kumar spent his childhood in a little known village called Baharu in Jainagar. It was here that he developed a liking towards singing being drawn to the Jatras and Kabigaans, which were a regular feature there. But, his trysts with folk singing had to end abruptly as his family moved to the sprawling city of Kolkata. In such cases, it’s easy to get sidetracked, but Hemant da was determined to continue his association with singing. Sometimes, in school, he would use lunch breaks to hold impromptu singing sessions where he would be the sole singer and the classroom desk would become his percussion aide.
Despite his singing antics at school Hemant da passed his matriculation exam in flying colours. His father was pleased and began charting out his future career as an engineer. Hemant da even joined an engineering course in Jadhavpur University. But Hemant Kumar’s heart was no longer in studies. He longed to be independent and chart his own future in singing, the one thing that was close to his heart.
Fortunately, Hemant da found an able ally in his mother who believed in his singing abilities. When Hemant da got a chance to sing on All India Radio his mother ’s joy knew no bounds.
“That day is not far when Hemanta’s record will be kept on the shelves of music shops beside those of Pankaj Mallik and Sachin Dev Burman” – she kept repeating to all and sundry.
Soon, Hemantda became a household name due to his fine interpretations and soulful rendering of Rabindra Sangeet. In fact, the name Hemant Kumar became synonymous with Rabindra Sangeet. In hindsight, the fact that he was not a trained singer or a Shantinekatani actually helped him to retain the magical quality of his voice, an observation he is known to have made. He soon joined Indian People’s Theatrical Association (IPTA) and became actively involved in it’s functioning. Here, he met many artists with great potential. One of them was Salil Choudhary. Hemant and Salil carved out a highly fruitful and satisfying relationship both in the professional as well as personal spheres.
Meanwhile, he fell in love with a Bangla singer Bela Mukherjee who was a decent singer in her own right. They married in 1945. It was an eventful and highly successful year for Hemantda but Bollywood still eluded him. In 1949 Hemanthda got his break in Bollywood when the celebrated filmmaker V Shantaram invited him to Bombay. But it was Hemen Gupta who played a major hand when he gave Hemanthda a chance to sing in ‘Anandamath’. Many people believe that it was Nagin that established his career as a singer and composer in the Hindi Cinema. But his better half points out, “The turning point in his career had taken place much before that. It happened when he quit his engineering course and took a plunge into the world of music…”
“Ye raat ye chaandni phir kahan…” in Guru Dutt’s Jaal (1952) picturised on Dev Anand on the beach among the fishing nets brought him into limelight and established him as a singer par excellence. His association with Guru Dutt also turned out to be a fruitful one as it created many hauntingly beautiful numbers.
Hemanthda was a recipient of many awards; he was awarded a D.Litt. by Vishwa-Bharati; 1987 saw him winning the National Award (for Lalan Fakir ) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award. But, it hurt him that his assistants and juniors got the coveted Padma Shree award whereas he was ignored. That is why I had mentioned in the title as ‘Unsung’. Later when he was offered this award he twice refused.
To me Hemantda had already received the greatest award in the form of a Golden Voice from the One above – no award on Earth would have matched that.
I have already written about his best solo songs in my previous review. I present here a few duets of his, with other great female singers, which touch me the most.
The Awakening:
Film : Anarkali, with Lata Mangeshkar
Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag, jaag dard-e-ishq jaag
dil ko beqaraar kar, chhed ke aansuon ka raag
jaag dard-e-ishq jaag, jaag dard-e-ishq jaag
Where there is love there is also pain, and both are inseparable from each other. Without the agony of pain, the ecstasy of love cannot be fully experienced. It’s a call for awakening love in us, making our hearts long for a partner. The message is that despite the pain it gives, people should not resist from falling love.
Cupid Strikes:
Film : Baat Ek Raat Ki, with Suman Kalyanpur.
Na tum humen jaano, na hum tumhe jaane
magar lagta hai, kuch aaisa, mera humdam mil gaya
yeh mausam yeh raat chup hai
do hothon ki baat chup hai
khamoshi sunaane lagi hai dastaan
nazar ban gayi hai, dil ki zabaan
It’s not always necessary that the prerequisite for a man and a woman to fall in love is that they should know each other. Sometimes, a chance meeting with a total stranger can ignite the flame of love and you suddenly realise that, yes, this is the person you have been waiting for all your life. The quietness of the night, the sealed lips, and the silence, all tell a story. The eyes have taken over, and convey the feelings of two fluttering hearts.
The Realisation:
Film : Post Box 999, with Lata Mangeshkar
Neend naa mujh ko aaye, dil meraa ghabaraye
choop ke choop ke koi aa ke, soyaa pyaar jagaaye
soyaa huaa sansaar hain, soyaa huaa sansaar
mai jaagoo yahaan, too jaage wahaan, ek dil mein dard dabaaye.
Pity the person who has not experienced love, but more importantly, pity the person who is in love. A Catch 22 situation, indeed! Love robs a person of his sleep; it robs him of his peace of mind, moving in stealthily it stokes the embers of a dormant passion.
The Fun and Frolic:
Film : Barsaat, with Lata Mangeshkar
Patli kamar hai tirchhi nazar hai
khilen phool si teri jawani
koi bata de kaha kasar hain
aaja mere manchaahe baalam
aaja tera aankhon mein ghar hain
The couple is totally intoxicated by love. The man feels that his beloved is the most beautiful and desirable woman devoid of any flaws that can be attributed to a woman. His ladylove is smitten and seduced by such sweet words and expresses her love in unmistakable terms mentioning that his place is in her heart and eyes.
The Pangs of Separation:
Film : Patita, with Lata Mangeshkar
Yaad kiya dil ne kahaan ho tum
jhoomti bahaar hai kahaan ho tum
pyaar se pukaar lo jahaan ho tum
yaar se pukaar lo jahaan ho tum
For the lovers, even a brief moment of separation is unthinkable and unbearable. Both express a longing to be together again. All it takes is a loving call from one, and the other is willing to risk everything in life to break away from the shackles and answer that call.
Journey’s End:
Film : Mamta, with Lata Mangeshkar
Chhupaa lo yoon dil mein pyaar meraa
ke jaise mandir mein lau diye kee
tum apane charanon mein rakh lo mujh ko
tumhaare charanon kaa phool hoon main
main sar jhukaye khadee hoon preetam
ke jaise mandir mein lau diye kee.
Love has finally reached a stage where it has become sublime and eternal. The man expresses his desire to hide his love from the prying public and keep it safe in his heart, like the light of the lamp in a Mandir. The woman wishes to be at the feet of her lover, rather, insisting that she is just a flower that should be used in the veneration of her god on earth.
Au revoir!
Mbfarookh.