By Satish Chopra

Meer Taqi Meer, the celebrated Urdu poet once wrote ‘Sirhaney meer key ahista bolo, abhee tuk rotey rotey so gaya hei’.

The sentiments expressed in this couplet is just not possible to translate. Likewise, as and when I listen to some of the greatest renderings of K.L. Saigal- be it a ghazal, a bhajan and or a simple but a thoughtful song. I don’t know why he makes me cry?

Today it is 18 January, 2012. Exacly 65 years have passed, when on this day in the year 1947; we lost not merely a singer or an actor, but a divine soul!
What an irony, the cremation of the singer who was loved by one and all throghout India, in the wee hours, his cremation was attended by just 30-40 close relations and friends, owing to pre-partition communal roits in Jallundher.

Though in Bombay, Lata Mangeshkar could not bear the news of the maestro’s demise. She put away her newly purchased radio receiving set, which had relayed the news of the genius’ death. While the noble Naushad untruly personified himself by stating more than once that his composed song-‘Jab dil hi toot gaya’ was sung at the cremation passage of the immortal singer.

Saigal was just over 42 and it is beyond comprehesion that a song, though mournful could have been sung in the funeral procession of Saigal. Such a misapprehension at times makes me snigger.

‘Matwale pane se ghata jhoom parhee hai, what a class rendering of a ghazal of Seemabh Akbarabadi. As a modest lover of music, when ever I listen to this enduring ghazal, I find myself in a different world. As rendering of the very next line ‘Chhatee se dhuan uthaa hai jo boond parhee hei’ is indeed enthralling beyond expression. It is indeed a complete evocation of a ghazal; certainly not for the present day pseudo ghazal listeners of popular named singers of India and also invited occasionaly from across the border. Saigal in his singing never displayed classical-mimicry, neither vocally nor through accompnying intrumentalists. He seldom chased fame. On the contrary it is the eminence of his singing which continued to pursue the maestro.

Urdu poet Ghalib wrote- Ay qatibe taqdeer mujhe itna bataa de, quon mujhse khafaa hai’. When Saigal sang this timeless melody, it appears insight of the poet has come alive, since Saigal never sang merely the words but also the thought immersed in the poetry. In this class, the list of other ageless ghazals include- ‘Dunian mein hun dunian ka talabdaar nahin hun’. ‘Ghar ye tera, sadaa na mera hai’. ‘Ibne mariam hua kare koi’, ‘Ishq mujhko nahin wehshat hi sahee’, ‘Jalwa gahe dil mein marte hi andhera ho gaya’, ‘Layee hayaat kazaa le chalee chale’, ‘Phir muzhe did-a-ter yaad aya’ & ‘Wo aake khwaab mein’.

The ambit of Saigal’s singing was not just confined to ghazals. Equally he sang bhajans & devotional songs with an amazing fervour. Initially, I listened to ‘Bhaju mein to bhav se shree girdhari’, ‘Nain heen ko raah dikha prabhu’ & ‘Madhukar shaam hamare chor’ on a 78 rpm gramophone. More than 50 years have since passed, the sensitivity created in my head and heart till date is beyond expression.

How could a singer having no training in classical music could sing Urdu ghazals and Hindi bhajans with such a fabulous command and authority. It is certainly incredible.

In the present day mad rush for amassing wealth and other material possessions, by means fair and foul, and consequent distress of head and heart; one should strive to understand the meaning of contentment and solitude through such divine and heavenly music.

Apart from being an actor and a singer ‘par-excellence’, Saigal was a wonderful human-being. There are a large number of incidents to establish his kind-heartedness towards whosoever came in his contact for help.
His driver, Yousuf once narrated with tears in his eyes an incident of the life of his master. Yousuf told a columnist that once, when he fell ill, Saigal came to his house with lot of fruits and medicines. After enquiring about his health, Saigal started rubbing and pressing his legs. “Sahib, wo to ek farishta the” (Sir, he was an angel.) -said Yousuf in a voice choked with emotions.

In 1945 Kidar Sharma (the renowned producer-director) and Saigal were invited by a prominent person to his newly built bungalow at Ville Parle, a suburb in Mumbai very close to sea beach. In the large gathering of guests, Saigal somehow felt uneasy and silently without informing the host, he slipped alongwith Kidar Sharma and went to the nearby sea shore for a stroll. It was little dark. In that dusk, they saw a faqir, who was singing a ghazal of Ghalib and was playing his harmonium along with. Both of them sat on the sand and listened to the singer. Saigal was overwhelmed. After the singing was over, he touched the feet of the singer, took out five thousand rupees from his pocket and gave the money to the faqir. Kidar Sharma was amazed and spellbound at this gesture. He asked Saigal, if he knew how much money he had given to the faqir? Saigal replied- “Uppar waley ney kee mannu gin key dittey si?” in Punjabi. (Did the ‘Almighty’ count before he gave me?)

By the year-end of 1946, it appears that Saigal had the premonition of his death. He was a patient of diabetes and had other problems too. He left Mumbai. K.N. Singh, one of his closest friends besides others came to see him off at Mumbai Central (railway-station). Saigal reached Jullunder on 26 November 1946 by Frontier Mail (which proved to be his last journey) at about 4.00 a.m. It was extremely cold. He was wearing a brand new woollen suit. At the railway platform, he saw a beggar shivering with cold. Saigal, who was a little ahead of his family took off his coat and gave it to the beggar and also all the money he had in his pocket which was about 1800 rupees.

This particular incident was narrated to me by two of his relatives separately, one being Smt Durgesh Mehta, niece of Saigal (daughter of Saigal’s elder brother -Hazari Lal Saigal), who was brought-up by Saigal as his daughter; and also by Roshan Lal Saigal, a nephew of Saigal, who met me at Dehradun in October, 1994.
Saigal on reaching his home town Jallandhar, in view of his poor health and the intuition that he may not live long, got his head shaved. As he was too weak, he had to call his religious mentor ‘guru’ from nearby village- ‘Noormahal’ for paying his last respects. Since he was very fond of ‘sarson ka saag’, a mound (37 kg) saag was got prepared and distributed to all and sundry in fulfillment of his last wish.

The inevitable came in the wee hours of 18 January, 1947 when the whole of Punjab was in flames due to partition riots. Smt Durgesh Mehta (who was at his death-bed) narrates that about 30-40 close relatives thought that it will be most appropriate to have the last rites performed as early as possible. With all the heavenly melodies of Saigal alive in the hearts of millions of music lovers, who says Kundan Lal Saigal is dead?

Email:satishchopra@rediffmail.com