Shekhar Ravjiani recently headlined “Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi”, a concert in the memory of ghazal exponent Jagjit Singh, held at Siri Fort Auditorium. The event was organised to commemorate Salaam Baalak Trust's 30 years of work with street children in Delhi. Shekhar rendered Jagjit Singh’s famous ghazals such as “Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo”, “Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi” and “Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho” among others.
He was accompanied by the same musicians who play along with Jagjit Singh for years. On the sidelines of the concert, Shekhar talked about his music, his respect for Jagjit Singh, ghazal singing and composing for films.
Excerpts:
What brought you to Jagjit Singh’s ghazals?
It is my love for the genre which I have since childhood. I grew up listening to Jagjitji’s albums, who was my father’s friend. I used to go to his recordings and all his concerts. It is an honour to sing alongside the musicians who played with him.
What was his advice to you?
He always underlined the importance of riyaaz (practice). He would say, ‘beta karoge to bas tumhara hi hai isliye karte raho’.
He was always eager to share knowledge as he would say, ‘Ye aisi cheez hai jisko baatna chahiye ye batne se badhti hai. (It grows by sharing). He also told me about his journey. How he used to live in a small flat with many roommates and sometimes rats would bite their feet but they still remained focussed on their music. I have learnt to put my work ahead of myself from him.
Ghazal relies so much on poetry. What has been your relationship with the lyrics?
Music and lyrics are two different forms of expression. When they are married to each other, the communion gives birth to a beautiful song. Jagjitji used to pay a lot of attention to his poets as people used to write to him and he used to do justice to each song.
How different is it from composing a film song?
Most of the time, the tune comes first and the lyrics are written on them. But Jagjitji used to receive letters from poets from all over the country and he used to choose the best poetry and composed on those lyrics.
Ghazals are somewhere lost in our films...
The script has to have a requirement for a song or ghazal for that matter. For 20 years Vishal and I are composing songs according to scripts. We work according to the director’s vision. We can give inputs but there is a limit. The world around a song is created first and then the song comes into being. It is helpful when we have a director who has an understanding of ragas and poetry as film music is a collaborative process. Sometimes, it starts with the theme of the film like in Sultan while at times it has to be simply youthful such as our upcoming project, Student of the Year Part 2, where the music is young and fresh. Then we will cater to mass appeal in Salman Khan’s Bharat .
How important is the quality of lyrics these days?
From Anand Bakshi sahib to Gulzar sahib and Javed Akhtar sahib, we have had many gems. We, fortunately, have not lost the culture of having good lyrics as we have names like Amitabh Bhattacharya and Irshad Kamil who wrote for Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai . The structure of the song earlier used to be very simple. In four lines, the song used to be over but right now we have long mukhdas and there is a hook line which people are expected to sing along. Today, people want to sing only the hook line like ‘Swag se karenge sabka swagat’. They don't remember what comes before and after the hook line. But there are exceptions. I remember that when I sang “Dil Diyan Gallan” in Mumbai’s Mithibai College, there were 8000 students. They knew the lyrics from the beginning to the end. It shows good lyrics are still reaching out to people.
Also, the lyrics are becoming much more conversational…
The lyrics should be accessible to the lay audience. They should know what they are listening to.
It should be as simple as talking to someone and then only a song can establish a relationship. The use of appropriate words is equally important. It depends on what kind of audience you are catering to.
Now you are one of the judges on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa show. What is your advice to youngsters?
These days young people seem to be in a hurry to achieve success. I tell them if something comes very easily to you, it can go away easily as well.
You will reach your position if you consistently do good work and then you will not have to work much on your PR skills.
How do you see the contemporary music scene in India?
There is not enough breathing space for any product because of the pace at which everything is getting released. Everything is so short lived. Having said that whatever connects with the hearts, will stay for a long time to come.
BETWEEN THE LINES
Looking back
“When I was about 17-18, my friends used to go out for partying or clubbing as the disco scene in south Mumbai was very huge. I used to be at home listening to Jagjit Singh, Pancham da and Beatles. And, obviously Rahman's music, who had just emerged with Roja . We all were tripping on his music and he inspired me to become a composer.
I come from business family and music was a hobby, not a profession. Later when I realised my passion, I trained in Indian classical music, learnt playing piano. I did a lot of jingles before moving to films.”
Bond with Vishal Dadlani
“In twenty years, we have created a space for ourselves. Disagreement happens, and they should happen because then you get new ideas and you work on them. But there have been moments when both of us understood each other by just looking at each other's eyes while we were jamming.”
Bollywood music as a genre
“Earlier there was a clear distinction between pop and Bollywood music. There came a time when pop music faded away and everything came under the umbrella of Bollywood. And those who do not know the grammar of music, they associate certain tunes to Bollywood for easy understanding.”
