It was in 1902 that the first ever ‘native’ recording was done in India. Engineers of the Gramophone Company, England, one of the two major companies in this field during the acoustic era, did the recording. Two little ‘dancing girls’, Soshi Mukhi and Fani Bala, who were associated with the Classic Theatre, were the first Indians to have their voices recorded. Gauhar Jan, an artiste of repute, called the ‘Gramophone Girl’ and in some of the later records described as the ‘Dancing Girl of Calcutta’ is considered the first singer to be recorded.
According to available records the first Malayali voices to be recorded on a gramophone record were those of T. C. Narayaniamma and Appunni Menon. Little is known about these two singers and it is generally assumed that their singing careers did not last long.
“There is a misconception that Gul Mohammed was the first Malayali to be recorded. According to the gramophone records list and two books by Michael S. Kinnear, an Australian music researcher who spent more than three decades compiling the details of early sound and music recording in India, The Gramophone Company's First Indian Recordings 1899-1908 and The Gramophone Company's Indian Recordings 1908 to 1910 , T.C. Narayaniamma and Appunni Menon were the first Malayali singers. Kinnear mentions P. S. Krishna Iyer of Palghat, who recorded songs during the period 1902-1910, but during that time Palghat was part of Madras State. Perhaps these were the first recorded songs in Malayalam but the singer was not from Kerala,” informs B. Vijayakumar, noted film historian.
The multitalented Gul Mohammed who was a religious scholar, orator, artist, calligraphist, photographer and poet all rolled into one, was the first Malayali singer to establish himself and cut a series of very popular gramophone records. This October marks the 90th year of Gul Mohammed’s first recording, which was done on October 7, 1925, at Tiruchirappalli where HMV had begun a quasi-permanent recording facility. For the Muslim songs or Mappilapattu that he recorded Gul Mohammed was paid Rs. 250.
“Gul Mohammed was popularly called ‘Malabar Star’. He was the first Malayali who actually won fame and name through his gramophone records. Like Gauhar Jaan was crowned as the First Lady Of Gramophone, Gul Mohammed was certainly the most popular Malayali voice on records. Gul Mohammed recorded songs, humorous skits and light songs in Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil,” says Vijayakumar.
Though born in Kochi, Gul Mohammed and his family had to leave when large scale evacuation took place during World War II. The family moved to Chavakkad (Thrissur district) where Gul Mohammed grew up. He returned to Kochi as the Qazi of the Old Mosque at Mattancherry.
“A Kutchi Muslim, he became a Qazi at that young age, which showed how brilliant he was. I remember elders telling me how mellifluously he used to recite the Koran and also played the harmonium. Music those days was taboo for Muslims and Gul Mohammed had to choose between music and the Qazi post. He quit the post and turned towards music,” says his son, Azeez Bava.
Those were the days of silent cinema. Gul Mohammed used to play the harmonium, sing and give a commentary on the film as it was screened. The advent of talkies cost him this job and he involved himself with music. He could play the foot-pumped harmonium with incredible dexterity and was highly decorated by the Cochin and Travancore royalty.
In 1926, Gul Mohammed set a record of sorts when he recorded 24 songs, six of them in Hindi, in two days. He recorded for the top gramophone companies like HMV, Columbia and Pearson. Some of his recordings like Abida Vijayam (set of six records), Saabira , Mapilla Kalyanam and many others became a rage.
In 1931, Gul Mohammed was paid Rs. 2,300 by the gramophone companies, which showed how popular he was.
Gul Mohammed met Sara when he went for a concert at Valappad. She was in school then and was an excellent singer. Gul Mohammed persuaded Sara’s very orthodox parents to let their daughter go with him to learn music. Soon, Sara was regaling audiences with her lovely voice. Crowds thronged to catch a glimpse of the little girl perched on a stool singing with full-throated ease.
Sara accompanied Gul Mohammed to the recording studios in Madras and also sang in some of the gramophone records along with him. Abida Vijayam and Lucky Ameena were two of the most popular records in which she sang.
Nationalism and the freedom movement drew Gul Mohammed and Sara into its vortex. They became an integral part of public functions where they sang patriotic songs. On a number of occasions they were arrested and later released following public outrage.
Sara later married Gul Mohammed. She gave birth to a boy and stopped singing except for very intimate weddings and private functions. She then moved to Mattancherry where she died.
Gul Mohammed set up a studio at Chavakkad and also started music classes there and at Mattancherry. In the last phase of his life Gul Mohammed veered towards Sufism and began singing qawwalis. Gul Mohammed died in 1970.
Over the years music has evolved and countless musicians have walked this path. But Gul Mohammed and Sara are musicians who some have never heard, largely forgotten, but sure to be remembered for their talent, expression and feel with which they brought the written notes to life.
