Letters to Editor 13-05-2006

Time for work

Sir ? There have been cases when members of parliament have expired between two sessions. Honouring these departed souls by paying tribute to them is in the best of traditions. However, adjourning the house for the entire day is a waste of time and precious resources. When parliament reassembles for a new session, the rules should be amended to ensure that silence is observed for a couple of minutes, and the house adjourned for ten minutes. After that, members must reassemble and get on with their business. In any case, MPs have never been known to sit and mourn the whole day.

Yours faithfully,
K. Venkataraman, Mumbai

His master?s tunes

Sir ? With the death of Naushad Ali, the Indian film industry has lost one of its most famous composers (?One of the last old greats falls silent?, May 6). At a time when remixes have become more popular than original compositions, Naushad?s tunes for films like Mughal-e-Azam, Baiju Bawra, Kohinoor and so on continue to enthral music lovers. Although Naushad had a difficult start to his career in music, he tasted success quite early ? he did not look back after scoring the music for Baiju Bawra.

He was the first composer to combine instruments ? the flute and the clarinet; the sitar and the mandolin. He also introduced Hindustani classical singers like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and D.V. Paluskar to Hindi films. At the pinnacle of his career, which lasted for more than two decades, the team comprising Shakeel Badayuni, Mohammed Rafi and Naushad created magic on screen. The government felicitated the composer with the Dadasaheb Phalke award and the Padma Bhushan for his astounding contribution to film music. His death notwithstanding, Naushad?s fans can take solace from the fact that the master has left behind numerous compositions which will continue to captivate us.

Yours faithfully,
Yasmin Banu, Abu Dhabi

Sir ? Naushad Ali?s death has brought to an end the era of folk and classical film music. His demise is not only a great loss to the Indian film industry but also to the nation. The golden era of Hindi film music clearly belonged to this genius. It was a period marked by healthy competition amongst music directors. Naushad was also an Urdu poet of great eminence who had a vast knowledge of Hindu philosophy. It is said that once when S.D. Burman heard his domestic servant humming a Naushad tune, he mildly rebuked the latter. Such was the magic of Naushad?s music that even a composer of Burman?s stature had to acknowledge his skills. The death of Naushad has created a void in Indian cinema that will be impossible to fill.

Yours faithfully,
S. Balakrishnan, Jamshedpur

Sir ? Naushad was a stickler for the rules of classical music and he had an uncanny understanding of popular taste. He virtually shaped the contours of Hindi film music in India. His training in Hindustani classical music enabled him to swiftly adapt ragas to the tune of film music. This was the reason behind his success in films. Naushad has often been credited with working with and discovering various new faces who have gone on to make a mark in the film industry. But what is often forgotten is the fact that he was among the first music directors to have introduced mixing in music and to have separated recording of music and voice in playback singing.

Yours faithfully,
Abhijit Roy, Jamshedpur