When Saigal came visiting

Kundan Lal Saigal was one of those legendary singers, whose haunting melodies captivated the hearts of countless millions in the Sub-continent, especially in the decades of 1930 and 1940.
Senior citizens in Pakistan and India, who have had the good fortune of watching the movies in which he acted or heard him at live concerts, remember the singer with inimitable style with much nostalgic fondness.
If I were to be asked what was the finest flower of South Asian melodic culture, I would have no hesitation in saying that it was K.L. Saigal, in the light category of music, and Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, in the domain of classical vocalisation. There is not a single song, ghazal or geet of Saigal that is not as remarkable for the exquisite beauty of its rendition, melody and rhythm. The commingling of sense and sound attained its perfection in his songs, whether they were in commingling recorded for the films in which he playacted, or for a commercial gramophone recording company.
His voice was so superb that people thought that none but Saigal could sing those songs. Those who were lucky to hear him in a concert were in commingling stirred to the very depths of their souls. Their minds, spirits and bodies were captivated on the first hearing of a Saigal song.
It was close to the yearend of 1937, when the golden voice singer K.L. Saigal visited Lahore and mesmerised its musically enlightened people with his rich repertoire of popular geets and ghazals. He performed inside an improvised auditorium within shamianas and kanaats at the annual All India Industrial Exhibition in the then Minto and now Iqbal Park.
When Saigal visited the city and enthralled its people, Lahore was home to several musical heavyweights. Ms Tamancha Jan ruled the roost in Bazaar-e-Husn where affluent members of city elite frequented her dera (abode) on Chet Ram Road in Hira Mandi. It was also a time when bewitchingly attractive classical vocalist and specialist in kafi-singing, Inayatbai Dheroowali, had become a rage among cultivated listeners and connoisseurs. Sarangi player Ghulam Ali Khan (who later opted for the art of classical vocalisation and became a legend) used to provide sarangi accompaniment to her.
Confabulations in music and dabbling in poetry have always remained a pastime for the vivacious citizens of Lahore as a tradition. They arranged concerts for leading artistes, who visited Lahore or were especially invited to demonstrate their melodic prowess. They welcomed artistes who possessed demonstrable performing talent. The now-extinct SPSK Hall on Circular Road outside Mori Gate and the currently inoperative Takia Meerasiaan on Chamberlane Road served as venues of memorable concerts arranged for the musicians visiting Lahore from other regions of India.
The sponsors of Saigal's concert in Lahore created much expectations and enthusiasm among the people through newspaper ads and thousands of handbills distributed inside the old Walled City. Consequently, the culturally enlightened Lahoris anxiously awaited the scheduled performances of the famous singer/actor of those days. Courtesy films and gramophone discs the people of Lahore had already been exposed to the golden voice of Saigal, who had then become a rage in the Sub-continent. The Radio, it may be mentioned, had not yet made its debut from Lahore when Saigal came visiting.
Historically, the aura of mellifluous songs of popular vocalists is passed on to the succeeding generations of music buffs and cine-goers through gramophone discs, films and later radio broadcasts. One of those vocalists was singer-actor K L Saigal, who dominated the world of entertainment from early 1930s till his death on January 18, 1947 and even for decades thereafter.
Saigal was a born artiste and a complete musician, who was gifted by nature with a voice that had no parallel. Almost a self-taught vocalist, he was born in Jammu (in the Indian occupied state to a Punjabi family that hailed from Jallandhar. He spent his early childhood and youth in the Dogra-ruled State, where his father served as a Tehsildar.
It was in Jammu that he came under the influence of Sufi Salamat Yusuf, a Muslim darvesh at whose dera (abode) music was the dominant feature of daily agenda. Saigal was also inspired and encouraged by his mother, Kesar Devi, with whom (as a child) he sang bhajans on festive religious occasions and playacted as Sita.
I was a young boy when the maestro sang at the industrial exhibition. I could not afford the luxury of purchasing an admission ticket for the Saigal concert. It was because of my late father who had a shop in the exhibition, which facilitated my entry into the makeshift auditorium at the All India Exhibition held at Minto Park. (In the beginning, industrial exhibitions in Lahore were held at Minto Park, but later the venue was shifted to Patiala Grounds off McLeod Road, Lahore). The shopkeepers inside the exhibition were issued permanent entry passes. It was, therefore, not difficult for me to enter the exhibition but problems arose when I was denied entry into the pindaal, where Saigal was scheduled to perform.
Somehow, I managed to sneak into the shamiana, where chairs and benches had been laid for ticket holders. I could only manage to get a place to stand at the last row, where Saigal's face was hardly visible. The audience became restive when the concert was delayed by a few minutes. Standing ovation was given to Saigal by a packed 'house' when he appeared on the stage accompanied by a harmonium carrier and a table player
What followed was an experience that could only be felt than explained. From his rich repertoire, Saigal rendered the most popular songs, which he had earlier recorded for the films. After each item, the audience in the pindaal applauded the singer with repeated requests of "once more". The thumri, Lug gai chote kalejooa mein Rama drew thunderous applause and when he rendered his extremely popular film song Andhe ki laathi too hi hai, the entire audience burst into cries of wah-wah. Saigal also sang several ghazals, including Layi hyat ayee qaza and Dil se teri nigah jigger tak utar gayee, which were thunderously and warmly applauded by the audience.
If it were possible to gauge the vitality of a song in terms of its influence on the listeners, then Saigal's record was and continues to be enviable. Variegated in their melodic content, his songs were original in all respects with a unique singing style and at the same time, distinguished him from those of his talented contemporaries like Pankhaj Mallick, Khan Mastana, Rafiq Ghazanvi
and G. M. Durrani. Simple but elegant, Saigal's songs brimmed with deep pathos and serenity.
The late composer Khurshid Anwar, who recorded two of his popular songs in the voice of Saigal in the film Parwana in 1946, (who was also a next door neighbour of the late singer/actor in Bombay) once said during a conversation with this scribe that a singer with Saigal's talent was not produced by history in quick succession. His compositions for Parwana, which Saigol recorded in his voice, were Toot gaye sub sapney mairey and Mohabbat main kabi aisee bi halatt payee jaati hai). Talking about Saigal's persona, he added that the saintly singer would give everything he had to the needy, irrespective of the religious belief of the taker, if he was convinced of his/her genuine needs. That was why Saigal did not leave anything significant after his death.
Among the most popular songs of Saigal are Kaun bujhave Rama; Madhukar Shaam hamarey chore' Babula Mora; Duniya Rang Rangeela Baba; Preet mein hai jeevan jokhon' Do nainaan matwaley; Ab raja banain more balam; Toot gaye sub sapnay maire; Chaha barbad karey gee hamain and Jub dil hi toot garya, which was the last song
In the life of the legendary singer. The artiste in Saigal was strikingly evident in his person. He was passionate, intense, restless and devoted to his art. Even after 59 years of his death, a majority of his songs continues to provide solace and succor to many a broken heart.
The 100th birthday of the legendary artiste was celebrated in India to introduce his music to the new generation of music buffs. I wonder if any music promoting organisation in Pakistan presented any commemorative programme to pay tributes to a singer, who still remains matchless in enriching the melodic culture of South Asia.