Partha is no stranger to the R4 (Revive & Rediscover Retro Radio) community and his love for HFM (Hindi Film Songs) is well known. Equally well known is his special Masala Chai, which he serves regularly, at times even coming to a venue only to serve the tea. He was the CEO of Agarwal classes in Dadar, Mumbai for close to four decades and his "Professor-on-the-Campus" looks and presentations are a joy to listen. 

Partha showcased Rafi, who happens to be his favorite singer, and his songs sung with other co-singers. He chose 10 different co-singers for his 10 songs and dished out some interesting stats on the number of songs of these singers with Rafi. His big contemporaries were there obviously. So were some songs with lesser heard co-singers.

Partha took some time to introduce the audience to his family circles and other incidents in his life which he shared for the first time with the R4 audience. His mother was a singer and a Veena vadhak , aunt an AIR certified artiste and his uncle a Carnatic Music Vidhwan from whom the likes of Parveen Sultana and K J Yesudas sought advice. In fact, his uncle had predicted the success of Yesudas very early in Yesudas's career. Partha mentioned that regretfully his uncle was not a commercially inclined artiste and never bothered to monetize his performances even to the extent of refusing to record for HMV despite their pressure on several occasions. Thanks to his heritage, Partha imbibed the "Pakkad" on Sur aur Taal but none in his family carried forward this musical tradition. Partha, however, might have redeemed himself with his stage singing performances.

His chosen songs of Rafi with his big contemporaries had a mix of Popular and lesser heard ones. 

• For Mukesh he chose "Saat Ajube Iss Duniya Mein" from "Dharam Veer" a nice endearing number from the 70s when arguably both singers were beyond their best singing years. Partha mentioned about how Rafisaab was very close to Mukesh and apparently, he went out of his way to clear the mortal remain of Mukesh from the Customs when it was brought back from the US (where he passed away) 
• For Kishore Kumar it was "Sa Re Ga Ma" from "Chupke Chupke" a popular fun and frolic song from the 70s when Rafi had already bequeathed the top male singer position to Kishore. The stories of their rivalry were largely the creation of the media according to Partha and we tend to agree. 
• For Lata Mangeshkar, Partha picked up a beauty and a lesser heard one. The number of duets of these two are enormous both in quality and quantity and choosing just one would have been a humungous task. His song - "Phool Hai Baharon Ka" from the film "Jigri Dost" was reserved for the finale and it swept the audiences of their feet. A breezy "running" number (Jeetu, Mumtaz and Poonam Sinha are literally running all through the song). A strong testimonial of LP's prowess during the decade of the 60s to create long lasting melodies. 
• For Asha Bhosle, Partha again chose an out of the routine (though a quintessentially OP Nayyar composition) - "Gora Rang Chunariya Kaali" from the film "Howrah Bridge" . A Punjabi Bhangra flavored orchestration encourages one to get on the floor and swing to the rhythm. 
• For Geeta Dutt, Partha played safe with on the beaten track song "Are Na Na Na Na Tauba" from the film "Aar Paar".  I personally wish he had gone for a lesser heard gem of which there are many of the two mentioned singers. 
• With Manna Dey, Partha made an interesting choice   "Ae Dost Mere Maine Duniya" from the film "Sachaai" . A film which was towards the end of the careers of both Shammi Kapoor and, arguably, his favorite composer duo of SJ. A wonderful take on life from two sides of ethical code 

Beyond these mainstream singers, Partha also showcased 4 other singers' songs with Rafi. 

• Shamshad Begum - "O Gaadiwale Gaadi Dheere" from the film "Mother India". A rustic song from Naushad and both singers deliver with aplomb.
• Balbir - "Yeh Maana Meri Jaan" from the film "Hanste Zakhm". 
• Usha Mangeshkar - "Oonchi Oonchi Baaton Se" from the film "Mr. Natwarlal"
• Suman Kalyanpur -"Ajhun Na Aaye Baalma" from the film "Sanjh Aur Savera"

All in all, an enjoyable one hour where Partha interspersed several stories from his life to explain his love for Films and film songs some of which I mention below. 

• He used to listen to Binaca Geet Mala in the local train on his way back from work on his small transistor. He was, for this reason, the favorite of his co-travelers.
• He was a "Google Guide" to which film was playing in which theatre in the days before the internet. 
• He would always watch First Day First show and review the films for the members of his society along with samosas.
• He got the opportunity to review the film "Karz" four days before the actual release due to the preview show that he got to attend. 
• Despite being a devout fan of Rafi, he never managed to listen to him singing on stage. He however managed to visit Rafi's room in his house, an opportunity he cherishes the most. 
• He started singing on stage only late in his life and the best compliment he has received was when he was told that had he started singing early in his career he would have become a big singer. 

The Biggest tribute that Team Nostalgiaana received from Partha was that his joining this forum has changed his life and given a new meaning to Music appreciation. 

Since the new idea of PMP has been introduced to R4 community it is attracting lot of attention with increased expectations of the listeners. The curiosity is heightened by the time the day of PMP arrives! 

Divya Dave's presentation on 10th Feb was one such PMP which matched the expectations and the curiosity about the selection of ten songs of her choice. A proud homemaker, enthusiastic culinary expert, a poet, an author of a book and a dancer who has won prizes! This introduction about Divya made me sit up to hear about her topic of the presentation. 

As she announced 10 songs of 10 music composers the question that came to my mind obviously was - masters of golden era?  As she unfolded the set it was a treat! 

When one sees the listed jewels, one knows that the poet and the music lover in her are in synch with each other. 

She introduced each song with her own poetry which was interesting. I noted down some lovely lines written by her such as---
लहरोंसे भरा समुंदर समझ नहीं आता or  प्यार हो चाहे वहम चाहे  सच्चा दिलदार रहे or कडा इम्तेहान मुहब्बतकी ग़लियाँ! 
 
All ten songs being popular, famous, super compositions the listeners had a wonderful one hour of SHRAVANNSUKH. It was a very easy going, pleasant and lively presentation with Divya giving her own short commentary about each song. 

Here is the list of songs Divya played for her PMP.

• "Jeevan Dor Tumhi Sang Bandhi" from the film "Sati Savitri."

The thought process of a married woman who is devoted to her husband. She says that come what may you are the only Bhagwan for me.  An iconic tuneful song composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal with "thehraav" and melody. 

• "Zameen Se Humey Aasmaanv Par" from the film "Adalat" 

One of Madan Mohan's westernized tunes in waltz beats. A sawal- jawab kind of wonderful lyrics. Heartwarming serenity coupled with minimalistic musical fillers. Entire song ornamented with murkis and expressions. 

• "Apne Piya Ki Main Toh Bani Re Joganiya" from the film "Kan Kan Mein Bhagwan"

A song based on a bhajan originally written by Meera.  Complete surrender to Krishna, Mohan beautifully worded. Has a ghoomar dance feel in its speed, taal and tune. 

• "Theheriye Hosh Mein Aa Loon" from the film "Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain"  

Divya added right proportion of masala in her introduction to this song! Simple and slightly humorous poetry, intoxicating tune full of romance. Rafi is Rafi, whenever! 

• "Madbhari Yeh Hawayen" from the film  "Anokha Daan"

A tough tune in classic Salilda style. Many words, long lines. Quick taans, complex phrases, hardly any breathing places but after all it was Lata who knew exactly how to sail through such tough hands dealt by any composer! 

• "Dil-e-Betaab Ko Seene Se Lagana Hoga" from the film "Palki"

Deeply romantic song, sukoon and thehraav! Such slow-paced songs are more difficult to render than the fast tempo ones. Super clear audio like all other songs played by R4 team. 

• "Sansar Se Bhaage Phirte Ho" from the film "Chitralekha"  

Highly spiritual lines defying the religion. Exquisite composition by Roshan and sharply rendered by Lata giving full expression to the equally pointed words of Sahir.  

• "Aa Neele Gagan Taley" from the film "Badshah" 

Shankar Jaikishan of 50s were totally different from their later years when their compositions had huge orchestration. 
Here in minimalistic instrumental support a beauty created which had serenity and peace. 

• "Aap Ke Haseen Rukh Pe" from the film "Baharein Phir BhiI Aayegi"

Song with full clarity of thoughts in lyrics, music, voice! Fantastic piano pieces suited for an outright nasha inducing number! 

• "Yeh Dil Deewana Hai" from the film "Ishq Par Zor Nahin" 

As Divya introduced this finale song with her inputs on life being a colourful canvas, the song unfolded the feel-good romantic factor set in this Arabic sounding tune. 

The entire presentation was very tightly crafted with precision and right amount of lighthearted humour. Overall, a very enjoyable happy one hour.

​There is something about creative artists that, they seem to spellbind the audiences in whatever they do. Anupam Sinha was no different. A comic book artist and writer, with sections of media crediting him for revolutionizing Indian comics with his work at Raj Comics. He is credited as the creator of the superhero - "Super Commando Dhruva"

The songs he presented, he said, had great memories for him and evoked a sense of nostalgia in him whenever he heard them, though there were no particular incidents that he connected to these songs. Something he mentioned, clearly stuck a chord with most listeners since they had experienced the same situation when growing up. Anupam mentioned about how in his childhood, there was no radio in their house, and he would hear songs wafting through the neighbor's radio. What's difficult to access or acquire is cherished the most, he said while introducing the songs and no truer words have been spoken. He cherishes some of the songs that he had chosen to play tonight as they were accessed with great difficulty and these songs have got themselves imprinted in his mind forever. 

Eight of the Ten songs had lyrics referring to romance, love and beloved. Though Anupam did not mention it, these songs probably were heard during his youth and hence the affinity for them is understandable.

• "Tu Chanda Main Chaandni" from the film "Reshma Aur Shera" was the first offering of the night and it did cast a spell on the audiences from the word go. Anupam metaphorized this song to a - उड़ता कागज़ का टुकड़ा - which no one knows will float in which direction. The way the song evolves is similar. Myriad emotions, rhythm swings, melody changes make this a one of its kind of a song.
• The first song had the "Chandini" as this song too - "Tere Bina Aag Yeh Chandni" from the film "Awara". A classic which from the movie which anointed Shankar-Jaikishan as the Composing Giants who ruled the airwaves for the next 2 decades. Anupam mentioned about Binaca Geetmala and how his Wednesday evenings were invariably devoted to this (as it was for many of us here) 
• Anupam, when he one day heard the album "Uran Khatola" on the LP, was mesmerized and kept hearing them for a long time. One song he played tonight - "Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya" from the film "Suvarna Sundari", he mentioned gave him that joy of discovery that he felt when he first heard the Uran Khatola LP. A delectable soft crooning romantic song of Lata and Rafi who were arguably at their prime of singing in 1958.
• Three songs chosen from the same movie came as a surprise to all. Well, the context made it clear why Anupam had chosen to play them together back-to-back without interruption. The film was "Dekh Kabira Roya" The film had a very intriguing theme. Three artists - a singer, a writer and a painter fall in love with three women - again artistes and exactly the same category as them. The comic situation is created when the pairing is not a straight match of their artistic inclinations.  The artist then tries to become someone he isn't leading to hilarious situations. Anupam's contention, possibly, being even between artists there is no commonality of thoughts. 
  1. ​​"Meri Veena Tum Bin Roye" 
  2. "Ashqon Se Teri Humne" 
  3. "Tu Pyaar Kare Ya Thukraye" 
• Just when one was beginning to get thinking, will every song be of a "serious" nature, Anupam unleashed two frothier romantic gems, with faster rhythm and one that nobody, who has ever been in love, can turn away from 
  1. "Humdum Mere Khel Na Jaano" from the film "Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon"
     
  2. "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" from the film "Hanste Zakhm"
  The former a destress song for Anupam as he called it, and this never fails to bring a smile on his face no matter what the situation. It does the same to us too. Not for nothing is O P Nayyar the Rhythm King. He can get your feet taping, heart beating faster and the adrenaline pumping harder. The latter was showcased for the arrangers which Anupam kindly credited Nostalgiaana to bringing to the fore. One of his personal favorites and a song that can never die, will keep the romantics intrigued eternally.

• In between all this, Anupam slipped in two sombre, yet profound songs 
  1. "Dekhi Zamaane Ki Yaari...Bichde Sabhi Baari Baari" from the film "Kaagaz Ke Phool" 
     
  2. "Hum Gaganwa Na Jaibe" + "Sakal Ban Gagan Pavan Chalat" + "Vikal Mora Manwa Un Bin Haye" from the film "Mamta"
  The latter a combination of three parts of the song which on screen shows the journey of the main protagonist from her childhood to adulthood. The former, of course, is a cult classic which Anupam said stuns him into silence each time. The fickleness of the friendship and of the world in general is so aptly presented by Kaifi Azmi.

Anupam was engrossing and his song selection were special. My only peeve - would have loved to hear him speak more. The artist in him remained hidden and maybe he chose to keep it that way!!