A composer who re-imagined rhythm blending Indian, Western beats

NAYYAR BURST UPON THE MUSIC SCENE IN THE 1950S — A 20-SOMETHING PARTITION REFUGEE FROM LAHORE

- Ambarish Mishra [e-mail]

MUMBAI: He loved to hate the world of Hindi cinema; gladly crossed swords with movie moguls whose films became runaway hits because of his music. He refrained from doling out songs to Lata Mangeshkar, the reigning playback singer of the time, and yet held sway on Hindi film music for two decades. These delicious paradoxes define the life and times of Omkar Prasad (O.P.) Nayyar, the maverick composer whose birth centenary celebrations are underway in the city.

A Nayyar event was held at an auditorium in Mulund recently by the cultural department of the state government.

"We are planning more such tributes to the great maestro. His music is inimitable. He has stood time's test," said Adhita Lele, who presented the Nayyar show in Mulund.

Nayyar burst upon the music scene in the 1950s—a 20-something Partition refugee from Lahore (his beloved 'Lawhore' where he was born in 1926) with savage confidence; he held his own against titans such as Anil Biswas, Naushad Ali, C. Ramchandra, Shankar-Jaikishan and S.D. Burman.

He re-imagined rhythm, blended the traditional Indian 'theka' with Western beats and chose his musical instruments—whether double bass, clarinet, saxophone or a soft, serene 'sarangi'—with great care to enhance a song's tonal quality and aesthetics.

Signature tunes The 'ghoda-gadi' beat, Nayyar's USP, spawned a basket of breezy ditties down the decades: 'Yoon toh hamne laakh haseen dekhe hain', 'Laakhon hai yahan dilwaale', 'Ankhon se joh utari hai dil mein', 'Pukarta chalaa hon main' and, of course, 'Piya piya mora jiya pukare', the Asha Bhosle-Kishore Kumar duet from the film 'Baap Re Baap', which figured in the Binaca Geet Mala's annual list in 1955.