A lilting memory of Khayyam

Raju Korti

This is what I wrote briefly about the legendary Khayyam who released my book on the late Mohammed Rafi when I met him at his Santacruz residence five years back. Although a little rhetorical, it still bears repetition:
"Of two Mohammeds, both Mountains! Didn't matter who went to who but meet they did to create a geyser of warm melodies from the early fifties to the late seventies. Mohammed Zahoor Hashmi, better known to music aficionados as Khayyam, formally released my book on the legendary Mohammed Rafi at his residence. The face of the music maestro, on the threshold of 90s, lit up with a bright smile on seeing the book and by his own admission, his mind took a quick odyssey to those eventful decades when music was at its pristine best. How Rafi's robust vocals negotiated the Pahadi strains of Khayyam's music is no revelation, yet the magic reinvents each time you hear the two complementing each other as only they could . The last of the Moguls of this music era accepted a copy with the same simplicity that Rafi also epitomized in his four-decade career. There couldn't have been anything more apt than to get a simple, unassuming legend to speak about another. An austere and no-frills release is what I aspired for."     

With the Composer of Composers: Khayyam

As the news of Khayyam's passing sunk in, a spool of memories rolled by. I was a taken aback when Khayyam opened the door himself, clad in a pyjamas and a crumpled shirt. The cynical smile on his face didn't bother me in the least for, his face was made that way. I could see he was struggling to stand so I helped him inside. A brief "hmm" was his response when he saw the book. "Ab baat karne laayak kuch hai kya, humne jo karna tha so kar diya" (Is there anything left to talk? I did what I could in my career). Having had to make some effort to get through to him, I wasn't going to let him escape so easily.
That was the time Khayyam had made himself incommunicado, not answering any of the calls made to him on his landline and mobile. He had lapsed into depression because of the untimely demise of his son and from which, he never ever recovered. So it required some convincing to make him talk to me but he opened up when he felt he was being asked the right questions. The first one took him by complete surprise the way I asked it to him bluntly.
"You were as good as any, at times even better, than many of your contemporaries. Why didn't you get commercial success?" I asked him. "I never ran after big banners. I rejected outright most of the films I got since I wasn't cut out to deal with trash. So if I was broke and kept struggling then it was because I didn't have the appetite to make music for rubbish. Since you want me to release your book, let me tell you, I made my first commercial hit with Rafi in 1950 "Akele me wo ghabraate to honge." (Beewi). Three years later, I had Talat vocalizing for Yusuf (Dilip Kumar) in Shaam-e-gham ki qasam (Footpath). And if I didn't have any work then, it was because of my own obstinate stand that I needed films with sensible and strong themes."
The glimpse of Khayyam's composing brilliance came through first in Lala Rukh (Rafi's Hai kali kali ke lab par) and then in Raj Kapoor's Phir Subah Hogi where the brilliant Sahir's lyrical affluence was a huge challenge. "I took it head on. The film and its music won critical acclaim but the struggle continued. Shola Aur Shabnam (1961) changed all that. Today, Rafi's "Jaane kya dhoondti rehti hai.." is considered as among all time classics, but god knows how many sittings I had with Rafisaab to get the song right. That plus the duet with Lata "Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum.." really hit chart-busters." Although not in the same league as the other giants of his era, Khayyam never made his singers lose sight of the fact that it was his song and it had to be sung the way only he wanted it, come Rafi, come Lata.
He then went on to make quality music with Barood, Shagoon, Mohobbat Isko Kehtey Hain, Chambal Ki Qasam and Shankar Hussain. Here I am deliberately avoiding the constitutency which has never thought of Khayyam beyond the likes of Bazaar, Razia Sultan, Trishul and Kabhie Kabhie.
Since the spotlight was on Rafi, Khayyam recalled how the latter had started inviting the composer to his house regularly over lavish meals. "Intrigued why Rafisaab was inviting me over on and off, I asked him "Rafisaab kya baat hai, itne lazeez khaane aap mujhe khila rahe hain?. Shy to a fault, Rafi would just stop short of saying something. Then one day, he couldn't contain himself any more. "Khayyamsaab mere liye kuch aisi dhune banaiye jo mere liye yaadgar ban jaaye." the composer was taken aback at this unexpected request. " I told him: Rafisaab, paisa, naam, shohrat kya nahi hai aap ke paas. Ab mai aap ko isse zyada aur kya de sakta hoon? But he refused to budge. Then I told him, I had a string of devotional songs in mind and I could use his voice if he was ready. He just jumped at the offer but I told him point blank: Look, these are not film songs and the first thing I will want is you to forget you are Rafi and sing it exactly the way I want it. You will have to change the tone, timber and metier of your voice and give me your undivided attention to be prepared to forgo the heaps of songs that would come his way in those days. He agreed without condition.
I must admit he gave all his might to those songs. They still bring tears to my eyes. Rafi was huge and it was amazing how he lent himself to the compulsive yearnings in those songs. You may hear "Paon paroon tore shyam, Tere bharose he Nandlala and Shyam se nehaa lagaaye" over and over again and yet will not be able to imagine the kind of effort and dedication he put into those songs." His wife Jagjit Kaur heard these pieces of nostalgia and kept nodding.

Rafi and Khayyam: From the latter's album.

What was initially agreed upon as an hour's meet, lasted three hours but by then he looked very tired and politely excused himself. Most of what was discussed else apart is irrelevant here.
He promised to get back to me after reading the book. When he didn't respond after a long time, I called him. His response was pretty much the same: Hum ne jo karna tha wo kar diya aur Rafisaab ne jo karna tha wo kar diya. Mai nahi samajhta bolne ke liye kuch bacha hai."