Two wonderful songs by an early, unrecognizable Lataji Unusual

( Lata didi praying at her home's family shrine )

Two wonderful songs by an early, unrecognizable Lata

Unusual gramophone records of Lata Mangeshkar

Around 1945, Gramophone Company of India Ltd.

(commonly known as HMV)

issued large number of 'private' songs of several singers on their subsidiary 'Columbia' label

featuring tiger head on top.

This was the period when film music was becoming popular and stage/drama/ballet / songs were reducing in numbers.

These were ten-inch diameter shellac,blue label records rotating at about 78 revolutions per minute (r.p.m.) with a play-time of about three minutes.

One such record number GE 8035 has two songs recorded by Kumari Lata Mangeshkar:

'TumChanda Main Banu Chakor'

and

'Naar Naveli Reet Na Jane'.

I have not yet seen or listened to this record but recently I have come across another interesting record that has not been listed in catalogues.

Record number is GE 8048 and seems to be privately sponsored record with limited number of copies:

'Made to Order'. It has two songs viz.

'Pranomen Amrut Ghol'

and

'Main Tumhare Hi Swaronmen'.

The record is categorized as 'Hindustani' and the songs are from a ballet titled 'Bhagawan Buddha':

produced by Mr. Shantikumar Chitre.

Other credits on the label are -

Music: Mr. Harendranath Nandy and

Composer: Acharya Sitaram Chaturvedi.

These were probably used as the play back for the song/dance sequences in the ballet.

It is not clear whether the records were released commercially or limited number of copies were printed and gifted to artists and other members of this ballet group.

The two songs are simply wonderful with unusual and unrecognizable voice of Lataji.

This was the period when she was a newcomer and was struggling in the industry.

Compared to her songs in 'Barsaat'(1948),

these songs are in quite slow tempo and sung in a serene and devotional mood.

It is also not known whether she also participated in the ballet.

Any feedback from the readers from that period is welcome.

Words of both the songs are -

Song 1 -

Main tumhare hi swaronmen,

geet apne ga rahi hoon

Aur apni kalpana men,

main tumhe , uljha rahi hoon...

Ja rahe pal pal viphal ye,

sal nahi mere hriday men

Tum jahan gati dekhate ho,

murchana hai mand laymen

Swar bhare asavarike,

kintu Deepak ga rahi hoon.....

1Tum kahan o chal diye,

mujhko atal sandesh dekar

Le liya path kashtamay,

vishram ka aadesh dekar

Par tumhare naam se hi,

main hriday bahala rahi hoon....

Song 2 -

Pranomen amrut ghol, re bol, re bol

Mand mand malayaneel dole,

vimal kamalke bana hindole

Sudha undele jao sudhakar,

jag jivan anamol, re bol....

1Main chatak tu swatika ghan,

arpan hai mera tan man dhan

Apni karunake sagarmen,

meri karuna ghol, re bol....2

Manas ki laharon me pala,

hans binata mukta mala

Vyadha phasane chala jalmen,

apne hathon khol, re bol...3

Suresh chandvankar