Tribute to Saraswati Devi, the first woman music director in Hindi films, on her 44th death anniversary (09/08/1980).
Tribute to Saraswati Devi, the first woman music director in Hindi films, on her 44th death anniversary (09/08/1980).
Born into a Parsi family in 1912, Saraswati Devi, originally named Khursheed Manchersher Minocher-Homji, was a trained classical singer who rose to become India’s first female music director in Bollywood.
A musical sensation in the 1930s and early 1940s, Saraswati Devi’s career was primarily associated with Bombay Talkies. She began her journey with Jawani Ki Hawa in 1935 and went on to compose music for popular films like Achhut Kanya, Kangan, Bandhan, and Jhoola.
She adopted the name Saraswati Devi to avoid backlash from the conservative elements of her community, who disapproved of a woman from their clan entering the film industry.
Her journey as a music director began when Himanshu Rai, the owner of Bombay Talkies, heard her singing at a gathering. He immediately invited her to join as a music director. Though hesitant at first, unsure of how she would adapt to the demands of the film industry, she eventually accepted the offer.
While she was the first woman music director, the greatest challenge she faced was turning non-singers into singers — a significant feat, especially considering the competition from New Theatres, which had stars like K.L. Saigal and Kanan Devi. Unlike her counterparts R.C. Boral and Pankaj Mullick in Calcutta, Saraswati Devi had to work with actors who were not trained singers.
Saraswati Devi’s most notable achievement was producing hit songs with non-singers like Ashok Kumar, Devika Rani, and Leela Chitnis. From Achhut Kanya to Jhoola, she consistently delivered successful music. Leela Chitnis sang popular songs like “Meera ke jeevan ki sooni parri re sitar” (Kangan), “Man bhavan lo sawan aya re” (Bandhan), and “Jhoole ke sang jhoolo jhoolo mere man” (Jhoola). One of her most iconic hits was “Main ban ki chirriya ban ke ban ban bolun re” from Achhut Kanya, sung by Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani — a song even appreciated by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Her biggest success was the marching song from Bandhan, “Chal chal re nau jawan,” performed by Ashok Kumar as a solo, a chorus, and a duet with Leela Chitnis. She also used non-singers like Sneh Prabha to sing the song “Nacho nacho pyare man ke mor” (Punermilan), and she gave Arun Kumar the opportunity to sing for Kishore Sahu in Punermilan and for Mumtaz Ali in Jhoola (“Main to Dilli se dulhan laya re he babuji”).
Saraswati Devi was also the one who introduced Kavi Pradeep as a singer. Although he had been writing lyrics for Bombay Talkies since 1939, she first used him as a singer in the immortal song from Bandhan, “Piyu piyu bol praan papeehe piyu piyu bol.” Kavi Pradeep later went on to sing other big hits after leaving Bombay Talkies, but his memorable song “Mere bichade hue saathi teri yaad sataye” from Jhoola, tuned by Saraswati Devi, remains unforgettable.
After leaving Bombay Talkies, she reemerged in the limelight in the early 1950s by composing two non-film ghazals for Habib Wali Mohammad: “Lagta nahin hai dil mera ujjarre dayar mein” and “Yeh na thi hamari kismet ke visaal-e-yaar hota.” Her compositions, especially the indigenously-flavored background music, transport listeners to the India of the early 20th century.
In her later years, the film industry, which she had contributed so much to, turned its back on her. When she fractured her hip bone after a fall, not a single person from the industry visited her. The legendary singer and India’s first female music director passed away in 1980, with no one to mourn her death. Even the media did not find her worthy of an obituary.
Image: Saraswati Devi, Lata Mangeshkar, Madan Mohan, Jaikishan, Anil Biswas, and Naushad.
