Names and Brands

Parents, beware! Names are brands, and positioning a brand is easier when the name is in sync with what the brand is doing. So, think about what your kid's name will be. India has some great names coming out of our history, mythology, and collective cultures.

Ajatshatru is literally, a person who has no enemies. Loved by all, hated by none. Mamata, notwithstanding a prominent politician who signifies anything but, means love of a kind.

I like the sound of some names (may or may not have anything to do with the people behind it- I am not telling)- Alok, Meghna, Shweta, Neha, Shruti, Bala, Frane, Steve, Saumya, Gopal, Prabhakar, Vikas (who doesn't like development? :) ), anything with a Kaur following it (ha, ha), Srinivas, Pooja, Prarthana (you may have guessed why), Anupama, Roshni, Priya, Anuradha, Manju, Raghavendra, Samrendra, Shahida, Divya, Abhinav, Tanaya, Nikita, ...Ok, I can go on. Leslie, Robin, Shirley, Lauren, Ron, are some that are easy on the tongue, and these were/are some friends too.

The point is just that it is easier on the kids if parents give some thought to what the kids and the public at large may think about the name, or the ease with which they can say it.

Same Singer Different Sounds

I am sometimes amazed by the ability of a singer to sound very different. I am of course talking of playback singing in Bollywood, an under-recognised art form globally. But anyway, I am going to illustrate using a favourite singer's songs. Kishore Kumar is the singer. A sample of his different sounding songs-

1. Ajnabi, tum jaane pehchaane se lagte ho.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIQmdaEerPE

2. Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegi tu.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EofAlMh2Huo

3. Tum aa gaye ho, noor aa gaya hai.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSjrsT8pTbQ

4. O manchali, kahan chali.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13q8acgdiY4

5. Ajnabi se banke karo na kinara.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kci6Q_mpUVU

6. Dukhi man mere sun mera kehna.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWk-Lwn1rcg

7. Tum bin jaoon kahan.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uqJhSXH89Q

8. Bachna ae haseeno, lo main aa gaya.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsjLQOco35U

9. Naach meri bulbul ke paisa milega.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzRz0p_UGhw

10. Meri pyari Bindu... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_enRRcyuw

Music Arrangers and the Sound of Music

Times Now had an interesting program yesterday on the men behind the music, apart from the composer, of course. These are called arrangers. They may also play an instrument or two, but they form an integral part of the team that a composer uses, and lead it, so to speak. Some of the innovations in the music one hears are from the arrangers, though they may be behind the scenes, and you may never hear about them.

Maruti Keer, Kersi Lord, Manohari Singh,.. ever heard of them? They were all a part of the R.D. Burman team that produced magical numbers throughout the 70s and some in the 80s (and late 60s). The tinkling sound in the Hum Dono song Main Zindagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya, was from an innovative instrument brought in by Kersi Lord (for Jaidev, the composer), which was used by church choirs, and brought in an element of novelty that charms you even today.

Similarly, the trumpets (or something similar) in some songs from Teesri Manzil, and the percussion used in 'Saamne ye Kaun Aaya Dil Mein Hui Hulchul' (Jawani Diwani) as also in 'Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar ke Charche Har Zabaan par' (from Brahmachari composed by Shankar Jaikishan) lend a unique touch.

O.P. Nayyar and hoof-beats are almost synonymous with each other. Wonder who thought of those. Maybe it was one of the guys. Dum Maro Dum had a unique instrument that created the atmosphere of a drugged-out scene and became a rage. The tinkle of a glass in Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko from Yaadon ki Baaraat was sensational. The drums in Laila Main Laila were likewise, superb (Kalyanji Anandji were the composers). Piano beats are part of what makes the song 'Pyaar Diwana hota hai Mastaana Hota Hai' so mesmerising.