H.Vasant,Sr.Music Composer of AIR/DD:Remembering those glorious days...
" Our Arm Forces are a collective of brave men and women who redefine patriotism every single day. Their acts of bravery can not be defined through words.Many patriotic songs were composed by me during my life.
I remember those glorious days spent with AIR and D.D.specially during national festivals like 26th Jan.and 15th Aug. Shri N.N.Maithani was Pex those days. It was during his tenure as Pex Music, AIR Lucknow, that I commenced my association with the station by undertaking a prestigious assignment in the year 1976/77, of a maiden stage performance with the AIR Lucknow's 30 plus strong choral group against the well established choir of Gandharv Vidyalay Delhi. He had given me a free hand to use lyrics, voices and accompanying instrumentalists of my choice. It was a great experience, when I used to conduct rehearsals with the singers at AIR studios in the evenings, while the instrumentalists, most of whom were from the PAC band including people retired from Subhash Chandra Bose's I.N.A., like Capt. Ramsingh, rehearsed with my during day time at the PAC premises in Mahanagar.Capt. Ram Singh's entire life has been actively devoted to creating peace and patriotism through music in highly eventful phases—as a Gorkha soldier of the 2/1 Gorkha Rifles, as the Bandmaster of the INA and as the most active musician of Independence's formative years and lastly as the Bandmaster of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary), Lucknow. Only a day before the grand show, all the voices and instrumentalists rehearsed together at AIR.The attempt was a grand success, well appreciated by the then Station Director, Shri K.K. Mathur."
Shobhna Jagdish,one of the participants of his choral group remembering the days and told to the Blog Writer-"What a close to heart nostalgia.I was also a participant in some of these patriotic songs.
Compositions seemed to be 'some thing impossible to achieve'.But vasant ji is no less a disciplinarian than an Army man or police men.A perfectionist.All top grade singers who thought that it is degrading to sing in a chorus,slowly were convinced about those magical compositions.some were traditionally sung by freedom fighters pre independence,and were recreated,but some were newly composed and literally
तेल निकाल देने वाले....Hats off to vasant ji .Real team work.
Source:- Whatsapp massage of Mr.H.Vasant.
Contributed by:-Prafulla Kumar Tripathi, Lucknow,darshgrandpa@gmail.com.