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| A rare photograph of Vasant Desai in All India Radio Studio ! |
He is most remembered for his score in V. Shantaram films like Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1953), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), Sampoorna Ramayan (1961), Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Guddi (1971) and Aashirwaad. He was with the famous Prabhat Film Company since it started making talkies. He acted, sang, and sometimes composed songs in Prabhat's films like Dharmatma and Sant Dnyaneshwar. After learning the craft of music composition, he stuck solely to it since the 1940s. He scored music for a majority of V. Shantaram's films when the latter broke away from Prabhat to form his own film studio.
Their relations soured in late 1950s after which Vasantrao Desai never worked for his former mentor again. He memorable songs are, Hindi Filmi Devotional song, Ae Malik Tere Bande Ham Do Aankhen Barah Haath, 1957. and launched play back singer, Vani Jairam with the song, Bole re papihara in Guddi (1971). Maithreem Bhajata is a benediction composed in Sanskrit by sant Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of the Kanchi Mutt.
The song was set to a Ragamalika by composer Shri Vasant Desai. It was rendered at the United Nations on Oct. 23, 1966 on the occasion of the UN day, by Bharat Ratna Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi.
In Marathi, some of his memorable songs are Sanga Mukund kuni ha pahila, Uthi Uthi Gopala from Amar Bhoopali, Ramya hi swargahuni Lanka from Swayamwar zale Seeteche, Deh devache mandir from Preetisangam, Manuskichya shatrusange yuddha amuche suru from Chota jawan .
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