Naushadnama
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''Naushadnama'' is a 2013 biography of the Indian composer Naushad by the journalist and critic
Raju Bharatan Raju Bharatan (1934 – February 7, 2020) was a journalist and writer on Indian cricket and Bollywood music. He worked for a weekly features magazine, ''The Illustrated Weekly of India,'' and an Indian films weekly newspaper, ''Screen''. He also ...
. Consisting of 21 chapters, the book predominantly focuses on Naushad's musical career from his debut in 1940 with '' Prem Nagar'', his rise to stardom, up to his final release '' Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story'' (2005). It also slightly covers his personal life, such as his birth on the
Christmas day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
of 1919, his two-time marriages, and his death due to cardiac arrest in 2006. Bharatan got to know Naushad in 1949 and, after their first meeting in
Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...
six year later, developed an interest on the composer's work. Although Naushad had asked Bharatan to write a biography on him during his lifetime, the writing, however, was started only after his death. ''Naushadnama'' was met with varied reviews from critics, who praised the book's comprehensiveness but criticised it for giving an extra focus on Naushad's career rather than his personal life.


Summary

''Naushadnama'' is a biography of the Indian music director Naushad, primarily focuses on his career and divided into 21 chapters. He was born into a conservative
Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
-based Muslim family on 25 December 1919, married two times, had nine children (three sons and six daughters), and died on 5 May 2006 by cardiac arrest. Naushad began his debut with the 1940 film '' Prem Nagar'', and composed soundtrack to several commercially and critically successful films, including '' Baiju Bawra'' (1952), '' Mother India'' (1957, the first Indian film nominated at the
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
), '' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960, one of India's highest-grossing films of all time), '' Gunga Jumna'' (1961), '' Ram Aur Shyam'' (1967), and '' Pakeezah'' (1972).


Development and writing

Raju Bharatan Raju Bharatan (1934 – February 7, 2020) was a journalist and writer on Indian cricket and Bollywood music. He worked for a weekly features magazine, ''The Illustrated Weekly of India,'' and an Indian films weekly newspaper, ''Screen''. He also ...
was a magazine editor, journalist, columnist, and historian who focused on cricket and Bollywood music. He first knew Naushad in 1949, but it was only in end-1955 that he met him at his studio in
Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...
. He described the visits as his pivotal experience, helping him to know more about the Indian classical music. Writing for the book's foreword, Bharatan admitted that Naushad caught his attention to the type of music, and added, "Soon I divined that, without ever saying so, Naushad had begun making my music listening classically oriented. In this sense, he was my mentor. The fact that, even before we embarked upon such a journey, he was my favourite music director helped." Naushad had asked Bharatan to write him a biography, but the request was fulfilled only after his death. According to Bharatan, it took him 50 years since their first meeting in Bandra "to fathom the full strength of his music". His motivation of writing the book is to surpass anything that had been written on the composer. For his research, Bharatan was helped by the historian Harish Raghuwanshi, whom Bharatan described as "close to being the best film historian in India today". Bharatan's book more focuses on Naushad's work rather than his personal life, but he claimed in its foreword that there is "not a single facet of Naushad’s life and times have I left unexplored".


Critical reception

''Naushadnama'' generated mixed reviews from literary critics. Writing for ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'', M. O. Badsha wrote that the book is full of anecdotes of Naushad's life and added that it deserves to be praised. The critic of
Indo-Asian News Service Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The se ...
complimented the book's "comprehensive and enthralling narrative—studded with rare nuggets of information", saying, "This volume, by one of India's greatest film critics, also throws light on the relations and interactions between him and his singers; his songwriters, and his unsung instrumentalists. The author draws upon his vast and varied experience to come up with a revelatory work which will evoke a medley of memories." Suresh Kohli, who reviewed ''Naushadnama'' for '' The Tribune'', referred to it as "a mine full of authentic redeemed nostalgia: Carefully catalogued, nurtured and memorised." In the ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
'', Narendra Kusnur criticised the book for lacking information of Naushad's personal life, but commended its inside look at his musical career. "Tales like these make ''Naushadnama'' a must for fans of old music. Though the excessive detail may get taxing for those less familiar with his work, the hardcore fan will find plenty to pick up. Bharatan's analysis and depth, and the trivia, make this an extremely readable book", Kusnur concluded. Shreekant Sambrani of ''
Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busine ...
'' found the book to be dull and panned Bharatan's "meandering and murderous" writing style. The critic from ''
Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...
'' called it "a mine of information not only on the great Naushad but also on his professional colleagues and their respective attitudes towards him and each other in an environment as susceptible to gossip as it was conducive to the making of memorable film songs".


References


Sources

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External links

* {{Google Books, id=mg09BAAAQBAJ 2013 non-fiction books Indian biographies Hay House books