Vanraj Bhatia (Hindi: वनराज भाटिया ; 31 May 1927 – 7 May 2021) was an Indian composer best known for his work in Indian New Wave cinema. He was also one of the leading composers of

Western classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" ...

in India. Bhatia was a recipient of the

National Film Award for Best Music Direction The National Film Award for Best Music Direction (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the Directorate of Film Festivals to a musician who has composed the best score for films produced within th ...

for the television film '' Tamas'' (1988), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative and Experimental Music (1989) and India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

(2012). He died in Mumbai in May 2021.

Biography

Early life and education

Born into a family of Kutchi businessmen, Bhatia attended the New Era School in Bombay and learnt

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, si ...

as a student at Deodhar School of Music. On hearing

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's '' Piano Concerto No. 1'' as a teenager, he became interested in Western classical music and studied the piano with Dr. Manek Bhagat for four years. After earning his M.A. (English Honours) from

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the ed ...

, University of Bombay in 1949, Bhatia studied composition with

Howard Ferguson George Howard Ferguson, PC (June 18, 1870 – February 21, 1946) was the ninth premier of Ontario, from 1923 to 1930. He was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1905 to 1930 who represented the eastern provinci ...

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed pro ...

and

William Alwyn William Alwyn (born William Alwyn Smith; 7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985), was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher. Life and music William Alwyn was born William Alwyn Smith in Northampton, the son of Ada Tyler (Tompkins ...

at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he was a recipient of the Sir Michael Costa Scholarship (1951–54). After graduating with a gold medal in 1954, Bhatia won a Rockefeller Scholarship (1954–58) as well as a French Government Scholarship (1957–58) that allowed him to study with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

for five years.

Career

On returning to India in 1959, Bhatia became the first person to score music for an advertisement film in India (for Shakti Silk Sarees), and went on to compose over 7,000 jingles, such as Liril, Garden Vareli and

Dulux Dulux is an internationally available brand of architectural paint originated from the United Kingdom. The brand name Dulux has been used by both Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and DuPont since 1931 and was one of the first alkyd-based ...

. During this time, he was also a Reader in Western Musicology at the

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

from 1960 to 1965. Bhatia's first feature film score was for Shyam Benegal's directorial debut '' Ankur'' (1974), and he went on to score almost all of Benegal's work, including the song "Mero Gaam Katha Parey" from the film '' Manthan'' (1976). Bhatia predominantly worked with filmmakers in the Indian New Wave movement, such as Govind Nihalani ('' Tamas'', which won Bhatia a

Kundan Shah Kundan Shah (19 October 1947 – 7 October 2017), was an Indian film director and writer. He is known for his comedy classic '' Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983) and his 1986–1987, TV series '' Nukkad'' with Saeed Akhtar Mirza. Biography Kundan Sh ...

(''

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro ''Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'' () is a 1983 Indian Hindi-language satirical black comedy film directed by Kundan Shah and produced by NFDC. It is a dark satire on the rampant corruption in Indian politics, bureaucracy, news media and business, and st ...

''),

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(''

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''),

Saeed Akhtar Mirza Saeed Akhtar Mirza (born 30 June 1943) is an Indian screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of notable parallel films such as '' Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' (1984), ''Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980), ...

('' Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho!''), Kumar Shahani ('' Tarang''), Vidhu Vinod Chopra ('' Khamosh''), Vijaya Mehta ''( Pestonjee'') and Prakash Jha ('' Hip Hip Hurray''). In the 1990s, he also composed background scores for mainstream films such as '' Ajooba'', ''

Damini ''Damini'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi. It stars Meenakshi Seshadri in the titular role with Sunny Deol, Rishi Kapoor and Amrish Puri. Aamir Khan makes a special appearance. T ...

'' and '' Pardes''. Bhatia has scored television shows such as '' Khandaan'', '' Yatra'', '' Wagle Ki Duniya'', ''

Banegi Apni Baat ''Banegi Apni Baat'' is an Indian television drama series that aired on Zee TV from 1993 running to 1997. The series was produced by Tony Singh and Deeya Singh. It starred many Indian television actors, such as Irrfan Khan, Roshini Achreja, ...

'' and the 53-episode ''

Bharat Ek Khoj ''Bharat Ek Khoj'' () is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book '' The Discovery of India'' (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru that covers a 5,000-year history of India from its beginnings to independence from the British in 1947. The ...

'' based on

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

's '' The Discovery of India'', as well as numerous documentaries. He has also released albums of spiritual music on the Music Today label, and composed music for trade fairs such as Expo '70, Osaka and Asia 1972, New Delhi. Bhatia is the best-known composer of Western classical music in India. His most frequently performed works are the ''Fantasia and Fugue in C'' for piano, the ''Sinfonia Concertante'' for strings, and the song cycle ''Six Seasons''. His ''Reverie'' was performed by

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

at a concert in Mumbai in January 2019, and the first two acts of his opera ''Agni Varsha'', based on

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

's play of the same name, premiered in New York City in 2012 in a production by soprano Judith Kellock.

Death

Bhatia died on May 7, 2021 at his home in Mumbai, due to old age.

List of compositions

Music for solo piano

* ''Toccata No. 1 in Raag Bahar'' (c. 1950s) *''Sonata'' (1952) * ''Introduction and Retrograde'' (1959) * ''Fantasia and Fugue in C'' (1999) * ''Rhapsody on "Agni Varsha"'' (2007) * ''Gujarati Nursery'' (2010)

Chamber music

* ''Trio'' for clarinet, cello and piano (c. 1950s) * ''Quintet'' for flute, harp, viola and two cellos (c. 1950s) * ''Divertimento'' for bassoon and piano (1951) * ''Sonata'' for violin and piano (1954) * ''Indian Nursery: Pieces'' for piano four hands (1956) * ''Sonatina'' for violin and piano (1956) * ''Divertimento Pastoral'' for flute, oboe, two clarinets and bassoon (1957) * ''Sangeet Raat: Night Music'' for solo flute (1964) * ''Cyclic Variations'' for cello and harpsichord (1965) * ''Kaleidoscope'' for prepared piano and string quartet (1965) * ''Kaleidoscope'' for violin, viola, cello and piano (2002) * ''Reverie'' for cello and piano (2014) * ''Spring: An Awakening'' for string quartet (2018)

Vocal music

* ''Dhoon'' for voice and piano (c. 1950s) * ''Kinguri-Vali'' for soprano, violin and piano (1960) * ''Rudranaam'' for triple chorus (1973) * ''Jaisalmer'' for unaccompanied chorus (1977) * ''Vasansi Jeernani'' for triple chorus (1981) * ''Six Seasons'' for unaccompanied chorus (1989) * ''Tantra: Meditations'' for voice and piano (1994) * ''Transcendence'' for double chorus (2002) * ''Rig Veda Hymns'' for double chorus (2003) * ''Six Seasons'' for soprano and piano (2009)

Music for large ensemble

* ''Gita Govinda'' for orchestra (1954) * ''Concerto in One Movement'' for piano and strings (1955) * ''Sinfonia Concertante'' for strings (2001)

Opera

* ''Agni Varsha'' (2017)

Feature film scores

* '' The Householder'' (1963) – background score only * '' Ankur'' (1974) * '' Nishant'' (1975) * ''Ek Dal Mithi'' (c. 1976, unreleased) * '' Manthan'' (1976) * '' Bhumika'' (1977) * '' Anugraham/Kondura'' (1978) * '' Junoon'' (1979) * ''

'' (1981) * '' Kalyug'' (1981) * ''

Sazaye Maut ''Sazā-ye Maut'' (English: Death Penalty) is 1981 Indian film directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The films was based on Chopra's diploma film at FTII, ''Murder at Monkey Hill'' (1976). He adapted that into a full-length feature, with ...

(1981) * ''Je Peed Parai Jaane Re'' (1982) * ''

(1983) * '' Mandi'' (1983) * '' Hip Hip Hurray'' (1984) * '' Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho!'' (1984) * '' Tarang'' (1984) * ''

Aghaat Aghaat (English: Harm) is a 1985 Bollywood film directed by Govind Nihalani and produced by Manmohan Shetty under the banner of Neo Films Association. It stars Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Bharath Gopi in lead roles while Amrish Puri, Pank ...

'' (1985) – song only * '' Khamosh'' (1985) * '' Massey Sahib'' (1985) – uncredited * ''Surkhiyaan'' (1985) * ''

Trikaal Trikal (Past, Present and Future) is a 1985 Indian movie written and directed by Shyam Benegal, set in Goa during the twilight of Portuguese rule, It marked the return of Leela Naidu in her first film appearance since 1969. The film was sel ...

'' (1985) * ''Mazhab'' (1986, released 1996) * ''

Mohre ''Mohre'' () is a 1987 Indian Hindi movie directed by Raghuveer Kul. It starred Nana Patekar, Madhuri Dixit in lead roles. The pair later worked together in Vinod Chopra's ''Parinda'' and his own directorial debut, '' Prahaar''. This film als ...

'' (1987) * '' Pestonjee'' (1987) * '' Susman'' (1987) * ''

Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

'' (1989) * '' Ajooba'' (1991) – background score only * '' Antarnaad'' (1991) * ''Jazeere'' (1991) * '' Kasba'' (1991) * '' Pita'' (1991) * '' Bekhudi'' (1992) – background score only * '' Beta'' (1992) – background score only * ''

Chamatkar ''Chamatkar'' () is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language fantasy comedy film directed by Rajiv Mehra. It featured Shah Rukh Khan (in his second film after '' Deewana'' and first in lead role), Naseeruddin Shah and Urmila Matondkar in pivotal roles. Raj ...

'' (1992) – background score only * '' Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama'' (1992) * '' Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda'' (1992) * ''

'' (1993) – background score only * ''

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...

'' (1993) * '' Droh Kaal'' (1994) * '' Mammo'' (1994) * '' Bangarwadi'' (1995) * '' Naseem'' (1995) * '' Bandish'' (1996) – background score only * '' Ghatak'' (1996) – background score only * ''Katha Doan Ganpatraonchi'' (1996) – background score only * ''

Sardari Begum ''Sardari Begum'' is a 1996 Indian musical film directed by Shyam Benegal. The film stars Kiron Kher, Amrish Puri, Rajit Kapur and Rajeshwari Sachdev. The film's lead actress Kiron Kher won the 1997 National Film Award - Special Jury Award. ...

'' (1996) * '' The Making of the Mahatma'' (1996) * '' Jaya Ganga'' (1996) * '' Char Adhyay'' (1997) * '' Himalay Putra'' (1997) – background score only * '' Pardes'' (1997) – background score only * '' China Gate'' (1998) – background score only * '' Samar'' (1999) * ''Dhaad'' (2000, released 2018) * '' Hari-Bhari'' (2000) * '' Chameli'' (2003) – background score only * '' Escape from Taliban'' (2003) – background score only * '' Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula'' (2003) – background score only * ''Kahan Se Aaye Badarwa: Forgotten Showers'' (2005), re-released as ''Bhagya Na Jaane Koi'' (2017) – background score only * '' Halla Bol'' (2008) – only one song

Television scores

* '' Khandaan'' (1985) * ''

Katha Sagar Katha Sagar (translation:''"A Sea of Stories"'') is an Indian television series that aired on DD National in 1986. The series featured a collection of stories by writers from around the world, including Katherine Mansfield, Guy De Maupassant, Le ...

'' (1986) – selected episodes * '' Yatra'' (1986) * '' Tamas'' (1987) * ''

'' (1988) * ''Naqab'' (1988) * '' Wagle Ki Duniya'' (1988) * ''Lifeline'' (1991) * ''Baingan Raja'' (c. 1990s) * '' Bible Ki Kahaniyan'' (1993) – selected episodes * ''

'' (1994) * ''Sankranti'' (1997)

Documentary scores (selected)

* ''A Certain Childhood'' (1962) * ''To Light a Candle'' (1964) * ''Kailash at Ellora'' (1965) * ''A City in History'' (1966) * ''From Lagoon to Sea'' (1966) * '' The House That Ananda Built'' (1967) * ''An Area of Darkness'' (c. 1968) * ''Indian Youth: An Exploration'' (1968) * ''Water'' (1968) * ''Creative Artists: Amrita Sher-Gil'' (1969) * ''1002 A.D. Khajuraho'' (1973) * ''Asia '72'' (1974) * ''Sarojini Naidu'' (1975) * ''The Women of India'' (1975) * ''A Small Family'' (1976) * ''Nirnaya'' (1979) * ''Touch'' (1979) * ''Bombay: A City at Stake'' (1981) * ''Shaping a Future'' (1983) * ''Tata Steel: Seventy-Five Years of the Indian Steel Industry'' (1983) * ''Nehru'' (1984) – certain sections scored by Alexei Kozlov * ''Molly’s Wish'' (1985) * ''Chocolate Story'' (1986) * ''Nature Symphony'' (1990) * ''The Love We Give for Nothing'' (1992) * ''Prabhupada: A Lifetime in Preparation'' (1996) * ''Purva Uttara: Past Forward'' (1997)

Theatre music

* '' Teen Takke Ka Swang'' (1970), directed by Ebrahim Alkazi and Fritz Bennewitz * ''A Man’s a Man'' (1971), directed by Amal Allana * ''

The Caucasian Chalk Circle ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' (german: Der kaukasische Kreidekreis) is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a ...

'' (1972), directed by Ebrahim Alkazi and Fritz Bennewitz * ''Nisheeth'' (1972), directed by Shanta Gandhi * ''

Tughlaq The Tughlaq dynasty ( fa, ), also referred to as Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty, was a Muslim dynasty of Indo- Turkic origin which ruled over the Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the ...

'' (1972), directed by Ebrahim Alkazi * '' Andha Yug'' (1974), directed by Ebrahim Alkazi * ''Son-et-Lumiere: The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library'' (1976), directed by Ebrahim Alkazi * '' Aurat Bhali Ramkali'' (1984), directed by Amal Allana * '' Othello'' (1991), directed by Alyque Padamsee * ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'' (1995), directed by Jatinder Verma * ''My Bollywood Summer'' (2005), directed by Sabera Shaik

Albums

Preeti Sagar Preeti Sagar is a former Bollywood playback singer who won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Mero Gaam Katha Parey" from ''Manthan'' in 1978 and for the hit song "My Heart is Beating" from ''Julie'' (1975). Care ...

– ''"Spring Is Coming"/”All Night and Day"'' (1976) * ''Hi! Ho!'' (1986) * ''Music for Meditation'' (1993) * ''Cinema Cinema'' (1995) – only one song * ''The Elements: Earth'' (1995) * ''The Bhagavad Gita, Vols. 1 & 2'' (1996) * ''Anant: The Endless'' (2001), re-released as ''The Spirit of the Upanishads'' (2007) * Ritika Sahni – ''Ritika'' (2001) * ''India Unlimited: The United World of Artistes (2000), re-released as Vaishnava Jana To'' (2005) – only one song * ''Tiranga Tera Aanchal'' (2005)

Awards

* Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund (1957) * Bengal Film Journalists Association Award for Music: ''Manthan'' (1976), ''Bhumika'' (1977) * Sur Singar Samsad Award for Best Classical Score/Song (1986, 1987) *

for '' Tamas'' (1988) * Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Creative and Experimental Music (1989) * Maharashtra Rajya Puraskar (1990) *

(2012)

References

External links

*
Vanraj Bhatia
Serenade, 22 March 2017.
The Vanraj Bhatia interview: ‘My music was unique then and is perhaps unique even now’
Scroll, 1 March 2017.

Deccan Herald, 24 January 2015.

LiveMint, 26 April 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatia, Vanraj 1927 births 2021 deaths Elphinstone College alumni Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Hindi film score composers Best Music Direction National Film Award winners Conservatoire de Paris alumni Musicians from Mumbai Rockefeller Fellows Jingle composers 20th-century Indian musicians Indian male film score composers 20th-century male musicians Indian expatriates in France