Manek Premchand

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Manek Premchand
Manek-Premchand.jpg
BornIndia
OccupationHistorian of`Indian film music
EducationUniversity of Mumbai

Manek Premchand is an Indian writer and historian of film music at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, who has written several books pertaining to the history of Indian film music and biographies of musicians. He has hosted shows on WorldSpace Satellite Radio and been a consultant with Saregama.

In 2003 he completed his first book, Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories, with the aim of giving songwriters, singers and composers[1] credit. It was followed by Musical Moments from Hindi Films (2006). In 2010 he became part of the Mohammed Rafi Academy's governing body and two years later produced Romancing the Song (2012). He contributed an essay on Shivkumar Sharma in Shiv Kumar Sharma: The Man and His Music (2014), and released a biography of Talat Mahmood the following year. In Hitting the Right Notes (2016) he focusses on songwriters and composers, the difference the music made and the trends they produced. He devotes a chapter about Mubarak Begum in The Hindi Music Jukebox: Exploring Unforgettable Songs (2018) and published a biography of Hemant Kumar in 2020.

Early life and education[]

Manek Premchand spent his early childhood in Delhi as the youngest of six children. He was introduced to music by his mother who used to sing. By the age of ten, he had moved to Mumbai, where he became acquainted with the nearby qawwali singer Jaani Babu Qawwal, who arranged for him to learn the bulbul tarang.[1] His education has included a diploma in journalism and an arts degree from the University of Mumbai.[2][3] He received a two-year Senior Fellowship from the Ministry of Culture on the subject The Changing Face of Lyrics in Hindi Cinema.[1][2] Prior to his career in writing he spent many years abroad.[2]

Career[]

Premchand has hosted shows on WorldSpace Satellite Radio and been a consultant with Saregama, for whom he has compiled CDs.[1][4] He is an adviser to Manipal University Press.[5] Manipal Film Festival (April 2013), organised by Communication Management Students of Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC) to celebrate 100 Years of Cinema, invited him as a speaker and honored him at the event.[6] For students at Manipal University, he has lectured on several subjects, especially on The Evolution of Music in Hindi Cinema.[7] He hosted a commemoration of 100 Years of Cinema arranged by Bhavans Kala Kendra, Mumbai.[8] He did a video presentation as a salute to the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) for The Asiatic Society of Mumbai.[9] Among the film and music related events he has anchored was an event to honor stars of yesteryear Shammi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman and Vyjayanthimala, reported in The Financial Express.[10] He has hosted an evening to celebrate yesteryear’s playback singer Sudha Malhotra.[11] He conceptualized and anchored a show at the birth centenary of lyricist and poet Sahir Ludhianvi in March 2021.[12] He has conversed with composer Anandji and singer Usha Timothy on The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) platform,[13] a non-profit organization of authors, composers and music publishers.

He was the Guest of Honour to celebrate the music of composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal.[14] He has been invited as a guest on television shows related to music personalities from Hindi cinema like Shankar-Jaikishan,[15] Talat Mahmood,[16] Jan Nisar Akhtar,[17] Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi[18] among them. Even television shows on different themes like Bollywood's Top 20 Rain Songs.[19] He has been a guest speaker at several Rotary Club meets, outlining the changing trends in music over the past about 90 years.[20] He has arranged several interactive audiovisual presentations for Asiatic Society of Mumbai, including one on Mohammad Rafi, on the singer’s death anniversary on 31 July, 2021.[21]

Manek Premchand teaches broadcasting to post-graduate students at Xavier Institute of Communications, a part of St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, where he is a historian of film music.[4][22]

Writing[]

Book Release – Musical Moments From Hindi Films. L- R : Jagjit Kaur, Khayyam, Hema Malini, L K Advani, Manek Premchand and Ameen Sayani

Among the publications he wrote for were Hindustan Times,[23] Mumbai Mirror,[24] and Deccan Herald.[25] He had a weekly column with DNA Jaipur[26] to which he contributed film and music related articles. Among his essays is one about the contribution of Parsis in Hindi cinema,[27] and an article on Dilip Kumar [28]with a focus on his musical prowess and abilities for The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS).[29]

Premchand began writing his first book, Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories, in January 1997, with the aim of giving songwriters, lyricists and singers of what he calls "the golden era of Hindi film music", credit.[1][2] It took almost seven years to complete and was released in 2003.[1] In his research he interviewed several people including singer Manna Dey, poet Majrooh and lyricist and composer Prem Dhawan.[1] He estimated that 4,334 Hindi films made between 1930 and 1970 depicted around 36,000 songs.[30] The book was described as having "excellent short sketches of the major composers, singers lyricist and arrangers" in Bollywood travels of Hindi song and dance.[31] It was followed by Musical Moments from Hindi Films (2006), released by Hema Malini.[1][2]

In 2010 Mohammed Rafi's son Shahid Rafi launched the Mohammed Rafi Academy with Premchand as part of the academy's governing body.[32] Two years later Premchand produced Romancing the Song (2012),[2] in which he clarifies who really was the male voice in Kismet's "Dheere Dheere Aa".[1][2] He wrote a third of the 2014 book Shiv Kumar Sharma: The Man and His Music,[33] a biography of Shivkumar Sharma, alongside a piece by Pandit Vijay Kichlu.[34][35]

In 2015, he released a biography of Talat Mahmood,[36] published by Manipal University. It contains chapters written by Mahmood's daughter Sabina Talat Mahmood Rana, and son Khalid Talat Mahmood.[37] Mahmood was a favourite of his and his mother and he stated in an interview that "my book on him was a way of saying 'Thanks Talatji, for the hundreds of hours you gave me joy ... and sometimes tears'."[1] The following year he produced Hitting the Right Notes (2016), which reveals who blew the whistle in Kati Patang's "Ye shaam mastani".[1] The book focusses on songwriters and composers, the difference the music made and the trends they produced.[2]

His 2018 The Hindi Music Jukebox: Exploring Unforgettable Songs devotes one chapter to Mubarak Begum.[38] In 2020, he released the biography of Hemant Kumar in a book titled The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar.[2] Gulzar has written the Foreword for two of Manek Premchand’s books – Romancing the Song (2012) and The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar (2020).[2] In his foreword to Premchand's book Romancing the Song, Dadasaheb Phalke award winner, filmmaker-lyricist Gulzar has compared the work with Jawaharlal Nehru's The Discovery of India. For his book The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar, santoor maestro Padma Vibhushan awardee Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma has called Manek Premchand the Munshi Premchand of Hindi cinema.[39]

His book on Majrooh Sultanpuri, the Hindi film lyricist and poet, is available on Amazon.in currently and is scheduled to be released in December 2021.

Publications[]

Books[]

  • Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories, (2003), including a guest article by MV Kamath[40] and a foreword by Ameen Sayani[2]
  • Musical Moments from Hindi Films (2006)[1][2][41], including Foreword by Khayyam
  • Romancing the Song (2012),[2][1] with a foreword by Gulzar, a Keynote by L K Advani, Curtain Raiser by Ameen Sayani and Last Word by Shivkumar Sharma[42][43]
  • Shiv Kumar Sharma: The Man and His Music (2014). (Contributor)[2][35]
  • Talat Mahmood: The Velvet Voice (2015)[36][2]
  • Hitting the Right Notes: Hindi Cinema's Golden Music, published by Manipal University Press December (2016)[2]
  • The Hindi Music Jukebox: Exploring Unforgettable Songs (2018)[2]
  • The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar (2020)[2]
  • Majrooh Sultanpuri, The Poet For All Reasons (2021)[44]

Articles[]

  • The Only Film Mahatma Gandhi Saw[45]
  • Songs of Life, Sweet And Sour[46]
  • Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma[47]
  • Meeting Dilip Saab[24]
  • The other Kishore Kumar, surrounded by sadness[23]
  • Memories of Another Day[25]
  • A Rare Greatness[48]


References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Deepa (27 January 2017). "Manek Premchand – A Beacon For Music Travellers". TheSongPedia. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Mondal, Antara Nanda (13 July 2020). "The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar: In Conversation With Author Manek Premchand". Silhouette Magazine. ISSN 2231-699X. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Manek Premchand's Author Page – Notion Press". notionpress.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Our Authors | Blue Pencil Publishers". Blue Pencil. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Interaction with author of 'Talat Mahmood – The Velvet Voice'". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 25 September 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 February 2021.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ "Manipal Film Festival celebrates 100 years of Indian Cinema". The Manipal Journal. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  7. ^ The Evolution of Music in Hindi Cinema, retrieved 5 December 2021
  8. ^ Jaisinghani, Bella (20 February 2013). "Free musical event by stalwart artistes Saturday". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Yeh Hai Bambai Meri Jaan – Bombay in Bollywood songs". asiaticsociety.org.in. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Phir Wahi Shaam - A Nostalgic Journey". The Financial Express. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  11. ^ "bhavans.info". www.bhavans.info. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Programmes and Event". asiaticsociety.org.in. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Events – IPRS". www.iprs.org. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Laxmikant Pyarelal Utsav Was A Massive Success". DADASAHEBPHALKEFILMFOUNDATION.COM. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  15. ^ Video | Recalling the journey of music composers Shankar-Jaikishan, retrieved 8 April 2021
  16. ^ TALAT MAHMOOD 'KING OF GHAZALS' Bollywood Roots (NDTV), retrieved 8 April 2021
  17. ^ Video | The life and times of Jan Nisar Akhtar, retrieved 8 April 2021
  18. ^ Video | Recalling the journey of legendary singer Mohammad Rafi, retrieved 17 April 2021
  19. ^ Video | Bollywood's top 20 rain songs, retrieved 17 April 2021
  20. ^ "Rotary Mumbai Queens Necklace: Photo Gallery - Mr Manek Premchand, Author, will address on "Romancing the Song"". www.rotaryqueensnecklace.org. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Yaad Na Jaay Beete Dino Ki - a musical treat on Mohammed Rafi". www.asiaticsociety.org.in. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  22. ^ "The Faculty | Mass Media Courses – Mass Communication, Journalism, Advertising and Marketing, Diploma Courses and Certificate Courses by Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC)". www.xaviercomm.org. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  23. ^ a b "The other Kishore Kumar, surrounded by sadness". Hindustan Times. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Meeting Dilip Saab". Mumbai Mirror. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Memories of another day..." Deccan Herald. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  26. ^ "Jaipur". DNA India. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  27. ^ arZan; arZan. "Music and Bollywood: The Parsi Way!". Parsi Khabar. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  28. ^ "MUSICAL GEMS – IPRS". iprs.org. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  29. ^ "IPRS – The Indian Performing Right Society Limited". iprs.org. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  30. ^ Bhugra, Dinesh (2013). Mad Tales from Bollywood: Portrayal of Mental Illness in Conventional Hindi Cinema. Hove: Psychology Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-84169-646-1. ISSN 0076-5465.
  31. ^ Gopal, Sangita; Moorti, Sujata (2008). "Introduction". Global Bollywood: Travels of Hindi Song and Dance. University of Minnesota Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8166-4578-7.
  32. ^ "Mohd Rafi's son to launch music academy". siliconindia. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  33. ^ "A Musical Journey". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Immerse yourself in melody, books this World Music Day". The Statesman. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  35. ^ a b "MUP to hold author meets readers interaction at MIT on September 26 - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  36. ^ a b Premchand, Manek (18 May 2015). "Talat Mahmood-A Velvet Voice".
  37. ^ Zaman, Sahar. "In fond remembrance of the ghazal's 'velvet voice'". www.sunday-guardian.com. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  38. ^ Ojha, Abhilasha (26 June 2020). "Mubarak Begum: Bollywood music's shooting star". The Week. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  39. ^ "E-Paper - Mid Day". epaper.mid-day.com. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  40. ^ "The Last Supper". Cinemaazi. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  41. ^ Bamzai, Kaveree (5 February 2007). "Manek Premchand's new book relives musical moments of Indian history". India Today. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  42. ^ "A perfect tribute to the great Hindi film lyricists". Kaansen Kalling. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  43. ^ Premchand, Manek (2012). Romancing the song: Hindi cinema's lyrical journey. ISBN 978-81-924931-0-7. OCLC 823655477.
  44. ^ "Amazon.in".
  45. ^ Premchand, Manek (2 October 2013). "Ram Rajya, the only Indian film Mahatma Gandhi saw". DNA India. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  46. ^ Premchand, Manek (25 February 2006). "Songs of life, sweet and sour". DNA India. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  47. ^ Premchand, Manek (14 October 2012). "Pandit Shivkumar Sharma: Classical music to melodies to iconic film". DNA India. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  48. ^ "MUSICAL GEMS – IPRS". iprs.org. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
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