Girish Modi
By Girish Modi
The 1950s and 1960s were dominated by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle because Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum whose singing styles were different had eclipsed. Musicians were in search of a new type of singer. That’s when Sharda’s luck had shined. Sharda was discovered by Raj Kapoor and had introduced her to his musician team Shankar-Jaikishan. While Alka Yagnik and Kavita Krishnamurthy started as dubbing artists, Sharda started as playback singer from day one.
Before Sharda sang three songs in Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker, which were not included in the final version, Shankar-Jaikishan had used her voice for “Titli udi” in the film Suraj which turned out to be a top chartbuster in 1966. What was interesting is that Sharda had received as many votes as Mohd Rafi for the playback singer award; so Filmfare was forced to create a new category of female singers. Thus, Sharda was the first recipient of a female playback singer award and became a trendsetter. Sharda was nominated four years in a row (1968–71) for best female playback singer and won another Filmfare award.
Sharda then won another Filmfare award in 1970 for the cabaret “Baat zara hai aapas ki” in the Jahan Pyar Miley film. Shankar-Jaikishan continued to use Sharda’s playful voice in many films, since she was gifted with irresistible magic in her throat. The power, range, depth and modulation of her voice is exquisitely versatile suiting all varieties of classical, devotional, emotional and romantic songs with equal ease and perfection. Sharda sang with most of the top singers like Mohd Rafi, Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Yesudas, Mukesh and Suman Kalayanpur. She had lent her voice to top leading actresses of the time. She also performed on stage on several occasions like Filmfare Awards Functions, charity shows, naval functions etc. Still, Sharda could not reach the top bracket of singers.
Besides Shankar-Jaikish, Sharda also recorded songs with Usha Khanna, Dattaram, Iqbal Qureshi and a few others. Sharda has sung the song “Jaane bhi de sanam” in both Hindi and English versions for the film Around the World. This shows that there is no other artist in Bollywood who was as versatile as Sharda.
In the 1970s Sharda turned to be music director with films like Mandir Masjid and Maila Anchal. She also penned lyrics for one song for Shankar that was sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Sharda conducted music lessons for children in her retirement. She also released her Ghazal Album.
Since I am into music, I began listening to her songs. My favorite song was “Dekho mera dil machal gaya” from Suraj because it is more melodious than “Titli udi”. I wanted to meet Sharda like I had met many other singers. I contacted her and impressed her with my knowledge of music. Soon we became friends and talked on the phone often. She was asking me to organize a concert for her, which I could not do when I was living in Montgomery, Alabama because there were very few Indians living there.
But as soon as I moved to the Atlanta area, my first task was to organize a small concert for 200 senior citizens gathered in a restaurant during lunch hour. Sharda was so gracious that she had not charged me any money for that concert. All I had to do was buy her a plane ticket and pay for a hotel room for two days.
Sharda was a one-woman show. She brought two keyboards (one for the rhythm and the other for the melody) and sang the solos and duets by herself. She entertained senior citizens for 2 hours with old nostalgic songs giving tributes to late Mukesh, Mohammad Rafi and Noorjehan, Shamshad Begum, lyricist Shailendra and her beloved music composer duo. She sang the oldies with passion and ease. She almost forgot to sing her signature song “Titli udi” had she not been reminded by the audience. Before singing it, Sharda explained the underlying philosophical message of Atma (titli) on its journey to unite with Parmatma (the eternal spirit) that late Shailendra intended when he penned the lyrics, which many in the audience didn’t know before.
While giving tribute to Lata Mangeshkar she stated that she idealized Lataji and used to sing her songs as a teenager. She sang famous song “Aayega aane wala” superbly in her golden voice at audience’s request without using the keyboard, since she had not programmed it in advance for this event. Sharda brought seniors to their feet when she sang a dandia-raas as the last item as a gesture to celebrate the Navratri festival. After the concert ended, I gave her a bouquet and a small gift.
Sharda and I were in contact for a long time. She wanted me to organize another concert for her. But I could not find an organizer who was willing to rent a hall, sell tickets and make money. So, it never materialized. Sharda had sent me a cassette tape of her unreleased songs of Mera Naam Joker including a song titled “Aye Abdullah”. I believe she has posted them on YouTube as well.
Sharda is no longer in this world since she died on June 14, 2023, at the age of 89. Her music lives on.
Girish Modi is an 85 year-old retired engineer who is passionate about Indian music and classical dances. He donates money to various Indian organizations and provides free photo service. Contact: girish39@yahoo.com.
