A Memorable Ghazal: 'Gham Ka Khazana Tera Bhi Hai Mera Bhi'

Even though Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjit Singh are no longer among us, we have a treasure trove of their charismatic songs and magical ghazals, which are no less than a heritage. By the time Jagmohan Singh Dhiman, also known as Jagjit Singh, from Sriganganagar, came to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1965 to give a new dimension to his singing, Lata Mangeshkar had already become a famous playback singer.

Film critic Subhash K. wrote, "Lataji told me that one day music composer Madan Mohan told me that a boy named Jagjit had arrived who sang very well. She further said that in 1991, they both sang together in the album 'Sajda', recorded at the inspiration of Madan (Mohan) Bhaiya's son Sanjeev Kohli, who was a senior officer at HMV/Saregama at that time." The album 'Sajda' contains a total of 16 ghazals, including four duet ghazals sung by Lata and Jagjit, which are as follows:

1. 'Gham Ka Khazana Tera Bhi Hai Mera Bhi' (Shahid Kabir)

2. 'Har Taraf Har Jagah Beshumar Admi' (Nida Fazli)

3. 'Mili Hawaon Mein Udane Ki Woh Saza Yaron' (Wasim Barelvi)

4. 'Jo Bhi Bura Bhala Hai, Allah Janta Hai' (Akhtar Azad)

Sanjeev Kohli, best known for composing music for the film 'Veer - Zaara', worked for HMV/ Saregama before becoming CEO of Yash Raj Films. He sent a photo taken during the recording of 'Sajda' for this article and described the album, saying, "...'Sajda' was a unique album that has been talked about a lot...... I've found a photo and I'm sending it to you......."

The album 'Sajda' was recorded in 1989 under the supervision of sound engineer Daman Sood, released in 1991, which includes ghazals by Qateel Shifai, Dr. Bashir Badr, Muzaffar Warsi, Shahid Kabir, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Saba Afghani, Nida Fazli, Nazir Baqri, Wasim Barelvi, Sahir Bhopali, Zafar Gorakhpuri, Akhtar Azad and Danish Aligarhi.

The music video for one of the ghazals from this album, 'Gham Ka Khazana Tera Bhi Hai Mera Bhi' (Shahid Kabir), was directed by Binoy Mitra and shot by Sunil R. Patel, released by HMV/ Saregama on August 26, 2003. Shot in Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) and Mumbai, the video stars Kartik Sabharwal, Kunal S. Kumar, Gayatri Kachru and Niharika Singh etc. Dr. (Prof.) Sameer Kabir, younger son of late poet Shahid Kabir, said that my father started writing poetry in 1952 and wrote hundreds of poems, ghazals, nazms and songs in his life, which are popular not only in India but also in other countries.

The heroine of this video, Gayatri Kachru (now Mukherjee), has also worked in Vibhu Puri's 'The Pocket Watch', 'Speed' (Ten Sports) and 'Love Bites' (Zoom TV), 'Dilruba' (Kailash Kher's video), as well as Gulzar's ghazal, 'Raat Chupchap Dabe Paon' (Asha Bhosle) and has given a stellar performance in Binoy Mitra's video 'Dil Padosi Hai'. While writing the article, I found the contact details of Gayatri (Kachru) Mukherjee from an article by Nupura Hautamaki, founder of 'Gypsy Gigs' in Panaji (Goa), and she then said, "...Kartik Sabharwal is the actor opposite me in 'Gham Ka Khazana'.... I haven't met him for a long time, nor Binoy Da, who directed the videos for 'Gham Ka Khazana' and 'Raat Chupchap', because I left acting and went to study; after returning from there, I am working in tourism...."

The above accounts date back nearly three decades, when ghazal aficionados would sit all night listening to ghazals in mehfils or listen to them on the radio, record players, cassette players, or CD players. However, with the advent of the internet and mobile phones, music has become accessible to everyone around the world, allowing people to listen to their favorite ghazals and songs anytime, anywhere.

This change has led to the emergence of new artists and a constantly changing music industry. Despite this, ghazal remains popular because this centuries-old poetic form is greatly appreciated by today's youth, including both singers and listeners.

Dr. Sameer Kabir named some singers who still sing Shahid Kabir's ghazals in mehfils. Prominent names among them are Dr. Roshan Bharti (Kota), Alhad and Swati Kashikar (Pune), Surendra Rawal (Kota), Raees Anees Sabri (Mumbai), Yashraj Gandharva (Mumbai), Prasanna Joshi (Nagpur), Sanjay Vatsal (Nashik), Mangesh Punekar (Mumbai), Shahzeb Shaikh (Nagpur) and Shri N (New Delhi) etc.