<p>The tune of <em>Aaj jaane ki zid na karo</em>, a concert standard among ghazal singers, is often attributed to the Pakistani singer Farida Khanum. Many distinguished Indian singers have recorded their versions of the ‘geet’ — it is called that and not a ghazal because it does not follow the prosody of the latter poetic form. Farida’s audio, uploaded on YouTube, has close to a million views.</p>.<p>Several well-known Indian singers, including Asha Bhosle, have drawn inspiration from the delicate nuances Farida imparts to her rendering in raga Yaman Kalyan, and recorded their versions. Sample the poetry: ‘Don’t insist on leaving today/Come, sit by my side a little longer.’ The words, with their wistful romance, and the melody, with its gentle if predictable contours, together make the song an all-time favourite. Even A R Rahman gave it a shot in the course of a Coke Studio recording, and as you might expect, it is a blingy take.</p>.<p>A little known fact is that the song was first popularised by the classical vocalist Habib Wali Mohammad. He subsequently sang it for the Pakistani film ‘<em>Badal aur Bijli</em>’ (1974). With words by the Kolkata-born Fayyaz Hashmi, the tune was created by the distinguished Pakistani composer Sohail Raina.</p>.<p>You can watch the video of the film song online. The orchestra is reminiscent of that era. If you had to make a list of film songs loved and performed by non-film musicians, you might put <em>Aaj jaane ki zid</em> on top. </p>.<p><strong>Raja wants words</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja has put out a tune for which he wants lyrics. It is a choppy little tune he has posted on Twitter, and he is inviting people to write in. The first few hundred submissions were all in Tamil, so Iliayaraaja again posted a message asking for lyrics in other languages. Check out his official handle <a href="https://twitter.com/ilaiyaraaja" target="_blank">@ilaiyaraaja</a>, and see if you are inspired to write a song.</p>.<p><strong>Lullaby contest</strong></p>.<p>And as part of the country’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the government has announced a song-writing contest. It has two categories: patriotic songs and lullabies. A website devoted to the celebrations, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, gives you details.</p>
<p>The tune of <em>Aaj jaane ki zid na karo</em>, a concert standard among ghazal singers, is often attributed to the Pakistani singer Farida Khanum. Many distinguished Indian singers have recorded their versions of the ‘geet’ — it is called that and not a ghazal because it does not follow the prosody of the latter poetic form. Farida’s audio, uploaded on YouTube, has close to a million views.</p>.<p>Several well-known Indian singers, including Asha Bhosle, have drawn inspiration from the delicate nuances Farida imparts to her rendering in raga Yaman Kalyan, and recorded their versions. Sample the poetry: ‘Don’t insist on leaving today/Come, sit by my side a little longer.’ The words, with their wistful romance, and the melody, with its gentle if predictable contours, together make the song an all-time favourite. Even A R Rahman gave it a shot in the course of a Coke Studio recording, and as you might expect, it is a blingy take.</p>.<p>A little known fact is that the song was first popularised by the classical vocalist Habib Wali Mohammad. He subsequently sang it for the Pakistani film ‘<em>Badal aur Bijli</em>’ (1974). With words by the Kolkata-born Fayyaz Hashmi, the tune was created by the distinguished Pakistani composer Sohail Raina.</p>.<p>You can watch the video of the film song online. The orchestra is reminiscent of that era. If you had to make a list of film songs loved and performed by non-film musicians, you might put <em>Aaj jaane ki zid</em> on top. </p>.<p><strong>Raja wants words</strong></p>.<p>Ilaiyaraaja has put out a tune for which he wants lyrics. It is a choppy little tune he has posted on Twitter, and he is inviting people to write in. The first few hundred submissions were all in Tamil, so Iliayaraaja again posted a message asking for lyrics in other languages. Check out his official handle <a href="https://twitter.com/ilaiyaraaja" target="_blank">@ilaiyaraaja</a>, and see if you are inspired to write a song.</p>.<p><strong>Lullaby contest</strong></p>.<p>And as part of the country’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the government has announced a song-writing contest. It has two categories: patriotic songs and lullabies. A website devoted to the celebrations, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, gives you details.</p>