Keeping the flame alive

Children practising at The Sound Space

Abhi naa jao chhodkar. If you have heard that song, a classic from the film Hum Dono, then you have heard Jaidev Verma's music. He is one of those erstwhile composers who left a firm imprint on the country's psyche. If you know Hindi film music, you know the tune. It's from back in the day, 1961 to be precise. The two people who sang it are Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi. One of them is no more.

Jaidev Verma

But the students of a musical academy called The Sound Space will now bring Verma's, and Rafi's, late legacy alive. They will perform a tribute concert dedicated to the composer. It will be a case of the old meeting the new. A troupe of children, who are getting trained in music, will sing songs from back in the day, all the way back to 1961. They will also perform other classics like Allah tero naam, Seene mein jalan, and Mere ghar aana zindagi. Kamakshi and Vishala Khurana, two sisters who have founded the Space, use music as a catalyst for everything they do, in their own words. Vishala says that they put up an annual concert, adding that it shifted online over the past 20 months, being left with no choice. She adds, "This year, we were approached by the Jaidev Music Trust, and we decided together [her and Kamakshi, two sisters] to use some of the beautiful music that Jaidevji has created to introduce them to not only children, but also adult students that we have. You will be surprised, but some of your favourite songs are composed by him. That is what we have now tried to explain to the children and the older people too."

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