Let the music flow - a tribute to RDB

Today, one of the most prolific of music directors in Hindi films, Rahul Dev Burman, would have been 81 years old. Unfortunately he died relatively young, more than two decades ago.

Having been the son of the great Sachin Dev Burman, it would have been even more difficult for him to carve his niche. Obviously the long apprenticeship as assistant to his great father helped  R D Burman straddle different genres of songs with ease - rock, folk, classical, quirky. What set him apart was his use of commonplace items of daily use such as broomsticks or combs or even tin sheets to produce beautiful music. Today, social media will be awash with tributes to him and I would like to add my little soupcon.

What I have done is that after visiting a time classification of his work, I have selected films or songs which touched my soul. These are the films (totally ten) selected from each of these periods:

1960s - one: Teesri Manzil
1970s - six: Amar Prem, Aap ki Kasam, Aandhi, Ghar, Manzil. Mehbooba
1980s - two: Masoom, Ijazaat
1990s: one: 1942 - a love story

From each of these films, I have selected the song I like most. I realise that just ten songs out of more than two hundred films is a woefully inadequate sample and that your choices could be drastically different from mine.

Just indulge me, strap on your headphones and listen to these songs:

1. Teesri Manzil - Mohammad Rafi : Deewana mujh sa nahi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J1PUEiilUU

2. Amar Prem - Lata Mangeshkar: Raina beeti jaaye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRk9pG5Upe4

3. Aap ki Kasam - Kishore Kumar: Zindagi ke safar me guzar jaate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqdNqBA44Bg

4. Ghar: - Lata Mangeshkar: Tere bina jiya jaaye na

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqdNqBA44Bg

5. Aandhi - Lata Mangeshkar & Kishore Kumar: Is mod se jaate hain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STOM6NZfcrs

6. Manzil - Kishore Kumar: Rimjhim gire Sawan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDbi7nP8RV8

7. Mehbooba - Kishore Kumar: Mere naina sawan bhadon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPjMX17qC4

8. Masoom - Lata Mangeshkar: Tujhse naraz nahi zindagi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q04Z1rCQlk

9. Ijaazat - Asha Bhonsle: Mera kuch saaman tumhare paas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlvXDGJAMT0

10. 1942 a love story - Kavita Krishnamurthy: Pyar hua chupke se

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0FsE0b7Z-s

Thank you

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