The Forgotten Instrument?

A hand-pumped organ, or Harmonium as we know it, has always been an integral part in Hindi film music. Be it Suman Kalyanpur and Mohd. Rafi's ace jugalbandi in ajhun naa aaye baalamaa saawan biitaa jaaye where the harmonium steered us to antraas beautifully or the steady appearance of the instrument in the iconic saaqiya aaj mujhe niind nahii aayegii. The adorable bahut shukriyaa badi meherbaanii where the instrument was the central tone setter or the very 'by the harmonium' chalat musaafir moh liyo re. There are countless examples of the harmonium's dazzling participation in films of the era gone by. However, in the last few years, due to the welcome invasion of new styles of composing and presenting music, the instrument has gone in a hiding of sorts. But here are some contemporary songs where the forgotten instrument reveals itself rather well.

1. Ha raham (Aamir, 2008, Amit Trivedi)

Although the composition is heavily dominated by bulbul tarang, just hear how the harmonium is a voice of its own when the singers croon. I remember the crowd cheering for the emotionally battered protagonist in the auditorium as the song came up and what did the harmonium do? It elevated the song in its signature, quiet manner

2. Allah he raham (My Name Is Khan, 2009, SEL)

While the song is best remembered for Ustad Rashid Khan’s powerful rendition, one doesn’t need to be an authority in music to discover the fact that throughout the song, the harmonium enveloped Rashid Khan’s voice. And if you imagine the song without the harmonium, you will perhaps not get the same effect.

3. O ri duniyaa (Gulaal, 2009, Piyush Mishra)

A haunting composition by Piyush Mishra had the harmonium throughout the song, albeit near-silent in places, but can we imagine this song without the apocalyptic harmonium in the beginning? Listen how quietly the instrument dies before the song concludes, ushering in the silent horror of the situation.

4. Kun Faya Kun (Rockstar, 2011, AR Rahman)

AR Rahman used subtle a harmonium in Piya Haji Ali (Fiza, 2000) and made it prominent in Khwaja mere Khwaja (Jodha Akbar, 2008) and made it tug at our hearts with Kun faya kun. The song soars every time there are independent notes on the harmonium. It is as if the vocalists were following the harmonium's lead and that is just fantastic!

5. Rangrez (Tanu Weds Manu, 2011, Krsna)

With Wadali brothers at the helm, it would be unimaginable that a composition will not feature the harmonium. Krsna weaved the instrument into the song prominently. The various turns of the instrument in the song accentuate the conflict of the protagonist.

6. Tain tain to to and Humnee ke choddi ke (Gangs of Wasseypur, 2012, Sneha Khanwalkar)

Tain tain to to

Humnee ke chhodi ke

The OST of this film had ample use of the instrument mainly because of the geographical context of the film. What really stood out harmonium-wise were these two songs. While Tain tain to to was ‘quirky’ Sneha at her best, the harmonium complimented the keyed up mood of the song wonderfully! On the other hand, Humnee ke chhodi ke was a slow melancholic composition with just a harmonium for sangat and, boy, does it hold the song!

7. Phir le aaya dil (Barfi, 2012, Pritam)

The harmonium isn’t prominently used in this song but at 00:23 minutes, tell me if your heart doesn’t skip a beat at the ghazal-esque atmosphere that it creates?

8. Main pareshaan pareshaan (Ishaqzaade, 2012, Amit trivedi)

A splendid song by all means with an urban dreamy setting and the harmonium doesn’t upset anything. In fact, its connects the two settings perfectly. A Prague-esque sound with the unembellished overalls of Lucknow where the film was set.

9. Mera Murshid khele holi (D-Day, 2013, SEL)

If there was a song that conveyed irrefutable element of finality, it was this and it owed much to the outstanding harmonium in the song. Even though the instrument starts the song and stays all throughout but the way it turns the pace of the song at 03:03 minute is something which I haven’t heard in a long, long time in Hindi film music.

10. Banjara (Ek villain, 2014, Mithoon)

Apart from the pleasant voice of Mohd. Irfan, the song had harmonium making entry at right places to give an intimate touch to the otherwise ‘present day’ music setting filled with gentle beats, keyboard and guitar. Hear it to know what I mean

Now let's hear your favourites featuring this melodious instrument