My knowledge about this man is rather limited. And the number of songs that we get to hear of this man is also minimal - must not be more than 25-30 at the most. Is not it astounding then that on the basis of such few songs, I should consider him to be one of the greatest innovators of our films ? Amongst all composers of the 50s, he was the one with the minimum films perhaps. Yet, he was considered by almost every composer from Naushad to O.P.Nayyar as the most superior composer of the day. Astonishing. Had the man been blessed with a calmer temperament, we might have seen many many more unsurpassed melodies from his baton- but who knows, the passionate spark that one feels in his music might also have been a little dimmed. We got a few gems from this genius composer, and with those few numbers we must remain satisfied. It is not everyone who can understand, leave alone enjoy, the language of his music. And one who discovers the magic of his compositions- for this blessed guy, the 30 odd songs should prove sufficient for a lifetime.

My first introduction to the name of "Sajjad Hussain" was - as most of you - through Talat Mahmood's "Yeh hawa yeh raat yeh chandni" in "Sangdil". This is perhaps Sajjad's most popular song of his career- a career which lasted almost two decades but which included little more 10-15 films. I then made a big search for getting the other Sangdil numbers. But all in vain. The odd songs fron the film like "Dil me sama gaye sajan" - one of the finest duets of all time - or "Dharti se door gore badlon ke paar" were the only successes. Finally, I managed to lay hands on a collection some couple of years back and as one melody followed another - I sat spell bound. THIS was Music. Sheer, absolute melody. In my Naushad page, I had run through the Baiju Bawra masterpieces. It would do no harm to run through the Sangdil beauties as well. In their own way, they made as big an impact on me as Baiju Bawra.

1. Yeh hawa yeh raat yeh chandni (Talat Mahmood) : Has there ever been a more romantic number than this ? Almost perfect rendition by Talat, who was approaching the peak of of his vocal prowess, and the wonderful sitar accompinient, make this a drem song for any romantic soul on a lovely, breezy night walk. Sajjad, it is said, had 17 takes of the song before ok-ing reluctantly. One of the musicians was not mixing it right. We wonder where that flaw might have been - it seems almost a flawless piece. A grand number..
2. Dil me sama gaye sajan (Talat Mahmood & Lata Mangeshkar) : Simply wonderful- one of the greatest duets ever. A typical Sajjad orchestrization and composition. Talat and Lata are wonderful. Talat's seems almost an effortless rendition. The voice just flows out the words. My favourite moment in the song is when Talat sings "Aisa badal gaya sama, badle zameen aur aasman"- wonderful.
3. Dharti se door gore badlon ke paar (Geeta Dutt & Asha Bhosle) : The only song from the film which is average or maybe just below average. Doesnt really gel with the other masterpieces frm the film. Asha only got the left overs from ost composers during that time. And as far as Sajjad was concerned, every singer barring Lata Mangeshkar, had to be content with leftovers. Be it Asha or Geeta. But that did not stop him from giving one solo to Geeta in this film. This is the next song.
4. Darshan pyaasi aayi daasi jagmag deep jalaye (Geeta Dutt) : THE song of the film. THE discovery of the film. A wondrous composition- a song which none but Geeta could have rendered so beautifully. It is certainly the most distinctive bhajan of all time. Anil Biswas' "Ab tere siva mere kaun mera" is vertainly fanatstic- but this song scores in its total freshness of composition and a style which leaves a marked impact on hearer. I am thankful I heard the song on tape before watching it in the movie - terribly picturized, with a Madhubala who looks totally out-of-place and confused. I was never a great fan of Madhubala, but seeing this song, my ratings for her acting fell a few more notches. But lets not forget the melody. Sajjad is magnificent and Geeta is unbelievably soulful in this brilliant bhajan.
5. Kahan ho kahan mere jeevan sahare (Talat Mahmood) : Another wonderful composition. Not quite as popular as the other Talat songs in the film, but a superb song nevertheless. And Talat is grand as usual. The best part of the sng for me is the music between the repeats of the first line of the stanzas- ie, the music between "Tadapte hain ankhon me arman dekho" and its repeat. Brilliantly done. A typical Sajjad number.
6. Woh to chale gaye ae dil (Lata Mangeshkar) : No film of Sajjad's can be complete without the Lata solo and this wonderful Lata piece puts the icing on the cake. An enchanting composition, beautifully rendered and wonderfully orchestrized. Note the softness of the orchestra at the start of the song, in contrast to the other songs, which rather betrays the soft corner Sajjad had for Lata. Not a corner perhaps. But all in all, a terrific song.

Those were the Sangdil numbers. They enchanted me then and continue to do so now. The Geeta bhajan in particular leaves the listener breathless whenever we hear the song. In addition to being a top-class composer, Sajjad was also a top-class mandolin player. He gav a few concerts as well and the audience were astounded to see his prowess. He remained an enigmatic figure in that field too. Sajjad's entry to my knowledge was in 1943 and it was with "Village Girl" starring Nurjehan in 1945 that he hit it big. The film was a huge success and the songs are cherished by the Nurjehan fans to this day. "Badnaam mohobbat kaun kare" is perhaps the most popular. When partition happened, Sajjad was bereft of his favourite singer and almost decided to pack up his music altogether. Thankfully, he remained and proceeded to give some wonderful songs in "1857" with Suraya and Surendar. I love the duet "Teri nazar me main rahoon" in particular. Sajjad however had no high opinion o Suraiya as a singer and it was only with "Dost" in 1950 that he discovered Lata Mangeshkar's vocals and had a new surge of life. "Bhool ja ae dil mohobbat ka fasana" is a terrific number from this film and the two went on to provide some magical numbers in "Hulchul" - "Kismet me khushi ka naam nahi" is a perennial favourite. But their best was to come - and come it did with "Saiyan". This film boasted of a few fantastic numbers- but "Kali kali raat re" dwarfs them all. This is unhesitatingly Sajjad's best. A magnificent, wonderful, haunting..give it all the adjectives you like. The first time I heard it, I didnt know what had hit me. I rewound the tape and played it again and again. For nearly an hour, the same song played and I was lost in the world of dreams, wheer music reverberates through the air and melodies leave you numb with the peace of Music. This is a must hear song.

"Rukhsana" came in 1955 and when Sajjad was told that there would be no Lata for the film as she had problems with her throat then, Sajjad looked towards heaven and lost any interest he had in the film. He said, "I just let Asha sing what she wanted to sing. It was a lifeless musical."

The next and the last big film that Sajjad composed for was "Rustom Sohrab" - a film which is remembered by all for the high quality music. A host of bewitching melodies decorated the film. That fantastic qawwali- the only instance when the qawwali has become melodious- "Phir tumhari yaad aayi ae sanam" sung beautifully by Rafi, Manna Dey and Balbir, that enchanting Talat solo "Mazandara, mazandara", that subtle Asha piece "Ab der ho gayi wallah", and the two masterpieces - Lata's "Ae dilruba" and Suraiya's "Yeh kaisi ajab dastan ho gayi hai". The last was the singer and the composer's swansongs.

Sajjad's melodies might be few in number and much fewer have I heard, but their impact is extremely marked. And personally, I have never heard the kind of songs which Sajjad composed. His was a style which started and ended with him. He was a temperamental man, got into many fights with producers and directors, singers and lyricists, simply because he was fiercely passionate about his music. The likes of Sajjad we will never see again. A composer par excellence.

My 10 All-Time Favorite Sajjadsaab Songs

1. Kali kali raat re(Lata)	2. Darshan pyasi aai dasi(Geeta)
3. Yeh kaisi ajab dastan(Suraiya)	4. Phir tumhari yaad(Rafi & Manna Dey)
5. Yeh hawa yeh raat(Talat)	6. Woh to chale gaye ae dil(Lata)
7. Teri nazar me main(Suraiya & Surendar)	8. Bhool ja ae dil(Lata)
9. Dil me sama gaye sajan(Lata & Talat)	10. Badnaam mohobbat kaun kare(Noorjehan)

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