Thanks. I reckoned that we live in times when plagiarising is a rule, accepted, condoned and even applauded. So a musician like Nayyar saheb to who lifting anothers tune might have been akin to blasphemy, deserves a tribute..Also is the fact that his songs tingle me with whatever the emotion they were meant to convey.. he was truly a genius.

Yes you are right..Sources to say that he found Latas voice unsuitable for his kind of music and also his temperament. He was an egotist and made no bones of it.
regards,
kaveetaa

That was a rather interesting analogy..although I find myself not heartily in agreement.

From the general to the specific: An artist is one when he can be no other. He is born to serve the compusions of his talent.He creates as a tool of expression and sometimes communication.Lets not get into the commerce aspect of art..it then suffers from a disrespect to the standards we are hereby alluding to.

That was generally speaking. To the specific case of O.P. Nayyar, I confess I am no authority on the journey of his life nor privy to details, since he was at his peak a little before my adulthood. However, being smitten by his music, a little inquisitiveness led me to believe that he was a man who was perhaps a misfit. Its no big secret that his reason for not teaming with Lata professionally had little to do with lack of faith in her talent or prowess as a singer, but more because his relationship with Asha Bhonsle led him on that path. Its a rather rare illustration of loyalty in the ‘jungle’ out here. And frankly left me quite bowled over.

Whether it was he who might have benefitted or Lata , is to my mind debatable..Or lets just say it was a mutual loss, just as it might have been a mutual gain.

Also from the information gleaned from industry circles, your inferring to “The second part was also done well, but he became a prisoner of the second part. That is where he lost out in the highly competitive world of creativity.” had me slightly jumbled. He was known to be averse to showmanship, atleast in the latter years..

The above post is only an introduction to the ne which speaks of him. It would be nice if you read this “O.P.Nayyar-Not Forgotten”.

Your last statement is gospel though..evaluation is an essential ingredient of any enterprise. Nayyar saheb though lived with no professional regrets but plenty on the familial front.

1. create new stuff. This is private and can be a torture.
2. talk about the stuff created with the fans and press. This is where a perceived material pleasure is derived.

O P Nayyar did the first part extremely well. The second part was also done well, but he became a prisoner of the second part. That is where he lost out in the highly competitive world of creativity.

He did get kudos for his gusto. To run without ever using Lata. But had he collaborated with her, perhaps he would have discovered a dimension to his own creativity. There is a lesson for all of us. If you choose to carve out a niche, evaluate it every so often.

In fact it has been said that he was the only one who did not record a single song with Lata mangeshkar..probably because of his loyalty towards Asha Bhonsle. I think even she would admit that her talent and her mellifluous voice was honed by Op Nayyar.
I have also heard that he made Rafi sing for Kishore Kumars screen appearance. Only he could be so clear of what he wanted and not bow to pressure..hats off to him.He needed no one to embellish his songs..just his music was melody incarnate.