Baithak: A South Asian Soiree

​In this baithak episode, we discuss our favorite songs of the composer Madan Mohan. In second of two episodes, we cover select songs from Woh Kaun Thi, Bhai Bhai, Aakhri Dao, Sharabi, Gateway of India, and many others. We also play a few favorites requested by our audience. ​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture.Watch or listen to all the previous episodes, on Spotify ⁠here⁠ ​​​​About the hosts: ​​​​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​​​​Link : ⁠www.harishsaluja.com⁠ ​​​​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​​​​Creative Works: ⁠Play⁠, ⁠Documentary⁠, ⁠Poetry Translation⁠ (⁠audio⁠) ​​​​Link: ⁠www.anuragwadehra.com⁠ 

In this baithak episode, we discuss the life and career of Madhubala, the highest paid actress of Hindi films in 1950s. We share our favorite music and performances from her films, such as Mr. & Mrs '55, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Howrah Bridge, Kala Pani, Barsat Ki Raat and Mughal e Azam.. ​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture.Watch or listen to all the previous episodes, on Spotify here ​​​​About the hosts: ​​​​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​​​​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​​​​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​​​​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​​​​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com 

In this baithak episode, we discuss the music of O.P. Nayyar. who was considered the rhythm king of 1950s and early 60s in Hindi cinema. With his unique style, he gave hit music for films like C.I.D., Kashmir Ki Kali, Mere Sanam and many more. Asha Bhonsle, Mohammad Rafi and Geeta Dutt sang some of their best songs on his tunes. We cover our favorite songs of this composer. ​​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture.Watch or listen to all the previous episodes, on Spotify here ​​​About the hosts: ​​​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​​​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​​​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​​​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​​​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com 

​​In this baithak episode, we discuss Bimal Roy, the Indian filmmaker who successfully straddled both the art and commercial cinema in the 1950s, with such hits as Do Bhiga Zamin, Parineeta, Madhumati, Sujata, Parakh, Bandini. ​We delve into his filmmaking, stories he told and why they were important and cover our favorite music from his films, given by S.D. Burman and Salil Chaudhry. ​​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture.Watch or listen to all the previous episodes, on Spotify here ​​ About the hosts: ​​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com 

In this baithak episode, we discuss Hemant Kumar, the Bengali singer and composer, popularly known as "the voice of God"Tum Pukar Lo is part 2 of 2 part series on Hemant Kumar. ​In this episode, we cover his contributions as a Music Director, where he composed unforgettable songs for other singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, while also singing many of his own songs. ​In Part 1, we covered our favorite songs of Hemant Kumar that he sang for other composers like S.D. Burman, Salil Chaudhry, Shankar Jaikishan and others. ​​Together in the two episodes, we take you on a journey through his inimitable talent - stopping on our favorite songs along the way. ​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture. ​About the hosts: ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​Link : ⁠⁠⁠www.harishsaluja.com⁠⁠⁠ ​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: ⁠⁠⁠Play⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Documentary⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Poetry Translation⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠audio⁠⁠⁠) ​Link: ⁠⁠⁠www.anuragwadehra.com⁠⁠⁠ 

​In this baithak episode, we discuss Hemant Kumar, the Bengali singer and composer, popularly known as "the voice of God"Na Tum Hamen Jano is part 1 of 2 part series on Hemant Kumar. ​In Part 1, we cover our favorite songs of Hemant Kumar that he sang for other composers like S.D. Burman, Salil Chaudhry, Shankar Jaikishan and others. ​In Part 2, we cover his contributions as a Music Director, where he composed songs for other singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt, while also singing many of his own songs. ​​Together in the two episodes, we take you on a journey through his inimitable talent - stopping on our favorite songs along the way. ​ Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture. ​About the hosts: ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​Link : ⁠⁠www.harishsaluja.com⁠⁠ ​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: ⁠⁠Play⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Documentary⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Poetry Translation⁠⁠ (⁠⁠audio⁠⁠) ​Link: ⁠⁠www.anuragwadehra.com⁠⁠ 

​In this baithak episode, we discuss the music of Rahul Dev Burman from 1971-1994. We cover his later hits and share songs from 1970s classics such as Amar Prem, Aandhi, Yadon Ki Baraat to. 1980s hits of Saagar and Ijazzat to 1942: Love StoryMusafir Hoon Yaron is part 2 part of 2 part series on R.D. Burman. ​In Part 1, Yeh Shaam Mastani, we cover R.D. Burman's early years from 1961-1970. ​Together in the two episodes, we take you on a journey through his inimitable style from early years to his last album - stopping on our favorite songs along the way. ​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture. ​About the hosts: ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​Link : ⁠www.harishsaluja.com⁠ ​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: ⁠Play⁠, ⁠Documentary⁠, ⁠Poetry Translation⁠ (⁠audio⁠) ​Link: ⁠www.anuragwadehra.com⁠ 

In this baithak episode, we discuss the music of Rahul Dev Burman from 1961-1970. We cover his early influences from S.D. Burman and others and share songs from his first set of hits in the 60s with such classics as Teesri Manzil, Padosan and Kati Patang.Yeh Shaam Mastani is part 1 of a 2 part series on R.D. Burman. ​In part 2, Musafir Hoon Yaron, we cover his music from 1971-through end of his life 1994. ​Together in the two episodes, we take you on a journey through his inimitable style from early years to his last album - stopping on our favorite songs along the way. ​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture. ​About the hosts: ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com 

​In this baithak episode, we discuss four of our favorite female stars and an iconic film of each. ​Madhubala - Mughal-e-Azam ​Bina Rai - Anarkali ​Meena Kumari - Pakeezah ​Rekha - Umrao Jaan ​Fitting in the genre of Muslim musicals, each film showcases the star performance of these top Bollywood actresses. We discuss why we love these films, how they were made, and how each actress sparkled in her role - and we play some of our favorite songs & scenes. ​Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture. ​About the hosts: ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com 

​In this baithak episode we discuss Guru Dutt - the famous film director who produced and directed some of the classics of Hindi cinema in the 1950s: Pyasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and many more. We shall discuss his life, his filmography, play some of our favorite songs & scenes, and discuss why we think he was a great filmmaker - but a tortured soul. Baithak (salon) is a series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, where Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture. About the hosts: ​Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: ⁠Play⁠, ⁠Documentary⁠, ⁠Poetry Translation⁠ (⁠audio⁠) ​Link: ⁠www.anuragwadehra.com⁠ ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT,  took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money.  ​Link : www.harishsaluja.com

​In this episode we discuss Shailendra - the prodigious film lyricist who wrote some of the biggest hit songs in 1950s and 1960s. Even Gulzar considers him the best lyricist of the Hindi film industry. ​We play our favorite songs and discuss why we think they are great. We also cover the interesting life story of Shailendra and his rise to stardom - and his venture into filmmaking. ​In this baithak (salon) series on South Asian Music, Poetry, Film & Literature, Anurag Wadehra & Harish Saluja explore significant people and stories that have shaped the fusion of music, poetry, film and literature into the unique khichdi of South Asian culture.   About the hosts:Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT, took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money. ​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​

In the debut episode they discuss Sahir Ludhianvi, a famous Urdu poet and his influence on Indian cinema.  ​Sahir Ludhianvi was a famous Urdu poet who also wrote lyrics for dozens of popular songs in Indian cinema.  ​We shall select some of his best songs, play them a little and discuss why these are important or interesting to us - and why they have stood the test of time. We discuss them with the passion of song lovers, not as critics passing judgment. This is a highly personal take; we make no bones about any special expertise. About the hosts:Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT, took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money. ​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​

In this episode we discuss Devdas - a story that has been made into films, T.V. and theater more than 20 times in the past century in many Indian languages. ​We shall cover examples of our favorite actors, directors and composers who have chosen to tell this story. We explore why Devdas has such a hold on Indian zeitgeist and how the story changes with every generation and artist who renders it fresh.​Devdas - Wikipedia About the hosts:Anurag Wadehra, after graduating from IIT, took a scenic tour through tech entrepreneurship - ending up in some weird places - but the view was always good. He has many creative itches that he scratches once in a while. ​Creative Works: Play, Documentary, Poetry Translation (audio) ​Link: www.anuragwadehra.com ​Harish Saluja, after graduating from IIT, took a wrong turn and ended up chasing Art, Film and Music, thereby ruining his life instead of making money. ​Link : www.harishsaluja.com ​