Sharda: Memories of the ‘Titli Udi’ singer

By Rajiv Vijayakar -

June 16, 2023 - 10:00 AM IST

Sharda, the ‘Titli Udi’ singer, is no more with us. What remains remarkable is that she always stated that she was a Raj Kapoor discovery. The 89 years-old favorite of then-top composers Shankar-Jaikishan passed away from cancer on June 14 in Mumbai. She is survived by her son Shammi, and daughter Sudha Madeira, who is also a singer.

Sharda: Memories of the ‘Titli Udi’ singer

As much as Sharda’s debut song, ‘Titli Udi’ (from the 1966 hit, Suraj) was iconic, it was also ironic: that is, though so many of her subsequent songs were popular, none reached the heights of that first song that she sang for top name Vyjayanthimala.

Thus Sharda Rajan Iyengar, with her unconventional voice, sadly could not rise to great heights as a singer. But what was remarkable was that during the long reign of the Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, Sharda was the first singer to make her own mark. Classically trained in Carnatic music, she was always an ardent fan of Hindi film music and Hindustani classical.

When I met her, Sharda had told me, “My husband and I were based in Teheran, where we were invited to a party by the famous distributor, Srichand Ahuja. He requested me to sing there as I was known for my singing. Raj Kapoor-saab was there and was impressed. He asked me why I did not take up professional singing. I asked him whether he would take me in his films. He told me that he would if I came down to Mumbai.”

Sharda came and did a “voice-test” at RK Studios, and the musical filmmaker, who was making Mera Naam Joker then, sent her to Shankar-Jaikishan. The rapport with Shankar was instant and her first song was soon recorded. Sharda even remembered Jaikishan teaching her how to emphasize the word “titli” (butterfly) for maximum impact in the Shankar composition.

Gumnaam, for which Sharda soon recorded two songs, including her first duet (the popular ‘Jaan-E-Chaman Shola Badan’ with Mohammed Rafi), however, released before Suraj. And for Suraj itself, Sharda rendered the popular solo, ‘Dekho Mera Dil Machal Gaya’.

What few are aware of is that Sharda did record a song for Mera Naam Joker, but it was removed from the final film. However, she did sing the delectable ‘Kisi Ke Dil Ko Sanam’ in Raj Kapoor’s next production, Kal Aaj Aur Kal.

The other reason why Sharda could not reach higher was because she was seen to be in Shankar’s “camp”, though she did record songs for Ravi, Usha Khanna, N. Dutta and some others. It was also well known that Shankar and Jaikishan always composed separately for a film and that Jaikishan never composed a song for her. “He had promised me he would, but he passed away!” Sharda had smiled.

But Shankar’s affinity for her voice resulted mostly in hits galore, with the veteran maestro using her vocals for actresses from Nanda to Saira Banu, Sharmila Tagore, Babita, Simi Garewal and Helen down to Rati Agnihotri and Smita Patil. Sharda was also chosen as the first voice of Hema Malini along with Lata Mangeshkar in her debut film, Sapnon Ka Saudagar.

Nominated more than once as Best Female Playback Singer, she bagged a Filmfare award for her cabaret song, ‘Baat Zaraa Hai Aapas Ki’ from the 1970 film, Jahan Pyar Miley. Among her big hits are ‘Le Jaa Le Jaa Le Jaa Mera Dil’ from An Evening In Paris, ‘Jab Bhi Yeh Dil Udaas Hota Hai’ (with Rafi in Seema), ‘Woh Pari Kahaan Se Laaoon’ from Pehchan, ‘Chale Jaana Zaraa Thehero’ from Around The World and ‘Jaane Anjaane Yahaan Sabhi Hain Deewane’ from Jaane Anjaane. The last songs she recorded were for Shankar(-Jaikishan)’s Kaanch Ki Deewar (1986), under the name of ‘Sharadrima’.

Sharda, who also sangngs in Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu and Punjabi, also composed music for a few films, including Maa Bahen Aur Biwi, Maila Aanchal and Garibi Hatao. The best-known of many diverse compositions remains Mohammed Rafi’s ‘Accha Hi Hua Dil Toot Gaya’ from the first movie. She also composed pop albums, Sizzlers and Geet Manohari, in the early 1970s. In 2007, she came up with Andaz-E-Bayan Aur, an album of Mirza Ghalib’s poetry.

But her best-kept secret was writing lyrics for two Hindi films of Shankar-Jaikishan in which she did not sing—Garam Khoon (1980) and Chorni (1982). For this, she adopted the pen-name, Singhar! She was also conducting “voice culture” classes

Says Anuradha Paudwal, who has sung two duets with Sharda in Papi Pet Ka Sawal Hai and Kaanch Ki Deewar: “She was a quiet and soft-spoken lady who did not speak much.” Shabbir Kumar, who has also sung under her music direction, states that she was a very nice human being and remembers going thrice to her home along with Shankar. Suresh Wadkar also recollects her warm nature and has sung her compositions. Usha Khanna stated that she had a unique voice—the composer used her in three songs.

Trade analyst Komal Nahata speaks of the way she made an impression right in the middle of the era when Lata and Asha had dominated the scene, solely on the power of Shankar-Jaikishan’s compositions. “Her ‘Titli Udi’ was a rage in my early childhood,” he recalls.

In 2007, she also stated pithily, “Luckily, the atmosphere is free now. I would love to sing if today’s composers call me.”

The titli has flown to a better world.