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Published: 27 June 2018

Last Updated: 27 June 2018

So, June 26 was Gauhar Jan's birthday. The grand lie that she was the first Indian recording artist was repeated, again, ad nauseum. She absolutely was not the 1st, or 2nd, or 3rd, etc. The most authentic work, based on archival records, is the book, The Gramophone Company's First Indian Recordings 1899-1908, by Michael Kinnear sets the record straight. One can see from the first two pages of the 78 discography that the earliest recordings were done in London in 1899 and she was nowhere near it.

The recordist. F Gaisberg, then came to Calcutta in 1902 and did many more. Here are the next two pages. Gauhar Jan shows up on the last page.. Even discounting the London recordings, one can see that she is not even in the first 5.

Now you know!

Rafi 46

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Published: 26 June 2018

Last Updated: 26 June 2018

The word has been used just once before in the title; I do not have that song. Here is the next one, the first song here

http://hindi-films-songs.com/kanwar-videos/k-anwar-parakh.html

Now you know!

Rafi 45

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Published: 25 June 2018

Last Updated: 25 June 2018

Here is waht the then Director, National Film Archives of India, Pune, had to say in the Foreword to the very first volume of the Hindi Film Geet Kosh. The 'artwork' on the page is by my 1.5 year old son, Prof Jaideep Singh, now at the Michigan State University. Lansing, Michigan, USA..

Now you know!

Rafi 44