Tribute: Harish Raghuvanshi made invaluable contributions to the history of cinema and film music

For a long time, writing about cinema was somewhat non-prestigious, often seen as publicity or gossip or both. However, a dedicated group of individuals emerged over the years who were committed to uncovering the authentic history of Hindi cinema and film music.

Researchers such as Feroze Rangoonwala, Har Mandir Singh Hamraaz, Nalin Shah and Virchand Dharamsey became the cornerstone of credible information on Hindi films. Harish Raghuvanshi from Surat was also a part of this esteemed group. Raghuvanshi’s passing on August 27, 2024, marked the end of a passionate and relentless quest to unearth authentic details of the bygone eras of Hindi and Gujarati films.

In 1985, Raghuvanshi created Mukesh Geet Kosh, a comprehensive compilation of songs by his favourite singer Mukesh. This work was inspired by Har Mandir Singh Hamraaz’s Geet Kosh, which catalogued details of films and songs decade by decade. The publication of the first volume of Geet Kosh (1951-1960) in 1980 spurred Harishbhai to embark on his own project.

The index of Mukesh Geet Kosh included the first lines of all 992 songs and 519 films in alphabetical order. The book provided the full text of all the songs with detailed information such as the film’s title, release year, lyricist, music director, co-singer and record number.

Before printing, Harishbhai meticulously prepared a voluminous...

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