An ode to Pancham Da

No one knows for sure how Rahul Dev Burman got the nickname Pancham. Some say that his parents gave it to him because the sound of the fifth note — Pa — would be the only thing that would calm baby Burman down when he was in the midst of a temper tantrum. Some say that it was acting legend Ashok Kumar who gave him the name because ‘Pa’ was the first syllable that he uttered as an infant. Whatever the reason, R.D.’s original nickname — Tublu, given to him by his maternal grandmother — was definitely out the window. And, over the years the name Pancham Da became synonymous with the modern wave of music in Bollywood from the ’60s onwards.

R. D. Burman and the members of his group with Louiz Banks on the piano and Franco Vaz on the drums

Now, on what would have been his 78th birthday, his fellow musicians and music composers from the industry recall their fondest moments with their beloved Pancham Da.

R.D. Burman

Louiz Banks (who played the piano in R.D. Burman’s band of musicians):
I declined to work with Pancham Da the first time he offered because I had to come back to my job in Kolkata. So, I put it on hold till I wound up affairs in Kolkata and then headed back to Bombay to take up his offer. He was so happy to have me in his orchestra and I was a lucky guy. Working with him taught me that serious work can be fun and in that atmosphere great music can be created. Since then, it has been my principle and attitude towards serious work as well. Pancham Da taught me to have cordial relations with musicians, to treat them as equals with dignity. He also taught me that it is best to try and work with the best musicians available because only then will you get quality work. I learned to always keep an open mind and look out for new ideas, and of course, innovate to stimulate and enhance originality.

I remember many special moments with him. One was playing chess with him in the recording studio. He taught me the joy of eating chillies. He had chilly plants growing on his terrace. He used to listen to me playing jazz and jamming with the boys during the lunch breaks, which I did quite often. Of course, I was part of his inner circle of musicians who attended the sittings when the song was being created and arranged — hallowed ground indeed.

Bappi Lahiri receiving an award from R. D. Birman

Franco Vaz (who was R.D. Burman’s drummer for over 17 years):
Pancham Da loved good food, good music and sports. When we would get some respite from work, he would throw parties at his home for his musicians and he would cook for us — fish kalia, mutton dishes, prawns and crabs were some of his favourite dishes and he loved to cook them, just as much as he loved to eat. He loved my mother’s Goan dishes as well, and even sent his cook to try and pick up a few. Of course, he couldn’t match up to my mother’s cooking and Pancham Da continued to ask me to bring over sorpotel and Goan stews.

The conversation at parties always revolved around his two great loves — sports and music. But, it never got dull. If ever there was a man who knew how to have fun, it was RD. He would make all our drinks himself and was an expert at making cocktails. He would laugh and joke with us all the time, even when we were about to go in to record. Right before we would go into the studio though, he would go sink into a very serious mood and then he was all about the work. We would usually record two songs a day — that’s 60 songs in a month!

He could visualise exactly what he wanted out of each musical piece and he knew each of his musicians well enough to know exactly how to utilise their talent. I used to think of our group as the dream team — a group of hand-picked musicians, all working in close quarters with one of the greatest composers of all time.

Bappi Lahiri

Bappi Lahiri (who was R.D. Burman’s contemporary during the ’70s and ’80s):
It is really Pancham Da who gave birth to the modern Hindi revolution. He had amazing versatility. I mean, just look at the songs in Sholay, look at Dum Maro Dum — they are still legendary! While it is true, that I brought disco music into the Hindi film industry, Pancham Da paved the way with his modern style of Hindi music that incorporated western as well as eastern elements. As a person, he was one of the most fun-loving and easy-going people I knew. We were both from Bengali backgrounds, so we bonded over that. I still have some of the photographs of the two of us together, which I truly cherish.

I remember the first time that we met. I had come to Mumbai with my parents and had just entered the studio. He was also recording at the time — ‘Tu mujhe leke saath chal tu, tu yoon hi din-raat chal tu, sambhal mere sath chal tu, le haathon mein hath chal tu. O sathi chal!’ The song, from Sita aur Geeta, went on to be a hit, of course.

My father knew Pancham Da, although I didn’t and he introduced the two of us, saying, “Pehli recording ke liye aaye hai. Ashirvad karna.” (It’s his first recording; please bless him.) Pancham Da greeted me warmly and wished me well. The rest, as they say, is history.