:: OP-ED

A tribute to a living legend

By Shantanu Moitra

Oct 11 : It was a cold winter night and I was sitting in an open-air amphitheatre listening to a concert. What hit me was that everyone in the audience knew the songs and insisted on singing aloud, a cacophony really, and I was getting really irritated. Suddenly the singer started singing Ae mere pyare watan... 3,000 people went completely silent and the voice I heard that day was embedded in my heart forever. I was seven-years-old and the singer was Prabodh Chandra Dey, our very own Manna Dey.

I grew up in a family which loved music and before dinner there had to be a song session. Obviously, songs of Kishore, Rafi, Lata and Asha were the popular ones. But routinely a request would be made by my grandfather to sing Ae meri zohra jabi, sung by Manna Dey, and that would bring the house down.

I have grown up listening to Manna Dey and I believe that his biggest contribution has been that he brought semi-classical music to a mainstream forum with hits like Laga chunri mein daag, Tere naina talaash karen, Poocho na kaise, Aayo kahan se Ghanshyam, Jhanak jhanak tori baaje payaliya, Phool gendva na maro, Aaj mile man ke meet and Tum bin jeevan among others.

It's not too difficult to sing a semi-classical song, but to sing it in a way which makes it seem effortless and almost gives the listener a false sense of complacency that it is a simple song is something that was unique to Manna Dey. And, of course, his mellifluous voice had the capability of calming the most agitated mind. In particular, Sur na saje kya gaon mein, Kaun aaya mere mann ke dware are songs which calm you down instantly. This is not just God's gift but also a result of a lot of hardwork and leading a principled life. Manna Dey insisted on rehearsals, worked hard on pronunciation as it is never easy for a Bengali to sing in Hindi and Urdu - but you listen to his songs and you can't find fault with his diction.

People who have worked with Manna Dey swear by the goodness of the man and his humility is legendary. When he was asked if he felt neglected that all the major songs went to Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore, he said, "Oh! Yes. They were better singers than me. Even at the height of my career I would say Mohammad Rafi was a better singer than me. He was such a great singer and I used to listen to him awestruck. His rendering of certain things - I could never do it. Whenever I sang a song with Lata in her heydays, I used to forget my lines. I used to marvel at her expertise. How could she sing like that! Asha - what a versatile singer, what a great singer she is! I have the greatest regard for my compatriots of yesteryears. Even Kishore - what a great artiste he is".

The Dada Sahib Phalke Award has come to him at the young age of 90. Why he did not get it earlier as he stopped singing in mainstream cinema a good 20 years ago will remain a mystery. But the award is richer with Manna Dey as its recipient.

Everything in life has happened a little late for Manna Dey. Though Manna Dey was initiated into the world of music at the tender age of 11 by his uncle and guru K.C. Dey, by recording a Suraiya and Manna Dey duet for the film Tamanna, years of struggle followed, at times compelling the talented singer to wonder if his choice of career was the right one. He even thought of returning to Calcutta and taking up law. However, Upar gagan vishal, the marching song from Mashaal, became a superhit and made him stay in the music line. Soon, a string of hits followed which established his career on a firm footing.

Manna Dey never gave up because he loved music and that was paramount. Manna Dey has sung more than 3,500 songs in all Indian languages and his contribution in Bengali cinema as a playback singer and composer is unparalleled.

I wish I could have worked with him - often I have created something but kept it aside as no one but Manna Dey can sing it. I have never met him but he remains a part of my family and my life as for 40 years, in the mornings, afternoons and evenings he graced my house with his songs.

Shantanu Moitra is a Bollywood music director. He has composed music, among others, for Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi.