This piece on Manna Dey appeared in Times of India on the occasion of his 75th birthday.
Down Melody Lane
Ambarish Mishra
Half a century ago, Prabodhchandra Dey, fresh from Vidyasagar college
in Calcutta, was in two minds about his vocation: whether to master
the consummate craftsmanship of the Patiala gharana or sing for
films. Father Purnachandra Dey, a chartered accountant, however,
wanted his son, a Bachelor of Arts, to be a barrister. Prabodh, like
countless bhadraloks of Calacutta, was under the mesmeric spell of his
uncle K.C.Dey, well-known actor-singer and popular star of New
Theatres. The uncle chose the nephew as his disciple and that has made
all the difference to the world of Hindi film music.
For over five decades Manna Dey, incidentally, the pet-name Manna was
chosen by K.C.Dey, has regaled Hindi film aficionados with his lilting
songs that refuse to age with time. Hit numbers such as "Poochho na
kaise maine rain beetayee", "Laga chunari mein daag", "Aye meri zohra
jabeen", "Na to karavaan ki talaash hai" and "Chunri sambhaal gori"
(the last with Lata), to name a few, spin a tale of Indian
life. Though his career graph never soared to dizzy heights, Manna Dey
doubtless stands apart because of his deep voice and a wide
repertoire: from qawwali to light, romantic duets to classical
numbers. "All that I have attained in music is because of my uncle's
training," says Mannada with a sense of modesty reminiscent of the
near-extinct era when blowing one's trumpet was considered blase.
Mannada left for Calcutta on Friday to attend a string of shows, as
also to celebrate his 75th birthday on May 1 at his ancestral home on
Shimla road: a palatial 12-bedroom house which has withstood the
rigours of two centuries with legitimate pride. "Calcutta in the 1930s
was a dream city," he said last week, unspooling memories of the
bygone era in the well-appointed music room -- with a harmonium on the
baithak -- at his suburban residence.
Mannada grew up to the soft strains of baul songs, Rabindrasangeet and
khayal. He would often escort his uncle -- K.C.Dey was blind -- to New
Theatres' sprawling studio on Prince Anwar Shah road. "It was like my
second home," he said and recalled with gratitude how he got to see
from close quarters stalwarts such as K.L.Saigal, Kanan Devi,
Prithviraj Kapoor, Pahari Sanyal, Jamuna, Raichand Boral, Pankaj
Mullick, Nitin Bose and Timir Baran to name a few. "The entire New
Theatres unit was like an extended family," he added. Such was the
warmth and bonhomie in the studio that the head cook would even rustle
up the favourite dishes of Mannada.
Back home, K.C.Dey would put his nephew through the paces, acquainting
him with the subtleties of tappa, thumri, bhajan and qawwali. Apart from
honing his disciple's vocal skills, he also taught him languages,
literature and poetry. "I am appalled when singers or actors don't get
their pronunciations right," Mannada nodded in despair.
With the disintegration of New Theatres in the early 1940s, actors,
singers and technicians made a beeline to Bombay in search of fresh
pastures. Producer Chimanlal Trivedi of Bombay's Lakshmi film company
specially came down to Calcutta to goad K.C.Dey into coming to
Bombay. Phani Muzumdar led the exodus comprising Dey Sr, recordist
Robin Chatterjee and technicians Prafulla Roy and Vibhuti
Laha. Mannada joined the group which arrived in Bombay in December
1942.
In Bombay, Mannada started off as assistant to music director
H.P.Das. However, it was, again, K.C.Dey's intervention that flagged
off his career as playback singer. Vijay Bhatt of Prakash Pictures
wanted K.C.Dey to record a song for Ram-Rajya, Bhatt's ambitious
venture. The elder Dey flatly refused, but, instead, proposed his
nephew's name. Music director Shankarrao Vyas was sceptical. However,
Mannada's stentorian voice which sounded very similar to his mentor's
voice, delighted Vyas. After a few rehearsals the 24-year-old crooner
was in the recording studio belting out a solemn number for the
character of Valmiki, the wizened sage. "Pahala gaaan buddhe ke liye
gaana pada" (My first song was for an old man), Mannada laughed, adding
that the song fetched him a princely fee of Rs.150.
Years of struggle followed, at times compelling the talented singer to
wonder if he was on the right track. "I even thought of going back to
Calcutta and doing my law," he added. However, "Upar gagan vishaal"
the marching song from Mashaal, which Mannada sang with great gusto,
turned into a super hit. "I decided to stay on in Bombay," he
averred.
Soon, a string of super hit numbers brought instant fame. Songs such
as "Yeh raat bheegi bheegi" and "Aaja sanam madhur chandani mein hum"
(both with Lata Mangeshkar), "Aye mere pyaare watan", "Dil kaa haal
sune dilwala" and "Mud mud ke naa dekh, mud mudke", "Tu hai mera prem
devata" (with Mohammed Rafi), "Sur na saje kyaa gaoon main" and the
unforgettable prayer song, "Tu pyaar ka sagar hai" have accorded an
exalted status to Manna Dey in the pantheon of playback singers. He
bought his first car, a Hillman-Minx, in 1955. "I still remember the
car number: BYH 2329."
If melody was the leitmotif of the golden era of Hindi film music, it
was, Mannada strongly felt, the result of the collective effort of
music directors, lyricists and playback singers. "Music directors were
taskmasters. They had, as they say, an ear for music. Every word,
every note was chiselled and honed. Mannada mentions R.D.Burman as a
case in point. Mannada's song "Aao twist kare" from Mehmood's Bhoot
Bangla was a lift from "Come let us twist". Before recording the Hindi
number, Pancham sang the original English song in such great style
that Mannada, the recordist and the musicians were breathless. "We all
-- Lata, Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Kishore, Mukesh, Asha, myself -- took great
pains to convey the subtleties contained in a song. Which is why every
song of the '50s and the '60s is still a delight."
With Shankar (as in Shankar-Jaikishan) Mannada had a special bond of
affection and friendship. He cherishes his long meetings with Shankar
in the latter's spacious music room at the Famous Laboratory in
Mahalakshmi. "I would sing for him for hours: baul songs or tappa or a
thumri." Mannada won his Filmfare award for "Ae bhai zara dekh ke
chalo", the toe-tapping number, a Shankar composition, from Raj
Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker.
Mannada notes with pride that he has sung for almost every composer,
ranging from Anil Biswas to R.D.Burman. "But I was never in the top
slot and, honestly, I never aspired to be in that race," he
admitted. Steeped in the fine tradition of New Theatres, Mannada's
gentle low-key approach hardly matched the pettiness and pomp of the
filmdom. There were some unhappy moments too. Sometimes a star or a
film-maker would openly object to Mannada's presence in the recording
studio. "Why is he singing this song ?" they would ask the music
director. Even in his home-state Bengal, recognition came a bit late:
in mid-1960s. "There was near chaos in Tollygunge when news spread
that I was to sing for Uttam Kumar," he laughed. However, in the later
years, Mannada carved a niche in Bengali cinema. Insiders claim that
film distributors in West Bengal insist that the film should have at
least one sung by Manna Dey.
Belated recognition or the low trajectory of his career graph hardly
bother Mannada. "I have no regrets, no complaints," he
asserts. Stubbornly unwilling to croon vulgar ditties to the
accompaniment of an unwieldy orchestra, the veteran chooses to spend
time in his music room for rigorous riyaaz the legacy of K.C.Dey and
New Theatres.
Shiv Shakti
