Let's bring back the spirit of the golden - Page 6

Remembering S. D. Burman

– The Veteran Composer with a Magic Melody

By Dr. C. S. Srinivasan

In Hindi film music there is a great name that shines like the polestar forever. S.D.Burman born in 1906 in royal family of Tripura was known as a folk and light classical singer in A.I.R. Calcutta and had scored music for some Bengali films. He came to Bombay in the 1940's under the invitation of Subodh Mukherji,who was heading the Filmistan productions and Ashok Kumar,the great actor and started scoring music for Hindi films. His first film was Filmistan's Shikari released in 1946 which became a great hit with songs like Dol rahi hai naiya sung by Ashok Kumar. This was followed by Do Bhai in 1947 and Shabnam in 1949, both of which were also Filmistan productions and their music became hits with songs like Mera sundar sapna beet gaya ( Geetha Dutt in Do Bhai), Ye duniya roop ki chor(Shamshad Begum in Shabnam). Other Filmistan films with music by S.D.Burman were Munimji in1955 and Paying Guest in 1957.

Fascinated by the music given by S.D.Burman, Dev Anand started his own Production banner called Navketan and appointed S.D.Burman as its music Director whose films starting from Afsar in 1950 followed by Baazi(1951), Taxi Driver(1954), House No.44(1955), Funtoosh(1956), NauDo Gyarah(1957), Kala Pani(1958), Kala Bazar(1960), Prem Pujari(1970) became hits with lilting music. The magnum opus was Guide released in 1965 whose songs are popular even today.

Shakti films Aradhana released in 1969 with music by S.D.Burman and songs like Mere Sapno ki rani and Roop tera Mastana became a rage with music lovers and gave a boost to Kishore Kumar's image. The song Kahe ko Roye sung by S.D.Burman himself in the film won him national award. Another Shakti film with music by S.D.Burman was Anuraag in 1970.

S.D.Burman gave music for Bimal Roy's films like Devdas(1955), Sujata(1959) and Bandini(1963) whose songs like Anewaale(Devdas), Sun mere bandhu re and Jalte hain jiske liye(Sujata),O janewale and Mora gora ang(Bandini) became hits. The famous Director, Producer and actor Guru Dutt also took S.D.Burman as Music Director for his films like Pyaasa (1957) and Kagaz ke Phool (1959) whose songs were great hits and earned him awards also.

Chalti ka Naam Gaadi produced by Kishore Kumar and released in 1958 was a comedy film, which became famous for its songs like Haal kaisa hai janabka and Ik ladki bheegi bhaagi si scored by S.D.Burman.

Hrishikesh Mukherji's Abhiman released in 1973 with music by S.D.Burman won him national award for best music. The songs like Meet na Milare manka sung by Kishore Kumar and Piya Bina sung by Lata Mangeshkar became great hits. Hrishida also produced other films like Chupke Chupke and Mili with music by S.D.Burman.

S.D.Burman has scored the music for a total of 89 films in Hindi over a span of 30 years. He got the prestigious Padmashri award by the Govt. of India in 1973. Our present Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee who is also a poet is very fond of S.D.Burman's music and singing. The famous cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's first name is borrowed from Sachin Dev Burman as his father was very fond of his music.

S.D.Burman's son R.D.Burman who also became very famous as a Music Director later was assisting his father in music from his early days.

S.D.Burman was a contemporary of stalwarts like Anil Biswas, Naushad and C.Ramachandra and like them he had a strong classical base but his music was always trendy and fresh like morning dew. He worked with almost all singers and lyricists of his time. Even when Shankar Jaikishen and O.P.Nayyar were dominating the hindi film music scene, S.D.Burman's songs became equally popular because of their variety and melody. He was at home with solos( Chalri sajni from Bombaika babu,Khoya khoya chand from Kala Bazar, Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaye from Pyaasa, Waqt ne kiya from Kagaz ke phool), romantic duets(Haal kaisa hai janab ka from Chaltika naam gaadi,Choddo anchal from Paying Guest, Ankhonme kya ji from Naudo gyarah, Achha ji mai haari chalo from Kala Pani, Chand sa Mukhda from InsaanJag Utha) and semi-classical songs(Ghayal hiraniya from Munimji, Pawan diwani from Dr.Vidya, Nacheman mora and Pucho na kaise maine from Meri surat teri ankhen, Man mohan man me from Kaise kahun).

S.D.Burman has sung many bhajans, folk and light classical songs in Bengali(for many of which his wife Meera Dev Burman has written the lyrics) and Hindi which are his private compositions and not contained in films.

This great music personality attained his heavenly bliss on 31,October, 1975 but his songs are always remembered by the music lovers wherever they are. A new web site www.sdburman.net has been created by his fans recently which contains more information on his life and work. A book in Bengali titled "Bhati gang baiya" has also been written by Shyamal Chakrabarthy of Agartala containing detailed information on his life and work with rare photographs. A bust of S.D.Burman has been erected and a bridge has been named as "S.D.burman Sethu" in Agartala, the capital of Tripura. Many articles have been written especially by Raju Bharatan about S.D.Burman and his compositions in Filmfare, Screen etc.

Mohd Rafi

Mohd Rafi with Amit Kumar

With Hemant Kumar

In 1933, when 15 year old Jaidev ran away from Ludhiyana to Bombay, it was to become a film star. He acted in eight films as a child star in Wadia Film Company. But owing to his father's blindness, he had to return to Ludhiyana. He was proficient in Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit. While he was acting in films in Bombay he took music lessons from Krshnarao Jaokar and Janardan Jaokar. Before that, in Ludhiyana, he was initiated into music by Prof. Barkat Rai. After his father's death, it was his responsibility to look after hos sister. After he got her married, in 1943 he went to Lucknow and continued his music studies under Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Ali Akbar took Jaidev as his music assistant, in 1951, when he composed music for Navketan's Aandhiyan and Hum Safar. From Taxi Driver on, he bacame S D Burman's assistant. His first oppurtunity to be full-fledged music director was in Chetan Anand's Joru Ka Bhai, after which he composed music for Chetan's Anjali. Music of both of these films became very popular. But, with Hum Dono, Jaidev came into the limelight. Who can forget the song 'Allah Tero Naam, Ishwar Tero Naam..' sung by Lata! And as long as lovers are around, 'Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar..' will be favourite.

&n bs p; After three decades of continuous struggle as a music director, Jaidev was a tired man. Age was catching up with him and his health was failing. He had no one except friends to care for him and no house to call his own. Earlier he used to spent his vacant hours over a glass of liquor. But later even that blessing was denied to him on medical grounds. On December 14, 1986, when Jaidev stepped on the stage to receive the Sur Singar Samsad award for his classical music in 'Ankahee', he looked weak but healthy enough to last another decade. The glow on his tired face was probably the last flash of a falling star. On January 6, 1987, he died suddenly, at the age of 68, leaving the film industry to grieve for the loss of a talent it had consistently neglected.

Jaidev assisted Ali Akbar Khan and Dada Burman before he got an independent assignment in 'Joru Ka Bhai' (1955). He built a reputation as a sensitive composer who did not compromise on the quality of music for the sake of applause. Jaidev was admired by producers as a good composer, but they considered him good enough for the small-budget films. Though most of his films failed at the box office, many of them, such as 'Kinare Kinare', 'Reshma Aur Shera', 'Alap', 'Prem Parbat', 'Gaman' and 'Ankahee', are remembered for his imaginative musical score. It is unfortunate that despite his expertise in classical and folk music and imaginative approach, Jaidev had only 'Hum Dono' (1961) and, to a certain extent 'Mujhe Jeene Do'(1 963), as the only commercially successful films to his credit.

A winner of four Sur Singar Samsad awards, the Lata Mangeshkar Award of the M P Government and three National Awards (Reshma Aur Shera', 'Gaman ,'Ankahee'), Jaidev did not get the recognition he deserved and that is a sad commentary on the musical culture of modern cinema. Looking back on Jaidev's career as a music director, his struggles, achievements and set-backs, his pensive melody 'Kabhi khud pe kabhi halat pe rona aya 'from 'Hum Dono' suddenly comes to mind and the heart grieves for the talent that was wasted.

Thanx qwest for the post. Got yur Pm bt did nt get the time. 2day read some articles. will read the rest later on and post.

Madan Mohan


Woh bhuli dastaan lo phir yaad aa gayee / Nazar ke saamne ghataa si chha gayee...

When was Madan Mohan a Bhuli hui dastaan? Born for greatness, destined for immortality and constantly driven to attain perfection in his creative endeavours, Madan Mohan Kohli was truly one of the most inspired and inspiring music composers of the twentieth century.

His meteoric melody content was unparalleled. Listening today to the shimmering collection of the composer's songsas they spread themselves out in a winged web of radiance, we can only marvel at the compositions, each a musical monument and wonder, "How did he do it?"

It is hard to believe that Madan Mohan had no formal training in music. Every note that fell mellifluently into his melodic orbit was born from sheer instinct!

Born on June 25, 1924, Madan Mohan was the son of the illustrious Rai Bahadur Chunilal, partner of the Bombay Talkies and Filmistan studios in Mumbai (then Bombay). In his youth Madan Mohan joined the army during the World War II. In 1946 he was employed at the All India Radio (AIR) in Lucknow where he came into contact with such vocal geniuses as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Begum Akhtar. Begum Akhtar once, on hearing a particular Madan Mohan tune, rang him up and made him sing the whole composition over the telephone.

In his sparkling career, Madan Mohan teamed up with several singers, directors and lyricists. One among them was Lata Mangeshkar, The Nightingale and their partnership yielded what's perhaps the most bountiful tresure chest of immortal melodies ever composed and sung.

Once O.P. Nayyar had spontaneously exclaimed, "Its hard to decide whether God created the voice of Lata Mangeshkar for the compositions of Madan Mohan or vice versa." That throwaway statement haunts us when we listen to the scores of Lata-Madan Mohan melodies. Each melody is a Taj Mahal with inbuilt compartments of emotions in perpetual motion.

Lataji first met Madan Mohan at Filmistan studios. It was the year 1947 and the great composer Master Ghulam Haider had summoned the fledgling nightingale to Filmistan to sing a duet with a new singer named Madan Mohan for the film Shaheed. Lataji had never heard or seen this wannabe crooner. All she knew was that he was the son of the studio owner. The song they sang together was recorded. After the recording the handsome young man told Lataji that he was soon going to become a music director. "You must sing in my first film as music director", Madan Mohan made the Nightingale promise.

She was unable to sing in Madan Mohan's first film Aankhen. But Lataji made this sensitive and gentle giant of a composer her brother for life. Together the siblings created more than history. They created scoops of immortality that mankind will hum as long as there is a place for beauty, harmonic creative integrity and existential truth in our galaxy.

Can we ever tire of listening Lataji sing Madan Mohan's Aapki nazaron ne samjha pyaar ke kaabil mujhe? Colleague Naushad was one of the millions of melody enthusiasts who was spellbound after hearing this glorious ghazal. "Give me this Ghazal and take all my compositions in exchange," Naushaad miyaan exclaimed generously after hearing Aapki nazaron ne samjhaa. It is hard to believe that the inspiration for this peerless melody came to Madan Mohan in the lift which took him from the ground floor to his residence in an apartment block. His sons recall how he would be humming tunes constantly.

There is this widely reported incident during the recording of the song 'Naino maein badraa chaaye where the perfectionist smashed the glass partition in a studio when a musician played the wrong note. The composition in Raag Bhimpalaasi spreads itself out like a veneer of talcum. Soft, sensitive, gentle, fragrant and health inducing. Despite his unfamiliarity with ragaas


Best of...
Madan Mohan - Lata
1 Lag ja gale
(Woh Kaun Thi?, 1964)
2 Betaab dil ki tamanna
(Hanste Zakhm, 1973)
3 Yoon hasraton ke daag
(Adalat, 1958)
4 Woh bhooli daastaan
(Sanjog, 1961)
5 Baiyyaan na dharo
(Dastak, 1970)
6 Khelo na mere dil se
(Haqeeqat, 1964)
7 Nainon mein badra chhaaye (Mera Saaya, 1966)
8 Na tum bewafa ho
(Ek Kali Muskayi, 1968)
9 Hai isi mein pyaar ki aabroo (Anpadh, 1962)
10 Raat ujiyari din andhera hai (Chalbaaz, 1980)

As told to Sabir Masani

Eighty eight years ago, on December 25, I was born in Lucknow. Music was ingrained in me from childhood. As a kid, I would visit the annual fair at the Deva Sharif in Barabanki... all the great qawwals and musicians of those days would perform before the devotees.

There, I met a flute player from Bareilly. His tunes still reverberate in my memory. From morning till night, I would sit by his feet, listening to his wondrous melodies.

My interest in music evolved under the guidance of Ustad Baban Khan and Ustad Yusuf Khan. But my father was extremely orthodox. He felt that our Muslim community wouldn't appreciate the fact that his son had taken up music to earn a livelihood. I remember it was the day of Divali when my abba berated me and said that either I choose music or the house. Without hesitating for a minute, I said, "Aapko aap ka ghar mubarak, hume apna sangeet." I turned my back on my father and left for Bombay.

Silent Era

I used to watch silent films at the Royal theatre in Lucknow. Theatre owners would hire a team of musicians to play the tabla, harmonium, sitar and violin. The musicians would watch the film first, make notes, finalise the scales required. When the show began in the evening, they would sit in front of the screen and play music for the scenes. This was a great way to be entertained and learn music at the same time. It made me grasp the nuances required in composing a film's background music score.

The Bombay Experience

I reached Bombay in 1937. Initially, I stayed with an acquaintance from Lucknow at Colaba. After a while, I shifted to Dadar opposite the Broadway theatre. I would sleep on the footpath.

This suited me fine. Otherwise I would have had to walk in the hot sun to Dadar in search of work at the studios. My perseverance paid. I started assisting music director Ustad Jhande Khan who was at the peak of his success those days. I was paid a monthly salary of Rs 40. The producer was a Russian... he had set up a studio at Chembur, which was an extremely desolate place in those days. It wasn't accessible by bus or train. As it happened, all our hard work was in vain. The film didn't see the light of the day.

Again I was unemployed. Every day seemed longer than a year. Finally, I landed in Ranjit Studio, where I assisted Khemchand for the film Kanchan. But it was painful working at Ranjit. The musicians were haughty and indisciplined... they wouldn't take instructions from an assistant director.

So I left Ranjit, in disgust, swearing to myself that I would never return. After that I assisted various music directors on the films made by eminent directors like A.R. Kardar and P.N. Madhok. In 1941, I became a full-fledged music director with Prem Nagar. The story was set in Kutch. I did a lot of research into the folk music of the area.

Technical Glitches

Recordings were done in quiet parks and gardens after midnight. Because the studios did not have sound-proof recording rooms. In the gardens, there would be no echo and disturbances, unlike the studios where the sound reverberated because of the tin roofs.

Incidentally, the echo effect used by me in Ratan was achieved through a very crude but effective technique. I'd kept a microphone in a toilet which had ceramic tiles all over. Then I played the music... so the sound reverberated against those tiles, producing an echo effect.

Overlapping Technique

I used this special technique in films like Uran Khatola and Amar. We would record the voice of a particular artiste on a scale of 90... then we would record his voice on 70... then 50... and so on. After the complete recording, we would play it for the scene and the impact it created was terrific.

In the early '40s, only a single mike was used for the singers as well as musicians. The microphone called 'Fedler Tone' had to be heated on the fire before it could start. A violinist would first come to the mike, play his piece, move out, then the singer would sing his lines, then the tabla player would play his piece...

All this was very tedious, but it gave us immense pleasure because we were always trying to be technically innovative.

Baiju Bawra

In 1953, Baiju Bawra was released at the Broadway theatre in Dadar. It was a big hit.

And to think the proprietors of Prakash Pictures were thinking of closing shop. They had come to my house... they asked me to come with them to touch the keys of the studio with my hands since I was also a member of their company. They said that the studio has to be locked up since it had suffered a financial loss. I felt very sad. I asked them if they could make just one more effort to survive.

They had nothing to lose. They agreed, and I gave them the subject of Baiju Bawra. They wanted to sign Dilip Kumar and Nargis. But I was adamant. I said the film's highlights would be its story, music and lyrics. It shouldn't be overshadowed by stars. Fresh faces would be more appropriate. So Bharat Bhushan was finalised to play the part of Baiju Bawra. For the heroine, I contacted Ali Baksh (father of Meena Kumari) who was thrilled. It was Meena Kumari's first big break.

On the day of the premiere at Broadway, the producers asked me how I felt now that the public had loved the picture. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I looked on the other side of the footpath where I used to sleep. I said, "Us footpath se yahan aane tak 16 saal lag gaye."

Aan

I created a symphony for Aan on stage with a hundred musicians. I had a special tent... made of blankets... on the surface, I laid out coir carpets, so that the sound wouldn't echo.

The final recording was done in London. We worked day in and day out for three months. We were under enormous pressure when we received news that the Liberty cinema in Bombay would open with this film. People slept for days outside the theatre to book tickets in advance.

My symphony was widely appreciated in Britain, it was played on BBC. Orson Welles who was busy with his Othello also happened to see the rushes of Aan and loved the music.

Mughal-E-Azam

I had used a hundred chorus singers for the first time for the song Mohabbat zindabad, this music composition was one of my best. But sadly, my music for Mughal-e-Azam wasn't considered worthy of an award by the Filmfare editor. He told me that it was too refined and classical. So he gave his casting vote for Taxi Driver, because it had music which, he said, was more filmi.

Relationship With Dilip Kumar

I recommended Dilip Kumar for films like Andaz and Mela. I composed the music for several of his films. Later, some producers preferred to take on other musicians. I specifically told Dilip Kumar, "Never recommend my name! Let the music director be signed at the producer's discretion."

Today's Music

I feel lost. Film-makers don't work hard on their lyrics or music... for them music is business. They want quickie stuff with sex appeal. I sometimes wonder whether they know what sex is. For them, it's just a piece of flesh. Moreover, today's musicians do not know the s of sargam and yet they're on top of the charts.

The deterioration started in the early '80s. The Western music has been aped to such an extent that there is decadence all around us.

Lyrics like, Main to raste se jaa raha tha, bhel puri kha raha tha are hits, but that doesn't mean they are more valuable than Ghalib's poetry.

Perhaps all this is a passing phase. Maybe melody will return some day.

Importance of Radio

Radio was a strong force during my time and influenced the masses considerably. But I always felt that programmes like Binaca Geetmala had their prejudices and biases. Now the same thing is going on in the countdown programmes on television. It is very wrong to judge the merit of a song by its position on the charts.

Victimisation of Muslims

Because of Partition, several film-makers and artistes migrated to Pakistan. Some of those who had established themselves remained here... and weren't victimised as such.

But newcomers were victimised and deprived. Meetings held by some prominent artists, film-makers and journalists who were anti-Muslims. This was unfortunate. In a profession which thrives on creativity, the only religion is art.

Singers of that Era

I worked with K.L. Saigal on his last film Shah Jahan. It was very painful to see such a remarkable talent fall prey to alcohol. He would drink peg after peg on the sets, almost as many pegs as the retakes he gave. If he gave ten takes, he would end up drinking ten pegs... even though he was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver.

Once the industrialist, Panipat Singhania, visited the studio where Saigal was recording and offered him a sum of Rs 25,000 to sing at a get-together. Saigal agreed because the money was tempting.

Soon after, a coolie came up to him and said that he and his family were great fans of his. If he could grace their daughter's wedding... it was on the same day as Mr Singhania's party... they would be delighted. After a moment's thought, Saigal gave them the nod and went to their house in Bachubhai Ki Wadi. He didn't go to Singhania's get-together. You don't make singers like him anymore.

GHAZALS

'Karavan-e- Ghazal' This serial, as its name suggests, traces the forward movement of a form of poetic Urdu composition, called the 'ghazal', a form that was sung for only small appreciative audiences during the me-dieval period. Today, the ghazal' has attained widespread popularity because of singers like Begum Akhtar, K. L. Saigal, Talat Mehmood, Mohammed Rafi, LataMangeshkar, Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit and Chitra Singh, Anup Jalota, Pankaj Udhas and several others. 'Karavan-e-Ghazal' (alternate title: Dastaan-e-Ghazal) is a serial in 13 parts on the history and origin of the ghazal' beginning with Amir Khusro in the 13 th Century and ending with Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The serial records the contributions of poets like Quli Qutub Shah, Waris Shah, Siraj Aurangabadi, Arzoo, Anand Ram Mukhlis, Abdul Hai Taban, Jafar Zalalli, Meer Taqi Meer, Mus Hafi, Nazeer Akbarabadi, Ghalib, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Dagh, lqbal, Josh and Bismil. The serial is being directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Ashok, Ahuja, and the music is being composed and directed by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. The script has been written by S.M. Mehdi and Mr. Sumedh Shah is the executive producer. Each programme begins with a ghazal sung by a well-known singer like Pankaj Udhas ; Anup Jalota, Penaaz Masani, Roop Kumar Rathod and Chandan Dass, among others. The first episode features Shobha Gurtu and Hariharan. Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar have also shown interest in the programme. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan who will select the artistes is clear that he does not want to compose pure classical music for the programme, but popular music. Three major record companies-HMV, MIL and CBS-have agreed to allow the use of, recordings of their ghazal' artistes. An understanding with the producers of the serial-Atia Communications-will ensure that each label (HMV, MIL, CBS) gets mechanical rights for at least 60 minutes of the recorded music of their artistes. Singer Shobha Gurtu with Amjad Ali Khan. . L to R-Saeed Mirza, director; Zubairi, sound recordist, Radiogems; Amjad Ali Khan; and Uttam Singh, composer. 'Dastaan-e-Ghazal' will also be released on records and musicassettes. The 'ghazal', as a poetic composition, has a discipline all its. own. It consists of any number of couplets or 'shers', each being of perfect length and rhyme. This balance cannot be disturbed by even as much as a part of a syllable. Content-wise, each couplet is self-contained, complete in its two lines ('misra's'): it cannot spill over into the next couplet. Moreover, one couplet should contain only one thought. These rigid restrictions impart a gem-like quality to each couplet, each scintillating on its own. The 'ghazal', which had a long and glorious tradition in Iran, was new to India in the days of Amir Khusro, the first Indian poet who tried to graft Persian with Braj, Awadhi and other Indian languages to produce what he called 'Hindvi'. This was the first attempt at a composite Indian language, having components of several languages and dialects of India. Though the results may seem a little raw and coarse today to more sophisticated audiences, the language has a freshness and vigour. Khusro wrote a number of 'ghazals' in this language, and they still survive. 'Karavan-e-Ghazal' takes us back to the early days of ghazal. Amjad Ali Khan, with Sumedh Shah, executive producer.

An institution called K J Yesudas

An institution called K J Yesudas

By Pradeep

Padmashree K J Yesudas, one of the best known Indian singers, who gave his sweat and blood for music turned sixty on January 10. Here's a rendezvous with the ace singer.

There is one voice that the Malayalee, world over, recognises. It is a voice that has become part of the collective memory of the Malayalee. It wafts in the wind, hauntingly; ushering in memories both happy and gloomy, of the land the Malayalee calls his own. K J Yesudas is Kerala's very own voice.

And after recording over 40,000 songs and winning scores of accolades including the coveted Padmashree honour and seven national awards for the best playback singer, Malayalam's very own Gana Gandharvan (the divine singer) is still breathing music and enchanting music lovers the world over.

The hallmark of this gifted singer has been his ability to defeat a hostile environment; a propensity for hard work and a never-ending quest for excellence in a field that he has turned his own. He has been able to achieve this discipline as he had a mission in life, a dream to fulfill.

His father, the noted stage actor-singer of yesteryears, Augustine Joseph, was determined to turn his eldest son into a singer. He spared no efforts in doing so. There was a time when Augustine Joseph was the toast of the town. His house at Thoppumpady in Kochi was literally filled with friends and fans, who spent the day eating and talking. But when the man fell on bad days there were very few to extend a helping hand.

Young Yesudas grew up in penury, but there was this goal that he had set for himself. There was his father's dream that he knew he had to fulfill. When he was taunted and scoffed at for being a Christian and attempting to learn Carnatic music, when he was almost chucked out of the RLV Music Academy for defaulting on the monthly fees, when he was asked to sleep in the car shed of an eminent musician, when he had to travel miles in Chennai living mainly on tap water when music directors initially found him ineffective and then, when AIR, Trivandrum considered his voice not good for broadcasting - Yesudas suffered patiently. All these only acted as catalysts that sparked off his long cherished dream.

All that the young singer needed was a break. And this he got through divine intervention. Director K S Antony needed a new male voice and the choice was Vaikkom Chandran. But the noted stage singer suggested the name of the upcoming singer, who was by then making a mark through his ganamelas. The film 'Kalpaddukal' in 1961 saw the birth of a new voice. The few lines composed by Narayana Guru ironically expounded his life's policy of ''one caste, one religion, one God''. The rest is history.

A phenomenon in South Indian film music, Yesudas has overcome language barriers and sung over 40,000 songs in a career spanning nearly four decades.Yesudas' classical style has often come in for harsh criticism. There are many purists who consider his style neither Carnatic nor Hindustani. But once again, through sheer perseverance and hard work he went on to prove his critics wrong. Every year he prepared diligently before the Madras concerts, singing elaborate pallavis and rare ragas. But the truth is that Yesudas has been greatly instrumental in popularising Carnatic music.

Yesudas got his first recognition at the tender age of seven, when he won a gold medal for music at a local competition in Fort Cochin. He got the prestigious national award for best playback singer seven times: Manushyan Mathangale Srishtichu (Achanum Bappayum-Malayalam) in 1972, Padmatheerthame (Gayatri-Malayalam) in 1973, Gori Tera (Chit Chor-Hindi) in 1979, Akashadeshamu (Meghasandesham-Telugu) in 1985, Unnikale Oru Kathaparayam (Unnikale Oru Kathaparayam-Malayalam) in 1987, Ramakatha Ganalayam (Bharatham-Malayalam) in 1991 and for songs in the film Sopanam in 1993. He has won the award for the best playback singer in Malayalam ever since its inception in 1969, except for seven times. (From 1987 to 1991 he had opted out of the race to facilitate opportunities for fresh talents). He picked up his 23rd state award last year.

The other major accolades India's ace singer received were - the best playback singer award in Tamil in 1988 and 1992, best playback singer award in Telugu in 1988, Sangeetha Raja Puraskaram in 1974, Sangeetha Chakravarthy Puraskaram in 1988, Sangeetha Sagaram Puraskaram in 1987, Lata Mangeshkar Award of the Madhya Pradesh government in 1992 and National Citizens' Award in 1994. Turning sixty this January 10, the voice that has brightened up the lives of millions all these years continues ageless and is bound to be heard for centuries to come.

Music is devotion for Yesudas and nothing mundane carries him away. When he made his debut in films way back in 1962, the recording process was simple and unsophisticated, though laborious. Imparting the needed feeling to the lines in the presence of the music director and other film technicians was comparatively easy. With recording going hi-tech and track recording turning out to be the order of the day, 'emotion' usually became the causality. But this was not the case with Yesudas.

Even when recordings were done from his studios, set up at his residence in Florida, listening to just the track-recordings and with no clue of the story-line of the film, Yesudas was still able to breathe life into them, giving it the emotions that blend so well with the lyrics and most importantly, the scene itself. Some of the recent songs stand testimony to this quality, which none of the recent singers have been able to imbibe.

It was the late Salil Choudhary who provided the break for Yesudas in Hindi films in 1976. His first venture Anand Mahal was not a big box-office hit though the Yesudas-Sabita number Aa Aa Re Mitwa... was noticed. It was the film Chit Chor under Ravindra Jain that really launched Yesudas in Hindi films.

"Sing with your voice and with your heart and with all your moral convictions. Sing the new songs, not only with your tongue but with your life," says Yesudas.

Having gone through all sorts of experiences - bitter and sweet - and after 40,000 songs and many an accolade, what do you long for now?
I consider the recognition significant, especially at this stage of my career. It means that even today the people appreciate your work. I've always believed that any artiste should stop the moment he senses that his audiences no longer want him. I feel overwhelmed with the love and appreciation people shower on me. I feel extremely happy.

Do you feel you have played your part well or do you feel much remains to be done?
I don't feel like I have not achieved much or I have not done what I have to. One may have nurtured many ambitions at a younger age. But now I realise that my destiny is not in my hands. And for quite a long time, I haven't longed for anything.

You had earlier talked about cherishing the dream of a music university. Do you still have that idea in mind?
That still remains a dream. And I am more convinced now that it is too luxurious a dream for an individual. It is primarily the responsibility of the government. People like me are mere tools.

Your classical style and method have often come under attack by critics, saying it is neither Carnatic nor Hindustani?
You can call my style Bharatheeya if you think I don't fit into the accepted genres. If you think that I'm too light, it's the reward for my hard work. Making things simple is not easy after all! Very often I feel the pull of strong, diverse forces. One, the ordinary listener, who insists that I should not turn complex during my concerts and the other, who coaxes me to become more elaborate and intricate. I have tried to adopt a style and method that satisfies both.