By Rajdeep Pathak
As I write these lines – to be frank at heart and outspoken – I am not mourning the death of Manna Dey. I am a little bereft of words and expressions and recall the lines of one of his immortal songs phool gendua na maro from the movie Dooj Ka Chand 1964… that caught my attention at a very early age when I did not understand a bit of classical music – not that I do it even today. Being very young, I could not understand the nuances of the ragas, yet Manna Dey’s tonal expressions left an indelible mark on me. I would say, my journey with Manna Dey sahab’s meticulous music and unique style had begun.
As news spread over the legendry singer’s demise, both social and entertainment media were flooded with the music of this genius. From the news channels to the broadcasters also, Manna Dey’s songs were all across. For a moment, I thought the golden era of music had revisited us once again. And songs such as Puchho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitai (Meri Surat, Teri Ankhen 1963), Aye Mere Pyare Watan from Kabuliwala (1961), Laga Chunari Mein Daag from Dil Hi Toh Hai (1963), Sur Na Saje from Basant Bahar (1956), Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen from Waqt (1965), refreshed our taste of listening to good music, which has recently eluded us.
My memories of listening to his songs from the HMV collections of Manna Dey’s classical music, in the small Philips tape recorder – which we still have, but seldom play – sent me back to the time, when during concerts as part of the Durga Puja celebrations – or any other social get together, we would specifically request the artistes on stage to sing laga chunari mein daag or lapak jhapak tu aa re badarwa or Coffee Houser Sei Adda Ta. And the audience would go crazy. I still remember, none would dare to disturb anybody else. The silence was broken with the soulful rendition of the songs, but the artistes never forgot to seek forgiveness from the audience, before attempting such immortal songs.
Such was his magnanimity, that in a career spanning over five decades, Manna Dey’s songs could never be challenged by other legendary singers like Mohd Rafi, or Kishore Kumar. His training in classical music from his uncle, the famous Krishna Chandra Dey helped him at ease with various ragas, so much so that renowned music directors of the time, from Sachin Dev Barman to Vasant Desai, Anil Biswas, Shakar Jaikishan to Salil Choudhury and later R D Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal had made their choice for Manna Dey for complicated classical songs based on different ragas.
Even in songs that proved his versatility through his renditions of Ek chatoor nar (Padosan) or Masti bhari hai sama (Parvarish), or for that matter Dil Ki Girah (Raat Aur Din), his grief that reflected in Aye Mere Payere Watan once again proved beyond doubt, that he could embellish some of the most difficult songs with ease.
Very few singers could take the credit of singing duets with singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Mohd Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor, Talat Mahmood, Amit Kumar, Shailendra Singh, Krishna Kalle, Shardha Rajan Iyengar, Aarthi Mukherjee, Chandrani Mukherjee, Anuradha Pudwal, Hemlata, Minu Purushottom, Bhupinder Singh, K.J.Yesudas, Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamoorty Subramaniam, Alka Yagnik, Antara Chowdhury, Preeti Sagar, Dilraj Kaur, Yunus Fazmi, Jaspal Singh, Anwar, Manhar Udhas, Joginder and Mubarak Begum.
Manna Dey was one of them. He sang with singers of every generation in Indian films from 1940-2005. He worked with more than 102 music directors in Hindi film industry from working with Krishna Chandra Dey in Tamanna in 1942 to music composer Shamir Tandon in 2006, giving his voice to over 3500 songs.
While his contributions to the world of Hindi Film Music, is beyond any words, Bengal and other parts of the country too had their share from this musical wizard. A person who has oft said that he never considered himself a singer, the world of music can surely vouch for this singer who had it all – the range, the voice, the soul, and most importantly the humility. He loved his music and loved musicians. His versatility was his strength and he was able to capture the essence of any song – whether classical, fusion, bhajans or folk.
Some of his songs in Bengali such as Dole Ddul Dole Jhulona; Baje Go Beena; Shundori Go, Duhai, Duhai; Obhimane Chole Jeona; Ami Jamini, Tumi Soshi He; Sobai to Sukhi Hote Chaye; Oi Kule Aami, Aar Oi Kule Tumi; Ami Jey Jolsha Ghorey; and the immortal Coffee Houser Sei Adda Ta; including many others, have been sung innumerable times and on different occasions by professional artistes, at musical programs, and at different musical social gatherings. And these songs remain forever young and fresh.
Whether it was Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Shyama Sangeet, Geeti Natya or non-film songs, Manna Dey had sung all genres of songs and created his own unique identity.
Multiple National Award winner, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Manna Dey Sahab, died on October 24, 2013 in Bengaluru, following a renal failure and respiratory illness. He was 94.
As I conclude, I recall my interactions with one of the leading classical singers of the country, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, who had the honour of presenting the life time achievement award to Manna Dey on August 2012 at his residence. Like all others, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty was in awe of Manna Dey’s singing and recounted how humble and childlike a person he was. His music showed his simplicity and love towards humankind, Panditji had said about the legendary singer.
I also recall these lines from the movie Anand – Zindagi, kaisi hai paheli, haae/kabhi to hasaaye/kabhi ye rulaaye … and goes on to say… Jinhone sajaae yahaan mele/sukh-dukh sang-sang jhele/vahi chunakar khaamoshi/yun chale jaae akele kahaan/zindagi… and Manna Dey’s soulful humming sings in the background.
The musical adda of Coffee House may be gone, but the timelessness that has evolved in this house over coffee and music of Manna Dey will continue to enthrall us and our future generation. For, good music never dies. And that is exactly the reason, why I wouldn’t mourn. I nevertheless feel a pain in some corner of my heart that this stylish singer will not be seen around.
The silence over the coffee table is a reminder that good music needs to be nurtured and cultivated. This is what Manna Dey did all his life and the responsibility will be to carry on this legacy with sincerity and commitment.
Farewell to this musical wizard, Manna Dey (May 1, 1919 – October 24, 2013).
Popular songs (Hindi)
“Ae mere pyaare watan” (“Kabuliwala”)
“Tu pyaar ka saagar hai” (“Seema”)
“Yeh raat bheegi bheegi” (“Chori Chori”)
“Aaja sanam madhur chandani main hum” (“Chori Chori”)
“Laga chunari mein daag” (“Dil Hi To Hai”)
“Puchho na kaise maine rain bitayi” (“Meri Soorat Teri Aankhen”)
“Hum bhi agar bachche hote” (“Door Ki Awaaz”)
“Aye meri zoharajabi” (“Waqt”)
“Chunari sambhal gori udi chali jaye re” (“Baharon Ke Sapne”)
“Ek chatur naar karke singar” (“Padosan”)
“Tujhe suraj kahoon ya chanda” (“Ek Phool Do Mali”)
“Zindagi kaisi hai paheli” (“Anand”)
“Yaari hai iman mera” (“Zanjeer”)
“Ye dosti hum nahin todenge” (“Sholay”)
Facts about Manna Dey
He sang around 1262 songs in Bengali. He recorded 611 songs in Bengali films and sung 356 Bengali non-film songs. He also sang 46 Rabindra Sangeet Songs in Bengali, 3 Dwigendra Geet, 84 Shayam Sangeet, 23 songs in Akashvani,3 title songs for Bengali TV serials, 103 Bengali songs from non-released Bengali films and 33 Bengali songs of other varieties]
He sang 35 film songs in Bhojpuri, 2 songs in Magadh and one song in Maithilee language.
He sang 13 Punjabi film songs and 5 non-film songs
He sang 2 songs in Assameese films and 4 non-film songs in Assamese language.
He sang 7 songs in Oriya language and 1 song each in Konkani film and Sindhi film.
He sang 85 songs in Gujarati films.
He sang 55 Marathi songs in Marathi films and 15 non-film songs in Marathi.
He sang 2 film songs in Kannada.
He sang in the nepali movie “Maitighar”
He sang 2 in Malayalam – “Maanasamaine Varoo” from 1965 film Chemmeen and song “Chemba Chemba” from 1974 film Nellu sung with P Jayachandran both composed by Salil Chowdhary and lyrics by Vayalar. (Source Wikipedia)