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Known as "Sachin Karta" to the music connoisseurs of Kolkata, "Burman Dada" as fondly called by the musicians of Bombay, "Shochin Deb Bormon" by the radio listeners of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, "S.D. Burman" by the film cine goers or simply "SD" by his "jeans" filmi fans -- he created songs that bore the stamp of his inimitable genius, abounding in variety yet retaining the distinction of his style. Drawing from the vast store of folk music-forms and from the classical teachings, as the mood called for, he produced what is known as the Sachin Dev Burman music which is at once rotund, vibrant and unorthodox both in form and substance.
Sachin Dev Burman was born October 10, 1901 as one of the nine children of Prince Komilla of Tripura. Sachin Dev underwent classical training from his father, Sitar player and Dhrupad singer Nabadweep Chandra Dev Burman. He later trained under Ustad Badal Khan and Bhishmadev Chattopadhyay and this classical training gave him a firm rooting for the music that he was to compose later in life.After his father's death Sachin left home, travelled for years in the forests of Assam and Tripura from where he gained his formidable knowledge and rich repertoire of the rich folk of that region and Bengal. Later he became a disciple of Ustad Aftabuddin Khan, becoming an ace flautist, and starting his own music school, 'Sur Mandir' in Calcutta in the 1930's. He rose to be a popular singer there, learnt more under the illustrious K. C. Dey. He also scored music for Rajkumar Nirshoney, a Bengali film, in 1940. He married Meera, an accomplished singer in 1938. Rahul Dev Burman was born a year later.
Dada left for Bombay against his will in 1944 at the request of Sasadhar Mukherjee of Filmistan, to do two films, Shikari and Aath Din. But Bombay was no cake walk. Despite the musical success of Shikari and Aath Din and later on Do Bhai, Vidya, Shabnam, Dada was still not considered a force. Frustrated, Burman decided to pack up for Kolkata. It was at this point Ashok Kumar put his foot down. "Compose the music for Mashaal and then you are free". Dada took up the baton again. Mashaal was a super hit. The song " Upar Gagan Vishal", became a rage. It also launched Manna Dey in a new fold. After that it was just a matter of time before Dev Anand, who had struck a rapport with this kindred progressive soul, launched his own banner Navketan, and signed S. D. Burman for Baazi. This 1951 hit, along with Jaal (1952) and his AVM hits Bahar and Ladki clinched Dada's success story, and his career never flagged till 1974 when he quit signing films from ill – health.
Dada Burman has the highest average of hit songs among any composer in Hindi films. Obviously, such success stemmed from his unshakeable belief in himself, and he was known to refuse films where the filmmaker wanted 'hit' songs. "I compose only good songs", he would tell this brigade. S. D. Burman won only a few awards – because he never cultivated them but his greatest triumph lay in the fact that his choosiness made every score count. There was a time in Bombay when the lyrics were set to tune by the music directors. Dada changed the theory. The tune first, the lyrics later. Today nine out of ten songs are composed in this manner. Also for every song sequence Dada had many alternative tunes thus giving the producers a wide choice. Dada would often compose a tune instantly, and his music had a strong foundation of folk and classical and was known to innovate by mixing them with Western arrangements. He was averse to commercialization, but he would also aver that a tune should be so simple that 'even my servant should be able to sing it'. When necessary, he would compose exquisite classical numbers, but he would always say that film music was not the medium to show off one's classical prowess.
He would scoff at the so–called indispensability of a singer. When Lata Mangeshkar refused to record with him, he delivered hit after hit with Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt and only made with her because his son Pancham wanted her to sing his career first song. He groomed singers like Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar and even Hemant Kumar and made Rafi sing in a soft, crooning fashion when others wanted high pitched or maudlin vocals from him. Dada Burman would practice consciously forgetting a song that he had recorded so that it would not subconsciously permeate in a later composition. His firm base and his selective nature kept his music fresh and no song of his ever gave a dj vu feeling of an older song.
Dada received the prestigious Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Padmashree for his contribution to music. He got a national award for singing in 1969 for 'Kahe Ko Roye Hoye Jo Hoye..' (Aradhana). Earlier in 1934 in Kolkata, Dada was awarded a gold medal in All Bengal Classical Music Conference in which Ustad Fayyaz Khan, Ustad Allauddin Khan, Bishwadev Chatterjee participated. In Agartala, a bridge has been dedicated in his memory. S. D. Burman awards are given from Agartala every year to upcoming artists.And in Bombay Sur Singar Samsad Academy presents S. D. Burman awards to musicians involved in films.
Dada left for heavenly abode on October 31, 1975 after a paralytic stroke felled him a year earlier. There was a time when the royal family of Tripura criticized him for making a living out of music as it brought down the image of royalty. Dada was hurt and slowly he snapped his ties with Tripura. Today, the Tripura royal family is known for Sachin Dev Burman !!
Twenty-seven years ago, on the October 31, 1975, music maestro Sachin Dev (‘Dada’) Burman achieved immortality after a career that began in Mumbai with Eight Days and Shikari in 1946. Aristocratic and literally blue-blooded, Dada Burman will always be ranked high among the greatest composers in the history of film music (see box). A genius who worked for creative satisfaction and the pursuit of excellence rather than economic gratification, the composer-singer was one of the pillars of Navketan, with which he was associated from the 1950-made Afsar to Prem Pujari (1970), Tere Mere Sapne (1971) and Chhupa Rustom (1973). And who else but Dev Anand, the founder of Navketan and the hero of dozens of
Dada Burman-composed films, can best recall the giant who shared his thirst for variety, creativity and novelty? After all, unlike the Dilip Kumar-Naushad music, that was stepped in classicism, and the Raj Kapoor-Shanker-Jaikishan team that marketed popular melody, Dev Anand-S.D. Burman music was a synergy of youth and substance, of pop-appeal and depth. Perhaps, instead of terming this as one legend remembering another, we should say, one young man remembers another. Over to Dev Anand, whose association with the versatile composer spanned almost three decades:
How would you capsule your bond with Dada Burman? I revere, I admire, I loved Dada Burman! He was a part of the Navketan family, and was our boss in many ways! For he would tick us off anytime he wanted, and be forthright about any film or situation that he was called upon to compose for.
Did you change song situations for him then? No, he would not ask us to change anything. He was too sensible to do such things. He realised that he was doing a film where he had to put his personal opinions aside.
How much do you miss him? I miss him terribly, after all he was around for almost every Navketan film, right from my first production Afsar. And I miss him for three reasons - because of the tremendous moral support that he would give us all, for his sheer genius as a musician, and for his tremendous involvement in every film he did, whether for Navketan or outside.
I remember how he would get these sudden inspirations. He would call me all of a sudden, come over to my place or summon me, and over a drink and a harmonium, compose a tune that will endure as long as film music will. He would then put down the notations, and often the great lyricists with whom we worked — mainly Sahir, Majrooh and Shailendra, and also Pt. Narendra Sharma, Hasrat Jaipuri and Neeraj — would have the song written literally in minutes.
Who chose the poets, Dada or you? Did not Dada usually make the tune first? Dada and I would jointly decide on the lyricists. Yes, he would usually prefer to compose a melody first and then get the words written, but he could compose excellently too. He composed a superb tune for ‘Shokhiyon mein ghola jaaye...’ when I told him that I wanted to use the song in my film Prem Pujari. Unlike the music directors of today, he was ingrained in music from childhood.
According to Neeraj, Dada tested him by giving the convoluted metre of ‘Rangeela re...’ to write on, before accepting him as the lyricist of Prem Pujari? Well, it’s not that Dada tested him. Dada rightly had to be convinced that Neeraj could deliver. Neeraj was a poet and the crafts of writing poetry and film lyrics are completely different.
There were three great music teams then — Dada and you, Naushad and Dilip Kumar, and Shanker-Jaikishan and Raj Kapoor. It was in your collaboration that one saw variety and freshness. Why and how was this according to you? Well, we saw to it that this was so. All our subjects were contemporary and different, most of them ahead of their times. Dada also liked to vary his playback voices for me according to the needs of the composition. We had Kishore, Rafi and Hemant Kumar, and occasionally Talat Mehmood. And Bhupinder sang a word in ‘Honthon pe aisi baat...’ for Jewel Thief. Dada did use Mukesh in an early film and Manna Dey in one song too, but not in my productions.
He was also prone to repeated illnesses. Why was that? It is my personal opinion that this was because Dada was not content because his wife was a dominating woman. Yes, he fell sick very often and I remember that I was adamant about waiting for him to recover during the making of Guide.
Even amidst his best scores, Guide remains a milestone. Yes. S.D. Burman would get deeply into the core of every subject. I remember how we had recorded a song sung by Rafi. After this, both Goldie and I were completely dissatisfied. We called up Dada and told him about it. ‘I find the song very good’ he countered. We said that perhaps it could be better. Dada insisted that it was absolutely okay and hung up. Half-an-hour later, Dada called up and said that maybe we had a point. He said that he was coming over the next morning and that I was to arrange for a harmonium. And he played out the melody of ‘Din dhal jaaye...’ We instantly told him that was it. He smiled, flattered by the praise and said, ‘That’s why I am here’. This showed that he had been restless by the thought that we were unhappy. Incidentally, we immediately summoned Shailendra, who wrote the mukhda in five minutes flat.
I also remember how he implored us to trust him when we had to leave for Jaipur for the shoot of the film, and a song was not ready. ‘Please depend on me. I will send a tune that the world will remember’, he said. A few days later, with Goldie and I far away from Mumbai, he sent us ‘Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai...’. He did this again in Jewel Thief, and the song was ‘Honthon pe aisi baat...’
Would you recommend him for your outside films? Never. Most producers went to him because of our association and mutual understanding. He was too magnificent a talent to need or deserve any kind of push.
Since Dada did most of your outside films, was your involvement in the music the same? Well, I would be consulted, as Dada knew my style and preferences. But essentially, the music would be selected by the filmmakers concerned.
Did Burmanda ever talk to you about his royal ancestry or his past, and how he picked up music while roaming through the forests of Assam and when working in Kolkata? He once told me that he used to be a tennis player, that’s all. But from his habits you could make out that he was obviously royalty. He would always be anointed with rich perfume, and was very fond of a particular kind of paan. If he offered a paan to anybody, it was considered a great gesture and proof that Dada liked that person a lot!
He would be immaculately dressed in a starched, white dhoti, a kurta with three gleaming gold buttons, and a shawl.
How else would you describe him as a person? Humble, confident, accessible, generous, temperamental and whimsical, sometimes stubborn for a while. He never took on many commitments, for he was paranoid about repeating himself, but would make sure at the same time he got all his money from his producers — no one could fleece him! He was also very health-conscious and diet-conscious because of his fragile health.
A peculiarity about him was that he was responsible for the career-breaks of Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, but never introduced any significant singer. Yes, maybe he just wanted to utilise the great singers. But I will tell you one thing about Dada himself. He was so unique as a singer that no one, not even all the great singers could ever reproduce what he would sing. And there was only one exception to this - Lata Mangeshkar! Oh, if only he had the technique of today.
But Burmanda was not happy with the subject of Hare Rama Hare Krishna and its Western ambience. Would he have adjusted to today’s demands? I am absolutely confident that he would have. Dada looked ahead, and his stubbornness never lasted for long. He was open to ideas, change and criticism, which is why he lasted so long. I would call him the greatest composer Hindi cinema has known.
Do you recollect how your association began? Well, I had heard the music of his first film Shikari and found it very fresh and new from the norm then. Today I would call it typically S.D. Burman music. In those days, he would live in a small tenement up a hill at Sion. A friend called Anadi Banerjee, whom both my friend Guru Dutt and I knew from our Prabhat Film Company days, stayed there and we went to meet him. It was he who took us to Dada. Something made me feel that Dada had arranged this meeting with me. We will never know, but I took him to Chetan and we signed him for Afsar. And the rest, as they say, is history.
"You enter a garden house with beautiful garden and congratulate the gardener. What about the master of the house?" Thus said Shri Ramakrishna. In our film world the same question is often asked, though in different words.
However, let me assure you that as a director of film music, I do not envy the film stars or the playback singers, except when I am called a bundle (a word of unknown origin heard in Bombay which means a good-for-nothing fellow)
One day I had some business at Kardar studio. A fairly big crowd was waiting at the gates for a glimpse of the stars and I drove in, in my car. "Who is it?" they anxiously asked and peeped in. "Oh!" came the loud voice of a disappointed fan, and then, "Aarey he is a bundle."
But I have my admirers, too. Once I was waiting at Bandra Station to catch a train for Malad. Suddenly, I discovered that the train had come, halted and left. I did not know. What was I doing? Well, I was lost in the enjoyment of my own tune of a song from Shabnam which a gang of labourers were singing to the rhythm of the movements of their hammers and shovels.
Talking of rhythm, I am tempted to repeat an old story. I had just joined Filmistan and at an informal gathering at Malad I was giving a recital of my songs before S. Mukherji, the Filmistan Chief, Ashok Kumar (Dadamani to all of us), Pradeep, the lyric poet, and others. In the midst of it I heard a jarring sound which was supposed to be a message of appreciation from an admiring listner. Who could it be? I looked in the direction of the sound and turned pale. The culprit was none other than my boss, Mr Mukherji, whom I knew to be a true lover of music and whose style of singing was like my own. – How could I satisfy his ears?
As days went by, I made further discoveries regarding his sense of rhythm and harmony. Everyday after lunch I had to carry my harmonium to his room. Lying comfortably on a sofa, he listened to my compositions, then closed his eyes, and presently snored! The snore was a signal that my composition was disapproved.
This ordeal continued for nearly two months and I came to the end of my patience. I also came to the conclusion that if I could not please my boss, there was no point in my staying on at Filmistan, just to sing lullabys to him. The next day I went prepared for a showdown.
As usual I started playing the harmonium and went on humming my new tune till my boss's eyes closed. There was nothing more to do. I had only to wait for the inevitable snore. But suddenly the boss woke up and said, "Mr Burman, why don't you get it recorded?"
"Record what?" I asked
" I mean this tune. You may call the musicians and start rehearsing right now," he said.
I was puzzled and wondered why of all the tunes I composed for him all this time he liked this one. I found out the same evening. As I was coming out of the rehearsal room the "room-boy" (door-keeper) was humming the tune and quite correctly too! This gave me an idea. From that day I made it a point to get my tunes "approved" by the "room boy". It worked. In almost all cases the room-boy's approval carried.
The secret of Mr Mukherji's judgment was, as he told me one day, the formula of universal appeal. He said. "You see, Mr Burman, you have your own style of music, which I like. By all means keep it up but present it in such a way that film lovers may like it and feel at home with it ---- not only in Bombay or Bengal but all over the country."
With this and many other pieces of sound advice the man who had apparently no rhythm or harmony guided me over the difficult road to success for which I shall always remain grateful to him.
My present work is nothing but trying to weave patterns of universal appeal in my own style, and in this, I think, I am doing my duty to the film industry and no disservice to the country. For me no reward is bigger than the pleasure of hearing my tune from the lips of a stranger.
Fishing is one of my hobbies. Once, I was fishing at a village about twenty miles from Calcutta. It was an unlucky pond, and at the end of a fruitless day I had only my patience to flatter. Thoroughly disappointed, I was about to call it a day, when a boy of about ten jumped into the pond and started singing my Bazi song (Tadbeer sey bigrhee whui taqdeer banaley) not knowing that the man who composed it's music was on the opposite bank with his fishing rod. It was the biggest catch of my life.
It is not the composition of music alone that makes a "hit" song. One is on tenterhooks for fear that a thousand and one calamities may spoil the song. For instance, imagine everything set ready for the final "take" but the singer nonchalantly enjoys ice chips before singing an important song. And who could it be but Dadamani? The idol of the Indian screen was to sing a song in Shikari and he had been ordered that he should have ice before singing my song to improve his voice! But, believe it or not, to my great amazement and unbounded relief, Dadamani's voice did improve and become more and more steady as lumps of ice went down his throat.
I cannot explain the medical theory, but I would like to tell my friends the playback singers who sing my songs: "For heaven's sake, don't ever try Dadamani's trick on me. I am already a "bundle" ----- of nerves!"
Sachin Dev Burman hailed from a royal family from Tripura? • That S.D. Burman sang under K.C. Dey in Seeta (1934), a full 12 years before he began as composer? * That he has the greatest hit average among any composer? * That he almost returned disillusioned to Bengal after his first four years of struggle till Mashal and Afsar happened? * That Dada Burman mainly drew inspiration from Assamese and Bangla folk, but even re-worked Western numbers for Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi? • That he sang a song with Lata Mangeshkar and son Rahul Dev Burman for Atma Ram's Yeh Gulistan Hamara? • That he introduced Danny Denzongpa as playback singer, that too for Johnny Walker, in the same film? • That he composed and rendered one song in son Pancham's Amar Prem? * That he patched up with Lata Mangeshkar after a six-year ego-clash only because son Rahul wanted to record his career-first song with her? • And that the first song he recorded after this famous truce was 'Mora gora ang lai le...' (Bandini)? • That according to Dev Anand, because of his poor health at that time, it was son RD who composed most of the mukhdas of Jewel Thief, while Dada worked completely on the antaras, orchestration, rehearsing and recording? • That his last film was the Sharmila Tagore home-production Tyaag released in 1977? • That he composed the ebullient 'Maine kahaa phoolon se...' (Mili) from his hospital bed? • That he opted out of Deewangee (1976) on grounds of ill-health after recording one song, which was retained in the film ('Chal sapnon ke shaher mein tujhe le jaata hoon...') • That he had been the original choice for Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Gumrah (1963), Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Hare Rama Hare Krishna? • That his unique 'Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai...' (Guide) was a song that began with the antara, 'Kaaton se khinch ke yeh aanchal...' with the mukhda coming as the fifth line? • That according to playback singer Bhupinder, who was also a musician in those days, 'Roop tera mastana...' from Aradhana was not composed by Pancham as is commonly believed, but by Dada Burman himself. But Dada would very frequently 'steal' his son's tunes, and tell him that he was testing them on the public? • That the selective composer who never took on more than two to four films, had seven releases in 1973, including Abhimaan, for which he won an award, and Zindagi Zindagi, for which he won the National award
An ardent admirer remembers the tunes and qualities that made this composer so endearing and so hard to forget
Come October 31 and it's time for music lovers to remember Kumar Sachin Dev Burman. It was on this day in 1975 that the great music composer left us.
To me Dada Burman's most enduring image is of a wizened potliwala baba with twinkling eyes who would delve deep into his bag and pick out an enchanted, animated tune and place it on your palm. A tune that would wriggle itself to your ear and start playing, mesmerizing you into a trance every time it did that. Or then there is the image of an ascetic with a ektaraa in hand chanting 'Rongila, Rongila Rongila Re, amare chardiye re bondhu koi gela re'. (Oh my dear colorful friend where have you gone away leaving me behind) or that of a boatman piercing your very soul with his call of 'Mere Sajan hai us paar'.
So on his 27th death anniversary here is a tribute to our dearest Bondhu Rongila.
Amare chadriye re bondhu koi gela re?
A LITTLE ABOUT HIM
Kumar Sachin Dev Burman was born in 1906 in Comilla (East Bengal) into the royal family of Tripura. His father Nabdweep Chandra Dev Burman was an accomplished sitar player as well as a dhrupad singer. He was also his first guru.
In his youth Dada Burman came to the musical capital of the East -- Calcutta. Here he further enhanced his musical education learning under maestros like Ustad Badal Khan. He was also a disciple and follower of the legendary K C Dey (Manna Dey's uncle). He started his career composing and singing for the radio. He made his mark as a light classical and folk singer before taking up composing for Bengali films.
In 1946 he moved to Bombay, taking up Ashok Kumar's offer to compose for Bombay Talkies. His first film was Shikari. He struggled for a brief period, and decided to quit and head back for Calcutta, but was persuaded to stay back. He finally struck gold with the perennial 'Upar gagan Vishal' (Mashaal) and 'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai). With Baazi and 'Tadbeer se bigdi hi tadbeer bana le' sung by Geeta Roy, Sachin Dev Burman had finally arrived.
He was married to Meera Devi who was a Bengali poet and singer. She wrote the lyrics for a large number of his Bengali songs and assisted him in his music making. Dada and Meera Burman had only one child, the legendary Rahul Dev Burman.
MUSICAL INFLUENCES…
S D Burman's music was an eclectic mix of various musical forms. His primary and most favourite influence remained Bengali folk music. His early years were spent amidst the rolling hills and the lush mountain valleys of the North-East. The rich musical tradition of this region left an indelible mark on the young Sachin. Years later he wrote that his art drew heavy inspiration from the outdoors of Tripura, where he spent his childhood.
He always strove to capture the freshness of wild, untamed nature in his compositions. This trait is not only apparent in compositions like the dew fresh Kishore-Lata duet 'Gori Gori gaon ki gori re' from his tribute-to-the-North East film Yeh Gulsita Hamara but also implicitly in songs like 'Piya bina, piya bina' from Abhimaan and 'Megha chhaye aadhi raat' from Sharmilee which have a strong North Eastern influence in the melodic structure.
He had a special liking for Baul and Bhatiyali folk forms of Bengal. He himself was an accomplished Bhatiyali (the song of the boatman) singer and came into prominence in the Hindi music scene with his memorable rendition of a Bhatiyali adaptation -- 'Dheere se jaana bagiyan mein re bhanwra'. His rendition is said to have mesmerized Jaidev so much that he sought him out to become his assistant!
In addition to folk music, Rabindra Sangeet and light classical forms like the thumri formed his building blocks. Burmanda also had a very unique sense of rhythm. Melody and rhythm blended in perfect harmony to make his compositions extremely captivating.
GRACEFUL AND SIMPLE, YET INIMITABLE
The outstanding point of Sachin Dev Burman's music is that it was never overtly complex and never pretentious. His tunes were always simple, graceful, hummable yet heartfelt. He would always say that film music should appeal to the common man. Film to him was not a medium to show off classical knowledge. And he never did. However, when he did occasionally go the classical route he came up with breathtaking beauties like 'Jhan Jhan jhan jhan payal baaje' or 'Poocho na kaise maine rain bitayi'.
Legend says that Sachinda got this lesson in simplicity early in his career. During the early years when his music was not quite hitting the jackpot, Dada once caught his servant playing Naushad's Rattan song in his music room. Rather than get annoyed, he curiously asked the boy what appealed to him in that music. While he obviously did not get a cohesive answer out of the boy, Sachinda got the point. Film music cannot afford to be too esoteric.
After that he kept complexity completely out of his music and made sure it was always hummable. He would often summon his servant or driver to take their final opinion on his tunes, trusting their judgement more than that of the musically literate people around him.
To me, however, the most beautiful part about Dada's music is that, despite being aimed at the masses, it never lost its appeal for the connoisseur. This is no mean feat by itself. Even in crowd-pleasing songs like 'Jeevan ke safar mein rahi' Burman Dada betrayed his class. There are few composers who could achieve that balance.
WHAT STOOD OUT
A look into Sachinda's almost 40-year career (including his stint in Calcutta) shows us that Sachinda's biggest quality was to change with time. From the classical inspired '30s and '40s where he held his own amongst stalwarts like Saigal, to the pop and jazz inspired '70s, Dada was always in with the times. Variety and versatility were his keywords. He would consciously strive to be different. Each tune was crafted with care, love and enthusiasm. He would forever experiment. One of his earliest experiments was taking a song written as a ghazal and tuning it into a club song. Yes, we are talking about 'Tadbeer se bigdi hui'. With such stupendous success with his first experiment, Dada Burman had tasted blood. After that he never gave up on this trait. He would vary tempo, orchestration, vocals etc. to give each song a unique feel.
Another outstanding feature of Burman's music is its strong vocals. Being a vocalist himself, he had a special knack of handling singers. He worked with a wide variety of singers and brought out the best in each of their voices. Whether it was Suman Kalyanpur or Sudha Malhotra or Mubarak Begum he has given memorable songs to all. Singers like Geeta Roy, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosale, Manna Dey and Hemant Kumar came into prominence singing his tunes. To Kishore, Asha and Geeta he was akin to being a godfather.
Years later, singers have loads of stories about him. Asha Bhonsle recalls how he taught her to get the right emotion for a song. For the Jewel Thief beauty 'Raat akeli hai' she reminisces that Burman Dada had asked her in his characteristic style, "Have you ever played the trick where you pretend to whisper in someone's ear but scream instead? I want you to do just that to get the right effect in this song!". Dada gave a new dimension to Asha's voice when he decided to groom her after his split with Lata. What resulted were breathtaking beauties like 'Kali ghata chhaye' and 'Koi aaya dhadkan kehti hai'. Never did Asha sound as exotic, fresh and alluring as she did under Dada's baton.
Years before he had given the same direction to Geeta Dutt's vocals. Geeta Dutt used to sing sad songs and bhajans in her initial years. It was Sachin Dev Burman who brought out the jazzy and sensual side to her vocals with 'Taqdeer se bigdi'. The effect was so potent that Geeta thereafter cornered this slot completely.
Kishore Kumar was another singer who honed his singing skills under Burmanda. One often sees inherent Burman traits in Kishore's singing. Kishore and Burman had one of the most prolific partnerships in the history of film music which created gems like Aradhana, Sharmilee, Tere Mere Sapne, and Munimji. Theirs was the precursor to the celebrated Kishore-RD Burman pairing which changed the face of Hindi film music in the '70s.
Before composing a song Dada had to know all the details about the character and situation. He had an uncanny knack of picking up just the right tune for a situation. He then crafted the tune so well that it created images of its own in the mind's eye. This characteristic made him with a natural choice of great filmmakers like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy and Vijay Anand.
He struck a very special rapport with Dev Anand and could never refuse him. Navketan also rarely looked beyond Burman. Legend says that Dev Saab delayed Guide for 6 months so that an ailing Dada could score the music. He doggedly refused to take another music director in his place. Burman Dada also came up with an immortal score for the film. The brilliance of Guide is incomplete without its music. Whether it's Dada's own 'Wahan kaun hai tera' or Lata's dulcet 'Piya tose naina laage re' or Rafi's 'Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain' or the Kishore-Lata piece-de-resistance 'Gaata rah mera dil'. Guide is a score where each song is crafted and coated with a magic potion.
Another very notable characteristic Sachinda had was the ability to think laterally. He could take the same set of notes and create completely different songs. As was his nature he was the happiest composing effervescent songs. He had a special way with duets. He brought about a special chemistry between the singers as is apparent in duets like 'Chod do aanchal' or 'Aankhon mein kya ji'.
He teamed with Majrooh Sultanpuri to create some memorable duets. Majrooh Saab recalls how Dada Burman initially was opposed to duets because he felt they had no market. However, after some convincing he went with "Muzru's" (that's what he called him) idea and the result was the extremely coquettish 'Chod do aanchal zamaana kya kahega' . And yes, by the way, the 'ah' in the beginning was added by Burmanda himself!
The vocals were always the centerpiece of his creations. Till the end he stuck to his belief that orchestration is secondary and should remain in the background. His constant advice to his talented orchestra loving son was also the same: 'Pancham, kabhi gaane ko mat bhoolo'. He liked to use sweeter instruments like the flute, santoor, sitar as well as folk instruments like the ektaara and madal to give his music a fresh feel. Despite his minimalist approach the preludes and interludes in Dada's music always had a special quality. Who can forget the mouth organ in 'Hai Apna dil to awaara' (played by a young Rahul Dev Burman) or the delicate yet compelling orchestration of the Bandini beauty 'Mora gora ang laile'.
Burman himself as a vocalist was unsurpassable. It would take an entire article to discuss his singing skills. His unique blend, of the Bhatiyali and the classical style of singing, is in a class by itself. No one singer has left such an indelible impression as Burman Dada has with his handful of songs in Hindi. Singing was always his first love. Though he limited his own singing in Hindi films, in Bengal, Dada Burman was a singer first and till the end. His non-film songs in Bangla reveal yet another fascinating facet of this genius. He would sing with his very being. Each rendition of his is special. If Dada Burman touched a tune with his magical vocals very few singers could surpass his renditions.
THE PERSON
Sachin Dev Burman had a unique personality. Temperamental, mercurial, adamant and obstinate on one side, childlike, impish, simple and genuine on the other. He had small eccentricities that endeared him to the people around him.
Lata Mangeshkar who had a much-publicized six-year row with him, today remembers him with much affection. She recalls how he would always be anxious about his song. His greatest fear was that she wouldn't turn up for a recording. She also recalls with amusement how he would always sing out a song to teach it to the singers. When he did that everyone would be at a loss because singing like him was beyond their abilities. Lata says, she for one would always have to go back to him to ask him how to sing her pieces.
He was a hard taskmaster and demanded nothing short of perfection from the people who worked with him. One had to work extra hard to please him. But Lata says when he was pleased his appreciation was straight from the heart. He would come up, pat her on the back and shower her with blessings. And his utmost gesture of appreciation used to be to offer her one of his precious paans as inaam!
He had a great zest for life that he kept up despite constant health problems in his later life. Though he was traditional in appearance Dada Burman was always very modern at heart, a fact that is not only apparent from how modern his compositions were but also from the name he chose for his bungalow -- 'The Jet'!
He was a great sports enthusiast and is reported for have offered to compose music to go with a hockey match! He was an ace tennis player in his youth and fishing remained one of his favourite pastimes right till the end. Football of course was an abiding passion. Legend says that the only time a deep-in-coma Dada Burman (before his death) stirred was when R D Burman shook him excitedly to convey to him that his favourite East Bengal had thrashed Mohan Bagan 5-0 in a football match. Dada is supposed to have shaken his head in acknowledgement and even given a little smile!
Ameen Sayani once said about SD Burman, "Wo bachpan ki maasoomiyat mein jawaani ka nasha ghol ke tarzen banaya karte the" (His tunes were a heady mix of the innocence of a child coupled with the intoxication of youth).
Almost 100 years after he was born his music still brings happiness to the world.
So anytime you come across a little enchanted tune that wriggles up to your ear and seduces you into a magical trance, remember with a smile, the twinkly old man who created it.
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