RMIM Archive Article "103".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Prabodhchandra alias 'Manna' Dey
#
# Posted by: apn@cs.buffalo.edu (Ajay P Nerurkar)
# Source: Times of India
# Author: Ambarish Mishra
#
This piece on Manna Dey, appeared in a recent edition of the
Times of India, on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Thus, at
the very least, it answers a question posed on RMIM a while back.
-- Ajay
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Down Memory Lane
by
Ambarish Mishra
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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 with-
stood the rigours of two centuries with legitimate pride. "Cal-
cutta in the 1930s was a dream city," he said last week, unspool-
ing 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, Rabin-
drasangeet 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, ac-
quainting 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, ac-
tors, 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 Manna-
da 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 collec-
tive 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. Manna-
da 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 Labora-
tory 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 com-
position, from Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker.
Mannada notes with pride that he has sung for almost every com-
poser, 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 Thea-
tres, Mannada's gentle low-key approach hardly matched the petti-
ness 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 as-
serts. Stubbornly unwilling to croon vulgar ditties to the accom-
paniment 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.
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From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian