I cannot claim to know a great deal about music. In fact, I consider myself an insult to a family that is steeped in classical music. But growing up in such a family has a number of advantages. Exposure to some of the finest renditions has been one of the biggest gains. I remember my dad buying me a cassette which featured an assortment of old Hindi songs. My guess is I was about 8-9 years old then and not really old enough to appreciate the lyrics. However, the simplicity and beauty of the music captivated me. Soon I was in a position to understand the language better and grasp the nuances. When I heard the voice of Mohammed Rafi, I was quite literally transported to another world. How could a man's voice be this soulful? Rafi sang hundreds of brilliant songs and many have left a lasting impression. While Rafi's singing overflowed with technical brilliance, Kishore Kumar's genius lay in his ability to challenge the norm and innovate. Kishore could thrill you with one line and infuse a sense of melancholy in the very next line if he so wished. His versatility was scarcely believable. Add to this Mukesh, who had one of the most mature voices I have come across. His Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaaye from Anand is one of the crowning glories of Indian film music. There were the two sisters Lata and Asha, each with varying but effective styles. Lata was the embodiment of perfection and remained the most sought after playback singer while Asha was peppy and the ideal complement to Kishore.
But then there was one voice which I believe trumped all. It was that of Manna Dey. The fact that a singer as good as Dey remains largely lower down the pecking order on the list of great vocalists is Hindi playback singing's biggest paradox. Dey started out as a replacement for his uncle K.C Dey and was sadly typecast as an expert in classical and semi-classics tunes. I did not have as much access to Dey's songs as I did to the others'. However, the more I listened to Dey, I realized that the clarity and control in his singing elevated him to a different level. He was often asked to sing the most difficult compositions which he did with ease. His classical training, although a bane at times, proved to be his biggest strength. Mohd Rafi remarked more than once that Manna Dey was the kind of singer he aspired to be. Given am a cricket lover, the apt analogy would be Bradman telling Stan McCabe that he wished he could bat like him (Stan). Bradman, like Rafi, had all the numbers but when it came to mesmeric performances, he could not match McCabe. This was also true of Dey. When you listen to his Poocho na Kaise maine rain bitai in Meri Surat Teri Aankhen, it makes you wonder if anyone else could ever come close. Dey sang a number of other gems including 'Aye mere pyaare vatan' from Kabuliwala, 'Laga Chunri mein daag' and the immortal duet 'Pyar hua ikrar hua'. He also sang the comic yet brilliant 'Ek Chatur Naar' from Padosan where Mehmood (voice of Dey) and Sunil Dutt (Kishore singing) go head to head in a singing match to woo Saira Bano.
Of all the great songs, his 'Ketaki Gulab Juhi' from Basant Bahar stands out. Dey had to share the stage with the legendary Hindustani vocalist Bhimsen Joshi. Dey was understandable nervous and had to be convinced and encouraged by his wife and the music director duo Shankar Jaikishen to go ahead. What followed was history. Dey matched Joshi and the two produced a classic for the ages. Joshi in the end acknowledged Dey's extraordinary ability to pick up the complex Raagas and excel. This to me is the essence of Manna Dey- he was never the most sought after name in Hindi playback singing but whenever a song that could not be attempted by even the best came up, the answer was Manna. Long live the memories of the genius. His stirring voice will never go away.
