SD Burman left behind royal privileges to rule the world of melody. Author Khagesh Dev Burman shares the musician’s journey and tells Karan Bhardwaj that dada often stood in the pond and sang to get the sur right
Few are fortunate enough to born to royalty. Fewer enjoy its perks. Sachin Dev Burman was one among them. The legendary musician, known for his immortal compositions, belongs to the royal family of Tripura but was born and brought up in Comilla, now in Bangladesh. Khagesh Dev Burman’s book SD Burman: The World Of His Music digs out interesting facets from the life and career of the musical genius.
“His father Nabadwip Chandra Bahadur not only lost the throne to his uncle Bikramaditya Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya but was also exiled in British-controlled Comilla. Sachin Chandra (aka SD) could never taste the opulence of his dynasty. However, the whole royal family was deeply connected to music and culture. They had musical soirees at their palatial residence, which was constructed with funds provided by Bir Chandra Manikya in Comilla,” said Khagesh.
Sachin’s father was an expert painter, sculptor and a skilled sitar player. His mother, Nirupama Devi, hailed from the royal family of Manipur and was steeped in the artistic ambience of Manipuri music, songs and dances. “The synergy of two cultural streams of his parental lineage, coupled with the mysticism of folk songs, local village songs and bhatiyali (a musical form primarily sung by boatmen) which was nurtured by the indulgent climate of East Bengal and Tripura, had a deep influence on Sachin’s life,” said Khagesh.
The author comes from the same royal family. “This is the first book which covers SD Burman’s life in a chronological order. No one has written about him in depth in English,” he told us. The book, which first got published in 2006 in Bengali has now been translated in English by SK Ray Chaudhuri.
He continued, “Sachin da first came to Calcutta in 1925 to pursue higher studies. However, he was constantly distracted by his musical desires. His father was adamant on studies but eventually gave up on son’s persistent inclination towards music.” Unknown to many, he had faced initial rejection. In those years (1930s), His Master’s Voice (HMV) was the top record company. But Sachin da failed to clear the audition, due to “nasal voice”. “It didn’t stop him. He kept chasing his dreams and finally a breakthrough came,” informed Khagesh. A person named Chandicharan Saha had brought a new recording machine from Germany and founded a company Hindustan Musical Products. Though reluctant, Chandicharan released a record with Sachin’s two songs. “They became popular and it opened the opportunities for the artist,” he added.
Burman became a radio singer on Calcutta Radio Station in 1932. His early works were based on Bengali folk-music. He finally moved to Mumbai in 1944 and tasted the commercial success in 1947 with movie Do Bhai. “His heart and soul stayed in Calcutta. The glamour of Bombay couldn’t lure him. But he was adamant to become the top music director,” said the author.
In the following years, he became a pioneer in the music industry with several unforgettable compositions in films like Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Guide, Jewel Thief, Bandini, Ziddi, Abhimaan, to name a few.
“He introduced folk music to Hindi music. He had a knack of combining classical and folk music without distorting them. He laid emphasis on usage of vowel sounds and interjections. He was the first who created tunes before the lyrics. He could play with words and use them like a sentence in his songs. like in the Bengali song Na Amare Sashi Cheyona, he used Na thrice in the beginning,” explained the author. Khagesh also recalled some anecdotes. Though he never met Burman, he had heard stories.
“My grandmother told me that as a young student, Sachin da would often stand neck-deep in pond and sing ragas. According to him, this exercise helped him strengthen the sur and get him the appropriate sargam,” he said.
