Veteran music director-lyricist-singer Ravindra Jain, who wrote and composed music for melodious songs like Jab Deep Jale Aana... and Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyara in Chitchor, scored music for the popular title songs for films like Geet Gaata Chal and Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, died of a multi-organ failure at lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on Friday.
Jain, who had been shifted in an air ambulance from the Nagpur-based Wockhardt Hospital to lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday after his condition became critical, breathed his last at 4.10 pm.
He was on ventilator since Wednesday. He was 71 and is survived by his wife Divya and son Ayush.
Mourning his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Shri Ravindra Jain will be remembered for his versatile music & fighting spirit. Pained on his demise. Condolences to his family & admirers”. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also condoled the passing away of Jain.
Jain, who composed music for most popular numbers in 1970s like Geet, Chor Machaye Shor, was an active musician till days before his death. He had gone to Nagpur for a concert on Sunday. However, he couldn’t participate in it as he had to be hospitalised owing to very low blood pressure and urinary septicaemia.
A gifted musician, Jain overcame his blindness to become one of the most popular music directors in 1970s
and 1980s. Born blind to renowned Sanskrit scholar and Ayurvedacharya Pandit Indrami Jain and mother Kiran Jain, he was trained under Pandit Gl Jain, Janardhan Sharma and Pandit Nathu Ram.
He made his entry into Bengali films in 1960 at a tender age of 16 years. After a decade-long stint with Bengali, Pranthibhushan Bhattarchaya took Jain from Kolkata to Mumbai, where the latter gave music to a couple of his films in the early 70s.
Jain got his first break in NN Sippy-produced Chor Machaye Shor (1974), a Shashi Kapoor-Mumtaz starrer, in which he composed music memorable songs like Ghungaroo Ki Tarah, Ek Daal Par Tota Bole and le Jayenge le Jayenge. His title song in film Geet Gaata Chal became a rage with the audiences.
It was in Basu Chatterjee’s Chitchor, Jain proved his mettle both as a lyricist and music director. Not many senior film buff can forget his songs like Aaj Se Pehle Aaj Se Zyada, Jab Deep Jale Aana, Jab Shaam Dhale Aana, all of which were rendered by noted Malayali singer KJ Yesudas, whose voice proved to be a novelty for the Hindi film goers. His title song in Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978) was also a raze.
He composed music for Raj Kapoor’s films like Do Jasoos (1975) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) and later onto Randir Kapoor’s film Heena (1991).
Jain composed music several films, mostly mythological ones, 1980s and 1990s. He composed music for many television serials, mainly under the banner of Sagar Films throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Jain composed music for ghazals for singer Suresh Wadkar’s album The Morning Sun, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s live recording of Qadam Milakar Chalna Hoga: Svarna Jayanti Sangeet Sandhya, and singer Parveen Khan’s album Kinaara (2012). He also composed music for Asha Bhosle’s private album Om Namo Shivay featuring eight bhajans based on lord Shiva. In 1990s, an album called Guru Vandana. He also composed music for Yesudas’ Malayalam album Aavanippoochendu.
Jain won the Filmfare Best Music Director Award in 1985. Jain was presented with the Sahitya Award (Uttar Pradesh Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award Committee) in lucknow on 6 June 1997 by Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari for his collection of shayaris titled Ujaalon Ka Silsila in Urdu. Ravindra Jain co-authored his autobiography titled Sunehre Pal and is referred to as by his close family and friends.