Vishal Bhardwaj once said in a music based talent show that for being a good singer one has to be a fine human being. When one finishes off

with legendary singer Manna Dey’s Memories Come Alive An Autobiography (Penguin India, translated from original Bengali version by

Sarbani Putatunda), Vishal’s words immediately ring in the mind. For here’s a man who has toiled extremely hard for the success he attained,

believed in regal art yet was practical enough to give into the genuine commercial demands, has been a family man for the last five decades

and enjoys decent health even at the ripe old age of 85. The serene smile of Manna Dey surely paints a poignant picture of patience and

devotion.

The voice behind such golden melodies as ‘Aye meri zohrajabin’ (Waqt), ‘Kasme vaade pyaar vafa’ (Upkar), ‘Ek chatur naar’ (Padosan),

‘Yaari hai imaan mera’ (Zanjeer) and ‘Jiska koi nahin uska khuda hai yaaron’ (Lawaaris) had a tough time in the world of Hindi

film music. For he wasn’t considered suitable for romantic numbers and most of the music directors considered his voice befitting only the

serious or elderly characters. His reminiscences recount many such instances-n-moments when he felt let down at being rejected and in spite

of having a sound knowledge of classical music; other singers (with little or no knowledge of classical music) marched ahead. Yet he was

never critical or envious of the success of his peers. Maybe it was because of this amiable attitude that he was loved and revered by everyone.

Let’s quote what Mohammad Rafi used to tell journalists: “You listen to my songs; I listen to Manna Dey songs onlyâ€'.

It would be important to rewind to Dey’s illustrious background. Nephew of celebrated singer and composer of 1930s Krishna Chandra Dey

(Babu Kaka), Manna had been exposed to classical music since birth. The manner in which he details the process of acquiring the intricate

knowledge of difficult classical ragas from his Uncle (and later from other revered ustads and gurus) makes for riveting reading. He comes

across as the devoted Shravan to his uncle who it seems meant more to him than his own father. It was under his music direction that Dey got

his first break as a singer way back in 1942 with a film called Tamanna. Suraiya was introduced along with him. Although, she soon

made it big as a singing-actress star, Dey had to languish in anonymity for many years.

Patience has been the key word in his life. For, he had to take respite in being a second assistant or first assistant to senior music directors.

As a singer he sang classical based songs like the one in Valmiki which never attained fame while his initial stint as a music composer

went unnoticed and unrewarded. In spite of having worked with reputed music directors like Khemchand Prakash and Sachin Dev Burman,

successful songs eluded him. But as someone has rightly said, success comes in contrasting packages. Shankar-Jaikishan, known for their

fun frothy numbers after having given Dey a break in Raj Kapoor’s Awaara and Boot Polish¸ earned an encore with the numbers from Shree

420. ‘Murr murr ke naa dekh’, ‘Pyaar hua iqrar hua’ and ‘Dil ka haal sune dilwala’ are chartbusting numbers and have an instant recall

value.

Manna Dey for most part of his autobiography talks about his childhood, the haloed circles of Bengali Art that his Uncle exposed him to, the

tryst with perfection of ragas of Indian classical music, the struggle in Bombay, family life before and after marriage and his immense

contribution to the world of Bengali music (both film as well as non film). As a Hindi film buff, you may feel deprived for he doesn’t delve too

much into the first-hand-account of behind-the-scenes masala. Maybe that was not his style for he doesn’t stoop to gossiping or washing

dirty linen in public. Or maybe he knows that his stature as a Bengali singer has been much bigger than the sporadic success he attained in

Hindi films where claimants (Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore) to the throne were way ahead in terms of number of hit songs to their credit.

Dey objectively assesses and praises Kishore Kumar with whom he had a phenomenal jugalbandi in ‘Ek chatur naar’ (Padosan).

Kishore had no background in classical music while Dey’s grasp of classical form was phenomenal. Yet, the yodeling superstar refused to

adapt to Dey’s style and competed tooth-n-nail in a recording session that lasted 12 hours. The results have been applauded by generations

and it’s difficult to gauge who outdid whom.

Manna Dey tried not to let his classical background become a hindrance in doing pop songs like ‘Aao Twist Karen’ (Bhoot

Bangla) which marked the debut of RD Burman as a music composer. In fact, he makes an interesting observation about another fine

singer of his generation GM Durrani who in spite of being talented lost out in the race due to his refusal to be practical and the need to

change with the times. But this doesn’t mean he stooped to do any song that came his way. He has always given a lot of value to the lyrics

and has refused to sing many songs that had objectionable words or connotative meaning. One of his celebrated pupils Kavita

Krishnamurthy faced his ire at singing the song ‘Tu cheez badi hai mast mast’ (Mohra). The two later reconciled.

Another notable observation Dey makes is about the awesome twosome, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. And we quote….

If there’s one particular quality I admire Asha for it is her versatility. In her voice modulation, she excels even her sister, Lata

Mangeshkar.

Before we end, it would be important to note that the manner in which Manna Dey describes his 50 year old relationship with wife Sulochana

is almost a fairy tale come true. He attributes his success to his wife who has stood by him in the good-n-the-bad times; being his best critic,

adviser and perfect homemaker. When he says “we wonder who will go firstâ€' one gets prickly goose pimples emanating from the skin.

Memories Come Alive An Autobiography is a fine account of a living legend. Sarbani Putunda has done a fine job of chronicling (and

translating) the life and times of Manna Dey. Her language is simple (very much like the man himself) and has been embellished by the

Eastman color sensibility peppered with old world charm. Yes, the long-winding passages on classical training and Bengali music may not be

interesting for many, but still, it’s a must read for Hindi film lovers (especially the connoisseurs). You also get a music cd of some of Manna

Dey’s best Hindi film songs while the book also lists all the songs he has ever sung in Hindi, Bengali and many other regional languages. It’s

a decent buy!

Rating: ***1/2