Legendary singer Manna Dey is no more
For generations of Bengalis who grew up in the hustle bustle of the metropolis that is Kolkata, nostalgia often means just one song. While India and rest of the world would remember Manna Dey, who passed away on Thursday in Bangalore at age 94 for his golden voice in Bollywood timeline since 1940s, a Bengali would always take a trip down the memory lane of youth with his timeless rendition of "Coffee House-er Shei Addata Aaj Aaar Nei. (Where has the adda of Coffee House gone?).
Manna Dey is nostalgia and more. Be it for the Bengalis who loved and revered him for all the numbers he belted out over decades or Indians at large for all the iconic Bollywood numbers, he is truly a legend.
The iconic Coffee House song still conjures up the Kolkata coffee and snack joint's glory days and takes one back in time to those carefree time when dreams were woven and broken.
Situated at the heart of the literary world, the Coffee House of Kolkata is a landmark since 1940s that is familiar to every Kolkatan for its intellectual ferment and many revolutionary ideas generated there. Only Manna Dey gave it a new dimension with his soulful rendition of the song that makes every Bengali emotional as they try to go back in time for the golden evenings of youth.
Manna Dey, however, was not just a Bengali. He had dominated the Indian big screen playback music from the 1950s though his career began as early as in 1942.
Born on May 1, 1919 to Purna Chandra and Mahamaya Dey, the legendary singer was highly inspired by his youngest paternal uncle, Sangeetacharya Krishna Chandra Dey.
He soon appeared on stage as a child singer and won hearts. His family was one from the North Kolkata where their huge house was at Simla, 9 Madan Ghose Lane.
Dey went to Scottish Church Collegiate School and later to Scottish Church College in Kolkata for education. He graduated from Vidyasagar College.
According to Mannadey.in, a website dedicated to him, it was during his intermediate classes at Scottish Church College, that his singing talent became apparent.
"During the recess beating the tables of the classroom and singing aloud to entertain his compatriots, became a common feature for the budding talent. Later he started taking singing lessons from his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and from Ustad Dabir Khan. And it was at this period of time Manna Dey stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions. A star in the realm of Indian music was born," says the site on him.
Dey began taking music lessons from Krishna Chandra Dey and Ustad Dabir Khan. During this period, he stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions
It was in 1942 that Manna Dey first went to Mumbai (then Bombay) with his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and started working as an assistant music director- first under his ungle and then under the music legend- Sachin Dev Burman. He also worked for several other music directors while himself learning Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan.
It was also in 1942-43 that he began his Bollywood playback career with the film Tamanna. It was a duet "Jago Aayee Usha Ponchi Boley Jago" with the actress-singer Suraiya. The song became a hit. He sang several songs thereafter.
In 1950 he sang for first time under the composition of Sachin Dev Burman. Upar Gagan Vishal and Duniya Ke Logo from the film Mashal were very popular. He also started singing for Bengali and Marathi films around that time.
In 1953, he also got married to Sulochana Kumaran from Kerala. Suroma the eldest daughter of this eminent couple was born in 1956, and in 1958 they were blessed with Sumita, another daughter.
Dey since 1947 sang for composers like Anil Biswas, Shankar Rao Vyas, S.K.Pal, Khem Chand Prakash, Mohd.Safi among others. The Dey-Anil Biswas pair also gifted audiences several hits from films like Gajre (1948), Hum Bhi Insaan Hai (1948), Do Sitaare (1951), Hamdard (1953), Mahatma Kabir (1954),Jasoos (1957) and Pardesi (1957).
Manna Dey recorded more than 4000 songs in different languages including even in languages like Assamese. The Indian government had honoured him with the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
While the rich oeuvre of Manna Dey spans his entire lifetime, music lovers will always remember him for songs like 'Puchho na kaise maine rain bitayee', ' 'Laga chunari main daag' and the ethereal Tu Pyaar Ka Saagar Hai from the 1955 Nutan starrer Seema.
Dey worked with music directors like Naushad, K.Dutta, Vasant Pawar & Ram, Vasant Desai, Ravi, S.K.Pal, Avinash Vyas, S. N. Tripathi, Sanmukh Babu, Nissar Bazmi, Husanlal Bhagatram, B.N. Bali, Sushanta Banerjee, O.P. Nayyar, G.Ramanathan, T.G.Lingappa, Nirmal Kumar, Ghulam Mohhammed, Bipin Dutta, Rabin Banerjee, Roshan, Sapan Jagmohan from 1954 to 1968.
Also Bollywood's new music composers like Kalyanji-Anandji started recording songs with Manna Dey from 1958. In 1964 he sang for Laxmikant Pyarelal. And though known for his classical base, he sang and gave chart busters for Rahul Dev Burman with songs like "Aao Twist Karen" and "Pyar Karta Ja".
Manna Dey sang duets with Lata Mangeskar, Asha Bhosle and the late Geeta Dutt. While with Asha, he sang 160 Hindi songs, with Lata he sang around 103 songs.
"Yeh raat bhigi bhigi" and "Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein" from Chori Chori are some of the unforgettable numbers while hearts still go aflutter with his "Pyar hua iqrar hua" from Shree 420.
From the playful Ek Chatur Naar song in Padosan to Seema's transcendental Tu Pyar Ka Sagar Hai and even Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore songs), Manna Dey will live in the music he created with a voice that is god-gifted.
For generations of Bengalis who grew up in the hustle bustle of the metropolis that is Kolkata, nostalgia often means just one song. While India and rest of the world would remember Manna Dey, who passed away on Thursday in Bangalore at age 94 for his golden voice in Bollywood timeline since...
For generations of Bengalis who grew up in the hustle bustle of the metropolis that is Kolkata, nostalgia often means just one song. While India and rest of the world would remember Manna Dey, who passed away on Thursday in Bangalore at age 94 for his golden voice in Bollywood timeline since 1940s, a Bengali would always take a trip down the memory lane of youth with his timeless rendition of "Coffee House-er Shei Addata Aaj Aaar Nei. (Where has the adda of Coffee House gone?).
Manna Dey is nostalgia and more. Be it for the Bengalis who loved and revered him for all the numbers he belted out over decades or Indians at large for all the iconic Bollywood numbers, he is truly a legend.
The iconic Coffee House song still conjures up the Kolkata coffee and snack joint's glory days and takes one back in time to those carefree time when dreams were woven and broken.
Situated at the heart of the literary world, the Coffee House of Kolkata is a landmark since 1940s that is familiar to every Kolkatan for its intellectual ferment and many revolutionary ideas generated there. Only Manna Dey gave it a new dimension with his soulful rendition of the song that makes every Bengali emotional as they try to go back in time for the golden evenings of youth.
Manna Dey, however, was not just a Bengali. He had dominated the Indian big screen playback music from the 1950s though his career began as early as in 1942.
Born on May 1, 1919 to Purna Chandra and Mahamaya Dey, the legendary singer was highly inspired by his youngest paternal uncle, Sangeetacharya Krishna Chandra Dey.
He soon appeared on stage as a child singer and won hearts. His family was one from the North Kolkata where their huge house was at Simla, 9 Madan Ghose Lane.
Dey went to Scottish Church Collegiate School and later to Scottish Church College in Kolkata for education. He graduated from Vidyasagar College.
According to Mannadey.in, a website dedicated to him, it was during his intermediate classes at Scottish Church College, that his singing talent became apparent.
"During the recess beating the tables of the classroom and singing aloud to entertain his compatriots, became a common feature for the budding talent. Later he started taking singing lessons from his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and from Ustad Dabir Khan. And it was at this period of time Manna Dey stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions. A star in the realm of Indian music was born," says the site on him.
Dey began taking music lessons from Krishna Chandra Dey and Ustad Dabir Khan. During this period, he stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions
It was in 1942 that Manna Dey first went to Mumbai (then Bombay) with his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and started working as an assistant music director- first under his ungle and then under the music legend- Sachin Dev Burman. He also worked for several other music directors while himself learning Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan.
It was also in 1942-43 that he began his Bollywood playback career with the film Tamanna. It was a duet "Jago Aayee Usha Ponchi Boley Jago" with the actress-singer Suraiya. The song became a hit. He sang several songs thereafter.
In 1950 he sang for first time under the composition of Sachin Dev Burman. Upar Gagan Vishal and Duniya Ke Logo from the film Mashal were very popular. He also started singing for Bengali and Marathi films around that time.
In 1953, he also got married to Sulochana Kumaran from Kerala. Suroma the eldest daughter of this eminent couple was born in 1956, and in 1958 they were blessed with Sumita, another daughter.
Dey since 1947 sang for composers like Anil Biswas, Shankar Rao Vyas, S.K.Pal, Khem Chand Prakash, Mohd.Safi among others. The Dey-Anil Biswas pair also gifted audiences several hits from films like Gajre (1948), Hum Bhi Insaan Hai (1948), Do Sitaare (1951), Hamdard (1953), Mahatma Kabir (1954),Jasoos (1957) and Pardesi (1957).
Manna Dey recorded more than 4000 songs in different languages including even in languages like Assamese. The Indian government had honoured him with the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
While the rich oeuvre of Manna Dey spans his entire lifetime, music lovers will always remember him for songs like 'Puchho na kaise maine rain bitayee', ' 'Laga chunari main daag' and the ethereal Tu Pyaar Ka Saagar Hai from the 1955 Nutan starrer Seema.
Dey worked with music directors like Naushad, K.Dutta, Vasant Pawar & Ram, Vasant Desai, Ravi, S.K.Pal, Avinash Vyas, S. N. Tripathi, Sanmukh Babu, Nissar Bazmi, Husanlal Bhagatram, B.N. Bali, Sushanta Banerjee, O.P. Nayyar, G.Ramanathan, T.G.Lingappa, Nirmal Kumar, Ghulam Mohhammed, Bipin Dutta, Rabin Banerjee, Roshan, Sapan Jagmohan from 1954 to 1968.
Also Bollywood's new music composers like Kalyanji-Anandji started recording songs with Manna Dey from 1958. In 1964 he sang for Laxmikant Pyarelal. And though known for his classical base, he sang and gave chart busters for Rahul Dev Burman with songs like "Aao Twist Karen" and "Pyar Karta Ja".
Manna Dey sang duets with Lata Mangeskar, Asha Bhosle and the late Geeta Dutt. While with Asha, he sang 160 Hindi songs, with Lata he sang around 103 songs.
"Yeh raat bhigi bhigi" and "Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein" from Chori Chori are some of the unforgettable numbers while hearts still go aflutter with his "Pyar hua iqrar hua" from Shree 420.
From the playful Ek Chatur Naar song in Padosan to Seema's transcendental Tu Pyar Ka Sagar Hai and even Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore songs), Manna Dey will live in the music he created with a voice that is god-gifted.
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