Panditji was of a rare breed: Manna De

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was not merely a gifted classical singer. He ranked amongst the all time greats of this arena and improved his singing technique with each performance and rendition. A singer of rare breed, he did not believe in any artistic compromises, sticking to his classical rendering like a true devotee.
I had the rare fortune of singing one duet with the uncrowned king of Indian classical songs.Shanker Jaikishan conducted the rare experiment of bringing us together to sing the pure classical number – “Ketaki Gulab Juhi” for the 1956 musical bonanza, “Basant Bahar”.
I at first was shaky to render a duet with such an eminent classical exponent and was unwilling to sing, because the sequence in the film demanded that I score over him in singing. I just could not imagine that I, a singer of popular songs, could compete and win over a giant of Indian classical gharana. After Shanker Jaikishan explained to us the potential of the song and how it needed to be rendered they were also firm on their decision to record either with us or with no one. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was sporting enough to encourage me to sing with him and told me softly that he was not getting defeated by me in the real sense of the term. He also convinced me to play with my vocal chords raising my pitch to a certain octave and bringing it down like the motion of a painter’s brush which softly colours a panoramic canvas. Whilst singing with him, I noticed he did not drop an eyelid and was so involved in his rendering that he was not even aware a recording was going on.
The song, “Ketaki Gulab Juhi” remains a milestone not only in Indian film music but within the periphery of any kind of classical song. His rendition of “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” has a mesmerizing effect even today. I only pray to the Almighty to allow his soul to rest in eternal peace and be blessed by the divine touch of his music.
As told to Ranjan Das Gupta
Follow us on Twitter for more stories