R D Burman

R D Burman is known all over India for his music in Mumbai film industry. This is a write-up on the human RDB.

RDB is the son of S D Burman. When he got born and started crying, Ashok Kumar said that he is crying in the note Pa. And called him Pancham. Meaning five. Because Pa is the fifth note in sargam. So the pressure on RDB started right from his birth.

SDB probably wanted his son to be away from music and lead a normal life of concentrating on studies. SDB therefore sent RDB to Kolkata so that the young child stays away from the big bad world of movie industry.

Thereafter, it is not known why SDB insisted that RDB start music composition. He was given a target for 5 melodies per day.

RDB did enter film music industry. He after some time showed a lot of popularity. Then there is the famous incident of father-son duo walks. Earlier people would say SDB and the son of SDB are having a walk. Later people said RDB and the father of RDB are having a walk. 

RDB gained huge popularity.

He got support of some of the best musicians India had. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Kersi Lord, Tony Vaz, Manohari Singh, Suraaj Sathe, Bhanu Gupta, Franco Vaz, Homi Mulla to name a few.

Subhash Ghai took Laxmikant Pyarelal for Karz and not RDB as promised to him earlier. This hurt RDB a lot and was under acute depression for many days.

He managed to give hits and 1942 A love story was his last movie. 

I wrote in my blog comment earlier that 1942 songs were not good. I was passing an honest opinion of mine; but I failed to realize at that particular time how much I loved RDB songs. How imaginative he was. How much rhythmic. Even today I feel sorry for that particular comment.

RDB was a great musician and many times I feel sad when I listen to 100 greatest hits of RDB in my Bose 500. Why did I ever write that songs of 1942 were not good.