Singers miss Pancham Da, say industry needed him now

Singers Kumar Sanu, Sudesh Bhosle and Shailendra Singh remembered legendary composer R.D. Burman, whose 73rd birth anniversary falls on Wednesday, and said that the industry needs him the most now.

"We miss him a lot...the industry really needs him now, " Kumar Sanu said at 92.7Big FM's "Yaadon Mein Pancham" held Tuesday.

"He made all his singers and musicians very comfortable and was very friendly with them, enabling them to deliver their best, " he added.

The show, an ode to the phenomenal musician, invited singers and musicians, who had worked closely with the composer, who was fondly called Pancham Da. Singers Shailendra, Sudesh, Kersi Lord and film journalist Chaitanya Padukone attended the functon.

Lauding his music, Shailendra said the music industry survives on Pancham Da's songs.

"It used to be very nice. We used to really enjoy the recordings. We used to do a lot of good work. Whenever we used to think, we are singing for such a big composer, he used to make us feel very comfortable. His songs have everything which is making today's music survive."

The pioneer of rock and pop music, R.D. Burman was a musical genius whose experiments and innovativeness made him one of the most beloved musicians of his era.

Sudesh Bhosle considers himself "very fortunate" to have worked with pancham Da. "He gave me first break in the industry and made me comfortable in my zone. I really admire him, " he added.

Burman started his journey with "Chhote Nawab" (1961) and worked continuously for 33 years thereafter. He brought a refreshing change with his extraordinary musical work like "Raat kali", the sensual cabaret number "Piya tu ab toh aaja", the ultimate hippie anthem "Dum maro dum" and the classical "Raina beeti jaaye".

Burman's last work was seen in "1942: A Love Story", which was released after his unfortunate demise in 1994. Even 18 years after his death, he rules the hearts of millions as his hits continue to rule the Hindi chartbusters, the singers noted.

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Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu visit Mehdi Hassan's grave in Karachi

Bollywood singers Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu visited the grave of Pakistani ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan here to pay their respects.

Mehdi Hassan's death marked an end of an epoch in the subcontinent's music history, they said. No one will ever be able to fill the vacuum created by his demise, they told reporters here Saturday.

Alka said she had grown up listening to his ballads and was in love with his songs "Dono Jahan Teri Mohabbat Main Har Kay" and "Woh Ja Raha Hay Koi".

The India-born singer died of breathing complications at a private nursing home here June 13. His funeral took place Friday.

Hassan, who has a huge fan following around the world, had been suffering from lung, chest and urinary tract ailments for the past many years.

The singers had come to Pakistan to attend the last rites of the legendary singer but could not obtain a security clearance for the same, Geo News reported.

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