Celebrity News, Celebrity Death, Colon Cancer, COVID-19
Veteran Singer Bhupinder Singh Passes Away At 82
Known for songs like Dil Dhoondta Hai, Naam Gum Jaayega, Ek Akela Is Shaher Mein and many more classics, Bhupinder Singh passed away on Monday 18 July due to several health complications.
In his five-decade-long career, Bhupinder Singh had worked with the biggest names of the music industry, from Mohammed Rafi, RD Burman, Madan Mohan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Gulzar to Bappi Lahiri, among others.
As confirmed by his wife Mitali Singh, he passed away on Monday due to suspected colon cancer and COVID-19-related complications at a city hospital. He was 82.
During his decades-long journey in the film industry, the singer came to be best known for songs like "Do Diwane Shehar Mein", "Ek Akela is Shehar Mein", "Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Aasman", "Duniya Chhute Yaar Na Chhute" and "Karoge Yaad Toh", among others.
According to Mitali Singh, herself a noted singer, the veteran artist was admitted to the hospital following a urine infection, wherein he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
"He was admitted to the hospital eight to ten days ago as he had some infection in the urine. After tests were performed, he tested positive for COVID-19. He passed away at around 7.45 pm due to suspected colon cancer and had COVID-19," Mitali Singh informed the media.
Born in Amritsar, Mr. Singh grew up in Delhi’s West Patel Nagar and was introduced to music by his father Prof. Natha Singh who was also a musician. Interested in playing different instruments from a young age, there was never a doubt that he would take music as a career.
After learning guitar, he started working as a casual artist with the All India Radio under the guidance of composer Satish Bhatia. He found Mr. Singh’s voice had a different tonal base and started giving him opportunities to sing. It was Bhatia who introduced Mr. Singh to Madan Mohan when the composer was on a visit to Delhi. He sang Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera Ujade Dayar Main for him. Impressed, he called Mr. Singh to Mumbai and offered Hoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bhulaya Hoga in Haqeeqat . Like most of his numbers, the song has withstood the test of time.
While rehearsing, he realised that it is not a complete song but could not muster the courage to ask the composer. Only later, when Madan Mohan introduced him to Rafi, Manna Dey, and Talat Mahmood that he realised that he didn’t want Mr. Singh to feel the pressure of singing his first song with such stalwarts.
Soon the news of his proficiency with the Hawaiian, Spanish and electric guitars also spread and he became part of the famed R.D. Burman team. The Dum Maro Dum riff, emerged from Mr. Singh’s instrument. “When Dev (Anand) sahib narrated the situation in his inimitable style, he said imagine smoke and clouds of heroin. Moved by his descriptions, I started playing a tune on my electric guitar, and R.D. said, this is it,” Mr. Singh once told this journalist.
Mr. Singh followed it up with an equally impactful Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho ( Hanste Zakhm ) for his mentor Madan Mohan and Chingari Koi Bhadke ( Amar Prem) and Chura Liya Hai Tumne ( Yaadon Ki Baarat) for R.D. again. It was the time when Hindi cinema was going through a generational churn where his youthful guitar was more in demand than his sombre voice. So even as he was getting to sing classics like Beeti Na Bitai Raina ( Parichay), he was noticed more as a guitarist. He used the time to good effect by cutting private albums where he introduced the guitar to ghazals.
His voice texture was not suitable in playback singing and perhaps that’s why it took him time to find acceptance as the voice of the hero. However, he used to say that he could survive because his voice was different from that of the reigning trinity of Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, and Mukesh.
When Madan Mohan called him again to sing for Sanjeev Kumar in Mausam, Mr. Singh was ready to deliver one song Dil Dhoondta Hai in two flavours and two speeds as Madan Mohan had composed the sad and happy versions in two different taals.
The mid-1970s was also the time when the everyman was giving the angry young man a good fight at the box office and Mr. Singh’s voice could convey the pain of the common man struggling to find a niche in the big city well. Most of his songs live on because they generate the same emotions as they did in the late 70s. Being a migrant himself, he could identify with the emotional dilemma expressed in Ek Akela Is Shehar Main ( Gharaonda) or the urge to embrace life in Zindagi Zindagi Mere Ghar Aana ( Dooriyan).
Outside the sublime world of Khayyam and Jaidev, Mr. Singh also struck a chord with Bappi Lahiri when he sang the irresistible ghazal, Kisi Nazar Ko Tera Intezar Aaj Bhi Hai ( Aetbaar) for him.
In the 1980s, he once again focussed on private albums and with his wife, Mitali Mukherjee emerged as a force in ghazal singing. She helped him in adapting to the requirements of stage shows. The duo regaled millions during the New Year programmes of Doordarshan.
Mr. Singh won numerous awards but he was elated only when the Sangeet Natak Akademi conferred him its award in the ‘sugam sangeet’ (light music) category.
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