Article of Panchamda's Monidadu about R D Burman in Aajkaal Ravibasar on 6th February,1994(1st part)

Article of Panchamda's Monidadu about R D Burman in Aajkaal Ravibasar on 6th February,1994

Complete article translated by Kaushik Bandyopadhyay

Aamaader   Tublu

                                              By
                   Nirmal Kumar Dasgupto(Pancham’s Monidadu)

He told,” Do you know who will sing it …Kishoreda…I told,”Why?this has matched with your voice very well…in my opinion this song should be kept in your voice only"…

Well,I’ve not told him anything else…the incident afterwords you all know…this song got tremendous success in his voice only…

He could swim superbly…similarly mouth organ used to get life in his lips…and due to these two,Tublu also got chance in the water ballet first time organized in Calcutta by Indian Life Saving Society…playing mouth organ during swimming…there was also his naughtiness…all these scenes appear in front of my  eyes still now…Sketting,Wrestling,Badminton,Ludo…he had touched all these…

BABY PANCHAM

Not R D Burman,not in the name of  Pancham…to me he was Tublu…my supreme affectionate Tublu…and I’m his Monidadu…How was he?  I’m starting then with one of his childhood incidences…on listening you’ll be astounded that very often he used to watch movies by saving the tiffin-money…being dressed as a good school boy with his schoolbag on his shoulder he used to get out of his house daily,but very often your Rahul loved to roam about escaping his school,to watch films and to loaf about …once I went to bring him from his school…I stood outside the gate for a long time…I saw all the students came out of the school except Tublu…I had a doubt…on inquiry,I could know that for the last 7 days he didn’t come in the vicinity of the school…though watching films hiddenly,he had a separate thing…sitting inside cinema hall,immediately he used to write up the swarlipi of the songs he used to listen in the darkness…when his age was 10-12,more or less his wickedness started….once there was very much disturbance of thieves in our locality…in almost all houses somethings were used to be lost…we were also afraid….will you listen to Tublu’s acts?He used to collect the soap-waters of his house…in fact he had more delights in pouring soap-water on the head of the thief than beating the thief after capturing…one day he could do that also….

During studying  in Bullygunge Highschool,once he failed…taking the result in hand he entered his house also with an embarrassed face…Shachinkarta watched that his son was upset…next day he gifted him a Ralleigh Cycle…
Tublu has given the proof to me also about the limit of control of himself about the music…once he performed  a function in Netaji Indoor Stadium…I alongwith all my household members went to watch his songs…suddenly,in between the song “Mehbooba mehbooba” of Sholay,I heard Tublu telling me to go and drink tea from the bottom ….all are in between the singings…perhaps nobody inside Indoor could understand that…all thought those as the lines of the song…we were convulsed with laughter…in fact Tublu used to respect  me tremendously…as he used to give importance to my words,one of my strange attractions  used to work around him…as for example,take that song “Mehbooba mehbooba”….with the starting of that song,one day he came to make me hear….he told me,”Dadu,plz listen and tell me how is the composition?..on hearing,I told,”It’s great…”…He told,”Do you know who will sing this…Kishoreda…I told,”Why? This has matched with your voice very much…In my opinion,this song should be kept in your voice only"..well, I have not told him anything else…all of you know the incidents afterwords…this song got the ultimate success  in his voice only…     

This was an incidence six years ago..just before Durga Puja…Tublu had come to Calcutta for some works…stayed in our house only…also took lunch in our house…took rest…but in the meantime,local people came to know that the great Rahul Dev Burman had come to our house…well,staring towards the barandah of our house,a group of local boys immediately came and started tumult in joy…they want to watch Rahul Dev Burman from a close distance…but it was Tublu who beckoned us from  the concealment to tell them the opposite words…as per his hints,we also told them,”Where is Rahul?Nobody came here in our house”…how shall we understand that in his grown-up age also his naughtiness didn’t diminish at all…when the boys being disappointed were on the verge of returning,suddenly taking almost a summersault in that barandah he presented himself in front of them…with some strange sounds in his voice…just think of our condition then…what a shame for us then to the local people…
He was able to swim untamably….similarly,mouth organ used to get life in his lips…and for these two,Tublu also got chance in the first Water Ballet in Calcutta organized by Indian Life Saving Society…playing mouth organ during swimming…there was his naughtiness also…all those scenes still appear before my eyes…

Skating,Wrestling,Badminton,Ludo…he had touched all these…I used to notice an impression of bravery in him…in all the fields of life,he used to utilize this courage tremendously…once we all family members went to Gopalpur- on-sea  for a pleasure trip…Tublu was then of tender age…during bathing in sea,he himself realized that a snake wrapped his leg…as if that was not at all a matter,unwrapping the snake from his leg he started undulating the snake holding in his hand in the air by pressing the mouth of the snake hard…we all were too much frightened…and he was so much exulted in joy…I can clearly recall ,he told,”Look,I’ve killed the snake,plz take my photograph”….
mmersion of Saraswati Puja was going on…all the seniors and juniors of our house were in the Tempo…but among the juniors,his supremacy was higher…on that year, everyone went on singing ‘Saraswati mai ki joi’ as per his tune as per his direction…continuously…Tublu played tabla…but what would be the tune of that simple lyric..we also thought like you…all of you used to recognize your Rahul…what he could compose in songs or what he couldn’t…but believe me,that tune was a marvellous one…how can I  make you realize that tune in my writing language here…No,not at all…only this single occurrence of him I couldn’t describe you in a proper way….I’m really very sorry….        (End)