The article by Shachin Bhoumik published in Aajkaal on 25th March,1990 on R D Burman-Part-3

The article by Shachin Bhoumik published in Aajkaal on 25th March,1990 on R D Burman-Part-3

Fascinating PANCHAM's FIRST LOVE STORY-2

as narrated by Sachin Bhoumik his friend

continued from previous post 

translated by Kaushik Bandyopadhyay

--“The lady told,’see,two of my girlfriends are not believing that I was introduced with you in Darjeeling…for that,I put a bet of Rs.25..I told them that you’ll come immediately on my calling…I got your father’s phone number by searching the Directory…please,come on…I’ll remain standing in front of Regal Cinema’s gate after purchasing tickets of 3 P.M.’s show…I’ll be wearing blue printed sharee with a brown-coloured vanity bag in hand…white-flower garland will be wrapped in my hair…when you’ll come,we’ll enter the hall…my girlfriends will remain in the seats inside the hall…I’ll win the stake when I ‘ll enter the hall with you…after that you may watch the movie or not,that’s your choice…you’ll be free to go out…”.
After listening all from Pancham,I told,”It can be true or any other lady may make us April Fool”.Pancham had doubt on some other known ladies…but I advised him,”Well,let’s go…there’s a circle in front of Regal Cinema…if it’s a bluff,then we’ll come back with our car by turning the full circle…otherwise if we find any lady standing there as per the descriptions given…then after turning the full circle,let me come down in the ‘Chikita’ Restaurant at the corner…and you may go inside the hall with the lady…o.k.?”
Pancham agreed…we went in his Fiat…in front of Regal,Rita stood as per her description-wise sharee-bag-flower…as per our words,Pancham got me down in ‘Chikita’ and himself went to the hall alongwith Rita…I was taking Pattis and Coffee at Chikita…after half an hour,Pancham arrived there again…I asked,’What happened?’
"On sitting on the seats of Regal,Rita told three of her girlfriends,’Look,here is R D Burman…maine bet jeet liya”.The other ladies exclaimed ‘Hello’ to me…then the hall became dark..I asked Rita,’Where do you reside?Where do you study?’…Rita told,’I’ll be just coming…excuse me..”…I thought she has gone to toilet…but after 10-20 minutes also,she didn’t return…on coming outside,Rita was found absconding…as far as I could guess she has gone away by a black Ambassador…I’m not so sure..my car was parked in the basement and hence chasing was not possible..”
I told,”For the present,take coffee..’..then I asked,”Do you like her very much?”

“Very much..”
”Then I’ll definitely find out her”..
I asked,”Have you got any clue during conversation?”
…”Very little…she told that I very often come to this area in the afternoon…I told her I often used to come in Gaylord Restaurant to hobnob…she told that she also goes there very often…for the reason that it’s nearer to Nirmala Niketan..”
I told jumpingly,”Nothing more is required…Nirmala Niketan is a women’s Finishing College…Rita is a student there…so we’ll attack there..”

I’m telling in short…Rita was seen to come out from Nirmala Niketan…also seen to be seated in a black car…on following I found her to enter in a multi-storied building named ‘Commonwealth’…that was near Choupatti and at the last end of Marine Drive…in Telephone Directory,I found four Patel families in that building…one by one I rang them and asked to call Rita please…twice I got reply that there’s no Rita there…but the third attempt succeeded…Rita herself lifted the phone…initially Rita became terrified on us getting her phone number…then she agreed for the meeting..after  that their mixing…love..marriage..there were objections from the two families..I had managed Shachinkarta and boudi…Dev Anand also managed…then the huge marriage party and Dinner Party was arranged in the Turf Club,Bombay…are not all these like filmy incidences?……It’s unfortunate that the divorce occurred due to some personal reasons..I tried a lot to unite the couple…but it didn’t work..but happiness comes after the sorrows…

hence Pancham is now happy with his wife Asha Bhosle…in happiness and sorrow,the respect and love between each other  has no comparison…especially when Pancham suffered heart attack recently,Ashaji has done much.The By-pass surgery was done at London…Pancham was in the apartment at London for six weeks…all the time Ashaji served her husband…she remained on her husband’s bedside leaving all her assignments…
after restoring health,Pancham has now started work with his full effort…now I’ll give some introductions of Pancham’s working life…not telling anything about the fittest son of his father will be insulting to his qualities…from the very childhood Pancham became fond of music by the affect of his parents’ musical life…used to play mouth organ very well from his childhood…Rahul played mouth organ in the song”Hai aapna dil tu awaaraa” in Shachinkarta's film...     (Contd)

The article by Shachin Bhoumik in Bengali Newspaper Aajkaal on 25th March,1990 about R D Burman-Part-2

The article by Shachin Bhoumik in Bengali Newspaper Aajkaal on 25th March,1990 about R D Burman-Part-2

translated by Kaushik Bandyopadhyay

This was Pancham.In his childhood,he used to be known to cry in Pancham sur..hence Shachinkarta kept the nickname of his son as Pancham…the good name was certainly a mouthful…Rahul Dev Burman…the whole India knows whom as R D Burman also….after coming to Bombay,I was introduced with three famous Bengali families…those were the families of Director Bimal Roy,family of Ashokekumar and family of Shachin Dev Burman…now just understand how much intimacy I was having with Pancham…just over 30 years…I remember my first starting to a foreign land on 1961…my first written film ‘Anuradha” was nominated in the Berlin Film Festival contest…for that I went there as a delegate…director was Hrishikesh Mukherjee,hero-heroines were Balraj –Sadhna-Leela Naidu…my all dresses.i.e,one suit,three ties,one sweater and one overcoat were all  given by Pancham…the suitcase was also given by Meeraboudi,the mother of Pancham…my first foreign journey was happened by the indebted materials…not only that,I first purchased car in 1965..before that I used to roam about Bombay and  whole India in Pancham’s car only…in fact Pancham only taught me car-driving…you plz don’t be worried for I’m telling about his personal life instead of telling about his qualities…being his close friend,it’s natural to tell about the person Pancham…for that,first listen to some unknown facts from his close one..after that I’ll let you know about the works of Pancham also…some knowns,some unknowns…

Fascinating PANCHAM's FIRST LOVE STORY-1

as narrated by Sachin Bhoumik his friend

The divorce with the first wife Rita was happened…but I’m letting you know about my role in the introduction and marriage of Pancham with Rita…it was like a filmy story…at that time Pancham  composed music for the film ‘Bhoot Bunglow’…songs became hits…he also acted in a cameo role in that movie..that acting was also popular…during the summer vacation,Pancham went to Darjeeling on tour…they were all fives…Lakhsmikant,Pyarelal(after the release of the duo’s Parasmoni),Ravindra Kapoor,Suresh Bhatt and Pancham…there, a bunch of college girls from Bombay could recognize Pancham…specially a lady…the lady appreciated Pancham…in this case,Pancham laughed foolishly like people who are praised..after a few words,the lady went  with all of her companions …on returning Bombay,Pancham forgot that small incidence…after three months,a sudden phonecall came to Pancham…I was there at that time…keeping phone,Pancham asked me,”Shachinda,tell me what will be the ideal thing to do “.I asked,”Why,what happened?.....”A lady had phoned…is telling that she was introduced with me at Darjeeling..,she told her name is Rita Patel…I can’t recall …perhaps anyone is legpulling me…making me befooled…”

“Tell me in details”….         (Contd)

The article by Shachin Bhoumik in Bengali Newspaper Aajkal on 25 March,1990 about R D Burman-Part-1

The article by Shachin Bhoumik in Bengali Newspaper Aajkal on 25 March,1990 about R D Burman-Part-1

translated by Kaushik Bandyopadhyay

“Fire aasbe gatir beg,surer aabeg” 

by Shachin Bhoumik

The train didn’t depart till then…both Pancham and me were in the compartment…Howrah platform…the Guard whistled..and as the train  started journey by whistling, stretching and moving like a python,immediately Pancham addressed an unknown middle-aged lady standing in front of our window on the platform,”Hello,Na’Maasima,is Gourangada well?Has his eye-disease been cured?Is Nasuda still doing Nuxal Party?And,has the habit of Tunku’s sucking thumb been gone or not?What’s the news of Gouridi?What a fantastic Telkoi she used to cook…has the Race habit of Naren jijaaji gone or not?”
 In the meantime,the train had passed a long distance making that lady statue there.Pancham was so much delighted …smiling,he told me,”Shachinda,now I’ve spoiled the night-sleep of the lady…on returning home,the lady will think about who was that youngman,what he told and how he made me confused about the appearance of another one…if, bychance,she has people like Gouranga,Nasu,Gouri,Tunku and Naren as her friends and relatives,she can be confused and asked  them about the facts…by far,she’ll not be able to forget this evening’s Howrah Station for a long time.”This was Pancham…the master of doing practical jokes.My intimacy with Pancham was for a long time….what I’ll say,younger brother or friend?In fact,both…perhaps we were not friends of child age but there was no dearth of child age between our friendship…we were quite young then and were newcomer to Bombay …one day Pancham,Mehmood,me,Rabindra Kapoor (actor) and Suresh Bhatt(Dance Director) decided to go on drive from Bombay to Khandala by car..the distance was 75 miles..but we decided to go all in nude…as we thought,we started…what an incident…a motor journey of five nudes…we were lucky  that was not published in Guiness Book of Records..during checking on the way in a checkpost by a police,Mehmood told,”What’re you looking at?In your birthday,you also were born nude.”The stunned police had no words with him.
The second incidence…on the way,the car stopped in a Pan-shop…a shop-man came to serve the pans…Pancham told,”The money will remain overdue…because we’ve no money… because we’ve no purse…because we’ve no pocket…. because we don’t have pants…because we don’t have any shirts also”,….the Panshop-owner,being a humerous one,replied,”We offer free pans to the nude ones”.At once we vanished from there". (Contd)