NEW DELHI: On Monday, the noted singer Bhupinder Singh, died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 82. In the 60s and 70s when Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi and Manna Dey were the high priests of playback singing in Bollywood, Bhupinder also created a niche for himself by rendering his unique voice to a host of memorable songs.
His most celebrated song is โDil Dhoondta Haiโ from Sanjeev Kumarโs โMausamโ whose music was composed by the legendary Madan Mohan. โNaam Gum Jayegaโ (โKinaraโ), Do Diwane Shahar Mein (โGharaondaโ), โDuniya Chhute Yaar Na Chhuteโ (โDharam Kantaโ), โThodi Si Zameen Thoda Aasmanโ (โSitaraโ) and โBeeti Na Bitai Rainaโ (โParichayโ) are some of his other famous renditions.
Due to the โesotericโ quality of voice, Bhupinder was approached for specific types of songs by the music-directors which perhaps only he could have pulled off. Unlike other singers of his time, he didnโt sing heaps of ditties indiscriminately. In fact, the gifted artist was supremely selective about the songs he lent his voice to.
His voice, which had a certain wistful vibe to it, deftly encapsulated the personal, intimate moments and tender emotions.
During his heyday, he worked with almost all renowned composers from R.D. Burman, Madan Mohan to Bappi Lahiri. He also sang in tandem with Lata Mangeshkar, Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle.
He was born in Amritsar in 1940. His father โ Prof. Natha Singh โ was a vocalist and teacher who ran a music academy. Bhupinder began his career working in the All India Radio, Delhi, as a singer and musician. After being spotted by the composer Madan Mohan during one of the All India Radio parties, the music director invited him to Mumbai.
Mohan gave him his first break in the 1964 Chetan Anand directorial โHaqeeqatโ, where he sang โHoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bulaya Hogaโ along with veterans such as Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Manna Dey. He bagged his first solo song after two years with โRut Jawan Jawan Raat Meherbaanโ in the film โAakhri Khatโ.
Besides being a playback singer, Bhupinder was also a masterful guitarist and worked on many renowned tracks, including โDum Maaro Dumโ, โChura Liya Haiโ, โChingari Koi Bhadkeโ and โMehbooba O Mehboobaโ, among others.
After he got married to singer Mitali, he stepped away from playback singing from the mid 1980s. Though he continued to collaborate with his spouse and produced several private albums. In his later years, he also turned to ghazals and regularly performed at stage shows alongside his wife.
