NY Times - Anil Biswas obituary
cricfan
Nimish
cri...@nothing.org wrote on 6/5/03 8:02 AM:
Is it possible for you (or someone) to kindly post the text of the obitury?
It seems to require signing up for reading the articles from the site.
- Nimish
Chetan Vinchhi
"Nimish" <nim...@hotmail.com> wrote...
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Obituary in the New York Times..
> >
> > http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/04/obituaries/04BISW.html
> >
> > Arun
> >
> >
>
> Is it possible for you (or someone) to kindly post the text of the obitury?
> It seems to require signing up for reading the articles from the site.
Here it is...
From NYTimes.com > Obituaries
Anil Biswas, Whose Music Used Orchestras in Indian Films, Dies at 89
By SETH MYDANS
NEW DELHI, June 3 - Anil Biswas, a composer credited with introducing
orchestral music to India's popular song-and-dance films, died here on
Saturday. He was 89.
By the time Mr. Biswas retired from composing in 1965 to become director
of the national orchestra on All India Radio, he had written songs for more
than 100 movies.
He worked during what is remembered as the golden era of film music,
helping to pioneer "playback singing," the dubbing of songs by professional
singers.
His songs made the careers of a number of leading artists, including two of
the most famous film singers, Mukesh and Talat Mehmood.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India praised Mr. Biswas's film
music, saying he "struck the rare balance between classical purity of music
and popular pulse."
Born in 1914 in a small village in East Bengal, an area that is now in
Bangladesh, he sang and composed music at concerts at a young age but
set his music aside in his teens to become a revolutionary against British
colonial rule.
After being repeatedly jailed, he fled to Calcutta, where he composed music
for plays in which he also sang and acted.
He attracted the attention of the film director Hiren Bose, who persuaded
him in 1934 to move to Bombay, home to one of the world's most vigorous
film industries.
His daughter, Shikha Vohra, said Mr. Biswas's two sons had followed in
his footsteps as composers in Bombay.
Mr. Biswas met quick success in the film world. He is credited with
elevating the role of music in movies and with introducing the sounds of
folk and classical Indian music into film composition.
Largely forgotten by a younger generation of Indian filmgoers but fondly
remembered by their parents for his catchy melodies, he made his last
public appearances as a judge on Zee TV's music contest,
"Sa Re Ga Ma."