Although the Habib melody troupe has had to go through periods of uncertainty –especially after the tragic death of the sultan of sonority – it still holds fast to the reputation of being the most popular melody group in the state
Although Orissa boasts of a number of highly popular melody groups, Habib Melody enjoys a pride of place. Established in 1961 and christened after Mohammed Habib, the vocalist of the superhit song ‘Alo alo manika’, the group has travelled a long way; however, its journey is punctuated with ups and downs. In the initial days, it experienced a major setback with the unfortunate death of Habib in a road accident while returning from Rourkela after a stage performance. However, Sajeed, his younger brother, shouldered the onerous responsibility of picking up the pieces and the troupe’s lyrical journey has been seamless ever since. Sunday Post meets the present members of the group who shed light on the melodious voyage of the band down the decades.
‘Melody’
‘Melody’ is popularly used in Orissa to refer to a clutch of vocalists and instrumentalists who perform in live shows. However, the usage doesn’t adhere by dictionary rules. It means stage shows, generally, organised in the festive season at crowded public spaces. The craze for ‘melody’ is huge in the state with almost all the districts having their own ‘melody’ groups. Cuttack, however, boasts of the greatest number of such musical groups and witnesses a deluge of shows, especially during the Durga Puja season.
Rakesh Nayak who misses but few melody shows believes that it is the perfect medium of entertainment. “I love music but find it a tad difficult to enjoy a concert in an air-conditioned auditorium. I am all for melody where as a member of the audience I can dance to pulsating beats in wild enjoyment. Doing so gives me great satisfaction,” he says.
In a nutshell, melody shows provide optimum entertainment and this, perhaps, is the reason for a number of groups in the state scaling the popularity charts.
Habib
Mohd Habib lent voice to the very popular ‘Alo alo manika’ along with Chitta Jena. The song featured in the 1976 award winning Prashanta Nanda movie ‘Sesha Shrabana’. The Prafulla Kar composition was the only song the singer ever sang for a film. His life was tragically cut short in an accident in 1965 but his voice still lives. Remarkably, the first song in a Habib Melody show is invariably ‘Alo alo Manika’. Mohd Saheed (28), son of Sajeed and the present head of the group, says: “It is our tribute to the great singer. I have heard he was so talented that he could replicate the voices of all leading Bollywood singers of his day like Mohd Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey and others. He was the second of six brothers in the family – Mazeed, Habib, Sajeed, Abid, Arif and Jawed.”
Habib and party
In its 55-year journey, Habib Melody has gone through ups and downs but always retained a sure hold over music lovers in the state. The demise of Habib was a big setback and over the years the group has incorporated certain changes. Its sole aim remains the same – to offer mind-blowing entertainment. Saheed intimates: “Earlier, the singers of the group performed at Annapurna Theatre, the famed Cuttack-based drama group. Orissa apart, the group has performed in Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam, Shillong, Kolkata and other places.”
The Man & his melody
In 1961, Sajeed started the group under the name ‘Habib and Party’. Credit goes to Sajeed for shouldering the responsibility of managing the iconic troupe for decades before he passed away in March this year. Of course, his two younger brothers who were talented singers joined him. Sajeed has a number of hit album songs to his credit like ‘Lei lei ka lach kamani’, ‘E panbala babu’, ‘Maalo malli bicha kamudila ratire Kali’, ‘Hajigala mo neula musa’ and ‘Ramiya rickshawala’. The vocalist has crooned background tracks too.
Sajeed & after…
Sajeed passed away when he was only 54 and after his demise people thought that the group was about to dissolve. Thankfully, Saheed took the responsibility on his young shoulders and the group is still going strong.
Says Saheed: “Many septuagenarian music lovers often recount the unforgettable performances of my father and Habib uncle. I find the anecdotes touching.”
The group presently comprises singers like Mohd Iqbal, Sarmistha Kar, Mohd Arif and Devanand among others. Dwelling on her fruitful association with Sajeed Sarmistha who has lent voice to hit numbers like ‘Damara rabi dela re’ and ‘Sangamapa’ says: “He was the melody king appreciated by audiences of all ages and tastes. His enchanting voice thrilled the audience who were no less impressed by his sobriety and humility.”
Himanshu Guru
