HIMANSHU GURU, OP
Singers, lyricists and fans reminisce about a great composer who died young
Orissa has a rich history of music and Oriya musicians have created many memorable songs. In the eighties, a composer from the western Orissa town of Bolangir, Saroj Nanda, entered the Oriya music industry and became a trendsetter. With his fusion of dhol and folk beats in contemporary Oriya songs, his compositions became smashing hits. His songs like ‘Batare Chalu Chalu,’ ‘To Agare Kichhi Dhupa,’ ‘Keri Keri Suna Duba’ became all-time hits. Unfortunately, the great musician died at the young age of 41, in December 2000. Orissa POST talked to singers, lyricists, and fans to gather their reminiscences about Nanda.
Saroj Nanda was born to Paramananda Nanda and Subarna Nanda May 18, 1959 in Bolangir. After schooling in Navjeeban Vidyapitha, he joined Rajendra College. He began his career in music as a dholak player in various orchestras of Bolangir. Afterwards, he shifted base to Cuttack to further his music career. Nanda faced many hurdles but never gave up. He worked with famous Oriya singers like Bhikari Bala, Subash Das, Lopita Mishra and national level singers like Anuradha Paudwal, Udit Narayan, Mohammed Aziz, Sonu Nigam and Babul Supriyo, among others.
Srikant Gautam is the lyricist and producer of most of the super hit tracks composed by Nanda. Gautam said, “People may feel I have worked a lot with Nanda, but I feel I have done very less. I met him when he had composed music for one movie. At that point, I had also released a number of popular songs and earned recognition. He was so talented that he could compose beautiful songs out of any lyrical pattern (chhanda). Both of us had a good vibe which ultimately led us to create some of the evergreen Oriya songs.”
Nanda was a legend with a huge fan following. Kalakar Swain, now a CISF sub-inspector at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, is a big fan. He has listened to almost all of Nanda’s compositions. He said, “I have never found such techniques in any one else’s compositions. His successful blending of koshli tempo with Oriya classical presto, high skill track setting and fine composing with beautiful electronic instruments and sweet flute tunes revolutionized Oriya music. His compositions were indigenous yet modern.
“Unlike other musicians’ songs, most of his songs consisted of four sections of rhythms. Rhythms changed one by one throughout the song. His use of dholak and tabla is a unique style that places his songs in a different category. Bhajans like ‘Keri Keri Suna Duba’, ‘Mana Mayuri’, ‘To Agare Kichhi Dhupa’, ‘Mu To Bada Deluara Parare’, ‘Sahe Atha Bela Patara’, ‘Khai Kaudi Binchi Binchi’ and many other songs are loved by Oriyas even today. “His super hit bhajan album ‘Param Bhamha’ was released in many languages. Saroj gave a new dimension to modern Oriya songs as well. His musical composition of ‘Prathama Premara Prathama Chithi’ was an innovation that inspired several other artistes to venture into the modern song genre. Subsequently, his albums ‘Rajanigandha,’ ‘Chandini,’ ‘Tama Katha Mane Pade’ and ‘Amar Prema’ hit the music market. ‘Tama Katha Mane Pade’ remains the largest-selling modern song album to this day.
“His songs for films like ‘Jiban Sathi’ and ‘Laxmi Pratima’ became a rage. He bagged the best music director award for ‘Laxmi Pratima’ in 1998. He also won several state awards and other laurels from various institutions.”
Singer Tapu Mishra, one of the top playback singers of present-day Oriya cinema, worked with Nanda in his early days as a composer. She said, “I first worked with Nanda when I was merely five years old. In Sambalpur, we were associated with a Sambalpuri folk institution where he would compose songs and my sister Deepsikha and I were singers.
“Back then he was not ‘the’ Saroj Nanda. Later he came to Cuttack and earned huge recognition. We have sung his compositions like ‘Kala Kanhu Ho’ and ‘Sor Paduchhe Pila Dinar Katha’ on the stage across the country. In the dance drama ‘Srikrishnanka Rasalila,’ he had composed all the songs. When he was at the top in the Oriya industry, I had attempted to work with him but somehow it did not happen. He was extremely talented and could have become famous in Hindi films too, but before that he passed away.”
“I have sung many of his compositions,” said singer Shailabhama Mohapatra, who has an array of hit Oriya numbers. “Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal has sung many hit compositions of Saroj Nanda. He felt the timber of my voice was identical to Paudwal and perhaps that was the reason he assigned me many songs. He was industrious. Very often, he composed songs late at night and sent them to me to learn for recording later.”
Nanda started his music career from his hometown Bolangir. He was associated with Green light Melody, a well-known orchestra group. Journalist-cum-musician Gopal Pradhan said, “He was a rare artiste who could play any instrument with both hands. In his early days, I was associated with him. He started as a dholak player and I shared the stage with him as a rhythmist. He introduced Sambalpuri dhol and the typical folk rhythm styles in Oriya music. You can see this in many of his hit numbers. The rhythmic beat used in ‘Keri Keri Suna Duba’ was a famous folk style.”
“When I learnt about his death I rushed to Bhubaneswar, but was informed that his body was taken to Bolangir. I could not see him for the last time though I had been closely associated with him,” added Pradhan.
