Sachin Dev Burman

Sachin Dev Burman (born October 1, 1906, Cumilla, British India [now in Bangladesh]—died October 31, 1975, Bombay [now Mumbai], Maharashtra, India) was a legendary Indian music composer and singer who skillfully blended his expertise in Indian classical music with a deep understanding of Bengali and northeastern folk music. The music he composed for major films left a lasting influence on Hindi and Bengali cinema.

Early life and training

Burman was born into the princely family of Tripura, now a state of India. His father, Nabadwip Chandra Dev Burman, was the son of the raja of Tripura. Rajkumari Nirmala Devi, his mother, hailed from the royal family of Manipur, also now an Indian state.

Interestingly, Burman received his first musical training from two of his family’s household helpers—Madhav, who would sing passages from the Indian epic Ramayana to him, and Anwar, who would sing bhatiali (a type of folk music from Bangladesh) songs with a dotara (a stringed instrument used in Bengali folk music). Burman’s father was an accomplished sitar player and was his first formal music teacher.

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Burman received his formal education in Cumilla (also spelled Comilla), where he passed his matriculation and intermediate examinations in 1920 and 1922, respectively. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Comilla Victoria College in 1924, he moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to pursue a master’s degree in English at the University of Calcutta. It was here that he came under the tutelage of K.C. Dey, the renowned devotional singer and uncle to the highly accomplished Indian singer Manna Dey. Burman was later taught by North Indian classical musicians such as Ustad Badal Khan and Bhishmadev Chattopadhyay. He married the Indian singer Meera Dasgupta in 1938. Their son, Rahul Dev Burman, who would become a renowned Indian music director and singer, was born in 1939.

Career highlights

Burman began his career, as a singer, at the Calcutta Radio Station, which later became All India Radio, India’s national broadcaster. His first record was released by Hindusthan Record, an Indian record label operating at the time. It was a 78-rpm (revolutions per minute) shellac disc.

What sets his musical style apart is the graceful blend of the rusticity of folk music and the elegance of classical music. He composed songs that are characterized by fullness, spirit, and an unconventional approach in both form and content. Burman worked as a music director in Calcutta until 1944, when he shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai). There, he quickly established himself as an innovative film composer with an exceptional sensitivity to the demands of the industry.

His music enhanced the power of the visuals; a clear example is the song “Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai” from Pyaasa (1957; “Thirst”), performed on-screen by Guru Dutt. Burman did most of his work for the production house Navketan, founded by acclaimed Indian actor Dev Anand, and he composed music for movies such as Taxi Driver (1954), Paying Guest (1957), Guide (1965), Jewel Thief (1967), and Prem pujari (1970; “Worshipper of Love”); Dutt’s films such as Baazi (1951; “Gamble”), Jaal (1952; “The Trap”), and Kaagaz ke phool (1959; “Paper Flowers”); and Bimal Roy’s productions such as Devdas (1955), Sujata (1960), and Bandini (1963; “Imprisoned”).

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Burman’s long association with the multifaceted playback singer Kishore Kumar yielded countless musical hits. The songs in films such as Munimji (1955), Nau do gyarah (1957; “Nine Two Eleven”), and Prem pujari were major triumphs for both composer and singer. Burman made an effortless transition to the modern era of film music with the hugely popular Aradhana (1969; “Worship”), although he had successfully experimented with Western sounds in films such as Chalti ka naam gaadi (1958; “That Which Moves Is Called a Car”). The greatest achievement of the last years of his life was his score for Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Abhimaan (1973; “Pride”), which was closely followed by his music for Mukherjee’s other films, notably Chupke chupke (1975; “Quietly”) and Mili (1975).

Awards and legacy

Burman achieved numerous accolades during his illustrious career. His contributions shaped the landscape of Indian cinema music.