With Jagjit already gone, Bhupi’s demise leaves the world of melodious ghazal singing orphaned

After Haqeeqat, he never looked back. We rejoiced in his success – and whenever he came from Bombay (as it was known then) for a concert or show, he always found time to meet over music and meals at our dear friend Ashok Khanna’s house at Mayfair Gardens

By Kamlesh Kumar Kohli

The demise of a dear friend and celebrated ghazal singer Bhupinder has taken me back to those years some half a century ago when ‘Bhupi’, as we knew him, was a shy guitarist who would commute between his West Delhi residence and All India Radio station in Delhi, carrying his inseparable guitar.

Bhupi had such silken melodious voice that we used to wonder why on earth did he play a guitar on the Radio and not sing.

Of course, Bhuppi did sing some memorable ghazals on AIR Delhi. His duets with another dear friend and a lovely singer who died early, Sarla Kapoor, are remembered until today – especially Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera and several others.

The big break came with Sathyu recommending to Chetan Anand when Haqeeqat was being made (Sathyu won the Filmfare award for art direction in Haqiqat).

Sathyu took Bhupinder to Ladakh for the shoot, where he played the role of a wireless operator in the Indian Army – and learnt how to lip sync his own song.

Music director Madan Mohan saw the great potential in Bhupinder and gave him a break. His first song Ho Ke Majboor… was with stalwarts Mohamed Rafi, Talat Mehmood and Manna Dey.

After the shoot and recording, Bhupi was so excited that much against his shy nature, he would come to the theatre hall (for our play) with his guitar, and proudly sing the yet-to-be-released Haqeeqat songs.

After Haqeeqat, he never looked back. We rejoiced in his success – and whenever he came from Bombay (as it was known then) for a concert or show, he always found time to meet over music and meals at our dear friend Ashok Khanna’s house at Mayfair Gardens.

The stories of Ashok and the greatest singers of the subcontinent I will share some other day – suffice for today to recall that Bhupi was a bumchum of Ashok.

Incidentally, Runa Laila’s first concert at Ashoka Hotel – when she first sang Damadam Mast Qalandar and Mera Babu Chhail Chhabeela Main Tau Nachoongi, that took India by the storm – was jointly arranged by Ashok Khanna, Bhupi and Robin Jind.

With Jagjit already gone, and Bhupi leaving too, the world of melodious ghazal singing has been orphaned.

May God grant eternal peace to our friend and a celebrity artist. My heart goes out to his wife Mitali, a celebrated singer herself, and his son Nihal.

[File photo of Bhupinder and his wife Mitali Singh rehearsing for their music album Aksar courtesy Wiki]

Kamlesh Kumar Kohli is a creative thespian who has staged many plays under his Impresario Asia and Nashisht banners