Musical tribute to Pancham

Music lovers in the city were treated to a series of evergreen hits from the 1960s to the 80s on last Friday evening at one of city's prominent cultural centre – Nritya-Forum for Performing Arts. The occasion was the celebration of the 80th birth anniversary of the iconic music director Rahul Dev Burman and the programme was interestingly titled ' Panchamrit' punning on the nickname of the music director Pancham. It also showcased the sweet sounds and symphony of the composer who held sway for more than two decades in Hindi cinema.

While a major portion of the event was focused on the variety of compositions of the maverick musician, the group Dakshin Dhwani also included works of celebrities whose birth/ death anniversaries fell in the month of June. Famous names like Hemant Kumar, Madan Mohan etc., whose creations still resonate all over were part of the song selection.

Spread over three hours, a dozen singers, of varying age groups crooned duets and solo numbers which included a classical one from a private album of R D Burman. The numbers selected were from films like 'Manmauji' to 'Jeeva', which also meant different genres of music and singers who matched the karaoke tracks enthusiastically.

As can be expected, the senior citizens who were part of the audience liberally indulged in recollecting their lives and times during that era when filmi music was the main source of entertainment. They had more occasions to feel nostalgic as the show comprised of audio-visual clips , which were biographies of music directors Madan Mohan and RD Burman. As it all ended, the audience was treated to a fare, which made them travel back in time and celebrate the good things that were part of the glorious progress of Hindi cinema.