Google India on Friday doodled iconic playback singer Mukesh to mark his 93rd birthday.
Born to an engineer father and a homemaker mother in Delhi, Mukesh Chand Mathur, who came to be known by his first name, sang numerous hits, giving voice to biggest names in the industry, including legendary actor-film-maker Raj Kapoor.
Mukesh, however, wanted to be the next KL Saigal, the pioneer of playback singing in Hindi cinema. His initiation into music was almost by fluke.
A teacher used to come home to teach music to his sister, Sundar Pyari, one of his nine siblings. Sitting in an adjacent room, Mukesh would practice what was taught to his sister.
He chose his sister’s wedding to unveil his talent. A relative and much-regarded actor Motilal, the effervescent Chunni Lal of Devdas (1955), realised his potential and brought Mukesh to what was then Bombay.
His career took off with Nirdosh in 1941. Dil Hi Bujha Hua Ho Toh was the first song he sang for a Hindi film and continued to give the industry many more memorable songs. He died on August 27, 1976, in Detroit, USA, where he had gone for a concert. Many of his songs were used posthumously.
His son Nitin Mukesh is also a singer, while grandson Neil Nitin Mukesh is a Bollywood actor.
COURTESY HINDUSTAN TIMES
