Aakash Pradeep Jwale
Year: 1956
Bengali Adhunik Gaan
Lyrics: Pabitra Mitra
Music: Satinath Mukherjee

Growing up in a large family where listening to the radio was a daily ritual; music has been a part of my existence and source of sustenance from the very beginning. Listening to a wide range of music meant a diversified exposure which probably helped in developing a deep interest in music in general and composition, lyrics and ‘gayoki’ in particular. In Indian popular music, the singer who has had the strongest impression on me is Lata Mangeshkar, the influence comes out so naturally in my articulation about Lata’s singing, friends in social networking circles often call me a LATAliban.

Lata to me means music. Her majestic tonal quality, ability to effortlessly breeze through difficult tunes are qualities which made her simply the best, personally her sense of economy in singing entices me the most. She always knew how much to give at what point in the song. She sang in multiple languages with almost all the leading composers in India. Her Bengali pujo songs with the maestro Salil Chowdhury, Hindi Films Songs composed by Madan Mohan, Jaidev, Khaiyaam, Roshan, Sankar-Jaikishan and the Burmans, Marathi songs composed by brother Hridaynath - are the ones I would carry with me in a desert island.

The first song of the nightingale which drew my attention to the singer was her Bengali non-film number ‘aakaash pradeep jwale’. It was a weekend morning and the radio was playing Bengali songs while we were having breakfast. I was fairly young and did not care much about the nonchalant announcement before the song, but what followed the vibrant 23 seconds prelude made me still remember the moment, the food tasted sweeter, felt like unadulterated honey was being served in the morning. What actually blew me off completely was the softness in her voice; especially the way she sang ‘beye’ and ‘peye’, the two words connecting the two antaras to the sthaayi of the song. Much later I could appreciate the composer Satinath Mukherjee and his ability to create such a delicate beauty, but my first memory of being awestruck by the singing is something that I will carry with me forever.

(Indranath Mukherjee is a management consultant by profession and ardent listener of music in general and Hindi Film Music in particular. Apart from music, sports and travel keeps him going.)