Fifty years after his death, Mukesh’s voice remains inseparable from the emotional memory of generations of Indians. Unlike singers celebrated for vocal virtuosity, Mukesh’s enduring appeal lay in the vulnerability, melancholy and warmth that made his songs feel deeply personal. From Awaara Hoon and Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein to Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye, his voice continues to resonate across generations.
As a college student, when I did my yoga, I used to often put on his seven-album rendering of the Ramayan, which even today has 6.6 million hits on YouTube. When I joined the Indian Foreign Service and went in 1976 to the National Academy in Mussoorie for training, every night after dinner, sitting in the lounge, I would ask Ram Lal, who was in charge of the record player, to play two songs sung by Mukesh: Woh subah kabhi tau aayegi, and Phir na keeje meri gustakh nigahi ka gila. Born in Delhi on July 22, 1923, into a large family, he was not initially destined for the cinema. After a brief spell working in the Public Works Department, Mukesh left for Bombay in 1940, encouraged by his mother despite his father’s reservations. His first significant success, Dil Jalta Hai To Jalne De, from Pehli Nazar in 1945, bore the unmistakable imprint of Saigal. For the latter, from the film Rajnigandha, Mukesh received the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1974.
Mukesh therefore made his screen debut as an actor-singer in Nirdosh in 1941, opposite Nalini Jaywant. In many ways, my life—and I am sure that of millions of others—was entwined with his songs. His song Kabhie kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai, could easily figure among the most romantic songs of Hindi films. I recall that one day, when I wanted Renu, my wife-to-be, to hear it, I did not immediately have the money to buy an EP album to play it. Surendra Singh, the cook in our home, lent me the money and went post haste to the market to procure it. Mukesh’s advent into playback singing is itself an unlikely story. A music teacher who came to teach his sister noticed the young Mukesh listening from an adjoining room and imitating what he heard. In Bombay, his distant relative Motilal, the well-known actor, helped him. In those days, the distinction between actor and singer was not as clearly established as it later became. He sang in the film, but neither the film nor the song made an impact. The production company closed, and Mukesh was left without work. He tried several occupations, including selling dry fruits and film distribution. There was another obstacle. Mukesh was deeply influenced by K. L. Saigal and, in his early years, imitated him. The story is almost legendary: Saigal reportedly heard the song and wondered when he had recorded it. But imitation could never become Mukesh’s destiny. Then there are other songs that remain evergreen: Chandan Sa Badan, Jhoomti chali haws, Suhana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen, Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din, Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe Ho Nisar, and the hauntingly philosophical Kai Baar Yunhi Dekha Hai.
