N.T. Rama Rao Death Anniversary

 

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, better known as N.T. Rama Rao, who passed away on 18 January 1996, was a superstar in Telegu cinema who entered politics and became one of the most popular chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh. His first movie as a hero was Palletoori Pilla (1950),which was a huge hit. His subsequent movies-- Showkar (1950), Pathala Bhairavi (1951), Malliswari (1951) and Chandraharam (1953) -- established him as the premier hero in the Telugu film industry. He acted in a mythological role as Lord Krishna for the first time in Mayabazar (1957) and acted in most of the major roles in "Ramayana" and "Mahabharatam", even in Tamil films. He acted in a total of 254 films, including some Tamil and Hindi films. He suffered some career reversals in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but came back with a bang in the late 1970s with some major hits like Adavi Ramudu (1977), Yamagola (1977), Vetagadu (1979).Some of his major hits in the early 1980s include Sardar Papa Rayudu (1980), Bobbili Puli (1982), Kondaveeti Simham (1981). He became the first superstar of the Telugu films a position which was held by Chiranjeevi till around 2001. An intensely emotional person, he also directed films, built a studio and produced films. He established the Telugu Desam party in 1982 and within a year became the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, a position he held for seven years over three terms.

Saadat Hasan Manto Death Anniversary

 

Saadat Hasan Manto, passed away on 18 January 1955, was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, British India. Writing mainly in the Urdu language, he produced 22 collections of short stories, a novel, five series of radio plays, three collections of essays, two collections of personal sketches. His best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Manto was known to write about the hard truths of society that no one dared to talk about. He is best known for his stories about the partition of India, which he opposed, immediately following independence in 1947.

His fictions caused a stir in the literary world. He was tried several times for obscenity and was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment and 300 fines in Pakistan. Later, he was awarded their highest civilian award ‘Nishan-e-Imtiyaz’.

Harivansh Rai Bachchan Death Anniversary

 

Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who passed away on 18 January 2003, is one of the most defining poets of modern India. His poems, writing styles, and themes of poetry made him popular as a common man’s poet. He wrote in Hindi on topics of life and related events. He used to write under the pen-name ‘Bachchan’ meaning child-like. As his pen name got popular, he adopted the surname, Bachchan.

His works got more popular as many Bollywood movies started featuring his poems. 

In his early twenties, Harivansh had mastered multiple languages including English, Hindi, and Sanskrit. But he preferred writing in Hindi because of his nationalist values.

In 1935, he published a collection of poems under the title Madhusala (wine house). This book was met with a celebrated response from the readers. His simple yet thought-provoking wordplay mesmerized everyone. It was also the Hindustani dialect that got him such a large response. This dialect was equally popular with the Hindi and Urdu-speaking community. Using his popularity, Harivansh became a part of the Independence revolution. He along with Mahadevi Verma, Suryakath Nirala, and more started the tradition of ‘Kavi Manch’. Kavi Manch was a way to motivate people gathered to participate in the protests. Poets from all over the country would recite their poems to infuse patriotism in the gathered crowd.

Harivansh Rai Bachchan is a pillar of modern-day Hindi poetry. He and his peers made India fall in love with Hindustani poems once again. His works have inspired a lot of poets. Modern-day poems have hints of his clear and unclouded thought process. His legacy is being carried forward by his son Amitabh Bachchan, who loves writing poems as well as reciting his father’s poems. If the words of Harivansh were not good enough, the enigmatic voice of Amitabh makes it more majestic.

In 1976, he received the Padma Bhushan for his service to Hindi literature.

 

K.L. Saigal Death Anniversary

 

K. L. Saigal, who passed away on 18 January 1947, was an Indian singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Kolkata during Saigal's time, but is currently centred in Mumbai. Saigal's unique voice quality which was a mixture of baritone and soft tenor was the benchmark for most of the singers who followed him. In fact, it remains the gold standard even today shining through very early and practically primitive recording technology.

10 Facts About K. L. Saigal You Should Know:

1.      Due to K. L. Saigal's modest background, as a child he earned his music education informally, singing along with people at a local shrine or at religious ceremonies with his mother.

2.      He worked several odd jobs, a timekeeper, salesman, and manager, pursuing singing on the side.

3.      KL Saigal's first break came in 1932 when his first film, Mohabbat Ke Ansu, was released.

4.      For his first three films, he used the name Saigal Kashmiri and used his own name Kundan Lal Saigal (KL Saigal) from his fourth film Yahudi Ki Ladki which was released in 1933.

5.      While the Jammu-born star started his career singing Punjabi songs, he picked up Bengali and acted and sang in several Bengali films.

6.      In the movie Street Singer, KL Saigal rendered the song "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" live in front of the camera despite playback singing was a preferred mode of singing at that time.

7.      As a singer, K. L. Saigal has given memorable melodies like "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya", "Bangla Bane Nyara", "Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein", Do Naina Matware, "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani" among others.

8.      K. L. Saigal had turned alcoholic and died at an early age of age of 42 in his ancestral city of Jalandhar on January 18, 1947.

9.      He was survived by his wife Asha Rani and four children. While Madan Mohan, Nina and Bina were his biological children, he had also adopted his late elder brother's daughter Durgesh Nandani when he was still single.

10.   K. L. Saigal's distinctive singing was revered and idolised by Hindi Film playback singers, including Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh.