Girish Modi
By Girish Modi
When I was living in the NY-NJ area from 1974 to 1980 I met so many great singers, musicians and dancers that I cherish those memories even after 50 years. Mahendra Kapoor was one such singer whose concert I had attended in May 1979 at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Many people used to call Mahendra Kapoor as “poor man’s Rafi” or some one who played second fiddle to Rafi; but I disagree with them after meeting him in person and listening to his live singing. In fact Kapoor considered Mohammad Rafi as his Guru and used to play tanpura in Rafi’s concerts.
In career spanning decades, Kapoor’s repertoire included popular songs such as “Chalo ekbaar phir se” from the film Gumrah and “Neele Gagan ke tale” from Hamraaz. His name however became most closely associated with patriotic songs including “Mere Desh ki Dharti” in Manoj Kumar’s film Upkaar released in 1972. Kapoor was awarded the Padma Shri. He lent his voice to actors Manoj Kumar and Sunil Dutt in most of their films and had a lengthy association with director-producer BR Chopra.
His title song in the classic TV serial Mahabharat is very soulful. Music director C Ramchandra had given Kapoor his first break with “Aadha hai chandrama” for V Shantaram’s Navrang in 1958. His songs from Bandhan, Shakti, Doli, Ek Nazar, Admi Aur Insaan, Sangam and Tawaif are also quite popular.
Both music directors Ravi and O P Nayyar had frequently used Mahendra Kappor’s voice after fallout with Rafi.
When he performed in New York, Kapoor had come with female singer Minoo Purshottam and a famous cabaret dancer during that period named Laxmi Chhaya, who happened to be a Gujarati. Kapoor’s wife and two children had also come with him.
I had taken a few pictures of Laxmi when she was getting ready for the show. One of these pictures is included in this write-up. She was speaking to me in Gujarati and that gave me a pleasant surprise.
I had observed Kapoor getting warmed up and practicing duet with Minoo before the show. His wife was very cordial and spoke volumes about Kapoor’s dedication to music and singing. What she told me that I still remember is that Kapoor memorized all songs sang by heart and never carried a book of lyrics with him.
I found Kapoor very friendly and like a perfect gentleman. He would speak to me in fluent Gujarati, which surprised me. Since live photography was not allowed in Carnegie Hall, I had not taken any pictures of Kapoor’s show.
I watched the entire show from the wing on the stage. After a few songs Kapoor would come backstage and ask me immediately in Gujarati how did I like his singing? I had taken a photo backstage during intermission. Another photo with coffee cup was taken before the show in the artist’s upstairs room.
Like his mentor Rafi, Kapoor could also sing at a high pitch. I had to admit that Kapoor had sung Rafi’s song “O Duniya ke Rakhwale” with high pitch superbly and it drew a big applause from the audience. Kapoor sang slow and soulful songs like “Dil lagakar hum ye samjhe” from Zindagi Aur Maut and “Mera pyaar woh hai jo” from Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi.
Mahendra Kapoor left this world in September 2008, but his songs still reverberate in the hearts of many music lovers. He won a National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer and three Filmfare awards.
Girish Modi is an 85-year-old retired engineer who is passionate about Indian music and classical dances. He donates money to various Indian organizations and provides free photo service. Contact: girish39@yahoo.com.
