Mukesh Chandra Mathur , the finest hindi playback singer , was born in Delhi on 22 July 1923, in a small middle class family. Mukesh was the sixth in a family of ten children. Father Lala Zorawar Chand Mathur was an engineer. But for little Mukesh, music was his destiny. The music teacher who came home to teach Mukesh`s sister Sundar Pyari, found a willing but secret pupil in Mukesh, who used to listen in from the adjoining room. This enabled him to pick up intricacies of music much in the way that little Lata would secretly emulate her father.

By the time Mukesh completed his matriculation in 1940, he knew what he wanted to be. He had already given up his job as an assistant surveyor at his father`s workplace. At the age of 17, he came to Mumbai to become a singer. Mukesh`s father was not at all interested but gave in to the persuasion of his wife and brother. and so, it was a singing career for the teenaged Mukesh.

Mukesh was `discovered` by character actor Motilal in 1940. Mukesh was heard singing at his elder sister Ram Pyari`s wedding. This obviously impressed Motilal who invited Mukesh to stay at his residence in Mumbai. He also engaged the legendary Pandit Jagannath Prasad to train the young singer.

Mukesh`s clean good looks and his sweetly sincere temperament perhaps inspired directors to cast him as a singing hero. In any case, Mukesh was an unabashed admirer of the great K. L. Saigal, probably the greatest singer hero of those times.

Mukesh`s first song was a ghazal, `Dil bujha to phasl-e-bahaar kya` composed by Ashok Ghosh for the film `Nirdosh` where he co-starred with Nalini Jaywant. He went on to act and sing in `Sukh dukh` opposite Sitara Devi. The music for the film was directed by the revered Khemchand Prakash. This was followed by `Adaab arz` in 1942. In 1953, he co-starred with suraiya in `Mashooqa.` Mukesh was honest enough to realize that he would never make it big as a hero, and in 1956, he starred in his last film `Anurag` with Usha Kiron. Here Mukesh revealed another talent - for composing the songs` Kisse Yaad Rakhoon` and `Pal bhar ki pehchan` are part of this collection.

Mukesh`s acting career never took off but his singing was noticed when he sang for Motilal in the film `Moorti` (1945). Here Mukesh sang two solos `Maana ke tum haseen ho` and `Haseenon se haseenonko`. The first glimmer of stardom came with the hugely successful `Dil jalta hai` from the film `Pehli nazar`. Here Mukesh`s open and uninhibited admiration of K. L. Saigal is on full display. In fact the young impressionable Mukesh had heard his adored idol in the immortal `Jab dil hi toot gaya` and yearned to sing a song like that. Anil Biswas turned his dream to reality. When `Dil jalta hai` was heard, thousands of music lovers, laid bets as to who sang the song. So effectively had Mukesh cloned his hero, that Saigal himself was fooled. After hearing the song he is said to have exclaimed `But I don`t remember singing this song.

Though Mukesh`s burning desire was to follow in the footsteps of K.L. Saigal, veteran composers Naushad and Anil Biswas would have none of it. They took it upon themselves to wean Mukesh from his Saigalesque inclinations.

Mukesh and Dillip Kumar
Anil Biswas succeeded in doing this with the song `jeevan sapna toot gaya` in 1948. Naushad insisted on pulling up Mukesh sternly whenever he imitated Saigal. He brought out his individualism in several early songs for Dilip Kumar like `Gaye ja geet milan ke` and `Hum aaj kahin dil kho baithe`. Today it is hard to imagine anyone else singing `Suhana safar` or `Dil tadap tadap ke` from Madhumati but Dilip Kumar was not too sure about Mukesh`s voice and wanted Talat Mahmood to playback for him. Mukesh was redeemed not just by the success of these memorable songs but by Dilip Kumar`s admission that Mukesh was indeed his voice.

Mukesh sang the songs for Dilip Kumar in Mehboob`s Andaz. Songs that laid the foundation for the thespian`s career. In fact, Mukesh was responsible for even Lata Mangeshkar`s first break. He insisted that Lata meet Naushad and when the then struggling phenomenon was reluctant, he personally accompanied her to the composer`s residence. Lata`s big break in andaz was brought by Mukesh and she never looked back after that. Generosity, benevolence and sincerity were second nature to Mukesh. These attributes were the reason for his long-standing relationships with actors, composers and co-singers. The most memorable and cherished of all was the relationship with Raj Kapoor.

Raj Kapoor and Mukesh
Raj Kapoor insisted that Mukesh was his soul. RK first met Mukesh on the sets of `Bansri.` Raj Kapoor was introduced as Prithviraj Kapoor`s son. The two hit it off, instantaneously. Raj Kapoor always called his friend Mukesh Chand. Mukesh sang for RK in his first film Neel Kamal, as leading man. From that day on, till his sudden tragic death Mukesh was Raja Kapoor`s voice in Raja Kapoor`s own productions as `well as leading outside banners. Mukesh`s sweet, vulnerable and extremely sincere voice articulated the emotions of Raj Kapoor, the `Indian tramp` very effectively. Songs like `awaara hoon`. `Mera joota hai japani` could not have been sung by anybody else. Raj Kapoor`s screen persona cannot be so closely identified with Mukesh`s voice because the two were so entirely compatible. The Chulbula `Dum dum diga`, the plaintive `Aansoo bharthain`, the sweetly rustic ;Sajan re jhoot mat bolo` and the heart wrenching `Jaane kahan gaye oh din`, were songs that typified the films and character of Raj Kapoor.

Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh
Another made-forever relationship was that between Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh. As she says, `Mukesh was your beloved singer, to me he was a dear `other. Mukesh Bhaiyya was a great artiste, a great soul and a very dear brother. The two greats, shared many memorable songs.This beautiful relationship based on genuine warmth and respect had found its beginning in that visit to Naushad`s residence where Lataji got her first break and ended tragically in that live concert in Detroit where Mukesh and Lata were to perform.

On Aug. 24, 1976, during a performance in Montreal, Canada, Mukesh had complained of a cold and sore throat. Lata decided that his only son Nitin could replace Mukesh and called him `Mukesh Bhaiya`s throat feels a bit heavy, why don`t you sing a couple of songs. Nitin sang the opening lines of Kabhie Kabhie.. .and in the wings a proud father watched, his eyes brimming over.

The next day, 10 minutes before his concert, Mukesh breathed his last. and his words to Hridaynath still echo.. `As for me...this is my last show.`

There were other actors who benefited from the use of Mukesh`s vocals. Dilip Kumar openly admitted his admiration for the singer. The pensive `Mr. Bharat` Manoj Kumar used Mukesh`s voice in most of his films. `Tum bin jeevan kaise beeta poocho mere dil se` sings the forlorn Manoj to the reluctant sanyasin Sadhana in `Anita`. There`s the wonderfully hummable `Ek pyar ka naghma hai` from the painfully realistic `Shor`. And there are flirtatious songs from `Sanyasi` where a chaste Manoj resists the gorgeous temptress Hema Malini.

Even the head shaking, puff sporting Dev Anand had his share of introspective songs from the noble Mukesh. The beautiful "Bidaai" song with its sensitive chorus from `Bombai Ka Babu` bewitches the audience completely. A regal suchitra sen, large liquid eyes brimming with tears, walks away from her father`s home and true love in `Chalri sajni ab kya soche, Kajra na bah jaye rote rote`. The song was made for the soft, brooding vocals of Mukesh.

Today, it`s virtually impossible to imagine that S.D.Burman had used Mukesh`s voice only when the original choice Kishore Kumar was unavailable. Mukesh had even been told that his rendition would be scrapped if it wasn`t up to the mark .

Even in contemporary cinema Mukesh continued to sing for younger heroes who were completely identified with Kishore`s voice. The sweet songs of pleasure and pain from `Anand` sung by the stricken Rajesh Khanna could not have found a better voice, `Kahin door jab din dhal jaye` or `Maine tere liye hi saath rang ke` .The angry young man Amitabh plays the mellow poet in Kabhi Kabhie and sings to the doe eyed rakhee `Kabhi Kabhie` mere dil mein` or `Main har ek pal ka shair hoon` . Kabhie Kabhie came to typify mature mellow love, far away from the jiggling, bustling madness of modern love.

Mukesh`s extraordinary humility and total sincerity made him an extra-special person. when Kalyanji-Anandji wanted Mukesh to dub the lines sung by Manhar in the duet `Aapse humko bichde huey` as agreed to by Manhar, Mukesh refused with a smile, `why break the boy`s heart! he has done such a fine job` he said.

Early in his career, Mukesh had frankly told composer Sardar Malik to give him songs, that would camouflage his tendency to go offkey. Later, Mukesh was always quick to admit that Mohammed Rafi was markedly more versatile. As Anil Biswas says, `During my career of fifty years as a music director I`ve come across thousands of people. I must say that Mukesh was a real gem, an elevated soul, sincere to the core. Warm and friendly and totally unaffected by the glamour and hullabaloo of life`. Mukesh was known to serve as a mediator among warring parties and within the film industry was fondly referred to as `Guni Jaan` (Noble soul.)

Many music directors who were just starting out on their career came to Mukesh with songs in their heart and no money in their pockets. Mukesh gladly sang their songs for free. Nitin, recalls how bothered his father would get, when he learnt that on concerts abroad, his musicians had to stay in less expensive hotels. Mukesh would always insist on shifting to the same inexpensive accommodation.

`No wonder his musicians simply adored him` Nitin remembers fondly.

Mukesh never forgot old friends or favours. Friends in school, remember Mukesh regaling them with Saigal`s songs during the lunch break. Accompanying him on the harmonium was Roshan Lal who himself later became a famous music director in Mumbai. Mukesh and Roshan remained friends for life. Roshan recorded the immortal `Teri duniya mein dillagta nahin` in his dear friend`s voice. In turn, Mukesh used Roshan for his first and only production malhar. It was only right for Mukesh to sing Roshan`s last songs `Oh ho re taal miley` and `Dulhan se hamara milan hoga` from `Anokhi Raat`.

In 1965, Mukesh got together with Motilal and Anil Biswas for the film `Choti Choti Baatein` - produced by Motilal. When Motilal passed away before the film`s completion, Mukesh took upon himself the responsibility of completing the film, undergoing tremendous financial difficulties to concretise Motilal`s dream project. Obviously such a good, generous soul would be surrounded by friends who genuinely cared. In the 50`s, due to the lack of assignments, Mukesh had to withdraw his children from school. Actors Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar rallied around him, using his voice to deliver hit after hit.

Perhaps the only calculating thing Mukesh ever did was to engineer an elopment to marry his beloved saral. That was the name of the gujarati girl Mukesh fell in love with and wished to marry. Families on both sides disapproved. friend and mentor, Motilal was called into perform the Kanyadaan.

Mukesh was in private a fun loving, outdoor person. Fond of his drink but not addicted to it he would often say `Sharaab ? Din mein kabhi chhuo mat, raat ko kabhi chhodo mat !` (Never drink before dusk, never miss a drink after dusk.) Harish Bhimani writes that drink made Mukesh ever so endearing. After a peg or two he would ask for a harmonium and regale his friends with his favourite songs. Soon, vintage Mukesh would come alive, free of the claustrophobic confines of a singing booth, without the electronic aid of microphones, amplifiers, mixers and giant speakers.

It was probably this easy going, open nature that drew composers to him. In fact there wasn`t a single prominent composer who didn`t need Mukesh`s voice at one time or the other. O. P. Nayyar who never saw the need to use Mukesh, summoned him reluctantly for `Sambandh`. the song `Chal akela` became a milestone both in the composer`s as well as the singer`s career. For Kalyanji--Anandji, Mukesh sang in a record breaking 57 films. Laxmikant Pyarelal, used Mukesh in 45 films including their first film `Parasmani` . The last song Mukesh sang was `Chanchal, Sheetal, Nirmal Komal` for Laxmikant Pyarelal in 1976.

Raj Kapoor`s creative dream team, that produced the memorable music associated with his films consisted of Mukesh, Shankar- Jaikishan, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri- a team that produced `Chod gaye balam`, `Awaara hoon`. `Raat andheri door savera` and `Mera joota hai japani` .

On hearing the news of Mukesh`s death on August 27,1976 Raj Kapoor broke down and said `I`ve lost my voice`. Mukesh left behind a treasure house of 1500 songs including the eight volume evergreen rendition of the Tulsi Ramayan. Anyone who passes by Mukesh`s residence in Mumbai cannot miss Mukesh Chowk where Mukesh`s Ramayaniis played every morning.

As clones of his contemporaries have flourished, surprisingly Mukesh clones have never been successful. Even the singer`s son, Nitin, whose voice closely resembles Mukesh, found the going tough. According to Nitin, his father`s, was a hard act to follow. `Papa would wake up at 5.am., however late he might have slept and do riyas for a couple of hours. Then he`d go for his daily walk, to Hanging Gardens in Mumbai. He knew everyone who came there and I think he must have befriended every flower`.

Every time he sang, his sincerity and vulnerability shone through, leaving no doubt that here was a true gentleman, `that cannot be said of any other Hindi playback singer, except the sweetly sensitive and truly noble Mukesh Chand Mathur. Together with Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi,he completed the trinity of silver throats who enriched and enraptured through the Golden Era of Hindi cinema playback.