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( Apparusu Srinivasa Rao ) …. Rahen na rahen hum, mehka karenge
Ban ke koli, ban ke saba, baagh-e-wafa mein
(Whether I remain or do not remain, I will leave behind my fragrance; Like a blossoming bud or a gentle breeze, in the garden of loyalty)
When I listened to this song from the 1966 film, “Mamta,” during my college days, I was charmed by the melodious voice of Lata Mangeshkar. I did not watch the movie, but this remained one of my favourite songs – both for its melody and also its heart-touching lyrics.
Later on, I came to know that this song has two versions. Apart from the Lata version, which was picturised on Suchitra Sen, there is another version of the song which was picturised on Suchitra Sen and Dharmendra and it was sung by legendary Mohammad Rafi and … not Lata Mangeshkar, but another singer called Suman Kalyanpur.
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I was stunned then, because I totally mistook Suman Kalyanpur’s voice for that of Lata Mangeshkar. Such was the striking similarity of the two voices.
Not just this song. There were several other songs which I thought were sung by Lata Mangeshkar, but they turned out to be that of Suman Kalyanpur.
For example, if you listen to female version of the song: “Na Tum Hamen Jaano, Na Hum Tumhe Jaane, Magar Lagtha, Yeh Kuch Aisa, Mera Humdum Milgaya..” (You don’t know me, I don’t know you… But yet, somehow, I feel as if I have found my soul mate).
For a moment, you feel it was Lata Mangeshkar’s voice, but it was Suman Kalyanpur, who rendered this song from the 1962 film Baat Ek Raat Ki.
And then, the superhit party song from Brahmachari (1968): “Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ki Charcha Har Jaban Par…” rendered by Suman Kalyanpur along with Mohd Rafi. There are many such songs like “Tumne Pukaara Aur Hum Chale Aayen” (Rajkumar, 1964), “Na Na Karte Pyar” (Jab Jab Phool Khile, 1965), “Dil Ek Mandir Hai” (Dil Ek Mandir, 1963), “Mere Mehboob Na Ja Aaj Ki Raat Na Ja…” (Noor Mahal, 1965).. etc..
For the present generation music lovers, who still shower praises for “Bharat Ratna” Lata Mangeshkar, Suman Kalyanpur is not a name to remember. So, when she quietly passed away at the age of 89 at her residence in Mumbai late on Sunday night, it was not a big news in the media. Except for some national media, her death was no news for others; including our own Telugu media houses.
But for the oldies, Suman Kalyanpur’s death was a sad news, if not a shock. As they still remember how close she sounded like Lata Mangeshkar, and how she didn’t get the accolades she deserved.
The veteran singer, a Padma Bhushan awardee, was known for her work in Hindi, Marathi and several other Indian languages during the golden era of film music from the 1950s to the 1970s. She went on to record hundreds of songs with legendary composers and singers, especially Mohammed Rafi.
She also made a significant contribution to Marathi music with her bhavgeet and bhajans, Punjabi shabd and wedding songs, and tunes in Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, and other regional languages.
Born Suman Hemmadi in Dhaka on January 28, 1937, she moved to Mumbai with her family when she was six. She took formal training in singing and painting. She got an offer from All India Radio in 1952, and sang in the Marathi film Shukrachi Chandni the following year. In 1954, she sang in Mangu and Darwaza.
After marriage, her husband Ramanand Kalyanpur encouraged her to pursue her singing career. And she delivered several superhit songs quoted above. During this time, many had noticed how similar Kalyanpur’s voice texture and style of delivery was to Mangeshkar’s. It’s not possible for an average music listener to distinguish between the two.
When there was a royalty issue between Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar in the 1960s, they refused to sing together, and Suman Kalyanpur got benefitted by this. She recorded 140 duets with Mohammed Rafi in the period of around six years during the golden era of Hindi film music.
Those music directors who couldn’t afford Lata’s high fee for singing often used to hire Suman Kalyanpur. Yet, as a playback singer, she remained largely overshadowed by Lata Mangeshkar.
Despite owning a beautiful voice with matchless talent and quality in singing, with voice so close to Lata, she got comparatively less opportunities in Bollywood. Yet, she owns many solos/duets to her credit during 1960s to early ’70s.
She slowed down in the 1970s, and subsequently kept a low profile. In the few interviews she gave, she attributed her destiny for not getting the attention she may have deserved, also saying her songs were dropped from some films. There was a talk in the film circles those days that she was denied opportunities under pressure from Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonse, who were monopolising the Bollywood those days. Lata allegedly threatened every producer for not signing any song if any opportunity is given to Suman Kalyanpuri who was having same exact voice of hers.
Only God knows the truth, but after late ‘70s, Suman Kalyanpur’s voice was not heard in the Bollywood and she confined herself to occasional live shows and private albums. But the melodies she has left behind fill a treasure trove….
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