Legendary singer Manna Dey almost dumped his evergreen song ‘Manasa Maine Varu...’ in the film ‘Chemmeen’ as he realised his Malayalam accent was “atrocious”.
But his wife Sulochana, a native of Kannur, gave him a weeklong crash course in her mother-tongue and instilled confidence in him to finally render the song, composed by Salil Chaudhary.
“I had grave doubts about that (singing a song in Malayalam). Anyway, I summoned the courage to try out that song once. My accent was so atrocious that my daughters burst out laughing, making me conclude that it was best if I dropped the idea altogether,” Manna Dey wrote his autobiography, ‘Memories Come Alive’. The song, though Malayalis would still find fault with the accent, was a run away hit and stood the test of time mainly because of the soulful rendition. The song fetched two national awards; Salil Chaudhary was adjudged best composer and Manna Dey, best singer.
The singer dedicated the song to his wife Sulochana, whom he described as “the solitary oasis in the thorny desert of Mumbai film industry”.
Daughter of Kumaran of Kavunkal at Payyambalam, she spent not more than three months here moving with her family to Mumbai where her father had set up a business.
The Kavunkal family later shifted to Janaki Nivas at Thekki Basar near here. The relatives still remember the Manna Dey family’s visit to Janaki Nivas in 1962.
Manna Dey’s autobiography, just as soul stirring as his ever-lasting songs, has some open confessions on his bond with his wife, full with love, romance, long period of parting and despair. The couple first met at Rabindra Sangeet recital organised by the Indian Cultural League in May 1948 in Mumbai where Manna Dey was invited to teach a few songs of Tagore. Manna Dey and Sulochana sung the duet “Ami tomaro shongey bendhechhi amaro pran...” (I have intertwined my soul with yours) and they developed a friendship that blossomed into love.
Their marriage was solemnised at a small function attended by just 50 relatives and friends in Bangalore on December 18, 1953.
“I can claim without the slightest hint of embarrassment that all the love songs I ever sang following our marriage are dedicated exclusively to her,” the maestro wrote.
Sulochana, whom the singer fondly called ‘Sulu’, died of cancer last year, leaving him lonely ever after. Manna Dey said, whenever he sang melancholic songs that spoke of the heartbreak suffered by estranged lovers, he would imagine life without his wife and be so moved as to shed actual tears of sorrow.