Students of V Balsara pay tribute to legend on his birth centenary

KOLKATA: The students and acquaintances of V Balsara garlanded his photo on his birth centenary on Tuesday.

No function could be held due to Covid pandemic. Mahesh Gupta, who used to celebrate his birthday said once the pandemic situation improves, a function will be held at Rabindra Sadan tentatively on January 1, 2022. There would be year-long programmes which include three day exhibition, screening of a documentary on his life and work, release of a calendar containing his photographs.

Born in Mumbai on June 22, 1921, V Balsara came to Kolkata in 1954 never to return to Mumbai. He had worked with all the great playback singers that include Hemanta Mukherjee, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mukesh, Mohammad Rafi and Manna Dey. Asha Bhosle's first Bengali song was composed by him.

He made the background score of many film songs composed by Hemant Kumar, Nausad and Shankar Jaikishan.

Three Bengali songs composed by him, Sundari Bone Sundari Gach, lyrics by journalist – poet Amitava Chowdhury and sung by Banashree Sengupta, Aye Khuku Aye sung by Shrabanti Majumdar and Bhusibal Bhusibal tumio amar sung by Ranu Mukherjee became very popular.

V. Balsara could play several instruments that included piano, violin, mandolin, piano accordion, harmonica, univox among others. He composed tunes for Bengali professional stage. Aashami Hajir, directed by Rashbehari Sarkar had V Balsara as the composer, Suresh Dutta on stage craft and Tapas Sen on lighting arrangement His friends and acquaintances will approach Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Firhad Hakim with a request to rename a road after him.