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Striving to fulfil his musical dreams
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He may not be among the most successful of musicians. But Bombay S. Kamal is one of those rare, dedicated men who have sacrificed their life for the sake of music. SILVY MAXI MENA meets this man who strives on to achieve his dreams.
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THE PATTER of raindrops on the tin sheeted roof of the two-room house sung a different tune. Inside, the stuffy, small room sits a tall, lean man in a white pathan suit. He is not distracted by the music of the rain, for a new tune is working on his mind. Bombay S. Kamal still preserves that old charming name; of a city from where his musical journey began. A popular stage singer who enthralled audiences with his soulful renderings of Mohammed Rafi's all-time hits, Mr. Kamal, now spends his time, amidst the hustle and bustle of Thiruvananthapuram city, waiting for his dreams to be fulfilled.
Young Sheikh Kamaluddin, (that's his real name), never realised, when he boarded the train to Kozhikode, along with the eminent composer M.S.Baburaj, that his career was in for a change. He never, even in his wildest dreams, was prepared for a career as a music composer in a distant land. Right from the age of 12, Kamaluddin was on stage as a professional singer. He remembers how his guru Moinuddin Khan initiated him into Hindustani music, "I don't know how a drop of that vast ocean of music fell upon me. The loneliness into which I was dumped as a child, following the death of my parents, never left me. It was reflected in my songs." The only son of Najmuddin and Fathima Beevi, Mr. Kamal still cherishes his childhood memories at Abdul Rahman Street, Mumbai.
"It was in 1959 that Baburaj took me to Kozhikode. Since then I have been composing songs for films. The first Malayalam song, which I composed was `Swapnam kanatha rathriyill... ,' in 1963 on August 16 for a college-day function at S.N. College. But the song, which made me popular, was `Padam njan padaam... ' for the film `Adukkala.' Among the other popular film songs are `Pushpangal ayiram viriyate... ' from `Shirshakam' sung by K.J. Jesudas, `Shalabhame chitrashalabhame... .' from the film `Aksharartham.' K.S. Chitra sung for me in `Pooradaraathri.' In the year 1987 I composed the songs for the `Sharatkalapushpanghal' an album produced by Tharangini. In fact, Jesudas has sung 35 of my songs. Now, his son, Vijay Jesudas sings for me in the unreleased film `Vellaram Kilikal.' When he sings I'm reminded of the voice of young Jesudas," recounted Mr. Kamal.
Music today, according to Mr. Kamal, is simply a cacophony of noises. "What we hear does not soothe or comfort you. This cannot be called music. They will not travel with time. That is why, even today, a huge majority of people love to listen to those melodies of the 70s. Many songs, which now go under a label IndiPop or whatever, are only waves of music, which die suddenly," says Mr. Kamal.
While other people term his life as a failure because he failed to garner wealth, Mr. Kamal prefers to call himself god-gifted. "If I'm not lucky how is it that my songs have become hits? I have been satisfied in whatever I have done; especially since I have been able to give what the music lovers wanted," he states with conviction.
His wife Beena bitterly recounts how many film and television producers cheated her husband, never giving him the remuneration they promised. "Some of them even robbed his musical compositions," she complains. This is not a scene from a film but a slice from real life. There are so many smiling faces; of composers who made it big with Mr. Kamal's tunes, while this simple musician failed to see through the treachery.
Talking about the new generation singers, Mr. Kamal remembers the singers of the earlier decades who practiced songs for months. "They had great dedication. And this showed when they stood before a microphone to sing. But today, how can a singer dedicate himself fully to the song he has to render when the whole thing takes hardly 15 minutes? This has to change. Now, technical advancements in orchestration drown the voice of the singer. The orchestra no longer accompanies the singer. The songs of today do not give much importance to classical music. The fast way of life is also reflected in the music we hear today," Mr. Kamal observes.
Even the modern day music composer has changed. Mr. Kamal feels that melody has given place to loud, fast music. "A.R. Rahman's music in `Roja' and `Bombay' was superb. But most of his songs that came after these films came as a wave but disappeared even faster."
Mr. Kamal still has a few dreams that he wants to realise. He plans to compose devotional songs, with one album on Satya Sai Baba. He also wants to set up an audiocassette company, with Gulf Malayalis offering to help this venture. He has already registered the company and now wants to strive hard to see that it succeeds. He then has a few more ambitions like to own a house where he could set up a music institute to train talented youngsters.
It is evening, outside and in his life. But this maestro lives on his dreams. He has no complaint on the way he was pushed around by cruel Fate. "I know that it is the evening of my life. But I still have hope. For without it what is life all about," Mr. Kamal signed off.
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