Rajkumari's voice is stilled

Rajkumari's voice is stilled
M.S.M. DESAI

MUMBAI, MARCH 18: Veteran playback singer Rajkumari, whose songs in Mahal and Bawre Nain still haunt listeners, died on Friday night after a prlonged illness. She was 81.

Rajkumari, who began her career singing on radio in 1936, shot to fame with her song Ghabrake jo hum sarko thukraye to achcha from Mahal. Her other hit song from the same film was Kyun mere dil mein dard jaga. Her songs Kajrari matwali from Nau Bahar and Sar pe kadar ki chhaya, a duet with K.L. saigal from Bhakt Surdas, were extremely popular. Anil Biswas, O.P. Nayyar, Naushad, Khemchandra Paraksh, Gulam Hyder and Huslal Bhagatram were her music directors. Memorable films she has worked on include Anhoni, Bazar, Apna Paraye, Ram Vivah, Nau Bahar and Asman.

Rajkumari also sang a qawwali with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle in Nau Bahar. Two of her songs, composed by Khayyam, were never heard as the film was shelved, but the composer said that she sang with ease. "Though I was a newcomer at that time, she was very co-operative," he said. "She had a God-gifted voice which was as pure as her soul.

Rajkumari has sung many Gujarati songs. She also acted in a number of films. She was the heroine of Prakash Pictures' Sansar Leela, in which she also sang.

Rajkumari started singing on All India Radio in 1934 and HMV soon engaged her for singing Gujarati songs. In 1996, Ashirvad presented her the Navratna award. She was also presented on Sonu Nigam's Sar Re Ga Ma programme.

Sonu Nigam and the actor Chandrashekhar were the only people from the film industry to attend her funeral at the Amboli crematorium on Saturday.