Some Rare Snaps Of The Funeral...

Funeral Coverage :

Bombay, Screen 10 September 1976

Hundreds of mourning fans of Mukesh saw the last journey of the singer in a fifteen-minute  programme telecast on August 30 in homage to the celebrated singer.

       Besides the funeral coverage, the programme included recorded interviews with Hridayanath Mangeshkar, who was with Mukesh during, the concert tour, Raj Kapoor, whose singing voice Mukesh was more than two decades, and veteran Ashok Kumar who knew Mukesh from the time he began singing for the films in Bombay. 

The Hridayanath Mangeshkar interview (done by Sudha Chopra in Hindi) was particularly interesting and touching because it was like a flash-back to the happening in Detroit, where the troupe was scheduled to give its ninth show on August  27, when that haunting golden voice was stilled for ever.  

A tape containing the last song sung by Mukesh during the eighth show, which was in Philadelphia, was played and it must have surely touched the hearts of all those who have listened to and enjoyed his singing and all those who knew him well, that song "Jaane kahan gaye woh din" was one of the singer's favourites

APPLAUSE TOO  

Hridayanath also wanted viewers to hear snatches of the wild applause that Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar got when they rendered that very popular "Milan" duet, "Sawan ka mahina..."  with its very charming recitative prelude.

The funeral coverage was also done well without the usual callous concentration on star faces and the most moving moments was when the camera panned the singer's drawing room full of shelves, lined with trophies and awards won by the singer in his 35-years-old singing career.

And the camera interestingly lingered on a little framed message, which more than sums up the singer's character and philosophy of life. It says : " If you meet a man without a smile, lend him one of yours."

Delhi TV was, for once, quick off the mark, when they immediately reacted to the extremely sad news of the death of Mukesh in the United States of America on August 27. The very next evening they telecast a memorial programme, which very appropriately opened with Mukesh's famous and popular songs, "Ek din bik jayega maati ke mol." For now what's remains is the memory of Mukesh's golden voice and, of course, the many songs that he sang his long career as a play-back singer.

FAREWELL FRIEND

Mukesh, ‘‘Soul’’ of Raj Kapoor, recorded his last song for Raj Kapoor’s Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram on July 26, 1976 at the Famous Recording Studios at Tardeo—exactly one day before he left for America to join Lata Mangeshkar’s U.S.A./Canada concert tour (he died on August 27, 1976 at Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America). There wasn’t any immediate need to do that song (because shooting-wise it was not slated for immediate picturisation) but Mukesh did have it recorded before his departure—and it was a recording which went on into the small hours of the morning.

Always at Famous Tardeo (then under recordist D.O. Bhansali), it was a tradition that a bottle be opened and they drink, listening quietly to the song being played back and discussing it. But that night it was nearly 4 a.m. by the time the recording was over. Music-director Laxmikant excused himself and went home. Raj Kapoor went home. Zeenat Aman (who had also participated in the recording) also went home. And so did Mukesh.

That night the traditional post-recording drink session was not held. But unknown to Raj Kapoor and to any of the others, Mukesh had brought with him a jar of King of Kings and had handed it to John (Raj’s factotum), telling him: “You open this for him after the recording is over.”

That jar of King of Kings was never opened — until Zeenat Aman came to see Raj Kapoor at The Cottage on the night of September 19, 1976. She had just returned from a month-long sojourn in the U.S.A. and the U.K. Shortly before she arrived, Raj Kapoor asked John whether there was anything to drink at The Cottage. John went inside and returned a moment later, holding that jar of King of Kings. He said: “Mukesh sahab had given it for you. He had brought it, saying: ‘Open it after the recording.”

That was the last drink “soul” Mukesh and “body” Raj Kapoor could not have together...