S. D. Burman

S. D. Burman, born Sachin Dev Burman on October 1, 1906, in Comilla (now in Bangladesh), was a legendary Indian music director and singer who became one of the most celebrated composers in Hindi cinema.

He was a scion of the royal family of Tripura, as his father Nabadwipchandra Dev Burman was the second son of Ishanachandra Dev Burman, the Raja of Tripura, and his mother Nirmala Devi came from the royal family of Manipur. Sachin was the youngest of five boys and had nine children in total in his family.

Full Name	S. D. Burman
Nick Name	Burman da, Kumar Sachindra Dev Barman, Sachin Karta, Grand old man of music
Other Name(s)	Sachin Dev Burman
Occupation	Music Director/Folk Artist/Singer/Composer/Musician
Date of Birth	01-October-1906 (69 years)
Birth Location	Cumilla, Bengal Presidency, British India, (present-day Bangladesh)
Gender	Male
Nationality	India
Religion	Hindu
Language	Hindi, Bengali
Zodiac Sign	Libra
Death Time	31-October-1975
Death Location	Bombay, Maharashtra, India (present-day Mumbai)
Height	170 cm
Weight	70 kg
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
School	• Kumar Boarding in Agartala, Tripura • Yusuf School, Comilla
College	Victoria College, Comilla
Qualification	Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Hobbies	Writing

He received extensive musical training from an early age, initially learning under his father who was an accomplished dhrupad singer and sitar player.

From 1925 to 1930, he underwent formal training under K. C. Dey, and later studied under renowned musicians including Bishmadev Chattopadhaya, sarangi maestro Kahifa Badal Khan, violin and sarod maestro Allaudin Khan, and even Kazi Nazrul Islam. He completed his B.A. from Calcutta University.

His professional career began in 1932 when he started singing for the Calcutta radio station, where he became famous for his performances of Bengali, Tripuri folk music, and light classical music. He released his first recording in 1932 and over the next few years released 131 Bengali songs.

His career as a music composer began in the mid-1930s, initially composing music for Bengali theatre, with his first film compositions appearing in "Rajgee" (1937). His first hit movie as a music director came with "Nirbashan" (1940), after which he became the music director for a string of successful Bengali films.

In 1944, he moved to Bombay, marking a new chapter in his life. He was brought by Sasadhar Mukherjee to work on two Ashok Kumar films, "Shikari" (1946) and "Aath Din" (1946), which began his career in Hindi films. During this period, he traveled frequently between Bombay and Calcutta, working for both Hindi and Bengali cinema.

The period from 1949-1950 was pivotal for him; he became disillusioned with the Hindi film business and left "Mashaal" (1950) midway, resolving to return to Calcutta. However, he was persuaded to stay in Bombay, and thereafter became the music director for artistically highly regarded films including "Devdas" (1955) and "Kagaz Ka Phool" (1959).

He was lovingly called "Burman Da" by his admirers and scored music for 89 Hindi and 31 Bangla movies throughout his career. His works were based extensively on Bengali folk music, and he masterfully fused Bengali folk music with classical ragas to create his signature style.

He is credited with great song compositions including "Mere Sapno Ki Rani," "Roop Tera Mastana," and "Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera". He was known for being aesthetically and culturally inclined toward Bengali music, and he started his career with Bengali films in 1937.

In his personal life, he married Meera Dasgupta, a young music student he had been teaching, after refusing to leave her despite family opposition due to her not representing nobility. This decision led him to sever ties with his family and forfeit his inheritance. From their union, his son R. D. Burman was born in 1939, who later became one of Bollywood's most legendary music composers himself.

He was the only great composer who remained in high demand despite advancing age, proving that age is no impediment for creativity. He experienced professional differences common in Bollywood, including a notable falling out with Lata Mangeshkar in 1957, after which he refused to book her and instead used her sister Asha Bhosle.

S. D. Burman died on October 31, 1975, ending the career of one of the great Bollywood music directors from the early days of India's film industry who was much sought after from the 1940s until his death.