oreign and Indian styles. Pancham started the double bass here.
He introduced me to jazz music, and he'd listen to Santana, Blood Sweat and
Tears and the Rolling Stones. He also loved classical music; after all he'd been
a shishya of Ali Akbar Khan.
What was he like as a husband?
He was crazily in love with me. But he was more of a friend than a husband. He'd
grown up all alone, he'd spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in
Calcutta. So he didn't understand the routines involved in a marriage, he
couldn't understand why one had to get up at a particular time or eat at a fixed
hour. We lived together as friends.
How would you describe R.D.Burman the man?
He was a gentle soul. He lived his life to the full; he must have died a
contented man. I don't think he had many desires left. He didn't like hurting
anyone and he was very sentimental. Once when his old car went into a ditch, he
was in tears! When his dog Tipsy died, he was inconsolable - he wept for days.
Did he resent any of your earlier relationships? Didn't you rush into
marriage soon after breaking up with O.P.Nayyar?
No, it didn't happen that way. And I'd like to make it clear here, that I have
never left anyone voluntarily. I've been pushed to a point where I have had no
option but to walk away... Pancham wasn't the jealous type. He knew that I had
made some mistakes. He understood that no human being is perfect.
Living apart as you did, what sort of a social life did you share?
Earlier I used to accompany him to parties but I found myself drinking cups of
chai throughout the night. I couldn't do that for long, it would have affected
my voice. Mor ..... |
