Manna Dey passed away early this morning in Bangalore. Great singer with humility. His song "Zindagi...." from Anand still rings in the ear. Unfortunately none from Bollywood was present at the funeral. Few celebrities from the Kannada film industry attended. There were barely 70 mourners at the funeral.

May his soul rest in peace.

Another chapter from the old/gold movies comes to an end.

Manna had his own towering and distinct voice with deep modulations among the most versatile singers during those times. I always believe the more depth and a variation a singer has, the better they sound and last longer than the crop. He could be easily categorized with Hemant Da and Talat Mehmood as far as the variations are concerned. While Kishor, Rafi, and Mukesh had their own distinct and beautiful styles, Manna Dey never fell into the same mould and carved his own niche. With evergreen and quality songs such as Kaun Aaya Mere mann ke dwarey (my all time favourite), Tu Pyar ka sagar hey, yeh raat bheegi bheegi, Masti bhara hey sama, Dil ki girah khol do, Zindagi kaisi hey paheli, Tum bin jeewan kaisa jeewan, and many more he made sure he'd be there for long. Listen these songs as many times you want, I bet you would never get bored.

These maestros from the past will live on forever. They are many times bigger than mere words to describe them, awards, and tributes. I really wonder, if we are going to say the same for the present crop of singers who are dime a dozen and leave no impression, whatsoever.

Rest in peace, Manna Dey. We are blessed to have you lived in your songs - forever.

No one can fill his space......RIP.

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A Delhite in Toronto