Gaana-Gandharvan (Celestial Musician) turns 81

 (A paean on the 81^st birthday of Dr KJ Yesudas)

 Kattassery Joseph Yesudas, the epitome of melody, turns 81 today. Das-ettan, as he is fondly called by Malayalees world-wide, has regaled audiences the world over with his rich and varied repository of more than 50,000 songs in myriad languages, including most Indian languages (Ettan is an endearing form of address for an elder brother, in Malayalam - a sort of Bhaiyya, in Hindi). His repertoire is wide in scale and scope, and spreads across carnatic, semi-classical, devotional, romantic, bollywood, and several other genres. With his divine voice, he creates the deepest emotions in one's soul. He also has the uncanny ability to make the most complex of the songs sound simple with his rendition.

Dasettan has won a record eight national awards and been honoured with all the three Padma awards by the Government of India... the Padmashri, the Padmabhushan and the Padmavibhushan.

 I was bought up on a steady diet of his Malayalam songs, broadcast by Radio Ceylon, from 3.30 - 4.30 PM every day, and as an avid listener, endeared myself to him very early in my life. He burst on to the Bollywood scene with songs in the movie Chitchor, and there was no looking back. With hundreds of hits like “Gori tera gaon bada payara”; “Sunaina”; “Jaaneman janeman”; “Surmai ankhiyon mein”; “Kaa karoon sajni”, etc., he has carved a niche for himself in the hearts and minds of the discerning music fans of Bollywood.