M. S. Baburaj - Misplaced Pages

Music composer This article is about a Malayalam film music composer. For the actor, see Baburaj (actor).

M. S. Baburaj

Background information
Birth name	Mohammad Sabir Baburaj
Also known as	Baburaj, Babukka
Born	(1929-03-03)3 March 1929 Calicut, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India (present day Kozhikode, Kerala, India)
Died	7 October 1978(1978-10-07) (aged 49) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres	Film score, Mappila songs
Occupations	Composer Singer Instrumentalist
Instrument	Harmonium pump organ
Years active	1957–1978
Labels	HMV

Musical artist

Mohammad Sabir Baburaj (3 March 1929 – 7 October 1978) was an Indian music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs.

Early years

Baburaj was born on 3 March 1929 in Kozhikode, then known as Calicut. His early childhood was spent in destitution and poverty. His father, Jan Muhammed Khan, who was a Hindustani musician from Bengal who frequently held concerts in Kerala, deserted his Malayali mother when he was very young, and returned to his native Kolkata. Baburaj thus became fatherless, often singing songs in trains to make a living. But as luck would have it, a policeman, Kunjumuhammed (he was called Kunjumuhammed ika), an enthusiast of music from his native town of Kozhikode, noticing the boy's vocal talents, decided to virtually adopt him.

Music career

One of his greatest achievements was the introduction of Hindustani strains into Malayalam popular music. He successfully composed melodies based on Hindustani Ragas and blended Malayalam lyrics into them. Most of the lyrics were written by eminent Malayalam poets like P. Bhaskaran and Vayalar.

Baburaj learned basic lessons of Hindustani music from his father from a very young age, but he could not learn it for long due to his father's demise. In search of pure music, young Baburaj visited West Bengal, Mumbai and Sri Lanka. He learned to play the Harmonium during this period.

He came back to Kerala to a precarious existence. He sang on the streets of Kozhikode to earn his livelihood. Police constable Kunju Muhammed, who was a fan of Baburaj's father, adopted him and brought him up.

Later he started composing music for the Malayalam dramas in the Malabar region and thus slowly entered the field of music direction. In 1957, he composed music for the Malayalam film Minnaminungu, by Ramu Kariat, thus entering the Malayalam film industry. Then he worked with director P. Venu and composed classic songs like "Anuragaganam Pole", "Ezhuthiyatharanu Sujatha", and "Kalichirimaaratha Penne" for the film Udhyogastha (1967).

Baburaj was also an accomplished singer and harmonium player.

Legacy

The Baburaj – P. Bhaskaran – Yesudas combination produced many of the most memorable Malayalam tunes of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his classic duets were sung by P Leela, K. J. Yesudas and S. Janaki, each recording solo Baburaj compositions as well. Many of Baburaj's songs remain very popular in Kerala, with songs like "Oru Pushpam Maatram" frequently rendered on stage at various events.

The Manorama Music company chanced upon an old audio cassette of Baburaj rendering some of his own compositions in a platform of friends' circle. The cassette named 'Baburaj Padunnu' was re-mixed and became an instant hit. The tracks gave Kerala a rejuvenated taste of Baburaj's music with his unique style of soulful singing. Though a successful composer, Baburaj was never a careerist, but kept his focus on his art. Today, various clubs and musical organisations conduct stage programs in honour of Baburaj ('Babukka' to his friends and acquaintances), and give the proceeds to his family. During his time, money was not easy to come by for artists, and Baburaj never managed to earn much, dying in poverty. "Thrikkakkare theerthakkare" sung by P. Susheela in the 1978 film Yagaswam, directed by Hariharan, was his last recorded song.

In 1983, Baburaj posthumously received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in Light Music category. In 2014, Baburaj was awarded Kamukara Music Award posthumously, instituted by Kamukara Foundation. The award was received by his wife Bicha Baburaj.

Personal life

Baburaj married Bicha, daughter of Kallayi Kundungal Moideen and Bichamina, in 1956. They had nine children, Sabira, Deedar, Gulnar, Abdul Jabbar, Shamshad, Roshna, Zulfikar, Farhad and Shamna.

Death

Baburaj died an early death, on 7 October 1978 at the age of 49. His death occurred in a general hospital in Madras (now called Chennai), after suffering from a massive hemorrhagic stroke.