KOCHI:
Renowned playback singer late H Mehboob, who rode like a colossus of the Malayalam film industry during the 1950s and early 60s, was paid tribute on his 37th death anniversary in a most befitting manner here today as members of Mehboob Memorial Orchestra sang his hit numbers in a sublime remembrance as part of the weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ programme.
The all-Wednesday programme at the Ernakulam General Hospital saw Ibrahim Thuruthi, a close associate of Mehboob, lead the team that rendered a total of 16 lilting songs, including ‘Pandu Pandu’, ‘Manennum Vilikkilla’, and ‘Kozhikkottangadeele’.
Reminiscing about his association with the late popular singer who died at the age of 56, Thuruthi said one of his greatest talents was that he could compose tunes in a trice. “He was spontaneous and, probably, his strength came from the multi-cultural environment he was brought up in,” he pointed out.
Junior Mehboob, who has set a record for the most number of stage shows, said he was a little boy when he used to accompany the great singer during stage shows. “That’s how I got lured to the world of singing. He was my teacher,” he added. Yahiya Aziz, a regular at Arts and Medicine also joined them.
The weekly music concert, organized by Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) which entered its 217th episode this week, is a joint initiative of KBF and Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and is sponsored by CAFS (Casino Air Caterers and Flight Services).
Bonny Thomas, Trustee, KBF, noted that ‘Mehboob Bhai’ was a unique character. “People still fondly call him Bhai. He could compose songs with great felicity and he was also a legendary poet. Every household in West Kochi will have a beautiful story to narrate which is associated with Mehboob.”
