(Web Desk) – Fans are observing 8th death anniversary of iconic musician Robin Ghosh on Tuesday (today).
Ghosh is regarded as an icon in the industry, credited for composing music for several super-hit Pakistani and Bangladeshi films including Chanda, Talash, Paisa, Chakori, Bhaiya, Tum Mary Ho and Aina.
Ghosh’s father worked for the International Red Cross and was posted in Iraq during World War II where he met and married a local Arab Catholic girl, Asnat Ziya.
Robin Ghosh was born in Baghdad on September 13, 1939, and grew up in an inter-faith household with a Bengali Hindu father and an Arab Catholic mother.
He received his initial education at a convent school in Baghdad. After the War was over, the family decided to shift base in 1945 and moved to East Pakistan and settled in Dhaka.
However, once in Dhaka, Robin’s father deserted his wife and two young sons and married another girl and set up home with her, severing all ties with his former family.
After this debacle, his mother single-handedly raised her two sons, living in Wari, Old Dhaka. Ghosh had a mellifluous voice and was selected as a regular church choir singer when he was still very young.
From here he developed an interest in music. As he grew up, his love for music grew into a passion and he collected gramophone records and listened to all types of music.
Towards the fag end of the 1950s, Robin Ghosh’s friend offered him a job at Radio Pakistan in Dhaka.
This friend’s sister, Jharna Basak, was at that time trying to find a foothold in the film industry as a budding actress. Romance bloomed between the two young aspiring artists.
Meanwhile, Ghosh worked at the radio station and simultaneously assisted various music directors.
His debut was for the Bengali film, Rajdhanir Bookay in 1960, and followed by numerous other Bengali and Urdu films, including Chanda (1962), Talash (1963), Paisa (1964), Chakori (1967) and Bhaiya (1966).
After the release of the film Tum Meray Ho, Ghosh moved to Karachi, continuing to compose film music into the 1980s.
He composed songs for the film Aaina (1977) one of the greatest films ever made in the Pakistani film industry.
Many renowned singers of that era rendered songs composed by him including Akhlaq Ahmad, Noor Jahan, Mahdi Hassan, Ahmad Rushdi and others.
He won the prestigious Nigar Awards six times during his long and illustrious music career. Ghosh was not only a successful composer but was also a sophisticated man and a very good human being.
He died on February 13, 2016 at the age of 78. He was buried as per Christian rites at the Old Christian Cemetery near Baldha Garden, Wari in Dhaka, Bangladesh.