Robin Ghosh (, ; 13 September 1939 – 13 February 2016) was a Pakistani-Bangladeshi playback singer and film music composer, best known for singing and composing music for

Lollywood Lollywood is Pakistan's film industry, which has served as the base for both Urdu- and Punjabi-language film production. Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since independence in 1947. However, with the Urdu film hub largel ...

films from 1961 to 1986. Robin Ghosh had a notable contribution in establishing career of Playback singer

Ahmed Rushdi Ahmed Rushdi (; 24 April 1934 – 11 April 1983) was a versatile Pakistani playback singer and was "an important contributor to the Cinema of Pakistan#The Golden Era (1959–1977), golden age of Pakistani film music". Regarded as one of the gr ...

and to his success. Ghosh gained fame in the mid-1960s when Rushdi sang his compositions in films like '' Chakori (1967)'', ''Jahan Tum Wahan Hum'', ''Paisa'', etc.

Early life

Robin Ghosh's father worked for the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

and was posted at

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where Ghosh was educated in a convent school. His father was a Bengali Hindu, who had never converted to Christianity and his mother was an Arab Catholic Christian named Asnat Zia Ghosh, a Baghdadi Catholic Christian. When Ghosh was young, his father S.M Ghosh left the family and married another woman leaving the family to Asnat, which she raised all by herself in Wari, Old Dhaka. His brother, Ashok Ghosh, was a film director in Bangladesh and directed the film Nacher Putol 1972, which has the famous song “”Rup Nogorer Rajkonna. When the

ended in 1945, the six-year-old Ghosh along with his family moved to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

(in pre-partitioned India). He showed interest in music, collecting

gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

records and playing the

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

, and finally graduated with music major in Dhaka.

Family life

In the late 1950s, Ghosh was offered a job at the Dhaka Radio Station by a friend. This friend's sister,

Shabnam Jharna Basak (born 17 August 1946), known by her stage name Shabnam, is a Bangladeshi–Pakistani stage and film actress. Actor Waheed Murad introduced her to the Pakistani film industry by offering her a lead role in his film '' Samundar'' in ...

who occasionally played in various Bengali films, became friends with him. The two finally got married. Together they had a son, Ronnie (born 1966).

Film career

Since Robin Ghosh was a Christian, he had exposure to 'choir singing' at his church. When he was young, he had also worked with veteran film music composer

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, Hindi cinema, Hindi and Malayalam films, Malayalam films. ...

. Later he also worked, as an assistant, with a Pakistani film music composer from Bengal, Muslahuddin. In the early 1960s, film director Ehtesham visited Dhaka Radio Station, and offered Ghosh a contract as a composer for his films. His debut was for the Bengali film ''Raj Dhanir 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 Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

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 The film industry of Pakistan, consisting of motion pictures, has had a large effect on Pakistani society and culture since the nation's independence. Pakistani cinema is made up of various sub-industries, including Lollywood, which mak ...

. This film celebrated its

Platinum Jubilee A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among Monarchy, monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary. The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the ...

at the Pakistani cinemas.

discography

Awards and recognition

Robin Ghosh won a total of 6 Nigar Awards for the following films: * Nigar Award for best film composer for Talash (1963) * Nigar Award for best film composer for Chakori (1967) * Nigar Award for best film composer for ''Chahat'' (1974) * Nigar Award for best film composer for Aaina (1977) * Nigar Award for best film composer for

Bandish Bandish, cheez or gat is a fixed, melodic composition in Hindustani vocal or instrumental music. It is set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhawaj, a steady drone, and melodic accompaniment by a sarangi, ...

(1980) * Nigar Award for best film composer for '' Doorian'' (1984)

Death and legacy

On 10 February 2016, Ghosh became ill and was admitted to a hospital in

, Bangladesh. He died on 13 February 2016 due to

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a r ...

. He was 78 years old.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghosh, Robin 1937 births 2016 deaths Bangladeshi Christians Bengali musicians Musicians from Baghdad Bangladeshi film score composers Pakistani film score composers Male film score composers 20th-century composers 21st-century composers Nigar Award winners Pakistani composers Pakistani Christians Pakistani people of Bengali descent Pakistani people of Iraqi descent 20th-century male composers 21st-century male musicians