M.S. Babu Raj
| M. S. Baburaj | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mohammad Sabir Baburaj |
| Also known as | Baburaj, Babukka |
| Born |
9 March 1921 Kozhikode, Kerala, India |
| Died | 7 October 1978 (aged 57) |
| Genres | Film score |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, singer, instrumentalist, |
| Years active | 1957–1978 |
Mohammad Sabir Baburaj (Malayalam: എം.എസ്. ബാബുരാജ്), also known as M. S. Baburaj, was a Malayalam music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs.
Baburaj was born on 9 March 1921 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, Kunjahammed (he was called Kunjahammed ka), an enthusiast of music from his native town of Kozhikode, noticing the boy's vocal talents, decided to virtually adopt him.
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.
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