I sing for my fans: legendary singer Manna Dey

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BANGALORE - At 90, legendary singer Manna Dey is a busy man. After being recently honoured with the 55th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his lifetime contribution towards Indian cinema, he is busy singing around the world.

Asked what keeps him going, Dey told IANS: “It’s the love of my fans. I sing for my fans. They have showered me with so much love and adulation everywhere I go, I cannot say no to them.”

He is just back from a musical tour in the US and is busy practising every morning at his home in Banaswadi here for the concert this Sunday. He could not turn down the long pending request of his fans here.

“Both me and my wife Sulochana love Bangalore. People here are musically inclined and I hope to give my best at the concert for my fans,” said Dey, who shifted from Mumbai to Bangalore in 2001 to stay near his daughter Shuroma here.

During his three-hour long concert, he will sing 25 of his popular songs including “Aye mere pyare watan”, “Pucho na kaise maine raen bitaye”, “Aey bhai zara dekh ke chalo”, “Zindagi kaisi hai pehali” and “Jhanak jhanak tore bajey payaliya” at Ambedkar Bhavan here.

The event is being organised by Manna Dey Fan Club in Bangalore in collaboration with Maam Entertainment, a city-based event management group.

“It’s an honour for us that Manna Dey has agreed to perform for his fans in Bangalore. He’s a legend and it will be a sheer pleasure for his fans in the city to listen to the veteran singers,” Arundhati Biswas, a member of the club, told IANS.

There are around 500 members in the club.

At the concert, Dey will walk down the memory lane to re-live a 60-year singing career with some of his most popular songs and recount anecdotes from his life and career as one of the most versatile singers of the Hindi film industry.

K.C. Khurana, the 85-year-old anchorperson who has been hosting several of Dey’s shows since last three decades, will be specially coming from New Delhi to accompany the singer at the dais in Bangalore.

“All his old musicians who played for Manna da earlier will be coming from Mumbai to play at the concert,” added Biswas.

As a tribute to the legend, Dey will be felicitated on the day by his fans.

In commemoration, a silver coin engraved with a portrait of Manna Dey will be released at the concert, along with limited editions of an audio CD with 15 of Manna Dey’s biggest hits selected personally by him.

While the concert is mainly by invitation, limited tickets priced at Rs.500 and Rs.250 are also available, say the organisers who are hoping to host around 1,300 in the audience on the day.