Suman Kalyanpur, was a popular singer of the 50s and 60s, famous for her sweet voice that resonated with emotion and melody.
Born on January 28, 1937, in Dhaka, British India (present-day Bangladesh), as Suman Hemmadi, she found her passion for music and painting at an early age. After completing schooling from Mumbai’s famed St. Columba High School, she got admission in the prestigious Sir J. J. School of Arts for further studies in painting. She also started learning classical vocals from Pandit Keshav Rao Bhole. When her interest grew in music, she started learning it professionally from Ustad “Khan, Abdul Rehman Khan” and Guruji “Master Navrang.”
Suman Hemmady married Mumbai-based businessman Ramanand Kalyanpur in 1958, who greatly encouraged her in her pursuit of becoming a singer.
In an Interview when someone asked Lata ji about Suman Kalyanpur, she told that She was going to sing that lullaby and even rehearsed for it but later on Mohammad Shafi’s asking she gave that song to Suman, which become her first song.
Willum Skeener
She started singing on All India Radio in 1952. Her first film song came in the Marathi film Shukrachi Chandni (1953), where actor/filmmaker Sheikh Mukhtar noticed her and gave her a break under “Mohammad Shafi.” Later, Mohammad Shafi was replaced with OP Nayyar, but her lullaby “Koi Pukare Dheere Se Tujhe” was retained in the film.
Next She sang for Naushad in the film Darwaza (1954), which was produced by Ismat Chugtai and directed by Shahid Lateef. In the same year, she sang a few lines in O.P.Nayyar’s hit ensemble song “Mohabbat Kar Lo Ji Bhar Lo Aji Kisne Roka Hai” with Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt for the film Aar Paar, Her Only OP Nayyar song.
In the golden era of Bollywood music, Suman Kalyanpur’s collaborations with legendary composers like Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Madan Mohan, S. D. Burman, N. Datta, Hemant Kumar, Chitragupta, Naushad, S. N. Tripathi, Ghulam Mohammed, Kalyanji Anandji, and Laxmikant-Pyarelal resulted in timeless melodies. Some of her famous films were Miyan Bibi Razi (1960), Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Dil Hi To Hai (1963), Shagoon (1964), Jahan Ara (1964), Sanjh Aur Savera (1964), Noor Jehan (1967), Saathi (1968), and Pakeezah (1971).
She recorded some popular duets with male singers Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, and Hemant Kumar, but her most memorable duets are with Rafi, like “Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche,” “Na Na Karte Pyaar,” “Tumse O Hasina,” “Rahen Na Rahen Hum,” “Parbaton Ke Pedon Par Shaam Ka Basera He,” “Ajahuna Aye Balama,” “Tumane Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aye,” “Bad Muddat Ke Yeh Ghadi Ayee,” “Mujhe Yeh Bhool Na,” “Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya,” “Tujhko Dilbari Ki Kasam,” and “Chand Takata Hai Idhar”.
Her songs with Mukesh Ji, like `Yeh Kisne Geet Chheda’, “Akhiyon ka noor hai tu,” “Mera Pyar Bhi Tu Hai,” “Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya,” and “Shama Se Koi Kehde,” are still popular.
Suman Kalyanpur was a trained singer with great calibre, but her voice and style were so similar to Lataji that people get confused between the two. She herself was aware of it and once said, “I was quite influenced by her in my college days; I always used to sing her songs. Meri aawaaz bhi nazuk aur patli thi (My voice was delicate and thin). What could I do?
Despite facing tough competition in the industry, Suman’s beautiful voice and emotional depth earned her a devoted fan base, which still remembered her with love and respect..
