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MASTER MADAN
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'THE BOY GENIUS'
There has never been a singer like Master Madan who sang with a touch of the divine. Sadly enough, there has been no effort to keep the memory of the child prodigy alive either in Jalandhar where he was born or in Shimla where he lived. Master Madan was born on December 28, 1927, in village Khanekhana, in district Jullundar.
His father Sardar Amar Singh was himself a keen music lover and was quite good at playing the harmonium and tabla. Madan’s mother Puran Devi was a deeply religious woman and was responsible for Madan’s spiritual leanings from early childhood. His brother Mohan, 13 years older to him, was an accomplished singer and violinist. Master Madan gave his first public performance in June 1930 at the Dharampur Sanatorium. Then only three and a half years of age, he created a sensation and the audience was just wonderstruck on hearing his "Hey sharda naman karun" and another composition in Dhrupad. The news spread like wildfire all over the country and there was unprecedented media coverage. Adored as a child prodigy, he soon became a cult figure and got invited to every major musical event organised in different parts of India. Master Madan was paid Rs 80 for a local performance and Rs 250 for an outstation concert. On an average he gave about 20 performances per month. However it was not his love of money that made him sing so much but more his devotion to music.
It was in Delhi that Madan caught a fever but still continued with his radio programmes. His fever persisted and no medication seemed to help. As time passed, Madan’s forehead and other bone joints started shining. It was then suspected that someone had fed Madan mercury. There was a rumour that some other singer, motivated by jealousy, had mixed mercury in his milk, which he used to drink at the All India Radio canteen. His condition continued to deteriorate and the end for this great musical genius finally came on June 6, 1942. More than 60 years have passed since Master Madan departed but no one has yet appeared on the music scene to match his mastery of Hindustani classical music and his melodious unbroken voice. During his, short lifetime he recorded only 8 songs, and here they are in their glory, for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.
There has never been a singer like Master Madan who sang with a touch of the divine. Sadly enough, there has been no effort to keep the memory of the child prodigy alive either in Jalandhar where he was born or in Shimla where he lived. Master Madan was born on December 28, 1927, in village Khanekhana, in district Jullundar.
His father Sardar Amar Singh was himself a keen music lover and was quite good at playing the harmonium and tabla. Madan’s mother Puran Devi was a deeply religious woman and was responsible for Madan’s spiritual leanings from early childhood. His brother Mohan, 13 years older to him, was an accomplished singer and violinist. Master Madan gave his first public performance in June 1930 at the Dharampur Sanatorium. Then only three and a half years of age, he created a sensation and the audience was just wonderstruck on hearing his "Hey sharda naman karun" and another composition in Dhrupad. The news spread like wildfire all over the country and there was unprecedented media coverage. Adored as a child prodigy, he soon became a cult figure and got invited to every major musical event organised in different parts of India. Master Madan was paid Rs 80 for a local performance and Rs 250 for an outstation concert. On an average he gave about 20 performances per month. However it was not his love of money that made him sing so much but more his devotion to music.
It was in Delhi that Madan caught a fever but still continued with his radio programmes. His fever persisted and no medication seemed to help. As time passed, Madan’s forehead and other bone joints started shining. It was then suspected that someone had fed Madan mercury. There was a rumour that some other singer, motivated by jealousy, had mixed mercury in his milk, which he used to drink at the All India Radio canteen. His condition continued to deteriorate and the end for this great musical genius finally came on June 6, 1942. More than 60 years have passed since Master Madan departed but no one has yet appeared on the music scene to match his mastery of Hindustani classical music and his melodious unbroken voice. During his, short lifetime he recorded only 8 songs, and here they are in their glory, for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.
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