Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman is a personal and in depth overview of the all time great music maestro SD Burman. Hardly a situation goes by when one does not see a reference to "SDB" or "SD Burman" or "Sachin Karta" when Hindi film music or modern Bengali songs are discussed. He was part of the DNA of these genres. What began in the early thirties of the last century continues to draw attention even today as his music had an allure and flavour that remains unprecedented. He was an institution ... as a composer, as a singer. Here was a master who also drew out the best from his singers, lyricists and instrumentalists and helped them excel in their craft. Dhaka-based author HQ Chowdhury, offers a full fledged story of the composer-singer SD Burman covering his successes, failures, idiosyncrasies and what peers thought of him. A Special Foreword written by Santoor maestro Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and an Introduction by Film Music Historian Manek Premchand lend valuable added perspectives to the remarkable personality and genius of SD Burman. Painstakingly meticulous and accurate, this biography of music maestro SD Burman is written with incredible thoroughness by HQ Chowdhury. It chronicles his family background, childhood, early days in Comilla and Calcutta, his amazing passion for music of the rustic hinterland and his rigorous training under his gurus. His work in the world of Hindi film music, his association with his singers, lyricists, fellow composers and stars and filmmakers is detailed with indepth research, archival material and the author's own personal interactions with the people who worked with the maestro. In the world of Hindi film music, he was popularly known as the music composer SD Burman or Burman Dada. But in West Bengal and Bangladesh he was an all-time great singer, Sachin Karta or Sachindev. The book traverses the two musical worlds of Sachin Dev Burman - one as a composer and the other, as a singer - and makes it available in a language common to all. Burman Dada's thoughts and beliefs, successes and failures, his innocence and penchant for perfection, and his style of working - all come through in the detailed descriptions, facts, analyses, interviews and anecdotes, collected and written by HQ Chowdhury. The complete and detailed Discography lists all the songs Burman Dada has sung or given music for in Bengali and Hindi. Along with a collection of rare pictures this book will serve as a great resource of students of modern Bengali songs, Hindi film songs and vintage Bollywood films. About HQ Chowdhury HQ Chowdhury is a freelance writer on music and films. He first wrote in the late 1960s for the People, an English daily from Dhaka and then for a while in the early 1970s for Cine Advance, published from Kolkata and Mumbai. He is a recipient of the 2006 'Sachin Dev Burman Award' from the Government of Tripura, India. HQ Chowdhury is the CEO of Plasma Plus, an application laboratory of science and technology of which he is also the founder. He was listed in the Marquis WHO's WHO in the World of Professionals from 1997 to 2002.

S.D. Burman was singer, musician, composer and teacher all at once - a trailblazer in the truest sense of the term. He was a prince who lived a commoner's life, a singer who created tunes instead, a classically trained musician who composed for the lay listener. His incredible career in Hindi cinema spanned three decades - through all the years of which his spirit was as fresh and young as when he started. His compositions were filmed on succeeding generations of stars to unflaggingly wonderful effect. This chronicle of the life of S.D. Burman tells his story through a kaleidoscope of montages from the inner and outer worlds he inhabited. Fragmented memoirs of his days in the sylvan surroundings of Comilla, interviews, press clippings and archival material piece together the story of the man who created some of Hindi cinema's most enduring songs. Facts and records are knitted into a multidimensional narrative that carries the reader into the little-known world of a man whose contradictions made him unique and gave him a place all his own in music. Sun Mere Bandhu Re ... The Musical World of S.D. Burman is a biography unlike any you have read before.

A rare compilation of hand-printed as well as digitalized landmark Hindi film posters from the 1930s to the present - both tracing the journey of an art form and the evolution of cinema in India. The text accompanying each poster carries a synopsis, banner, details of cast and technical crew, date of release, famous songs, awards won, and some lesser-known anecdotes about the film. The posters are from young Hindi film buff, S M M Ausaja's personal collection of posters, lobby cards, record album covers and other memorabilia.

SD, or Sachin Dev Burman, the man who gave Hindi film music its grammar, is perhaps the most enigmatic figure in Indian cine history. As the young scion of the Tripura royal family, SD struck out into the world of cinema and popular music. The early years were difficult, professionally and personally. His unconventional choice of profession and marriage to a 'commoner' caused his family to ostracize him, and his formal training was not enough to stave off rejections. This well-researched biography is both a tribute to a great artist, and a deep inquiry into what made his music great. Going well beyond merely listing his greatest songs, it explores hitherto unknown stories about the creation of each gem: 'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya' (Do Bhai, 1948); 'Thandi hawaein' (Naujawan, 1951); 'Yeh raat yeh chandni' (Jaal, 1952); 'Babu samjho ishaare' (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, 1958); 'Meet na mila re mann ka' (Abhiman, 1973), and more. The book is packed with insights into SD's life, work and his astute understanding of Hindi cinema. Despite the fact that he was an outsider who spoke little Hindi or Urdu, SD was the man who introduced Sahir Ludhianvi to the world, and the one who gave Kishore Kumar's musical brilliance its due. His readiness to adapt to modern sounds and techniques, his unwavering faith in Lata Mangeshkar's virtuosity, his closeness to Dev Anand that was seen as nepotism, charges of plagiarism-S.D. Burman: The Prince-Musician provides unmatched insight into both the genius of one of India's most significant composers and a crucial aspect of its glorious cinematic history. An essential addition to every film music aficionado's library.

On the life and works of Sachin Dev Burman, 1906-1975, Bengali and Hindi film music director.

In August 2012, at the Tony Ireland stadium in Townsville, Australia, a star was born. Unmukt Chand led the India U-19 team to its first World Cup win outside Asia, leading them there with a stellar performance of his own. Now on the cusp of finding a place in the national team, Unmukt stands as a beacon for the future of Indian cricket. In this book Unmukt describes, in his own words, his journey up until this point, and how he came to represent his country—as captain no less—and brought home this prestigious trophy. Inspirational, revelatory and intensely engaging, The Sky is the Limit is the story of how one young man’s determination to work hard and take every chance he got made his dream come true.

One of India's Finest Actors Talks His Most Iconic Roles Soumitra Chatterjee became internationally famous with his debut in Satyajit Ray's Apur Sansar. In an era when Uttam Kumar ruled the minds and hearts of Bengali film audiences, Chatterjee carved a niche for himself, emerging as one of the finest actors, not only in India, but also in the world. Beyond Apu - 20 Favourite Film Roles of Soumitra Chatterjee looks at the cinematic life of this thespian through twenty of the most iconic characters he has essayed. Handpicked by the star himself, and brimming over with vintage anecdotes, this is a fascinating read on the art and craft of a master at work. Including insightful essays on his theatre and other artistic achievements, this book not only introduces the reader to an icon of Indian cinema but also offers a unique insight into the mind of a genius.

Indian film industry is the largest in the world. It releases 1000 plus movies annually. Most films are made in South Indian languages (viz., Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam). Nevertheless, Hindi films take the largest box office share. India has 12,000 plus cinema halls and this industry churns out 1000 plus films a year. This book gives a brief history of the world's most exciting industrial enterprise. It gives the details, facts and vital sets of data of Indian cinema with amazing finesse. Its simple style and low cost enable all reader genres to read it. Renu Saran has penned this book for the lovers of Indian cinema. She has given many good books to our valued readers. She has worked very hard to collect data and analyze information sets. That is why this book has become one of the best in its genre.

Yesterday’s Melodies Todays Memories is a rare collection of profiles of all important music-makers of the Hindi Film Industry between 1931 and 1970. It not only gives a biographical background of each music artiste, but it goes further to interview many of the surviving giants and completes the task by listing some of the best songs with which that person is associated. Here are singers that include the whole gamut from KL Saigal to Asha Bhosle, lyricists that include Sahir and Gulzar, music composers from Naushad to RD Burman, artistes that were part-time singers and full time actors like Ashok Kumar, melody queens like Noor Jahan and Lata Mangeshkar, gentlemen lyricists like Prem Dhawan and gentlemen singers like Manna Dey, mischief-makers like Kishore Kumar and rebels without pause like OP Nayyar and Majrooh Sultanpuri. In fact, this book is a house in which all these great talents live happily, each in a separate room, given space for self-expression. The serious research that has gone into this book is evident as you move from one chapter to another, opening layers after layers presented non-seriously. Over 100 music makers are presented this way and many more in a huge single chapter.