Veteran Music Director Ravindra Jain Dies at 71

Veteran Music Director Ravindra Jain Dies at 71
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Globally renowned Singer, Composer and Music Director Mr. Ravindra Jain passed away at 4:10 PM on October 9 at Lilavati Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai. He was 71. His death, was caused by multiple organ failure, said his wife, Divya. Besides his wife, he is survived by his son, Ayushman. His funeral on Oct. 10 was attended by a large number of celebrities from India's movie and music industry, as well as scores of his fans.

Born blind on February 28, 1944, Ravindra Jain, was one of the most celebrated music composers of the 1970s and 1980s. He composed memorable music for films such as Chor Machaye Shor, Geet Gaata Chal, Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Chitchor and Heena. He also composed music for India's epic TV serial "Ramayan".

"He will be remembered for his versatile music and fighting spirit," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement.

Stout of build with flowing black hair and often wearing wraparound sunglasses, Mr. Jain was one of India's most celebrated musicians. Besides composing music and writing lyrics, he was also a an accomplished singer with baritone voice - who found wide audiences performing in concert and on television music shows.

In 1985, Mr. Jain received the Filmfare Award, India's equivalent to the Oscar, as best music director, for Raj Kapoor's "Ram Teri Ganga Maili."

Mr. Jain originally found fame after meeting the southern Indian singing star K.J. Yesudas. Together they produced a string of hits in the 1970s and '80s. Mr. Jain once said that if he was ever to gain sight, Mr. Yesudas's face was the first he wished to see.

Ravindra Jain was born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He was the third among seven brothers and a sister. His father was a Sanskrit authority, or pundit; his mother was a homemaker.

Mr. Jain turned to music at a young age and started singing devotional songs at temples. "I was not unaware of my talent," he told an interviewer. "I was determined to overcome my handicap and scale heights of success in music."

Mr. Jain was fond of reciting a poem with the lines, "Work in such a way with closed eyes that it can open the eyes of those who can see."

He had built a reputation as a composer, singer and songwriter by the time he landed in Mumbai in the early 1970s and started scoring music for India's vibrant film industry. He also wrote songs and lyrics and sang in many of the films he scored.

Much of his music was in the classical Indian mode. "Pure, classical music is the closest thing to God," he said.

Besides his prolific output, he was known for an almost single-minded devotion to his craft. In 1973 he was at a recording studio when he received word that his father had died, but he refused to leave until his work was done.

"Music is everything for me," he said in an interview. "It is the very way of life for me."

He also produced religious albums in different Indian languages, including Bengali and Malayalam, which continue to be played in temples across the country.