Ravi. Many of us knew him just by his first name. I will hazard a guess that if you watch Hindi films or listen to Hindi songs then you must have heard his music at some point in your life.  Ravi, (86), passed away on March 7, 2012 in Mumbai. He leaves behind a rich repertoire of music that span various genres and languages. To some he was known as Bombay Ravi since that was his South Indian avatar.

Like many young people in 1940s India, which was going through a fair bit of turmoil, Ravi chose a safe and stable job at the Indian Post and Telegraphs department. Music was his passion. He took a plunge in the 1950s and decided to try his luck at Bombay’s nascent Hindi film industry and got a break working with music director and singer Hemant Kumar. Eventually, Ravi struck out on his own and become a successful music director. He worked with talented directors like Guru Dutt, BR Chopra and Shakti Samantha.  He worked with the singer Mahendra Kapoor quite extensively, and some of the best songs of Kapoor are from his collaboration with Ravi.

Interestingly in the 1980s Ravi made a comeback as a music director for South Indian films, especially Malayalam pictures. He was known as “Bombay Ravi” in the South.

Here are a few songs from Ravi’s repertoire from the 1950s onwards. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Ravi composed music for a string of iconic films and gave us a lovely collection of classic hits. 

Does this song stir a long-forgotten memory? Perhaps for you it’s a “retro” Bollywood or Hindi song. But, for many others this was one of “the” song of their time.

Or, what about this lullaby that used to be sung to young kids in the pre-Internet days? “Chanda mama door” from the 1955 film “Vachan.”

This song was probably one of those romantic songs that was a bit hit with the young folks in the 1950s. Perhaps you have heard this number from “Dilli Ka Thug?”

In 1960 when Guru Dutt’s film “Chaudhavin Ka Chand” was released the title song from the film was a bit hit.

“Neele Gagan Ke Tale” from director BR Chopra’s film “Humraz” is a classic from the 1960s. Sung by Mahendra Kapoor this number remains a favorite with those, who grew up listening to “Chayya Geet” or “Manpasand Geet” radio program on All India Radio.

Then there was this song from “Gumrah” featuring singers Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle and picturised on Sunil Dutt and Mala Sinha.

In the 1970s Ravi’s music composition for “Nikaah” was a big hit, especially this song by Salma Agha.

Thank you Ravi sahib for creating and sharing this wonderful music for us. Rest in peace.