The beauty of being part of the subcontinent is in being in touch with its many languages and cultures. Think of all the artistes, singers as well as actors, who have played pivotal roles in situations where they have had to employ language not their own. Hemanta Mukherjee, as Hemant Kumar, was an ardent Bengali whose renditions of songs in Urdu remain memorable. There is jab jaag uthe armaan to kaise neend aaye / ho ghar mein haseen mehmaan to kaise neend aaye. There are other songs in Urdu and Hindi from him as well, some of the notable ones being na tum hamen jano na hum tumhe jaane and hai apna dil to awara na jaane kis pe aye gaa.
In the overall sense, it has largely been Bengalis, on both sides of the old Bengal, who have proved to be more adept in adapting to roles in other languages. Shabnam and Rahman, full-blooded Bengalis from Bangladesh, spent years acting in Urdu movies both in East and West Pakistan. As for singers, our very own Ferdousi Rahman remains famous for her songs in Talash and Chanda. You can say the same about Farida Yasmeen, whose saiyan bedardi mora dard na jaane re has endured the test of time. Ferdousi's wo mere saamne tasveer bane baithen hain in Chakori lulls you to a state of contentment. And let's not forget Runa Laila's aap dil ki anjuman mein husn ban kar aagaye and dyaare dyaare kanta chubha.
Kishore Kumar's Urdu and Hindi songs have remained unbeatable. Such lilting melodies as mere mehboob qayamat ho gi and wo shaam kuch ajeeb thi and jeevan se meri teri aankhen are only a few of the gems he has left behind. Again, there is Geeta Dutt with her inimitable Urdu numbers. Try recalling some of them --- ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan (with Mohammad Rafi), jaane kya tum ne kahi, waqt ne kia kya haseen sitam, ae dil mujhe bata de, mera naam chin chin chin --- and you will remember anew the versatility that was in her. A bad marriage and resultant depression left her life in near tatters.

Of course, there have been non-Bengalis who have sung in Bengali, though their number remains limited. The exception, somewhat, is Talat Mahmood, whose repertoire of Bengali songs remains rather remarkable. His finesse comes through in je aankhi te ato haashi lukano, ghuumero chhaya chandero chokhe, tumi shundor jodi nahi hau, tumi esho phire esho jodi aashe chhele bela and so many others. Rafi's tomader aashirbaade ei shotodol mathaye rakhi, indeed his renditions of Nazrul songs, are instances of the master artiste he was. Pakistan's Mehdi Hasan sang harano din-er kotha mone porhe jaaye in style that could only be his and no one else's. And then there was Naheed Niazi with her Bengali music. Chitra Singh's ghazals are melodies you need in the depths of your passion on winter nights.
And who can forget that other, greater Bengali, none other than Sachin Dev Burman? Sun mere bandhu re and kaahe ko roye sapna hogi teri aradhana are classics we go on humming in the silences of autumn evenings.
Meanwhile, take care to remember Manna Dey, of course.
The writer is Executive Editor,
The Daily Star