100 years of Mehboob: A legacy that lives on

Opposite Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi is the office of Mehboob Memorial Orchestra; A shrine of memories dedicated to Kerala’s popular singer H Mehboob, who never fails to delight his audiences on and off stage.

Mehboob’s legacy remains intact here; old photographs hang on the walls, and pictures of her and singer Mohammed Rafi (Mehboob idolized the legendary singer) are displayed on the stage in the central hall.

Members of the “club”, as he calls it, come together here every Friday and offer their modest stage to those who are aspiring musicians. “This is how we keep the spirit of music alive,” says KA Hussain, secretary and one of the early members of the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra (MMO). Hussain adds that the building itself is over 130 years old.

Sitting on a chair near the window overlooking the street and the ancient rain tree, Hussain talks about Mehboob, carefully editing his words. “brother It was the only one of its kind; He was a true maverick. No one could guess what he had in his hands, and that was part of his charm.

Founded as an unofficial collective called Raag a year before Mehboob’s death in 1981, MMO was officially founded in 1985 to celebrate her life and music. The founding members included late ghazal singer Umbayee, who had a close bond with Mehboob and performed with her on various stages.

Mehboob, a feeling

For over four decades, MMO, like Mehboob herself, has continued to spread the joy of music, one of the most dramatic and meaningful stories in Kerala’s musical history. Hussain says Mehboob’s heyday is a feeling for everyone who grew up in the Fort Kochi-Mattancherry area. “He was ‘Bhai’ to everyone. He had a rare ability to connect with people. There was a time when his stage shows would draw crowds even larger than those of KJ Yesudas,” says Hussain, who often stops to recite a couplet or two from Mehboob’s famous songs.

H Mehboob | Photo Credit: Special Editing

“His style was unique – there was humour, spirit and spontaneity in everything he said. Even his sartorial choices were quite unique. He wore baggy shirts, which added to his personality,” recalls Hussain.

Born in Mattancherry in 1926, Mehboob grew up in a poor family; He spent his childhood almost in the military barracks at Fort Kochi, Pattalam. His inner talent endeared him to people and he sang everywhere – at weddings, Mehfilsor just with a group of friends under the benevolent domes of Fort Kochi.

Mehboob, along with lyricists Nelson Fernandez and Meppally Balan, some of whom later appeared in mainstream Malayalam films (e.g. Annayum Rasoolum (Kayalinarike…).

Movies and fame

It didn’t take long for his talent to be noticed by the film world. Actor TS Muthaiah suggested his name to composer V Dakshinamoorthy, who gave him three songs in the film. Jeevithanouka. However, this was K Raghavan’s composition titled ‘Maanennum vilikkilla’. Neelakkuyil (1954) which catapulted him to film fame. Soon he was singing for all the top Malayalam film music composers.

H Mehboob | Photo Credit: Special Editing

But Mehboob didn’t care much about her fame. According to music historians, he was “difficult to understand”. “This was also part of Mehboob’s Sufi charm. She was a poetic traveler who did not want to own anything. If you asked anyone, from a barber to a fishmonger in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, they would speak with a sense of warmth that few artists can evoke,” says senior journalist K Pradeep, one of the founders of Kraft, a festival of literature and thought. The latest edition of the festival included a session called ‘Mehboob@100’, which highlighted the singer and her life in music.

Little Mehboob | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat

Junior Mehboob’s mentor

Among the few surviving musicians who shared the stage with Mehboob in Kochi is Junior Mehboob, who says he was named after the legendary singer. He started singing with Mehboob at the age of six. “He literally took me under his wing; I would accompany him at his shows and sing with him. Thanks to him, I am the musician I am today. He showed me the way,” says Junior.

At 75, Junior remains a living archive of Mehboob’s musical legacy. “I know all her songs by heart. She has sung more than 60 songs. I have attended almost all of Mehboob’s tribute concerts and even performed in concerts dedicated to her abroad,” says Junior.

“His style is inimitable. Take the song ‘Kathu sookshichoru kasthuri mambazham…’ from the movie. Nair Pidicha Pulivaal, for example. He added his magic to the song he composed in the qawwali format. Few singers can instill such individuality and charisma,” says Junior.

He describes his mentor as a caring person. “He used to address me as ‘kutty’ (meaning child in Malayalam). And he was really like a father to me. He was the one who took me to Madras (Chennai) for the first time,” recalls Junior.

For the last 40 years, he has been singing at Hotel Abad Plaza with the passion he attributes to his mentor. “The Bhai I know is a wonderful person”

Everyone has a Mehboob story

According to TV producer and director Diana Silvester, her bond with Mehboob dates back to her childhood. Diana’s father, CR Silvester, was a patron of the arts and would host it. Mehfils Nazreth at their home in Fort Kochi. And Mehboob was a regular.

Diana Silvester | Photo Credit: Special Editing

But most of what Diana knows about Mehoob is through the colorful stories her parents, Silvester and Amy, tell her. “There are many anecdotes about Mehboob, but what impresses me the most is her singing the same song with different tunes. That’s how her life was; everyone has their own Mehboob story,” he says.

In the late 1990s, Diana made a documentary about the musician that captured the essence of his genius.

H Mehboob (black), an old photo | Photo Credit: Special Editing

“The documentary, planned as two parts, later became ten parts. During the shoot, we had people come forward with their own Mehboob stories. It was an experience worth cherishing,” says Diana.

In her last days, Mehboob spent a few days at Diana’s house. He recalls a vague memory of her sitting with a group of people in the garden of their then-new house in Chullikkal, singing a fluent English song that said ‘Tomy and Laura were lovers…’.

Mehboob died on April 22, 1981, at the age of 55. Forty-five years later, his stories, songs, and antics continue to be retold in vivid color by generations of music lovers.