Master Madan Biography 
Master Maden was an Indian Ghazal and geet singer who was short-lived and lived in the pre-independent era. A child prodigy, he created great wonders on stage. He had only been able to record 8 songs because he died in the age of 14. He was also known as The Ghazal King. His eight songs are Bagaan wich peengan paiyaan and Raavi de parle kandey in Punjabi, Yun naa reh reh kar hamein tarsaaiye and Heyrat se tak rahaay hain jahane wafaa mujhe belonging to Urdu Ghazal genre, Goree goree baiyaan and Mori bintee mano kanha re in Thumri, Man ki man hi mahi rahi and Chetnaa hei to chet le in Gurbani. He died in Shimla reportedly due to mercury poisoning of his milk. But it’s only a rumour among numerous stories spread then. His death is still an unsolved puzzle.
Master Madan was born on 28 December 1927 and died on 5 June 1942. He hailed from Jalandhar, Punjab. He started singing at the age of 3 and he had gave his first public performance at the age of three and a half years at Dharampur Sanitorium in Himachal Pradesh. He surprised the audience by singing in dhrupad style of Hindustani music. The listeners were spell-bound with his command over rhyme and singing. The young lad concluded the recital with a devotional composition Hey sharda naman karoon in raag mishr kafi. The critics hailed it as the beginning of a fabulous era.
After his first performance he turned an overnight sensation and also achieved celebrity status. The news was covered by print media also. Master Madan’s elder brother Master Mohan was a singer and played violin too. They gave many performances together. Legendary singer K.L. Saigal who was in Shimla that time, used to bring his harmonium to their home for his singing and his brother played violin. Master Madan always carried a portrait of Guru Nanak wrapped in silk, a rosary and a gutka where ever he went.
He received guidance in singing from Amar Nath, a great musician and elder brother of composer duo- Husnalal Bhagatram. In 1940 Mahatma Gandhi visited Shimla only a very few people turned up at his meeting. Surprisingly most of them had gone to a concert of Master Madan. He was a favourite of many Indian rulers as well, who bestowed many prizes upon him.
There are many rumours surrounding his health. One of them goes like this – he was restless giving numerous performances, and got ill. His illness was ignored which resulted in his death. Another tale - he was given mercury in his drink by a jealous performer while he was at Delhi. Betel leaf, slow poison – stories are many. But we can’t deny the fact that greedy family and envious people killed such a talented lad in his teens who owned a gifted golden voice!
Published: October 04, 2018
Updated: October 08, 2018
