Sachin Dev Burman, also known as S.D. Burman, was born in Comilla (now in Bangladesh) in the royal family of Tripura on 1/10/1906.

Adept in dhrupad and sitar, his father, Nabadip Chandra Dev Burman, was one of his earliest mentors. He moved to Kolkatta for post-graduate studies, S.D. Burman continued to train in music under K.C. Dey (Manna Dey’s uncle), Ustad Badal Khan and Ustad Allauddin Khan.

He began his career as a singer on Calcutta Radio station in the late 1920s and gradually gained popularity as a Bengali folk and light classical music singer. He began composing music for Bengali films in 1937.

S.D. Burman did not have a good beginning and his songs were rejected due to his strong Bengali accent!

He moved to Mumbai in 1944. His first movie as a music director was “Shikari” (1946), but it was only in 1950 that his career really took off, thanks to a series of collaborations with Dev Anand starting with “Baazi” (1950). Dada went on to compose music for 14 Navketan Films. He was first choice of Dev Anand even for other producers. It was in the 1950s that he developed the style of music he came to be known for - simple melodies (he wanted his servants to be able to hum his songs) with folk music influences (as opposed to classical music that was in vogue at that time).

The 50s were also eventful in terms of his relationships with his singers. He had a fallout with Lata Mangeshkar in 1957 and did not use her as a singer for the next six years.

1965 was a landmark year for him. He recovered from a serious illness while composing for the movie “Guide”. He in fact told Dev Anand to find another Music Director but Dev Anand told him that he would wait. SB went on to compose one of his best bodies of work. Every song in “Guide” became hugely popular and critically acclaimed.

Aradhana was his last Movie and The movie brought Rajesh Khanna to Stardom. SD Burman died in 1975.