SSC
By what nickname was the music director R. D. Burman popularly known?
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Answer: Option D — Pancham Da
Detailed Solution
Rahul Dev Burman (1939-1994), one of the most innovative music directors of Hindi cinema, was popularly known as "Pancham" or "Pancham Da".
About the nickname:
According to a popular story, as a baby he cried in the musical note "Pa", the fifth note ("pancham") of the Indian scale "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa". The actor Ashok Kumar noticed this and called him "Pancham".
About R. D. Burman:
He was born on 27 June 1939 in Calcutta.
He was the son of the composer Sachin Dev Burman (S. D. Burman) and the lyricist Meera Dev Burman.
He began as an assistant to his father, and his first film as an independent composer was "Chhote Nawab" (1961).
His big break came with "Teesri Manzil" (1966).
He introduced Western, Latin, rock, jazz and electronic influences into Hindi film music and experimented with unusual sounds and instruments.
His famous songs include "Dum Maro Dum" ("Hare Rama Hare Krishna"), "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" ("Caravan"), "Mehbooba Mehbooba" ("Sholay"), and songs from "Amar Prem", "Kati Patang", "Yaadon Ki Baaraat" and "Ijaazat".
He worked very closely with the singers Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. He married Asha Bhosle in 1980.
His last film, "1942: A Love Story" (1994), was released after his death on 4 January 1994. It won him a posthumous Filmfare Award.
Nicknames of other music personalities:
- D. Burman: "Burman Dada".
- Ashok Kumar: "Dadamoni".
- Bappi Lahiri: "Bappi Da", the "Disco King".
- Kishore Kumar: real name Abhas Kumar Ganguly.
- Lata Mangeshkar: "Nightingale of India" (also "Queen of Melody").
Why not the other options?
- ✗"Dada Moni" was the nickname of the actor Ashok Kumar.
- ✗"Bappi Da" refers to Bappi Lahiri.
"Shonu" is not R. D. Burman's nickname.
Quick tip
Remember: R. D. Burman = "Pancham Da" (son of S. D. Burman; "Teesri Manzil", "Dum Maro Dum", "1942: A Love Story"; married Asha Bhosle); "Dadamoni" = Ashok Kumar.
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Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.