JOIN USBiddu, the music maker from Bangalore whose sense of adventure carried him to distant shores, has returned as a writer with a story to tell.
Launching his autobiography Made in India — Adventures of a lifetime at the Reliance Timeout book store, he regaled the packed house by singing three popular songs including his famous Bollywood hit from decades ago — Aap Jaisa Koi (popularised by the young Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan in the film Qurbani).
He also read a few excerpts from his book and exchanged banter with the audience many of whom were familiar faces from the past. “Growing up in Bangalore in the 1940s for a boy, who yearned for chocolates, blue jeans and hamburgers that were impossible to come by (unless brought down by a benevolent relative from overseas), was an experience in delayed gratification that probably motivated him to leave for greener pastures no matter what hardships he had to undergo.
“My friends and I had big dreams of going West, where the all the fun and glamour lay, and not the faintest idea how to get there. But we tried!” laughs Biddu reading aloud from his book, in which he chronicles his growing years, his touchingly funny boyhood escapades and his amazing journey to success.
Deciding to change tracks and becoming a writer after 50 years in the music business, he says he enjoys his new role as a published author, who has not one, but a three-book deal with Harper Collins. “The change from musician was not too drastic for me as writing a novel is a bit like writing songs. Instead of using synthesisers, I stick to a computer. Writing songs or novels require discipline and dedication,” he says. “Sadly, the Indian music scene is so strongly dominated by Bollywood that young aspiring musicians, who are not film centric, have no where to showcase their talent,” he adds.