Enoch Daniels to receive Ram Kadam award today
February 19, 2008
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Veteran music arranger and composer Enoch Daniels will receive this year’s Ram Kadam award. The reward, instituted by the Sharad Krida Sanskrutik Pratishthan, has been given to lyricist Jagdish Khebudkar and music composer Bhaskar Chandawarkar in the past. Daniels will receive the award on Tuesday.
Fondly known as Danny, Enoch Daniels is a respected Bollywood music arranger and composer. Born in Pune on April 16, 1933, he developed a keen interest in music as a child. He began his musical training with lessons on the local church organ. It was while he was studying at the Ness Wadia College that he began mastering the piano accordion, a relatively new instrument for Indians in the 50s.
In 1953, he represented the University of Pune at the All-India Youth Festival in New Delhi. Daniels was able to exhibit his talent on a wider platform, the event greatly helped him decide on a career in music and gave up his plans to join the Indian Army and landed in Mumbai.
Daniels got his first break when he performed alongside guitarist Van Shipley in 1955. He earned international recognition as a performer and signed his first solo album with Columbia Records in 1957. While his performing career flourished, so did his work in the film industry. Daniels has worked with prominent music directors including S.D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Shanker Jaikishan, Vasant Desai, Salil Chowdhury, and O.P. Nayyar. The films he has worked on include ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, ‘Trishul’, ‘Chotisi Baat’ and ‘Pinjara’.
Daniels has composed music for several documentaries, commercials as well as solo albums of artistes like Talat Mehmood, Preeti Sagar and the famous poet Kaifi Azmi. He has also arranged the melodies of Khayyam.
Daniels is the recipient of the first O.P. Nayyar Foundation Award (2007) and the Maharashtra Government State Cultural Award (2006). The late Ram Kadam award comprises a cash prize of Rs 51,000 and a memento. It will be presented to Daniels at the Bharat Natya Mandir at 5 pm by Rana Jagjitsing Patil, minister of state for agriculture.
