I was never a Dev Anand fan. But then I was born in the wrong decade. The decade that saw Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and I am told my favourite song as a toddler was Kanchi Re Kanchi guaranteed to get me smiling and clapping happily no matter what I was tantrumming about. As I grew I saw his black and white movies and failed to recognise his rakish charm. I was after all a Shammi Kapoor fan, the slight tilted beret wearing figure didn’t cut a swathe through my heart. But the songs. The songs he got to sing on screen. They were something else. And I will remember him by those songs.
Abhi Na Jao Chod Kar
Din Dhal jaye
Tere Mere Sapne from Guide
Dil Ka Bhawar
Wahan Kaun Hai tera Musafir
And am sure many many I can’t remember right now.
And for the token Dev Anand memory.
A party at a friend’s home. M F Husain had invited Dev Anand. The house was on the seventh floor of the building, and as luck would have it, the lifts had both decided to die at the very moment. Dev saab, reached, was informed by the watchmen that the lifts weren’t functioning. A modern day star would turn around and go right back, given that he didn’t really know the hosts. But Devsaab bounded right up the stairs and reached without gasping for breath. How do I know? Because I was huffing and puffing behind right behind him. And I all of a college student at the time.
RIP Dev Anand. You will be missed. For your never say die attitude. You were truly the Peter Pan of Hindi cinema.
Kiran Manral is a writer and major social media influencer. After quitting her full-time journalist’s job when her son was born, Kiran became a mommy blogger on the internet, with a remarkably original voice. She was a journalist at The Asian Age, The Times of India, features editor Cosmopolitan, India Cultural Lead and Trend spotter at Gartner Iconoculture US, Senior Consultant at Vector Insights, Ideas Editor, SheThePeople.TV. Kiran is currently a celebrated author and an independent research and media consultant.
She was shortlisted for the Femina Women Awards for Literary Contribution in 2017. The Indian Council of UN Relations (ICUNR) supported by the Ministry of Women and Children, Govt of India, awarded her the International Women’s Day Award 2018 for excellence in the field of writing. In 2021 she was awarded the Womennovator 1000 Women of Asia award. In 2022, she was named amongst the 75 Iconic Indian women in STEAM by Red Dot Foundation and Beyond Black, in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and British High Commission, New Delhi.
Her novella, Saving Maya, was long-listed for the 2018 Saboteur Award, supported by the Arts Council of England in the UK. Her novels 'The Face At the Window’ and ‘Missing, Presumed Dead were both long-listed for Jio MAMI Word to Screen, and ‘The Face at the Window’ was showcased at the South Asian Film Festival 2019. The Kitty Party Murder was shortlisted for the Popular Choice award at the 2021 JK Papers TOI AutHER awards.
Her other books include The Reluctant Detective, Once Upon A Crush, All Aboard, Karmic Kids-The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You, A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up, True Love Stories, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting, Raising Kids with Hope and Wonder in Times of a Pandemic and Climate Change, More Things in Heaven and Earth and Rising: 30 Women Who Changed India. She also has published short stories in various magazines, in acclaimed anthologies like Have A Safe Journey, Boo, The Best Asian Speculative Fiction 2018, Grandpa’s Tales, Magical Women and City of Screams. Kiran lives in Mumbai with her family.
Social media handles
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I was thinking of you the other day, you were on my mind a lot.So… wondering how you were, I decided to look you up, pop in and give you a holiday hello….so you have hit the 40’s….me….I am staring down the 60’s…creeping up on them reluctantly, and refusing to recognize myself as one of those “old ladies” that mumble to themselves, spend the day farting and grumbling about them dam kids………Happy Holiday K….
Wish you the same Carol! LOL. I’m sure you’re going to be one of them going guns blazing into the ’80s. Good to hear from you! Hope you and the family, all well. Happy Holiday to you and yours too!
I happened to have travelled in the same bus as him at mumbai airport as we took the same flight to delhi as i headed on to ludhiana and he to join vajpayee’s bus to pakistan…he was in the business bus in the airport. i was in it because I was late …some advantges to being tardy
Fortytwoandcounting 
I was thinking of you the other day, you were on my mind a lot.So… wondering how you were, I decided to look you up, pop in and give you a holiday hello….so you have hit the 40’s….me….I am staring down the 60’s…creeping up on them reluctantly, and refusing to recognize myself as one of those “old ladies” that mumble to themselves, spend the day farting and grumbling about them dam kids………Happy Holiday K….
Wish you the same Carol! LOL. I’m sure you’re going to be one of them going guns blazing into the ’80s. Good to hear from you! Hope you and the family, all well. Happy Holiday to you and yours too!
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The incident you have narrated is amazing and so very true to never ending energy image!!
yesterday I was listening to his songs and had a lump in my throat!!! He will surely be missed but his songs are here for us to enjoy 🙂
Absolutely!
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I happened to have travelled in the same bus as him at mumbai airport as we took the same flight to delhi as i headed on to ludhiana and he to join vajpayee’s bus to pakistan…he was in the business bus in the airport. i was in it because I was late …some advantges to being tardy
That’s a lovely memory.
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