RD Burman, sometimes it feels as if the name itself is musical. That's why the one who bore it was so sensational. RD Burman is no longer a person or a composer, he is an emotion now. His songs give us peace, his songs make us believe one day such melodies will return. We know it will never be like what he created but the melody in general will return because right now there is a scarcity of it. We can surely hope because this is a phase and this too shall pass. Zara Hatke Zara Bachke Trailer Out! RD Burman’s Song ‘Tum Kya Jano Mohabbat Kya Hai’ Recreated in Vicky Kaushal- Sara Ali Khan’s Upcoming Rom-Com (Watch Video)

Moving on, today on his birth anniversary, we thought of figuring out why RD Burman was called Pancham. Now if you say, he was Bengali and they have nicknames, we would like to stop you there. As per the Bengali tradition, his nickname or 'Daak naam' was Tublu. Clearly, he didn't need another one.

So why was he called so?

There are several theories doing the rounds. In one of them, it is said that whenever he cried as a baby, he hit the fifth note on Sargam (Musical notes) in Hindustani Classical Music. RD Burman Birth Anniversary: Asha Bhosle Thanks Her ‘Pancham’ For His Music On Behalf of Millions of Hearts.

Another theory, which we think sounds strange, is as a baby Burman could cry in all different notes.

The most accepted theory is the legendary Ashok Kumar had nicknamed him Pancham because every time his father SD Burman would ask him to sing Sa, he would sound Pa. Hence, he was named Pancham. Apparently, RD Burman had revealed this to many.

So which theory would you like to put your weight behind?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2023 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).