One of the most melodious and skilled music directors of the Hindi cinema, Madan Mohan Kohli was born today on 25th June 1924.

He was born at Baghdad, where father Rai Bahadur Chunilal was working as an Accountant General with the Iraqi Police. Madan spent the first five years of his life in the Middle East. At the age of 11 years, he started performing in children’s program broadcast by All India Radio.

He joined the Army in the year 1943 where he served for two years until the end of World War II. Later, he left the army and came to Bombay to pursue his musical interests. His musical range and depth of feeling can be heard in every musical genre.

Madan Mohan’s song list is astonishing. He is particularly remembered for the immortal Ghazals he composed for Hindi films. Lata Mangeshkar christened him "Ghazal ka Shehzadaa", or the Prince of Ghazals.

In 1971 he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. A postage stamp commemorating him was released by the India Postal Department in February 2011.

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