Vikas Kumar Jha (Author) Vikas Kumar Jha is a leading media personality and author. He was the bureau chief of
Outlook Hindi (2002-4) and the Bihar state head of News Express Channel (2013-14). His book
McCluskieganj: The Story of the Only Anglo-Indian Village in India was awarded the Katha UK Honour at the House of Commons, London.
Srishti Jha (Translator) Srishti Jha is a journalist, with stints at
India Today, as principal correspondent, and
Hindustan Times, as the digital editor of lifestyle. She currently works as an independent journalist, writer and translator.
Usha Uthup, India's undisputed icon of pop music, has enthralled an entire generation of listeners with her unforgettable voice and continues to do so. Completing fifty years as a professional singer in 2020 was just another milestone in her fabled career.
In this vivid biography, which was originally written in Hindi, Vikas Kumar Jha captures the entire arc of Uthup's career in music. From her childhood days in Mumbai and her first gigs singing with jazz bands in Chennai's glitzy nightclubs to her meteoric rise as India's musical sensation and her philanthropic work, Jha covers it all and manages to weave a narrative that is colourful, inspiring and bound to keep any reader engrossed till the end.
Uthup is known for such evergreen hits as 'Hari Om Hari', 'Rambha Ho' and 'Jeete Hain Shaan Se', and her voice transcends genres. When she takes the stage, in her elaborately designed sarees and trademark bindis, she embodies a unique liveliness, unparalleled in the realm of Indian music. Jha meticulously explores Uthup's sense of freedom, her struggles, and her constructive and creative attitude towards work and life.
This pitch-perfect English translation, by Srishti Jha, offers the reader a front-row seat to the life and times of the inimitable Usha Uthup.
I've enjoyed a long and abiding friendship with Usha Uthup, and this book shares the gifts of her friendship with the world-her tenacity, charm, wit and compassion are woven through its pages. Vikas Kumar Jha's compelling narrative and immersive storytelling confirm what I have long known: Usha's legacy is more than her extraordinary musical talent. It is also the grace, fearlessness and wisdom with which she lives her lifeUsha Uthup is a timeless treasure. I am unequivocally her biggest fan since my teenage years. I am fortunate to be counted as a dear friend. This biography is a piece of history that will always remind us of Usha's majestic personaUsha is Calcutta and Calcutta is Usha. But unlike my home city, even though she triggers nostalgia for those swinging times, she isn't suspended in that formaldehyde. She has continued to reinvent herself, making herself as relevant to Generations X and Y as she is to their parents and grandparents. One thing remains unchanged. When she's belting out those numbers in her smoky voice, you'd better keep that extinguisher handy, because she never fails to set the stage on fire. Personally, I've known her ever since I wrote about her in the Junior Statesman. The article was titled "Pop Goes the Iyer" . . . Over the years, our acquaintance has deepened into friendship and beyond. Usha is among the warmest, most genuine, most generous people I know. If you think I'm showing off about being so close to her, come to one of her shows, and you will hear her hollering out to me if I'm in the audience. Love you, Usha, "kaw" bindi, silver bangles, brocade sneakers and allI first heard Usha at the Talk of the Town. She was unique and not just a singer with a mic. So different in many ways. I would say she had the "Usha stamp" all over her! She truly is the queen of Indian pop musicIt is a joy to watch Usha sing. She makes us sing along. She is all life, colour and gaiety . . . Coming from a traditional south Indian family, she broke the stigma of singing at nightclubs or doing Western music, while always maintaining her Indianness: her colourful sarees, jewellery and the bindi. Not to forget, she and I share a relationship with the police uniform!Field marshals, industrialists, royalty, film stars and singers, too, have sat as her audience, absorbing every single musical note, lyric, joke and heartfelt anecdote when she performed. I sat as a ten-year-old at the base of the stage, watching performer and audience together. And I learnt much of what I know today, right there. Her words to this ten-year-old still ring in my ears: "Sing Elvis, Sinatra, Reeves or Ray Charles . . . But make the song yours! Always be an original." Thank you, Usha. There is no other like you
