A full life is not always a long one… and these words hold true for the Late Aadesh Shrivastava, an exemplary musician who lost a five year long battle with cancer on September 5, 2015. Hailing from the small town of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the singer – composer went on to break new grounds in the music industry. From creating foot-thumping tracks to collaborating with international artists, the versatile artist has regaled millions with his musical prowess. His untimely demise is a huge loss to the music industry, to say the least. And as we mourn his death with his indelible music, we realize that he is being celebrated along with being missed. And as his songs play on my dusty television, it reminds me of the legacy he left behind.

Aadesh Shrivastava

Aadesh Shrivastava

The musician who was married to Vijayta Pandit, the sister of the famous music composer duo Jatin – Lalit, started his career in 1993. He continued working up until 2015, in spite of his deteriorating health. Aadesh got his first break with Kanyadan (1993) and also got Lata Mangeshkar to sing his very first song. Unfortunately the film did not see the light of day. But Aadesh kept at it and soon got noticed with the film Aao Pyaar Karen in 1994. So much so that his composition from the film – ‘Hathon mein aa gaya jo kal’ – became a huge hit. Post that there was no looking back and the musician kept climbing up the ladder with one hit film after another. His tracks like ‘Kya Ada Kya Jalwe Tere Paro’, ‘Sona Sona’, ‘Shava Shava’, ‘Gustakhiyaan’ and ‘Gur Nalon Ishq Mitha’ made him a household name. One of the most versatile music composers of the time, Aadesh composed for films like Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat, which was more of an emotional story to films like Joru ka Gulam, where he made Govinda even more fun with his upbeat music. Aadesh had us tapping our feet to ‘Shava Shava’ in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and weeping in films like Babul and Chalte Chalte. One could sum it up by saying that his music never failed to evoke emotions in his listeners. Aadesh sang for a handful of films but one his most memorable tracks is from Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti where his music infused romantic value to a serious story revolving around politics.

With Shah Rukh Khan

With Shah Rukh Khan

Apart from music this multi-faceted artist also encouraged new talented singers through various avenues, the most popular one being the ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 and 2009’ where he was a judge on the show. He also directed a short film called Sanna, which was based on the sensitive topic of child prostitution. Aadesh has also successfully collaborated with renowned international musicians like Akon, Shakira, T-Pain, Dominic Miller, Julia Fordam and Wyclef. Akon and he even launched an India-wide talent search on the website hitlab.com which uses music analysis technology to predict the hit potential of new songs.

With Akon (Centre)

With Akon (Centre)

Aadesh’s body of work demonstrates his love for music, a passion he pursued till his dying breathe. Aadesh had also composed the music for Anees Bazmee’s Welcome Back, which released this Friday, just a day before he passed away. Though Indian music has suffered a huge loss, we are grateful of having witnessed the talent of this exemplary musician who has left us with a treasure chest of his music.

Here’s a look at some of his hit songs.

-Devanshi Shah

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