Manohari Singh
Manohari Singh (8 March 1931 – 13 July 2010) was an Indian musician known for playing the saxophone, directing music, and arranging for film composer R. D. Burman. He also teamed up with Basudeb Chakraborty as Basu-Manohari.
He was born in Kolkata into a Nepalese Bhusal family, where his father and uncle played in brass bands. In 1942 he joined a brass band at the Bata Shoe Company in Kolkata. When the conductor moved, Manohari followed and began playing classical music for the His Master’s Voice orchestra, later playing flute and piccolo with the Calcutta Symphony Orchestra. He learned saxophone to perform in nightclubs and built his career in the Calcutta music scene.
In 1950 he moved to Firpo’s in Calcutta with his own band after the conductor left for Australia. In 1958, urged by Salil Chowdhury, he moved to Mumbai to pursue film music. His first Hindi film break was as a saxophonist for Sachin Dev Burman in Sitaron Se Aage. He worked with many music directors, but his strongest collaboration was with R. D. Burman, for whom he played the saxophone and also served as music assistant and arranger.
He contributed to many famous songs, including “Gaata Rahe Mera Dil” from Guide. He also played for songs in Chalte Chalte and Veer Zaara, and released an album called Sax Appeal with saxophone renditions of Hindi film tunes. He treasured his gold-plated Selmer saxophone, bought in New York City in 1969.
As Basu-Manohari, he composed for the 1976 film Sabse Bada Rupaiya. He received several honors, including a 2006 ceremony for his 75th birthday and the Memorable Contribution to Music Award at the 2009 Radio Mirchi Music Awards.
Manohari Singh died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai on 13 July 2010.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:48 (CET).