SUNDAR POPO
1943-2000
Looking back at a
life
By Marc Muneal
Express
May 4, 2000
Page 7
Sundar Popo remained cheerful to the end.
He
had lost his sight and his kidneys failed after a long history of
diabetes. He died on Tuesday.
In
his last days, he appealed for help in paying his medical bills.
He
was having dialysis treatment three times a week and the medicals bills were
high.
Last
week, Shastri Ali, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Social Development,
said that a committee had been set up to raise funds for cultural icons. The committee has met once, but funds had
not yet been allocated for needy cultural icons and national achievers.
Popo,
however, lived a cheerful life to the last.
His
wife, Kayso, was too emotional to speak about the passing of her beloved
husband; Natasha Sundar, 14-year-old daughter of the singer's son Tony, spoke
about eh last two days with her grandfather.
"Since
he came back on Sunday, he was all happy.
His family was here, and everyone was visiting. He was listening to his own music and
enjoying it, having a nice time and making his jokes as usual."
"Then
he felt a little sick and wanted to go for the dialysis. He said that after the dialysis he would
feel fine."
"So
he went for it, and then…"
When
he died on Tuesday, Natasha was shocked.
"I couldn't believe it," she said more than once.
Andrew
Joon, Natasha's maternal grandfather, took care of Popo in New York for the
past two months. He and his wife are
both saddened and upset by Popo's unexpected death. They spoke about it from New York:
"On
Saturday, he went for dialysis and he couldn't receive it, so they had to do an
emergency operation. They rushed him to
Queens General Hospital for the operation.
On Sunday he left for Trinidad."
Mohan
Jaikaran, JMC Entertainment president and Popo's promoter, had begged him not
to return home.
"We
had good days and bad days, and it is very sad to know that he has died. I pleaded with him not t come to Trinidad
because he was on dialysis three times a week.
But he insisted and followed his heart."
Jaikaran
reportedly gave Popo US $1,600 to make the trip.
Joon's
wife also appealed to Popo.
"I
told him, 'Sundar, if you're not feeling good, don't go. Trinidad won't run away.' But he said he had to come back to see about
trying to get some money for disability or something."
"His
family had bills to pay."
Popo's
death has caused three kings to bow their heads in sadness.
The
reigning chutney soca monarch, as well as his two predecessors, expressed his
grief at the legend's passing.
Rooplal
Girdharrie was eloquent and emotional.
"Because
of the way he has performed his music, his ability as a composer and
artiste…the way he commanded the attention of people all around the world,
Sundar was a great inspiration to me."
"He
touched the lives of so many people locally and internationally."
Rikki
Jai, two-time monarch, said: "Sundar Popo…A giant. He was definitely a great inspiration to
me."
"As
a young boy when I started singing, it was his work I started off doing. Recently I've covered two of his songs. He was a part of me."
"He
was a very quiet man, but his music did all the talking."
Heeralal
Rampartap sang "Chutney Posse" and "Basmati" to win the
monarch title in 1997.
But
people thought it was Sundar Popo singing.
"Both
of us were trained by the same Ustad (music guru), the late James
Ramsawak. Sundar was a contemporary.
"I
respect his music, and I've learned a lot from him. Everyone tells me that we sound alike; I think the closest voice
to Sundar Popo's is mine."
"I've
lost a part of myself."
Rampartap
continued, "Last year, we were traveling on a plane to do a concert in New
York. He told me he wasn't feeling well
and that if he goes one of these days, I should take his passport and carry on
his music."
All
three have expressed interest in doing a tribute for Popo; Rikki Jai said that
he and 103 FM were planning a benefit concert to help with the singer's
bills, but now that Popo had died, it would probably become a tribute concert.
"I
want people to relies that we aren't just planning this because he dead. We were planning this long before,"
said Rikki Jai.
Popo's
family has said that the Government's offer to pay for the funeral was
welcome. They are not turning down any
help.
The
funeral takes place tomorrow, Friday.
The body will arrive at the house in Monkey Town at 10 a.m.; a
procession will leave for Mosquito Creek for cremation at 1 p.m.
The
family has invited the public to attend.
HE MADE A
DIFFERENCE
By Phoolo Danny
South Bureau
Express
May 4, 2000
Page 7
Sundar
Popo, of Monkey Town Village, Barrackpore, died around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, just
hours after he chatted with friends and relatives about his life and career.
He
died at the San Fernando General Hospital.
Popo's
wife of 32 years, Kayso, said he died of a massive heart attack. Earlier in the day, he went with relatives
to make arrangements to return to New York on Friday to perform for a Mother's
Day show, and he was jovial, she said.
On
Sunday and Monday evening, several friends and relatives had visited Popo at
his home, where he replayed some of his old hits.
The
58-year-old father of four and grandfather of 15 had been suffering with
diabetes and had failing eyesight for some time. He had minor surgery and dialysis treatment last Saturday at
Queen's General Hospital after he was diagnosed with renal failure. He returned to Trinidad on Sunday for a
short stay.
Cultural
activist Moen Mohammed wants Government to hold an official funeral for Popo.
In
any event, Government will be paying funeral expenses.
Popo's
musical career began as a young man singing bhajans at temples and weddings in
his home village.
It
was at a mattikoor (first night of a three-day Hindu wedding function)
in Princes Town in 1969 that radio host and promoter Moen Mohammed met the
young Popo.
Mohammed
said: "He came up to me and said he had a local song that he wanted me to
hear. It was 'Nani and Nana', the first
locally composed song with both Hindi and English lyrics.
"I
got BWIA under maestro Harry Mahabir to record the song at Television House in
1969. Up to today, that is the biggest
local hit in the country."
Since
then, Mohammed recorded seven long-playing records, ten cassettes and five CDs
with all of Popo's locally composed songs.
He said: "I took him on tours all over the world, to Fiji, New
York, Holland, Guyana, Suriname, London and many other places. Popo had signed contracts with other
promoters during his singing career.
The latest contract was with the New York based JMC, led by Mohan
Jaikaran.
Mohammed
said: "Popo broke the Indian and African barriers and people of all
society bought his records and cassettes.
He has become a household name, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but
also in the Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname, Canada, USA, Holland and even in
India."
He
added: "He composed a song for all occasions but I would not really call
him a chutney singer. His songs were
not lewd or crude like some of the chutney selections. His songs were sung by singers from
India."
Babla
and Kanchan, the husband and wife team from India, adapted many of Popo's songs
and made them into big hits.
"Children in India sing his songs," Mohammed said.
He
described Popo as "no ordinary man.
He made a magnanimous contribution equal to any calypsonian in this
country."
Tribute
was paid in song to Popo by calypsonian Leroy Calliste (Stalin) and blind
singer Asha Kamachee.
Mohammed
said he married Popo and Kayso 32 years ago and his as the first Indian wedding
shown on television.
"He
was like a brother to me and to the people of this country. He made a great contribution to the music of
Trinidad and Tobago on an international scale."
Popo
won numerous trophies and awards. He
composed songs on nature, love, politics, people, education, and values and on
all types of topics. He was the first
winner of the Local Song category of the Indian Cultural Pageant in 1976.
Some
of his memorable songs were: "Nani and Nana", "A Mother's
Love", "Phulowrie Bina Chutney", "Tears in my Eyes",
"Don't fall in Love", "Scorpion Sting Me",
"Suragie".
Rafi
Mohammed, another radio host and culture promoter, said: "He was
friend. He was a humble human being,
very accommodating and helpful, kind."
George
Singh, promoter of the annual Chutney Soca Monarch competition the last time
Popo appeared on stage in Trinidad, said: "Sundar should be remembered for
what he did. I feel honoured that his
last performance was on my stage."
POPO'S RISE TO
STARDOM
By Caldeo Sookram
Sunday Express
Section 2
May 7, 2000
Page 35
The
little hamlet of Monkey Town in Barrackpore rose to prominence when Sundar Popo
shot into the spotlight with his song "Nana and Nani".
Singing
that popular number on Mastana Bahar for the first time in 1971, Popo's
rendition caught the imagination of television and radio audiences with his
lyrical blend of Hindi and English and spicy rhythmic beat.
Recording
under the guidance of Moean Mohammed and music maestro Harry Mahabir, Popo
turned out hit after hit and soon became a household name in this country.
"I
put Sundar Popo on the map," asserts Moean Mohammed.
Fame
and fortune were soon to follow. And
the demand for Popo to perform at both local and foreign concerts pushed him to
international stardom.
Born
on November 4, 1943, Sundar Popo started singing at an early age. He often teamed up with top singers and
orchestras for concerts and weddings.
Although he displayed talent, his day had not yet arrived.
On
completion of primary education, Popo worked at Caroni Ltd as a watchman. He quit his job about four years ago due to
ill health, according to his son Hemant.
Of
his four children (three sons, one daughter), only two of them, Hemant Sundar,
33, and Harrispersad Sundar 40, have taken up singing. However, daughter Sundari and last son
Jaiknath prefer to be good supporters and listeners.
The
big break came in 1979 when during their concert tour to Trinidad in 1979,
Babla and Kanchan heard some of Popo's songs and were thrilled with this new
form of musical expression.
They
showed interest and borrowing some of his hits, re-recorded them with better
orchestration techniques for world audiences.
Soon people around the world were listening to Popo's popular numbers.
In addition
to his songs reaching most of the continents, Sundar Popo made many overseas
concert tours. His songs gained
popularity in North America, Europe, India, Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana and
Suriname.
Popo
recorded hundreds of songs during his career, which spanned three decades.
For
his contribution to music and culture, he was awarded the Humming Bird Medal
(Silver) in 1993.
He won
the local song contest many times at the Indian Cultural Pageant. But he never won Mastana Bahar's
first prize, although he appeared in the finals on several occasions.
As a
pioneer of the chutney genre, Sundar Popo enriched the musical landscape. He touched the hearts and souls of music
lovers around the world.