Opposite Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi stands the office of the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra — a sanctuary of memories dedicated to H Mehboob, Kerala’s beloved singer who never failed to delight his audiences, on the stage and off it. Mehboob’s legacy remains intact here — old photographs hang on the walls and the stage in the central hall showcases paintings of him and singer Mohammed Rafi (Mehboob idolised the legendary singer).Members of the “club”, as they call it, get together here every Friday and offer their modest stage to aspiring musicians. “This is how we keep the spirit of his music alive,” says K A Hussain, secretary and one of Mehboob Memorial Orchestra’s (MMO) earliest members. The building itself is over 130 years old, adds Hussain. Seated in a chair beside the window overlooking the street and the ancient raintree, Hussain talks about Mehboob, curating his words with care. “Bhai was one of a kind — a true maverick. No one could guess what he had up his sleeve and that was part of his appeal.”
KA Hussain of Mehboob Memorial Orchestra at Fort Kochi.
| Photo Credit:
Thulasi Kakkat
Founded as an informal collective called Raag a year before Mehboob’s death in 1981, the MMO was formally launched in 1985, to celebrate his life and music. Among the founding members was the late ghazal singer Umbayee, who shared a close bond with Mehboob and has performed alongside him on several stages. Mehboob, an emotionOver four decades, the MMO has continued to spread the joy of music, much like Mehboob himself, whose story was among the most dramatic and significant in Kerala’s music history. For everyone who grew up in the Fort Kochi-Mattancherry region during his heyday, Mehboob was an emotion, says Hussain. “He was ‘Bhai’ to everyone. He had a rare knack to connect with people. There was a time when his stage shows would draw more crowds than even KJ Yesudas’s,” says Hussain, stopping often to recite a couplet or two from Mehboob’s famous songs.
