Versatile singer, Manna Dey was conferred with an honorary doctorate of literature (DLit) by Jadavpur University on Wednesday (December 24). The DLit degree was presented to the legendary singer by the governor of West Bengal Gopal Krishna Gandhi during the 53rd annual convocation. The 88-year-old vocalist has attained tremendous popularity both for his Hindi and Bengali songs.

 

When asked about receiving the DLit, the elated Manna Dey said that it is a great honour for him. The recipient of both Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan titles, Manna Dey has worked with note people like Sachin Dev Burman and Hemanta Mukherjee. He has recorded more than 3500 songs. Some of the memorable songs of Manna Dey can be found in films like 'Padosan', 'Waqt', 'Shree 420', 'Teesri Kasam', 'Upkaar', 'Mere Huzoor' and 'Zanjeer'. 

 

Manna Dey started his career in playback singing with the movie, Tamanna, in 1943 and after that, there was no turning back. His experimentation with western music has produced some unforgettable melodies. The immensely talented singer has a capability to sing any song of Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh and Talat Mehmood. He is regarded as one of the greatest playback singers of all time in Hindi films and other vernacular Indian films.