Edava Basheer (1943-2022) was a popular Indian playback singer, musician, and choir organizer, who predominantly worked in the Malayalam music industry.
Wiki/Biography
Edava Basheer was born on Thursday, 2 December 1943 (age 78 years; at the time of death) in a parish in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. His zodiac sign was Sagittarius. He lived at the Sam Geethalaya at Kadapakkada Prathibha Junction, Kollam for around two decades. He did his primary and secondary schooling at a parish, following which he studied at Christuraj School, Pattathanam till 10th standard. His interest in music grew when he found some old records of Yesudas and Mohammad Rafi and record players that his father had brought from abroad. He bagged several prizes for music in his school days. He studied classical music with Ratnakaran Bhagwatar and Vechoor Harihara Subramaniam. He completed his Ganabooshanam, an academic degree in music, from Swathi Thirunal Music Academy, Thiruvananthapuram in 1972. While studying at Swathi Thirunal Music Academy, he sang in chants and started the All Kerala Musicians and Technicians Association with his friends.
Old photo of Edava Basheer
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Edava Basheer standing with a child
Family
Parents & Siblings
He was the son of Lt. Adul Azeez and Fathimakunju.
Edava Basheer with his mother
Wife & Children
He had two wives namely, Rasheeda and Laila. He raised 5 children out of his two marriages. The names of his children are Bhima, Ullas, Ushas, Sweeta, and Unmesh.
Career
After completing his Ganabooshanam in 1972, he became a professional singer. His choir became extremely popular. Basheer starred in troupes such as Raga Bhavan and Blue Diamonds. He rose to the limelight and floated a music troupe ‘Sangeethalaya’ at Varkala In Thiruvananthapuram, which was inaugurated by his idol, K.J. Yesudas, who is one of the most reputed Malayalam singers. He also did playback singing for various Malayalam songs. His debut in playback singing was in 1978 with the song Veena Vaayikkum in director Adoor Bhasi’s movie Raghuvamshami. Some of his other notable songs include ‘Azhithira Malakal Azhalinte Malakal’ and ‘Vani Jayaram’ for the Malayalam movie ‘Mukkuvane Snehicha Bhootham’. He was also a regular performer at all temple festivals across Kerala. His song ‘Akasaroopini, Annapoorneswari’, which is a song that praises the goddess Durga, was one of the most demanded songs at his stage performances. He always amazed his audience with innovative experiments in his performances. Reportedly, he was the first person to perform state-of-the-art musical instruments, including the accordion, on stage in Kerala. He was also the first person to introduce Yamaha’s synthesizer, mixer and echo in the music system. He used several Western and Eastern musical instruments such as Corg’s Japanese mini synthesizer, Yamaha’s echo mixer, double-deck keyboard and organ, 12 – string guitar, Roland’s rhythm composer, Jupiter synthesizer, and piano accordion, which were novel to the Malayalee listeners at that time. He travelled globally including the United States, United Kingdom, European countries, middle eastern countries, and far eastern nations to perform at various events.
Death
Edava Basheer rose to his heavenly abode on Saturday, 28 May 2022. He collapsed while performing on Saturday night at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of a popular music troupe, Bhima’s Blue Diamond Orchestra. The event was held in Alappuzha, Kerala. He was performing the Hindi song ‘Mana Ho Tum Behad Haseen’ by K.J. Yesudas from the 1977 film Toote Khilone when he collapsed on the stage. The event was brought to a halt and he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His funeral was held at Kadappakada Juma Masjid on Sunday, 29 May 2022. The sudden demise of Edava Basheer saddened all his fans and the entire music industry. Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan conveyed his condolences on Bashir’s demise and said,
The demise of Edava Basheer, who played an important role in popularising ‘ganamela’, is a huge loss to the music world,”
Facts/Trivia
- He was the State President of the All Kerala Musicians & Technicians Welfare Association.
- Reportedly, at the peak of his career, Basheer performed at around 4 venues in a day.
- He loved travelling to different countries.