C. H. Atma

C.H. Atma
C.H. Atma
Born	Atma Hashmatrai Chainani; 1923; Hyderabad (Sind), now in Pakistan
Died	6 December 1975 (aged 51–52)
Nationality	Indian
Occupation(s)	Playback singer, Ghazal singer and film actor
Years active	1945 – 1975

C.H. Atma was a Bollywood playback singer, ghazal singer and film actor. He was born in 1923 in Hyderabad (Sind), now in Pakistan. His real name was Atma Hashmatrai Chainani. He was the first singer from India to tour and sing outside India in Nairobi, East Africa in 1957. He fell ill after his singing tour to England in 1975 and died eight months later on 6 December 1975, aged 52.

Career

C.H. Atma debuted in 1945. His evergreen song is 'Preetam Aan Milo', which he sang in 1945 for a private album. In 1955, the same song was sung by Geeta Dutt for the film, Mr. & Mrs. '55 for composer O. P. Nayyar, who was a great fan of his singing. His voice was quite similar to K. L. Saigal.[1] But he had his own unique style which he applied to become one of the fewest singers to become extensively popular both in film and non-film music.

His best known pieces include his solo and duet songs with Geeta Dutt in O.P. Nayyar debut film Aasmaan (1952),[2] and his non-film recording of "Preetam Aan Milo".[3]

C. H. Atma sang a ghazal in Film Geet Gaya Patharon Ne directed by V. Shantaram. He also sang two songs for Film Nagina whose music was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan.

He has sung duets with singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.[4] But his career was short in Bollywood as brief as just 10 years.

He also acted in two movies as hero, namely, 'Bhaisahab' (1954) (with Purnima and Smriti Biswas) and 'Bilwamangal' (with Suraiya) (1954)

Personal life

C.H. Atma was the elder brother of the popular singer, Chandru Atma.[5]

He was not happy that the industry did not utilize his voice properly, reports say.

Additional Reading

https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/c-h-atma

References

Bose, Derek (2006). Everybody Wants a Hit: 10 Mantras of Success in Bollywood Cinema. Jaico Publishing House. p. 38. ISBN 9788179925584.
"Bollywood Retrospect: 10 songs that capture the essence of O. P. Nayyar's music- Part 1". Daily News & Analysis. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
Anantharaman, Ganesh (2008). Bollywood Melodies: A History of the Hindi Film Song. Penguin Books India. p. 160. ISBN 9780143063407.
Kinnear, Michael S. (1985). A Discography of Hindustani and Karnatic Music. Greenwood Press. p. 449. ISBN 9780313244797.
"C.H. Atma biography".

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[1] Bose, Derek (2006). Everybody Wants a Hit: 10 Mantras of Success in Bollywood Cinema. Jaico Publishing House. p. 38. ISBN 9788179925584.

[2] "Bollywood Retrospect: 10 songs that capture the essence of O. P. Nayyar's music- Part 1". Daily News & Analysis. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[3] Anantharaman, Ganesh (2008). Bollywood Melodies: A History of the Hindi Film Song. Penguin Books India. p. 160. ISBN 9780143063407.

[4] Kinnear, Michael S. (1985). A Discography of Hindustani and Karnatic Music. Greenwood Press. p. 449. ISBN 9780313244797.

[5] "C.H. Atma biography".