Sound support

Died: Sarosh Minoo Bhabha, 81, sound engineer who was a pioneer in recorded music at public and private functions, on February 13, 2016 following complications arising from paralysis.

Sarosh Bhabha (right) with Sam Kerawalla before a fashion show

"He was the most sought after recording engineer of that era, for plays, musicals and allied needs for the entertainment industry…and fashion shows… beauty contests, film award nights and mega classical Indian music shows,” acknowledged his peer Sam Kerawalla. "This pioneering individual in sound technology was unique as he brought a professional touch into an industry where his competitors were only Film Studios which had no time and nor could the theater industry afford their rates,” added Kerawalla who also gave Bhabha credit for his help in recording Zoroastrian prayers free of charge on cassettes and compact discs.
Acknowledging him as "my friend, mentor and business partner for so many years,” Nadish Naoroji, whose mother Jeannie had pioneered fashion shows in Bombay where Bhabha invariably provided the sound, thanked him for "introducing me to hi-fi and music; sharing all (his) knowledge with me…inspiring me with (his) awesome work and business ethic… the wonderful travels in India and overseas; the drives from Bombay to the Himalayas; the endless laughs and great times we shared.”
"Sarosh became an integral part of my theater group since I moved out from Adi Marzban and started a Parsi theater group under the banner of Indian National Theatre and later when I launched my own company Burjor Patel Productions,” reminisced thespian Burjor Patel. With Bhabha having provided music for over a couple of dozen plays during that time, Patel noted, "Music is an integral part of any play. It sets the mood of the play and keeps the continuity between scenes.” To select music for Oogi Dahapan ni Daadh (The growth of wisdom teeth) and Hello Inspector, Patel recalled the directors sitting late into the night or even until dawn until they reached "the right choices… (from) the large repertoire of music with Sarosh.”
His erstwhile neighbor on Lamington Road, Dr Jimmy Sidhva, has memories of their "inherent love for music” when as children "they prepared tunes and sang songs together for various occasions. Many years later we worked together recording the songs and music for the nataks of the Parsi Medical Amateurs. The effort he put in was phenomenal — never letting us leave his studio till he was totally satisfied with the recording — and all this as a pure labor of love, without charging any fees as the plays were performed for charity.”

With his father Minoo being a singer and stage manager, Sarosh had developed a ear for music from an early age. An alumnus of St Mary’s School and Podar College, he had trained as an apprentice with sound engineer Minoo Katrak at the Film Centre. Kerawalla recalls his first meeting with Bhabha, then a young man, who had come to meet Adi Marzban at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to study how the veteran operated music for his shows. Intrigued with the change-over switch that Kerawalla had ingeniously devised in a soap box to operate two Grundig tape recorders simultaneously, the two of them forged a lasting friendship. The following Sunday Bhabha went to meet Kerawalla with a big aluminum box wherein he had accommodated volume controls and other features to facilitate sound effects.
The next step was to create a recording studio in a room at his Lamington Road flat that was made sound proof by fitting the windows with huge damping boxes. Directors and voice-over comperes would come in the night for the recordings. He initially worked for the plays written by Adi Marzban’s brother Rustom (Lulu), and sister-in-law Mitha’s dance shows. Once Sarosh Bhabha and Associates was formed in the early 1980s, the father-son duo of Sarosh and Kaizad "created rich audio landscapes that smoothly propelled plots of every genre, from farce to whodunit. The mind hums with a medley of unforgettable signature tunes from plays that have achieved near cult status,” wrote Meher Marfatia in her book Laughter in the House! – 20th Century Parsi Theatre. With his acoustic expertise being continuously in demand, he finally gave up his job with Sturdia Chemicals to focus on the business.
For live music concerts too, the performers had come to depend on Bhabha’s expertise. As recalled well-known ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, "After doing a series of concerts in India where he always traveled with me, we were ready to go to the famous Royal Albert Hall in London. He was so excited and put his heart and soul in preparing for the…rocking concert which was sold out.” Subsequently Bhabha had accompanied Udhas on his maiden tour to the USA too "where we performed at some of the most prestigious venues. He was so good with the sound that not once had I felt the need to tell him what to do.”
Keith Stevenson who had compered fashion shows for doyenne Jeannie Naoroji recalled striking a rapport with Bhabha who would be at his post by the sound mixer: "Sarosh was a pioneer at the art of music for fashion shows and presentations from the very beginning. He would combine, craft and record a compilation of excellent music that would bring…many other shows to life… His modest, laid-back demeanor belied the consummate professional that he was. And being a bawa, he was punctual, proper and respectful always.”
Musicals like Godspell and Bottoms Up saw a new interest in theater nearly three decades ago thanks to Bhabha’s sound support. Thespian Anahita Uberoi recalled her "beautiful memories of Sarosh…as being a kind, dignified man, from a time when theater had a magical charm about it, when we were all kids and idealistic and looked up to him as a font of knowledge and someone who handled everything flawlessly. Quiet and stable and wonderful while all the rest around may have been crazy and mad.”
"I remember our working together on many of the functions I used to organize for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet and others. Working with him had been a pleasure,” wrote Homai Modi in her condolence message.
Known to be a jovial person with an infectious laughter, many of his associates remember spending a long time in his studio "till the wee hours of the morning (when) he would be smiling, cracking jokes. He never complained, never looked tired, ever willing and always ready to help.” Before he was confined to the bed in the last few years, the God-fearing and religious minded man would regularly visit the fire temple, mentions his wife Gool. Nadish Naoroji addressed a tongue-in-cheek message to Bhabha whose last rites were performed at the Prayer Hall at Worli: "I have no doubt you are up there rocking the heavens with great tunes. Go easy on the volume — we need our Gods not to be entirely deaf! And don’t forget to invite us all for the opening of Heavenly Recording Studios!”
The sound wizard is survived by his wife Gool, son Kaizad, daughter Tanaz Selwyn, and sisters Jaloo Kapadia and Dolly Shroff.