Veteran music composer Mohammed Zahur Hashmi, popularly known as Khayyam, was buried with full State honours on Tuesday afternoon.
Khayyam, known for scoring music for popular Bollywood movies, passed away on Monday night. He was 92. His funeral procession, which left his residence in Juhu at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday for the burial grounds in Four Bungalows, saw hundreds of people, film personalities and common people alike, marching alongside.
Khayyam’s coffin, draped in the Tricolour, was shouldered by police officers and he was given a 21 gun salute before being buried. Several Bollywood personalities, including Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Javed Akhtar and Udit Narayan arrived at his residence to pay their last respects.
“He has lived an exemplary life. We should not mourn his death, we must celebrate his life,” Mr Nigam said, speaking to reporters outside his Juhu residence.
Mr. Akhtar said, “Khayyam Sahab’s music had a certain sense of calmness and depth, and it has gone with him.”
The Padma Bhushan awardee was remembered by friends and acquaintances as a humble, caring and gentle individual.
“He was an authentic Hindustani music director and was very choosy about the films he would compose for,” actor Biswajit Chatterjee, who was also his neighbour, told The Hindu .
Raj Sharma, Khayyam’s assistant, was beside himself with grief.
“I learnt a lot from Khayyam Sahab. He taught me not only about music, but also about life in general. He was like a father figure to me. I have lost my godfather,” he said.
Others who paid respects included veteran lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar, singer Nitin Mukesh, actors Tabassum, Poonam Dhillon and Raza Murad, and music composer Vishaal Bharadwaj.
Known for his legendary compositions in films like Umrao Jaan, Kabhie Kabhie, Noorie and many others in a career spanning four decades, Khayyam is survived by his wife Jagjit Kaur.
Social media, too, was filled with tributes to Khayyam, with Twitterati posting their favourite lyrics as a token of respect for his departed soul.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying, “The country will remain grateful to Khayyam Sahab for giving us some of the most memorable compositions, which will be remembered forever. He will also be remembered for his humanitarian gestures to support upcoming artists. His demise is extremely saddening.”
