Veteran music director Raamlaxman dies at 78
Mumbai, May 22: Veteran music director Raamlaxman, best known for his work on Rajshri Productions' blockbuster movies -- "Maine Pyar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!" and "Hum Saath Saath Hain" -- died due to a cardiac arrest. He was 78.
The composer, whose real name was Vijay Patil, passed away at his residence in Nagpur in the early hours of Saturday, his son Amar said.
"He had taken second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, six days ago. There was no problem at that time... But when he came home he developed weakness. His parameters were dropping. Doctors were attending at home. He passed away at around 2 am on Saturday. He had a cardiac arrest," Amar told PTI.
Patil, known by cinema aficionados as 'Laxman' of duo composers "Raam-Laxman", started his journey in films with Marathi actor-comedian Dada Kondke's 1975 film "Pandu Hawaldar" .
He gave the music for the movie with his collaborator Surendra under the name Raam-Laxman.
Surendra passed away in 1976, but Patil continued to compose under the same name, slightly changing it to Raamlaxman.
Patil took his initial lessons in music from his father and uncle. He later studied music at the Bhatkhande Shikshan Sanstha.
In his over four decades-long career, he composed music for over 150 films in Hindi, Marathi and Bhojpuri and worked with famous film directors such as Manmohan Desai, Mahesh Bhatt, GP Sippy, Anil Ganguly and Sooraj Barjatya.
Some of his other memorable works are "Agent Vinod", "100 Days", "Anmol", "Tarana", "Patthar Ke Phool" and "Hum Se Badhkar Kaun".
Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was one of the first film personalities to pay tributes to Patil.
"I got to know now about the demise of the very talented Raam Laxman ji (Vijay Patil). I am deeply saddened. He was a very good person. I have sung many songs composed by him which had become quite popular. My heartfelt condolences," she wrote on Twitter.
The official Twitter handle of production banner Rajshri also mourn the loss.
"Music Composer Vijay Patil aka Laxman of the iconic #RaamLaxman duo passed away. Our deepest condolences to his family in this tough time. Rajshri will always remember him for his immense contribution to the music industry. May his soul Rest In Peace," the post read.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bombay HC to form high-powered committee on Mumbai air pollution
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it would form a high-powered committee to oversee the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in the Mumbai region, noting that the efforts taken so far by state and civic authorities are insufficient.
It was not criticizing anyone but wanted to ensure that "people should live in pure air," said a division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.
The HC had in October 2023 taken suo motu cognizance of the rising pollution in the metropolis "which was ranging between good, satisfactory, moderate poor, very poor and severe", the bench noted.
Directions were issued by the court on November 6, 2023, and suggestions were made for short-term, mid-term and long-term measures.
Since then, the HC has made observations expressing dissatisfaction about the steps taken by the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai civic bodies, the judges said.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is simply "sailing on its affidavits," but the steps purportedly taken by it were not sufficient, the court stated.
Air pollution in Mumbai has not decreased, in fact it was reported to be very severe in December, said the judges.
"We have apprised ourselves of the previous orders, and find that compliances so far made by (municipal) corporations and MPCB are not sufficient and satisfactory," the court said.
The authorities might have taken serious steps but their results were not visible, it added.
The court expressed inability to examine all the affidavits filed by the municipal corporations and MPCB and reports submitted by an expert committee (formed in 2023), citing the "rising number of dockets and limited hours and time."
After hearing all the parties at length, the high court decided to form a high-powered committee led by a former Supreme Court judge to monitor the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in Mumbai and the surrounding areas.
The committee should meet on a daily basis, the court said, adding that its members should be provided necessary facilities.
The bench also referred to a suggestion that the citizens affected by pollution should be compensated.
The lawyer for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said there are existing statutory bodies to look into this aspect.
"Maybe there are statutory bodies formed in Maharashtra, but then we have not come across any suggestion or action taken by such a body in the present proceedings..." the court said, adding that it was inclined to give "some powers" to the committee.
The court is expected to finalize the names of the committee members in its written order.
