Sundar Popo (born Sunilal Popo Bahora, 4 November 1943, Monkey Town, Barrackpore… Read Full Bio ↴Sundar Popo (born Sunilal Popo Bahora, 4 November 1943, Monkey Town, Barrackpore, Trinidad & Tobago, died 2 May 2000) was a Chutney musician from Trinidad and Tobago. He popularized Chutney music, beginning with his 1970 hit "Nana and Nani".
Popo grew up in a musical family. Both his parents were musicians; his mother was a singer and his father was an accomplished tassa drummer. At the age of 15, he began singing at bhajans at church and weddings in his hometown of Monkey Town. Bahora worked as a watchman at a Barrackpore factory, and trained under Ustad James Ransawak. In 1969, at a mattikoor in Princes Town, he met Moean Mohammed, a radio host and promoter. After listening to "Nani and Nana", a song with lyrics in both Hindi and English, describing the affairs of an Indian grandmother and grandfather, Mohammed got maestro Harry Mahabir to record the song at Television House, accompanied by the BWIA National Indian Orchestra. The song revolutionized East Indian music in Trinidad & Tobago. After the success of Nani and Nana, Bahora devoted more of his time to his singing career. He followed "Nani and Nana" with an album combining Trinidadian folk songs with traditional Hindu material. In total, he recorded more than fifteen albums. He is best known for his song Scorpion Gyul which spoke about love, death, and happiness. His other hits include "Oh My Lover", "Don't Fall in Love", and "Saas More Lage (also known as I Wish I Was A Virgin)". His songs were covered several times by the Indian duo Babla & Kanchan, who had a major success with a version of his "Pholourie Bina Chutney", bringing him to a wider international audience, and leading to tours of Europe and the United States.
It was through the production and promotion of Mohan Jaikaran and his JMC music empire and later with Masala radio that Sundar Popo became recognized as the pioneer and founder of Chutney music. There wasn't a chutney show in Trinidad or New York City promoted by Jaikaran that Sundar Popo wasn't a part of. Jaikaran's Mother's Day concerts were always headlined by Sundar Popo.
Popo won many awards during his career, and in 1995, Black Stalin won the Trinidad & Tobago Calypso Monarch title with his "Tribute to Sundar Popo".
In addition to his solo albums, Popo has also released collaborations with Trinidadian performer Anand Yankaran, and JMC Triveni.
While Popo had recorded and performed prolifically since the early 1970s, failing health and eyesight forced him to slow down. At the 2000 Chutney Monarch competition, his performance had to be cut short after one song, and he played his final concert on 1 April 2000, in Connecticut. On 2 May 2000, he died at the home he had built in Barrackpore, from heart and kidney ailments relating to diabetes. His funeral was attended by Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday.
Popo grew up in a musical family. Both his parents were musicians; his mother was a singer and his father was an accomplished tassa drummer. At the age of 15, he began singing at bhajans at church and weddings in his hometown of Monkey Town. Bahora worked as a watchman at a Barrackpore factory, and trained under Ustad James Ransawak. In 1969, at a mattikoor in Princes Town, he met Moean Mohammed, a radio host and promoter. After listening to "Nani and Nana", a song with lyrics in both Hindi and English, describing the affairs of an Indian grandmother and grandfather, Mohammed got maestro Harry Mahabir to record the song at Television House, accompanied by the BWIA National Indian Orchestra. The song revolutionized East Indian music in Trinidad & Tobago. After the success of Nani and Nana, Bahora devoted more of his time to his singing career. He followed "Nani and Nana" with an album combining Trinidadian folk songs with traditional Hindu material. In total, he recorded more than fifteen albums. He is best known for his song Scorpion Gyul which spoke about love, death, and happiness. His other hits include "Oh My Lover", "Don't Fall in Love", and "Saas More Lage (also known as I Wish I Was A Virgin)". His songs were covered several times by the Indian duo Babla & Kanchan, who had a major success with a version of his "Pholourie Bina Chutney", bringing him to a wider international audience, and leading to tours of Europe and the United States.
It was through the production and promotion of Mohan Jaikaran and his JMC music empire and later with Masala radio that Sundar Popo became recognized as the pioneer and founder of Chutney music. There wasn't a chutney show in Trinidad or New York City promoted by Jaikaran that Sundar Popo wasn't a part of. Jaikaran's Mother's Day concerts were always headlined by Sundar Popo.
Popo won many awards during his career, and in 1995, Black Stalin won the Trinidad & Tobago Calypso Monarch title with his "Tribute to Sundar Popo".
In addition to his solo albums, Popo has also released collaborations with Trinidadian performer Anand Yankaran, and JMC Triveni.
While Popo had recorded and performed prolifically since the early 1970s, failing health and eyesight forced him to slow down. At the 2000 Chutney Monarch competition, his performance had to be cut short after one song, and he played his final concert on 1 April 2000, in Connecticut. On 2 May 2000, he died at the home he had built in Barrackpore, from heart and kidney ailments relating to diabetes. His funeral was attended by Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday.
Nana And Nani
Sundar Popo Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Sundar Popo:
Don't Fall In Love Yuh fallin from a plane gyal, yuh from above, Listen…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Damodara Ramnarine
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG NANA AND NANEE.
The two people who inspired the lyrics of the song. Balroop and Mangree Beharry.They are pictured with their son Pollard.
Nana was Balroop and Nanee was Mangree.
They resided at Mahadeo Trace, Tim Shop, Debe. They were cane cutters at Monkey Town Sugar Estate. Every morning @4:00 they would go to work on Nana’s bicycle , Nanee would sit on the bar. Nana did enjoy a bit of the “white one”.
They had 3 children, Leela, Polo and Pollard. They all migrated to Montreal, Canada.
Leela got married to Lalchan Sahadeo of Granville. Lalchan was a local singer and dabbled in composing local songs.
He and his family settled with his in-laws in Debe in the late 60’s. His children called Balroop and Mangree, Nana and Nanee.
Sundar Popo worked with Balroop and Mangree at the Sugar Estate. Lalchan and his family were preparing to migrate to Montreal about the time he composed a song about his mother-in- law and father-in-law. Lalchan left this song with Sunder Popo before he migrated to Canada with his family.
Sundar Popo recorded this song in 1969 as Nana and Nanee. The rest is history now.
The house that Nana and Nanee lived in is still there, the 3rd house on the right side in Mahadeo Race, Debe. Nana died in Trinidad, Nanee died in Montreal where all her children had migrated to. The sons have passed on.
Leela is still alive but Lalchan has passed on.
Sadly it is alleged that he was never given recognition or credit for the song Nana and Nanee or received any royalties.
Thank you Bobby and Anand Balroop for the picture.
IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. IF YOU DID NOT KNOW THEN NOW YOU KNOW.
Bandee
My dad was from Trinidad and I'm so glad he introduced so many aspects of Trinidadian and Indian culture to me and my family---I especially love the music. Lol, this song is so dark but so catchy, reminds me of Copa Cabana lol
Cody Balram
Cool! I am Trinidadian!
Bandee
@Cody Balram Well howdy ho brother :D
Aruna Khudan
Sundar Popo was a legend from Trinidad, he deserves all the recognition for his contribution to indian culture in Trindiad
da deo
This guy was a hero in Guyana cause at the time we had no Indian musician of any major talent..thanks and this was the first big hit...
Compé Anansi
Such a haunting and sorrowful ballad. Certainly my favourite Sundar Popo tune.
Sharad Mohip
People don’t understand the darkness behind this song... great song
Aretha Grassi
I guess he was shearing what it was like back then.
Shaz G
Indeed
Lyrical X Presser
This song is more than just a great rhythm and melody, it is a serious social commentary of Trinidadians that even transcends to this time. Alcoholism, Subservient abuse. Domestic violence. Abandonment. All in a 3 minute Chutney song! Arguably the best song in it's genre!