MS Naseem, noted singer from Kerala, dies

MS Naseem, the noted singer from Kerala, passed away on Wednesday. The renowned Malayali musician who rose to fame with Doordarshan Malayalam channel, breathed his last on Wednesday in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

According to reports, he was admitted to a private hospital after suffering from a stroke, and was under treatment for the same. Naseem, who entered the music industry at the tender age of 11, has lent his voice for plays produced by various theatre groups in Kerala including Sivagiri Kalasamithi, Changampuzha theatres and Kozhikode brothers.

Due to his passion for communist ideologies, he later joined the Kerala People’s Arts Club or KPAC, a theatre group in Kayamkulam, started by a group of individuals who had close ties with left-wing political parties of the state in the 1950s. The KPAC’s plays were instrumental in propagating communist ideas to Kerala’s audiences.

Naseem also won praises as a playback singer in Malayalam films. His work in the Malayalam movies Bharyaye Avasyamund and Ananthavrithantham garnered him much positive attention as a playback singer.

Naseem first catapulted to fame as a singer in the Doordarshan Malayalam channel. He had won awards for best mini screen playback singer in the years 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997. In 1987, he won the Sangeetha Nataka Academy’s award for best playback singer.

He was also the narrator of the first Malayalam musical series Aayiram Ganagal Than Ananda Lahari. At the age of 11, he entered the field of music by singing for Kamukara. In a career spanning decades, Naseem has sung over 1000 songs for Doordarshan, Asianet, Akashvani (All India Radio) and many more.