Master Madan was born on December 28, 1927, in his ancestral village Khanekhana founded by Akbars courtier, Abdul Rahim Khanekhana, in district Jullundhur.His father Sardar Amar Singh was a Government of India employee working in the Department of Education, Health and Land in New Delhi/Shimla. He was himself a keen music lover and was quite good at playing the harmonium and tabla. Madans mother Puran Devi was a deeply religious woman and was responsible for Madans spiritual leanings from early childhood. His brother Mohan, 13 years older to him, was an accomplished singer and violinist.Shanti Devi has mentioned an unforgettable train journey from Kalka to Shimla with Saigal, Mohan and Madan. They had kept singing all the way, much to the amusement of the passengers. Later after Saigal had joined New Theatres Calcutta, he always looked after Master Mohan and Madan whenever they visited Calcutta. In fact, Saigal became very fond of Master Madan and admired his instinctive knowledge of music and his mastery in singing intricate classical compositions with perfect ease in his heavenly voice.It was in Delhi that Madan caught a fever but still continued with his radio programmes. His fever persisted and no medicine seemed to have any effect. As the summer set in, he went over to Shimla but even this change and the cooler clime did not improve his condition. As time passed, Madans forehead and other bone joints started shining. It was then suspected that someone had fed Madan mercury. There was a rumour that some other singer, stirred by jealousy, had mixed mercury in his milk, which he used to drink at the All India Radio canteen. Anyway, his condition continued to deteriorate and the end for this great whiz kid and musical genius finally came on June 6, 1942, at Shimla even before he turned 15. (By Pran Nevile)

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