Manna Dey's trademark cap and the Kashmir story behind it

Kolkata: A brown Kashmiri fur cap which became singer Manna Dey’s trademark was given by a fan when he was shivering in snow during a concert in the Kashmir Valley. “It was the month of December and I had gone to Kashmir to take part in a concert. Apart from the fact that it was bitterly cold, it was snowing,” Dey said in his autobiography. [caption id=“attachment_119181” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  A brown Kashmiri fur cap which became singer Manna Dey’s trademark was given by a fan when he was shivering in snow during a concert in the Kashmir Valley[/caption] “As I shivered onstage, I wondered how I would manage to get through the recital. I realised in dismay, when I launched into a number, that I was too numb with cold to sing the notes accurately,” he said. Noticing this, one of his fans stepped onto the dais and reverently offered him the cap which was gladly accepted. “And what relief that simple gesture afforded! I was myself again. Now that I was comfortably warm, my confidence soared and the audience responded to my performance with enthusiasm,” the ‘king of melody’ had recounted. Since then the Kashmiri fur cap became a permanent part of his wardrobe and he wore it wherever he went. PTI