Manohari Singh was a music director, saxophonist and the music assistant and arranger for the iconic R.D. Burman. Born and raised in Kolkata, Singh practised music from a young age and was even part of a brass band under its Hungarian conductor Joseph Newman. Later on, Singh moved to Mumbai to try his luck in films. In 1958 he made his debut with Sitaron Se Aage, playing the saxophone alongside S.D. Burman. Over the years he gained critical acclaim for his music and worked with several music directors. `Gaata Rahe Mera Dil` from the Guide (1965) was one of his early hits. His strongest association was with R.D. Burman. He was also part of a duo with Basudeb Chakraborty, known as Basu-Manohari.