lit a candle 1h agoA clip of the Maniyaro song turned up on my feed last week, people doing garba to it, and now I'm reading the man behind it died at 87. I called my mother and she said her mother used to play his father's records, and that Gaurang kept it going. I'd never heard the name before this but the tune stayed with me all afternoon.
Their story
Gaurang Vyas was a Gujarati music composer, arranger and singer who worked across Gujarati cinema, folk music and light music for several decades and scored more than 100 films. The son of the celebrated composer Avinash Vyas, he carried his father's musical tradition forward while making his own name. He…
Gaurang Vyas was a Gujarati music composer, arranger and singer who worked across Gujarati cinema, folk music and light music for several decades and scored more than 100 films. The son of the celebrated composer Avinash Vyas, he carried his father's musical tradition forward while making his own name. He died in Ahmedabad on 3 September 2026, aged 87.
Vyas entered the Gujarati film industry as an assistant to his father, and one of his early assignments was the film Jesal Toral. He moved into independent music direction, and the film Lakho Phulani was among those that established him as a composer in his own right. Over the following decades his credits grew to more than 100 films, making him a familiar name to Gujarati cinema audiences.
He was the music director of Ketan Mehta's acclaimed 1980 film Bhavni Bhavai, and his other notable films included Maniyaro, Nasibni Balihari, Parki Thapan, Liludi Dharati and Maiyarman Mandu Nathi Lagtu. He worked with many of the great playback singers of his era, among them Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Suman Kalyanpur, Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Kapoor and Prafull Dave. Songs connected with his work included Maniyaro Te Halu Halu Thai Re Viyo and Hu Tu Tu Tu, Jami Ramatni Rutu, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah singled out Dikri To Parki Thapan as one of his immortal creations.
Beyond cinema, Vyas released albums of devotional, folk and traditional music, including Jalaramni Jhumpdi, Bhajan Anmol, Ganga Satina Bhajano, Kahat Kabir, Jalaram Bapanu Halaradu, Prachin Prabhatiyan and Non-Stop Dandiya-Raas. He received around 11 Gujarat state awards for best music direction. In 2022 Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2024 the Gujarat State Music Academy and Gujarat Tourism also honoured his contribution.
Vyas died early on Thursday 3 September 2026 in Ahmedabad following a brief illness and age related health problems, his family said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had carved out a unique place for himself in Gujarati music and that his death left Gujarat feeling the loss of a talented creator. Amit Shah called his death an irreplaceable loss for the Gujarati music world.
Biography adapted from News reports: PTI via Cinema Express, Times of India, DD News, Prime Minister's Office (3 September 2026).
In their own words
“His demise leaves Gujarat feeling the loss of a talented creator. His invaluable contribution to the Gujarati music scene will always be remembered.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X, 3 September 2026
Photos
1Gaurang Vyas
by People Forever
That song is everywhere this week, for good reason