Saya Tin

Born in 1255(Myanmar Era) in the Min-Thar-Su ward, Shwe-Phone-Shein Quarter, Mandalay, Myanmar. His mother Daw Thein was native of that ward. His father, U Yan Aung was a man in the service of His Majesty King Thi-Baw, the last ruler of kingdom of Myanmar. He had one elder sister and one younger sister.

He started schooling at the age of 6, passed 10th standard in 1909 at the age of 17. He worked as a school teacher in a private tuition for three years. In his leisure time he had been almost always playing his concertina singing some songs in low voice. So, some people said in blaming he had no dignity as a teacher and he resigned from the post.

After resignation he could give more time in playing his concertina, making researches on the sounds coming out of it, studying Myanmar classic songs deeply and composing modern songs for the then well-known lady dancers of Mandalay.

In 1918 at the request of his students he founded his own private tuition which he named "Young Men Buddhist School" and he was popularly known as Y.M.B. Saya Tin. He then founded with his students a music troupe that entertained on free of charge on the occasions of his friends' charity and wedding gatherings.

These made him more famous and he was required to make frequent visits to Yangon where his songs were sold, recorded and used in commercial films. He became too busy to continue his tuition and stopped it. He finally moved to Yangon where he once again met and had a close association with his old intimate classmate Thakhin(Lord) Ba Thaung who indoctrinated him. Hence his original national patriotic spirit became more sharpened and brightened that he himself joined as a member of political Thakhin Party(Dobama Asiayone). And he became Y.M.B.Thakhin Tin.

Thakhin Ba Thaung urged him to write a song giving him some patriotic words. And he composed one. Thus its words were Thakhin Ba Thaung's. But its tune was Saya Tin's artistic creation with the help of his concertina.

The song was first ceremonially sung by Saya Tin himself at 5:00 pm on 20th day of July 1930, in the North-West rest-house on the flat ground of Shwe-da-gon Pagoda. Then several attempts were made to have the song widespread.

In 1947 the song was adopted as the Myanmar national anthem. Saya Tin was awarded 1000 kyats. On independence Day in 1950 he was honoured with a title of 'Wunna-Kyaw-Htin'(the beautiful-famous).

Saya Tin had written over 4000 songs while he was in Yangon, his pupils said. But as an artist he gathered little money.

Because of overwork and poor health condition he was admitted as an in-door patient in Yangon General Hospital where on next day 8th August 1950 he died of tuberculosis. His body was buried in Kyan-daw cemetery, Yangon.