A new biography on the vagabond singer Kishore Kumar

The mysterious singer was a wonderful pack of many identities, which kept changing over time. Spontaneous and spontaneous, he expressed himself in parts but the sum of the parts never revealed his true identity. The defining aspect of his identity – the lyrics – oscillates between deceptive complexity and genuine simplicity, prompting a curiosity to discover him and his methods. Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography (HarperCollins) An ambitious venture to find a teenager whose hunger for excellence makes him a genius; Kishore The Voice, which provided the emotional authenticity of human emotions; And, the teen icon, who venerated music. It is a tribute to a singer who has kept his grip on the waves of the wind ever since.

It’s been 35 years since his death, but Kishor’s voice is beloved by the audience. He was an uneducated genius who could not read musical notes, but his admirers included classical masters like Bhimsen Joshi and Kumar Gandharva. To the extent that classical singer Kanika Bandyopadhyay once remarked: “Only listening to these songs inspires to live longer”.

Kishore’s vocal-backed raga Yaman composition ‘Woh Sham Kuch Ajib Thi’ ( silence1969), and ‘Jeevan Se Bhaari Teri Aankhen’ based on Raga Charukeshi ( journey, 1970) is testament to the ease with which he negotiated classical compositions to exquisite perfection. No wonder, this book documents his life according to the time-based rule of Hindustani ragas, starting with the morning raga Bhairav ​​and ending with the night raga Kedar.

The Accidental Singer

Born with an unusually hoarse voice that produced a coughing sound, the teen could not become a singer, his right toe was not accidentally cut off with a kitchen knife in 1934. In the absence of strong antibiotics, he cried continuously for about seventeen or about 17 years. Eighteen hours a day for a few weeks, which paved the way for a clear, distinctly high quality phonation. At the cost of his schooling, Destiny’s Child carefully nurtured the specialty of spontaneous singing. The teen never let his inner child die, liberally using nonsensical words, scattering and shouting as part of the song. classic comedy ( neighbor, 1968) came in handy for making the song ‘Mere Bhole Balam’ for Kishor and incorporating innovations like ‘Oye tedhe, straight ho ja re’ during the final recording of ‘Ek Chatur Naar’, which RD Burman did without hesitation. accepted. With his voice being so versatile, he could evoke the entire spectrum of emotions with utmost ease. If his carefree, yodeling number ‘Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana’ ( style1971) Can make life more worthy, sad ‘Zindagi Ka Journey’ ( journey1970) can make the listener shed tears.

With Sunil Dutt in ‘Padosan’. photo credit: special arrangement

There are hundreds of stories about the unique singer, about his talent, about his parsimony, about his eccentricity, and about his escapades with his directors, meaningful to give the narrative an ultimate biographical credence. Well curated. However, one has to wonder if Gambhir Kishore Kumar will ever be good enough for the temperamental singer. Kishor not only made his way into the hearts of people, he did so by proposing Leena Chandavarkar to sing ‘Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai’ over the phone. Stain1973).

In ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi’ with Madhubala. photo credit: special arrangement

Kishore was born to sing. Not realizing the slightest that his words would prove prophetic, he once responded to his teacher’s rebuke for playing the tabla at the desk: ‘Sir, this will one day be my career’. The teenager remained with his diabolical attitude throughout his life, which helped him get through the ups and downs.

His longtime friend, journalist and filmmaker Pritish Nandy, defined him in three words: Madcap. Mystic. Magician. On the other end, writers Anirudh Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar count him as the ultimate ‘great natural’ in Indian cinema.

The author is a freelance researcher and academic.