For music fans like me, or at least I strongly believe, Kishore Kumar’s era was pure gold! I admire people who got to hear him live or watch him record, or even luckier ones who he sang for, you know Indian actors from the movie industry. His songs are like old friends, always there to lift my mood or soothe my soul. His voice feels like a warm hug on a cold day, so comforting and soothing. The magic of Kishore Kumar for me today.
Some of you may ask, why Kishore Kumar? Wrong. The right question is, how? How did this legendary artist capture hearts and live through the ages? Wait, now, my wife BB will say, Questions aren’t wrong, Rustam but the answer is. She is right, I must say. We used to get marks if the answers were right 😂. So let’s reach into the magic of Kishore Kumar’s music and explore why his songs continue to connect with sentiments with audiences across generations.
The first song I ever knew by heart was ‘Hame Tumse Pyar Kitna Ye Hum Nahi Jaante.’ How? Well, it’s quite simple. I memorized it during my school days, a time when I hadn’t even heard of or know Kishore Kumar or R.D. Burman. And before you ask, no, I won’t reveal the time but let’s just say I was quite young. I memorized it simply because I loved the song.
Let’s cut to my first year of college. Hungry after classes, I and a dear friend who’s still very close to me and will be close forever, headed to our regular spot for some chola, the famous and only chop chola of Pawan, ‘Pawan Chola,’ the only food stall on campus, where we savoured our chola, always had music playing at his stall. It was a backdrop to many of our college memories. Are any MMC College Bhadrapur folks here who remember? Please raise your hand.
We finished eating, paid the bill, and I signaled to my friend, ‘Let’s go.’ He ignored me. Alright, after a couple of minutes, I tried again, ‘Let’s go.’ This time he replied, no SPOKE, ‘Let’s sit for a couple of minutes more.’ I kept asking at regular intervals, but his response remained the same, ‘Let’s sit for a couple of minutes more.’ I glanced around, wondering if he was waiting to talk to his crush or any beautiful lady, but there was no sign of her.
Finally, he said, ‘Bro, Kishore Kumar is playing on Pawan’s Cassette Player. Let’s finish this last song, and then we’ll leave.’ Here, reintroducing Kishore Kumar into my life. Who is this guy, Kishore Kumar? I had heard all the songs that were playing (remember this?). That was the trigger moment for me to learn more about Kishore Kumar. Surprisingly, most of the songs I liked were his, and I had been listening to his songs since childhood. The only thing I didn’t know was that most of the songs I heard were sung by Kishore Kumar. That’s it. After that, there was no going back. Kishore Kumar is my favorite and will always be my all-time favorite singer.
All thanks to the love of my life, my bestie, my partner in crime (if we had done any, though I don’t remember as such 😂), my brother and at the same time, KYUN KI HAR EK DOST KAMEENA HOTA HAI, my kameena friend, for the first time on my blog, I’m dragging my friend into the spotlight, Raju. After that, whenever there were no lectures, we used to grab the last bench and sing Kishore Kumar while cycling. ‘Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana‘ yes, Kishore Kumar. Every time, everywhere, Kishore Kumar. We are the craziest fans of Kishore Kumar.
Now, the common question you might ask me is, ‘So, Rustam, what’s your favourite Kishore Kumar song?’ Again re-phrase it (BB nahi maanegi moment 😂), ‘Which song do you love the most, Rustam?’ I’d say ‘Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi, Sikwa To Nahi‘ still tops the chart for me from the movie Aandhi. After that, in no particular order, there’s ‘Meri Bheegi Bheegi Si,’ ‘Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhein,’ and the list goes on.
Wow beautifully done brother …. Happy Birthday Kishor Kumar
रिमझिम गिरे सावन सुलग सुलग जाए मन भीगे आज इस मौसम में लगी कैसी ये अगन रिमझिम गिरे सावन सुलग सुलग जाए मन भीगे आज इस मौसम में लगी कैसी ये अगन रिमझिम गिरे सावन.
Thank you brother Rustam for bringing back that era. Amazing