Tribute to Kishore Kumar .... "Zindagi ka safar ... koi samjha nahi" - would still make me pause ...and reflect about life and career

Even many years after Kishore Kumar expired; just press google and his name and one would find almost a compulsive phrase - 'sad songs'. None of the playback singers his era and later --- even after five decades - can bring out the pathos as his memorable numbers did.  

Arguably, he was one of the most popular singers in the Indian subcontinent, notable for his yodelling and ability to sing songs in different voices. A number of artistes after years of his demise have made big in the highly competitive Bollywood - just because they could imitate Kishore Kumar.  

Kumar Sanu was one of them. Kishore Kumar's birthday falls on August 4th. Born in the year 1929; be expired on Oct 13, 1987 - just at the age of 58.  

In 2013, Kumar was voted "The Most Popular Male Playback Singer" in a poll conducted by the Filmfare magazine. His popular numbers would be many ... but a few of those cannot be forgotten ever -  

"Sapno Ki Raani

"Mera jeevan kora kagaz ... 

 

"O Sathi re... tera bina bhi kya jeena

"... saathi tu badal gaya ... todi dosti (Sholay)"  

-- Jab Tak maine samjha 

And that 'Bin phere, hum tere; ... 

"Aanch na aaye naam pe tere .... Khaak bhale yeh jeevan ho

Apne jahaan mein aag laga lein ... Tera jahaan jo roshan ho"

(dedicated to all failed lovers) 

Kishore Kumar was born in a Bengali Brahmin Ganguly family in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh as Abhas Kumar Ganguly.

His father, Kunjalal Ganguly (Gangopadhyay), was a lawyer and his mother, Gouri Devi - a home-maker. 

 Kumar was the youngest of four siblings, the elder three being Ashok (the eldest), Sati Devi, and Anoop. While Kumar was still a child, his brother Ashok became an actor in Hindi cinema. Later, Anoop also ventured into cinema. 

There are lot many tales and anecdotes about his eccentricity.

In 1985 during Kishore's lifetime -- R D Burman had called Kishore "a split personality".

Somewhat, he fell into the category of a mad joker on one hand and on the other, a hard and practical man.

He was known in the music world as -- a superb professional, who will do anything to extract the best price for his talent and voice.

In 1985, under its article captioned - 'Kishore Kumar: The last encore', newsmagazine 'India Today' claimed 

.... producer Manmohan Desai had "sworn never to have anything to do with the man". 

"The man can really get petty. He has only money on his mind," said Desai, who had given a number of popular films starring Amitabh Bachchan. 

Fellow singer Asha Bhosale had said: "I have met him frequently but I always wonder how little I know him. 

He lives in a world of his own."

His eccentricity and and 'a world of his own' demo was amply argued in the 'India Today' article wherein it is stated that:

"When (wife) Leena and the sons (Amit and Sumeet) are out Kishore walks in the garden and talks to the chinar trees. His favourite is called Hari-Niranjan, a 30-foot specimen who, says Kishore, "knows all the secrets of my money and my loves".  

Madhubala - his second wife and a tragic tale 

He had married Ms Ruma Ghosh (Guha Thakurota). Madhubala (1960), Yogita Bali and lastly Leena Chandravarkar (1980).  

.... The stories of his love are stories in themselves.  

As his wife Madhubala's health sunk so did Kishore's career graph. 

"I was distracted. My rating as an actor dropped and I was invited to act only in B movies," he recalled in mid-eighties.

But there was, in the tragedy, an unexpected bonus. 

Forced to concentrate on something that didn't take up all his time. Kishore took to playback singing. 

He did not look back. A generation of youngsters made it a point to memorise Kishore Kumar's either melancholic or romantic song. 

The rest, they may say, is history. 

But for die-hard fan like my brother. Kishore's "Jis raha chuni tuney .. was something to tease his journo-brother.

I knew classmates and I had my own autobiographical moments - either with love, journalism and the boring 'married life' itself --- 

"Zindagi ka safar ... koi samjha nahi" - would make me pause even today and reflect back on things got started, but did not get off and got derailed. 

The story of a Science dropout-turned-journo. And many years later - a workaholic journo... chose to survive on moonlighting and freelancing. 

All these can come back to be summarized in another Kishore Kumar classic.

- "Kiska raasta dekhen (For Whom can I wait now in this journey of my life)".

A few numbers like "Phoolon ka taron ka ... (Dev Anand singing for his sister Zeenat Aman) is an annual feature in our life ... only to tease our sister .... either on Rakhi festival or her birthday. There is also a twist in our tale as my sister had 'eloped' and ended up  in a wedlock with a Bihari boy and my dad had said 'No means No'. 

Play that song from 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' and imagine your sister is also mischievous. 

Illustrious Gulzar made fantastic use of some Kishore Kumar's songs --- 

"is mod se jaate hai ..." 

But when the line comes ...."ik dur se aati hai, 

paas aake palat ti hai 

..... ik raah akeli si; rukti hai na chalati hai". 

What a combo. Kishore's voice and Gulzar's magical poetry.

These do speak about the 'mystery' behind each road. One of them comes so near you and then takes a turn to take altogether a new path, never to return again.

Then again, some roads would appear motionless for a while....

I fail to understand, why.  

And we all can only get lost in web of the words.

Kishore's Sharabi number ... "nasha sharab mein hoto toh nachti botal' is very popular in press clubs and officers' clubs in military organisations both in India and Pakistan. 

Kishore gave 'soul' to Rajesh Khana's characters 

Another story goes:

One day in 1977, Kishore had called up Yogita Bali, then the pin-up girl, and proposed to her on the telephone. 

He had known her for just two months and she was 26 years younger. 

The marriage lasted less than a year.  

One fine morning she left the house saying she was going to visit her mother. She never returned. 

Political Tale too:

In 1976, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, led by Vidya Charan Shukla, wanted top Bollywood artistes to perform and praise Indira Gandhi’s and Sanjay Gandhi's 20-point program and youth rallies.

Kishore Kumar firmly refused to sing for government propaganda or participate in state-sponsored promotional events.

Because of this defiance, the government placed an unofficial ban on his voice, restricting his songs from being played on All India Radio and Doordarshan, and freezing record sales. 

The ban lasted for several months.

ends