Yesterday was the 81st birth anniversary of arguably the most versatile legends of Hindi Film and Music Industry - Kishore Kumar. Here's homage to him in remembrance of his birth day. The man who was bestowed with the responsibility to spread happiness, to make the common man laugh inspite of his sorrows, to fall in love with his unique "harkaten" and to cherish those unlimited melodies for generations to come, will always remain close to the hearts of all Indians for generation to come.

Abhas Kumar, who came to Mumbai industry as a frequent visitor to his then already-star brother - Ashok Kumar (Dada Munee) did some acting stint to start with, changed his name to Kishore Kumar (Did numerology exist prior to Ekta Kapoor?) and went on to become the numero-uno playback singer of the 70s and 80s. Here are a few interesting and exceptional thoughts about him.

One of the Best Ever - Without a formal training
Kishore Da was initially dismissed for his first singing assignment because he did not have any formal training in Music. At a time when classically trained singers dominated the playback singing, it was pure talent and creativity that KK more than compensated for his lack of formal training. The same music director - Salil Choudhary - who was dismissive of him for his first assignment, gave us some of the best gems of KK in years to come.
Inspite of not trained in music, Kishore Da had amazing perfection in his singing. You would never hear a flat note from him, inspite of all his "harkaten" which he used to do even in the studios while recording the song. He was a gifted man. Gifted with a voice that was devine.... one that would touch the soule. Although he harldy sang classical based songs (like Rafi, Manna Da), he had surgical precision in all of his songs.

Versatility
He is possibly the most versatile singer we have seen ever since the Hindi Music Industy was born in the last century. Close to him will be Asha Bhosale. Right from romance, comedy, love, sorrow, philosophy, devotion... KK has it all covered on his portfolio. His versatility not only crossed the boundaries of genre, it crossed genders as well. He is possibly the only one who has sung a duet himself. "Aake Seedhi Lagi Dilpe" was supposed to be sung by him and Lata Didi. Since Lata Didi could not come at the 11th hr, he sang in lady voice as well - with no help from technology by the way.
Apart from classical based songs, Kishore Da is also lesser known for Devotional songs. Although he has sung many of the devotional songs right from his start of the career right upto Swami Dada in late 80s, this genre remained the core competence of Rafi. Nevertheless, many of his devotional songs do touch your soul, although they might not be popular as "Roop tera mastana".

Creativity - Yoodleeyooo
KK gave us something that noone could ever imagine. The Yoodling. Perhaps this was his way to compensate for his lack of classical training and inability to sing a classical based song. With this, he created something that none of his contemporaries like Rafi, Manna Da could sing. "Main hoon zum zum Zumroo" is the most yoodled song ever and even today remains the best test of a "KK Style" singer.
He was born with the gift of creativity. The story of how he managed Asha's fumbling in "Piya piya piya" is well known. One of his best funny song, "Meri pyari bindu" from Padosan was his instant creation on the sets while shooting. It wasn't planned earlier - added later to the music album of Padosan.

Beyond Music
KKs versatility extended beyond Music into Films as well. Actor, Producer, Director, Music Director, Editor. Are there any other roles remaining? He did everything. Apart from singing, he is second-best known as a comedian. Who can forget the "Guru Vidyapati" of Padosan ? Apart from acting, he produced 18 films. Sadly only 8 saw the light of the day. Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Door Gagan ki Chhaon mein, Zuumroo are some of his best known films.

The Serious Kishor... Seriously???
Many close to him say that although on the face of it he looked vary funny, jovial and full of humor, somewhere within, there lived an extremely serious person. This shows up in the soul he put in his serious songs like "Dukhi man mere". In many of his films, his style was completely different than the comedian persona which he was known for. Look at "Door Gagan Ki Chhaon mein". A story of a soldier and his son. Many say that these films were his way to vent out that personality of him.
Inspiring Generations
Kishore Da has inspired generations of singers. Many have made thier careers after him by imitating him. Kumar Sanu (Duplicate), Babul Suprio (Duplicate ki Xerox Copy), et al. It is sad that many of them do not acknowledge this fact after becoming a star. However, an imitation after all, remains an imitation. There has been no equivalent of him even after decades when he left us. Recently, there was a kind of remix of "Bachna aye haseenon" in the movie with the same title (staring Ranbeer Kapoor). Listen to it carefully. There are original lines by KK initially and then new lines are sung by a new comer. The difference is evident. Even with today's technology, KK stands out.
Kishore Da, you will always remain alive in our hearts forever. Your music is the only refuge amidst the chaos and noisy numbers dominant in the music industry today. I only wish we had more of you.
Hope you rest in peace.