Kabhi alvida na kehnaa

Yesterday night, after dinner, I was surfing through Youtube, looking for some video performances of my favourite singer Kishore Kumar. I got only a few, and the picture quality of those were not good unlike we are used to see in the internet. But I got something very special after that-----------an interview with Kishoreda , narrated and conducted by Ameen Sayani. Although the programme was brodcasted after Kishoreda's death, but it was really worth-watching. Many renowned film personalities talked about him, and some glimpses of an earlier interview of Kishoreda, taken by the incomparable Lata Mangeshkar, were also shown. I wish I could have watched that as well !

After the programme was finished, I thought for a while with astonishment--------a person, with no "formal training" of music, had done so many things that the normal human beings could not even think of those ! He has performed all the activities associated with movies : Acting, Directing, Producing, Music directing, lyricist, and over and above, singing------with such ease and perfection that sometimes one would feel that he must have possessed some super-human qualities ! As Lataji said, " Kishoreda was born with all the musical qualities. He was an in-born genius!"

Rightly so. Due to the fear of Dadamoni Ashoke Kumar, Kishoreda first started with acting, which in his own words, he did not like at all. But he gave a new meaning to the comedy genre of Bollywood. His movies were packed with bomblastic hilarious elements right from the beginning till the end. Those who have seen movies like Half Ticket, Baap re Baap, Bhagaam Bhaag, Chalti ka naam gaari, Jhumroo, Padosan, Dilli ka thug--to name only a few-----can understand my point. Apart from acting in comedies, he directed a movie called Door Gagan ki Chhaon mein-------which, according to the critics, is a classic and Kishoreda, with his natural talent, proved that he can act in serious roles as well.

I dare not to say anything regarding his playback singing. I only wish sometimes if I could see at least one of his live performances! It is very hard to believe , after hearing his songs, that he had never been trained formally in his life. If I like to pick a dozen of my most favourite songs sung by him, the list, as of now, will look like this(in no particular order):

Aa chal ke tujhe (Door gagan ki chhaon mein)
Chingari koi bhadke (Amar prem)
Badi sooni sooni hai (Mili)
Dukhi man mere (Funtoosh)
Chanda o chanda (Laakhon mein ek)
Woh sham kuchh ajeeb thi (Khamoshi)
Pal Pal dil ke paas (Blackmail)
Aye tum yaad mujhe (Mili)
Koi humdum na raaha (Jhumroo)
Mere naina sawan bhadon (Mehbooba)
Kuchh to log kahenge (Amar prem)
Main hoon Jhumroo (Jhumroo)

Lastly, I would like to say, in his own words, a couplet :
Aye tum yaad mujhe gaaney lagee har dhadkan
Khusboo layee pawan, mehkaa chandan.