A tribute to Kishore Kumar

A friend once said that when you are happy you listen to the music, but when you are sad you listen to the lyrics/song.

This is probably most true about Kishoreda's songs.

Recently there was a lot of buzz on my Watsapp groups around Kishore Kumar and when I checked online, I found that it was the maestro's 85^th Birthday (on 4th Aug).

Being an eternal fan of Kishorda, I got on to Youtube and played a few of my all-time favorite Kishoreda songs,

• Kuch toh log kahenge from Amar Prem
• Chingari koi bhadke from Amar Prem again (this movie has some of the best songs EVER. Each one is a gem), and
• O Saathi Re from Mukaddar ka Sikandar

And I got thinking “What is it about Kishoreda and sad songs? We keep listening to them and loose ourselves. It seems like he has never sang any other songs except sad songs.”

Being the versatile artist that he was, he has definitely sang all kinds of songs. Who can forget the perfect melody (and the yodeling) in “Mere Sapno ki Rani kab aayegi tu”, the rain-drenched romanticism of “Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhagi si”, the hilariously funny and absolutely crazy “Ek Chatur Naar” and that old party/picnic favorite “Dekha na hai re socha na”.

But beyond all those romantic songs, the funny songs and the crazy songs, it is Kishoreda’s sad songs that have made an immense impact on me and on a lot of other fans.

In fact, some of his romantic songs sound hauntingly sad. Take for example, “Hame tumse pyaar kitna”, “Chukar mere mann ko” or my favourite “Phir wohi raat hai”. These songs touch some chord deep on the heart and although, these are romantic songs and pictured as such, they feel sad and longing.

It is some kind of a deep hurting poignancy that his voice brings to these songs and that elevates the song to a whole new level.

Listening to Kishoreda's songs makes you realize the true value of love, even if you have not lost it. These songs sometimes are about the unfairness of life and the helplessness of man in the face of circumstances. But I think THAT, exactly, is what gives us the strength to carry on too. As one song goes “Hum kyon shikwa kare jhootha, kya hua jo dil toota” or other one “Ek raah Ruk gayi, toh aur jud gayi, main muda to saath-saath raah mud gayi”.

Kishoreda lives on in our lives, minds and senses through his music. And why we can’t forget him is as much because of his versatility and genius as because, maybe, like all of us (lesser mortals) he was probably a very sad man.

Within all the despair, all the sorrow and all the heart-break, life is still wonderful. Just like Kishordas songs.

Thank you Kishoreda for the music. I know you are yodeling away into a dense forest somewhere in the minds of fans.