City celebrates 90th birth anniversary of Kishore Kumar
Kolkata: The 90th birth anniversary of Kishore Kumar was observed with great enthusiasm in Kolkata.
The statue of Kishore Kumar with Sachin Dev Barman on Southern Avenue was garlanded on Sunday morning. SD Barman considered Kishore to be his elder son. The statue, the only of its kind in the country, was installed by the Amit Kumar Fan Club. The space was provided by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Kishore's statues at Naktala and Baisnabghata Patuli were also garlanded.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is a great fan of Kishore Kumar, tweeted: "Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana...Fondly remembering Kishore Kumar, legendary singer, on his birth anniversary."
Meanwhile, the state government organised a programme at Rabindra Sadan, where singers like Rupankar, Raghab, Sriradha Bandyopadhyay and Haimanti Shukla took part, among others. Indranil Sen, minister of state for Information and Cultural Affairs and himself a well known singer and Vivek Kumar, principal secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs, also took part in the gala show.
The legendary singer's fan following is ever growing, even after one and a half decades of his death.
He had sung two immortal Rabindrasangeets, namely Ami chini go chini tomare and Bidhir badhon katbe tumi in Satyajit Ray's Charulata and Gharebaire.
Ei to hethae kunja chayae sung by Kishore Kumar in Lukochuri over five decades ago is still very popular among the music lovers.
In the 1970s, Ei je nodi jae sagore and Noyono sarasi kano sung by him were instant hits. Sei rate rat chilo purnima sung in his inimitable style remains a treasure in Bengali music.
Kishore's songs in Uttam Kumar's lip like Ki ashae bandhi khelaghor in Amanush and Prithibi bodle gache in Anandashrom remain popular tunes even today.
The Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Khanna duo which started in Aradhana, opened a new chapter in Hindi cinema. The two along with RD Barman presented some immortal songs.
His acting in Chaltika Naam Gaadi with his two elder brothers Ashok Kumar and Anup Kumar and his second wife Madhubala, showcases the talent of Kishore as an actor.
