Kishore Kumar, Bollywood’s one and only all rounder, was a powerhouse of talent. Though it took him many years to realise his true calling as a playback singer, he made his mark in the industry on his own terms.
Not only did Kishore da not have any formal training in music, he also lacked the tonality a singer must have, as a child. Legend has it that Abhas Kumar Ganguly had a rather rough voice in his younger days. But as luck would have it, he happened to injure a finger and cried for days, as a result of which his vocal chords opened up.
It’s almost impossible to find a music lover who isn’t a fan of his versatile vocals. There’s no dearth of jukeboxes when it comes to the genre that is Kishore Kumar, but for now, sing along with his most celebrated numbers.
(This story is from The Quint’s archives. It is being republished on the iconic singer’s death anniversary.)
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