Tribute to the magician of music: Kishore da

That mellifluous voice, that magnetism in the songs, that magical energy that could breathe life into the dullest of strains – it could only belong to our favourite singer Kishore Kumar, whose eccentricity, astonishing talent and amazing temperament had led us to think beyond the conventional barriers of music at that point of time.

Hence, on his 81st birth anniversary on Wednesday we are left with nothing much more than walking down the memory lane and refresh ourselves with the velvety voice behind our favourite songs.

Similar to the stories of how legends are made, the initial years of Kishore Kumar had been spent struggling to set a foothold in the world of music. He juggled between acting and singing, failing to make a mark in either. The music industry had still been enarmoured by Mohammed Rafi at that point of time.

It was only in 1951 when the singer got a charitable break from SD Burman that he was finally noticed. Films like Funtoosh, Paying Guest and Jewel Thief followed. But still then Kishore Kumar had not caught the fancy of the generation.

In 1969, his fate took a turn. RD Burman took over from his ailing father and made Kishore Kumar the lead playback singer in Aradhana instead of Rafi who happened to be his father's favourite. And the rest happens to be history.

His versatility, distinctive voice, the emotions he put in his songs have led generations of music lovers to worship him for decades. Even so many years after his death, the frenzy for Kishore Kumar hasn't faded. We pay tribute to the immortal singer on his 81st birth anniversary.