A SON REMEMBERS

AMIT KUMAR reviews his long innings and revisits memories of his legendary father, Kishore Kumar. FARHANA FAROOK enjoys the musical soiree

He’s the son of musically gifted parents, Ruma Guha Thakurta and the legendary Kishore Kumar. That perhaps made the endeavour doubly tough and the encore even more rewarding for singer Amit Kumar.

Having survived five decades and his songs enjoying tremendous recall value—Bade acche lagte hain being the toast of serials and shows—he’s now enjoying his stint on YouTube. Launched in 2011, the Amit Kumar official channel is making more and more music. “Right now, I have 229,803 subscribers,” he beams as he checks the statistics. “People now want independent music. I am also doing cover versions of my hits like Love Story.” While his individual path has been terrific, the resonance of his legendary father is palpable in his memories and music. “Baba was like a huge banyan tree, a one-man industry. I was going against the wind. I’m fortunate to have been able to carve out my own career. I didn’t suffer from any complex,” says the unstoppable Amit Kumar as he talks about Kishore Kumar, a voice that continues to be heard every second in some part of the world. In Amit Kumar’s own words:

CLASSICAL MUSIC WAS A BOUNCER

In the early ’70s, I began training in classical music with Ghulam Mustafa Khan Saab. But it all was a ‘bouncer’ for me. I gave up. I started learning light classical from Satyanarayan Mishraji from the Benares gharana in 1987. He made me practise 10 thaat (scale), which I do even now.

MUSIC ENTERED MY LIFE AROUND 1969–1970