Kishore Kumar had stage fright in college, recalls MP teacher

Bollywood legend Kishore Kumar had stage fright in his initial days in Christian College here and used to sing standing behind the curtains, a teacher said on Sunday.

Kumar, who enthralled the country with golden hits in a wide array of languages, died on October 13 in 1987 in Mumbai.

"While studying here from 1946-48, Kishore Kumar used to sing in his hostel room and under a tamarind tree in the campus. He used to sing in the classroom as well. But he used to have hesitation on stage in facing an audience," Swaroop Vajpayee, a history teacher at Christian College, told PTI on Sunday.

Vajpayee, an avid Kumar fan, has several educational records of the legend.

"According to alumni, he used to sing from behind the curtains during college cultural events, instead of the stage. But his songs used to be mesmerising and people applauded for a long time after each performance. However, his hesitation disappeared later and he began to perform on stage," Vajpayee said.

Kumar was born Abhas Kumar Ganguly on August 4, 1929 in Khandwa.

Vajpayee said Kumar left the college in 1948 to pursue a career in films in Mumbai, where his elder brother Ashok Kumar was already a matinee star.

Kumar, who often spoke of retiring to his birthplace to have "doodh jalebi", was cremated in Khandwa.