Kishore Kumar: An average student who made a mark
Indore: Legendary singer Kishore Kumar preferred singing and music to studies during his student days and was very clear in the formative years of his life that he wanted to make a mark in the fledgling Hindi film industry.
Kumar, whose 89th birth anniversary is being celebrated on Saturday, had an average academic record, as per documents available with the Indore Christian College ( ICC), where he enrolled for intermediate in 1946.
He secured third division with just 326 marks out of 800 in high school examination ( Class 10), according to the documents submitted to the ICC for admission.
Kumar, born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly into a Bengali family in adjoining Khandwa district, did his high schooling from his hometown before moving to Indore for further studies.
He left his college education midway to land in Mumbai ( then Bombay), where he went on to become not only a great singer, but also earned fame as an actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director and screenwriter.
“A copy of his marksheet was found in a dusty file in the ICC’s record room. We searched for it as it is related to memories connected with the great artist's school life,” ICC history department professor Swaroop Vajpayee said.
He said Kumar’s father, Kunjilal Ganguly, admitted his son to the ICC to do intermediate after he matriculated in 1946 from Khandwa.
Vajpayee said Kumar had cleared high school exam conducted by the then Nagpur- based Board of High School Education of Central Provinces and Berar in 1946 in Hindi medium, and his roll number was 4197. His marksheet, issued in July 1946, shows he secured 69 marks out of 175 in English and a subject taught along with it, 9 out of 25 in general knowledge, 64 out of 150 in chemistry and physics, 64 out of 150 in geography & elementary history, 67 out of 150 in Hindi and 53 out of 150 marks in drawing.
Vajpayee has gathered memories associated with the legendary artist from different sources and most of these are related to his stay in the ICC. He said Kumar had made up his mind about his career during his college days. He was an executive member of the college’s cultural organisation, Bajm- eAdab. — PTI