MP-KISHORE-ANNIVERSARY

Kishore Kumar had stage fright in college, recalls MP teacher
    Indore, Oct 13 (PTI) 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. PTI HWP ADU
BNM BNM

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)