Rashmi Rekha Das
Much like Kishore Kumar, Achyutananda Mishra, a diehard fan of the legendary singer, can make us laugh, cry, cheer, ponder and celebrate while he belts out one soulful track after another. And like his guru, he is unassuming and exudes genuine warmth
He is a man with a magical voice, charming personality and an undying spirit. There are many features in his personality that make him unique. Just like a satisfying meal which appeals to the taste buds, his concert is like a platter full of music of diverse genres, sure to strike a chord with each and every person in the audience. He ensures that the audience gets more than what they had signed up for. Being able to sing in Kishore Kumar’s immortal voice, Achyutananda Mishra, who is fondly called Kishore Kumar of BJB College, has made a name for himself in the world of music at the age of 58. In a candid chat with Sunday POST, Achyutananada shares his spiritual connect with the evergreen singer.
Achyutananda, a professor of chemistry, used to be a bathroom singer till he shot to limelight. After his children got settled in their respective fields, he thought it was the time to follow his passion. And as the saying goes, ‘There is a woman behind every successful man’, his wife Namita Mishra always encouraged him. Achyutananda proved the adage that age is just a number true by the dint of his determination. When he was 56, he planned to organise an event, held last year on August 4, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Abhas Kumar Ganguly aka Kishore Kumar.
Asked about his plans of organising the concert on Kishore Kumar’s birthday, the singer said: “The great Lata Mangeshkar has famously said that Kishore Kumar was such a complete entertainer that she liked to call him the Danny Kaye of India. I agree with her. What I like the most about Kishore is that he used to connect with the audience and keep everyone entertained through his singing. I was attracted to music since childhood. Mainly Kishore Kumar’s songs fascinated me. I used to hum his favourite numbers all the time. That apart, I belong to a family where music is worshipped. My grandfather Pandit Chintamani Mishra used to sing at Jagannath temple. My father Mukund Mishra had bought a harmonium and a tabla for me and my siblings when we were very young. My love for music was always there. I used to sit in the last bench of our class and hum the popular numbers of Kishore Kumar during recess. I was known as Kishore Kumar in my college.”
“After my children got engaged in their respective fields, I bought a karaoke music instrument to hone my skill. When I sang, I scored 100 marks in the karaoke instrument to my utter surprise. It made me and my wife, who is diehard fan of mine, to come up with the idea of holding the Kishore Kumar Night in honour of the legendary singer. I have been organising the event single-handedly for the past two years without the support of any organisation. That apart, I don’t allow other singers to participate in the event. I sing 24-26 tracks consecutively,” he said.
The songster-cum-professor narrated a clutch of interesting anecdotes. “Just a few days were left for the event when I was diagnosed with diabetes,” he said. “My wife and children were worried whether I could give my best on stage because it was for the first time I was going to perform before a huge crowd. But I did not let my morale plummet and sang 26 songs without taking a break. The programme was successful.”
Sharing another memorable incident, he said: “I happened to attend a musical programme at Soochana Bhawan in Bhubaneswar just a day before my concert. A singer was not able to do justice to Kishore da’s songs. I invited a person sitting next to me saying that I was going to hold a programme in commemoration of Kishore da. But his immediate reply was: ‘Don’t waste others’ time. I am sure you will sing like this fellow.’ His reply hurt me very much. After my show, I was about to reach home when I got a call from the same person. He apologised to me for his words and said I had sung really well.”
Asked about the reactions of the instrumentalists when he first revealed his plans to them, the professor replied: “After I had taken the final decision to host the event, I invited tabla player Kabu, triple player Sanjay Mohanty, organ player Chintamani Mishra and guitar player Suresh Patra to my place for rehearsals. They had apprehensions about my ability. That I could guess from their disinterested faces. After listening to my rendition of ‘Mere Mehboob’, they said I sing a hundred times better than others. They gave their nod for the programme without a pause.”
Asked about his inspirations, the singer said: “My wife and children boost my morale. Besides, my students and principal Mohammed Nawaz Hasan have constantly supported me. Once after I had sung ‘Khilte Hein Gul Yahan’, our principal sir said ‘You are better than Kishore Kumar’ and students took my autograph.”
His aim, however, is not to carve a niche in the field of music. “I would like to start tutorial classes to provide coaching to financially backward students free of cost,” he said.
