Kishore Kumar fans demand singer's MP ancestral home be converted to national heritage site

Fans and officials paid tribute to Kishore Kumar on the occasion of his 92nd birth anniversary on Wednesday by offering milk and jalebis, the favourite dish of the legendary singer, at his samadhi near his birthplace Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. The fans also demanded that the ancestral house of the late singer in Khandwa be converted into national heritage. “Kishoreda was a Bharat Ratna in its own sense. Instead, his dilapidated house should be converted into national heritage,” said Kishore Prerna Manch’s spokesman Sunil Jain when asked about the demand to confer India’s highest civilian award on the versatile singer-actor. Kishore Kumar was born in Khandwa town on 4 August, 1929. The 200-year-old property lies in a dilapidated condition because of a dispute among the Ganguly (original surname of the famous actor brothers Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Anoop Kumar) family members, sources associated with the “Ganguly House” in Bombay Bazar area of Khandwa town said. Among fans, Pune-based actor-director Jagdish Gayakwad, who visits Khandwa every year on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Kumar, said, “I have grown up hearing and singing Kishore Da’s songs and I earn my bread and butter by singing his songs.” A large number of fans also turned up at the samadhi memorial to pay their respects. Khandwa collector Anay Dwivedi and superintendent of police Vivek Singh also offered floral tributes. The celebrated singer who died at the age of 58 in 1957 is remembered for his memorable songs. Kumar also worked as an actor and featured in several songs sung by him. Born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly, Kumar was the younger sibling of popular actor Ashok Kumar. Songs by Kishore Kumar often featured celebrated actor Rajesh Khanna. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)