As members of MUSOC, the music society of Kirori Mal College (KMC), started singing Hum Rahe Ya Na Rahe Hum, tears started rolling down the faces of many among the audience. The song is from singer Krishnakumar Kunnath aka KK’s debut solo album Pal (1999). That’s how the tribute to the college’s alumnus and singing maestro began at the intimate event, Remembering KK.
As music lovers across all age groups continue to mourn the sudden demise of the singer-composer from Delhi — who recently passed away at the age of 53 — his alma mater in Delhi University, paid him a tribute at the Academic Auditorium of the college. The place that gave wings to his musical journey started, hosted the gathering that comprised KK’s old college friends and members of KMC’s then band, Horizon. It was this band that KK joined after he enrolled himself in Economics (Hons), under the extra-curricular activity (ECA) quota in 1986.
A year before KK joined college, the music society was formed by Sumangala Damodaran, a then third-year economics student, along with other music enthusiasts and Sumitra Mohanty Chakrabarti, a physics faculty member. “We were waiting for a voice that would fit our vision and were rejecting one entry after the other, when a flamboyant, rather diminutive young man came to us and blew us away with his singing. That was KK, always the star,” recalled Damodaran, calling it “a very poignant experience” to be back in KMC along with other alumni of MUSOC. “We started something 38 years ago, and it holds the same emotional relevance to us all even today. We never thought we would all assemble for a day like this. Coming here feels like we never even left. But we came for KK, which makes it bittersweet,” she added.
Author Gautam Chikermane, Horizon’s then keyboardist, reminisced being in the band with KK, back in the day. “When we were a band, KK would sing songs by Sting, Dire Straits and Abba. Today, (students) sang KK’s songs. It’s like I’m reliving a fuzzy memory. Today, Tom (Joseph), Sandeep (Madan) and me, the three band members, are here and it feels like nothing has changed. KK will always be here.”
Everyone present got together to celebrate the rich legacy of the artiste. They shared anecdotes from KK’s college life such as him selling off typewriters and singing in hotels for a living. Paying him a musical tribute, the MUSOC’s present members sang KK’s rendition of Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno; 2008), and Alvida (Life in a Metro; 2007), among others, and the auditorium echoed with applause.
Sharing with the audience a glimpse of who KK was Sandeep Madan, Horizon’s bassist, said, “KK never did anything half-heartedly. Once we had a solo competition at IIT Kanpur, and were supposed to perform The Impossible Dream (The Quest) [from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha]. KK had a sore throat and I said we should withdraw it. But he was in the room for two hours, taking steam and gargling, and at four in the morning he performed and won the first price. It was amazing how committed he was.”
Actor Keval Arora, associate advisor of MUSOC, sharing how KK’s memory lives on, said: “A question that is often asked is how KMC as a college is able to have a certain kind of vibrancy in its ECA, and I always say it has to do with continuity. Now there are various ways in which you measure continuity but one very important way is addabazi, (that is) talking and sharing stories. As you tell stories, people come alive and also the sense of group comes alive. I know it sounds like a truism to say KK humare liye nahi gaya. But the point is that the last time I met KK, it was in 1987. Uss time mulakat nahi hui thi aur abhi bhi nahi hogi, lekin KK mere liye uss time zinda the aur abhi bhi zinda hain because he will live in our memories. He had this chawd (swag) in his walk, and I would say phir se hero aagaya. Tu udhar kya kar raha hai, come to drama (society)!”
Adding to this, Shalini Sane Baxi, associate advisor of MUSOC says, “I remember coming to MUSOC in 1992, and at that time KK was still struggling. We had heard stories about KK and his wonderful voice, and the transition he was making from rock music to Indian music. Then Pal (album) was released in 1999 and stories start following the name, and we all grew up with it. So MUSOC continues to talk about KK through the batches.”
Feeling lucky to hear the many stories about KK, Aryan Dogra, a second-year student of Political Science (Hons), shares, “We all want to pursue music, and to hear of his struggles is motivating. Shayad hum bhi zindagi main kuchh kar payein. We will try.” Adding to it, Harsh Bhardwaj, a second-year student of BCom (Prog) adds: “There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t heard KK’s songs. And to be a part of the society that he was in, is a great responsibility. I attended his concert in Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Dwarka, earlier this year, and everyone in the crowd had a connection with each and every song that he sang. Aagar hum milke unka 10% bhi achieve kar lein, toh we’ll consider ourselves lucky!”
Remembering KK, KMC’s principal Vibha Singh Chauhan said: “Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to meet him, but there were numerous occasions when his name was mentioned, extremely fondly, by teachers and sometimes by alumni who visited the college. I even felt a sense of pride, not sure if it’s the proper word here, to be associated with a college where people like KK have studied. I got a screenshot of a message that was being circulated on the digital media which said ‘Kirori Mal ke nalko main kaisa pani bheta hai? Itna talent kaise nikal raha hai?’ We will and we should think of something that would continue the remembrance of KK as a person, an artist and an alumnus of KMC.”
Author tweets @AngelaPaljor
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