Alvida, KK!

 I was in the office, dealing with the mundane, when a fellow officer informed about it. That the legendary KK had expired of a suspected cardiac arrest - last night. I was shocked. The demise of the brilliant singer, with soulful voice and a repertoire of hit songs, was a huge set back. More shocking was the way my facebook timeline had been silent about it! Where two-a-penny "social media influencers" make it to headlines, there was nothing about this great loss to the music scene in India.

Incidentally, "Maine Dil Se Kahaa" (Rog) was part of my "treadmill list" this morning. I had reminisced about how I had listened to the song last (or rather, binged on it) when the news of the demise of Irfan, the actor had come. Little did I know then, that fate had already snatched another great artist associated with the song!  
My 'relationship' with KK was kind of special. He was the first celebrity I had met! I had led our school's first rookie team for participation in the Bournvita Quiz Contest(BQC), in September 1999. We came second in the Quarterfinal round itself, and returned home (or rather school) with a cheque of ₹1000, a mithai dabba full of Cadburies, and half a day at Essel World (our trip day coincided with Ganesh Visarjan Day in Mumbai - so everything was shut down early afternoon). However, it was during this outing that I met KK. 90s kids may recall that BQC back then had a celebrity round, where a celebrity asked questions (given by the team BQC, of course), shared some trivia, and signed an autograph. Our episode had Farah Khan (director, choreographer, Main Hoon Na) as the celebrity. However, while we waited in the studio, one of our preceding episodes was being recorded. When Derek O Brien (Hon. MP now) introduced the celebrity for the round, it did not ring a bell. Then he walked in. He wore his hair long back then - recall shoulder length curls. Then he sang - and it registered. No one had brought the pitch of the male voice so high since Md Rafi ji. He sang his hit - Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil Se, and etched himself on my heart, forever. Then he sang 'Yaaron, Dosti' - from the movie Rockford. It nay have been a work in progress back then. Luckily we had a break between the two shootings, and we got to meet him backstage. Thus I met KK even before our "own" celebrity (Farah) during our shooting later. 

It is said that the sense of fragrance and that of music trigger vivid memories. KK reigned during the whole "formative period" of my life. Right from Matriculation (Yaaron) and Intermediate, through Engineering (Maine Dil Se Kahaa, Jaane Kaise, Alvida, Beete Lamhe), MBA (Zara Sa, Dil Ibadat) and Railways / Preparation (Abhi Abhi To Mile Ho). Just as we joined the Academy, a new singer Arijit Singh came to limelight, who operated in the same territory as KK. I recall less songs of KK after that. However, each song of his takes me back to a particular era of my life. For a music lover like me, all reminiscences tinged with music are good; and those haunted by KK are sublimely great. It is to his credit that "Dard mein bhi ye lab muskura jate hain, Beetey Lamhe Humein Jab Bhi Yaad Aate Hain!"