“Hum Rahein Ya Na Rahen Yaad Aayenge Ye Pal”: Remembering KK & His Blockbuster College Life At Kirori Mal, DU

Singer KK's sudden and unexpected demise has left a shadow of gloom among music lovers. As people around the world remember the beautifully sung blockbusters by the singer, we take up a period in his life when he was yet to become the sensation that he is.

Not many people are aware that back in the eighties, a young KK was a student at Delhi University's Kirori Mal College. Even though he was far from an established singer then, everyone in college was familiar with his magnificent voice and his effortlessly beautiful signing. 

MUSOC: The Music Society Of Kirori Mal 

KK, or Krishnakumar Kunnath, probably wouldn't have been studying at Kirori Mal college if it weren't for MUSOC - the music society. Founded back in 1985, MUSOC was made official very soon, and a year later, they were auditioning students for admission under the Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA) quota.

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KK's tryst with college life was deeply intertwined with music as he found himself enrolled in a Commerce course after impressing everyone at the MUSOC auditions. One witness of the audition was Sumangala Damodaran, now a professor at Ambedkar University, Delhi.

KK (last row, wearing sunglasses) in his class photo

"A diminutive young man wearing dark glasses came in and we were completely blown away by the power and feeling in his voice," Prof. Damodaran told The Indian Express. "It was obvious that he would top the list of ECA admission, but it was his personality that was arresting," he added.

Among the members of MUSOC was Sumitra Mohanty Chakrabarti - a recently retired Physics faculty member at Kirori Mal College. Remembering her time with the singer, she said, "he was a very dear student, often rode back home with me". 

The Journey From Western To Hindi Songs

As fans of his enchanting voice, there is no doubt that he was an excellent singer; perhaps one of the all-time greats of Bollywood who would be remembered along with the legends like Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi. Yet, as his college mates fondly remember, KK was more into Western music during his college days.

Remembering those days, Professor Chakrabarti recalled, "He used to tell me, 'Ma'am, I only listen to Western music’, but I told him to perform Hindi music too. Years later he thanked me for that."

KK was part of Kirori Mal College's band Horizon which was doing well in the college music circuits winning many awards and accolades. One of his bandmates, Gautam Chikermane - now the vice president of Observer Research Foundation, was the keyboardist in the band.

He recalled that every morning at 8:15 AM all six members of Horizon would practice at the college premises to make it big in the Western music scene in the universities.

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"Once, we were performing Walk Of Life by Dire Straits at Maulana Azad Medical College, and I messed up the Piano Intro. I started it at a slow tempo. KK kept looking over at me from the drums and hinting to speed up, but it's not that easy," Chikermane told The Indian Express.

Recalling another incident, Sandeep Mohan, Horizon's bassist shared, "When we went to perform at IIT Kanpur, he appeared to get a sore throat and got really discouraged. But we convinced him to nurse it and when we finally performed, it was 4 AM. It was like nothing had gone wrong. He was amazing."

Remembering MUSOC- A Lifelong Journey

The musical journey took KK to the zenith of fame in Bollywood and made him one of the most listened to singers in the Hindi music industry. However, he was humble enough to never forget his roots - Kirori Mal College, and the days of Horizon.

He made it a point to return to Kirori Mal College whenever he got the chance and remembered his MUSOC days fondly. According to Prof. Chakrabarti, the singer kept in touch with the music society and visited her in the staff room every time he came to the college.

KK with Professor Sumitra Mohanty Chakrabari

In fact, in 2013, KK was performing at the annual fest of Kirori Mal College and Prof Chakrabarti was sitting in the front row. It was getting late and Prof Chakrabarti had to leave the venue mid-song as she had to drive all the way to her home in Gurgaon.

The next day, she found out that KK had noticed her leaving, and said to someone, "Why did Sumitra ma'am leave? Kya main itna bura gaa raha tha?"

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