Kishore Kumar's birth anniversary celebrated as 'Gaurav Divas' in MP's Khandwa

Bhopal, Aug 4 Every year on August 4, hundreds of people visit Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district to pay homage to one of India's best playback singer and actor Abhas Kumar Ganguly aka Kishore Kumar at his birthplace.

The visitors take a selfie at his ancestral house, which is now highly dilapidated condition and also offer 'milk-jalebi' at his memorial.

But, this year, there was more enthusiasm for both people of Khandwa and visitors as the birth anniversary was celebrated as 'Gaurav Divas' by the district administration.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had, in January, announced an initiative to organise 'Gaurav Divas' of each village, town, and city in the state. And accordingly, the district administration, along with people of the city, had decided to celebrate Khandwa's 'Gaurav Divas' on August 4, in respect to Kishore Kumar, who was born there in 1929.

The celebration had already began a day before his birth anniversary and cultural and dance programmes organised at different places by various associations.

While at some places, school students portrayed pictures of Kishore Kumar, people danced on his romantic songs at a Jumba dance programme.

As the celebration of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotasav' has already began across the country, people found the occasion to play Kishore Kumar's patriotic songs.

"A slogan writing competition was organised, in which all the participants (students) wrote Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Kishore Kumar's patriotic songs and slogans focused on the great man of Khandwa," said a school teacher in Khandwa.

People of Khandwa said that whenever Kishore Kumar used to come his birthplace, he used to eat jalebi with milk. It is also said that soon before his death on october 13, 1987, the singer had used to say that he will go Khandwa and will eat jalebi and milk, but this remained an unfulfilled wish.