T HIS is apropos Pervez Rahim`s letter regarding Indian singer Kishore Kumar (Oct 14). He has lavished much praise on the singer who was also an accomplished music composer, producer and director. His praise focuses primarily on Kishore`s high grade of singing skills and his quality of voice.
While endorsing his views, I cannot help recalling a similar letter appearing in the monthly Indian magazine Filmfare many years ago; probably over three decades. The writer of that letter had not only expressed his extremely high opinion about Kishore Kumar`s voice, he had also compared and ranked him above Mohammad Rafi from the standpoint ofsinging skills and quality of voice.
Rafi, as is well-known, was a legendary figure in the realm of film songs, as also that of numerous ghazals and religioussongs, rendered apart from the category of films.
The above-mentioned Filmfare letter by Kishore Kumar`s admiring fan evoked an instant response from none other than Kishore himself in the very next issue of the magazine. Filmfare featured his letter in which he rejected the fan`s views whereby he had put Rafi to a level lower than his own from the standpoint of singing proficiency and quality of voice. Kishore said emphatically that Rafi was incomparable and that he could never be matched with him.
Besides, he described him as a singer whose voice had a velvety touch.
