Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct. 16: Jhumurr Socio-Cultural Society inaugurated its new cultural hub at the NABARD Colony (Deen Street Housing Cooperative Society) Community Hall, Goal Ghar, on 13 October, 2026 with “Zindagi…!”, a musical tribute to legendary playback singer Kishore Kumar on his Remembrance Day. The initiative aims to promote art, education and cultural activities while providing a platform for artistic expression and community engagement.
The programme commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Shri Pranobendra Bannerjee, the senior-most member of managing committee of the Housing Cooperative Society, accompanied by its President, Smt. Soma Naidu, Secretary Shri G. Sivanandan, Committee Member Shri Som Naidu and others.
The musical evening opened with Shailender Singh, a renowned singer of Kishore Kumar’s genre, presenting the song ‘Zindagi ki yehi reet hai, Haar ke baad hi Jeet hai,’ in a wonderful manner, setting the tone with its message of hope, resilience and the spirit of life. The other well acclaimed Artistes of the Islands, Abdul Rasheed, Aboo, Parvati Anil and Raaj followed with popular numbers immortalised by Kishore Kumar like, Raat kali, Teri duniya se, Humein tumse pyaar, Tere bina Zindagi se, Yaadon ki baarat and many more. Ms. Shreya, granddaughter of Shri Pranobendra Bannerjee, also performed a couple of hit numbers of Kishore Kumar to the delight of present audience.
Despite being organised at less than a day’s notice, the programme brought residents and music lovers together in a spirit of shared cultural enthusiasm. The cheerful participation and support of the residents lent warmth to the inaugural gathering.
Conceptualised and curated by Asheesh Poddar, Convenor & Creative Director of Jhumurr, the show also featured his presentation of a philosophical song (‘Kahan tak ye mann ko…,’ having the lines followed by, going with the theme, ‘…Kabhi sukh, kabhi dukh, yehi Zindagi hai…’) at the request of Shri Pranab Parial, a respected homeowner in the society. A particularly warm moment came when Raaj, the host, shared with the audience that Asheesh Poddar and Shri Parial had been childhood friends. The host further highlighted Asheesh Poddar’s pioneering role in paying musical tributes to artistes on their birth and death anniversaries in the Islands. And added that, the initiative began on August 4, 1988, with a tribute marking Kishore Kumar’s birth anniversary and, Asheesh is also credited with coining the sobriquets “K2” and “Guru Thakur” for the legendary singer, which were subsequently adopted by many others after it gained popularity across the Islands. Later, at the end of the show, as urged by the Chief Guest, Asheesh’ s rendition of a Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore’s song) popularised by the legendary singer, received heartfelt appreciations from one and all.
Shri Biswajit Das, Treasurer of Jhumurr Socio-Cultural Society, was also present on the occasion. The programme was well coordinated by Shailender Singh and Aktar Hussain, while sweets were also distributed among the guests and audience on the occasion.
The inauguration marked a significant step towards strengthening community participation in the arts. With “Zindagi..!” paying a heartfelt musical homage to Kishore Kumar, Jhumurr has initiated a new chapter of Socio-Cultural expression, with further artistic and community-oriented activities envisaged under its aegis.