Lagends K.L Saigal Song collection Set 1

Kundan Lal Saigal was a singer, and actor in the early days of the Indian cinema. He is generally acknowledged to be the first Bollywood superstar. In his 15 year career, he acted and sang in 36 feature films, a number of shorts, and numerous of disks.

K.L. Saigal was born April 11, 1904 in Nawa Shahar in Jammu. His father was named Amar Chand and he worked in the service of the Raja of Jammu and Kashmir. His mother was named Kesar Bai. Kundan was one of five children.

Formal music education was not easily obtainable in those days. The obstacles of class, community, and economics kept many people from having such benefits. Saigal too felt these obstacles. Never-the-less, the young Saigal did what ever he could to learn music. Initially it was singing and acting in the local Ram Lilas. He also spent much time at the shrine of the Sufi saint Salamat Yusef, there he sang and practiced along with other musicians and devotees. It is said that as a youth he used to sneak near the house of a local tawaif so that he could hear her sing; afterwords he would imitate what he heard.

As a young man he had several occupations. After he dropped out of school, he worked for a while as a railway timekeeper. Later he worked as a typewriter salesman; this later occupation gave him the opportunity to travel widely in India.

All the time that he was travelling in his job, he was singing on an amateur basis. He used to sing in gatherings with friends and met many people. On one occasion he met Meharchand Jain; he would become one of Saigal's early friend and supporter. In his travels, he also met B.N. Sircar the founder of New Theatres. It is said that it was Sircar, who persuaded Saigal to go to Calcutta.

Saigal's life in Calcutta was steeped in music. Although he briefly worked as a hotel manager, his interest was in the music scene. He was a frequent participant in mehfils. He also recorded a number of discs of songs written and arranged by Harishchandra Bali. These were released through Indian Gramophone Company. His reputation as a singer was growing.