A BIOGRAPHY OF ANDREW KISHORE

Among the Bangladeshi music lovers, especially of the previous generation, a very few people will be found who have not heard the songs like “Jiboner Golpo, Achhe Baki Olpo”, “Amar Buker Moddhe Khane”, “Daak Diyachhen Doyal Amare”, “Amar Shara Deho Kheyo Go Mati” and “Shobai To Bhalobasha Chae”. The singer of these mind-blowing hit songs ruled over the music industry for many years, and was known as “Playback King”. The person was none other than Andrew Kishore.

Andrew Kishore was born on 4 November 1955, at Rajshahi, in the then East Pakistan, presently Bangladesh. His birth name was Andrew Kishore Kumar Baroi. His father’s name was Khitish Chandra Baroi who was involved in the medical profession in Rajshahi. His mother’s name was Minu Baroi who was a teacher at Bolanpur Mission Girls High School, Rajshahi. Kishore was the youngest among his 2 siblings. He had 1 brother and 1 sister.  

Since his childhood, he was into music. At the age of 6, he started taking formal singing lessons from late Ustad Abdul Aziz Bachchu, who was the then chief music director of Rajshahi Betar (Radio). In 1962, he was listed on Rajshahi Betar as a child artist. This later aided him into a music career. 

Academically he was a studious person too. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Rajshahi Government City College. He then did a Master of Commerce degree, majoring in Management from University of Rajshahi in 1977. After completion of his studies, he shifted to Dhaka in 1977, in one of his friends’ houses and diverted his focus on music. 

Over the last 40 to 42 years of Bangladesh, Andrew Kishore had sung more than 15 thousands songs and he was the highest-paid playback singer of Bangladesh. His musical journey began by participating in a talent hunt project, in 1977, where he sang the song “Soheli O Soheli”. Many music directors’ attention was grabbed that time. That is how his journey as a playback singer started gradually. In the same year, he debuted as a promising playback singer by singing the song “Ochinpurer Rajkumari Nei Je Tar Keu”, in the film Mail Train (1977). He then achieved his first fame by the song “Ek Chor Jay Choley” from the film Protikkha (1979). Beside singing as a playback singer, he also appeared on TV. He was a regular cast member of the famous show ‘Ittyadi’ at BTV. He also did different music shows on Gaan Bangla channel and Channel I. He also served as a regular judge of ‘Bangladeshi Idol’, in 2013. He did many concerts too. 

In marital life, Kishore got married to  Lipika Andrew (Eti) in 1988. The couple together had a daughter, Minim Andrew (Songa), and a son, Jay Andrew (Saptok). 

Because of his hit songs, he earned “Bangladesh National Film Award”8 times, “Bachsas Awards’ for 5 times, and”Meril Prothom Alo Award”, for 3 times. He was also well respected for singing in Hindi and Urdu films. Moreover, he was and still is the only Bangladeshi artist to sing to the tune of R. D. Burman. 

In 1969, during the Mass uprising, he (along with other artists) used to move in different areas of Rajshahi city and sing protest songs. In 1971, he and his family took refuge in India. In the refugee camps, he used to motivate and kept entertaining the freedom fighters by singing different patriotic songs. 

In 1987, Kishore launched ‘Probaho Media’, an advertising business, and in 2011, he founded the “Ustad Abdul Aziz Bachchu Sriti Shongshod”, a cultural organization in Rajshahi, in remembrance of his late childhood singing instructor.

On 6 July 2020, at the age of 64 years old, Andrew Kishore breathed his last at 7 pm, at Rajshahi, in his sister’s house. In 2019, on September 9, he was first diagnosed with ‘Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma’, a type of blood cancer. He then got admitted in the Singapore General Hospital, and underwent several chemotherapy. After 9 months, he returned to Bangladesh, moved to Rajshahi, and was in ICU in a clinic owned by his sister. He was buried at the Christian Cemetery of the Church of Bangladesh, located near Rajshahi Circuit House.