Yaadein: A tribute to KK

As the clock struck 3 P.M. on the 31st of May, 2024, The Bhawanipur Education Society College’s Concept Hall witnessed one of the most beautiful memorials for the talented Indian playback singer personality, late Mr Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK. The event etched his legacy in the hearts of more than 200 people who became a part of the event and brought back the childhood his songs had shaped. The chatter died down as the hall echoed with the tunes of ‘Dil Ibabat’ and the room flooded with the synchronised claps of the audience. The anchors, Sreyan Ray and Khyati S. Bansal introduced the event “Yaadein: Tribute to KK”, as the background screen displayed a video sequence highlighting the life of KK and his accomplishments, exhibited to the melody of ‘Abhi Abhi’. The stage was then graced by a personality so overflowing with flair and talent that resonates beyond administrative corridors; our Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah who is adept at both piano keys and melodic vocals, reminisced the time when Mr KK had been invited for a celebrity performance in 2002. Soon after, Prof. Nitin Chaturvedi of the Commerce (Morning) department and the mentor of Crescendo Sri Saurav Goswami joined in with their brilliant performances of ‘Kya Mujhe Pyar hai’ and ‘Ajab Si’. The crowd’s enthusiastic cheers showed that at BESC, talent thrives among the students and the faculty.

The first presentation in line was the 10-student solo performances where each of them poured their hearts out, as the lights dimmed, and the guitar strummed. The audience delved into the feels and sang along. As always the tale with BESC, a unique twist to the event was brought by the Antarjal team of the theatre collective Enact consisting of Akshita Muhury, Samayita Roy, Sashreek Sen, Sukalpa Dey, Annyatama Kar, Agnik Dey, Rupanjana Karmakar, Antariksha Ghosh and Theo Wreek Gupta, who engulfed the audience with their spectacular and heartrending musical theatre performance. The performance took the audience through a rollercoaster of emotions, from romantic moments backed by the song ‘Kya Mujhe Pyar hai’ to dramatic performances of songs such as ‘Choo Loo’ and ‘Teri Yaado Me’, leaving our hearts with a lingering echo of KK’s melodies. Continuing the flow of talent was Raghav Agarwal who hyped the audience with the signature chant of “Hey BESC!” and charmed them with his original medley of “Laboon Ko”, “Kya Mujhe Pyaar hai” and “Tu hi Meri Shab”, leaving us enraptured and in a daze wanting more. The Representative of the Music collective Crescendo, Devang Nagar also took to the stage and enchanted the audience with his delightful melange of “Tu jo mila”, “Tu hi meri sham hai”, and “Khuda Jane”.

Two power-packed band performances featuring KK’s “Yaaro”, “Zara Sa”, “Alvida” and “Make Some Noise for The Desi Boyz” by the musical maestros of the Crescendo collective, band members Pavin Xavier Mondal, Aaron Chen, Shriyansh Prasad, Aryan Nasim and band members Debjit Biswas, Theo Wreek Gupta, Sangarva Chakraborty, Sreyan Ray, Shreya Gupta, along with Sukanya Chatterjee and Aryan Gupta performed the greatly admired songs. The hall became a nostalgic journey down memory lane as students reminisced about the love they once shared. The band performances electrified the crowd, filling the room with enthusiasm. The musical evening concluded with applause as the credits rolled at 5:30 P.M.

Reporter: Sabira Solanki
Photographers: Agrag Ghosh, Paras Gupta.