The singer who rivaled Lata Mangeshkar! He gave voice to 50,000 songs in 60 years; why did he refuse awards?

News Topical, Digital Desk : A singer who gave the world of music evergreen songs like 'Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyara', 'Chand Akela Jaye Sakhi Re', 'Pyaar Kar Le Gori', 'Utho Hey Lal, Utho Hey Narayan Aaye' and 'Mana Ho Tum Behad Haseen', sang as many songs as Lata Mangeshkar and cast a spell with his melodious voice across the world.

This singer of the Indian music world was awarded so many awards for his melodious voice that he once gave up and said, "Let it be now." He sang everything from classical to film songs, appearing in songs in numerous languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Hindi, Oriya, Bengali, Marathi, Arabic, Latin, and Russian.

This singer is known as the "Ganagandharvan" of music, which means "divine singer." Let's find out who this singer is and how he began his career.

Started singing at the age of 7

Kattasseri Joseph Yesudas, also known as K.J. Yesudas, was born on January 10, 1940, in Kerala, the son of Augustine Joseph, a renowned classical singer and stage actor in Malayalam cinema . His father was involved in music, so Yesudas was interested in music from childhood. He began music at just seven years old.

Yesudas's father was his mentor.

Yesudas's mentor was none other than his father. He later learned classical singing from renowned gurus like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. Yesudas began his musical career in the 1960s, starting as a playback singer with "Kalapadukal." He later sang in films like "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan," "Chhoti Si Baat," and "Chitchor," establishing himself among the most accomplished singers.

Yesudas was tired of receiving awards

In 2021, Yesudas celebrated 60 years in the music industry. He has reportedly sung over 50,000 songs. It's said that Lata Mangeshkar has sung nearly the same number. Yesudas has sung thousands of songs in his six-decade career, garnering numerous awards. He has won eight National Awards and numerous awards, including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan. Yesudas has received so many awards that the singer once jokingly remarked at an event that he shouldn't be given any more awards because he already has too many. 

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