Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Calcutta (Kolkata) during Saigal's time, but is currently centred in Bombay (Mumbai). Saigal's unique voice quality which was a mixture of baritone and soft tenor was the benchmark for most of the singers who followed him. In fact it remains the gold standard even today shining through very early and practically primitive recording technology. Early life Saigal was born on 11 April 1904 in Jammu to a Punjabi family. His father, Amarchand Saigal was a tehsildar at the court of the Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, while his mother, Kesarbai Saigal, was a deeply religious Hindu lady who was very fond of music. She used to take her young son to religious functions where bhajan, kirtan and shabad were sung in traditional styles based on classical Indian music. Saigal was the fourth-born child of five, following two elder brothers and an elder sister, and preceding a younger brother. His formal schooling was brief and uneventful. As a child he occasionally played the Sitar in the Ramlila of Jammu. He was the first cousin of famous character actors, Chaman Puri, Madan Puri and Amrish Puri. Saigal dropped out of school and started earning money by working as railway timekeeper. Later, he worked as a typewriter salesman for the Remington Typewriter Company, in Simla (now Shimla) which allowed him to tour several parts of India. His travels brought him to Lahore, where he became friends with Mehrchand Jain (who later went on to start the Assam Soap Factory in Shillong) at the Anarkali Bazaar. Mehrchand and Kundan remained friends when they both moved to Calcutta and had many a mehfil-e-mushaira. In those days Saigal was a budding singer and Mehrchand encouraged him to pursue his talent. Saigal often remarked that he was what he was because of Mehrchand's encouragement and early support. He also briefly worked as a hotel manager. Meanwhile, his passion for singing continued and became more intense with the passage of time. Career at New Theatres In the early 1930s, classical musician and music director Harishchandra Bali brought K.L. Saigal to Calcutta and introduced him to R. C. Boral. R.C. Boral took an instant liking to his talents. Saigal was