Dr. Kumar Vishwas: Believing, Inspiring and Motivating in Hindi

Dr. Kumar Vishwas during the Hum Hain Desi show, which was held at India House on Saturday, August 2.             Photos: Vanshika Vipin

Dr. Kumar Vishwas during the Hum Hain Desi show, which was held at India House on Saturday, August 2. Photos: Vanshika Vipin

By Vanshika Vipin

 HOUSTON: There are some times when you hate yourself as an English writer, especially when you attend an event conducted in shuddh (pure) Hindi that leaves a mark over your heart and mind. ‘Hum Hain Desi’ translates to ‘We are Indians/South Asians” in English and yet does not do linguistic justice to originality of the event title in Hindi. Dr. Kumar Vishwas brought Hum Hain Desi to Houston on Saturday, August 2, at the India House, and this article in English cannot, even in a thousand words, begin to describe the feeling brought to heart by true Hindi from the son of the heartland, Dr. Kumar Vishwas.
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Dr. Nausha Asrar (Left) with Dr. Kumar Vishwas

Dr. Nausha Asrar (Left) with Dr. Kumar Vishwas

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Leading this journey to the Hindi heartland was Abha Dwivedi who was not only the master of ceremonies for the evening but also one of the organizers of the show. “When I heard about Dr. Kumar Vishwas’ “Hum Hain Desi” global tour 2014, I asked his national promoter to bring the show to Houston. I found a few interested people but not enough support. I was extremely heart broken and almost gave up but then the national promoter Azim Ahmad of Musik Waves called Dr. Nausha Asrar, for a show in Houston. I felt like God answered my prayers. With the help of some of his fans and very passionate people like Ravi Kankaria, Vipul Bias, Shyam Punjwani, Vijay Sirohi and many other people, we were able to give an amazing show to Houston. Each and every guest personally thanked us for such an awesome show. One of the guests paid second time while leaving the show, when I asked her- did you not pay at the entrance? Her response was- “$50 was very little for such an awesome evening…ticket should have been at least $100 or more”. Personally I have been to many Kavi Sammelans but this performance was literally out of this world. Initially I was his fan because of his poetry but after meeting him, I have promoted my self to a new designation of being his “AC.” He is an outstanding poet, wonderful speaker but above all an absolutely amazing human being. Such a big celebrity and so down to earth, Its hard to believe. He is Hindi ki seva mein laga hua ek saccha sipahi (a true soldier for the cause of Hindi).

Dr. Kumar with Abha Dwivedi, who was not only the master of ceremonies for the evening but also one of the organizers of the Houston show.

Dr. Kumar with Abha Dwivedi, who was not only the master of ceremonies for the evening but also one of the organizers of the Houston show.

Abha called upon Houston’s own Dr. Nausha Asrar to recite few of his poems and also to introduce Dr. Kumar Vishwas. Dr. Asrar who holds a PhD in Material Science and has written technical publications in science journals has his own special way with words and poetry in Houston.  He has recited poetry along with world renowned poets such as Javed Akhtar, Bashid Badar, Nida Fazli to name a few. He said he met Dr. Kumar last year at a kavi sammelan in Dallas and they clicked well ever since. He said he admires him because he has created an awareness of Hindi in the youth as reflected on Dr. Kumar’s Facebook page that gets around 5 million hits. Dr. Asrar then recited some of his own work, which was very enjoyable and set the stage for things to follow.

Dr. Kumar Vishwas is a youth icon in India. He is a celebrated Hindi poet well known across the world. He is credited with reviving Hindi poetry amongst the younger generation. Besides being a poet, he has been recognized as a social communicator, being a straightforward and motivational speaker who has ignited the creativity amongst young minds. He is a professor by profession and also involved in writing scripts, lyrics and stories for the Indian film industry. A small measure of his influence can be ascertained by the fact that his voice is offered as a call back tune for cellphones in India. His works like ‘Koi Deewana Kehta Hai’ and ‘Hotho Par Ganga Ho, Hatho me Tiranga Ho’ have practically changed the definition of Poetic performance.

At India House, in good humor Dr. Kumar said “ Before the show I was told that I will not see a big audience but each person will be equal to a thousand people. Alas this was only for listening, not for the payment”. He joked about the quirkiness of Indians giving examples of having a bucket in jacuzzi and calling Niagra falls the ‘Badrinath’ of Desis. Apart from humor there was thought provoking poetry like:

“Koi deewana kehta hai, koi pagal samajhta hai; 

Magar dharti ki bechani ko, bus badal samajhta hai. 

Mein tujhse door kaisa hoon, tu mujhse door kaisi hai;

Ye tera dil samajhta hai, ya mera dil samajhta hai”

.. the recital got him a standing ovation and almost a sing-along from the audience.

As the evening of Hindi continued, Dr. Kumar’s deep poetry was interspersed with jokes and humorous shers (couplets). He sang about Indians and the pride of being Indian “hum hain desi, haan magar har desh mein chhaye hai hum” touching an emotional nerve with the NRI audience. When the show ended well past 11 PM, Dr. Kumar had been talking, singing, joking and inspiring for over three hours and the audience still wanted more. At the end, he obliged by patiently posing for pictures with individuals.

In an exclusive interview with IAN, he said that he wants Hindi to be recognized globally adding that he has been invited to perform at the Google headquarters and Stanford University. His aspirations are to make Hindi such a strong language that even far flung countries like Brazil and Vietnam can sing Hindi songs.

For further details about Dr. Kumar Vishwas and his upcoming shows visit www.kumarvishwas.com or like his Facebook page  at www.facebook.com/KumarVishwas