About Jino Kunnumpurath

A star filled with Christian Devotional songs in the heavenly abode.

A person who seeks the songs of pearl island with great spiritual feelings. He has with him a lot of people who are firm believers of Christ, people who enjoy devotional songs, with hopes and who lead a prayerful life.

Mr. Jino Kunnumpurath is the steer man of the banner ZION CLASSICS. His latest and 100th album is “GOD” in the same banner.. It is now 15 years since he started his venture ‘ZION CLASSICS. and even now it stands in high esteem among lovers of Christian Devotional songs.

This musical serials is being appreciated by people of both urban and rural areas. It is Jino’s great virtue that he could make very great people in the music world to participate in his albums.

He had a lot of adversities in his past life. However by the grace of the Almighty he could overcome all of them. Even now the memories of a lot of adverse events, sometimes passes through his mind.

This person who is from an undeveloped, rural and humble hamlet named Purapuzha has a great determination and love for songs. He is from a poor Christian family.

Yes from a family rich in great dreams but poor financially. His determination made him to rise to this level.

His father Mr. Jose Mathew was a poor rubber tapper and his mother Mary a humble and simple house wife. He was the only boy among the four children. Jino Kunnumpurath had his primary education at the Thrikkekunnu school at Vazhithala and secondary education at St. Sebastion’s High School at Purapuzha. During these years he had a mountain miserable and desperate events and experiences.

The sudden demise of his father who was the only bread winner of the family was a great blow to all of them. Jino was only 16 years old at that time and the entire responsibility of the family came to his shoulders. He faced the situations courageously. Meanwhile he successfully completed his 10th Std. and continued his studies at the Social Welfare Centre, Aluva. There he completed his diploma in ITC. Even when he was facing the hard realities in life he continued his life courageously.

Meanwhile he was disturbed due to the reason that he was not able to poster or to improve his abilities in acting and music. Though the talent of music and acting was in his heart from his child hood days, it was almost impossible for him to get into the world of music and acting.

During his younger days he was leading the parish quire by singing and playing musical instruments. His great desire was that, to be at least a humble star in the world of music and acting. Though he approached many directors, musicians, and film producers to get a chance in any of those fields, but even after many approaches to them he never got a chance. It is unfortunate to mention that he became a laughing stock in his locality. He was counted as one among those people who had no love and responsibility the family and the society as a whole. Though he knew the purity of his intentions he became desperate.

With a heavy heart he went to a retreat centre at Ezhumuttom near Thodupuzha, in Kerala for solace. It is a famous retreat centre in the region. A few days there was a turning point in his life. He came to know the realities and the hardships in this world that one has to go through it courageously.

It is not the preachings or counselings there, that changed his mind but a song starting “Karayunna Mizhikalil Kanneer Thudakuvan Karunnya Roopa Varumo”.

In fact he cried when he heard this song. Thus he became confident and with great hope started praying to the Almighty God. Then and there he realized as to how a song can influence people of many generations.

When he came out of the retreat centre he took a decision to help those people who are desperate and to bring them to the shore of peace and happiness. He made a strong decision in this matter and later in his life with this spirit in mind, he could release about 100 super hit albums.

For releasing an album it requires about a lack of rupees. His only asset was Rs. 50000.00 given to him by his mother which she got as her share from her family. It is hard to believe that Mr. Jino Kunnumpurath’s first album “Zion” was produced and distributed, with only the above mentioned amount in hand.

Thus he overcame the initial difficulties by releasing the album “Zion”. The songs in this album were selected by him alone. The wordings of these songs were very meaningful. The music and singing were of very high quality. He was very careful that everything in this album should be perfect. Even the covers of the album were very attractive before it reached the hands of those people who enjoyed the songs.

The beginning of this historical event was the beginning of the millennium 2000. On 2nd November 2000 he released his first album “ZION”. As he had no business background the distribution of the album was very difficult for him to market the fruits of his great art work. Therefore he was still meeting with great difficulties but was not disheartened.

He wandered along the streets, went to pilgrim centers like Velankanni, Bharananganam etc. to market the CDs containing his songs. While wandering like a beggar to get his albums sold he also learned about the reason for his failure in marketing. Keeping aside the bitter experience that he had to face in his initial art work, he courageously started to produce his next album named “KANNEER’.

In the year 2003 he produced two more albums named “VAYAL’ and “SEENAI’. Later he could produce four more albums within a short time. Thus he began to be successful in the field of distribution and marketing of his albums by the production of his next album “SEENAI”. Thus the Company “Zion Classics” was very hopeful about its successful future.

It was this time that the audio cassettes were changing to CD-MP3 age. This phenomenon was almost complete by that time. Yes this was the time when Jino Kunnumpurath and his concern “ZION CLASSICS” came to be known by the people of Thodupuzha and people from all over Kerala.

The coming of the super hit album “DIVYA DHAANAM” was a gift of God for him and was the beginning of the end of his miseries and hardships.

It was a milestone not only in the history of ‘Zion Classics” but also in the history of Christian devotional songs.

The devotional songs in the “DIVYA DHAANAM” are very popular among Malayali Christians all over the world. It was a milestone not only in the history of “Zion Classics” but also in the history of Christian Devotional songs. After that in the same year he produced two more albums named “ENIKKAYI” and “DIVYA SAMMANAM.

In the year 2006 “AA VIRAL THUMPONNU THOTTAL” and “PITHAVU” were released.

“KARTHAVU” was the one album in which the great play back singer Mr. M.G. Sreekumar sang. He is very dear to all malayalees all over the world and that was the only Christian song that he sang in the year 2006.

He produced many more songs that gave Godly feelings and touched all our hearts and senses. His production of albums like “SRUSHTAVU” and “YAHOVA’ in the year 2007 were classical examples to show that he had miraculous growth from one album in a year to many a year.

Jino Kunnumpurath the great lover of sons engaged great singers and in the meanwhile he also a chance to the beginners to participate. Thus encouraging both the beginners, experienced and capable ones. By that time the facilities and the quality of recordings had improved to a great extent. People were very much fond of his album “GURU” with its very great recording quality and the songs in it reached to the ears of many malayalees all over the world.

This album with high quality sound mixing and mastering etc. were produced with the participation of people of the holy wood in the year 2008. It was also Mr. Jino’s great virtue that many lyricists, musicians and others who stayed away from this field came back to continue actively in the same field.

The great musician Johnson Master after a long interval came back to the music wold through Mr. Jino’s album “PARISHUDHAN”. It was after 15 years of interval that Johnson Master gave music to this album and each line of the songs in this album were very pleasant and meaningful. The lyricists were by O.N.V . Kurup and Girish Puthenchery.

The album “ADHIPAN” was released both in Malayalam and Tamil languages and was very much appreciated by a lot of people and particularly by the people of south India. The music to the album was given by the great musician Mr. Shyam.

Zion Classics can be proud of its earnestness that Mr. Shyam who gave music to about 3500 malayalam film songs opened his heart after about 16 years of silence.

By this time Jino’s hardships were still not over but he never forgot the people who had consoled him and encouraged him in the past. He also did not forget the help, consolation and encouragements given by politicians like minister of the Kerala State Mr. P. J. Joseph, Member of the Parliament Mr. P.T. Thomas and particularly the late Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil of the Catholic Church.

He had a lot of good friends who stood with him and his concern ‘Zion Classics’ both in his good and bad days and they supported him with all their abilities. Many from different parts of the world helped him financially and other ways to set up his concern. According to Jino, without the help of his friends both his and his ‘Zion Classics’ would not have been so successful.

After his album “KANNEERUNANGIYA KAVILIL THALODIYEN” sung by Mr. Vijay Yesudas and Miss. Mridula Warrior he came with another super hit album “GOD” .

The great mucision Mr. M. Jayachrandran who was loved and appreciated by the people all over the world for about 20 years has given music to this album; “GOD”. The songs in this album were sung by Miss. Shreya Ghoshal and it was his first Christian Devotional song. He is known as the princess of the Indian play back singer.

The lyrics in this album were given by great lyricists: Bichu Thirumala, Kaithapuram, Poovachal Khadar, Rev.Fr.Michale Panachickal and Baby John Kalayandhani. This album is getting ready to be released in 22 countries including USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Switzerland, UAE, Quatar, Newziland, Ireland, Mexico,Italy,Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Africa and Germany.

Jino Kunnumpurath’s dream album “GOD” is considered to be a great wonder in the world of music and it is beyond any words can describe.

Yes this person of the Purapuzha village in the Thodupuzha region is waiting with his historical book containing Christian Devotional Songs to prove that it is another great art to coordinate all the basic sections of a song by the production of his Christian Devotional songs.