Born as Mohammad Yusuf Khan in Peshawar (North West Frontier Province, British India) on (1922-12-11)11 December 1922, one of twelve siblings, he moved to Bombay in the late 1930s with his family.

[4] In 1997, when he was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian honor, he was unable to reach the house because of uncontrollable crowds.

[2][7] On 13 July 2013, Nawaz Sharif directed the ministry of information, broadcasting and national heritage to acquire the house.

In his autobiography, The Substance And The Shadow, Kumar writes: “We were living in undivided India at the time and there was a sizeable Hindu population.

Men as well as women mingled freely with Muslims in the market square, wishing each other and exchanging pleasantries ever so cheerfully.