Mumbai, Oct 11: Renowned Indian ghazal singer Jagjit Singh passed away on Monday in Mumbai. The 70-year old was admitted to Mumbai’s Lilavati hospital after he suffered brain hemorrhage last month. Jagjit Singh underwent two surgeries and was on life support. Doctors said he died after several weeks in the hospital following a brain hemorrhage.
Popularly known as the “Ghazal King”, Singh sang in a number of languages.Singh with his soul-stirring voice behind ‘Hazaron Khwaishe Aisi’, ‘Ye Kaghaz Ki Kashti’ and ‘Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar’ was one of the most popular singers of ghazal, usually Urdu or Persian poetry set to music. He sang to packed audiences across South Asia and released dozens of albums during his 40 year career.
Singh, a Padma Bhushan recipient, was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on February 8, 1941. After graduation, he shifted base to Mumbai, to explore career in the world of music. In the next decade and half, he earned nationwide fame as ghazal singer and music composer. He sang in several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati and Nepali.
His personal life, though, was marked by a tragedy: his only son, Vivek, died in a car accident in 1990 when he was just 18. He is survived by his wife, Chitra Singh, who is also a leading ghazal singer. They had commercial success with songs recorded together in the 1970′s and 1980′s.
Unlike other ghazal singers, Singh did not hesitate in lending his voice for films. His silky voice ruled during early 80′s in films like Prem Geet, Saath Saath and Arth. However, his major work is spread over more than 60 filmy and non-filmy albums. He was the first prominent ghazal singer from India in a genre dominated by Pakistani singers.
“He was the first real ghazal singer from India. Before him there were clones. The poetry in his music was beautiful,” actor Anupam Kher said in a tribute. “His music was gentle, soothing and went to your heart.”
Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas said that Singh had made ghazal so accessible that his audiences “could sing along with him”.
India’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, in her condolence message remarked that his death had left a void that would be difficult to fill.
In his condolence message, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said by “making ghazals accessible to everyone, he gave joy and pleasure to millions of music lovers in India and abroad…he was blessed with a golden voice.” The Prime Minister added that the ghazal maestro’s music legacy will continue to “enchant and entertain” the people.
Source: Truth Drive...
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