Jagjit Singh: When the ghazal lost its king!

Mumbai, Oct 10 (PTI) Stirring millions of hearts with
his soulful numbers 'Jhuki jhuki si nazar' and 'Kaagaz ki
kashti', ghazal king Jagit Singh infused a new life in the
dying genre of music in the seventies and carved a niche for
himself in Bollywood.
The pain and melancholy in his voice gave vent to the
feelings of many a lonely heart.
Conjuring up hits like 'yeh zindagi kisi aur ki, mere
naam ka koi aur hai,' 'Patta-patta boota-boota haal hamaara
jaane hai,' 'Hontho se chhoo lo tum, 'Tum ko dekha', 'Hazaar
baar ruke ham and hazaar baar chale', Singh made a mark during
the '70s when the ghazal scene was dominated by
well-established names like Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, Begum
Akhtar, Talat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan.
The voice behind the timeless ghazals was inspired by
singers like K L Sehgal, Talat Mahmood, Abdul Karim Khan, Bade
Ghulam Ali Khan and Amir Khan.
One of the most successful and loved artistes of his
time, he has left behind a huge body of work in a career
spanning five decades, including 80 albums.
Often called the 'Ghazal King' by his fans and peers,
Jagjit was born on February 8, 1941 in Sriganganagar,
Rajasthan, to Amar Singh Dhiman, a government employee, and
Bachan Kaur. He had four sisters and two brothers and was
called Jeet by his family.
He was raised as a Sikh by religion. His birth name was
Jagmohan but his Sikh father rechristened him as Jagjit
following the advice of his guru.
It was his father, who first recognised his son's
talent. He sent young Jagjit to learn the nuances of music
under a blind teacher, Pandit Chhaganlal Sharma. He later
trained under Ustad Jamal Khan of Sainia gharana for six-years
and gained knowledge in Khayal, Thumri and Dhrupad forms.
Singh was of the view that music was for inspiration and
not for competition. "The moment one brings competition into
music, the soul is lost."
In a recent interview to PTI, he had regretted the fact
that devotion and practice were disappearing from music at a
time when everyone was running after instant fame.
"Music is a vast subject. There is mathematics and
grammar in music. Unless one knows all of it, he cannot become
good singer. One should learn music for 15 years before
actually trying their hands at singing ghazals," he had said.
Among his most memorable numbers were 'Tum itna jo
muskara rahe ho', 'Apni Marzi Se Kahan Apne Safar Ke Hum Hain'
and 'Pehle Har Cheez Thi Apni Magar Ab Lagta Hai Apne Hi Ghar
Mein Kisi Doosre Ghar Ke Hum Hain'.
His last concert was planned with Ghulam Ali on
September 23 at Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga, in Mumbai but
was cancelled after he was taken ill the same day. The duo had
given a stirring performance days ago in Delhi.
Singh began his musical journey singing 'shabads' or
devotional songs in gurudwaras. He studied in DAV College,
Jalandhar where his fee was waived because of his voice. He
got a chance as professional singer in Jalandhar's All India
Radio station, which offered him six live music segments a
year for small payments.
But success was a faraway dream for the singer, who came
to Mumbai in 1961 to try his luck in playback singing but
after some failed attempts, a dispirited Singh returned to
Jalandhar.
Not one to give up, the ghazal maestro decided to give
himself another chance and returned to the city of dreams in
1965. Singh managed to get two of his ghazals recorded with
HMV. This was also the time when he decided to do away with
his turban and hair.
However, playback singing continued to elude him and he
earned by composing jingle, ad films and documentaries. He met
his wife Chitra during one such recording and after two years,
they decided to marry in 1970, which was also a turning point
in his career.
Bollywood's loss was ghazal's gain, as Jagjit's fresh
voice infused a new life into the dying genre, which was
confined to select admirers. In 1975, HMV asked Jagjit to
compose his first ever LP album 'The Unforgettables'. The
album featured Jagjit-Chitra ghazals, which were completely
different.
Singh is also credited with introducing modern
instruments along with traditional sarangi and tabla in
ghazals.
The next album Singh recorded was the Punjabi 'Birha Da
Sultan', poems of Shiv Kumar Batalvi, which continue to be
popular even today. Jagjit and Chitra then composed and sang
the first-ever double album "Come Alive". Two more double
albums "Live at Wembley" and "Live at Royal Albert Hall",
recorded in concert, followed in 1979 and 1982. Soon the
couple were busy doing sold-out concerts.
Movie success too followed. In 1980, Jagjit gave his
voice to Javed Akhtar's poetry in film "Saath Saath". Mahesh
Bhatt's "Arth", which came in the same year saw Jagjit and
Chitra's popularity sky rocket with evergreen numbers like
'Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho'.
In 1987, Jagjit recorded "Beyond Time", the first
digital CD by an Indian musician. Another milestone was to
follow when he was roped in to record and compose Gulzar's
epic TV serial, "Mirza".
But while he was climbing new heights in his
professional life, the singer suffered his life's biggest
tragedy when he and Chitra lost their only son -- 18-year-old
Vivek -- in a car accident in 1990.
The tragedy brought desperation and a pause in their
lives. Chitra lost her voice and never returned to stage or a
recording studio but Jagjit battled on his depression.
"Man Jite Jagjit", containing Sikh devotional Gurbani,
was the first album he recorded after his son's demise.
The Padmabhushan awardee is also the only composer and
singer to have composed and recorded songs written by former
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in two albums, 'Nayi
Disha' (1999) and 'Samvedna' (2002).
He was planning team up with Gulzar again after the
success of 'Mirza Ghalib' for an album based on the letters
and poems of the 18th century poet. PTI BK
AGL