Remembering Jagjit Singh on his first death anniversary

Mumbai: His was a mellifluous voice that coursed through the minds of South Asians with a rare touch, whenever he sang. The voice, without fail, touched the emotional chords of listeners' hearts, and Jagjit Singh was known purely because of his voice - the soulful rendering of ghazals untouched by modern-day gimmickry. Jagjit Singh's life can be divided into three stages : love, love and love. At a very young age, he began to love music, when he went to college he loved a girl, when he went to Mumbai, he fell in love with Chitra, but Jagjit faced several tragedies. He lost his son, his daughter also passed away, he faced difficulties in life, but he always managed to overcome obstacles. Born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman in Rajasthan's Ganganagar on February 8, 1941 in a Sikh family, his father Sardar Amar Singh lived in a government quarter in Civil Lines. He was the government surveyor. At a young age, when Jagjit used to sing Gurbani, the listeners used to sway to his mellifluous voice. His father sent him to Pandit Chhaganlal Sharma and Ustad Jamal Khan for training. In Class 9, Jagjit attended a music concert in Sri Ganganagar, uninvited. With folded hands, he requested the organisers to give him a chance, and as he sang, listeners threw coins at him in ovation. Jagjit took admission in Khalsa College, Sri Ganganagar, but he had little time for books, and spent most of his time on music. Soon, he came in love with cinema. But Jagjit's father wanted him to become an IAS officer, and sent him to Jalandhar in 1959. Jagjit took admission in DAV College, for graduation, but in his hostel room, there were more musical instruments than books. Soon, Jagjit became the hero among college students for his singing. When he sang "Rukh se parda zaraa utha dey saakiya, bas abhi rang-e-mehfil badal jayegi", the college students gave him a resounding ovation. The situation was such that, whenever news spread about Jagjit's musical concert in any college of Jalandhar, the entire city's denizens used to descend on the spot. Even the college principal became his fan, and condoned his fees. Jagjit's first recording was at the Jalandhar All India Radio station 52 years ago. He used to do live concert for AIR Jalandhar six times a year. Bollywood beckoned, and Jagjit wanted to go to Mumbai. But, first, a stopover at Kurukshetra, Haryana, where his father forced him to take admission into MA History course in 1963 at the Kurukshetra University, but studying was not the singer's forte. When the time for exams came, Jagjit's preparations were nil, and then the singer made up his mind to leave for Mumbai. On March 19, 1965 Jagjit went to the station and took the Pathankot Express going to Mumbai. In Mumbai, Jagjit began singing at family and localised functions like wedding, birth anniversaries, etc. He got openings to sing jingles in ad films, and he made new friends. Says Kabir Bedi, who used to direct ad films: " We started our careers almost together. I used to direct ad films, and he used to do the jingles for me. Later, he became a great ghazal singer and I became an international actor.," Staying in Worli, Jagjit used to go up to Dadar for his meals, where the restaurant owner used to give him meals for free. Jagjit shared a small room with four others in Worli. Times changed, and in 1965, Jagjit came out with his first album. Two years later, he met Chitra Singh in a studio. At first glance, Chitra did not like Jagjit's voice. She asked him to sing Talat Mehmood's number "Muhabbat jo na samjhey woh zaalim pyaar kya jaane..." In 1969, the two married. Jagjit, who wanted to become a playback singer in Bollywood, was nowhere in the race against the likes of Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey. Came The Unforgettables in 1976, his first album of ghazals which became a runaway hit. The King of Ghazals had arrived. For the first time, using chorus and electronic instruments, Jagjit Singh rendered ghazals with his wife Chitra Singh. He released Beyond Time, a digital recording in London for the first time. In the Eighties, Jagjit became a music director for the film Prem Geet with the melodious song - "Honthon se chhoo lo tum, mera geet amar kar do". This was followed by Mahesh Bhatt's Arth. "Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar" song became a runaway hit. Jagjit later failed to keep up the pace and stopped music direction in films altogether, but as a playback singer he continued to give superhit songs. Jagjit used to bet on horse racing and Mahalaxmi Race Course was his favourite haunt. On July 28, 1990 Jagjit's son Vivek died in a car accident on Marine Drive. The couple went into a trauma and almost stopped singing. A year later, Jagjit resumed singing, but Chitra stopped singing altogether. On May 29, 2009 Jagjit's daughter Monika died in her flat. A heartbroken Jagjit was consoled by the likes of Gulzar, Nida Fazli, Ghulam Ali, Javed Akhtar and Om Puri. "Few people know that Jagjit used to do charities, and ensured that people should not know that it was he who donated. You rarely find such people nowadays", reveals Shabana Azmi. On September 23, 2011, Jagjit was to take part in a musical concert with Ghulam Ali in Mumbai, but a few hours before the concert, he had a severe brain haemorrhage. After a battle for 17 days, the great ghazal singer breathed his last at the age of 70 on October 20, 2011. The world of ghazals is still on the lookout for a singer to replace Jagjit Singh. Says Urdu poet Nida Fazli : "A human being is born from his or her mother's womb, but to become a true human being, one has to undertake a long journey, and becomes Mahatma Gandhi, a Hasrat Mohani, a Ram Manohar Lohia or a Jagjit Singh." Says young singer Kunal Ganjawala: "I always used to see the reflection of God in his eyes, his voice and his demeanour, whenever he sang." Bhajan and ghazal singer Anup Jalota : " It's almost impossible to find such a voice, such an artiste, such a personality, such a feeling, again..." Says Urdu poet Javed Akhtar : "His voice was soft and silky, and used to give a pleasant effect to listeners.