Saying goodbye to Jagjit Singh
Pakistanis and Indians alike feel the impact of the ghazal maestro’s passing.
Renowned Indian musician and composer Jagjit Singh, who won the hearts of thousands by reviving the genre of ghazals, passed away on Monday in Mumbai at the age of 70, after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Singh, the ‘King of Ghazals’, whose career boasted a repertoire comprising 50 albums, has sung in several languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Nepali, reports IANS.
Although in 1970s, the art of ghazal singing was dominated by well-established names like Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, Begum Akhtar, Talat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan, Singh was still able to make his mark and carve out a niche for himself, according www.jagjitsingh.in.
In 1976, he came out with his first album The Unforgettables, a collection of semi-classical Indian music. The album, which broke many records, was a departure from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition.
Following that the singing duo comprising of Jagjit and his wife Chitra Singh, released successful albums including Ecstasies, A Sound Affair and Passions. Jagjit also gave voice to classic numbers like “Kal Chaudhavin Ki Raat”, “Honthon Se Chhoo Lo Tum”, “Woh Kaaghaz Ki Kashti”, “Chitthi Na Koi Sandesh”, “Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho”, “Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo, Yeh Shohrat Bhi Le Lo”, “Tumko Dekha Toh Ye Khayal Aaya”, “Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar”, “Hoshwaalon Ko Khabar Kya” and “Kiska Chehra”.
This loss is felt by fans all around the globe, with the Bollywood fraternity and local musicians in Pakistan describing his death as the loss of a “true legend”.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2011.