ROOTS:
Jagjit Singh (February 8, 1941 ) is an Indian ghazal singer. He sings in Punjabi, Hindi-Urdu languages. The Ghazal King, Jagjit Singh is undoubtedly one of the most well known Ghazal Singer in the world today.Jagjit Singh was born in Ganganagar, Rajasthan. His father Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, employed with the Government of India, hailed from Dalla village in Ropar district of Punjab and his mother Bachchan Kaur came from a deeply religious Sikh family of Ottallan village near Samrala. His siblings include four sisters and
two brothers and he is fondly called Jeet by his family members. Although his late father wanted him to become a bureaucrat by joining the Indian Administrative Service, he was later reported to be happy with his son's achievements in the world of music. Jagjit Singh went to Khalsa High School at Ganganagar. He studied Sciences during (after matriculation) from Government College, Ganganagar and went for graduation to DAV College, Jalandhar in arts stream. He also acquired a post-graduate degree in history from
Kurukshetra University, Haryana.
Jagjit Singh, one of the most talented artists of India, has with his beautiful and equally talented wife Chitra Singh made history in the world of music. Born on 8th February 1941 in Shriganganagar in Rajasthan, he trained under Ustad Jamal Khan of the Senia Gharana. After graduation he came to Mumbai to try his fortunes in the music business. The first full-fledged Ghazal album by the husband-wife team was "The Unforgettables" in 1976. This album set new sales records and has been followed by numerous ghazals as well as devotional & religious albums, all of which have become classics.
Jagjit Singh's ghazals brings out the emotional side of ghazal and poetry lovers. His ghazals do a wonderful job in delivering tranquility (where "mai-khana" is involved), passion, serenity, pain ("sweet pain" in love),deepness, grief, love and a reminder of one's own personal past. His voice, a true gift of God has the pain that an "ashiq" feels after loosing his beloved, the love that a mother seeks for her child, the tranquility that a "saaqi" delivers, the strange fear in a boy when she walks in the room. His deep voice holds the key to perhaps every emotion locked within oneself.
As the pioneer of non-film music wave Jagjit & Chitra have been greatly instrumental in popularizing Ghazals.They have also created the music and songs for various films and even TV serials. Jagjit & Chitra have their fans spread out not only in India but all over the world. The response to their performances in concerts has
been tremendous. Their ability to establish a rapport with their audience makes the evening a memorable experience. Looking for new talents and promoting them has been Jagjit Singh's constant endeavor. Artists such as Kumar Sanu, Talat Aziz, Ghanshyam Vaswani, Vinod Sehgal, Ashok Khosla and Siza Roy are his
contribution to the field of music. Succession awards have been conferred upon him from several state governments and music associations. Their enchanting ghazals use the choicest poetry by renowned lyricists like Mirza Ghalib, Ameer Meenai, Kafeel Aazer, Sudarshan Faakir and Nida Fazli. The lyrics which stir an
emotive appeal are given mood and life by Jagjit and Chitra Singh. Songs like "Sarakti Jaye Hai Rukh se Naqab Aahista Aahista", "Aah Ko Chahiye", "Baat Nicklegi To Door Talak Jayegi" and "Woh Kagaz Ki Kashti" are some of his best songs.
Jagjit Singh is accredited with bringing the ghazal genre, which was previously restricted to the elite classes, to the masses. His music direction can be seen to be pioneering in changing the sound layout by adding more Western instruments while mostly retaining the traditional orchestra (which includes a tabla, and harmonium, and a couple of string instruments). In 2003, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour from the Government of India. In 2006, he was awarded the Teacher's Achievement Award. Jagjit Singh lives in Cumballa Hills, Mumbai.
two brothers and he is fondly called Jeet by his family members. Although his late father wanted him to become a bureaucrat by joining the Indian Administrative Service, he was later reported to be happy with his son's achievements in the world of music. Jagjit Singh went to Khalsa High School at Ganganagar. He studied Sciences during (after matriculation) from Government College, Ganganagar and went for graduation to DAV College, Jalandhar in arts stream. He also acquired a post-graduate degree in history from
Kurukshetra University, Haryana.
Jagjit Singh, one of the most talented artists of India, has with his beautiful and equally talented wife Chitra Singh made history in the world of music. Born on 8th February 1941 in Shriganganagar in Rajasthan, he trained under Ustad Jamal Khan of the Senia Gharana. After graduation he came to Mumbai to try his fortunes in the music business. The first full-fledged Ghazal album by the husband-wife team was "The Unforgettables" in 1976. This album set new sales records and has been followed by numerous ghazals as well as devotional & religious albums, all of which have become classics.
Jagjit Singh's ghazals brings out the emotional side of ghazal and poetry lovers. His ghazals do a wonderful job in delivering tranquility (where "mai-khana" is involved), passion, serenity, pain ("sweet pain" in love),deepness, grief, love and a reminder of one's own personal past. His voice, a true gift of God has the pain that an "ashiq" feels after loosing his beloved, the love that a mother seeks for her child, the tranquility that a "saaqi" delivers, the strange fear in a boy when she walks in the room. His deep voice holds the key to perhaps every emotion locked within oneself.
As the pioneer of non-film music wave Jagjit & Chitra have been greatly instrumental in popularizing Ghazals.They have also created the music and songs for various films and even TV serials. Jagjit & Chitra have their fans spread out not only in India but all over the world. The response to their performances in concerts has
been tremendous. Their ability to establish a rapport with their audience makes the evening a memorable experience. Looking for new talents and promoting them has been Jagjit Singh's constant endeavor. Artists such as Kumar Sanu, Talat Aziz, Ghanshyam Vaswani, Vinod Sehgal, Ashok Khosla and Siza Roy are his
contribution to the field of music. Succession awards have been conferred upon him from several state governments and music associations. Their enchanting ghazals use the choicest poetry by renowned lyricists like Mirza Ghalib, Ameer Meenai, Kafeel Aazer, Sudarshan Faakir and Nida Fazli. The lyrics which stir an
emotive appeal are given mood and life by Jagjit and Chitra Singh. Songs like "Sarakti Jaye Hai Rukh se Naqab Aahista Aahista", "Aah Ko Chahiye", "Baat Nicklegi To Door Talak Jayegi" and "Woh Kagaz Ki Kashti" are some of his best songs.
Jagjit Singh is accredited with bringing the ghazal genre, which was previously restricted to the elite classes, to the masses. His music direction can be seen to be pioneering in changing the sound layout by adding more Western instruments while mostly retaining the traditional orchestra (which includes a tabla, and harmonium, and a couple of string instruments). In 2003, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour from the Government of India. In 2006, he was awarded the Teacher's Achievement Award. Jagjit Singh lives in Cumballa Hills, Mumbai.
STRUGGLES:
Jagjit went to Bombay to scout out prospects for a career in film playback singing. Music director Jaikishen liked his voice but could not offer any big break. Money ran out and a dispirited Jagjit did not have enough to even retrieve his clothes from the laundry or buy a ticket home.His wordings: "I traveled by train from Bombay to Jalandhar minus a ticket, hiding in the bathroom." In March 1965, Jagjit decided to have another go at the celluloid singing in Bombay. He lived in a run-down hostel, sleeping on an iron cot surrounded by bedbugs and getting his foot chewed off by rats at night. He was financially in a precarious situation. "Sometimes there was money and sometimes there wasn't." But such was the purity and attraction of Jagjit's voice that he managed to get two Ghazals recorded for an EP (Extended Play, a 1960s gramophone record format) with HMV. When the time came to take a picture for the cover of the album, Jagjit decided to cut his long Sikh turban and hair, reasoning, "It was a matter of identity ... whatever picture was taken, that was how I would have to remain for the rest of my career." Life in Bombay was hard and Jagjit eked out a living doing smallmehfils (musical gatherings) and house concerts. He sang at numerous film parties in the hope that a music director might notice him and give him a chance.Jagjit increasingly veered toward the Ghazal. Bollywood's loss was the Ghazal's gain, for those were the times when Ghazal music was turning into a forgotten and dying art. The Urdu language itself was in decline in India. Jagjit made the Ghazal his beloved and changed its destiny. Jagjit Singh was successful because he developed his own style and didn't try to be like film singers. He was different.
DESPAIR:
In 1990, against the run of professional success, Jagjit and Chitra lost their 18-year-old only son, Vivek, in a motor accident. It was a moment of pure desperation and the biggest tragedy in their lives. Chitra lost her voice and never returned to the stage or to the recording studio. Jagjit groped in darkness and depression for a while, but such were his steely character and dedication to music that he decided "not to let what has happened become a weakness to crush me, instead I should turn it into a strength". He began picking up the scrambled pieces by playing the tanpura as a form of meditation. "After Baboo's death, my focus sharpened and I concentrated entirely on singing and composing."
The first album after his son's demise, "Man Jite Jagjit", contained Sikh devotional Gurbani, where "you'll hear the pain ... my mood of acceptance [of fate]". Work did not stop even after the devastating loss, though fans could no longer hear Jagjit's famous duets with Chitra. After Vivek's death, Jagjit began showing more of his spiritual and philosophical side, mellowing his already sobering voice, singing complicated metaphysical verses and also venturing into classical bhajans (Hindu devotional songs). When poet and associate, Nida Fazli, sees the sonless father figure Jagjit with legions of his youthful fans, "it seems as if he has hundreds and thousands of children who shower love on him".
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