Ghazal legend Jagjit Singh was born on February 8, 1941, as Jagmohan Singh in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. Recognised as one of the silken voices which had a lasting impact and influence on Indian music, Singh was a prolific singer, musician and composer. On his 82nd birth anniversary here is a look at his journey.
Jagjit Singh trained in classical vocal music for 12 years under the guidance of two different maestros. His first teacher was Ustad Jamal Khan Saheb of Senia Gharana in Rajasthan, and he was later mentored by Guru Sohan Singhji of Agra Gharana at Jalandhar during his college days.
Singh shared the stage with Surinder Kaur and Asa Singh Mastana in his hometown at the young age of 15 where he presented a self-composed song, Ki Tera Aitbaar. He won the hearts, applause and admiration of all present there.
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In 1961 Jagjit Singh was performing at Ooty when he caught the attention of actor Om Prakash, who was shooting for a film. Mesmerised by Singh’s singing voice, Prakash invited him to come to Mumbai. The actor introduced him to music directors but Jagjit Singh was unable to establish himself in the industry at the time.
Nearly four years later in 1965, Singh made his second attempt at Bollywood. This time he was able to establish himself as a successful composer and singer. He also worked as a music director in feature films and TV serials.
The spectrum of his work and his contribution to music is vast and immense. His Hindustani classical compositions such as Raag Darbari, Lalit, Bihag, Bhairavi and more are cherished by many.
He married fellow vocalist Chitra Dutta in December 1969. The couple released their first album together, The Unforgettable, in 1976.
He was the first Indian musician to record a purely digital CD album, titled Beyond Time in 1987.
During his five-decade-long career, Jagjit Singh garnered a massive fan following and worked with maestros such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, and Anup Jalota. In 2003, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian honour.
Jagjit Singh passed away on October 10, 2011, at the age of 70 from a brain haemorrhage.
In 2014, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched a set of postal stamps to commemorate Jagjit Singh’s 73rd birth anniversary.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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