Jagjit Singh Punjabi Hindi Urdu born February 8 1941 is an Indian ghazal singer. He sings in the Urdu Punjabi Hindi and Gujarati language.
Biography
Early years
Jagjit Singh was born in Ganganagar then in Rajputana in British India. His father Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman employed by the Government of India was a native of the village of Dalla in what is now Ropar district in Punjab and his mother Bachchan Kaur came from a deeply religious Sikh family from Ottallan village near Samrala. His siblings include four sisters and two brothers and he Singh is known as Jeet by his family. Although his late father wanted him to join the Indian Administrative Service he was later reported to be happy with his son's achievements in the world of music. Singh went to Khalsa High School in Ganganagar. He then studied science after matriculation at Government CollegeGanganagar and went onto DAV College Jalandhar in to graduate in arts. He also achieved a post-graduate degree in history from Kurukshetra University Haryana.
Initial days
Jagjit Singh's association with music goes back to his childhood. He learnt music under Pandit Chaganlal Sharma for two years in Ganganagar and later devoted six years to learning Khayal Thumri and Dhrupad forms of Indian Classical Music from Ustad Jamaal Khan of the Sainia Gharana school. The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab University and Kurukshetra University Late Professor Suraj Bhan encouraged his interest in music. He arrived in Mumbai then Bombay in 1965 in search of better opportunities as a career musician and singer. His early struggle in the music industry though not too harsh by his own account still had its share of trials and tribulations. He lived as a paying guest and his earlier assignments were singing advertisement jingles or performing at weddings and parties.
Rise to fame
During 1970s in India the art of ghazal singing was dominated by well-established names like Noor Jehan Malika Pukhraj Begum AkhtarTalat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan. However Jagjit was still able to make his mark and carve out a niche for himself. In 1976 his album The Unforgettables On HMV LP Records hit the music stores. Essentially a ghazal album it's emphasis on melody and Jagjit's fresh voice was a departure from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition which was heavily based on classical and semi-classical Indian music. Skeptics had their own reservations purists scorned it but it was widely successful among listeners and the album set new sales records.
In 1967 he met Chitra also a singer while doing jingles. After a two year long courtship they got married in 1969. They epitomise the first successful husband-wife singing team. Jagjit Singh with Chitra has contributed immensely towards changing the course of this genre of music known as 'Ghazal' making it more ear friendly melodic and enojoyable by a wider audience.
Later successful releases of the duo include Ecstasies A Sound Affair and Passions. While these albums were breezy Beyond Time released in the opening years of 1990s was an experimentation with sounds and conveyed a feeling that was beyond space and time. Around this time the duo was struck by grief as their only son Vivek who was twenty-one met an untimely death in a road accident.
Not only Jagjit and Chitra it was a big shock to his numerous fans also. The album is a tour to the soul ethereal conscientious and introspective. The ghazals have a moving quality to them since they express the personal loss of Jagjit and Chitra. 'Someone Somewhere' was the last album containing ghazals sung by both. After that Chitra quit singing.
Jagjit Singh continued singing his later albums including Hope In Search Insight Mirage Visions Kahkashan meaning "Galaxy" Love Is Blind Chirag meaning "Lamp""Flame" also achieved success. Sajda an Urdu word meaning "offering" which has ghazals sung by Jagjit and Lata Mangeshkar was another brilliant release and made its mark as a classic Ghazal album. The combined successes of his many albums made him arguably the number one ghazal singer in India. The audience wanted more and Jagjit Singh obliged with his Punjabi albums. Ebullient effervescent and bubbly his Punjabi songs are pleasant as well as joyous. Their enchanting ghazals use the choicest poetry by renowned poets including Mirza Ghalib Ameer Meenai Kafeel Aazer Sudarshan Faakir and Nida Fazli. and contemporary writers like Zaka Siddiqi Nazir Bakri Faiz Ratlami and Rajesh Reddy.
Jagjit also sang as playback singer for various songs in Bollywood films including Arth Saath Saath and Premgeet all from 1980s. The scores remain popular even today. In fact all the songs of film Premgeet were composed by Jagjit. His compositions for the TV serial Mirza Ghalib based on the life of the poet Mirza Ghalib remain extremely popular among ghazal aficionados. The elusive element of Ghalib's poetry was sensitively and wonderfully brought out in the soulful compositions of Ghalib's ghazals by Jagjit Singh. The album could veritably be called a magnum opus.
Compared to his earlier ghazals sung during 70s and 80s his later ghazals have acquired a more soulful and poignant demeanour as in albums such as Marasim Face To Face Aaeena Cry For Cry. But all through this romance never took a backseat! The journey to the soul is punctuated by romantic pauses like Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin. A testimony to his popularity is his ghazals in recent Bollywood flicks like Dushman Sarfarosh Tum Bin and Tarkeeb.Most of the earlier albums of Jagjit Singh had English titles. Later these had Urdu names like Sahar meaning "Dawn"/"Morning" Muntazir meaning "In waiting" Marasim meaning "Relation" "Relationship" "Affinity" Soz" Pathos etc The switchover may not be deliberate but marks a milestone in his singing. These new albums show a far better selection of lyrics and yes even the singing has scaled new peaks.
Besides ghazals Jagjit Singh has also sung Bhajans and GurbaniHindu and Sikh devotional hymns respectively . Albums such as Maa Hare Krishna Hey Ram.Hey Ram Ichhabal and also Man Jeetai Jagjeet in Punjabi put him in the league of Bhajan singers such as Mukesh Hari Om Sharan Yesudas Anup Jalota and Purushottam Das Jalota. The soothing effect that Jagjit's voice has on frayed nerves has prompted psychiatrists in metros as large cities in India are called to prescribe them as stress relievers.
Impact:
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 tablaa and harmonium and a couple of string instruments]. Jagjit Singh is also nicknamed Gazaljit Singh.
Jagjit Singh is accredited with finding one of the foremost playback singers in Bollywood in modern times Kumar Sanu. As he played a big part in Sanu's initial career in an interview Sanu said that Singh took him to meet the legendary music composers Kalyanji Anandji after hearing his voice from there on Sanu has become a legend in Bollywood for his range and singing as he went to win five male playback Filmfare Awards in a row. A record that still stands.
Jagjit Singh voiced his opinion against artists from Pakistan being allowed to sing in India when Pakistan refuses to reciprocate the gesture.
In addition to cultivating his own successful career Jagjit Singh has been involved in guiding many new talented singers such as Abhijeet Bhattacharya Talat Aziz Ghanshyam Vaswani Ashok Khosla Siza Roy and Vinod Sehgal. He also lends active support to several philanthropic endeavors such as the Library at St. Mary's Mumbai Bombay Hospital CRY and ALMA an organization that adopts under-privileged students for further education and development.
Jagjit Singh lives in Cumballa Hills Mumbai.
In October 2007 Jagjit Singh was hospitalized following low blood circulation to the brain. Now he is doing fine.
Music career
Ghazals
Apne hothon par sajaana chaahta hoon
Kaise kaise haadse sehte rahe
Wo jo hum mein tumme qaraar tha tumHe yaad ho ke na yaad ho
Patta-patta boota-boota haal hamaara jaane hai
Apne haathon kee lakiron meiN basa le mujhko
Sadma to hai mujhe bhi ke tujhse juda hoon main
Apani aankho ke samundar mein utar jaane de
Meri zindagi kisi aur ki mere naam ka koi aur hai
Aadmi aadmi ko kya degaa
Apni marzi se kahan apni safar ke hum hain
Ik baramhahn ne kaha hai ke ye saal achhaa hai
Main na hindoo na musalmaan mujhe jeene do
Garaj baras pyaasi dharthi par phir paani de maula
Chak jigar ke see lete hain
Main bhool jaaoon tumhe ab yahi munaasib hai
Jaate jaate wo mujhe achchhi nishaani de gaya
Shaam se aankh mein namin si hai
Tere baare mein jab socha nahin thaa
Tere aane ki jab khabar mehke
Tamanna fir machal jaaye agar tum milne aa jaao
Ab main ration ki kataron mein nazar aata hoon
Tujhse milne ki saza denge tere shehar ke log
Patthar ke khuda patthar ke sanam
Huzoor aapka bhi ahtraam karta chaloon
Din aa gaye sabaab ke aanchal sambhaaliye
Gulshan ki faqat phoolon se nahin kaaton se bhi zeenat hoti hai
Baat saaqi ki na taali jaayegi
Chupke chupke raat din aansoon bahana yaad hai
Roshan jamal-e-yaar se hai anjuman tamaam
Tera chehra kita suhaana lagta hai
Tum naihin gham nahin sharaab nahin
Sarakti jaaye hain rukh se naqaab aahistaa-aahista
Ae khuda ret ke sehra ko samandar kar de
Yeh daulat bhi le lo yeh shohrat bhi le lo
Hoshwalo ko khabar
Honthon se chhoo lo tum
Koi yeh kaise bataye
Tere khat
Bahut khoobsurat hai
Kiska Chehera
Kal chodvi ki raat thi
Baat niklegi to
Der laagi ane mein tumko
Main nashe mein hoon
Pyar mujhse jo kiya tumne
Tera chehera hai aaeene jaisa
Chitthi na koi sandesh
Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho
Jab se kareeb ho kay chale zindagi se hum
Koi fariyaad
Kahin duur jab din
Kehta hai baabul
Jhuki jhuki si nazar
Tumko dekha to yeh khayal
Sehma sehma
Yaad kiya dil ne kaha ho tum
Aap ko dekh kar
Jab samne tum
Hazaron khwaishe hai aisi
tammana phir machal jaye
Awards:
In 2003 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan one of India's highest civilian honours from the Government of India. In 2006 Teacher's Achievement Awards
Music composed for films
Leela
Sarfarosh
Khudai
Billoo Badshah
Kaanoon Ki Awaaz
Mirza Ghalib
Rahi
Long Da Lishkara 1986
Ravan
Arth
Sitam
Prem Geet
Ghazal albums
The Unforgettables
A Milestone
Main aur Meri Tanhaayee
The Latest
Ecstasies
A Sound Affair
Echoes
Beyond Time
Mirza Ghalib
Passion Black Magic
Ghazals from Films
Emotions
Man Jite Jagjit
Memorable Ghazals of Jagjit and Chitra
Someone Somewhere
H O P E
Sajda
Kahkashan
Visions
In Search
Rare Gems
Face to face
Your Choice
Chiraag
Desires
Insight
Cry for Cry
Mirage
Unique
Come Alive in a Concert
Live at the Wembley
Love is Blind
Silsilay
Marasim
Saher
Samvedna 2002
Soz
Forget Me Not
Jaam Utha
Muntazir
Tum To Nahin Ho
Smart Playlists
