Jagjit Singh

Jagjit Singh was an Indian composer, singer and musician who was known for his revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian classical art form, by choosing poetry that was relevant to the masses and composing them in a way that laid more emphasis on the meaning of words and melody evoked by them. He sang in numerous languages and was regarded as one of the most successful ghazal singers and composers of all time. He started his music training at the age of 4 under the guidance of his mother and later learned from various eminent teachers such as Pandit Santosh Kumar Basu, Professor A T Kannan, and Professor Chinmoy Lahiri. He also received guidance from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and his son Ustad Munavvar Ali Khan in Indian classical music. He earned an arts degree from DAV College, Jalandhar and a Master's degree and Ph.D. from Rabindra Bharati University. His thesis was titled "Nazrulgeeti — Roop O Rashanabhuti". He began his professional career in 1961 by undertaking singing and composing assignments at All India Radio's Jalandhar station. He made his debut as a playback singer in 1970 with the film Taarana. He composed and sang for many Hindi and Urdu films, such as Prem Geet, Arth, Saath Saath, Sarfarosh, and Veer-Zaara. He also sang for TV serials such as Mirza Ghalib and Kahkashan. He released many albums of ghazals, devotional songs, and folk songs. He collaborated with many famous poets and lyricists such as Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Nida Fazli, and Kaifi Azmi. He also sang many songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. He received many awards and honors for his contribution to music, such as the Padma Bhushan, the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Ghalib Academy Award. He also supported many philanthropic causes such as CRY, Save the Children, and ALMA. He married Chitra Singh, a fellow singer, in 1969 and they became a popular duet pair. They had a son, Vivek Singh, who died in a car accident in 1990. Jagjit Singh suffered a brain haemorrhage on 23 September 2011 and died on 10 October 2011 at the age of 70. He was cremated at Chandanwadi Crematorium in Mumbai. He was mourned by his fans and the music fraternity.