JAGJIT SINGH .... A PORTRAYAL OF HIS PERSONALITY
Jagjit Singh, one of the most celebrated Ghazal singers of all times, is truely the pride
of Indian Music. At a young age , he has received the kind of adulation and fan following
all over the world which few others can match. His soul sterring renditions of meaningful
ghazals have given a whole new meaning to the art. Jagjit Singh was born on the 8th February, 1941 in
Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, India.He undertook his formal training in Ghazal singing
under the able guidance of Ustad Jamal Khan.He, along with his talented wife Chitra Singh,
who is also a famous ghazal singer in her own right, gained early recognition through the
recording of one of their first hit albums "The Unforgettables", released by EMI
Music India. This was followed by a series of hit ghazal albums which they did for EMI and
later for HMV.
Millions of Jagjit-Chitra fans
fans received a severe blow many years back when the couple was banned from public
appearance under the Anti-Apartheid law when they performed in South Africa. The entire
ghazal loving world heaved a sigh of relief once the ban was lifted and people could again
sway to the heart-tugging renditions of soft Ghazals by Jagjit and Chitra Singh.
In the age of MTV and Heavy Metal,
the credit for retaining people's interest in meaningful poetry and ghazals can be easily
attributed, among others to Jagjit Singh, who is counted among the finest in this industry
along with great talents like Mehndi Hassan and Ghulam Ali.
Despite being a very busy artist,
Jagjit Singh has been true to his art and has been involved in guiding many new talents to
the height of popularity such as Talat Aziz and Vinod Sehgal, who have trained under him.
Jagjit and Chitra had the
misfortune of facing a terrible personal loss when their only son Vivek died at the young
age of 18 in a car crash. Overcoming the loss, they dedicated their next album, aptly
called 'Someone Somewhere' to their son.
Even though almost all albums of
Jagjit Singh has set new records in popularity and sales, he has been involved in film
music as well....and has gained new heights in this area too. He sang for and composed
beautiful music for hit films like Arth, Sath Sath etc. His popularity is self evident
from the numerous awards he has received both from the music industry and the Government.
Jagjit Singh's humane qualities
and his love to portray kindness towards fellow human beings is not limited to his art
alone. He has been actively involved in various philanthropic endeavours such as the
Library at St.Mary's, Bombay Hospital, CRY and ALMA, an organization whose focus is to
adopt students for further education and development. Jagjit Singh took out an exclusive
album dedicated to the cause of destitute children, called "Cry for Cry"..whose
proceeds went to the organization as a charity.
This page is dedicated to the
finest form of Ghazal singing that Jagjit Singh portrays...and also the countless fans of
the Ghazal King, spread across all continents in the world.....
(Courtesy : A friend's web site) |
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