A journey through music of emotions

The Rajasthan born singer played a key role in transforming ghazals from a largely dilettante musical style to a popular music for the masses.

The 70-year-old singer whose deep melancholic voice combined fragility of the psyche with the robustness of a country singer in the eighties and nineties approached the gentle ghazal genre with the sensibilities of a country singer effectively evocating passion and deep sadness.

At the time when popular film music with deafening cacophony of mindless songs, loomed large Jagjit Singh, eschewing the commercialised film songs, picked up serious verses expressing sublime emotions and dreamscape melodies through less worn paths and made his songs stand out successfully.

His style akin to American bluegrass genre, stirred the young and old. Without resorting to shock or titillate or indulge in hammering numbing metronome beats sans rhythmic variations or caricatures of contemporary dance music, the ghazal singer brought back sensitivity and musicality through distinct juxtaposition of Sufi and Indian classical harmonies.

His eclectic selection of noted poets for songs coupled with his resonate voice manifested in a range of emotional expression, pushing the boundaries of rhyme and delivery in ways that had not been hitherto heard in the world of easy listening music. The blaze of his popularity triggered of a spate of clones.

Along with his wife, Jagjit produced a range of ghazal albums throughout late seventies and eighties and he soon came to be known as “Ghazal King.” In late eighties, Jagjit made his foray into Hindi movies warbling out numbers such as “Jhuki jhuki si nazar”, “Tum itana jo muskura rahe ho” and “Mera geet amar kardo” and turning them into ever-green.

However, despite his success in films, the singer continued to remain rooted in the non-film music and bring out soothing songs one after another, despite facing tragedies in his personal life. In 1990, he lost his 21-year-old son Vivek in a road accident and had to witness his wife Chitra go into depression shunning all public performances.
Jagjit Singh, however, continued on his path gradually including religious bhajans into his repertoire. Given the widespread popularity of his songs and the appalling state of the ghazals churned out today, Jagjit’s singing style, despite confined to a limited musical palette, will continue to represent a landmark in the soft musical melodies speaking of sublime emotions.

Born, on February 8, 1941, the boy from Ganganagar in Rajasthan after graduation came to Mumbai to try his luck in films in 1961. However, after failing in his attempts to gain  entry into the tinsel world, he went back to Jallandar to sing in Gurudwaras and folk music gathering. In seventies, he came back and this time he wanted to walk on a path with hardly takers and the result was that within a span of one and a half decade, he gained a respect that made filmmakers not just from Bollywood but also from Gujarat, Nepal, Bengal and Punjab flock to his door step.

For the boy, who sang in gurudwaras, it was a long journey to the pinnacle. In 2003, he was awarded Padma Bhushan. Till his last, Jagjit, according to his fraternity members, was one of the silent philanthropists who quietly helped various social organisations.
Most of the fraternity members remember him as one of the most gentle souls that graced the music world.

Singer Kavita Krishnamurthy talking to Deccan Herald said: “He was the nicest person I had ever met.”

Classical table player Bikram Ghosh, who used to accompany him in several performances, said: “His songs defined phases in our lives in so many ways. I have always been a hard core fan of his and indebted to him colouring and inspiring my life in so many ways.”

Singer Akruti Kakkad, who had performed with him at many concerts, reminisces about him being fatherly towards her. “He always used to tell me whenever I used to bump into him ‘airport aur concerts ke alawa bhi mila karo beta.’ (Apart from airport and concerts do meet me my child.)”