When in love and thinking about a melody, chances of humming Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh's ever-green compositions are quite likely. Be it "Hothon Se Chhu Lo Tum", "Tum ko dekha to ye khayal aaya", "Tere aane ki jab khabar mehke" or "Jhuki jhuki si nazar", the lyrics, tone and heart-warming singing by the "Ghazal King" have always managed to leave music connoisseurs mesmerized and wanting for more. Not just the theme of love, Jagjit Singh's ghazals fit the pensive, reflective moods perfectly. His popular ghazals, "Kagaz ki kashti", "hazaron khwahishein aisi" or "apni marzi se kahan" stir deep emotions. On Jagjit Singh's 77th birth anniversary, here's a look at his journey from Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar to Mumbai and becoming the world's most-celebrated Ghazal singer.
10 Life Facts About Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh's Journey:
Jagjit Singh was born as Jagmohan Singh in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar on February 8, 1941. His father worked in government office while mother was a housewife.
He studied at Khalsa High School and Government College in Rajasthan and Kurukshetra University in Haryana.
He showed interest in singing from an early age and was trained by Pandit Chaganlal Sharma and Ustad Jamaal Khan who trained him in Hindustani Classical vocal tradition such as Khayal, Dhrupad, Thumri and others.
Jagjit Singh began his professional career with All India Radio in Jalandhar where he sang and composed assignments.
In 1965, Jagjit Singh moved to Bombay, without informing his family to pursue his passion in music. He got his break in playback singing with the film Bahuroopi in 1966.
On personal front, Jagjit Singh married singer Chitra Dutta in 1969 and the couple had a son Vivek. The singer duo came out with the album "The Unforgettable" in 1976. From the album, "Sarakti jaye hai rukh se naqab," and "Baat niklegi to phir door talak jayegi" found the duo great popularity.
The two worked on several joint projects together before the death of their only son Vivek due to a road accident. Following the rude shock, Chitra decided to make an exit from the music industry.
Jagjit Singh, after an year's break post his son' death, returned to singing and his solo albums "Mirage " and "Silsilay" came out in 1996 and 1998. He also continued to perform in concerts worldwide, apart from playback singing.
Jagjit Singh died on October 10, 2011 at the age of 70 after suffering from brain haemorrhage.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2003. The government of Rajasthan also posthumously awarded Jagjit Singh of its highest civilian award, the Rajasthan Ratna in 2012.
