Ghazal loses its soulful king in Jagjit Singh

he soulful voice behind many a popular ghazal was stilled forever with the death of Jagjit Singh here Monday following brain haemorrhage. He was 70. Some of his songs like “Hontho se chhoo lo tum”, “Jhuki jhuki si nazar” and “Tumko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya”, continue to remain all-time favourites.

His death left not just his friends, family and colleagues teary-eyed, but also a huge void in the music industry, which was enriched with his soul-stirring and lilting melodies.

Singh was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here Sep 23 following a brain haemorrhage. A surgery was conducted on him the same day, following which he showed slight improvement.

However, he breathed his last Monday morning. He is survived by wife Chitra Singh, who was by his side when he breathed his last.

The film industry remembered the singer and many paid condolences through Twitter.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan posted on the microblogging site: “The sonorous silk voice of Jagjit Singh silent now!! A great loss to the world of music and Ghazal …Prayers and condolences.”

Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman tweeted: “Rest in Peace Jagjitji…No one can replace your voice and the perfection you had towards your art.”

Singh will be cremated at Chandanwadi Crematorium at 4.30 p.m. in south Mumbai Tuesday. The cremation is expected to draw several celebrities. His relatives from Rajasthan have already arrived.

Born to a Sikh couple in Rajasthan Feb 8, 1941, Singh went on to pursue a post-graduate degree in history from the Kurukshetra University in Haryana. He came to the country’s entertainment capital, Mumbai, in 1965, in search of work as a singer.

A Padma Bhushan award recipient, Singh has sung for many popular Hindi films. He had also sung in several languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Nepali. His career boasted a repertoire comprising 50 albums, and he readily contributed to the ghazal, devotional and Bollywood market.

Music icons like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle feel his music will live on.

“I can’t imagine the days when I will no longer be able to hear his silken voice, no longer be able to talk to him or listen to his new songs. Now his old ghazals is all we have. His soothing voice, his warm hearted nature are all gone now. He was the pride of India. I also feel bad for his wife Chitra, she is all alone now,” said Asha Bhosle.