6.00 pm Cultural Program - India-Link.org

world of ghazals was dominated by names like Mehdi
Hassan, Begum Akhtar, Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, and
Talat Mahmood.
Beyond adding great accessibility, Jagjit Singh should
also be justly credited with contemporizing the genre of
ghazals with bold deployment of Western instruments,
such as guitar and drums to the traditional Indian
instruments, such as harmonium, sitar and tabla that
attracted hoards of enchanted customers to his
productions and made him a business success.
The Unforgettebles- the first album of Jagjit and
Chitra (his wife) Singh – started their meteoric music
journey in 1976. I remember hearing Kafeel Azer’s nazm–
Baat Niklegi to Door Talak Jayegi (once a rumor stars, it
will go far afield) at friend’s house and deciding to stay
(more aptly overstay)at their house and listening to the
songs of the album repeatedly until falling asleep. The
inaugural guitar notes followed by Jagjit’s slightly husky
but immensely melodious voice and the “sukoon (peace)”
in the song just gets to your inner sanctum sanctorum.
The melodies of the entire album would make anyone
pensive and ebullient at the same time. The most popular
number of the album, Sarakti jaye hai rukh se naqab
ahista ahista (lyrics: Ameer Meenai) continues to draw
prolonged applause and accolades from audience just after
the recital of the very first line even today. Over a period of
four decades, Jagjit Singh has created over 40 albums,
some in tandem with his wife, Chitra. Among his most
serene and heart-touching albums, I would include
Milestone, Main or Meri Tahhayee, Ecstacies, Echos, Mirza
Ghalib, H O P E, Kaikashan, and Sajda. Indeed, among
his myriad compositions and creations, if I were to
recommend one to music lovers, I would recommend one
from the album Sajda and listen to the following number:
The ghazal, set in mystic environ, starts with a
rising, high-pitch, heart-rending voice that is calling God
and begging in an extremely pain-filled voice: Grant my
one wish, O god - Fill my being with pain (not the exact
translation, sorry) … the song later evolves into the wish
(again difficult to get the soul of the original verse, crudely
translated): Either apply balm on the wounds of the planet
or make my heart that of stone…
No tribute to or compendium of Jagjit Singh’s
body of work will be complete without mentioning the
song “Chitthi Na Koi Sandesh … (no letter, no message
…)” which he created after the death of his young son
Vivek, who he fondly called Babu, in 1990. The trauma
was enough for Chitra to stop singing altogether. Recently
a family friend sung this song in a small gethering and
everyone’s eyes were filled with tears of agony. I went back
home and heard it again and again till I began to feel
depressed. That is the power of Jagjit Singh’s ghazals.
They are so compelling and so total in their impact and
yet they use simple words and set to very simple tunes.
But they convey a level of pain and helplessness that
borders on transcendental.
So far as his dedication to music is concerned,
Jagjit Singh was a perfectionist. He told Hindustan
Times, “Music is a vast subject. There is mathematics
and grammar in music. Unless one knows all of it, one
cannot become a good singer. One should learn music for
15 years before actually trying their hands at singing
ghazals”. Though his ghazals had less classical nuances,
his mastery of classical ragas could be seen in his live
shows where he freely inserted taanaas (long stable notes),
aalaaps (just stretching a letter with a variety of tunes)
that showed an extraordinary command of Indian classical
music and aplomb and sweetness.
Jagjeet Singh was borne in 1941 in Sri
Ganagangar (erstwhile Rajputana in British India) in
Sikh family who gave him the name Jagmohan. Incidently,
he used to live in the adjacent house to my real sister’s
house in srigagnganagar and her family tells me how they
enjoyed his practice sessions into the wee hours of
morning.
Later, he changed his name to Jagjit (Victor of
the world) Singh and his family called him Jeet. His
extraordinary musical work both in volume and quality
won him the coveted Bharat Bhushan award in 2003.
There are many who believe that he deserved the highest
award – Bharat Ratna simply because of his “massifying”
the ghazal genre.
Jagjit Singh affiliates, nay devotees, like me and
Kuldip would find life tough after Jagjit Singh. We have
lost an angel of music and the void will never fill for us.
Yet we are comforted in the thought that he has left a
body of ghazals that will serve us and the humanity forever
in our low moments of sadness and bring us the tranquility
and chaen we need.
We will really never be without him. He is
immortal. I think a befitting finale to this eulogy‘ will be
what the venerable Lata ji said about Mohammed Rafi,
the legendary singer:
.Thanks, my musical angel, may you always live in the
minds and hearts of everyone on the planet!! Adieu!! May
the Gods of music personally take care of your soul!!!
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