Death of a Legend

I was surfing the net when I got the shocking news. Gazal legend Jagjit Singh passed away. I did not know how to react. Jagjit Singh was gifted with such a rich voice that would leave lifelong impression on the listeners.

Born in 1941, Jagjit Singh came to Mumbai  to test his fate in film industry but nothing much happened till HMV gave him a break. After this people from the film industry started to feel his presence. He became very popular in a very short time among the gazal lovers. He also made his mark thru wonderful delivery of gazals by Kaifi Azami in ‘Arth” and other movies. His very popular film song s include ‘Hoonto se chu lo tum’ and Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho’.  One of his famous gazals include ‘ Yeh Daulat bhi le lo Yeh shohrat bhi le lo’ which is based on the memory of childhood, and how the poet thinks that childhood has no equivalence. It is the most precious period of one’s life.

After demise of her son in 1990, Chitra Singh, wife and singer stopped singing and Jagjit singh had to go alone for rest of his carrier. He kept on singing best after best gazals, pouring  the pain of life experiences.

Jagjit Singh is no more in his earthly body but he will always be alive thru his wounderful singing , wonderful voice and wonderful collections.  It will be very difficult to fill the gap in gazal singing, if not impossible, for years  to come.