Jagjit Singh

He highlighted this in his music for films such as Prem Geet (1981), Arth (1982), and 'Saath Saath' (1982), and TV serials Mirza Ghalib (1988) and Kahkashan (1991). Singh is considered to be among the most successful ghazal singers and composers of all time in terms of critical acclaim and commercial success. Throughout this time, Singh learned music particularly the Hindustani classical tradition. He has sung in Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Nepali, Gujarati and Sindhi, among many other languages, throughout his 51-year career. His 1987 album, Beyond Time, was the first digitally recorded release in India. He was regarded as one of India's most influential artists. He lent active support to several philanthropic endeavours such as the library at St. Mary's School, Mumbai, Bombay Hospital, CRY, Save the Children and ALMA. Singh was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India in 2003 and in February 2014, the government released a set of two postal stamps in his honour.

• Name — Jagjit Singh • Birth Name — Jagmohan Singh Dhiman • Born — 8 February 1941 • Birthplace — Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner State, British India (present-day Rajasthan, India) • Died — 10 October 2011 • Place of death — Mumbai, Maharashtra, India • Occupation — Music director, composer, singer • Children — 2

• Illustration — Jagjit Singh (middle) with poet Shahid Kabir and his son, Sameer Kabeer Jagjit Singh Dhiman was born on 8 February 1941 in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India (then Bikaner State) into a Namdhari Sikh Punjabi family. His father, Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, was a surveyor with the government's Public Works' Department and hailed from village Dalla in Ropar district of Punjab. Educated initially at Khalsa High School and Government College in Sri Ganganagar, Singh obtained an arts degree from DAV College, Jalandhar. There, he began his professional career in 1961 by undertaking singing and composing assignments at All India Radio's (AIR) Jalandhar station. Later, he studied to obtain a post-graduate degree in history from Kurukshetra University in Haryana. Throughout this time, and as a consequence of a natural talent that was spotted by his father, Singh learned music initially from a visually impaired master of Indian classical music, Pandit Chagan Lal Sharma and later from Ustad Jamal Khan of Maihar gharana, who taught and trained him in all the prominent styles of Hindustani Classical vocal tradition such as Khayal, Dhrupad, Thumri and others. Throughout his teenage years, he performed on stage and composed music. Although his father, who was a government employee, had hoped that he would become an engineer, Singh pursued his passion for music relentlessly. Like all parents in Indian middle-class families, his father aspired for him to become a bureaucrat. However, he also encouraged Singh and his siblings to learn music. In March 1965, and without the knowledge of his family, Singh moved to Bombay, where there were many opportunities for music artists because of the Hindi film industry. He obtained work initially as a singer of advertising jingles and later progressed to playback singing.

• Illustration — Singh with Lata Mangeshkar at the audio release of Saadgi Singh was still struggling to make a living in 1967 when he met the Bengali-born Chitra Dutta. She divorced her husband and married Singh in December 1969. Following the birth of their son, Vivek, the couple performed as a singing duo but it was not until the 1977 release of the album The Unforgettable that they found significant, and surprising, success. In the interval, the primary difficulty for them had been that the ghazal music genre was dominated by Muslim artists and especially those from Pakistan. The Unforgettable, which was the couple's first LP, was an unconventional recording and it turned them into stars. The song "Baat Niklegi" from the album achieved great popularity for the Singhs. The Independent described it in 2011 as "ground-breaking... it became a transformative, before-and-after milestone in the history of Indian popular and ghazals music. It remains that." Using modern arrangements, it consists of ten tracks that include two on which they sang as a duo and the remainder equally split between Jagjit and Chitra singing the lead. The Independent further noted that "This format of solo and duet performances from the first commercially successful husband-and-wife team in Indian popular music proved astonishingly successful." Jagjit explained that "I was determined to polish up the genre and make it more acceptable to modern tastes, so chose simple poems and set them to simple tunes. I also introduced western instrumentation to make them livelier." Thereafter, the couple worked both on solo and joint musical projects and performed concerts worldwide. There was success from involvement with the film industry and they amassed considerable wealth. Among their subsequent duo recordings of the 1970s were Shiv Kumar Batalvi – Birha da Sultan (1978), Live in Concert at Wembley (1979) and Come Alive (1979). Of those released in the 1980s, The Latest by Sudarshan Faakir was the best selling album with his lifetime hit "Woh Kagaz ki Kashti...Woh Baarish ka Paani". It was the first album by the duo with poetry of only one Poet. Ecstasies (1984) has also been described as "one of their finest". The joint projects ceased in 1990 when their 20-year-old son, Vivek, died in a road accident. Chitra felt unable to sing following these events. Monica, Chitra's daughter from her first marriage, committed suicide in 2009. Although Jagjit continued to work and to have success after Chitra withdrew from public life he, too, was affected by the death of Vivek. The Guardian notes that he "suffered from deep depression and his anguish was often evident in his live performances." Aside from occupying himself with solo projects, which he performed in several languages, he collaborated with Lata Mangeshkar on an album titled Sajda, an Urdu word meaning "prostration". Singh's work in film encompassed playback singing for productions such as Arth, 'Saath Saath' and Premgeet. He composed all of the songs for the latter, as well as for the TV serial Mirza Ghalib that was based on the life of the eponymous poet, Mirza Ghalib. On 10 May 2007, in the presence of numerous political and diplomatic luminaries at an event held in the Central Hall of the Parliament of India, Jagjit Singh rendered Bahadur Shah Zafar's famous ghazal "Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera" to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

• Release year — Album name — Tracklist • 1982 — The Latest — # Woh Kaghaz Ki Kashti # Shayad Main Zindagi Ki Sahar # Zindagi Tujh Ko Jiya Hai # Us Mod Se Shuroo Karen # Jis Mod Par Kiye The # Badi Haseen Raat Thi # Teri Ankhon Mein Hamne Kya Dekha # La Pila De Sharab Ai Saqi • 1 December 1990 — Someone Somewhere — # Din Guzar Gaya # Meri Zindagi Kisi Aur Ki # Ab Ke Barsat Ki Rut # Fasila To Hai # Aadmi Aadmi Ko Kya Dega # Mere Dukh Ki Koi Dawa Na Karo # Koi Samjhega Kya Raz-E-Gulshan # Dekha To Mera Saya Bhi # Dil Hi To Hai • 1 February 1996 — Mirage — # Apni marzi se # Dushman ko bhi seene se lagana # Ek barahman ne kaha hai # Koi chaudavi raat ka chaand # Main rahe meena rahe # Mujhe jeene do # Rishta kya hai tera mera # Zindagi se badi sazaa hi nahin • 1998 — Silsilay — #Main Bhool Jaau #Mere Dil Ne Kaha #Jaate Jaate Woh Mujhe #Dard Apnata Hain #Mujhko Yaqeen Hain #Sach Yeh Hain Bekaar #Dard Ke Phool Bhi #Kabhi Yu Bhi To • 2000 — Saher — # Tere Baare Mein Jab Socha Nahi Tha # Mujhse Bicchad Ke Khush Rehti Ho # Tumne Dil Ki Baat Keh Di # Mujhe Hosh Nahin # Yeh Jo Zindagi Ki Kitaab Hai # Yaad Nahin Kya Kya Dekha Tha # Charage Ishq Jalaane Ki Raat Aaye Hai # Tere Aane Ki Jab Khabar Mehke • 2008 — Samyog — # Maile Khusi Didaithiye # Jhulkeko Gham Sari # Eakaichhina Ko Sanyog # Tyo Din Tyo Raat # Kasto Maya Dekhe # Katha Mero Afnai # Dil Chorera Badanam # Kun Maya Sadar Bhyo

In 1990, Vivek Singh (Jagjit Singh and Chitra's son) died in a road accident at the age of 20. This came as a profound shock to Jagjit and Chitra Singh. They gave up music for a full year after the death. At the end of that period, Jagjit returned slowly to music, but Chitra announced her retirement and declared that she would not sing or record any more songs. In 2009, his step-daughter, Monica Chowdhary, aged 50, died by suicide. Singh had suffered from numerous ailments like diabetes and hypertension during his later life, and had undergone two heart bypass surgeries in 1998 and 2007. A chain smoker for decades, he had stopped smoking after his first heart attack.

Singh turned 70 in February 2011. To celebrate his 70th birthday he committed 70 concerts in different parts of the world. He toured the UK, Singapore, Mauritius, inter alias, in 2011 and was due to perform with Ghulam Ali in Mumbai but suffered a brain haemorrhage on 23 September 2011. He was in a coma for over two weeks and died on 10 October at Lilavati Hospital, in Mumbai. He was cremated the following day at Chandanwadi Crematorium near Marine Lines in Mumbai. A number of tributes have been paid to Singh after his death, and some tried to cash in on his popularity, which was criticised by his wife.

Jagjit Singh is recorded as composer, singer, entrepreneur and songwriter. Identity and origins. The authorities additionally record the heading Jagmohan Singh Dhiman. His recorded confession was Sikhism. He married Chitra Singh.

• In 2003, Singh was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, by the Government of India • In 2012, the State Government of Rajasthan posthumously awarded Jagjit Singh its highest civilian award, the Rajasthan Ratna.

• In 2002 and 2005, Singh was awarded the Indian Telly Award for the best title singer for a TV show. • In 1998, Jagjit Singh was awarded Sahitya Academy Award, a literary honour in India. He was awarded for popularising the work of Mirza Ghalib. • Sahitya Kala Academy Award by Rajasthan government in 1998 • Ghalib Academy by Delhi Government in 2005 • Dayawati Modi Award in 1999. • Lata Mangeshkar Samman in 1998 by Madhya Pradesh government. • D.Litt. by Kurukshetra University, Haryana in 2003 • Teacher's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.8th Teacher's Achievement Awards. • Google honoured Jagjit Singh with a doodle on his 72nd birthday on 8 February 2013.