21 Lesser-Known Facts About Jagjit Singh, The Ghazal Maestro

One does not know music until he has heard the comforting and soothing voice of the legend who is also known as the Ghazal King, Jagjit Singh. Calming the souls while enlivening the hearts, his voice adds life to words. While most of us remember his songs from the movies, there are many other albums that he has sung for, which have been widely appreciated all over the world. However, not many of us actually know about the life, struggles, highs and lows and history of Jagjit Singh.

Let us take a look a look at some of the lesser-known facts about Jagjit Singh:

1. Birth and family

Jagjit Singh was born on the 8th of February, 1941 in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, to Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, who was a surveyor with government’s public work department and Sardarni Bachchan Kaur, who was a housewife. He had six siblings – two brothers and four sisters.

2. Jagjit Singh real name was Jagmohan Singh Dhiman.

3. Education

Alumni of Khalsa High School and Government College in Sri Ganganagar, Jagjit Singh obtained an arts degree from D.A.V. College, Jalandhar.

4. Father’s wish

Jagjit Singh’s father wanted him to become a bureaucrat and pursue engineering. However, at the same time he encouraged him to learn music as well.

5. Beginning of career

He started his professional career at AIR’s Jallandhar radio station by singing and composing music pieces.

6. Turning point of career

He headed in the direction to pursue his dreams when he left his home and moved to Bombay in 1965, without the knowledge of his family. He started taking up small assignments like singing ad jingles and performing at wedding for survival.

He used to live in Worli, and shared a room with four others. jagjit used to go Dadar for his meals, where one of the restaurant owner gave him meals for free.

7. Jagjit Singh music idol was none other than the singing legend, Mohammad Rafi.

He used to sing his songs on radio stations also.

8. Rejected film offer

Not many are aware that Jagjit Singh also got an offer of a leading actor in a Gujrati movie during his struggling days. However, he turned down the same as he wanted to focus only on singing. Although, he later sang a bhajan for that film.

9. Meeting with Chitra and marriage

Jagjit Singh met his wife Chitra at a recording studio for the first time in 1967. At first she refused to sing an advertising jingle with Jagjit Singh saying his voice is heavy. Later the duo started singing together and were termed as the ghazal couple.

In December 1969 they got married. It is said that they got married in a very simple two-minute ceremony costing them only INR 30.

Watch the dynamic duo, singing to Kothe Te Aa Mahiya at a concert in Birmingham in 1979,

10. Instant fame

Subsequently, they went on the way to make great music together and came with widely appreciated albums. The album called ‘The Unforgettable’ gave them instant fame and success in the year 1976.

The album became the highest-selling album at a time when there was no market for non-film albums.

Also read: 18 Jagjit Singh Ghazals That Will Help You Find Solace

11. Peak of popularity

His popularity knew no bounds and that was evident when in the year 1982, the tickets for his concert ‘Live at Royal Albert Hall’ were sold out in just three hours.

12. Beyond Time, Singh’s album from the year 1987 was the first digitally recorded release in India.

13. Friend and guide to many budding singers

Many lesser-known poets came to limelight because Jagjit sang their verses.

In 1987, Jagjit heared a singer at a bar and introduced him to Kalyanji Anandji who gave Kedarnath Bhattacharya a chance to sing in ‘Aandhiyan’ (1990). Later, they suggested him the name Kumar Sanu.

14. Sudden loss

Jagjit Singh’s 20 year old son Vivek expired in a road accident on July 27, 1990 and it left the couple devastated. Following this Jagjit went silent for six months but Chitra was unable to sing and stayed away from any kind of public appearance. Their together projects subsequently ended.

15. Strong comeback

Some of the finest works of Jagjit Singh came after the painful tragedy of his son’s death. The pain which he has in heart was visible in his work.

Few of the famous work includes, ‘Sajda’ with Lata Mangeshkar, ‘Someone Somewhere, Hope’, ‘Kahkashan’ with Ali Sardar Jaffri, Silsilay with Javed Akhtar, ‘Marasim’ with Gulzar and ‘Samvedna’.

16. The Prime Minister Connection

Jagjit Singh has a unique connection with politics. He was the composer and singer to have given his voice to songs written by former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The albums were called Nai Disha (1999) and Samvedna (2002). What might also interest you is that the face of these songs was none other than superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

17. Awarded with India’s third highest civilian award

In the year 2003, Jagjit Singh was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India.

18. His connection with poet-lyricist Nida Fazli

“Duniya jise kehte hain, jadoo ka khilona hai; Mil jaye to mitti hai, kho jaye to sona hai.”

Jagjit Singh was born in 8 February, 1941, and exactly 75 years later Nida Fazli left this world on 8 February, 2016. Jagjit Singh quite often used to sung pieces written by Nida Fazli.

19. He was a cycling enthusiast and also liked betting on horse racing and stock markets.

20. Sudden death

Jagjit Singh suffered a brain haemorrhage on 23rd of September 2011 and was in coma for two weeks. He passed away on 10th of October at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai.

21. After his demise in 2014, the Government of India released stamp in honour of Ghazal king Jagjit Singh’s honour.

His life has been nothing but extraordinary, however he has faced a lot of hardships and a tragic loss too. And despite all of that he continued to deliver the kind of music that he is remembered for, and will always be remembered for.