Jagjit Singh, the famous Ghazal singer, is also known across the world for his soulful voice.
Personal Life of Jagjit Singh
He was born on 8th February, 1941 at Sri Ganganagar district in Rajasthan. His father Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman was a Government official and his mother Sardarni Bachchan Kaur had a religious family background. He had four sisters and two brothers and he is known as Jeet by his family.
Education
He went to Khalsa High School in Sri Ganganagar to study science. After matriculation at Government College, Sri Ganganagar he went onto DAV College, Jalandhar to graduate in arts. He is a post-graduate in history from Kurukshetra University.
Expertise in Various Indian Classical Forms
Jagjit Singh’s association with music goes back to his childhood. He learnt music under Pandit Chaganlal Sharma for two years in Ganganagar, and later devoted six years to learning Khayal, Thumri and Dhrupad forms of Indian Classical Music from Ustad Jamaal Khan of the Sainia Gharana school.
Musical Career
In 1969 he got married with the popular singer Chitra Singh. They both produced numerous soulful and melodic Ghazals which were enjoyed by a wider audience. Some of the popular albums of the couple were Ecstasies, A Sound Affair and Passions.
Around 1970′s, the world of ghazals was dominated by renowned names like Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, Begum Akhtar, Talat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan. Jagjit Singh made the efforts to come with his first album titled “The Unforgettables”, which was a collection of semi-classical Indian music.
The different melody and freshness in Jagjit’s voice appealed to all and he was recognized by the industry.
His later albums named Hope, In Search, Insight, Mirage, Visions, Kahkashan (Galaxy), Love Is Blind, Chirag (Lamp), etc. have made him the top Ghazal singer in the country and a favorite among fans.
Apart of albums, he also sung many devotional and hindi movie songs. Popular films include Arth, Saath Saath, Premgeet, Tum Bin, Sarfarosh, Dushman and Tarkeeb.
Awarded “Padma Bhusha” in 2003
He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2003, the third highest civilian honour, for his contribution to music by the Government of India. In 2006 he was also awarded Teacher’s Achievement Awards.
