Friday, October 29, 2021

A tribute to Jagjit Singh - Thank you INDIA New England

 Originally published on IEN Oct 28th 2021

https://indianewengland.com/2021/10/jagjit-singh-remembering-the-king-of-ghazals-and-some-of-his-not-so-known-ghazals/


Jagjit Singh: Remembering the King of Ghazals and Some of His Not-So-Known Ghazals

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Jagjit Singh (Photo courtesy: Spotify)

By Jaya Pandey

(Editor’s note: Undoubtedly, Jagjit Singh (Feb. 8, 1941-Oct. 10, 2011) popularized ghazals popular in India and brought this art of singing to the masses. His first LP with his wife Chitra Singh was released in 1977 and became an instant hit. It was called “The Unforgettable”, which had his most famous ghazal–Baat Nikalegi–and every ghazal lover knows that ghazal by heart. On his 10th death anniversary, Jaya Pandey pays a tribute to the King of Ghazals and shares some of his not–so-known ghazals.)

Jaya Pandey

सुनते हैं के मिल जाती है हर चीज़ दुआ से, एक रोज़ तुम्हें माँग के देखेंगे ख़ुदा से…

The month of October brings a beautiful fall season for us New Englanders and in general we associate it with crisp cool breeze, apple picking and colored leaves.

For me it adds one more thing to the list. Perfect outdoor weather of fall brings awesome morning walks with headphones on and evenings with a nice cup of chai on my deck and Ghazals in the background. Ghazals are part of my existence all year around but fall season does add it’s own flavor.

For every music lover, there is one singer or musician who speaks to their soul and for me Jagjit Singh has occupied that space forever.

Oct 10th is Jagjit Singh’s death anniversary. It’s been 10 yrs. There are days when I don’t want to believe in my loss and there are days when I feel why it matters to me because his physical presence didn’t matter anyway. But back then, I wish I knew better so I could have enjoyed his “live” concerts more.

I did see him in person a few times. But now I realize that I would have appreciated those even more. More than anything I miss the “access” part.  I wonder how it would have been if he was visiting Boston now, I could reach out, meet or see him in close proximity. I have written about his ghazals, music and what he did to our generation in my previous articles.

Today, I want to write about some of his masterpieces. If you have not heard these before and got to know about them today through this article, then that makes it worthwhile for me. 

There is no way to fulfill the void he created in my musical world. But to overcome that I did what I could to best and brought people in my life who were lucky to be around him.

Talking to them, listening to their stories and cherishing their memories seemed good enough for me and brought me closer to him in my own way. Through them, I can now listen to some of his amazing live and rare recordings, including some from private collections. So for now, I am just happy to be able to hear them.

Over the years I have come a long way, I love a good music system and appreciate the nuances of clean recordings but when it comes to Jagjit Singh it does not matter. I won’t mind a messed up sound too, as long as his voice is there because that makes it up for me.

I used to listen to all the “studio recordings mostly” but I am loving the “Live recordings” more and more now because they bring another level of vibrancy and connection. They also show the brilliance of his singing. I am not the kind of fan who has a favorite ghazal or song as I don’t even listen to his regular/popular ghazals. But there are some that I always go back to because they are connected to me due to various events/stages of my life. And listening to them always brings back that nostalgia.

So I go back to them often. However, today’s list is different. Please note that I am not listing his usual hits because the idea here is to introduce some new ghazals to your playlist. Hope you enjoy these rare gems.

1.Gin Gin Tare Raat Guzaari 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3jYtur8Dds

2. Mujhse milne ke wo karta tha bahane kitne ( Sung by Chitra Singh in the album)

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVPsiubz4UY

 3.  Bahut Bechain hai dil Jahan ho chale aao  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lrLlJh_-Ig

4. Chandani hai hawa hai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbclAyTAycE

5.Ye kis khalish ne phir is dil mein aashiyana kiya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqk4LsnYpJU

  1. Rooh Bechain hai is dil azziyat kya hai 

       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef3DQwqOb_0

  1. Woh Mujhse Hue Hum Kalam Allah Allah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjgfj5WO_rk

8.Kab Yaad Mein Tera Saath Nahin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Y6aI59MKE

9.Jinhein main dhoondhta tha aasmanon mein zameenon mein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqApxxT3sjw

 10.Phool barse kahīñ shabnam kahīñ gauhar barse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O0WU_4jnN0

  1. Ilaj E Dard E dil tum se masiah ho nahi sakta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Y5Ypt_S_k

12.Ishq me jii ko sabr-o-taab kahaan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1bucIbVfzw

13.Kuchh Hosh bhi hai dast E junoon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siFZqyQ2STU

14.Sar jispe na juk jaaye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SENVoDyyqI

15 Dukh apnā agar ham ko batānā nahīñ aatā

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwib8HTFj-E

(Jaya Pandey lives in Boston with her sons (Ajey and Anand) and husband Ashish. 

She is passionate about music, poetry, cooking, Saree and autism awareness

 and founder of “Desi Moms Network” for familes with children with special needs. 

She is a Jagjit Singh fan, blogger and story teller. To know more about her visit her blogs –

 https://jayapandey.blogspot.com and http://momlovesanand.blogspot.com  

She would like to thank all Jagjit Singh lovers in her life with this tribute to Ghazal maestro.)


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