Lokvani Talks To Jagjit Singh, The King Of Ghazals

Transporting one back to simpler, unhurried times while delicately provoking memories and emotion, Jagjit Singh’s ghazals transcend barriers of age, language and culture.

With a velvet voice, beloved to ghazal aficionados around the world, Jagjit Singh’s prolific oeuvre is as extensive as his popularity. He is credited with bringing Ghazal appreciation from its elitist confines to the reach of the layperson.

It was a testimony to Jagjit Singh’s world-wide popularity that the Berkelee performance center in Boston was packed with his fans on Friday April 9, 2004. The ‘King of Ghazals’ was welcomed by wild applause and every tune he began spurred appreciative hoots and claps from the audience. He presented a treasure trove of rich ghazals selected from a richer repertory. Deep lyrics and soulful melody blended to enthrall the audience.

Lokvani caught up with the maestro on the day of the concert. Asked how he felt about this North American tour, he confessed having looked forward enthusiastically to it, hinting, however, that this may well be his last tour to our neck of the woods. That would be a crying shame.

To what does he owe this popularity, we ask him. “The age of my fans ranges from about 12 to 82”, he laughed, “People seem to get the Ghazals when I sing them.”

“Urdu is sometimes difficult to understand, my aim, right from the start was to bring this beautiful genre to the public. Not just connoisseurs but also to the man on the street.”

Even in this day and age when pop music rules the roost, there is an exalted perch right on top of the charts for this artist, best known for his lilting and meaningful nazms (songs). How does he manage to hold on to his position?

“Well, my music is popular and has withstood the times and it is because I use modern techniques and modern instruments to jazz up my compositions. I use the electric guitar, the synthesizer and other musical instruments to accompany my ghazals. I have moved ahead with the times and I think I know what my listeners expect from me.”

Is it true that he chooses every ghazal that he lends music and voice to himself? “Yes it is true. I do choose the nazms myself. As a trained musician, who knows the language, I first choose the ghazal and then set the tune. I only sing nazms that I can pour my soul into. I try to make sure that the meaning of the nazms can be accessed by every one of my listeners. After that I select the instruments, the sound, which is suitable for that particular poetry. And selection of a raga is also kept in mind, in the studio I sit for mixing the song also and I try to use new sounds, new technology in my ghazals. Why not? The thought in the poetry is the only muse.”

And films? Would he care to let us know if he has any new ventures in the pipeline? “Not at this time. I have been busy with my concerts.”

We hear that when Jagjit Singh toured Pakistan recently, thousands of Pakistanis thronged to the concerts. What does he think about the newfound friendship between the two neighbors? “This is the best thing to happen in years. I think the leaders of the two countries and the public have given the generations to come this wonderful gift of understanding and friendship! We have lost enough time, money, energy and people in fighting with each other since the past 56 years. I received a warm welcome in Pakistan, I was amazed that they knew all my ghazals. Every show was sold out and the love I was showered with was incredible.”

Jagjit Singh is also well known for his contribution to various charities such as the Library at St.Mary's, Bombay Hospital, CRY, and ALMA, an organization whose focus is to adopt students for further education and development. It has been reported that he visited the 73-year-old Mehdi Hassan at his home in Karachi. (Mr Hassan has been rendered immobile after his paralytic attack and he has a large family of 17 children.) Jagjit Singh donated $5000 to Mr Hassan and also helped set up the PFPP ('Peri Fund for Pakistani Phankar') - for veteran Pakistani artists who may be in financial trouble, or have health issues.

When we asked him about this, he did not elaborate, just said, “If I can help even one person in this life, I consider myself lucky.”

About the Boston show, “This is the first ever show in my USA tour and I hope people will extend the same welcome that they have been offering me for years.”

Said Anil Mehrotra of Aap Ka Manoranjan who made this concert possible, “Jagjitji’s popularity knows no bounds! He is as great a human being as he is an artist and Arsh and I are happy we could bring him to the Boston area, where so many of his fans reside.”

Born in Sri Ganga Nagar in Rajasthan, Jagjit Singh’s passion for music started early in life. While his family wished he would pursue a career in the Indian Civil Services, Jagjit chose to chase his dream. He trained with Ustad Jamaal Khan for fifteen years, reinforcing his education with hours of dedicated riyaaz.

When Jagjit Singh moved to Bombay in 1965, he sang jingles for ads and soon teamed up with Chitra Singh, who later became his partner musically and in life. Chitra and Jagjit became the Ghazal duo of Bombay and were much in demand in private mehfils.

Their repertoire grew, as did their fame and soon the two were a fixture on the Bombay cultural circuit. Their albums Unforgettables, Live at Wembley, Milestone, Passion, Echoes and Main Aur Meri Tanhai became huge hits with the listening public.

Jagjit and Chitra made this complex style of singing look effortless, but the fact is that it took years of hard work and dedication to the style to pull off the feat. Their music had a soothing relaxing quality to it, that hooked listeners at first sampling and to millions of fans around the world Jagjit Singh is the Ghazal King. Jagjit helped bring to melodic life, ghazals of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sahir Ludhianvi, Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Kaifi Azmi, Niza Fazli, Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Sudarshan Faakir and many other known and not-so-known Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi poets since the `60s – and recently the poetry of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Jagjit Singh has always maintained that he only sings nazms that he can pour his soul into. He makes sure that the meaning of the nazms can be accessed by every one of his listeners. He has also composed and sang for Bollywood films starting with Arth and Saath Saath and more recently Leela. Who can forget the ghazals from Gulzars TV series Mirza Ghalib with exquisite music by Jagjit Singh or Chitra Singh’s near flawless rendition of Yeh Na Thi Hamari Kismat?

The soulful singer has won several awards including the Sahitya Academy Award in 1998, for popularizing Ghalib. The Madhya Pradesh government also honoured him with ‘The Late Magnesia Samoan’ in 1998. A professional to the core, he takes an interest in the making of each of his albums and is involved in selecting the ghazis, to composing the music and all the other related minutes details. He was awarded the Padmashree on January 26, 2004.