Jagjit Singh (8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was an Indian ghazal singer, composer and musician known as the “Ghazal King”. With his wife, the singer Chitra Singh, he took the ghazal out of small gatherings of connoisseurs and made it popular music, choosing simpler poetry and adding guitars and other modern instruments. Albums such as The Unforgettables and film songs like “Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho” and “Hothon Se Chhu Lo Tum” remain favourites. He received the Padma Bhushan in 2003.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Jagmohan Singh Dhiman |
| Born | 8 February 1941, Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner State (now Rajasthan), India |
| Died | 10 October 2011, Mumbai (aged 70) |
| Occupation | Ghazal singer, composer |
| Education | DAV College, Jalandhar; Kurukshetra University |
| Years active | 1961–2011 |
| Spouse | Chitra Singh (m. 1969) |
| Children | Vivek (1971–1990); stepdaughter Monica |
| Honour | Padma Bhushan (2003) |
Early Life
Jagjit Singh was born into a Sikh family in Sri Ganganagar, where his father, Amar Singh Dhiman, was a government surveyor. His father hoped he would become an engineer or a civil servant but also sent him to learn music, first from the blind teacher Pandit Chhaganlal Sharma and then from Ustad Jamal Khan of the Senia gharana, who taught him khayal, thumri and dhrupad. He sang for All India Radio in Jalandhar while at college. In 1965 he moved to Bombay without telling his family.
Career
In Bombay he lived in a hostel and earned a living singing advertising jingles and at private parties. He met Chitra Dutta, a singer, and they married in 1969. Their album The Unforgettables (1976) broke with tradition by using Western instruments alongside the sarangi and tabla. It was a huge success and made them India’s first star husband-and-wife singing pair.
Jagjit sang and composed for the films Prem Geet (1981), Arth (1982) and Saath Saath (1982), whose songs became classics. He composed the music for Gulzar’s television series Mirza Ghalib (1988), setting the great poet’s verses to music. In 1987 his album Beyond Time was among the first by an Indian musician to be recorded digitally.
In 1990 the couple’s only son, Vivek, was killed in a road accident in Mumbai at the age of 18. Chitra never sang in public again. Jagjit returned to music after some months, and his later albums, such as Sajda (1991) with Lata Mangeshkar, were more reflective and devotional. He set to music poems by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the albums Nayi Disha and Samvedna. He sang “Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya” in Sarfarosh (1999).
Death
Jagjit Singh suffered a brain haemorrhage on 23 September 2011, shortly before a concert in Mumbai with the Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali. He died at Lilavati Hospital on 10 October 2011, aged 70.
Legacy
He recorded more than 80 albums and helped many younger singers and poets. The Government of India issued a postage stamp in his honour in 2014.
Popular Songs
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Jagjit Singh born?
Jagjit Singh was born on 8 February 1941 in Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner State (now Rajasthan), India.
When did Jagjit Singh die?
Died: 10 October 2011, Mumbai (aged 70).
What is Jagjit Singh’s occupation?
Occupation: Ghazal singer, composer.
Featured image: Jagjit Singh greets the audience at an event, October 2010. Photo by CreativoCamaal, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
