It’s the 82nd birth anniversary of Jagjit Singh, the king of ghazals and bhajans. Over a decade after his death, Jagjit Singh’s ghazals and songs continue to enthrall people around the world. The ghazal maestro passed away on October 10, 2011.
Jagjit Singh was born in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, on February 8, 1941. In the 1980s, Jagjit Singh sang several ghazals with his wife Chitra Singh. His ghazals, including Mera Geet amar kar do and Tum itna zo muskura rahe ho, are still much loved and listened to all over the world.
Despite having an illustrious career, Jagjit Singh experienced several ups and downs in life. There was a time when Jagjit Singh had to take a break from singing. It was after the tragic death of his son Vivek, aged only 18, in a road accident.
After this tragedy, Jagjit Singh stayed away from singing for a very long time, just like his wife Chitra. After a long hiatus post-Vivek’s demise, Jagjit Singh returned to singing to fans’ delight.
In 2003, the king of ghazals was awarded the Padma Bhushan award. In 2011, Jagjit Singh was slated to perform with Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali in the UK. However, he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on 23 September 2011 after a brain haemorrhage. He remained in a coma for two weeks, leaving an irreparable void in the hearts of his fans and music lovers.
