Jagjit Singh, often known as the ‘Ghazal King,’ was a well-known Indian singer, songwriter, and musician. He was a young prodigy in music, born into a middle-class Sikh household; his father recognized his gift and pushed him to study classical music. He traveled to Mumbai after college to seek a career in the music industry, where he had his fair share of difficulties in finding work. Meanwhile, he married Chitra, another vocalist, and the two of them began singing compositions together. The couple’s first successful record was not published until after seven years of marriage. Everyone was charmed by the duo’s voice, their beautiful relationship, and the absolute passion of their ghazals. Following that, the duo worked on solo and collaborative musical projects and performed performances all over the world. His deep and seductive voice helped him achieve remarkable success in a variety of genres, from love tunes to melancholy compositions and devout hymns. His personal life, however, was severely impacted when his only son died at a young age, and his wife stopped singing as a result. He continued to sing, though, and his songs grew in popularity with each passing day. He established himself as one of India’s most influential artists and his melodies continue to communicate with the deepest human emotions. A spellbinding singer and a great person, he established himself as one of India’s most influential artists and his melodies continue to communicate with the deepest human emotions.
Childhood and Adolescence
Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, a government employee, and his wife, Sardarni Bachchan, had him on February 8, 1941 in Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner princely state, India. He was one of his parents’ seven children. He attended Khalsa High School and Sri Ganganagar Government College for his early schooling. He went on to DAV College in Jalandhar, where he earned an arts degree.
After that, he earned a master’s degree in history from Haryana’s Kurukshetra University. He was encouraged to learn music from renowned classical musicians like as ‘Pandit Chaganlal Sharma’ and ‘Ustad Jamaal Khan’ in his early years of life due to a natural passion for music that his father had seen in him.
In 1965, he moved to Mumbai to seek a career in the entertainment industry as a musical performer. He began his career as a jingle writer for ads and a wedding performer. Later, he began a career as a backup vocalist, persuading HMV Records to release a ‘Extended Play (EP)’. He also made his acting debut in Suresh Amin’s Gujarati production ‘Dharati Na Chhoru.’
He and his wife, Chitra, published their first popular album, ‘The Unforgettable,’ in 1976. The album was a smash hit right away. The vocal pair went on to release albums like ‘Biraha Da Sultan’ (1978) and ‘Come Alive in a Concert’ (1979). (1979). Later albums, such as ‘Ecstasies’ (1984), ‘A Sound Affair’ (1985), and ‘Passions,’ were also commercial successes for the duo (1987).
‘Hope’ (1991), ‘In Search’ (1992), ‘Visions’ (1992), ‘Mirage’ (1995), and ‘Love Is Blind’ (1998) were among his most successful solo albums. He sung religious songs in albums such as ‘Man Jeetey Jagjit’ (1990), ‘Maa’ (1993), and ‘Hare Ram Hare Krishna’ (1994). (1999).
He also sung several popular Bollywood cinema songs, like ‘Hontho se chhoo lo tum,’ ‘Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar,’ ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho,’ ‘Tum Ko Dekha To Yeh KhayalAaya,’ ‘Din Aa Gaye Shabab Ke,’ ‘Hosh Walon Ko,’ ‘Kiska Chehra ab mai dekh ‘Aaeena’ (2000), ‘Soz’ (2001), ‘Forever’ (2002), ‘Chahat’ (2004), ‘Moksha’ (2005), ‘Awaaz’ (2007), ‘Jazbaat’ (2008), and ‘Inteha’ (2009) are some of his more recent albums (2009).
Major Projects of Jagjit Singh
The album ‘The Unforgettable’ (1976), which includes tunes such as ‘Baat Niklaygi Toh’ and ‘Sarakti Jaye Hai,’ is one of his most well-known works. The record was an instant hit, establishing him and his wife as outstanding Ghazal singers. In 1988, he created all of the songs for ‘Mirza Ghalib,’ a TV series based on the life of the namesake poet Mirza Ghalib, which featured some of his timeless melodies like ‘Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi’ and ‘Dil-e-Nadaan Tujhe.’
Achievements & Awards
The Rajasthan government honored him with the Sahitya Kala Academy Award in 1998. He also earned the Sahitya Academy Award, an Indian literary distinction, in 1998 for popularizing Mirza Ghalib’s writings. In 2003, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian accolade. He received the Teacher’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2012, the Rajasthan Ratna, the state’s highest civilian honor, was bestowed upon him posthumously by the Rajasthan government.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1967, he met married Bengali vocalist Chitra Dutta. In December 1969, she married him after divorcing her previous husband. They collaborated on a number of critically acclaimed and financially successful albums. Vivek, their only child, was tragically killed in a car accident in 1990. The pair was devastated by the loss, and Chitra decided to stop singing as a result.
Despite the fact that he continued to sing, the episode haunted him for the rest of his life. After being in a coma for two weeks, he died on October 10, 2011 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, from a brain hemorrhage. He was cremated in Mumbai’s Chandanwadi Crematorium.
Estimated Net Worth
Jagjit Singh had a net worth of $20 million and was a well-known Indian Ghazal singer, lyricist, and musician. Singh, popularly known as the “Ghazal King,” rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s alongside his wife, Chitra Singh, who is also a well-known Indian ghazal singer.