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A passion of a lifetime, ghazal they call it
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From the humble background of a simple Punjabi family to the high echelons of celebrity hood, ghazal superstar Jagjit Singh has come a long way -- to release his pictorial biography in New Delhi this past week. SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY speaks to the soulful artiste whose father wanted him to be a bureaucrat... .
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Jagjit Singh with his wife Chitra.
"Apni aag ko zinda rakhna
Kitna mushkil hai
Pathar beech aaina rakhna
Kitna mushkil hai"
- Ishrat Afreen
WHEN YOU listen to the silken, velvety voice of Jagjit Singh melodiously injecting life into this nazm - one of his favourites - does it not raze down the fences of language to endear this poetic form to even those who cannot fathom its lyrics, making them react intuitively to the emotion of his singing? Be it Urdu, Punjabi or Hindi lyrics, whether it is his soulful songs from films like "Arth", "Saath Saath" or the recent "Leela", or his poignant ghazals, this songster has been touching the hearts of many in a way which only good music can - a rarity in today's era of fast enveloping techno music and remixes.
Then it is no surprise that when it comes to naming that one person, who can rightly be called singularly consistent in the genre of heart-rending ghazal singing on this side of the LoC today, the sole name of singer Jagjit Singh soars to the top. Indeed, we all concur that from the humble background of a common place Punjabi family to the high stratum of `Ghazal gayaki', Jagjit has trudged long miles with many a curve and chicken neck. Yet, after winning accolades and enormous fan following across the globe, if you address him as the `present-day godfather of ghazals in India', he instantaneously creases his forehead with these words in verbatim: "I'm quite surprised! I can't understand why people like to call me that. Ghazals have many godfathers, each singer with an individual style could be called a godfather."
Then the maestro adds: "Actually, ghazal and ghazal gayaki are two different things. Ghazal is a form of Urdu poetry; it's nothing to do with music. But when you set it to a composition and sing it, that's ghazal gayaki, which will vary from artist to artist. If I sing a ghazal whose music has been composed by someone else, then it's not my gayaki, it's his".
Intoning fabulously 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 - this also incidentally includes the poetry of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Jagjit's oeuvre is today rich with hundreds of `nazms', only to be justified by him that it is not in the names of the poets that the real magic lies but in their language. "When I select poetry for singing, I look at it from my point of view. It is not a question of selecting from well-known older poets, or young poets - it is a matter of language. If I can understand the language, only then I communicate the thought to the audience. Secondly, it is the thought content... it must be meaningful, related to life, its emotions of joy and sorrow. It must have the human touch," says Jagjit.
Recently in Delhi to inaugurate his pictorial biography, `Beyond Time - The Ageless Music of Jagjit Singh' published by Habitat Arts, this much-admired man - and who interestingly admires among other things, horses - however, agrees that his singing has changed from early on to the present day. "You have to change. Even from simple orchestration to sound improvement etc, there has been much change in the field. My progression in ghazal gayaki is well mentioned in the book," he adds. For him, ghazal today is not just for entertainment but "a form with responsibilities towards the social system, towards youth and the next generation".
"That it has an impact is certain - otherwise why would I be asked to do an album on what is happening today in Gujarat"? he asks. Although he does not appreciate much the change undergone by Hindi film music today, yet he considers singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan as "full of talent". So involved in his musical world, he does not even remember the name of the last Hindi movie he watched. "The time I take off from music goes into fixing up appointments, taking care of my mails etc," says this "occasional gambler at race courses".
Jagjit Singh... from music albums to a biopic. Photo: S. Subramanium.
Though excited about the recent book compiled for a year by freelance writer Asharani Mathur with a foreword by Lata Mangeskar, he promises to pen an autobiography some day. "I've given away only 80 per cent in this book. The rest will come in my own words some day," he promises. The Habitat Arts has brought out only 5,000 copies of the book, labelling it as a collector's item. Though the book has a high price of Rs. 2,750, the publishers assure a more affordable paperback edition soon.
Though faced with life's many challenges, the most tragic being the demise of his only son, Jagjit has taken everything into his stride, cementing them with a smile on the lips and mouthing words of good humour. "I tell people, despite all problems, one should keep giving and giving in life ... Zindagi ko bato... ." With a smile on his face, he adds, "interestingly, my father wanted me to sit for the IAS examinations, you know".
Cutting many an album and sharing the stage with his wife Chitra for so many years, he misses her by his side on the stage. "She has not been singing for quite many years now. But I've not lost hope. She will do so one day," he hopes.
We too hope she does. By the way, he promises to mesmerise the Delhi fans soon as part of promotion for the book. It will be worth a wait.
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