Jagjit Singh’s life encompassed a hoard of other qualities beyond music, composition, singing etc. Compassion, complete honesty, spiritual awareness and intelligence and unconditional love for everyone and everything in the universe. His energy lives and communicates silently with people around the world, be it through mellifluous soothing, healing voice or just by the wonderful memories of him that people hold in their hearts. He continues to touch people’s lives in numerous ways. He is one of those workers of light, whom we often know as angels, who keep working silently. Jagjit Singh was/is my Guru, my life partner, my friend and, above all, my protector. He protected not only me but my whole family with his love and ability to wipe away our fears and miseries. He became a ‘son’ to my parents, with his love and caring.
Jagjit Singh had been awarded with the Padma Bhushan award in 2003. But the one award that his admirers all over the world have been waiting for and demanding is the Bharat Ratna. Everyone knows that in the field of music, there is perhaps no one more deserving than Jagjit Singh. He chose ‘ghazals’ as a vehicle for his profession in music, basically because of his love for Urdu poetry. His training in pure Indian classical music and his sensitivity and empathy for the general population made him an expert in touching the innermost, deepest corners of the human heart. He was a ‘Pandit’ and ‘Ustaad’ in his knowledge and craft.
From folk to khayal to thumri and devotional music, there was no field of music that he did not excel in. All his music compositions reflected these aspects. From the orchestration to the sound balancing, mixing and editing, he managed everything by himself. He was a one-man institution. In India, besides the folk music accompanying our rituals, seasons and festivals, two major genres rule our music scene — Indian classical music and film music. There was no third form to capture the imagination of the listener till Jagjit Singh exploded on the musical horizon like a blazing meteor, to popularise a third form of music that our country, in fact the whole world, swayed to, the ‘ghazals’. Today 10 years after his departure, the field of ghazals, in fact music in general, is dwindling. God knows if this situation can ever improve without the emergence of someone like Jagjit Singh, which seems pretty remote and farfetched.
Our family and I had formed a foundation in Jagjit Singh’s name. But not much could be done for it for various reasons. But on this 10th anniversary of the legendary musician, we are happy to announce a series of activities. The best talents all over the world will be chosen under the umbrella of ‘Jagjit Singh Foundation’. The chosen talents will be rendering 80 compositions of Jagjit ji in unique music concerts with some interesting additions for today’s listeners. This will be an online activity.
(Written by Chitra Singh @IE)
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