Each time I have listened to Jagjit Singh ji, I have been transported to a different world of finesse, of dreamlike peace, of a thick and mushy travel into the saga of love! Without his voice, those awesome poems would have been awesome for sure, but they would not have touched the heights of divinity I believe. Being a Bengali, I have a limited vocabulary for Punjabi and Urdu. When I started listening to Jagjit Singh ji, in my school days, hardly I got much of what he was trying to say. But the depth of his voice was too mesmerizing. It has a typical pitch, a thick bass, and subtle vibration, which directly resonated with my heart! There was a direct connection between his poems and the swelling waves of emotions deep inside my heart.
My most favorites of his renditions are -
1. Kal chaudwi ki raat thi, Shab bhar raha charcha tera - What a grace! He had embroidered the poem with an awesome elegance, pride and so much depth of the lover's steadfast love, with the chisel of his beautiful voice! "Hum chup rahe, hum has diye....manjoor tha parda tera". In this poem the poet compares the beloved with the moon. Apparently the night was moonlit, but not due to the celestial moon, but because of someone much more angelic - the beloved! The lover was the only who knew the secret. But he did not open up. He preferred to leave it unsaid. The world kept thinking it was the magic of the moon, believing the myth. The reality was something else. It was the radiance of the crowning glory of the beloved! The best part is that listening to this song, there is a visual appeal. Rather I would say I feel with all my senses that magic of the beloved. And the subtle ignorance of the world. The world thinks the beauty of the night is just due to what is visible and said and appreciated - the moon. But the real reason of all the magnificence was the presence of the beloved! Jagjit Singh ji was totally immersed into the poem, and his Godlike voice, oozed out the sap of love out from the poem.
With any other signer these words in the poem, would be just words. But Jagjit Singh ji's voice had the quality which psychologists called synesthesia; where what is heard can also be seen.
2. It was the song from "Arth", "Tum itna jo muskura rahey ho.." that showed the cinema going folks in India what a good ghazal can achieve. It captured a marital siscord like nothing else. Ghazal singers can invoke sanctimonious pendantry about their art, but Jagjit Singh ji was not among them. He brought the elite ivory tower of Ghazal guild, close to the simple heart of the average cine goers. He was truly a game changer.
3. Who can forget the opening line from Gulzar's serial on "Mirza Ghalib". THe sounds of saarangi giving way to "Ballimaran ki mohalley ki wo pechida gallian.." - just words but with a quality that can make you see the lane in which Mirza Ghalib was born right down to the sound of goat's bleating.
The list continues with Jhuki Jhuki se nazaar, Hoton se choolo tum, Hoswalon ko khabar kya, bekhudi kya cheez hai, tumko dekha to yeh khayal aya, na chitthi na koi sandesh....
Jagji Singh ji might be gone, but the magic of his voice, the memories of growing up with him, the reminisces of discovering him will remain. And many more generations will fall in love with the man who brought ghazals out of cloistered elite mehfils into the public domain.
During these days of losing greatest of my inspirations each other day, starting from Steve Jobs, then Jagjit Singh ji, and then Dennis Richie, it has been a series of gloomy days, remembering the masters, the maestros - the souls who contribute their individual parts to make this world a better and more beautiful place to live.
Expressing my heartfelt homage to Jagjit Singh ji - The Voice that shall live long, caressing the soul with the warmth of love, depth and meaning!
______________________________________________
Copy Right © All rights reserved - Samrat Kar
My most favorites of his renditions are -
1. Kal chaudwi ki raat thi, Shab bhar raha charcha tera - What a grace! He had embroidered the poem with an awesome elegance, pride and so much depth of the lover's steadfast love, with the chisel of his beautiful voice! "Hum chup rahe, hum has diye....manjoor tha parda tera". In this poem the poet compares the beloved with the moon. Apparently the night was moonlit, but not due to the celestial moon, but because of someone much more angelic - the beloved! The lover was the only who knew the secret. But he did not open up. He preferred to leave it unsaid. The world kept thinking it was the magic of the moon, believing the myth. The reality was something else. It was the radiance of the crowning glory of the beloved! The best part is that listening to this song, there is a visual appeal. Rather I would say I feel with all my senses that magic of the beloved. And the subtle ignorance of the world. The world thinks the beauty of the night is just due to what is visible and said and appreciated - the moon. But the real reason of all the magnificence was the presence of the beloved! Jagjit Singh ji was totally immersed into the poem, and his Godlike voice, oozed out the sap of love out from the poem.
With any other signer these words in the poem, would be just words. But Jagjit Singh ji's voice had the quality which psychologists called synesthesia; where what is heard can also be seen.
2. It was the song from "Arth", "Tum itna jo muskura rahey ho.." that showed the cinema going folks in India what a good ghazal can achieve. It captured a marital siscord like nothing else. Ghazal singers can invoke sanctimonious pendantry about their art, but Jagjit Singh ji was not among them. He brought the elite ivory tower of Ghazal guild, close to the simple heart of the average cine goers. He was truly a game changer.
3. Who can forget the opening line from Gulzar's serial on "Mirza Ghalib". THe sounds of saarangi giving way to "Ballimaran ki mohalley ki wo pechida gallian.." - just words but with a quality that can make you see the lane in which Mirza Ghalib was born right down to the sound of goat's bleating.
The list continues with Jhuki Jhuki se nazaar, Hoton se choolo tum, Hoswalon ko khabar kya, bekhudi kya cheez hai, tumko dekha to yeh khayal aya, na chitthi na koi sandesh....
Jagji Singh ji might be gone, but the magic of his voice, the memories of growing up with him, the reminisces of discovering him will remain. And many more generations will fall in love with the man who brought ghazals out of cloistered elite mehfils into the public domain.
During these days of losing greatest of my inspirations each other day, starting from Steve Jobs, then Jagjit Singh ji, and then Dennis Richie, it has been a series of gloomy days, remembering the masters, the maestros - the souls who contribute their individual parts to make this world a better and more beautiful place to live.
Expressing my heartfelt homage to Jagjit Singh ji - The Voice that shall live long, caressing the soul with the warmth of love, depth and meaning!
______________________________________________
Copy Right © All rights reserved - Samrat Kar
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