Today's Celebrity

Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh was born on February 8th 1941 in Ganganar, Rajasthan in a Sikh family. As a kid, he attended the Khalsa School. Jagit’s love for music was evident right from when he was little and his family encouraged his talent. Jagjit learned music from Pandit Chaganlal Sharma as a kid; as a teenager he trained under Ustad Jamaal Khan and learnt Khayal, Thumri and Dhrupad all different forms of Indian classical music.Jagjit joined DAV College in Jalandhar and after his graduation; he continued his studies as he enrolled for post-graduation at the Punjab and Kurukshetra University. His college professor Surajbhan always encouraged him to pursue a career in music and following his advice; Jagjit arrived in Mumbai in 1965. Life was not easy, as he had to earn money by singing at wedding parties and composing and singing for ad jingles. During his struggling days, he met Chitra, who was an aspiring singer as well and the two started performing at parties and shows. After dating for two years, they tied the knot in 1969 and had two kids.Jagjit Singh and wife Chitra Singh revived the Ghazal music genre in India. After a long struggle, the two finally received the recognition they deserved when HMV produced their music album ‘The Unforgettables’ in 1976. The album brought a lot of fame for the couple, as they impressed not just the Indian Ghazal fans, but also music lovers all across the globe.In 1981, Jagjit rendered his voice for the Bollywood movie ‘Prem Geet’; his song “Hontho Se Choo Lo Tum Mera Geet Amar Kar Do” was a huge hit. In 1982, he again recreated magic in the movie ‘Arth’ with his song “Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar”, which lead to the success of the movie. Jagjit Singh’s superhit albums and movie songs made him the undisputed king of Ghazal, but the maestro always believed in promoting new talent and he launched new voices like Talat Aziz, Ashok Khosla and many more.Jagjit and his wife Chitra continued their magical journey, but the two were completely shaken when they lost their son Vivek in a car accident on Marine Drive in Mumbai. After that instance Chitra Singh gave up singing ,but Jagjit continued as it was his only source of overcoming the tragic loss. Jagjit however; turned philanthropic after the incident and started supporting many social causes. In 2006, Jagjit Singh was the highest tax-payer in the music industry, but a major chunk of his earning go to NGO’s like ‘CRY’ and ‘ALMA’.Jagjit Singh is the only Indian Singer whose concerts abroad are always sold out. Jagjit Singh’s voice and style has made him one of the favorite singers for all age group. He is undoubtedly the biggest and most respected name in the Indian music Industry.