His ghazals were for the masses

Pindari kis baat ki karoon Qateel; Shuhrat ka koi qayaam-e-mustaqil nahin’ (Why should I be swollen-headed, Qateel; Fame has no fixed abode).

Pakistani Urdu poet and lyricist Qateel Shifai’s aforementioned couplet was ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh’s favourite sher (couplet) as it helped him stay grounded and rooted. Hailing from a small town, Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, Jagjit remained anchored in modesty and reality till he shuffled off the mortal coil in 2011.

Always an interviewer’s delight, Jagjit was extremely friendly and accessible. I interviewed him quite a few times for the Jung group of newspapers in Pakistan, Indian Urdu dailies and also got an opportunity to interview him for the Urdu service of the BBC.

Jagjit had an umbilical attachment to Poona (like me, he too disliked calling it Pune) and would often visit the city with Sampooran Singh Kalra ‘Gulzar’ or alone for some show or concert. He shuttled between Bombay and Poona; loved the fabulous ambience of the FTII and was enamoured of its sylvan setup. ‘Poona mein meri rooh ko taskeen milti hai. Bambai (never Mumbai) ki afra-tafri mein main gum ho jaata hoon’ (My soul gets solace in Poona. I’m lost in the hullabaloo of Bombay). In fact, he composed most of his ghazals either at Lonavala near Poona or a place near the NDA, Khadakwasla.

A wonderful raconteur, Jagjit would regale Tom Alter and me with innumerable anecdotes. Whenever Tom visited Poona, Jagjit made it a point to come to the city to discuss things with him. Since Tom knew amazing Urdu, and was himself a poet, Jagjit would seek his advice on ghazals that would most appeal to the masses. Ever grateful, Jagjit remained thankful to Gulzar and Tom for cherry-picking the best and most simple ghazals for him. Tom had an uncanny idraak-e-sukhan (sense of poetry).

Jagjit had no pretensions about knowing in-depth Urdu. He always admitted that though he could read and write it with some effort, he fumbled when there was a plethora of Persian and Arabic words with distinct enunciation. That’s why he always sang simple ghazals that could be intelligible to the masses. He once told me in an interview, ‘Aam aadmi hoon, aam aadmi ke liye gaata hoon’ (I’m an ordinary man, I sing for ordinary people). That’s the main reason for his grand success as an extremely popular ghazal singer who sang for the masses, and in their language.

The year 2021 marks Jagjit Singh’s 80th birth anniversary (February 8) and the 10th year (October 10) of his demise. Jagjitji, your scores of admirers will always remember you.