Celebrating Ghazal Legend Jagjit Singh's Musical Journey on his Birthday

The Singer's Birth

Jagjit Singh Dhiman was born on 8 February 1941 in Bikaner, Rajasthan. His father, Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, worked as a surveyor for the governments Public Works Department and was from the Ropar district of Punjab. His mother was a homemaker.

Jagjit Singh's Education

He studied at Government College in Sri Ganganagar and went on to complete an arts degree from obtained an arts degree from DAV College, Jalandhar.

First Project

He got his first gig in 1961 and worked on singing and composing assignments for All India Radios (AIR) Jalandhar station.

The big move

Without informing his family, in March 1965, Singh moved to Bombay. Bombay being the home of the Indian Film Industry, the move looked like a promising step to him. Jagjit Singh got work as a singer of advertising jingles and then started getting offers for playback singing.

Ghazal Legend

Singh composed and sang music in many languages. He is renowned for his ghazals. Ghazals are an Indian classical art form that embodies a poetic flare. He focused on the words and melody of the music. In terms of Indian classical music, his style of composing is considered as Bol-pradhan.

Hits of Jagjit Singh

He produced many popular hits such as Tum Paas Aa Rahe Ho from Veer Zara, Koi Fariyaad from Tum Bin, Tum Ko Dekha To Yeh Khayal Aaya from Saath Saath, Hosh Waalon Ko from Sarfarosh.

70 Concerts of Jagjit Singh

In February 2011 Jagjit Singh turned 70. On this special occasion, he decided to do 70 concerts around the world. He performed in many countries such as Singapore, the UK, and Mauritius. Unfortunately on 23 September he suffered a haemorrhage while on tour and passed away on 10 October.

The Legend Lives on

Jagjit Singh still lives on through his calm voice and music. In 2012 a biography on Jagjit Singh named Beyond Time was released. Ashrani Mathur did the transcribing and editing. It consisted of his interviews and provided 40 hours of footage.