Evergreen Maestro

He was born 66 years ago in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, he has been a 'Cumballa Hillaikar' for over three decades and more. His most-cherished film songs include "Hothon se chhu lo tum" (Prem Geet),"Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho" (Arth) and Hoshwalon ko khabar kya (Sarfarosh).He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. The man whose voice is simply honey. As a packed audience at a Stadium in Kolkata awaits the ghazal maestro's entry there were several excited conjectures what songs he will sing. Discussions about the legend's health (he was only very recently hospitalized). However, the man puts all worries to rest as he greets the audience, and at once breaks into the prelude to a popular ghazal.What follows is almost three hours of musical marvel, as he sings one famous ghazal after another, hardly pausing, even between songs as he makes the trademark effortless transition from one ghazal to the next. All this, while the entertainer commands the audience's rapt attention, who sing-along some of those immortal Urdu lyrics, applaud as he delivers the refrain of a song, and he laughs, his characteristic laugh as he presents a sher, dedicated to an aged friend's love life, who is sitting in the audience. There was a lull in the tempo just before the interval but nobody was complaining as the best was yet to come. Meeting Jagjitji up close, the first thing that strikes you is the impression of a hearty person, who answers questions, not with the political correctness of a diplomat, but with the markedly carefree manner of one who speaks his mind. He is an entertainer, not just on stage, but off it, as he punctuates his conversation with humor, which can tend to be on the wry side at times, but makes up for it with the gaiety with which he delivers it. Comment on him having brought ghazals from the elite to the masses, with his amalgamation of western instruments into traditional sound, and he says, "It just happened. It's not something I started out doing in a planned manner." But didn't he get his share of skepticism, on the grounds of deviating from tradition? "What is tradition?" he asks, and then adds after a pause, "Tradition is a fake word, used by people as an excuse to avoid progress". What was tradition 50 years ago, cannot be so now. Maybe, 50 years from now, what I've done will be tradition."Having made evident that he's not a stickler for orthodoxy, he clarifies that he has nothing against the classical raagas, or dhrupad and thumri, being applied to modern fusion songs. He says, "All music is ultimately based on the raagas, and I don't think using them with modern rock or fusion takes anything away from their beauty. If adding a modern instrument and a long-haired guy on the guitar makes young people love it, then so be it!"However, talking about music in Bollywood and the dearth of ghazals there, he scoffs with a sharp impulsive remark, "Those people don't have any background in ghazals, or in the literature of classical music, for that matter. They just know how to steal and make music."Again, in a sudden moment of eccentricity (and enjoying the amusement his humour generates) when asked why he changed earlier album titles from English to Urdu- "I pick titles only on the basis of appropriateness. For that matter, I think our (Jagjit and wife, Chitra Singh's) most appropriate title was A Sound Affair. It was all about sound, and you can guess about the affair bit," he chuckles. Has he softened his stance, that Pakistani singers shouldn't be given added privileges to sing in India, he says, "No, I stand for that. I'm not against them performing here, but why the extra favor ? Why is it that when Ghulam Ali performs, he doesn't have to pay any taxes? Rules should be the same for all." Talking about Delhi, he pauses for a while before reflecting, "When I used to come earlier, I would sing in small mehfils, now I get to sing in big venues. But, people enjoy music just the same." The man who has dedicated a lifetime to music is a thorough optimist about the future and popularity of ghazals, "It's not true that ghazals or classical music have depleting audiences. My fans range across all age groups. Even young people love to listen to ghazals," he signs off. He is an active member of the CHIP (Children in Pain/Helpage India Program, an NGO that provides quality education to underprivildged children... Jagjit Singh, one of India's foremost ghazal singers, is rarely heard on the radio today. The reason, he says, is the complete absence of ghazals in film music. In an interview with the DNA, the singer took digs at the film industry, A. R Rahman, in particular. He said, "They don't know what ghazals are all about and they lack good taste in music. What does A.R Rahman know about ghazals? He will never use a ghazal in his films. All they do is pick up tunes from the West.""Earlier, in the 60s and 70s, 90% of the music was based on the ghazal. Today, there's no poetry phrasing, it's all Western and the language is tapori – a mix of English and Hindi. What kind of lyrics are 'Pappu can't dance, saala?' "However, this hasn't affected his popularity, Jagjit says. He says, "My audience has only grown over the years. I always improvise and add variations to my old songs on stage. Every ghazal is reborn on that day."Rahman is receiving rave reviews for his Slum dog Millionaire soundtrack, but ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh (right) is not a fan. After lambasting Rahman's work, saying it's just an imitation of Western music, Singh has now challenged the Oscar-nominated composer to sing ghazals to prove his talent. Singh is also unhappy with Gulzar, who has written the song 'Jai Ho'. "What to say if Gulzar writes such songs… He is a man from [a] great literary background," Singh told a news channel. Over the years, every art form evolves in sync with the current trends, in some cases getting diluted and sometimes unrecognizable. Today, Sufi music is even sub-categorized as Sufi Rock. All sorts of lyrics, rhythms and genres are passed off as Sufi music. Mercifully, this has not happened to ghazals. The reason for this is that originally ghazal singing – due to its intricate poetry – required a strong classical base for its rendition. Steeped in many classical genres, ghazal singing came to Bollywood in the early fifties. Filmy music then was still sacred to many, and while singers then had strong classical base, lyricists too were poets in their own right. If the forties were a folk oriented musical era, then the fifties were fraught with classical-based music scores. The second generation of Hindi film music came armed with the knowledge and training to prove their worth of traditional classical songs over their predecessors. Talented composers like C.Ramchandra, S.D Burman, Madan Mohan, and Shankar-Jaikishen, along with old timers Naushad Ali and Anil Biswas, had to turn to the genre of ghazal to prove their versatility in composing classical scores. Luck was on their side too as they had three of the most accomplished singers for this form of singing – Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Talat Mehmood. It was Ghulam Mohammed who started the wave with the movie Mirza Ghalib, wherein Talat Aziz gained prominence as a ghazal singer. By the time sixties music evolved, ghazals had occupied the front seat in Bollywood. Leading the pack amongst composers wasMadan Mohan. He simply outdid everybody with the numbers and quality of ghazal composing for that era. Lata Mangeshkar reserved her best for him in movies like Adalat, Anpadh, Woh Kaun Thiand many more. With Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar being the first choice for ghazal singing, Madan Mohan arguably gave us the best composed ghazals in Hindi cinema. Even when the trend was on a decline, he kept the ghazal wave alive with movies like Haqeeqat, Heer Ranjha and Mausam, right up till 1975. Gulzar's 'Dil dhoondhta hai' from Mausam is still regarded as one of the classic cases of inspired writing and composing of a ghazal. The late seventies saw a lot of composers and writers disappearing into oblivion. Music changed completely, and so did cinema on the whole. There was a sharp decline in the standards of all the departments of film-making, music being the worst hit of all. Let alone a well composed ghazal, people longed to heard a decent tune for a long time. The lilting melodies of "Jhuki jhuki si nazar" and "Chupke chupke raat din" never fail to impress music buffs even today, but the popular ghazal genre seems to have taken a backseat in Bollywood. While the older generation blames the young brigade of composers, the latter says it is the script that determines a movie's music. "The new filmmakers are more inspired by Western culture. They copy Western music and feel that they have made a song. Such people don't know what ghazals are all about," ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh told IANS over phone from Mumbai. He says the script is the main determinant of the genre of music to be used in a particular film. "As a music director, we have to keep in mind the sound that is required by the script and the film. If a ghazal is required, then we would love to use it. It actually depends on what kind of film the director is making," Shekhar said. Bollywood has been providing soulful renditions in the form of ghazals since the time of legendary K.L. Saigal. Later it was popularised by singers like Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Jagjit Singh, Talat Aziz and Pankaj Udhas among others. With hits like "Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho" ("Arth"), "Tumko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya" ("Saath Saath"), "Dil cheez kya hai" ("Umrao Jaan") and "Chupke chupke raat din" ("Nikaah"), the genre that entails the combination of soothing lyrics and dulcet voices received a huge impetus and left an indelible mark on listeners everywhere. However, there has been a marked decline in the number of ghazals in Hindi movies and the trend has moved towards creating fast, rhythmic songs in place of the traditional melodic, sentimental styles. "Ghazal is soft music; it is not making noises like most of the songs today. Of 100 songs that are churned out, only two-three are worth listening. The rest are mere shouting, which is not music," Singh said. Added Shekhar: "It's true that we have not heard ghazals in films for quite some time now and I hope that it comes back." Although the ghazal's versatile formal structure could conceivably have been modified to suit the taste of the Gen-Y, the genre has remained too closely associated with its traditional subject matter of broken hearts, weepy lovers and the stylized refinement of Urdu culture in general. "People feel that a ghazal cannot be a commercial hit in today's time. But this is actually a myth. If it is composed well, it can rule the charts. But people in the industry today don't have that kind of taste," Singh said. The theme of most films churned out today is more fast-paced and inclined towards action, and ghazals don't fit in their scheme of things, say music directors. One of the last memorable ghazals used in a Bollywood film was "Hoshwaalon ko khabar" in John Mathew Mathan's 1999 hit "Sarfarosh". He too could fit in a ghazal mainly because he had Naseeruddin Shah play a ghazal singer in the movie. J.P. Dutta used ghazals in the remake of "Umrao Jaan", but they failed to click with audiences. "Songs are made to suit the need of a particular scene. However, the industry maintains that people's preferences have not changed. "It's not that people's preference of music has changed. Considering, we had heard that he was not the easiest subject to interview, it came as a pleasant surprise to find Jagjit's nose was buried in a medium sized notebook. No, he wasn't reading poetry. He was busy signing autographs. And he even modestly apologised for getting distracted through our interaction, because he was also signing autographs. A post graduate in history, Jagjit had an early connection with music. He said, "I was and still am music personified. I can visualise music 24 hours a day. That's why, I started learning music at an early stage but did complete my formal education as my father wanted me to get into the Indian Administrative Service." With a voice that has mesmerised millions across the world, Jagjit believes in the healing qualities of music. He said, "Music has a therapeutic value. But not stage music. Stage music is effective as long as you are listening to it. Just like a film or a drama, which makes you forget things as long as you are listening to it. But it isn't meant for treatment." As a student of music, Jagjit has not only created a niche for himself but also improved himself consistently. He went on to add, "Music teaches a singer a lot about discipline. Riyaaz/rehersal infuses discipline in a musician. When we practice it regularly, it influences other areas as well. Music also teaches you to be patient." He might have achieved phenomenal success, including awards like Padma Bhushan but he confesses that they (The Awards) have made him modest and grounded. “Success never goes to my head. That's primarily because I come from a middle-class family. And that's one quality, everyone should possess, no matter how talented or successful one is," he said. Moving towards his car, as we strike a lighter note, the 69 year-old confessed that if he had not been a "singer", he'd be a "dhobi. Or, I'd probably set up a factory manufacturing mechanical goods."When he's not busy with music, he loves to enjoy life. He avered, "I like to watch television or sleep.I also exercise or read books. I enjoy everything in life — food, dance, entertainment! Everything."But he did have a word of advice for all those who are starting a career in entertainment. "Work hard. It's essential for everyone to work hard and examine oneself.he mood was set for a zordaar mehfil. After the soulful performance of Ghulam Ali, just a week back, it was time for ghazal lovers to soak in the melodies of the silken voice of Jagjit Singh. Under the canopy of the night sky, thousands of ghazal lovers queued up and waited to embark on a journey of evergreen ghazals with the maestro. Finally, the curtains went up and Jagjit Singh stepped in. As he settled down with his harmonium, the venue reverberated with thunderous cheers. The wah wah's of the audience were heartfelt as the maestro began with Chand bhi dekha, Phool bhi dekha followed by Tera chehra kitna suhana lagta hai. Nostalgia abounds He took the audience on a nostalgic trip from childhood to youth as he sang Yeh Daulat Bhi le lo, yeh shauhrat bhi le lo.The lines clearly struck a chord with the audience as they hummed along with him as he sang Hoshwalon ko khabar kya, Tumko dekha to khayal aaya, Jhuki jhuki si nazar and Honthon se chhu lo tum. Just as people were savouring these rich melodies, the classical touch to Honthon se... left the audience awestruck. As the ghazal king played with words and rendered them in varied styles, people applauded. The fascinating jugalbandis he had with his talented accompanist’s added vibrancy to the concert. As music flowed, one lost count of the hours slipping by. As the clock struck 10, it was time to for the musical journey to end, and the audience left grudgingly. The quiet humming that went on, as people walked out, was proof of the fact that the ghazal king had conquered them all.

Once again Jagjit Singh proved he still has the golden voice.