Jagjit Singh in Nagpur

Jagjit Singh regales

Padma Bhushan Jagjit Singh gave a whole new meaning to Javed Akhtar’s immortal lines from film Saath Saath... “Tumko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya/ jindagi dhoop, tum ghana saaya...”. He sang each word with such allegiance that Baba Amte’s austere persona surfaced before the minds eye. The event, ‘Ek Madhosh shaam’, was organised by the Rotary Club of Nagpur to raise funds to be donated to Padmashri Dr Prakash Amte’s Lok Biradari Prakalp, Hemalkasa, Bhamragarh and other community projects.

 

The ghazal maestro presented some great classics and also some popular ghazals and even a Punjabi folk song for the audience of Nagpur. The Chitnavis Centre at Civil Lines, where the programme was held, was packed to its capacity to witness a phenomenon called ‘Jagjit Singh’, live. Jagjit’s ghazals brought out the emotional side of ghazal and poetry lovers. His ghazals did a wonderful job in delivering tranquillity (where “mai-khana” is involved), passion, serenity, pain, deepness, grief, love and a reminder of one’s own personal past. His voice has the pain that an “ashiq” feels after loosing his beloved, the love that a mother seeks for her child, the serenity that a “saaqi” delivers. The pain and seriousness in Jagjit Singh’s voice assigned a different perspective to “Tere aane ke jab Khabar mehki/ Tere khusboo se sara ghar mehki..”. When one hears the lyrics in such earnestness, the words not only tell of a lover waiting for his beloved, but about a mother waiting for arrival of the baby which she carries within herself, a old couple preparing to welcome their son or daughter.. who lives far off... Jagjit Singh involves every member of the audience while he sings, and that is what make him so highly popular. His chaste Urdu pronunciation made every song enjoyable for even those who do not dwell deep into Urdu poetry.

 

Jagjit uses blank space, silence with masterful strokes, thus allowing time for the audience to consider the obvious, as well as the hidden meaning of every ‘nazm’ and ‘sher’. “Tere baare mein jab socha nahin tha/ main tanha tha par itna nahin tha” (I was not as lonely before I was yet to start thinking about you)- his ‘sufiana andaaz’ makes one think of the spiritual element in the lyrics which also predicts ones quest for the Supreme Power. Jagjit’s swift sliding from song to sang as in while singing ‘kal choudwin ki raat thi/ shab bhar raha charcha tera, kuch ne kaha yeh chand hai, kuch ne kaha chehra tera...’ and then swiftly, without stopping, to ‘tera chehra kitna suhana lagta hai’ took the concert to the apex. He signed off with a Punjabi folk song on public demand.

 

The evening was really an intoxicating one. If not of red wine, the spirit was the of Vodka... as the padma Bhushan awardee is known for his knack to read his audiences’ mind. Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Nagpur Rajiv Behal compered the programme. Narendra Satija welcomed Jagjit Singh on stage. President of Rotary Club of Nagpur Gulab Mahant felicitated Jagjit Singh, while the maestro himself feted Aniket Amte, grandson of Baba Amte. Wonderful accompaniment was provided by Sunil Das on Sitar, Shyam Das on saxophone and flute, Deepak Borkar on a host of instruments, Santosh Bulekar on synthesiser, Javed on Dholak, and Abhinav Upadhyay on Tabla.