🎵 Jagjit Singh Ji – My Eternal Musical Inspiration

A personal tribute by Shishir Parkhie 

Some voices don’t just sing — they stay with you forever. For me, Jagjit Singh Ji’s voice was that companion, shaping my musical journey long before I stepped on stage.

My first encounter with his music was as a child. Our home record player could only play 78 RPM and 45 RPM discs, but Jagjit Singh Ji’s LPs (33⅓ RPM) — “Come Alive” and “The Unforgettables” — belonged to my father’s dear friend, Mr. Kamat. I would visit their home again and again, listening to every ghazal and nazm, trying to hum and learn them. These melodies planted the first seeds of my love for ghazals.

Over time, I explored more of his albums, including “Two in One”, gifted to my father by my uncle from the US, and other cassettes I carefully collected. Every piece — from “Baat Niklegi Toh Phir Door Talak Jaayegi” (nazm) to “Aahista Aahista”, and “Ye Daulat Bhi Le Lo, Ye Shohrat Bhi” (nazm) — became a lesson in expression and emotion. Even the ghazal “Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar” from the film Arth deeply moved me and became part of my practice repertoire.

                           

In the mid 1980s, after moving to Nagpur, I continued preparing and performing his ghazals. I never missed the Mirza Ghalib serial on TV, as every line and nuance influenced my singing deeply.

Through the 1990s, even during small concerts, I continued performing his ghazals. Songs from films like Prem Geet and Sarfarosh — especially “Hothon Se Chhu Lo Tum, Mera Geet Amar Kar Do” and “Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya” — resonated with me and formed part of my stage repertoire. I was fortunate to witness him live in Nagpur once, which remains a cherished memory.

Jagjit Singh Ji’s style, expression, and musical sensibilities had a profound impact on me. I never tried to imitate him — I simply absorbed the depth, emotion, and soul in his singing, applying it to my own compositions and performances.

From childhood through today, I have sung his ghazals at countless concerts. By 2011, before his passing, many of my performances included his iconic works. That same year, my album “Roomaniyat – Ghazals of Love and Longing” was released.

In 2012, I was deeply honored to be nominated alongside Jagjit Singh Ji for the prestegious Global Indian Music Academy Awards (GIMA) in the Best Ghazal Album category. While my album “Roomaniyat” released on 1st October 2011, Jagjit Singh Ji’s “Tera Bayaan Ghalib” came out a few months later, after his passing on 10th October 2011. Yet, both albums were recognized together that year.

It was a proud and humbling moment — though sadly, I never got the chance to meet him in person. Yet, his influence continues to guide every performance, every note, and every ghazal I sing.

Jagjit Singh Ji’s music is not just a memory; it is a lifelong companion, a mentor, and an eternal inspiration. Through his ghazals, I learned the true meaning of ehsaas in music — and that is a gift I carry with me on every stage.